I Am Officially The #1 Mighty Ducks Fan in the Entire World.

By now, everyone who knows me knows I am a huge fan of podcasts. In fact, I subscribe to over 30 shows and figure I listen to well over 10 hours of content per week. Earlier in the summer, I stumbled across a show called 'The Quack Attack Podcast, the Official Mighty Ducks Podcast.' Each show is dedicated to one or more particular scenes from each of the three films, and needless to say having grown up with these movies, I was hooked. During one episode, hosts Mike, Tommy and Kevin announced they would be putting together a trivia series to search for the world's biggest Mighty Ducks fan. All those who wanted to sign up had to sign up as first come, first serve and I'm quite certain I was one of the first to express my interest. 

It's pretty rare when a normal person is able to recite the exact lines from three movies in its entirety, in fact when I was bored in high school I would sit in class and write out the scripts from each movie to help pass the time. When this trivia series was announced I was fully confident I would win the whole damn thing (not to throw spoilers so early in the blog, but as of last night I indeed won the whole damn thing. Eat your heart out, ladies.)

Four rounds, a handful of questions and next to zero stress released whatsoever, I found myself clinching the championship in the final round of the trivia series against, of all people, a Benihana chef from Los Angeles, aka home of Russ Tyler. I thought of it as Boston vs. LA, but it felt more like Julie "The Cat" Gaffney (pride of Bangor, ME) vs. Russ Tyler, founder of the deadly knuckle puck. For my series-clinching question, I had to identify what Yan called Hans from Mighty Ducks 2 in the opening scene with Coach Bombay. After belting out the incredibly harsh name of "Strudel Head" I claimed victory and gave out a nice little yell in my house. I was now deemed the king of Mighty Ducks trivia. What did I win? Well, check that bad boy out (total value, about $8. Sick).

So, why is this so important? Well it's not that it's important so to speak, but at least in my mind I thought it was pretty damn cool. The reason I find this to be so cool is that six months ago, I had no idea this podcast existed. Once I discovered this show, I reached out via Twitter to the hosts of the show expressing my interest in the show and gave them props for carving this niche for all who are fans of this cult classic. Going back and forth via Twitter turned into recording episodes for the podcast, texting, connecting on LinkedIn, etc. etc. Although I've never met the guys live in person, we are now connected online and follow each other on social media. They have an e-com store where they sell merchandise to help fund their show and have done pretty well for themselves. I myself have thought about starting a niche-like podcast, although I don't anticipate a lot of dudes subscribing to a 'Fans of Laguna Beach' podcast or hosting a trivia series about how well someone knows 'The O.C." But, then again, if the Quack Attack pod has showed me anything, nothing it out of the question. Ducks fly together.

Oh, How Thing's Have Changed Since Tiger's Last Victory

**Disclaimer: I currently just watched Tiger Woods shoot a front-nine 31 in the second round of the Hero World Challenge down in the Bahamas. I'm stunned, I'm excited, and I just took the rest of the afternoon off from work to watch the rest of the round. And now, on with the blog.

As I sit here watching Tiger Woods’ return to professional golf from various back surgeries, I can’t help but be unable to recall ever being this interested in professional golf. Ever since the infamous Thanksgiving evening back in 2009, which seems like an entire lifetime ago, there is no doubt he has been on a tremendous slide. His overall game mixed with whatever is going on mentally and the various injuries he’s sustained, things have just been off.

Thinking back to the early 2000’s you forget how golf was covered. Traditional forms of media (television and radio only) picked up on all major golf tournaments. There was no PGA Tour Live, no satellite radio coverage and there surely was no social media coverage. I bring this up because I have never seen an explosion of Tweets in regards to golf than I have these last two days. I’m not talking about generalized tweets about Tiger, I’m talking tweets about every single shot Tiger hit (More on that in a second.) With all the sustained injuries, the most insight golf fans could grab about Tiger are his infamous blogs posted on his personal website giving updates on his rehab, how his life is going, etc.

