WHAT'S BEEN YOUR FANTASY?

Harry Potter's big. Granted. Star Wars. Without a doubt. Lost. Well, at least to one blogger we know.

What about Lord of the Rings? The Partridge Family? The Brady Bunch?

Ok, maybe the last two were a stretch. But Saved by The Bell had a lot of prepubescent males salivating over Kelly Kopalski and Lisa Turtle. Maybe some even thought Jesse Spano was cool. In an earlier age it was Mary Tyler Moore (one episode in black , heck everything was in black and white back then, stretch pants) who they thought was outtasight.

The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew were huge for the readers. But for me, it was John R. Tunis and his sports books such as Ballhawk. I also loved a series entitled Bertie Comes Through.

Bertie was a fat kid who always started off as team manager, but through a series of mishaps, move aways, or injuries, he was forced into the game where he became the star who saved the day. Those books were always predictable, but which youth audience wasn't?

I'll save 90201 and the Soaps for another day. Happy fantasizing.

WHAT A GREAT GAME FOR ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

The Territorial Cup may not mean much to Midwesterners, but it's all important in this state. You just don't lose to the university of arizona if you're Arizona State. And today they didn't sending the Sun Devils to the Insight Bowl and saving Dirk Koetter's job.

It would be like the Rams losing to the orphans, Michigan to Ohio State in football, Lou Henson losing to bobby knight, Waltonville losing to woodlawn, or McClellan losing to bluford grade school.

So the 23-20 come from behind win was huge. ASU knows they have the u of a in baseball, location, pretty co-eds, size of school, even higher SATs and number of Fullbright Scholars. But when it comes to football, the u of a comes to play and play hard. With mike stoops as coach, they're even winning some in-state recruiting wars. Oh yeah, and with Lute at the helm, their basketball program is usually top ten quality.

So today's big win a was crucial, pivotal, eventful, satisfying, oh so good victory.

Scott are I are going to finish the day with taking in the Suns game vs. the Nets. We have great seats, 24 rows behind one of the baskets. We also get food from the Lexus Club which is top of the line with carvers at different stations for prime rib, fish, chicken, Mexican food and even desserts. The crazy game time is 8:30 PM our time, 9:30 for the Midwest and of course 10:30 for the Easterners, so if you stay up look for me in Suns orange and Scott in a Suns gray tee.

A Suns victory would cap off a really great day.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2005

On the QT takes timeout to enjoy the day. Thanksgiving. Giving thanks for our bounty. That says it all. A day to say thanks to the Lord God. A day to sit around the table with family and friends. A day to think of past Thanksgivings. A day of food. A day that kicks off a month or so of good eats with good friends. A day filled with football. What a great holiday based on food! And don't forget the obligatory afternoon nap. A day off work. For lucky ones, two days off and then a weekend.

But there must be preparation or all is for naught. I used to tell my students how to prepare for the big day. The assumption is that you want to eat as much good food without getting sick. So #1 don't go for any of the food you can get on a buffet line or any normal time. Don't eat green beans and corn and bread. Well, if they're great maybe just a spoonful or thin slice, but only if it's homemade. #2 As Derek said in a recent blog, wear elastic waistband if possible (sweats if you can get away with it.) If not, tighten up your belt for the first go 'round. #3 Get others talking at the table so you can eat in peace. Ask the woman seated close to you, but not your wife, girlfriend or mom if she's going shopping on Friday. Of course she is and that should evoke table talk from the women. Announce to the biggest football fan at the table that Michael Vick is the best athlete in the NFL and he should have a huge day against the Lions. That should get the men talking. Your task is made easier. Just shovel in the good stuff while the table is talking. #4 When you're finihed with your first plate, stand up (again if possible) loosen your belt and move around just a little to move the food down. You may need to move around before loosening. #5 Dig in again. #6 Be careful not to ingest too much liquid; afterall, there's even a limit to the bottomless pit. #7 Don't save room for dessert. Because there's always room for dessert. #8 Take that aforementioned nap and be ready to follow all 7 steps again in about 5 hours. You should be a pro by now.

MT. VERNON HIGH'S BEST-- PART II IN A SERIES

Almost as soon as I hit the Publish Post button at the bottom of the blog (kinda like the message board when you propose a high profile trade and hit the everyone button) I realized that Coach Ellis also coached three varsity sports, but unless I'm mistaken he was only one of three (Coach Grif and Coach D to be head track coach) Anyhoo as Derek says, I wanted to straighten that out.

Best Names: Sara Lee, a cafeteria cook
Imogene Book, school librarian
Ruth Body, health/home ec teacher
Carolyn Cook, home ec teacher
Pat Garrret, Dean of Students (disciplinarian)
It should be noted that Mrs. Body's name was pronounced Bowdy and not Body or Bawdy. But unbelievably, these people were once employed by the school in those capacities.

