At The Gym My Thoughts Are My Music

Posted on August 14, 2013 by brent

Yesterday at the gym I finished a set, put the weights down, looked up, and inadvertently made eye contact with another person who was also working out. I didn’t mean to lock eyes with this guy but he was staring at me as I did my set so naturally when I looked up in his direction our eyes locked. I see this guy every single day as he is also a rec center regular and when I caught his gaze I knew he had something to say. Sure enough he walked right over to me and asked a question:

“Hey man, isn’t it bullshit that they don’t have music playing right now?”

The guy was right. Instead of the 70’s rock hits or the assortment of Pink, Adele, Barenaked Ladies, and Jewel they usually have playing, on this day the place was silent. Instead of responding to his question with a question of my own asking him why he just doesn’t use a personal iPod like 95% of the people I see in the gym, I decided to trail off on my own thoughts…

I don’t use a personal music device at the gym. I don’t pay attention to the music that my workout center decides to push through the speakers. I don’t even realize it when the place is dead silent. When I work out, I don’t have lyrics aiding me as I sweat it out. I don’t have angry rock music screaming in my ears or a David Guetta beat sending energy through my veins. Rather, I just have my thoughts.

When I work out, I do my best thinking. I get into a trance, shut off the people around me, focus, and let my mind go wild as I move weight around and run the track. I definitely feel the physical toll on my body as I perform my workout regimen but it is made bearable because mentally I am always engaged in something interesting. When I work out I come up with my best ideas, look at work issues in a whole new light, come up with most of my blog topics, and evaluate my personal life. For me, music just kind of gets in the way.

Not that I don’t understand the value music can have on a good lifting session. In high school we routinely blared loud, obnoxious music during our zero hour weights class. I can admit that it got my adrenaline pumping a notch or two more and may have helped me add a few pounds to my maxes. I know our athletes at Montana like strong, beat dropping music during their workouts, I hear it each time I am within 500 feet of the athletic performance center. Seeing some of the big marks they have hit, obviously it is helping them too. But I am just past that point now.

I no longer need to lift heavy weights and max out every other week. Instead of lifting for numbers, I lift for myself. I lift for the body I want and at the pace I want. Because of this, I find music unnecessary. I just need my state of mind and I am ready to tackle my workout.

During my workout I argue with myself, bring myself down, lift myself up, and just dig deep. I am in continual dialogue with myself and it takes me through the whole duration of my physical activity. I definitely play a game of tug-of-war internally, but by the time I finish my workout and the endorphins are flowing I usually always feel that I have not only succeeded physically but mentally as well.

For someone like myself who is in charge of using music to amp up 26,000 people to ecstatic levels, you would think that I would depend on it for every facet of my life. But I don’t. In one of the most accepted avenues to use music as a motivator (the gym) I have the volume muted. I covet the time I have to really examine myself while working out and I don’t need music to get in the way…

Although the explanation probably took you a little longer to read, it actually only took me one second to give the guy his answer about the lack of the music. Not wanting to get in a long discussion with the guy, I gave him the easy answer so I could get back to my thoughts:

“Yeah man, it totally sucks.”

Don’t Blink.

Missoula’s Big Problem

Posted on August 13, 2013 by brent

Missoula is a wonderful city and for the most part I love it. However, there are two things that I dislike about living here. Number one is the cold and snowy winters that run for about 9.5 months of the year. Number two is the transient problem.

My mom, dad, and brother visited me last weekend. As usual they had rave reviews for the Garden City. They loved the farmer’s market, the casinos, the great places to eat, the beautiful church I go to, and the overall culture of the town. But this time they slipped in a critique, a critique that I happen to share with them, a critique that didn’t have to do with the weather as it was in the low nineties the whole time they were here.

My family couldn’t believe how much the transient population had exploded.