I listened to a number of golf-based podcasts this week and the hosts all came to a consensus in regards to the aura about Tiger. Sure over the last five seasons you have the emergence of a new generation of talent. Jordan Spieth in my opinion is the best golfer in the world, Justin Thomas is right behind him and Rickie Fowler is the clear cut fan favorite worldwide. On the ‘First Cut’ podcast with Kyle Porter of CBS Sports, he made mention that Tiger today is more of a ‘YouTube legend’ where this new generation of golfers, especially the ones born in the year 2000 and beyond will only know Tiger as this mythical figure. I myself have difficulty recalling watching Tiger the way I’ve watched Rickie, Jordan and the other guys over the past few seasons. People forget how competitive Tiger was of course, but they also forget that Tiger wanted no part of being buddy-buddy with his fellow competitors.

However, in today’s society where everyone wants an inside look in the world of sports, politics, etc. They also want to be a voice in those arenas. I hate to bring up OJ Simpson, but as far as the coverage of his ordeal goes when he was sent to jail for robbery in Las Vegas, now that he’s a free man he has entered an entirely different world as far as media goes. Similarities can be said about Tiger with his latest comeback. There’s going to be pressure, there are going to be reporters looking for quotes and there will be opinion. I’ll be interested to see how this comeback plays out, and yes this comeback is different than the others. You knew he was going to be motivated to play while watching the U.S President's Cup team put an absolute beat down on the international team, and he's even come out and said this week that his goal is to win and to make the current field feel scared and intimidated when he's on the course. I’m watching it first hand, along with millions of other Tiger fanatics.

That being said, go Rickie!

My Last 24 Hours on Social Media Was a Doozy...

If you're someone like me who monitors social media from both a personal and professional standpoint, every so often you'll have one of those days where you are able to say "wow, that was a pretty cool experience." When I say experience, I'm referring to the basis of social media having the power to connect everyday average joes like myself with high-profiled celebrities, athletes, businesses, etc. From Wednesday 11/15 through Thursday 11/16, I had four instances where I was able to say "wow, that was actually pretty cool." Allow me to elaborate...

Wednesday 11/15 at noon: If you know me, you know I'm a huge fan of Barstool Sports and have followed the company literally since I was a senior in high school when they were barely online. Prior to the juggernaut of a media company they are now, they were a newspaper with a very basic following and stories revolving mostly around gambling. Anyways, each day they have a show called 'Barstool Radio' that airs Mon-Fri from 12-2pm. On this particular day they had retired NHLer and Olympian Ryan Whitney on the show  to talk some puck. While listening I decided to Google Ryan to see if I could interact with the show via Twitter or possibly even on the phone. In short, I did both. I ended up tweeting a picture of Ryan to the Barstool Radio account (which was retweeted by the show and Dave Portnoy himself) during one of the rare fights in his career. However if you look at the picture, you'll notice it was never much of a fight. After tweeting, I decided to call the show and read a quote from legendary coach Jack Parker from the 2003-04 Boston University Season Preview, a quote that didn't shine Whits in a very strong light but got a laugh from the crew. My takeaway from this: I had the chance to talk with an Olympian.

Wednesday 11/15 around 3pm: Keeping with the theme of Barstool essentially taking over the world, the big news out of the company on this day was the quote that was said in the latest episode of Family Guy, where Stewie is quoted as saying "Are there cameras over there? I'm going to yell 'Viva la Stool' like a young white drunkard..." Again, if you follow the company you'll know that the tagline of Viva la Stool has become somewhat of a war cry at golf tournaments, football tailgates and college parties around the country. I sent out an out of the blue tweet of 'Viva la Stool' to the official Family Guy twitter account and almost immediately received a response. Also pretty cool.

Wednesday 11/15 at 7pm: Along with Barstool's endless content filled with sports humor, it was their laundry list of podcasts that drew my newfound interest of podcasts in general. About a year ago I discovered a podcast called 'The Quack Attack Podcast, the Official Mighty Ducks podcast'. I mean you can literally find a podcast for anything. Anyways, they started this trivia series to see who the biggest Mighty Ducks fan on the planet might be and your boy was competing in a semifinal matchup against a curling coach from Connecticut. Long story short yet again, I've moved on to the finals and will compete in a couple of weeks. You can fast forward to the end of the episode here:

Thursday 11/16 at 9am: For the past two years, WCSH6 has helped promote and carry out a telethon to support Maine veterans in an effort to send them to Washington D.C on a weekend-long trip to sight-see and visit the Veterans museum. I volunteered some time during the day to take calls and submit donations for this cause and most importantly talk with some of the veterans who were able to attend the telethon. Talk about a humbling experience. We had promoted the telethon for a few weeks on our station's website and on TV, but during the first segment of the telethon the station went live on Facebook, which I was able to participate albeit in the background trying to look pretty. It was incredible to see the call-volume increase after only a couple minutes of being live on Facebook, which goes to show the power of live video to help promote a product or event.

