Cool Stuff for Dads (and Moms)

So the hated Heels won, and the game wasn't the greatest. (At least it wasn't as bad as the UNLV-Duke final in 1990.) But Old Wahoo and Mrs. Wahoo had a great time in Detroit last night for the championship tilt between Michigan State and North Carolina. The atmosphere downtown was terrific, as was the feeling in the building, at least until tipoff. It was also pretty cool seeing Bird and Magic introduced before the game, and then seeing Jordan, Robinson and Stockton come out when they announced the Hall of Fame inductees. Plus, it was great just for Laura and I to get out. Thanks a ton to Craig, who came through not only with the tickets, which was amazing in itself, but also for watching the kids so we could go to the game.

The Final Four Experience

Old Wahoo took Rob and Alex down to the free Final Four practice at Ford Field yesterday, and we had a great time. Julian came over from Grand Valley to go with us, and we met Craig, Clare and Cate when we got into the stadium. 

The place was packed for the MSU practice, with the lower bowl, excluding the end zone seats behind the baskets, completely filled. The funniest part, for me, came when the Spartans ran onto the court. Everyone was on their feet as they started taking layups, and Rob exclaims, "Look at that!" as he points to the cheerleaders performing a stunt. I just shook my head and laughed. Basketball may not be in the cards for him.

It was great, though, and the boys had fun, too. Julian and I saw Dick Vitale signing autographs in the atrium - he was talking to everybody - and we saw another guy decked out in tons of Final Four pins and other paraphernalia.

All in all, a great day.

Note: Had trouble downloading from camera so I just used the camera phone pics, which aren't great. Sorry.

Let the games begin

Of course, Old Wahoo spent as much time as possible watching the NCAA Tourament yesterday, and I hope to continue my couch-potato ways through the weekend. I even got Alex involved, though he rooted for LSU in the first game while I pulled for Butler. I guess I better get used to that. Alex and I even played basketball a little in the backyard, in the "USA tournament" as Alex called it. He was the USA team, and he told me I was the Buffalo Wild Wings team. Alex won, though he was the one keeping score.

Blaming the refs

Old Wahoo heard an awful lot of complaining, not to mention screaming and yelling, about the referees at high school basketball games last week, and all of that whining angered me. People moaned about calls if their team was ahead by 20 points or down by 20 points. It didn’t matter. Can’t these people see, Old Wahoo wondered, that the refs are doing the best they can? It’s a high school basketball game. It’s not life and death. Besides, the best team won each time, and the officials’ calls had little, if anything to do with the outcome.
Unfortunately, Old Wahoo caught himself complaining about the referees’ calls in a college basketball game between Virginia Tech and North Carolina. To the chagrin and sometime embarrassment of others, I’ve long believed that officials had a UNC bias. While I should a college basketball game may (or may not) have higher stakes than a high school playoff matchup, I’m worried about my actions on a larger level. When my sons participate in athletics on a more competitive level, will I become one of those parents who embarrasses his kids with his yelling and screaming? Will I become one who berates officials?
I know I have in the past, and it’s something I must be vigilant on in the future. I know that my job has forced me to settle down somewhat - there is no cheering in the press box, after all. Maybe I’ll have to keep stats, or somehow keep myself occupied to be less focused on the outcome and the calls and more focused on the purpose of athletics - to grow physically and mentally to become a more complete person.