After getting hassled by people on the street all Friday night and all day Saturday, my family went public with their realization to me with a culminating event on Saturday evening. As we were walking down Ryman on one side of the street we couldn’t help but turn our heads and watch as an argument was escalating on the sidewalk opposite to us on the other side of the street. Starting at where the Badlander sits, a transient woman started getting yelled at by a transient man. She screamed back. Soon enough another transient man jumped into the controversy and started yelling at the woman as well. Pretty much the only words that we could make out during the argument were the four letter ones. As we walked down one side of the street, the enraged people mirrored our progress walking down the other side of the street even though none of them were wearing shoes. The Jerry Springer On The Street episode ended when we turned right onto Front St. and the transients kept going down Ryman.

This led to my parents expressing that they didn’t remember the street person problem being so bad in Missoula. Of course they were aware that the city had a pretty prevalent homeless population before but this time around the problem had grown considerably. I explained to them about the Rainbow Gathering that took place nearby and I reminded them that it was summer but those were the only excuses I gave. I had to hang my head low and concede that they were right, transients had taken over downtown Missoula.

I am definitely not here to condemn the city of Missoula. I mean what more can they do? There are just so many street people it is hard to control. I think if there is a main reason on why the problem is so bad I would say it is because Missoulians are just too nice. Say what? Am I really complaining about the people in this city being too nice? Well, not really. I would always take a city that was too nice over a city that was mean. The overall impact of a nice town makes the quality of life so much better as opposed to a mean one. BUT, a nice town does have some undesirable drawbacks and aiding a transient population is one of them. Missoulians give street people money, food, sympathy, and attention. While I am not advocating acting like a Scrooge to someone in need, I am saying that “helping” a street person many times just enables them to buy booze, get high, pollute the streets, and feel content about their less than aspiring status

The worst thing about Missoula’s transient problem? At this time we are inundated with a mixed population. Missoula does not just have your typical older homeless man walking around with a big beard and alcohol on his breath. Rather, we have a large group of young people who are living on the streets. As I said earlier, the Rainbow Gathering has something to do with this but I find it both sad and pathetic how many people my age and younger are calling the Missoula streets their home. I can’t walk anywhere in downtown Missoula without them blocking my pathway with their dog, asking for “three quarters”, and/or assaulting my nose with the combination of alcohol, pot, and B.O. They hang out in packs and can be intimidating to some people.

I hope within a couple months this Missoula problem dissipates quite a bit. It is becoming a characteristic of this town, something that out-of-towners can easily notice. Missoula is a wonderful place, it is just that some of its charm and beauty is taken away when you can’t walk ten feet without noticing the presence of the street population. Let’s hope time and some better practices from Missoulians can help make this issue more manageable. Don’t Blink.

My Most Outrageous Fair Food Recipes

Posted on August 12, 2013 by brent

On Saturday, Darren Rovell tweeted out a picture of a pretty crazy food item at the Wisconsin State fair. It was a fried hot dog wrapped in french fries. Later that day I went to the Missoula fair and my brother purchased another obscure, high caloric food item called a tater pig. It was a sausage enclosed inside of a baked potato.

This is the infamous French Fry Hot Dog from the Wisconsin fair.

Fairs are notorious for offering off the wall, over the top, fatty foods. People at these fairs go a little crazy and usually combine popular unhealthy food items together to come up with a heart attack on a stick or a blocked artery in a boat tray. But everyone has an imagination and I am not going to anoint these fair people as food geniuses. I think pretty much all of us can sit down for a few minutes and think up some wacky food creations that would actually land on a website or get a retweet from Darren Rovell if only someone actually took the time to make it and offer it at a county fair.

Well I sat down for a few minutes and thought up some pretty outrageous food items that I would like to see offered inside one of the trailers situated in a dirt lot at the fair. Of course I am using only food items that I like to eat but I bet I can still make you salivate and/or throw up a little after you read my top five fair food creation recipes.

I am no cook but I do have some ideas!!

1. Reser Mega Quadruple Decker Peanut Butter Sandwich

Because I eat a plain peanut butter sandwich every single day for lunch I knew I had to create something that differed just a little bit from the two pieces of white bread and crunchy peanut butter sandwich I usually devour. Listen to what I got in mind…

The four pieces of bread that I would use for this sandwich would all be made into french toast. Building up, in between the first and second pieces of french toast would be a thick layer of crunchy peanut butter on one of the pieces of bread and then a thick layer of creamy peanut butter on the other piece of bread. Mixed in with all that peanut butter would be Reeses Puffs, one of the best cereals of all time. In between the second and third pieces of french toast would be the contents of a king sized Reeses Peanut Butter Cup package. That is four peanut butter cups spread out in between those pieces of bread. Then in between the third and fourth pieces of bread would be another layer of crunchy and creamy peanut butter with peanut butter M&Ms mixed in.

