All Things Haines

Random stuff

2010-03-22T16:07:00.002-05:00

Just thought I would take the time on this post to blog about random things so here goes.....

1.) The "ObamaCare" Heatlh Care Reform bill passed through the House last night much to the dismay of the Republicans and myself. I must say I was disgusted watching last night by the actions of both parties. They act more like little immature spoiled children than they act like educated leaders of this country. They both need to grow up and learn to talk and work together for the best of America. Im not in favor of this bill, especially the part that includes federal funding of abortion. However, I must say I have not researched this topic very much to make an educated opinion about it. And I would suggest that to everyone else too. Dont make comments about the bill just because your family or friends say so. Educate yourself and make your own opinion based upon how you feel. Time will tell how this ObamaCare works out.

2.) March Madness - WOW! Holy upsets! Cornell, St. Marys and Washington all make it to sweet 16 as double digit seeds and Northern Iowa pulled off what may be the biggest shocker of all in a start to finish beating of overall #1 seed Kansas. UNI is a 9 seed. Also, 6 seeds Tennessee and Xavier both made it to the sweet 16. This has been quite an interesting and exciting tourney so far and most brackets have been shattered at this point. I have one bracket that has 13 of the sweet 16. Yes, I picked Washington, Cornell and St. Marys all to make it. I missed out on Kansas, Georgetown and Texas A&M. It was a fun first weekend of the NCAA tournament. However, as a Miss State fan, I must say Im still disappointed that MSU didnt make it in the tourney and the selection committee passed them over for Florida, Minnesota, Utah St and a few others who all lost in the first round. But then again MSU did lose in the 2nd round to UNC on a last second buzzer beater just to push the dagger deeper into the heart of all Bulldog fans. Although I wish we would have made it to the "Big Dance", I am really glad this roller coaster, heart breaking, NCAA cheating season is over.

Boo for BAD REFS & BOO to the NCAA

2010-03-16T15:51:00.002-05:00

In case you have no idea what a lane violation is in NCAA basketball, or in case you are one of the 3 refs in Nashville this past weekend, then let me explain it to you:

1.) The FT shooter cannot cross the FT line until the ball hits the rim.
2.) Any other offensive or defensive player cannot penetrate the "arc" until the ball hits the rim.
3.) If either of these occur then the shot is whistled dead and ball rewarded to the other team.

This past weekend MSU had their hearts broken twice. First, by UK and their LUCKY and ILLEGAL and DRAMATIC shot. Give UK credit, they battled and fought and got the ball in their hands not once but twice to try and win the game. And that's just what Demarcus Cousins did. After the shot, the game was tied, UK and their players all rushed and ran onto the court celebrating. Understandably, they were excited. However, it should have been a technical foul for excessive celebration. You cannot do it in football after scoring TD and the SEC and the officials made that ABUNDANTLY CLEAR this year in the LSU v. UGA game. If you dont know then Google it. But of course UK, like Duke and many other high profile, money making programs with big names are not held to the same standards as little ol podunk hillbilly cow colleges like MSU. We dont make money for the SEC or NCAA so who cares about us right? Right? Right!

Im ashamed of the SEC and the officials after both UK games with MSU this year. MSU was one of the LEAST fouling teams in all of college basketball YET in games vs UK they were whistled for TWICE as many fouls as their average on the year! In 2 games, they were whistled for 48 fouls to UK 27!! That sounds fair and legit right? Right?

Im ashamed of the NCAA and their PATHETIC selection committee just as Bobby Knight stated the other night! These guys have no clue what they are doing! And that is coming from a college basketball LEGEND! They royally messed up the brackets this year.... They gave the OVERALL #1 seed Kansas the hardest road to the Championship while DUKE got the easiest! Many people felt DUKE may not have deserved #1 seed, I felt they deserved it. But Duke received by far the easiest route to the Final Four! HOW? Just stupid and no sense!

Im proud of Rick Stansbury for voicing his displeasure over being screwed. Im proud of those boys on that team that called a players only meeting, got their stuff together and starting playing the ball we all knew they were capable of playing. They beat UF, who got in over them for some stupid reason when both had similar resumes yet UF is one of those "high profile money makers". They beat Vandy who is a 4 seed. And they BEAT UK but had it stolen from them for the 2nd time this year. Im proud of them for playing their guts out and for Dee Bost who played almost every minute with an agonizing hip pointer.

You boys got screwed but just keep your head up. We fans are proud of you and that you showed the whole world of college basketball that a hillbilly cow college in little ol Starkville MS can be relevant on a national stage. Oh until the NCAA screws you out of it.

RIP Mike D

2010-03-12T10:54:00.002-06:00

This day four years ago my friends and I suffered a tragic loss with the death of our friend Micheal Dowdy (better known as Mike D). He was killed in a motorcycle accident and I will not forget the moment when I got the phone call and then had to call two other friends that were very close to break the news. My best friend Jep had been napping and watching NASCAR and when I called and he wasnt quite awake yet. I didnt know what to say. I was speechless. Then I just said "He's gone. Mike D is gone." He didnt get it at first and then I said "Mike is dead!" Jep lost it. He called me a liar and was screaming and yelling. I drove to his house to get him and we went to the hospital. There must have been 100 people there. A group of around 10 of us went back to where he was and the doc asked if any of us wanted to go in and see him to say goodbye. We all declined, except Jep. He had to see it for himself. It was like he didnt believe it. I guess none of us wanted to believe it. I wasnt the closet to Mike but we hung out often and I never had a bad time with him. My favorite memory of him is when him and I were on Beale St in Memphis with our friends to see a concert. After the concert, Mike and I got seperated from the group for awhile and we had a blast just doing what we did best - act goofy.

Scott, Brodie, Jep, Chubbs, Alex and his other very close friends were very shaken but everyone came together to support one another. I know there is not a day that goes by that Scott doesnt miss his best friend and partner in crime.

