Sports

30
May 11

2011 USA Cycling Championship

I blogged the USA Cycling Championships the past two years because they were held in my hometown of Greenville, SC. In 2009, we cheered as George Hincapie, the hometown favorite, won by a wheel. In 2010, we watched the final downtown circuits from a sunny knoll in Cleveland Park. This year, we decided to take advantage of the fact that the race course is literally at the end of our street, and that our nearby house has very comfortable A/C for the 45 minutes between mountain stages. I took some pictures, but there’s nothing new to reveal, so I decided to film the peloton.

This is what it looks like when nearly 100 riders, their team cars, race staff, and emergency responders whiz by at 40+ miles per hour.

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3
Dec 10

Real Cowboys Wear Boat Shoes

I was at a Christmas party last night and it somehow came up that I’ve ridden a bull before. Twice. I haven’t thought about it in years. It was back in college at the vet school fraternity’s annual rodeo. I was heavily inebriated in both instances. I thought I’d put a picture on the blog so I don’t have to tell the story over and over again.

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1
Nov 10

Talladega Tent City

We just happened to drive by the Talladega Superspeedway yesterday about 15 minutes before the green flag fell. The tent city that surrounds the track was so big it took us about a minute to pass it all while traveling at 60 miles an hour. The wife recorded it as we passed by.

20
Sep 10

2010 US Cycling Championships

The 25th annual US Cycling Championship was held in Greenville this weekend. It was the sixth year the race was held in town and we got word that it’ll stay remain for another two years (but take place over Memorial Day weekend). The 112 mile course (map) involves several circuits through downtown and four trips over Paris mountain.

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11
Mar 10

Top 25 Sports Movies Of All Time (& 50 More)

I’ve always been disappointed in other people’s lists of great sports movies. After thumbing through the movie database in my brain for a recent post, I decided I’d compile my own list. To begin, I decided on the criteria. I tried to be objective and strip the films of personal nostalgia and cultural hype. I don’t think average movies should be included on the list just so some of the more obscure sports can get a mention. My list is all about quality entertainment, not equal opportunity.

The films have to revolve around a single sport and must include a decent amount of playing time in order for me to consider it a true “Sports Movie.” For example, Tin Cup is obviously a sports movie because of the plot and playing time. The Sandlot qualifies as well, but barely. In contrast, Resurrecting the Champ revolves around boxing but isn’t a sports movie in my opinion. Neither is The Black Stallion, even though it concludes with a horse race. Anyway, here’s the list:

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26
Jan 10

Nationals Park

The wife and I drove up to DC recently to explore our old haunts and visit some friends. Some things looked different and some things looked the same, but the biggest change was in the Navy Yard area where the new Washington Nationals stadium was built:

We moved away from DC just before the stadium was built and were amazed by the development in the surrounding area. Although still in the early stages of gentrification, the neighborhood is much nicer and more developed than it was when I lived there.

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1
Sep 09

Hincapie Wins the 2009 USA Cycling Championship

Greenville native George Hincapie won the 2009 USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship on Sunday. It was an amazing race and we got really lucky with the weather. It was overcast and in the mid-80s all day, and the only rain was a light drizzle. My wife and I watched the first couple of mountain circuits froma sidewalk in the North Main neighborhood. Next, we saw the leaders in a break-away from the peloton as they maneuvered a curve on South Main Street. Finally, we worked our way to the finish line for the final city-circuits. The race cam down to the wire. Among a screaming crowd of thousands of hometown fans, Hincapie overtook Jeff Louder and outsprinted Andrew Bajadali in the final hundred meters.

hincapie 066

This was the fourth year that Greenville has hosted the championship, and it by far the best-attended of the events. I’ve posted a gallery of pictures below the fold:

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27
Apr 09

Redskins Season Tickets

Look at what just popped up in my inbox:

redskins1

Well, it only took me seven years to get off the waiting list, the last three of which have been spent in SC. As much as I’d love to go to the home games, there’s no way I can do a nine hour drive every other weekend. They’re probably obstructed view anyway.