To finish it off, a big scoop of peanut butter ice cream would be placed on the top of the sandwich and peanut butter dessert sauce would be drizzled all over the ice cream and it would ooze down onto the sandwich itself.

2. BTR’s Atomic Corn Dog

For this one I would get the spiciest foot long jumbo hot dogs that I could find. I would then stuff them with spicy jalapeno cheese. I would then mix the beer batter with the Wild sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings. Once the batter solidified on the dog I would crust the whole corn dog with Tim’s Cascade jalapeno chips. Then taking a cooking brush, I would dip it into a big bowl of sriracha sauce and “paint” the chip outer layer with it.

I would serve the foot long, crunchy corn dog with a side of Hooter’s 911 hot sauce.

3. Brent’s Loaded, Ridiculous Burrito

I got the idea for making a gigantic burrito with random good stuff in it when my girlfriend told me she placed chicken strips in a tortilla and ate it for lunch.

For this monster I would use a fresh 14 inch tortilla. I would layer the tortilla with pizza sauce. I would then put a layer of shredded pepper jack cheese over the pizza sauce. Next I would stay true to my girlfriend’s recipe and chop up four chicken strip pieces and throw them on top of the cheese. I would then drop a quarter pound of spicy tater tots on top of everything. After that was added I would chop up a couple Oscar Meyer wieners and throw those on top. I would then layer on some mexican rice and some fajita meat. Next would come a whole bunch of nacho cheese sauce followed by shredded cheddar cheese. After doing my best to roll it up I would drench it in enchilada sauce and put ground beef on top of it.
Fork optional.

4. Don’t Blink Mac And Cheese Pizza

Now macaroni and cheese pizza is nothing new but my version would be one of a kind and knock your socks off.

This of course would be a stuffed pizza! Inside this extra large pizza would be a layer of nacho cheese sauce. On top of the nacho cheese sauce layer would be four different shredded cheeses. On top of the four shredded cheeses would be four different macaroni and cheeses!! It would contain my mom’s homemade macaroni and cheese, my girlfriend’s homemade macaroni and cheese, a box of Velveeta macaroni and cheese, and a box of white cheddar macaroni and cheese. Mixed inside with all the cheeses and the mac and cheeses would be a pound of sausage.

On top of the pizza I would drizzle some Iron Horse queso dip and more shredded cheese. I would then send it to the oven. Once the masterpiece came out I would pour a whole bunch of the gooey macaroni and cheese from Dickey’s over the top of the pizza and then serve!

5. #GoGriz Biscuits and Gravy

I love biscuits and gravy and can’t wait to share this gem with you!

Although I love homemade biscuits, for this recipe the biscuits will be replaced with three piping hot, fresh glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts. On top of the donuts would go the thickest and tastiest sausage gravy ever. Even though the gravy would contain plenty of sausage in it, more would need to be added. Three patties and three links would be cut up and thrown on top of the mountain of a breakfast. For good measure, I would also demand that a sausage biscuit from McDonalds also be brought over and chopped up and thrown on top of everything, just so I could say that I incorporated a traditional biscuit in there somehow.

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Anyone ready to take my ideas and use them at your next county fair? I didn’t think so. However, I do guarantee that someone out there would jump at the chance to eat one of the abominations that I proposed. I mean hey, there is always at least one in every crowd. Do me a favor though…if you were forced to eat one of the above recipes, which one would it be? Please tell me, I would like to know. I am guessing everyone goes with the macaroni and cheese pizza. Don’t Blink.

