Tag Archives: Monday After the Masters

Thursday Rundown Prior to Easter

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Good evening! I hope your Holy Week has gone well and that you are making the necessary preparations for a joyous Easter celebration. Here we go with my latest Thursday Rundown.

Thirteen Reasons Why – The hottest series out on Netflix right now is Thirteen Reasons Why. The program’s narrator, a high school girl, details the 13 reasons that drove her to take her own life over the course of 13 episodes. Sidney and I watched the entire series in about five days and we couldn’t turn our eyes away, even through the tough moments. The show addresses timely topics and introduces an engaging cast. It may or may not be for you, but I do recommend watching the first couple episodes.

Taking Sloan to Work – Earlier this week, I got to show off my daughter at work! Sidney brought Sloan to campus so I could parade her around our University Communication offices. Wearing her own little Chanticleer outfit, Sloan got to meet my co-workers. The people I work with showed great interest throughout Sidney’s pregnancy so it was nice to be able to share with them the grand result. Even though Sloan slept through all the excitement, I think she enjoyed the little outing.

Sidney brought Sloan to the office earlier this week so she could meet the people I work with.

Meal Change – In Tuesday’s blog post, I wrote that I am making life changes so I can devote more time to my daughter. In that particular post I announced that my blogging schedule would be cut back a bit. Today I want to share another change with you. My longstanding tradition of eating a peanut butter sandwich for lunch is now over…kind of. I would normally eat a half of a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and a regular peanut butter sandwich for lunch. However, it took time to prepare the sandwiches. To eliminate those minutes spent slapping PB on bread, I have converted to Uncrustables. I now eat one Uncrustable for breakfast and two Uncrustables for lunch. They are quite good.

I used to eat half of a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and a full peanut butter sandwich for lunch every single day. In April of 2017 I switched to eating one Uncrustable for breakfast and two Uncrustables for lunch.

Sloan Photos Part III – It was weird, I took Sloan out of her bassinet the other night and I could have sworn she had grown just a little bit. It drove the point home to me that I need to take as many photos as possible so I don’t miss any of her development. Here is my latest Sloan collage…

Here are the latest photos of our sweet Sloan.

That Moment I Attended a Mike & Mike Broadcast – Two years ago on this date, I covered the Monday After the Masters event put on by Darius Rucker here in Myrtle Beach. It was a day filled with celebrities and golf but my favorite part of the event was watching Mike & Mike in person. The show was broadcast live from the event and I got to see firsthand how the country’s most popular sports talk radio show is produced. Although Mike Greenberg was out that day (Ryan Rucco filled in for him) I got to watch Mike Golic do his thing. It was a blast!

This was one of my favorite photos I took two years ago. Golic and Ruocco interview Darius Rucker and his band.

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I want to wish all of my readers a happy Easter. Rejoice and be glad for He is risen! Don’t Blink.

Having a Blast at Mike & Mike

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I had the opportunity to do one of the cooler things of my career this morning. I awoke at 3:30 a.m. and went to the Dye Club at Barefoot Resort for Monday After the Masters. The brainchild of Darius Rucker, this charity event draws professional golfers and celebrities. The portion of Monday After the Masters that I was specifically attending was Mike & Mike, only my favorite sports talk radio show ever. Because of the close relationship between Rucker and “The Mikes”, it is a tradition that the show comes to Myrtle Beach each year for the fundraiser. Our dance team, mascot, and pep band were on hand to give this morning’s show a special spark so I was given a media credential to cover it.

Just a few photos to get started. That is me in front of the set (you can see Golic), a photo I took of Golic and Chauncey that the show actually used for its own social media purposes, and my credential.

Just a few photos to get started. That is me in front of the set (you can see Golic), a photo I took of Golic and Chauncey that the show actually used for its own social media purposes, and my credential.

I just want to briefly mention the minor disappointment and get it out of the way before I talk about what a blast I had. Unfortunately, Mike Greenberg had to cancel last minute. The common fan half of the show, contrasting to the ex-jock persona of Mike Golic, had a family issue he needed to tend to. In his place was Ryan Ruocco, an ESPN up-and-comer who happens to be the same age as me.

Our dance team represented Coastal Carolina University very well.

Our dance team represented Coastal Carolina University very well.

