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Matt's Monday Thoughts for Oct. 12th

The Red Sox are the team that my emotions are tied to the most.

One spring morning back in 2003 while living in Alabama, I was driving to work thinking about what it would be like to see a Red Sox championship. My eyes welled up thinking about the parades, the celebrations, and the different world it would be to see my favorite team win it all.

To be a fan of a great team, that’s all most Red Sox fans wanted and if we became hated like Yankees – so what? We would have had our moment in the sun.

A few years later, after the first title for Boston in 86 years, I flew home at the last moment to watch the 5th game of a 5 game series of the Yankees vs. Red Sox. I was in a long distance relationship at the time with someone from Boston and she flew in to meet me at Fenway. It was expensive mini-vacation but we were offered awesome seats cheap so we had to go.

The Red Sox had dropped the first 4 games to New York and were looking at an epic 5 game sweep at home to our hated rivals.

We had 1 championship in our lifetime so both my girlfriend at the time and I could die in peace (or so we told ourselves) but we wanted our team to stop the slide and avoid a historical first to NY. A 5 game sweep in baseball is nearly unheard of. A 5 game sweep at FENWAY to the Yankees was completely unacceptable.

The Red Sox lost that afternoon. I would later look back on that day realize that Yankee Cory Lidle pitched that afternoon for the last time at Fenway. He would die in a plane crash in Manhattan a few months later but after the game I was just pissed off.

I walked out of Fenway and could not believe my team had managed to break my heart again. Even after the championship of 2004 – they could still sting my heart.

On Saturday morning, I jumped a double flight from Des Moines to Boston in order to watch the Red Sox battle the Angels in Game 3 of the American League Series the next day. I had never been to the playoff game at Fenway in my life, only Game 4 of the World Series in Denver in 2007, so my track record was pretty good. Again, I was offered good seats cheap and had to go.

The Red Sox had never lost to the Angels in a playoff series. Dating back to 1986, where the Sox came back to beat the then California franchise on a huge homerun by Dave Henderson in Game 7 of the series, we owned the Angels.

After the 5th inning, Boston was up 5-1 and people were making plans for Game 4 in their heads. I know I was and even though deep down, I knew better.

Welcome to Black Sunday.

On this day in Boston, I got the chance to watch the Red Sox choke away a 4 run lead in person and then watch the Patriots blow a 10 point lead on the road at Denver. More on Pats in a second….

Jonathan Papelbon had not given up a single earned run in his playoff career before Game 3. Over 20 innings of work and nobody had crossed home plate against him.

On Sunday, he allowed a hit that scored 2 runners in the 8th and then gave up 3 runs in the 9th to allow the Angels to beat Boston 7-6 in Game 3. Unreal. Pap walked Tori Hunter to load the bases in order to pitch to Vlad Guerrero…..their clean up hitter who had done nothing in the series but a veteran who took a first pitch, meatball, fast ball and put it in center field. Game over.

My heart stung again.

The Red Sox have been a unique story that went from tragedy to triumph thanks to finally winning but after the past 2 years you have to ask is it over?

1918 to 2004, 86 years between titles and everyone said Boston would never be the same. Those people were right cause Sox fans walking out of Fenway were shaking their heads, not headed for ledges like they would have been in the past.

I couldn’t believe how easy people took the loss. I was pissed off but my family just said “Oh well, they weren’t that good this year”. And they were right to say that cause L.A. was a better team but still…..we lost! Where is the anger?

Sure, I picked them to win in 4 over a Boston team that could not score enough runs in the regular season to catch the Yankees vaunted line up. We all knew the Red Sox weren’t the best team in the American League and I think they would have struggled against at least 2 of the National League playoff teams. Yet I had hope….a hope that was dashed like in the playoffs of 2008 and 2003 and 1999 and 1995 and on through out the history of my baseball team.

Suddenly, 2007 seems like a long time ago for me. But my family’s reaction of “Oh well” made me realize that Boston really won’t ever be the same town that I grew in. 2 Championships in 5 years has created a different type of fan. One that believes that in the future, there are good times ahead even if things suck right now.

Now, all I can only do is hope once again.

*Is it time to say that Tom Brady without Josh McDaniels is a problem? Tom Brady had a record setting performance in 2007 under McDaniels leadership. Then Matt Cassel became a quarterback and became multi-million dollar athlete with McDaniels as his tutor. Now, Kyle Orton has the Denver Broncos undefeated and McDaniels is the hottest name in the NFL for what his doing with him.

