On Wisconsin

I'm singing this note 'cause it fits in well
With the chords I'm playing
I can't pretend there's any meaning here
Or in the things I'm saying
But I'm in tune
Right in tune

THE WHO

I spent the last couple days taking in some fabulous college basketball. Drove 6.5 hours from Madison to Bloomington, Indiana on Tuesday morning to see my beloved Terps defeat the Indiaina Hoosiers. Got in town in the afternoon and got a chance to say hi to some old friends at the team hotel, and got to thank Eric Hayes for the tickets to that night's game. Dragged along my good friend Paul for the journey and he responded by taking me to the Wisconsin Duke game on Wednesday. A couple things about the trip. Assembly Hall is a historic college basketball arena. It is also the most poorly designed arena I have ever been in. Concrete walls, a balcony that overhangs blocking the view of the scoreboard, and almost no seats behind the baskets. The architect might I have drawn his plans in crayon.

Here is the before and after scene at the Kohl Center, which happens to be a wonderfully designed arena :) The atmosphere was really good, slightly short of great. Mainly because Wisconsin made a money grabbing decision and put all the student seating behind one basket. When the students are on the sidelines they make the rest of the crowd more intense. But congrats to the Badgers on what many were calling the biggest win in the history of the arena.

Thought I would throw these two pictures up side by side. The first is from 2005 and the other is from Tuesday. Gary Williams head coach of the Terps has aged gracefully although the stress of coaching seems to have made him slightly shorter. :) We are, as I type, getting our first real snow of the season. 3-5 inches of wet, moist, crash inducing, depression causing, pain in the ass snow. Jacky heads to Puerto Rico tomorrow where she will see Adrianna whom I met at the Ridge in 2008. We Fitness Ridgers are everywhere!!! I am certain they will laugh, and share a large tropical rum filled toast to me and the snow. Hope all's well, Jim