Enter the #GoGriz Photo Contest

Posted on August 6, 2013 by brent

A little over a year ago, I participated in a social media contest that consumed my life and brought out my competitive juices. Northern Quest, a resort in my former home of Spokane, held a photo contest in honor of Mother’s Day. The resort asked its social media audience to submit a photo of themselves with their mom to the Northern Quest Facebook page. Once a photo was submitted, it was eligible to get likes and comments. At the end of the weeklong contest, the photo with the most combined likes and comments would get a spa package for their mom that included a night stay in the resort’s ultra fancy hotel.

I went absolutely nuts putting all of my energy into winning this contest. After much campaigning, pleading, and schmoozing with pretty much everyone I knew who had a Facebook account, I ultimately held off the large field and won the prize package for my mom.

This is the photo I submitted that won the prize package.

So after having a great experience competing in a fan-voted social media picture contest, you can definitely bet that I am loving the fact that this week I get to run one! On Monday, Grizzly Athletics presented the #GoGriz Photo Contest. Our fans simply have to submit a photo that in some way incorporates our official hash tag, #GoGriz, and then hope that their photo garners the most votes possible. Sounds easy, right?

Well in theory running a contest like this sounds very simple but there actually is a lot of work on the backend that takes place. I am talking about behind the scenes type work such as making sure everyone follows the rules, offering a clear and functioning voting platform, crowning a legitimate champion, and compiling information from our Facebook fans that will in turn help us better serve them through Grizzly Athletics.

Enter a key player in this whole process…Think Social. Because of our contract with our third party rights holder (Grizzly Sports Properties) we have the luxury of teaming with some pretty cool partners. One of these partners is Think Social, a company that specializes in running Facebook contests for intercollegiate athletics departments. Along with our associate athletic director, the two of us sat down in a call with Think Social and we told them exactly what we wanted to accomplish with this contest. I wanted to continue to raise awareness for our hash tag, offer our fans another great social media promotion, and increase our like count on our main Facebook page. Our associate AD wanted to spread word that season tickets are still available, compile a database of some of our loyal fans, and see if this platform could help us in the future. Think Social designed the contest with our goals in mind and only two days into the contest I can proudly say that we have either already reached or are close to reaching them all (contest ends on Monday).

While Think Social facilitates the contest, I get to do all the marketing for it. This includes spreading the word throughout all of Griz Nation, generating enthusiasm for the campaign, coming up with creative ways to get people to submit photos, updating fans on a daily basis, and showcasing the great submissions that our fans turn in. Definitely a cool job.

This is currently the second place photo in the contest (122 votes).

But enough of this long story on how the contest came to be. What I really want to do in this blog post is tell you to enter the contest!! Why am I telling you to do this? One reason of course is because it is very simple. Another reason is because it is fun to submit a photo and see who will vote for it, closest friends and total strangers both included. A big reason is also because of the prize given to the person who submits the photo that gets the most votes: 2 Griz football season tickets (pretty much the most coveted thing in the state)!! But the main reason why you should enter is because you can WIN!

I am convinced that any of my Facebook contacts who have at least 500 friends on the network and who have half a brain about how social media works can pull this victory off. All it takes is hard work and some creativity. If you are reading this right now I have faith that you could submit a photo in the next two minutes and by 8 a.m. tomorrow morning you could pull into first place, right ahead of the person who has 140 or some odd votes right now. It just takes some drive and some innovativeness to do it. I know you all are capable of doing it.

So what are you waiting for? Click here and submit your photo. Just make sure to incorporate the #GoGriz hash tag and remember that using babies or cute cats always seems to work best. Go Griz! Don’t Blink.

Trouble at the ATM

Posted on August 5, 2013 by brent

One of those aggravating moments where you try to do something nice for a stranger but it ends up just backfiring in your face just happened to me.

I got off work 45 minutes ago. Coming off the weekend with most of my cash in my wallet sucked dry I made a trip to my bank to use their drive through ATM. I pulled up behind a few cars. Finally the car in front of me got through using the machine and I drove up to perform my business. When I rolled down my window I saw a familiar sight. The ATM screen had two options listed on it: “Return Card” or “Perform Another Transaction”. This person had done their transaction, got their cash, and drove off totally forgetting their debit card.