Brady and the Pats got shutout in the second half in Denver and New England gave up 13 unanswered points including the game winning field goal in Overtime. The Patriots’ offense looked slow and out of synch again as Brady continues to struggle with his timing.

New England is 4-2 on the year and still looks like the best team in their division but in both losses this year – at New York and Denver, the Pats offense has been held in check by dominate defenses.

In the post season, Brady has to be better if the Pats want any chance of winning a 4th ring. He has to get back on the same page as Randy Moss and has to be more accurate with his throws.

Bottom line – Tom Brady needs to play more like Tom Brady is supposed to.

*No show reviews this week as I just got back to Des Moines this afternoon. However, I’ll try to do a mid-week blog post on them. Thanks for reading.

Bluejaycafe.com Live Chat Noon Friday

Matt's Monday Thoughts for Oct. 5th

I experienced something this weekend for the first time in my 10 years as a radio professional.

I went back to a town that I had previously worked in to stay overnight.

Since 1999, I’ve lived in Charlottesville, VA., Huntsville, AL, and Omaha, Nebraska. All great towns but it wasn't until Saturday night that I actually woke up in my old place of living the next morning. It was kind of weird to be honest, especially waking up in a hotel room after living in the city for 4 years.

Being gone only 5 months after my move to Des Moines made it a lot easier to pick up where I left off but it was still an interesting experience to see so many faces that I knew. Yet, there were some changes that surprised me like construction and new bars that had opened up.

I was back in town for a bunch of client meetings for my Creighton website and then I went to the Tucker Max movie and party event. While seeing “I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell” was a cool experience, the party…..well – I only have 1 word and it’s not good for those of you who know of Tucker and would expect a great story:

LAME.

It was at a bar in West Omaha that tries very hard to make you think you are not in Nebraska. The lighting, the drink prices, the music….all trying very hard to convince you that you are aren’t in a city of less than 1 million people and state with less than 2.

A for effort though but the douche bag dudes out numbered the attractive girls 10 to 1 and the vibe of the place was that of a bad frat party.

Not my scene.

I actually was staying at the same hotel as Tucker Max and met him in the lobby as I was checking in. 5’6, probably 160 lb…nothing special to look at but a nice guy and somebody you can tell is still getting used to the spotlight. He’s jumpy at first when you alert him that you know who he is but calms down quickly.

At the overpriced, wanna-be city bar, I talked with Tucker for a minute or two amid guy after guy trying to shake his hand or talk to him or get an autograph. It’s kind of weird to think about his celebrity. All he really did was tell stories about his life.

As I told him – he could be 1 of 100 guys in the country but the difference is that he’s an outstanding story teller. He disagreed with me saying that it was him just being honest. Maybe – but honesty with a talent for putting words together has made him a lot of money.

A lot more than if he would have tried to be an actor. His 1 scene in the movie flopped.

Thank god for the Rose and Crown….my bar in Omaha. That made the night fun and drunk after I left the Tucker worship party.

*Entourage. Season finales are always sad. I hate them to be honest. All endings have been met with a nasty response by me. Even back when my mom used to pick me up from sleep away camp…I hated the final day. No more fun and games.

Well, the ending to this season was awesome. E proposing to Sloan was a gift to me because I was pissed that Jamie Singler was off the show after breaking up with Turtle. You have to give us one of the two and Sloan marrying E keeps her around for good.

As a 32 year old, a lot of my friends are getting married soon or have been married for a while. It was nice to see the real life side of the show poke through.

Next season could be the last. Donna and David’s marriage ended 90210. Maybe E and Sloan’s will end Entourage. They can’t keep going forever.

*Bored to Death. This show is going to be fun. I really like it and the comedy is perfectly matched to me. HBO has a big hit on their hands again.

Now, where is Big Love?

*Boy I feel for Iowa St. Another really tough loss at Arrowhead after the previous one to Florida St. and a game they would have won if they had A-Rob. 3-2 is still not horrible. But where are the 3 W's coming from now for a bowl game?

*Iowa's Ricky Stanzi was having a killer game...until he became Ricky Stanzi again and threw a pick 6 vs. Arkansas St. He's still the 1 guy who might keep them from a Big 10 title.

For more to date posts...

Be sure to check out my work blog:

http://www.kxno.com/pages/mattandmiller.html

I will post on here more than I have been but I get paid to post on the link above :)

To Remember September 2001

Every September, we remember 9-11.  I remember the fact that there were over 100 people from Mass. that died that day on the planes.  In fact, some from my hometown of Andover.  I heard the poem - Self Evident - today by Ani Difranco and thought I'd share it.  Love it.  