There are so many good memories and stories about Mike D and his jokes and his demeanor. I could say alot of things about Micheal but the best way I can put it is he lived life to the fullest! Always smiling, always fun loving and most of all the best and most loyal friend you could ask for.

I just wanted to take a little time to blog and remember Mike D!

We love you and miss you very much my friend!

Mama Alice and Daddy Bert

2010-03-11T12:49:00.003-06:00

This is a video I did of my grandparents. It has almost been a year since we lost my "Mama Alice" and it will be tough, especially for my mother and aunts. They were so close and each loved their "mama" with such a powerful and unconditional love and each had an amazing relationship with her. It has been a long tough year on all of us and especially them not being able to talk on the phone, sit and visit and talk about the many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and yes even great, great grandchildren. Those were her babies and what she loved and enjoyed most. Even in her last couple of years while she was so fragile and hurting, she never passed up a chance to hold, love and kiss on her "babies". I will blog more on her in the coming week. For now, check out the video.

More photos of My girls

2010-03-10T19:22:00.003-06:00

Passion 2010: AWAKENING

2010-03-10T19:02:00.002-06:00

A Video I wanted to share with you guys. What a powerful and amazing event this must be. I have never attended a Passion event but only because of age limits and schedule conflicts. I feel as if I have attended each one because I always purchase the release and the music and Louie Giglio's messages are so powerful and inspiring it makes you feel as if you are there. The 268 generation is awesome!

Photo Edits

2010-02-23T09:21:00.004-06:00

WOW!

2009-06-13T08:07:00.002-05:00

I apologize for the long abscence as real life got in the way the last several months. LOTS to post about so check back later today. Sorry to any of you if you have been checking and getting the same ol stuff.

Updates

2009-02-07T21:24:00.003-06:00

Well we closed on our house this past Wednesday and from the profit we payed off two bills and now have no mortgage. It was truly a blessing from God that our house sold so quick and that we are able to move into my grandmothers house, which is much nicer, and pay half what we were paying at the old house. Also, I have been in and out of the doctors offices the past few weeks. I had a few spells of fatigue and dizziness and basically feeling worn down so I went to the doc to see what was up. They did several blood tests and also did a CT scan. The results cam back ok but they put me on a stress relieving medication. Basically, I have a blood disorder that destroys my red blood cells and stress can accelerate that process. If i lose enough red blood cells then I become very vulnerable to bacteria and viruses. In 2002, I almost dies and spent several weeks in the hospital and in ICU and on a respirator but once again God's blessings pulled me through. I feeling better now so hopefully it will be back to normal again.

Anyways, thats about it in our lives and will post more about the move later! GOD BLESS!

We're Moving!

2009-01-22T09:36:00.002-06:00

Well Shelley and I put our house up for sale early in January and within 5 days we had an offer on it! We made a counter offer and she accepted! We are really excited and feel like God really blessed us! We will be moving into my grandmother's house in East Columbus where she and my grandfather lived for many many years! It is a nice house with more room than what we have now and so many memories in it that we hope to cherish for many more years to come! We will be able to pay off most of our debt from the sale of our old house and start a new adventure in the lofe of our family! We have to move quickly and we will be closing in just a few weeks so we have a lot to do in a short period of time! I will post picutres as soon as I can! Hope all is well and God Bless You!

A Very Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-26T13:05:00.003-06:00

What a GREAT Christmas we had this year!! It was so much fun to play Santa again and this year I think Marlee actually understood it better and had more fun. It was the first one where she actually knew what she wanted and got from SANTA! I have a video of it and some pictures I will post below.... I had a great one too as I recieved not ONE but TWO FATHEADS! I got a "Big Papi" FATHEAD from my brother and a Boston Red Sox one from my wife. I also got a MSTATE neon logo light for my room and a cool MSU neon clock as well. I got a nice electric razor, a new slim pocket bible and some clothes. It was good for me. Shelley got some perfume she wanted and a new hair straightner as well as clothes and Bath and Body works stuff too. We had a GREAT Christmas but most of all is the greatest gift of all in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and celebrating his birth.

Haines Family Christmas today!!

2008-12-20T08:36:00.002-06:00

Today my brother, Matt, and his family are coming over to Columbus to have our family Christmas! It should be a fun time to get the kids together and open PRESENTS! YEA!!!!!! I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Christmas Time at the Haines House!

2008-12-16T11:47:00.009-06:00

We took some family pics in front of the tree. Sometimes Marlee wouldnt cooperate and smile but when she did it looked good. Forgive the ugly guy in the vest. I had to be in the picture.

OK Im sorry....

2008-12-16T11:01:00.005-06:00

Ok so things have been so crazy the last few months that I totally got away from the "Blogosphere" but Im going to get back up and going as best I can now.... Alot has happened since my last blog.

1.) I started my new job at Weyerhaeuser on September 22 and really enjoy it.... I work in the Pulp Machine which is where we get the pulp prepared and finalized for the shipping. They are a good company that have good benefits... Im starting on bottom so I have to work my way up. I hope to be able to be where I want to be out there in about 5 years. The roughest part is being away from my beautiful girls and working the swingshift. I only work 14 days a month but its crazy at times. I work 7 days and 7 nights a month and during the night shifts I dont see my girls which makes me sad. And even on my days by the time I get home Im so wore out that I only have about an hour to see them before I have to hit the sack. But the days off allow me to make up for it.

2.) Shelley started her new job at Citizens National Bank. She loves it. She has better hours and gets to do some of the things she wants now. Before, at Trustmark, she didnt get off until 6 and she was always so wore out that we didnt get alot of time together. SHe loves it at Citizens and we are happy for her. By the way she did a radio commercial for them and you can hear it here. Click on the Poinsettia commercial.

3.) Marlee is now 29 months old and is the joy of our life just like all of your children are to you. She has such a fun and outgoign personality. She is counting to 15 by herself, says all her ABC's, is almost all the way potty trained and she loves her baby dolls. She has 13 in all now and she is a good mommy.. LOL!