This did not surprise me. This particular ATM at this particular bank branch had done this to me on a few occasions. Whereas many ATMs will spit out your card or make a loud noise to remind you to grab it, this machine doesn’t do that. Rather, after you answer all of the questions and take your cash thinking you are all done a quiet prompt comes up asking if you want your card returned. Although a couple times I have for a split second drove off without it, I always backed up quickly and retrieved my card, my mind miraculously somehow reminding me.

This particular person did not remember. They drove off and I took her card out and put it on my dash. I made my transaction as quickly as possible because I wanted to pull around to the bank parking lot because I figured the person would soon be coming back to the bank and I would personally give the person her card back. I waited in the lot for 5 minutes but the car did not return. Not wanting to wait I did the seemingly responsible thing and entered the foyer area of the bank where they have an additional ATM and bank slips. I placed the card in an envelope, wrote “CARD LEFT INSIDE THE ATM”, and slipped it under the door into the main bank lobby. For whatever inconceivable reason, my bank’s lobby closes at 4 p.m. on business days. They have employees staffing the drive through windows until 6 p.m. but the main bank area itself is closed.

Satisfied that the card was in safe hands I left the bank and started the commute back to my apartment. Right before I entered the freeway I stopped at a gas station to fuel up. As I always do, I use my debit card for fuel purchases. I parked my car, opened my gas door, and reached into my wallet…my debit card was GONE.

I had done the exact same idiotic thing that the person in front of me had done.

After a moment with myself to express my frustrations I hopped in my car and hauled you know what back to the bank. I drove right up to the drive through hoping that the “Return Card” or “Perform Another Transaction” prompt would still be up from when I was there last since it had only been about 7 minutes. It was not.

Seeing the big line at the non-ATM drive through windows and not wanting to bother them with a non-transaction inquiry I called the branch with my cell phone. I simply got a recording telling me the bank was closed. I listened to this recording twice while watching employees walk all around the office area. Knowing it was no use, I drove in line and waited. Finally, I reached the window.

I told the employee, a girl about the same age as me, my story. I told her about finding someone else’s debit card, pushing it under the locked bank doors, and then realizing that in my frantic attempt to do the right thing I had made the same stupid mistake. I asked her if someone had turned in my card. The employee offered her apologies and then told me the only card they had was the one I had turned in myself. A little unnerved about what had become of my card, the girl told me that the ATM most likely ate the card up when the final screen prompt went unanswered. Unfortunately, the only person who could get my card out would be their ATM Tech who doesn’t come in until the following day.

I hate not having my debit card. I feel worthless and unprotected without it. The employee let me make an additional withdrawal. I wanted to make sure I have enough cash for the peanuts, hot dog, and beer I will be buying at the minor league baseball game I am going to tonight in addition to any other expense or emergency that might come up.

Of course my biggest fear is what if the ATM didn’t eat my card. What if someone took it and has plans to live large on my money tonight? I guess I will find out for sure tomorrow morning. Sometimes doing the nice thing doesn’t always pay off. Don’t Blink.

Ranking The Three Fan Created Flavored Lay’s Potato Chips

Posted on August 4, 2013 by brent

It took me long enough but I finally achieved something that took me six months to do: Try all three of the fan invented Lay’s potato chips. I am sure most of you know what I am talking about. About a year ago, Lay’s asked via social media for its fans to submit new flavor ideas for potato chips. After countless suggestions from America and lots of scrutiny from the company to narrow down the field, three flavors emerged: Cheesy Garlic Bread, Chicken & Waffles, and Sriracha. All three chip flavors would be available on a trial basis and fans would vote for their favorite flavor. The chip with the most votes would become a permanent flavor. I got way more excited than anyone should over an announcement about potato chips and I couldn’t wait to buy a bag of each and do some serious snacking.

However, my initial plan got a little delayed. Believe me, I wanted to chow down on each flavor sooner than later but it was as if it was not meant to be. I simply could never find them on the shelves. One particular day I went to four different places to try to find them, only to be disappointed. About five months ago I did get my hand on a bag of the Sriracha chips. However, it took until this past week for me to try the Cheesy Garlic Bread ones. When my girlfriend brought the chips over and it said on the bag that the Cheesy Garlic Bread snack won the fan voted competition, I just assumed that the non-victorious other two flavors were discontinued and I would never get to try the Chicken & Waffles chips, the one snack that I was really hoping to try.