For her voice - mp3 is available here 

Self Evident by Ani Difranco 

yes, 
us people are just poems 
we're 90% metaphor 
with a leanness of meaning 
approaching hyper-distillation 
and once upon a time 
we were moonshine 
rushing down the throat of a giraffe 
yes, rushing down the long hallway 
despite what the p.a. announcement says 
yes, rushing down the long stairs 
with the whiskey of eternity 
fermented and distilled 
to eighteen minutes 
burning down our throats 
down the hall 
down the stairs 
in a building so tall 
that it will always be there 
yes, it's part of a pair 
there on the bow of noah's ark 
the most prestigious couple 
just kickin back parked 
against a perfectly blue sky 
on a morning beatific 
in its indian summer breeze 
on the day that america 
fell to its knees 
after strutting around for a century 
without saying thank you 
or please

and the shock was subsonic 
and the smoke was deafening 
between the setup and the punch line 
cuz we were all on time for work that day 
we all boarded that plane for to fly 
and then while the fires were raging 
we all climbed up on the windowsill 
and then we all held hands 
and jumped into the sky

and every borough looked up when it heard the first blast 
and then every dumb action movie was summarily surpassed 
and the exodus uptown by foot and motorcar 
looked more like war than anything i've seen so far 
so far 
so far 
so fierce and ingenious 
a poetic specter so far gone 
that every jackass newscaster was struck dumb and stumbling 
over 'oh my god' and 'this is unbelievable' and on and on 
and i'll tell you what, while we're at it 
you can keep the pentagon 
keep the propaganda 
keep each and every tv 
that's been trying to convince me 
to participate 
in some prep school punk's plan to perpetuate retribution 
perpetuate retribution 
even as the blue toxic smoke of our lesson in retribution 
is still hanging in the air 
and there's ash on our shoes 
and there's ash in our hair 
and there's a fine silt on every mantle 
from hell's kitchen to brooklyn 
and the streets are full of stories 
sudden twists and near misses 
and soon every open bar is crammed to the rafters 
with tales of narrowly averted disasters 
and the whiskey is flowin 
like never before 
as all over the country 
folks just shake their heads
and pour

so here's a toast to all the folks who live in palestine 
afghanistan 
iraq

el salvador

here's a toast to the folks living on the pine ridge reservation 
under the stone cold gaze of mt. rushmore

here's a toast to all those nurses and doctors 
who daily provide women with a choice 
who stand down a threat the size of oklahoma city 
just to listen to a young woman's voice

here's a toast to all the folks on death row right now 
awaiting the executioner's guillotine 
who are shackled there with dread and can only escape into their heads 
to find peace in the form of a dream

cuz take away our playstations 
and we are a third world nation 
under the thumb of some blue blood royal son 
who stole the oval office and that phony election 
i mean 
it don't take a weatherman 
to look around and see the weather 
jeb said he'd deliver florida, folks 
and boy did he ever

and we hold these truths to be self evident: 
#1 george w. bush is not president 
#2 america is not a true democracy 
#3 the media is not fooling me 
cuz i am a poem heeding hyper-distillation 
i've got no room for a lie so verbose 
i'm looking out over my whole human family 
and i'm raising my glass in a toast

here's to our last drink of fossil fuels 
let us vow to get off of this sauce 
shoo away the swarms of commuter planes 
and find that train ticket we lost 
cuz once upon a time the line followed the river 
and peeked into all the backyards 
and the laundry was waving 
the graffiti was teasing us 
from brick walls and bridges 
we were rolling over ridges 
through valleys 
under stars 
i dream of touring like duke ellington 
in my own railroad car 
i dream of waiting on the tall blonde wooden benches 
in a grand station aglow with grace 
and then standing out on the platform
and feeling the air on my face

give back the night its distant whistle 
give the darkness back its soul 
give the big oil companies the finger finally 
and relearn how to rock-n-roll 
yes, the lessons are all around us and a change is waiting there 
so it's time to pick through the rubble, clean the streets 
and clear the air 
get our government to pull its big dick out of the sand 
of someone else's desert 
put it back in its pants 
and quit the hypocritical chants of 
freedom forever

cuz when one lone phone rang 
in two thousand and one 
at ten after nine 
on nine one one 
which is the number we all called 
when that lone phone rang right off the wall 
right off our desk and down the long hall 
down the long stairs 
in a building so tall 
that the whole world turned 
just to watch it fall 

and while we're at it 
remember the first time around? 
the bomb? 
the ryder truck? 
the parking garage? 
the princess that didn't even feel the pea? 
remember joking around in our apartment on avenue D?