The students and a handful of us staffers arrived at the broadcast site around 5:30 a.m. As someone who attended College Gameday last September, something jumped out at me immediately. Mike & Mike was much more intimate. Instead of numerous different sets, a large crew, and a spectator area liberally roped off to accommodate a thousand students, the Mike & Mike setup was cozy. You probably had no more than a hundred chairs and a crew that numbered around ten.

As you can see, it was not an overwhelming set. Especially during the early morning hours, everything seemed very intimate.

As you can see, it was not an overwhelming set. Especially during the early morning hours, everything seemed very intimate.

The show started and it was pretty much just like watching at home. Everything went very smoothly. Even though it was their first show ever together, Golic and Ruocco had a natural flow. I stood right next to the dance team just a few feet from stage and enjoyed the banter about the Masters. An ESPN cameraman would come over to the band when the show was about to go to break. While Golic or Ryan would start to send the show to the first commercial the band was given permission to start playing. While Mike & Mike seemed just like I was listening in on the radio or watching on ESPN2 during the live action, once the commercials started a much more personal side came out.

Once the show went to break, Mike Golic was all over the place talking with the audience. I took this photo while he was interacting with our dance team.

Once the show went to break, Mike Golic was all over the place talking with the audience. I took this photo while he was interacting with our dance team.

If I could describe Mike Golic in one word it would be awesome. During the commercial breaks he did several different things from talking to our dance team, addressing the crowd with a microphone, signing autographs/posing for photos, and judging a “best sign contest” with Ryan. He acted just like a regular guy and was accommodating with every request. I photographed him with Chauncey, our dance team, and then with the whole group including Ryan Ruocco and Shane Battier and each time he was gracious and humble. When the show ended he let his hair down a little. When he competed in the longest drive contest he chugged a can of Michelob Ultra as he walked up to the tee and then had the whole gallery laughing as he made joke after joke while taking his swings.

A few of the photos I took during commercial breaks. Golic was always walking around talking with the audience.

A few of the photos I took during commercial breaks. Golic was always walking around talking with the audience.

Celebrity guests on the show this morning included Shane Battier, Golden Tate, and, of course, Darius Rucker. Before he went on Mike & Mike, Darius was holding court with about 15 members of the media. Chauncey saw this and ran over, completely video bombing the whole operation. Mr. Rucker was a good sport about it though and I got some awesome photos of the exchange. For Darius’ interview with Mike and Ryan they went away from the main set to a putting green. With the other members of Hootie and the Blowfish surrounding the three, I stood a few feet away and watched the lively and funny interview. Unfortunately I don’t think Darius recognized me from the crucial part I played in his latest music video.

This was one of my favorite photos I took today. Golic and Ruocco interview Darius Rucker and his band.

This was one of my favorite photos I took today. Golic and Ruocco interview Darius Rucker and his band.

The show started in the dark with a modest crowd. However, as the sun came up more people arrived and the buzz started to heighten a bit. It was cool to watch the transformation. Although I enjoyed every minute of my experience, I did start to realize that a four-hour radio show is a long time. I have a lot of respect for Golic and Greeney going out there Monday through Friday and talking to millions of people for 20 hours.

A couple photos showing the night and day contrast along with a shot of Darius and a photo of Golden Tate with Golic and Ryan.

A couple photos showing the night and day contrast along with a shot of Darius and a photo of Golden Tate with Golic and Ryan.

When the show ended, the Monday After the Masters longest drive event commenced. Darius Rucker performed the National Anthem and teed off first. After him I watched up close as folks such as Larry the Cable Guy, Rick Barry, Josh Kelley, and Golden Tate took whacks with the club. It was as if each celebrity put on a show himself as he stepped up. They all told jokes and they all connected with the audience in a different way. After the longest drive contest it was time for the actual golf competition to begin. Although I would have loved to stay I had to get back to the office.

A photo I took of Larry the Cable Guy and Chauncey. When Larry got up to the tee he told everyone to look out.

A photo I took of Larry the Cable Guy and Chauncey. When Larry got up to the tee he told everyone to look out.

I had a wonderful experience watching Mike & Mike. As with College Gameday, it is so special to watch the actual show in person after watching/listening to it religiously on television/radio for so long. Mike Golic is the real deal and I am now a big fan of Ryan Ruocco; I hope he becomes a prominent player at ESPN. I was very proud of how our dance team, pep band, and Chauncey represented Coastal. Several times during the show they were recognized on-air, just another example of invaluable exposure. I am thankful for what I experienced today and can’t wait for the next awesome adventure I get to go on for work. Don’t Blink.