More to come so please stay tuned... I promise I will have it updated more frequently...

A touching video about Steven Curtis Chapman and his family dealing with tragedy

2008-09-10T11:10:00.002-05:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

Birthday Girl!!!

2008-08-31T16:19:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to the woman who is my world and my love! I am so thankful to have such a mature, beautiful and loving wife who is a great mother to our daughter. I couldn't imagine anyone more perfect for me than you. You keep me in check and I love you so very much!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and Thank You for taking a chance on me 7 years ago and stealing my heart!

I LOVE YOU!! YYY

When my life changed forever..... 6 years ago tonight....

2008-08-20T15:26:00.005-05:00

6 years ago this week my life changed forever. Some of you may remember and some of you may not even know this about me but I thought I would share my story with you.

First to give you a little background....

It was August 2002 and I had just wrapped up my summer by coaching my summer league high school team to the state title. It was an exciting summer and my first year as a coach. I had met a beautiful girl who I immediately fell head over heels for and started to date. It was a very busy and extremely stressful summer. We had spent 3 weeks in hotels playing ball and in the state tournament we had to defeat all odds by winning 5 games in 3 days and ultimately beat a Tupelo team with 5 future Division 1 players who we had not come close to beating all summer. And we had to beat them twice in one night! I never thought my kids would win it all because we had everything go against us. We had gone from 20 kids to 11 and if any of you know about baseball then you know it is hard to play competitive ball with only 11 kids and in a tournament day after day none the less. After we won the title game, there were some words exchanged by one of fans and the Tupelo coach that led to an all out fight on the field that was on every news channel in MS. Talk about going from one extreme to another...... Here I was 25 years old and I felt like I was 50 with all the stress of coaching, school, work and personal life.

Six years ago, on a Saturday night, I was at the races here in Columbus watching one of my friends get ready to race his open wheel modified race car. Earlier that day I had gone to a friends house to visit and hang out with their kids. While playing with them, I noticed a rash on my upper thigh. My friends wife noticed it and said it looked like Shingles. I decided to go to my local doctor and let him take a look at it. He said he didn't think it was shingles but maybe just an allergic reaction of some kind. He gave me some antibiotics and sent me on my way. So, back to the races. While I was there, I started to feel sick and got real tired. A friend of mine noticed that I had some whelps on the back of my neck and I felt of them and then decided to just go home.

I got home and took at look at my body and it was pretty red and the rash had started to grow across my body. I took a hot bath with Epsom salt in it and then went to bed. Around 1:00 that morning I woke up and couldn't breathe very well and couldn't see much at all. I made my way towards the bathroom and looked in the mirror and it was horrible. My face was twice the normal size and my eyes were almost completely swollen shut as well as my throat. If you have ever seen any of the Rocky movies then imagine Rocky's face after a fight and triple that. It was that bad. I woke my mom up and we took off the the emergency room. I'm sure many of you have experienced the emergency room and sitting there for hours waiting to see someone. Well, as soon as we walked in the nurse grabbed me and rushed me to the back. They took some vitals and gave me an IV drip and we waited to see the doc. The doctor admitted me to the hospital for test and observation. For the next 4 1/2 days, i spent the time in the Baptist hospital getting tests done to determine what happened. My entire body from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet were covered in huge whelps and rashes. I had skin doctors, brain doctors, cancer doctors and many other people coming in to see if they could figure it out. No one knew what happened. Well, slowly but surely the meds started to help and the whelps and rash started to disappear but still no sign as to what caused it.

On Wednesday night, my friend Jep Cole came by to spend the night with me and give my parents a rest. We ate supper from Peppers and we were watching the Little League World Series. A little after supper I told Jep my stomach felt really tight and bloated and it was unlike just having indigestion. Jep also said it looked as if I was pregnant. (I know, go ahead and insert smart comment here.) He called for the doctor and they decided to do another CT Scan and found nothing. The doctor then decided it had become too much out of his field and made a request to transfer me to UAB in Birmingham. They called but there were no rooms available and I was put on a waiting list. We went on to bed with plans to go to Bham by car with my mom the next afternoon.

The next morning came and I felt better than I did since the whole episode began. I was up and walking around and just getting ready to head out to Bham later. Several friends and some of my ball players had come to visit. My grandmother was there as well. Earlier that morning we still had not received a room at UAB and we desperately needed one so I could have all the tests done. Now here is where it all went wrong......

I was sitting in the chair in my hospital room and talking on the phone to a friends wife. She was asking about info on the situation. I remember saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. I stood up out of the chair and when I did it felt like I had been shot in the back of the head. The most excruciating pain that I cannot begin to describe. Imagine a migraine times 1000! I told Jep something wasn't right and I couldn't breathe and was in pain. He ran to the nurse's station and they came running. They tried to calm me down and took my blood pressure. I will never forget the look in my mothers eyes when that machine beeped. She looked as if she had seen someone killed. I knew then it wasn't good. Now I don't remember exactly what it was but it was in the neighborhood of 220/130 I believe. They immediately gave me meds to calm me and called for the doctors. They rushed me to have a CT scan done and found that my lungs had started filling with fluid. I was having trouble breathing and they placed me on oxygen. Dr. Waller made the decision to transfer me via ambulance to UAB and immediately we went on our way. While they were taking me out I remember seeing all my family, friends and players standing out in the hallway telling me to hang in there. I don't remember much from this point on except that I couldn't breathe hardly at all and the paramedic kept placing the mask on my face and it was forcing air in and out my lungs and it was very uncomfortable. I was really scared. I guess I kept going in and out cause I don't remember the ride at all and the last thing I can remember is laying on a cold table in UAB with my brother at my side. There were several nurses and doctors working on me and sticking me with needles, IV's, catheters and such. I kept fighting them because I was so panicked and scared and I don't know how they handled me because I called them every name in the book. The very last thing I do remember is looking at my brother and him giving me an odd look and while I kept fighting the nurses and doctors at one point the doctor grabbed my head and forced it onto the table and they tied my hands down to the bed. He looked from above me and said "Mr. Haines, if you do not cooperate with us, you are about to die!" I stopped and that is all I remember.