can you imagine how many paper coffee cups would have to change their design 
following a fantastical reversal of the new york skyline?!

it was a joke, of course 
it was a joke 
at the time 
and that was just a few years ago 
so let the record show 
that the FBI was all over that case 
that the plot was obvious and in everybody's face 
and scoping that scene 
religiously 
the CIA 
or is it KGB? 
committing countless crimes against humanity 
with this kind of eventuality 
as its excuse 
for abuse after expensive abuse 
and it didn't have a clue 
look, another window to see through 
way up here 
on the 104th floor 
look 
another key 
another door 
10% literal 
90% metaphor 
3000 some poems disguised as people
on an almost too perfect day 
should be more than pawns 
in some asshole's passion play 
so now it's your job 
and it's my job 
to make it that way 
to make sure they didn't die in vain 
sshhhhhh.... 
baby listen 
hear the train?

Neat Story

At 32, I know I don't have the life that everyone would want.  I've lived all over the country, striving for something that I don't know I'll ever achieve, hundreds of miles from my family.  

It's really hard to follow your heart and chase your dreams.  So when I hear of someone else who is doing that....well, I'm really proud to know that I'm not alone in my pursuit of something that isn't easy.  

Meet Adam Dawson.  I wanted post his email that he sent to me cause I think it's awesome what he has done.....

Hey Matt

My name is Adam Dawson, I'm from Omaha and listened to you the entire time you were in town.  I've emailed a couple times in the past, pretty much just as you were leaving town to wish you luck.  Seems like things are going well at KXNO, hope you're happy with where you're at.  I listen to your new podcasts as much as possible, I'll miss all the Creighton talk once the season starts up!

I'm bothering you today because I landed my dream job this week, I'm now fully involved in the world of professional sports.  About a month ago I decided I was going to follow through with my dream of being a tour caddie.  I've played golf for 15 years and love the game more than most I know, I named my kids after DLIII and Kaari Webb for example.  I hated the job I've been doing for the past four years and needed to make a change, now seemed like as good a time as any.  The fact that the Nationwide Tour was coming to Omaha and after Columbus the following week it's in Wichita, Springfield and Overland Park gave me a good chance at trying it out for a month.  Tournament week for the COX Classic came and I went to the volunteer caddie meeting up at the course.  I was first to arrive but last to pick a number, that valuable #1 position was waiting for me in the end.  My player showed up at 11:30 on Monday morning after five hours of waiting, his name is Steve LeBrun, a guy with lots of potential who has been struggling hard this year coming off of a shoulder surgery, I know of someone else who had something similar ;) .  Steve and I hit it off almost immediately, he liked my ambitious attitude and the fact that I had plans to be out on tour for a while.  By the end of Tuesday's practice round I had the job through the Overland Park tournament and at the end of round two I was offered the full-time gig!  Things like this just don't happen to people, I'm not religious but something is happening this week with all the breaks I've been getting.  The World Herald is running a front page story this weekend on caddies at the tournament and I was one that was picked for that, should have my picture on the front page which is cool.  

I'll wrap this up, I tend to go on forever about this.  I have a blog that I'll use to keep people posted as to what's going on with me and Steve in the weeks to come.  I figured you might think this is kind of a cool story and like to take a look at it.  I'm at http://caddieadamdawson.blogspot.com, my twitter updates are linked up to that too.  

Thanks for what you did while you were in town Matt, we miss you!

Adam Dawson

Omaha    

Vegas

I will post a full - unedited story of the Vegas trip later when I get home late next week...until then - here is the professional version:

http://www.kxno.com/pages/mattandmiller.html

Busy week....

Ok - for my Bluejaycafe.com subscribers - get ready for a full week beginning on Thursday morning. I suggest you follow me via Twitter - for the latest info on Creighton basketball recruiting while I'm in Vegas. 

Flight to Vegas is on Wednesday.  Adidas Super 64 starts on Thursday and goes to Sunday.

For you KXNO people in Des Moines - we are live in Vegas on Thursday and Friday for "Matt and Miller"....same link via Twitter is good for you for up to the second info from the Big 12 Media Days in Dallas as we will go there right after Vegas.  We land on Monday morning and do our show from the hotel hosting the event.

Iowa St goes Monday!!   

Included in Dallas trip will be a tour of the new Cowboys - $1 Billion - Stadium...lots of pics to be taken and posted.  8 days, 5 shows, 2 cities, and lots of fun!  (Happy early Bday to AC who will be having his party on Saturday in Vegas!  Can't wait for that)    

We are back in studio next Thursday the 31st after the trips!