Being back in Cincy is nowhere near as strange and awkward as it should be since it provides a nice balance between old and new. Last night, I got a chance to see Freshmen 15, an all-male a capella group from Northwestern, which was great. They provided quite a concert to the small crowd at the Madisonville Arts Center (MAC) putting their own twists on traditional songs. We hung out after the show, which was great, and celebrated Steve's (Bubbles) 20th birthday.
Today I headed back down 71 to Exit 9 again to visit teachers and the kind at 7 Hills. I was having lunch at Wooster with Duke (AD) and Glen (transportation director-i.e guy who decides on snow day closures), and the snow began to come down. For those of you not familiar with Cincy, when it starts to snow, people panic and act irrational to the max. At lunch, they were getting all sorts of calls from postponing tonight's basketball game @ Lockland (damn, I wanted to see that game) to seeing half of the junior and senior class leave school to keeping the 1:06 fire drill in place despite the snow.
While 7 Hills may have had fewer students today than normal, it was still fun going around and talking to former teachers and the like. Great stories all around and its encouraging to see the place still up and running. While the Internet situation may be Soviet and the food worse than awful, it is still one heck of a school, and today proved that point straight home.
Showing posts with label Cincy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cincy. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Why I dislike the Delta at Logan
It’s a balmy (60 in Boston mid-December) mostly cloudy day at Logan Airport. Even though, the nation’s grid looks awful, the air channels between Boston and Cincinnati are clear and all looks good to go. As I step up to the baggage drop, I have a bright smile on my face having just finished my exams ready to embark on a month-long break. However, Delta quickly swiped the smile off my face when my large suitcase came in at 53 pounds. After some shuffling, I was able to the bag down to 49, and I though I was off on my way.
As I approached TSA, I had my carry-on and backpack in hand. The bored TSA attendant noticed that my carry-on was way over the legal limit. I argued my case on length and the fact that I was flying Comair (Delta Connection) so they would pink tag it anyways. He felt sympathetic, but he had to obey the law, since my bag did not even come close on the width requirement. By the way, I had carried on the same bag from Boston to San Francisco on American and managed to get a gate check. So, it was back to the Delta counter for me.
I am traveling on a miles ticket from my dad’s account (he’s in the million-mile club and platinum medallion), so I figured they would be light on any fees. Since his status had got me the first bag for free, the laid the push in the second bag. At first glance, they said it would be $25, and I gave them a look, which caused them to look up the structure. That was an incredibly stupid move on my part since now I was looking at the true fee of $50. Luckily, I was able to contain my emotions to some nasty looks and some quiet expletives under my breath.
After that, flying to Cincy, has been a breeze. Aboard flight 6678, the flight attendants are great as they usually are with Comair, and they have the best peanuts, but the bags are tiny, so I always snatch two bags. At least the peanuts and drinks are still included, but that may not last long. With empty seat next to me, the longest sunset ever (due to the westbound flight at the beginning of the sunset), I guess my moaning about Delta needs to be limited to Logan employees and upper management. Somehow, I’ll be back flying Delta again in less than 96 hours down to West Palm Beach, which is suddenly a much poorer city due to today’s economic scandal. In the meanwhile, I’ll be writing about my stories in Cincy, which will surely be interesting in one way or another.
As I approached TSA, I had my carry-on and backpack in hand. The bored TSA attendant noticed that my carry-on was way over the legal limit. I argued my case on length and the fact that I was flying Comair (Delta Connection) so they would pink tag it anyways. He felt sympathetic, but he had to obey the law, since my bag did not even come close on the width requirement. By the way, I had carried on the same bag from Boston to San Francisco on American and managed to get a gate check. So, it was back to the Delta counter for me.
I am traveling on a miles ticket from my dad’s account (he’s in the million-mile club and platinum medallion), so I figured they would be light on any fees. Since his status had got me the first bag for free, the laid the push in the second bag. At first glance, they said it would be $25, and I gave them a look, which caused them to look up the structure. That was an incredibly stupid move on my part since now I was looking at the true fee of $50. Luckily, I was able to contain my emotions to some nasty looks and some quiet expletives under my breath.
After that, flying to Cincy, has been a breeze. Aboard flight 6678, the flight attendants are great as they usually are with Comair, and they have the best peanuts, but the bags are tiny, so I always snatch two bags. At least the peanuts and drinks are still included, but that may not last long. With empty seat next to me, the longest sunset ever (due to the westbound flight at the beginning of the sunset), I guess my moaning about Delta needs to be limited to Logan employees and upper management. Somehow, I’ll be back flying Delta again in less than 96 hours down to West Palm Beach, which is suddenly a much poorer city due to today’s economic scandal. In the meanwhile, I’ll be writing about my stories in Cincy, which will surely be interesting in one way or another.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Future of the Crosstown Shootout
When every Cincinnati and Xavier see the college basketball schedule, one of the games they instantly circle is the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. There is no doubt that these teams dislike each other due to their history and proximity. However, for a rivalry to succeed both sides and their rampant fan bases need to remain actively engaged in the game.