They intubated me and put me on a breathing machine. I was out. The only thing keeping me alive was that machine. I was placed in the CCU and they informed my family that the situation looked bad. My mother said that the doctor came in and told her "If there is anyone who needs to be here then you need to get them here tonight. We don't know if he will make it through the night." How hard that must have been on her. From the stories I have been told, word spread around Columbus and prayers were being sent up from everywhere. Several of my friends left out of Columbus around midnight to make the trip. There must have been 30 or 40 people in that waiting room waiting and waiting and waiting. Every hour that went by it didn't look any better. In the early hours of the morning my mom, brother, my pastor (Bro. Mick), my Aunt Brenda circled my bed and held hands to pray. My mom tells my Bro. Mick led a desperation prayer asking for a miracle. More hours passed and by morning the doctors said that it was looking slowly better. My tests were showing better results but there was still a long way to go. Somewhere after lunch, my brother made my mom go with him to grab a Subway sandwich. While they were gone the phone rang in the waiting room and my aunt Brenda answered. They wanted my mom to come up immediately. My aunt said she felt as if it was not a good thing. She ran to get my mother and they took off to the elevator. When they reached my floor and walked into the CCU unit, my doctor was there and said they needed her to sign some papers. My mom said "Ok". Then he said, "But first, would you like to see your son?". They thought at first that maybe it wasnt good news. It was not visiting time but they of course said they would like to go and see me.

They made their way around the corner and to my room. When they reached the room they pulled the curtain to my room open to enter and when they did they saw me sitting up in the bed staring at them. My aunt said my mothers reaction was priceless. She jumped onto the bed and hugged me for what probably was hours. They were shocked. How did it go from so bad just hours earlier where they called the family into the room you dont want to be in to hours later I am awake, sitting in my bed and breathing on my own? They asked me how I was feeling and they tell me I said "I want a hamburger!"

The news spread quickly and all my friends and family came up to the room. The doctors and nurses allowed everyone in. That's the first thing I remember. Sitting there looking at them and them looking at me. I remember saying "What in the heck are all you guys here for?" That's when they told me what happened. I didn't know what to think. Well to make this extremely long story short, I was later moved into a regular room and spent another week at UAB having tests done by every specialist they could find. One night while I was sitting in my room, my doctor walked in and wanted to speak with me. He looked me in the eyes and said "Brad, I don't know what happened and I can't explain it. We did nothing medically to save you. We thought you were gone." After our talk I spent all night awake and talking to God. I always believed in God and was a Christian but God had never revealed himself to me and what he did those long 3 days was a miracle. I have no doubts about that at all. I always wondered why God saved me that night. What is his plans for me? Well, 6 years later I sit here somewhat healthy and married to that beautiful woman I had just met before that happened. We have a beautiful 2 year old daughter named Marlee Grace who is my angel and reminds me everyday why God worked a miracle in my life in that hospital 6 years ago. Im still searching for God's plan for me. Maybe he has revealed it and I am not listening. Im not sure. I can say that I haven't taken full advantage of my second chance. I long to know him more but I kept getting myself in the way. Maybe I should get out of the way and just let God work.

I'm sorry it was so long but I wanted to go into detail about it. I hope you enjoyed it and may God touch your life like he did for me. If you don't get anything out of my story then please get this: God is real and he is powerful! He works miracles everyday and so many of us just go through our ordinary little lives and so many of us don't make the time to spend with him as we should. I am so guilty of that. God deserves our ultimate devotion and love.

Thanks,

Brad

Updates..... Sorry ive been absent..

2008-08-20T10:58:00.004-05:00

I have been busy with alot going on and wanted to come in and give you guys an update on the family.

1.) Shelley got a new job at Citizens National Bank. She had a tough decision to leave Trustmark but ultimately it came down to the fact that she got off at 6:00 at Trustmark and now gets off at 4:00 so we have more family time together.

2.) I am in the process of trying to get on with Weyerhaeuser. It is a paper mill company here in Columbus that has great benefits and is an excellant career oppurtunity.

3.) Shelley's sister, Brittney and her husband Johnny, had their first child Davis Kade Lambert. He was born on the 12th and weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 21 inches long. He is doing well and they are at home now.

4.) My 92 year old grandmother, "Mama Alice", moved into Homeplace last week. It is a wonderful nursing home and the people there are great. It was a tough decision and she has made the adjustment surprisingly well. She left her home of over 50 years and where so much of her life and our lives were spent in that house. It just wont be the same anymore.

5.) Marlee is without a doubt the best thing in our life these days. She keeps us busy with laughter, cartoons, hugs and kisses, bath time and best of all our evenings walks around the neighborhood.

6.) A belated Happy Birthday to my "Pops" who is the greatest man I know and turned 67 last week. Happy Birthday Pops and we love you!

More to come.....

Marlee Grace's 2nd B'Day Party

2008-07-25T08:59:00.004-05:00

We had a blast at Jumpers! Marlee and all her lil friends just ran around and had a great time. My brother and his 3 boys came from Birmingham and we had alot of fun with the 4th of July and fireworks and also we had the boys spend the night for several nights and that was also a ton of fun. To follow it all up we went to slip-n-dip and tore it up some more.... Here are some pics.....

New pics

2008-06-24T11:06:00.003-05:00

sorry ive been absent...

2008-06-24T11:00:00.002-05:00

I have been somewhat busy and whatever time I have had I have used to get my other blog up and going. Check it out. I posted the link in the post below.