Imagine my sheer excitement and surprise when I walked into Safeway after work on Friday and I saw a display with ALL three flavors abundantly stacked right in front of my eyes AND on sale! I grabbed the Chicken & Waffle bag and pretty much sped home to try them.

For this post I want to quickly rank and review the three different flavored chips. I can definitely say that the actual taste of the chips contrasted completely with my initial judgments on the ones I thought I would like best before trying them. Starting with the best chip and ending with the worst chip, here we go!

I finally tried all three. Now time to rank them.

#1: Cheesy Garlic Bread – I completely understand why America voted this chip its favorite. The Cheesy Garlic Bread chip was very flavorful and enjoyable to eat. It also was by far the one flavor out of the three that tasted like its natural flavor. No lie here, eating a Cheesy Garlic Bread chip tasted exactly like a piece of garlic bread right out of the basket.

#2: Sriracha – Naturally the Sriracha chips appealed to me because there is no other condiment in this world that I love as much as Sriracha. Maybe because of my undying devotion to the condiment I put higher expectations on the chips than I should have. With that said, I was not blown away by the Sriracha snack. I have two main issues with them: 1. They totally whiffed on getting the Sriracha flavor in the chips. I did not recognize the taste that I crave so much, not even to a small degree. To me, they just had a generic Doritos taste to them. 2. There was absolutely no heat to the chips. Even if the makers couldn’t capture the distinctive Sriracha flavor, I would have hoped that they would have made the chips spicy just because that is what Sriracha is all about. Nope. They are completely mild. I will take Tim’s Cascade Jalapeno chips over Lay’s Sriracha chips any day.

#3: Chicken & Waffles – Out of the three flavors I looked at this one and said “What a great idea! These should be fun to eat.” It took me forever to finally get my hands on a bag but let me say this, the wait was definitely not worth it. I was expecting to taste either chicken, waffles, or maple syrup but I couldn’t taste any of them. To me, the chips tasted like Top Ramen. The flavor to me was borderline repulsive and completely disappointing.

I don’t know how much longer the Sriracha & Waffles chips will be available, but if you do happen to find yourself in front of a display with all three flavors like I did on Friday, remember this: Buy the Cheesy Garlic Bread chips for a nice taste bud experience. If you want an average chip that is not very distinctive in flavor, give the Sriracha chips a try. Completely avoid the Chicken & Waffles chips.

Even though I didn’t enjoy each chip flavor, kudos to Lay’s for creating such a fun promotion. I got excited about the new products and my excitement translated into a purchase of each different flavor. Now pass me that bag of Cheesy Garlic Bread chips. Don’t Blink.

Sad To See July Go

Posted on July 31, 2013 by brent

Looking at my calendar right now and seeing that it says “July 31” I can’t help but feel a little sad that in a few more hours this month will pass. I have such an admiration for July. While I usually use June to go on trips, I spend the month of July taking it easy and truly enjoying summer life. When August comes around tomorrow it is our unofficial start of the fall sports season for us staffers in Grizzly Athletics and although I really do have a couple more weeks of summer fun left, the laid back-care free attitude of July is no longer.

This particular July for me was extremely nice. I didn’t do anything too special. I didn’t do anything crazy. I didn’t go to any big concerts. I didn’t go to Vegas or to Los Angeles as I have done the past couple of Julys. Except for a whirlwind day trip to a southwestern state, I didn’t even leave the ground. But this was all okay with me because I still managed to have a very enjoyable month. Let me explain a few reasons why.

My Fourth of July was one of the highlights of this great month.

The weather we had this month was out of this world. They say that Montana has two summer months, July and August. Even though they say that, July in Missoula still sometimes brings sketchy weather. Not this year. For pretty much all 31 days of July we got the weather pattern I absolutely love….hot and dry. We probably had at least 15 days where the temperature reached at least 90 degrees. For the other half of the days we were always comfortably in the 80’s. I was so appreciative of the sunny skies I saw each day along with the hot temperatures. This is what summer is all about and Mother Nature delivered.