Best Building: E Building, Chagnon Gymnasium Why? Because it's so cool. Think of the stories it could tell. From playing host to 3 state championship teams. From being the typical gym from the mid-1900's. It shoulda been used in Hoosiers. Sidebar: the wife (at the time ) of Director or Producer, whatever David Anspaugh's role was, is a 1966 grad of MTVHS. Anyhoo again, it is a bandbox, a snakepit, a Fenway Park for high school basketball. Man, I hope they never tear it down.
Runner up: C Building Why? Not just because that's where I lived for 29 of my thirty years at the school, but it had so many nooks and crannies and anterooms. Remember where we did JAVA? That was a cool room in itself. Even the windows are cool. And the fire escapes. Even the flooring--terrazo. Man, that's like marble or something. What about the heat? Yup, like Old Busch it could really hold the heat. Another sidebar: the New Busch Stadium is 15 feet below the street level. What's up with that? You'd think for 450 mil they might have figured in a little fill dirt.
Again, to be tinued

THE BEST AT MT. VERNON HIGH PART I OF A SERIES

With the official start of the basketball season tonight, I thought a look back at Mt. Vernon High's best over the years might be fun since most of my faithful readers are MTV High grads. Obviously, this subjective list of mine is open to discussion, objection, further blogs, and I'll stop it when I feel like writng something else.

Let's start at the top. Best Superintendent: J. D. Shields Why? He hired me when I really needed a job. The Viet Nam War was going on and teaching was a deferment. Also I had gone to college on a teacher's scholarship which meant I had to teach for two years in the state or I had to pay back the money they loaned me. Dr. Shields knew desperation when he saw it.
Runner up: Terry Milt Why? Man, he's in our MVRL Leagues and is a great owner. He loves sports and people, and he's Number 2 because I said so.

Best all-time coach: Scott Gill Why? Who else coached three varsity sports and did a great job? Coach Scotty coached basketball, baseball, and golf. Also, he's still quite the gentleman.
Runner up: Sonny Ellis Why? Coach Ellis coached two sports at the varsity level and like Coach Gill coached year round for many years. Coach Sonny had a nickname for everybody and they were all different. For whatever reason I was Theodorski.
Runner up !B: Coach Rennie Why? Primarily a one sport coach, Sara also coached softball at the varsity level. She gets it simply for her durablity. Thirty plus years! Wow!

Best Athletic Director: John Cruser Why? Mr. Cruser sold the administration on a full-time AD with no teaching duties. And it is a full-time job if it's done right. John was at every sports event and at the high school, that's no small task. He also introduced awarding plenty of varsity letters which mean so much to student-athletes.
Runner up: Noble Thomas Why? Because he was such a good role model. I know, he may precede all my readers, but he was a fantastic person. He was maybe the strongest man I ever knew. He kept one math teacher with no athletic interest or ability on staff because he told a student a lie. The student was bad mouthing the teacher and Mr. Thomas told him that the teacher had killed a man in a boxing match when he was in the army. For the rest of his career, that teacher had few disciplinary problems.

As one of my childrren used to say " to be tinued."

MVRL IS LIKE JANUS AND SO ARE THE RAMS

As I said in my second to last blog, this week is crucial. And at 4:21 PM, I feel like the old Greek mythology goddess Janus. She waas two-headed, if you recall, with one face looking backward and one looking forward.

I keep watching Marc D.'s team from the left on the web site scoreboard, and mine on the right side. He's opened up an 11-point lead, thus my look of fright. Meanwhile my Seahawks' D keep giving up scads of yardage to the powerless 49-ers. Thus, my dejected look and closed eyes as in the picture on the right.

It looks like a bad ending to another week of big points for me sans Cowboys. Bledsoe isn't even so-so with 110 yards in the air. Additionally, the Rams lost to the Cardinals. But I guess they were overdue having won only 1 of their last 25 road games. Are you putting me on?

I thought of calling my blog Vitt as in Quit. The Rams can't run against the Cardinal defense? Yet their terrible running game has a good day at Ram expense? And who would have ever thought they might throw a crucial (there's that word again) touchdown pass to Fitzgerald who had single ROOKIE coverage aagainst him on the 5-yard line while there wasn't even a blitz. Hey, I don't profess to know a lot about the strategy in football and all the various schemes, but c'mon!

And sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. I wanted Kurt Warner to have a good return to the dome. Well,he did. Thanks to a lifeless team effort including the coaching staff of the poor Rams. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

So while Janus looks back to the Super years of the Rams, she also is forced to face the future. It's not pretty. Even for this year. But there's hope come draft day, when a new coach can listen to the Shaws and Zygmuts and Armeys. And select another pick like Damione Lewis.