Not much going on in the Haines family these days. We are getting ready for Marlee's 2nd birthday party which will be at Jumpin G's Saturday July 5th. It should be lots of fun and we are all excited. Marlee has grown up so fast and I have alot of new pictures that I will put up soon.

Hope all is well with everyone and God Bless!

Another Blog!

2008-06-13T19:06:00.003-05:00

I have started another blog with a friend of mine, Dustin Dollar, that is sports related and we give opinions, advice and critiques on sports related issues. Please check it out at http://2sportsgurus.blogspot.com/

Thank you Tommy Raffo!

2008-06-06T18:55:00.003-05:00

I wanted to take this chance to say "Thank You" to Coach Tommy Raffo for his 14 years of devoted service to MSU baseball. I had the chance to meet Raffo in 2003 while serving as a coach for an all star team comprised of some of the top players in Mississippi high schools. We took those teams to Oklahoma to compete in the Junior Sunbelt Classic against 8 other states and a team from Canada. I went out there for 5 years and had a great experience every time. Coach Raffo was very instrumental in putting those teams together. He gave us a list of the top prospects in the state that he was recruiting for MSU and also traveled to the tourney to scout the players. I also had the chance to talk with Raffo while he was recruiting one of my former players at NH. He was such a great guy and a class act if their ever was one. I spoke to him every year while at the MSU games and while in Oklahoma and have some very good memories with him. He was my hero at State growing up and the reason I wore #22. He could have very easily snubbed his nose at a little ol assisstant high school coach like myself but he never did and I will always respect him for that. Coach Raffo I want to wish you the best and I hope you go to another program and continue to mold young lives and teach baseball to the kids the way you do. Good Luck!

Below are the videos of the story I posted about earlier.

2008-06-02T13:22:00.003-05:00

It is a 2 part piece done by Outside the Lines of ESPN.

OTL: Charleston, SC Firefighter Basketball Coach (Pt. 1)

2008-06-02T13:22:00.001-05:00

OTL: Charleston, SC Firefighter Basketball Coach (Pt. 2)

2008-06-02T13:21:00.003-05:00

Inspiring Story of a Coach

2008-06-02T12:25:00.006-05:00

Please read this article... I saw a profile on ESPN this morning of this man and it brought tears to my eyes. They didnt get the storybook state championship ending they wanted and deserved but it is a great story of a man who put his life on the line in his work and his boys gave everything they had for him.

In the state title game the Summerville team lead by 2 with 1.7 seconds left and they were at the foul line and had a chance to put the game away. One of their players had a 1 and 1 and he missed the first shot. The defending team got the rebound and shot a 3/4 shot and it hung in the air for what seemed like hours. And then..... it went in.... The dream was shattered and their hopes of winning a state title that Louis Mulkey (their coach who had promised a state title by 2008) had promised them was gone.

But wait.... The refs had to review the shot to see if it beat the buzzer. While the Summerville players shed tears of sadness and the other team was still celebrating a miracle shot. How could this be? This is supposed to be a storybook ending. A coach who loved his boys so much and gave them so much of himself. A coach who promised a state title 5 years earlier and was killed in a fire the year before their senior season? After all this team had been through, How could it end like that? Well......IT DIDN'T. The refs reviewed the shot and it didnt count. The player did not get the shot off in time and Summerville were the State Champs. The promise their coach made had come true. And he wasn't there to see it but I like to think he was there the whole time and so do the boys at Summerville High. The got their medals and celebrated with the coach's wife Lauren at center court but there was one thing left to do. On the bus ride home they went by the cemetary and gave Coach Louis Mulkey his state championship medal and placed it on his tombstone. What a story!

I have pasted a couple of links of the story written on ESPN.com. The first was written before the title game and the second was written afterwards... If you would like to know more about the death Google Louis Mulkey and it will have links to how he died and more....
I just had to share this...

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/highschool/columns/story?id=3269083

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/highschool/columns/story?columnist=thompson_wright&id=3272028

Smooth Move Jep!

2008-05-30T11:07:00.004-05:00

My friend Jep was at the river with some friends this Memorial Day and while they were at the sandbar he got the genius idea to dive off the back of the boat. Well, right when he was about to dive he remembered he had his expensive sunglasses on and went to take them off right when he dove. That caused him to pretty much go head first to the shallow rock bottom river bottom below. He messed his face up pretty bad and has a very sore neck.

Of course he is so hard headed about getting x-rays done but lets pray there is nothing seriously wrong with his neck and spine. Im not worried about his face because it is actually an improvement from before!

I love you bro!

Holy Double Knockout Batman!

2008-05-30T11:04:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqGsZzwPD94

Check this site out...

2008-05-24T11:56:00.003-05:00

My friend has a site that sells patio furniture and they have lots of nice stuff.... Go check it out and see what the got if your interested....
http://www.mypatioworld.com

Pictures from the beach

2008-05-24T11:38:00.002-05:00

Shelley and Marlee went to the beach for a friends wedding with her family and they had a great time. Marlee really enjoyed the beach and they had a good time. I love the picture of Marlee with her sunglasses and hat. I am so blessed to have 2 beautiful girls in my life and I thank God for them everyday. I dont know what my ugly butt did to deserve those 2 precious girls......

Marlee is starting to become so grown up... She sings Jesus loves me and im predicting she wins American Idol season 23!!

Sorry I have been absent so long but I will be posting lots more so please keep coming back....

God Bless!!

Me and My Girl!

2008-04-20T22:14:00.003-05:00

WORLD SERIES CHAMPS GET THEIR RINGS!!

2008-04-09T17:56:00.001-05:00

Congrats Red Sox!! Man those are some sweet looking rings!!

Welcome back Bill Buckner!!

2008-04-09T10:08:00.004-05:00

Yesterday at Fenway Park, Bill Buckner returned to a rousing ovation by the Fenway faithful. It was Opening day at Fenway and the Red Sox had many old players return for the World Series celebration. Dwight Evans, Jim Rice, Yaz and Buckner were among the many old timers who returned.