While not the trailblazer that I usually am during the summer months I did get to spend a little bit of time outside of Missoula, something that is much needed considering the time that I am confined to the city during the sports season. I pretty much made a tour of the eastern half of Washington State. I traveled to Spokane a couple times, Walla Walla once, and Dayton once. All of the driving I did was on clear roads with beautiful scenery.

Golf was one activity that made this month great…playing with my dad and bro made it even better.

I also got to do plenty of summer activities during July! I got to swim, soak in the sun, go to a beach, BBQ, golf, eat ice cream, watch baseball, hang out at the pool, play lawn games, and enjoy a few cold ones. I definitely felt like a lazy summer all-star over the past four plus weeks. I became one with the outdoors and loved every minute.

But what made the great weather, the road trip travel, and the fun activities of July so memorable for me? It was that I got to spend it with the people I love most. I got to see my family twice during July and both times I had an absolute blast. I had the most fun over the extended Fourth of July weekend as I have had on that holiday in a very long time. July 5 will go down as probably the best day I had all summer and getting to spend the majority of it with my brother and dad was special. This month I had such an amazing time hanging with my family as we traveled, laughed, watched movies, BBQ’d, drank, and just enjoyed each other’s company.

I am ready for August but dang it, I am going to miss this month. Nothing beats summer. Don’t Blink.

Life Lessons of Tough Coaching

Posted on July 30, 2013 by brent

The hitting coach of the Miami Marlins, Tino Martinez, recently resigned from his position amid allegations that he “verbally abused” his players. What I am about to write has nothing to do with the fact that I consider Tino one of my all-time favorite baseball people. I freely admit, he was a boyhood hero of mine when he played for the Seattle Mariners in the mid 1990’s. I also admired his studio work for ESPN. But those things in no way contribute to why I am writing this. Rather, Tino Martinez’s experience in Miami just kind of provided the last such story I needed to hear before voicing my opinion.

I find it astonishing that grown athletes, especially athletes getting paid millions of dollars at the professional level, can’t take tough coaching. I have read reports from both sides and basically what it boils down to is that Tino got in the faces of players, dropped the F bomb, and ran a very tight ship. What’s the big deal?

I find it reprehensible the type of coaching style that someone like ex-Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice used. He physically harmed players on multiple occasions and called them names that no one should ever address another person by. Reports also surfaced about the ugly, personal names Julie Hermann addressed her female athletes by while a coach at the University of Tennessee. These two examples display everything that is wrong with coaching.

However, there is a significant difference between a case such as Tino’s and the cases of Rice and Hermann. These days it seems as if outsiders, parents, administrators, and athletes themselves are pushing extra hard to eliminate the aggressive coaching methods employed by thousands of coaches across the country, methods that Martinez himself utilized. Again, I am just sitting here asking “Why?”

I benefited from tough coaching.

Who knows, maybe I am totally off base. Maybe coaches who vocally challenge athletes need to cool off and help to preserve young people’s self-esteem. Or maybe I am just old school.

I grew up playing sports. By the time I reached the fifth grade, I became totally accustomed to getting yelled at. I quickly learned that If I did not perform well or if I did not make improvements, I could expect a loud reprimand. When I entered high school the tough coaching just intensified that much more and I just rolled with it. At the time, my teammates and I got half of it. We understood that aggressive coaching made us more disciplined and it helped us to really notice our mistakes and prevent against them in the future.

Several years after I stopped playing sports I got the other half of it. Getting singled out and screamed at on the practice/playing field gave me much tougher skin and made me much more receptive to constructive criticism and even not so constructive criticism. I see some people without a sports background get flustered and bothered if they are challenged or taken to task. They take it personally and fall apart. Because I had superiors (coaches) yell in my face, cuss at me, and yes, even grab me at times, I stay cool under pressure and better yet, respond effectively to it.