With its move to the Big East and the whole Huggins/Zimpher debacle, the Bearcats athletic department has begun to take a more all-around approach to athletics. For years, UC was primarily a basketball school with a very rich tradition. However, with the move to the Big East, other teams have begun to strengthen from the women's volleyball team making it to the second round of the NCAA tournament to the baseball team's success in making it to the Big East finals last year. Most notably, the football team has won the Big East and is heading to FedEx Orange Bowl in Miami. For the time in UC history, the football team is getting far more coverage than the basketball team. More UC fans will travel to Miami on New Year's Day than will pack Fifth/Third Arena tonight vs. Xavier. Crosstown Shootout tickets used to be the hardest tickets in Cincinnati to get, and now I can still go online to gobearcats.com to get a ticket. People used to camp out for these tickets, but now its no big deal. Can you ever imagine being able to buy even the worst seat in the house for a Duke/UNC on game day? I think not.
Xavier on the other hand is one of the best mid-major programs in the nation along with Gonzaga, Creighton, Southern Illinois, and a few others. While scheduling marquee matchups has gotten much easier for the Muskies in the past few years, they clearly still have more to gain by beating the Bearcats. If the Bearcats lose today, they will have lost to a superior team. However, if X loses, it will be their third straight loss at 5/3 Arena, even though the past few years have been much stronger for the Muskies than the Bearcats. The reverse was true throughout the 90s, when X would regularly upset the Bearcats. Then, the Bearcats were #1 in the country and the game was of national focus. While X has climbed back into the Top 10, I would make a safe bet that a much larger audience will be watching the presentation of the Heisman Trophy on ESPN than the Shootout on ESPN2 at the same time.
In addition, without Bob Huggins' arrogance, the rivalry takes a hit. This is a man who refused to shake Pete Gillen's hand after an X victory in the previous decade. Now, Coach Cronin and Coach Miller get along and its not that much different of a game. Even in Cincy, the attention is down. On cincinnati.com's sports section, the #1 story is about Redfest, #2 about the Shootout, and #3 the five-day old Bearcats football going to the Orange Bowl. Honestly, X is probably more excited for their matchup vs Duke the following Saturday in the Meadowlands than tonight's game. I guess we will just have to see who shows up in front of a crowd that will likely not be a sellout for the first time in recent memory.
Who knows what lies ahead for the rivalry? It should continue since it gets both teams excited for a key non-conference matchup. With 18 Big East games for the Bearcats, nothing should be considered a lock with non-conference scheduling. Also, if the Bearcats continue to struggle, the Muskies may drop the Cats from the schedule in order to improve their strength of schedule while playing in a weak A-10. Hopefully, the rivalry will continue, but it needs to regain some flair to recapture the attention of the city like in the 1990s, which is truly beneficial for both teams.
With its move to the Big East and the whole Huggins/Zimpher debacle, the Bearcats athletic department has begun to take a more all-around approach to athletics. For years, UC was primarily a basketball school with a very rich tradition. However, with the move to the Big East, other teams have begun to strengthen from the women's volleyball team making it to the second round of the NCAA tournament to the baseball team's success in making it to the Big East finals last year. Most notably, the football team has won the Big East and is heading to FedEx Orange Bowl in Miami. For the time in UC history, the football team is getting far more coverage than the basketball team. More UC fans will travel to Miami on New Year's Day than will pack Fifth/Third Arena tonight vs. Xavier. Crosstown Shootout tickets used to be the hardest tickets in Cincinnati to get, and now I can still go online to gobearcats.com to get a ticket. People used to camp out for these tickets, but now its no big deal. Can you ever imagine being able to buy even the worst seat in the house for a Duke/UNC on game day? I think not.
Xavier on the other hand is one of the best mid-major programs in the nation along with Gonzaga, Creighton, Southern Illinois, and a few others. While scheduling marquee matchups has gotten much easier for the Muskies in the past few years, they clearly still have more to gain by beating the Bearcats. If the Bearcats lose today, they will have lost to a superior team. However, if X loses, it will be their third straight loss at 5/3 Arena, even though the past few years have been much stronger for the Muskies than the Bearcats. The reverse was true throughout the 90s, when X would regularly upset the Bearcats. Then, the Bearcats were #1 in the country and the game was of national focus. While X has climbed back into the Top 10, I would make a safe bet that a much larger audience will be watching the presentation of the Heisman Trophy on ESPN than the Shootout on ESPN2 at the same time.
In addition, without Bob Huggins' arrogance, the rivalry takes a hit. This is a man who refused to shake Pete Gillen's hand after an X victory in the previous decade. Now, Coach Cronin and Coach Miller get along and its not that much different of a game. Even in Cincy, the attention is down. On cincinnati.com's sports section, the #1 story is about Redfest, #2 about the Shootout, and #3 the five-day old Bearcats football going to the Orange Bowl. Honestly, X is probably more excited for their matchup vs Duke the following Saturday in the Meadowlands than tonight's game. I guess we will just have to see who shows up in front of a crowd that will likely not be a sellout for the first time in recent memory.
Who knows what lies ahead for the rivalry? It should continue since it gets both teams excited for a key non-conference matchup. With 18 Big East games for the Bearcats, nothing should be considered a lock with non-conference scheduling. Also, if the Bearcats continue to struggle, the Muskies may drop the Cats from the schedule in order to improve their strength of schedule while playing in a weak A-10. Hopefully, the rivalry will continue, but it needs to regain some flair to recapture the attention of the city like in the 1990s, which is truly beneficial for both teams.
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