Now for those of you who didn't know, Bill Buckner has long been hated by some Red Sox fans. Buckner made a very critical error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series vs. the Mets. Many of Red Sox Nation blamed Buckner for losing that World Series. I am not one of them. You win as a TEAM and you lose as a TEAM. Yes, Buckner's error was very costly but Bob Stanley could have done a better job on the mound too and we still had game 7 to come out and win the WS and break the curse.....but they lost. 86 years of futility ended in 2004 when the Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in 4 games to win the World Series. But many could not forgive Buckner even then. But after last years sweep of the Rockies, the Sox have now won 2 WS titles in 4 years. Many fans can now put that painful 86 World Series behind them and by the way yesterday went I think most all of Red Sox Nation has forgiven Buckner and welcomed him home to Boston. But most importantly Buckner has forgiven Red Sox Nation for the many years of anguish and heartache caused by many of them.

Welcome back Buckner!

2008-03-22T16:00:00.003-05:00

Sorry I have been absent lately

2008-03-21T22:09:00.002-05:00

I have been busy, busy, busy! I have been to Jackson 3 times the last 2 weeks on business and when I have had free time I have tried to spend it with my family. I will be back going with some posts now though.

Since my last post alot has happened!

1.) New Hope won the 4A boys state title in basketball! Congrats Trojans! :)
2.) My daughter had to go to the ER with 102.5 fever. :( It wasn't as serious as we first thought! Ear infection and upper respratory infection. She is back to normal now playing and saying HUH? She gets that from her goofy momma! :)
3.) Mississippi State played in the SEC tourney and had to endure a tornado at the Georgia Dome! Eventually they got beat out by UGA! :(
4.) Terrelle Pryor (#1 QB in the country) committed to Ohio State over Michigan. :(
5.) MSU made the NCAA tourney as a #8 seed. :-/

So as you can tell it has been an up and down couple of weeks and really busy!

More to come.....

I got to meet Paps!

2008-02-29T10:26:00.004-06:00

Well last night I got to meet my favorite player in MLB, Jonathan Papelbon. I was able to get 3 autographs and shake his hand. I didnt speak to him much because I froze up. There were alot of people in line and Bo and I were at the very front so we didnt want to hold up the line. There were about 100 people who could not get autographs because they had to get the program started so Paps could get back on the plane and head to Fort Myers, Fl for spring training with the Red Sox!

Congrats to the Trojans!

2008-02-20T13:04:00.000-06:00

What an exciting ballgame last night between New Hope and Jackson Lanier. New Hope lead throughout most of the game. With about 16 seconds left, NH hit 1 of 2 free throws to take a 2 point lead 79-77. Lanier came down and missed its first shot but got the rebound and tied the game with 8 seconds left. NH had no timeouts and inbounded the ball to Dale Hughes who got trapped but somehow found a wide open Rashanti Harris who leaped from about 2 feet inside the free throw line and threw down a thunderous dunk with no time left!!! NH won 81-79 over the 2 time defending state champs and went on to face Oxford on the road Thursday night!

Congrats Trojans and Coach Byrd! You guys deserve it and we wish you the best of luck Thursday!

Check out the video on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAYfbskvGB8

Big Win for Dawgs at "The Hump"!

2008-02-17T11:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday's game was and up and down game.
We came out on fire and Rhodes was absolutly on
fire. We jumped out to a double digit halftime lead and we were well on our way to blowing the Hogs out. But to the Hog's credit they came out and went on a 16-4 run and took the lead on us. But this year's team has gelled together nicley during the SEC season and they weathered the storm. Jamont Gordon didn't have his best shooting day but he sealed the win with 7-9 free throws and 2 BIG BLOCKS of Beverly and former bulldog Gary "Turnover" Ervin at the end of the game. Jamont was hilarious at the end of the game also. Patrick Beverley and Gordon were talking smack the whold game and Jamont got the last laughs. Beverley shot a horrible free throw on a one & one chance at the line and Gordon gave it to him hard. He went down and sank his first free throw and looked at Beverley and told him "That's how its done!" and gave him a big smile. He then proceeded to block Beverley's 3 point attempt into the 3rd row.

Big win Dawgs! Now let's go beat those crappy Rebels at the Tad Pad!

Future SEC WEST CHAMPS!!

Holy Gut Beckett!

2008-02-16T11:42:00.001-06:00

This is a photo of Josh Beckett's gut during spring training.... What in the world did he do during the offseason? Did he eat all the Chowda in Beantown? I hope this doesn't affect his performance on the bump at Fenway because I expect similar numbers to his season last year. He should have won the Cy Young over CC Sabathia last year. He got screwed. Let's hope Beckett can get on the "Subway" diet with Jared and lose that gut!

Big game at "The Hump" tommorrow!

2008-02-15T21:20:00.000-06:00

At 3:00 tommorrow, Mississippi State squares off against Arkansas to try and gain a 2 game advantage in the SEC Western Division. The crowd will be electric and I look forward to one heck of a ballgame. I think we will avenge our butt whooping in Fayetteville just a few weeks ago. That game was not MSU basketball and an average 3 point shooting team in Arkansas shot the lights out from behind the arc. I don't believe that will happen tommorrow! We play well at home and I think we will come out victorious.

I look for Jarvis "SWAT" Vanardo to control the game down low on the defensive end and look for Jamont and Charles Rhodes to control the game on the offensive end.

My prediction? I will go with MSU 74 Arkansas 67. Jamont will be the player of the game with 19 points, 7 boards, 9 assists!

GO DAWGS!

Spring Training Arrives.....

2008-02-14T21:15:00.000-06:00

2008 baseball is upon us and the DEFENDING (Man it feels good to say that) World Series champs have arrived. It is time for the pitchers and catchers to report and all looks good on the Red Sox front. Of course, Schill is not gonna be doing anything in spring training, which sucks, but he will be ok I believe.