If I made a list of the top ten times that I got chewed out in my life, most would come from when I played sports (if only I had video of each of those to show you). Each of those instances helped to build my character today. It is a shame that a story such as the one with the Miami Marlins came out. Presently there are a lot of people out there who want to end the loud voices and the passionate lectures at the youth and high school level (they probably also want to get rid of tackle football). If the message is sent that this type of coaching is not acceptable at the highest possible level where grown men are paid high salaries than surely they are going to reason that it has absolutely no place around 13-17 year old amateurs. This scares me.

The type of coaching that Tino Martinez lost his job over taught me accountability, competitiveness, and resilience. It also made me a stronger person. Just as we still need tough love, we too need tough coaching. Don’t Blink.

Roadtrip to Smalltown USA

Posted on July 28, 2013 by brent

The summer road takes me to Smalltown USA today as I travel to Dayton, Washington, for the birthday of my uncle. I can hear you now as you just read that first sentence, “Brent, where in the world is Dayton?! Are you talking about Ohio?”

No, I am not talking about Ohio. In fact, Dayton is located in the southeastern part of Washington State and boasts a population of a little over 3,000 people. The town had their high school team win a state championship in basketball several years back and that achievement is pretty much what they use to market their town to tourists today.

As I mentioned, I am storming into Dayton to celebrate my uncle’s birthday. I only make spur of the moment trips to out of the way small towns on special occasions and because my uncle is celebrating a milestone 75th birthday it qualified. My Uncle Jim is my dad’s oldest brother, actually my dad’s oldest sibling out of the eight original Reser Kids. Many of my aunts and uncles will be at the celebration today and when you combine their families you got yourself a rather large gathering.

Word on the street is that today’s birthday celebration is taking a brunch form with plenty of liquid refreshments to go with it. Hello Dayton and happy birthday Uncle Jim. It should be fun! Don’t Blink.

Roller Coasters? No Thank You

Posted on July 25, 2013 by brent

I felt a lot of sympathy when news broke last Friday that a woman died while riding a roller coaster at Six Flags in Texas. While riding the most popular attraction at the park, The Texas Giant, the woman was ejected from her seat and fell 75 feet to her death. Not a pleasant way to die.

Before taking off on the ride, fellow passengers told investigators that they heard the woman tell one of the roller coaster workers that she did not feel secure. Yikes.

I am not a big roller coaster fan. In fact, unless someone is challenging my manhood or a cute girl is begging me to ride with her, I will pass. The biggest reason for this is not because of the high speeds. It is not because of the possibility of throwing up when I go upside down. It is not because of the violent dropping of the stomach I get when cruising down the big declines. Rather, the reason why I usually avoid roller coasters is because of how I feel riding them, the exact same way the Six Flags victim felt right before her disastrous ride took off…unsafe.

I feel pretty uneasy when I get on a roller coaster or some other mega thrill seeking ride. I have had times when I felt like I was going to get blown off, fall off, or have something hit me. Instead of enjoying the ride for its twists and turns and adrenaline rush, I have had times where I wondered if I would get off alive.

I feel this way even though I know the facts. After the Texas incident it became a well-distributed statistic that the chances of getting seriously hurt on a roller coaster is 1 in 24 million. But for whatever reason, when I get on a coaster I feel as if 23,999,999 riders have successfully made the voyage and I am passenger #24,000,000. I think I just lack the nerves of steel to ride some of these attractions because I know many people who actually enjoy feeling unsafe and completely powerless.

I don’t think I am completely irrational when it comes to roller coasters, though. I have recently rode New York, New York in Las Vegas, one of the most recognizable and biggest roller coasters in the nation. I have dominated Disneyland/Dinseyworld coasters. I will also ride from time to time roller coasters that I am firmly seated in as opposed to bars coming down and locking my body in.

I stay away from the roller coasters at the smaller amusement parks, especially the older attractions. I also don’t go near carnival thrill rides. I have seen way too many questionable practices and one too many 20/20 reports to know that you have to have a death wish to ride some of those junkers. I actually think a lot of my distrust for the more secure and legitimate larger coasters came from the creaky, clunky rides at the fair.

As sad as I am to say it, what happened last week in Texas kind of puts a little bit of rationality to my roller coaster concerns. Let it be known, I will not be making a spur of the moment late summer trip to Silverwood this year. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Author Archives: brent