My only wish is that we would be looking at Johan in the Sox uniform but not at the expense of Jacoby! I guess now I will go ahead and give my prediction for this years playoffs and World Champs, so here goes:

National League:

East - Mets

Central - Cubs

West - Dodgers

Wild Card - Braves

NL CHAMPS = METS

American League

East - Red Sox

Central - Indians

West - Mariners

Wild Card - Yankees

AL CHAMPS = RED SOX

World Series = Red Sox vs. Mets and Sox win in 7! *Payback from the 86 series!

Happy Valentines Day to All!

2008-02-14T21:11:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines to everyone! Marlee Grace enjoyed her Valentine. She got a new outfit which she is wearing in the picture and also some new pajamas and her favorite was the Valentine's M&M's! She loves those M&M's! Anyways....Hope everyone had a good one.

Marlee Grace is growing up so fast.....

2008-02-12T16:53:00.000-06:00

Just the other day we were playing in the house and she looked up at me and said, "Mon daddy...". And I thought did she just tell me to come on??? Then she grabbed my hand and took me to the backdoor and said, "I wan go outsie daddy." It was so funny. So we went outside and played on the swing and ran around with Chipper (Our yellow lab).

She is getting so big and just amazes Shelley and I everyday. She tells Shelley, "I wan tak a bath momma." Or "I want bite." Or "I want nack (snack)"

And she loves to dance and sing. Anytime music comes on she breaks it down and dances and sings. I have some videos on youtube of her dancing and posted on on this blog last week.

I hope all is well with your families and God Bless!

Schilling Gone?

2008-02-08T21:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I got an email on my phone that Curt Schilling may miss the 2008 season with a torn shoulder! What a bummer! I like our rotation with Beckett, Dice K, Schill, Lester and Wakefield. I really wish we could have gotten Johan now, but not at the expense of Jacoby "Taco" Ellsbury.

No doubt this will be a blow to our rotation, but as 'ol Schill' has shown us before (i.e. the 2004 ALCS vs the Yanks) he can battle through some injuries and adversity.

Best wishes Curt!

OUR LITTLE GIRL!

2008-02-08T18:23:00.000-06:00

How great is this video?

We are getting ready for her audition for American Idol 20!

Super Bowl Sunday!

2008-02-03T13:00:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Super Bowl 42! It's time to break out the hot wings, coacktail weenies and cold drinks. It's time to get ready to watch over 50 million dollars worth of Super Bowl commercials that I can't stand and it's time to watch the Patriots absolutly destroy the Giants and make history by being the first team to go 19-0 in a season! I'm pulling for the Patriots for several reasons. Like my brother said on his blog, http://matthaines.blogspot.com/, I'm rooting for the Pats because of:

1.) Tom Brady - He is a Michigan Man and he dates supermodels for a hobby!

2.) I hate any team from NY!

3.) I can't stand Eli Manning because he is overrated and living off of daddy and brother Peyton.

4.) Because the Pats are from Boston and that is where my beloved Red Sox hail!

I'm not a diehard Pats fan but I did decide to rrot for them when Brady went there. I don't live and die by the Pats like I do the Red Sox, but I really dont have an NFL team so I figured why not root for a Michigan Man?

My predition? Pats 38 Giants 20

Sorry I have been MIA lately....

2008-02-01T14:04:00.001-06:00

I apologize for not making any posts lately. I have been busy and just havent had the free time to post. More to come soon....

LSU wins BCS title!

2008-01-09T11:05:00.000-06:00

Well Michigan found a way to beat OSU! Except it wasn't Michigan vs. OSU, it was a "Michigan Man" vs. OSU. Les Miles won his first BCS national title with a beatdown of the Buckeyes! Congrats to the Tigers and to Coach Miles! I couldn't think of a better team for you to beat to win the title!

Update on my Fantasy Football Championship Game

2008-01-04T09:39:00.000-06:00

I lost by 1 point!! Are you kidding me? 1 measley, lousy and little point? Why? Because Vince Young hurt his widdle quad muscle and had to come out of the game! He was 1 point short of me winning the title for the first time in 7 years! I could have won if he got 1 more rushing yard or 14 more passing yards or even if his reciever would have caught a TD pass right in his hands! (As my ex-youth minister, when I was a child, Wes Cantrell, or my brother Matt, would say; It hit him in a bad place! THE HANDS!!

I could have won if the Bengals RB, Kenny Watson, would have rushed for 1 more yard! There are so many ways I could have won! But I guess I have no one to blame but myself. Why?

Because I decided to sit Plaxico Burress and Brandon Jacobs, both members of the New York football Giants, because it was very unknown if 1.) They would start the game at all. 2.) If they did start, how long would they play or contribute?

So I sat them both and they put up 36 points combined! I decided not to start Jacobs because he had been hurting and it was thought that he may rest as well as Plaxico.

Well it cost me the title but I will live because: MICHIGAN BEAT FLORIDA AND I CAN TALK SMACK TO MY BOY CHIZ UNTIL THE NEXT TIME THEY PLAY!

A class act goes out on top!

2008-01-02T11:57:00.001-06:00

In my opinion, Lloyd Carr went out the way he should have gone out; A WINNER!

He was a winner on and off the field. He caught alot of heat for being conservative. (Starting with me) He was told the game had passed him by and he was too old. But let's just review a few of his accomplishments for one second:

1.) He coached Michigan to a 122-40 overall record.

2.) He coached Michigan to their first national title in over 50 years!

3.) He coached a team that sent over 100 players to the NFL.

4.) He coached a team that ran a clean program and was never placed on probation or investigated by the NCAA.

Lloyd Carr's players will be the first to tell you that he is like their second father. He instilled class, discipline and a love for Michigan football to each and every one of his players!

Here's to you Coach Carr! Thanks for ringing in 2008 on a great note for all of us "MICHIGAN MEN"!

Hey Urban Cryer, CHOMP ON THIS!!

2008-01-02T09:49:00.001-06:00

LIBERTY BOWL CHAMPS!!

2007-12-30T10:18:00.000-06:00

Congrats go out to the Bulldogs and Coach Croom! You have made every MSU fan proud! 3 years ago, when Croom was hired, he told us that he would make this program a winner again and he has done it!

He caught alot of heat for kicking some players off the team and he made some decisions that alot of fans were not real supportive of but he warned us that he was gonna create a team of young men with discipline and character! He did that and he showed us that you can win without the "5 Star stud athletes"! He has won with alot of kids who were passed on by the big schools. He won with guys who have character and discipline and guys who are team players and not "me" players!!

I look forward to 2008 and a run for the SEC title with Coach Croom! I personally want to say thanks to you coach and thanks to the team for making the last weekend of 2007 an exciting one!

Happy New Year!

GO DAWGS!!!!!!

Hail dear ol State! Fight for that victory today!

Hit that line and tote the ball!

Cross the goal before you fall!

And we'll yell, yell, yell!

For dear of State we'll yell like H-E-L-L!

Fight for Mississippi State!

Win the game today!!

Go STATE!!

Fantasy Football Championship Game

2007-12-26T10:23:00.000-06:00

For the first time in about 6 years, I have actually made it to the finals and I will be playing, as the #1 seed, for the championship vs. the #6 seed. It sounds like I should win right? As Lee Corso would say.....Not so fast my friend! Most of my starters will not be playing because their teams have clinched playoff berths and will be resting. Now, I have to scour the waiver wires and hope that my pickups will score enough for me to win! What a horrible way to try and win a title! Because I drafted and selected the star players for the best teams, I will now be trying to win a title with this lineup:

QB- Vince Young
RB - Dominic Rhodes
RB - Steven Jackson
RB/WR - Najeh Davenport
WR - Marty Booker
WR - Torry Holt

I dont like my chances!!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T22:46:00.001-06:00

Happy Holidays to All!

My Dog ate it??

2007-12-21T09:53:00.000-06:00

Jonathan Papelbon, the stud colser for the World Champion Boston Red sox, has informed us that his dog ate the world series ball at his home. He claims his bulldog got on the counter and got the ball and went to knawing on it.

Cmon Paps! You couldn't come up with anything better than that??

Your Fired??

2007-12-21T09:47:00.000-06:00

RR has let go all nine of the Michigan assistant coaches under the previous regime. Now this is good news in a way and bad news in a way. It is good to have Mike DeBORED gone! But I have to say I am a little sad to see Fred Jackson, Scott Loefller and Erik Campbell leave. :( They were all good assistants and fine MICHIGAN MEN! I only hope that RR can see that these guys are needed and wanted at the University of Michigan. We could very well lose some big time recruits who have grown close to these coaches.

I see no need in absolutly cleaning house. Yes, DeBORED needed to go but these 3 needed to be retained.

Rich Rodriguez is a Michigan Man!

2007-12-16T16:05:00.000-06:00

WOW! Where do I begin? I have been angry about our coaching search and I have been calling for Bill Martin's head on a platter. Well Mr. Martin, I apologize! You went out a signed on of the best coaches in the country! Rich Rod is known for being the innovator of the spread offense. Yes, the same spread offense that the Wolverines have been unable to stop for years. The same spread offense that UM fans have been wanting for the last few years. I am so excited and pumped about this hire!

The only thing left to do is the the commitment of Terrelle Pryor and let him become our Vince Young!

Les to Michigan?

2007-12-09T09:56:00.000-06:00

Some early reports out of AA this morning point to the fact that Michigan AD, Bill Martin, is working back channel negotiations with Les Miles and his agent. The reports state that the contract would reportedly by around $2.5 Mil.

Please, please, please................

Sailing?

2007-12-07T17:16:00.001-06:00

Are you kidding me?? Bill Martin, the AD at Michigan, is out sailing, like he is a member of Camelot with JFK, during the most important time in the coaching search for OUR football coach! This guy is a MORON! Now take away all the politics involved with interviewing and signing a coach. It is not that complicated. Nebraska seemed to handle it fine and they didnt even have an AD!! Tom Osbourne (I thought he was dead. Isn't this guy like 100 years old?) was the interim AD because Steve Pederson went to Pittsburgh to become their new atheltic director.

How hard is it? Let's see............

riiiiinnnnnggggg

Les Miles: Hello?

Bill Martin: Les?

LM: Yes?

BM: Hi! Bill Martin here.

LM: Hey Bill! How are you?

BM: Oh I'm doing great! I'm out sailing right now and just thought I would call and see if you were interested in becoming the next head coach at The University of Michigan?

LM: Why of course! I'm a Michigan Man and I would love to have the chance to coach at my alma mater! I mean I met my wife in Ann Arbor, had my first child in Ann Arbor and played college football for BO in Ann Arbor!

BM: What would it take to get you here??

LM: Well I would come if you could give me 3 million a year and allow me to bring my own offensive coordinator. I mean I like Mike DeBord, but he is a MORON!

BM: Sounds good! I will run it past Mary Sue Coleman and Lloyd but don't worry Les, we want you in the Maize and Blue!

LM: Great! I'm excited and ready to get to work! My wife will be so happy to come back home! Where do I sign?

How hard was that? I honestly think that I could have gotten this deal done weeks ago! Plain and Simple. We want Les! Les wants us! (whether he says it publicly or not) And as Larry "The Cable Guy" would say......Git Er Done!!

Welcome!

2007-12-07T17:13:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog! I am an official member of the "blogging universe"! Feel free to visit as often as you'd like because, as you will come to find out, I speak from the heart. With that being said, I believe you will find some of my ranting and raving very entertaining and insightful!

Go Blue! Go Sox! Go Dogs!