In closing, you may read this and think big deal? Well, to me, it was a big deal because it gave me an opportunity to connect with people I never imagined being able to speak with, if not for these social platforms. Think about it: Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, cable television, satellite radio, regular radio, etc were all platforms that came into play over the previous 24 hours. Whether it be for personal enjoyment or professional use, we're all a little more connected than ever so take that for what it's worth. Maybe tomorrow I'll tweet at The Rock or Julian Edelman, and maybe, just maybe, I'll get a response.

In Unprecedented Times in American History, Golf Provides a Small Bright Spot. Albeit for Five Short Hours (Updated 10/2/17)

I had the idea of writing this blog during Saturday play at this weekend's President's Cup. I wanted to share a small glimpse of hope and appreciation which golf can bring in a time in which people are scared, confused and angry in this country. Unfortunately, the acts of terror provided late last night in Las Vegas prove that this is indeed a time where I am so incredibly scared as to what the future holds as an American. As I watched Charley Hoffman chase down Daniel Berger with champagne in hand and cigar in mouth, I felt a sense of pride and appreciation at one of the most dominant team performances in golf history. However, upon waking up this morning at 4:30am for my morning bike ride, that feeling of pride was very short-lived. Say this to yourself: The deadliest mass shooting in U.S history happened last night. Are you kidding me?

Step back for a second, and think of the events which have transcribed in this country over the previous six months. Hell, think of the events beginning with the inauguration of our new president (that's all I'll say about that so relax). We've seen the most devastating flood in American history flow over Houston. We've seen one of the more dangerous hurricanes in American history fly through Miami and Southwest Florida. We've seen politics cross heavily into sports, we've seen attacks overseas which affect us as a people one way or another. And the one small period in time I personally had to look forward to as an American (this weekend's President's Cup), which offered unbelievable views of the New York skyline and featured 12 of the best golfers in the world, I am now sitting in front of the TV at work watching clips of Jason Aldean concert-goers filming what should only be considered fictional in a bad movie or a bad dream.

I'm 28 years old, I've had more jobs than you can count on one hand since graduating college in 2011 and have lived in a handful of different places as well. However, one constant I've always held true is I am proud and thankful of where I live and where I grew up. I am fortunate to have experienced what has proven to be historic snowfalls and snowstorms and only come away from it with a sore back from shoveling and have steered clear of anything of the magnitude of Charlottesville, Charleston, Orlando, Houston and now Las Vegas in recent memory. But now, more than ever, I feel lost.

In all honesty, what the fuck is going on? When did it get so bad? I understand these events happen and there are low-life, scum of the earth people with severe mental issues who decide to act in evil and heinous ways. But the frequency of these occurrences? I don't get it. I want to puke. I can't mentally go from watching this:

And this:

And admiring this:

To waking up to this: 

There are a few things I've always turned to in times of negativity and sadness: the ocean and the golf course. The President's Cup filled me with such a sense of pride and intimacy towards these golfers and I know golf will be exciting to watch for the rest of my life. Everyone should have hobbies, interests, sports, etc where they can steer their mind and allow them to become happy and feel a sense of calmness. Again, I don't get into politics nor do I want to. But I sit here, head in hands and am just so confused I don't know what to think. Everyday life should provide a feeling like someone is chasing you with a champagne bottle and a cigar in their mouth ready to celebrate something. Anything. That's what life in America should be. And instead we're scared, angry and nervous. This President's Cup allowed me to escape, albeit for a very brief time. Here we go again...stay safe everyone.

I Found My Dream Job and I Am Now More Disconnected Than Ever...Let Me Explain.

(Finally) finding a job has allowed me to disconnect…Let me explain.

I will open with a scenario many of us have experienced when looking for work. It’s no secret I’ve spent my fair share of time over the past five years on the job hunt. This isn’t because I can’t find work, it’s actually quite the contrary. I have been on the hunt so frequently because I strive to find the right job for me. Anyone who is driven to find that perfect job will tell you job hunting is a full-time job in itself. Sending upwards of 20 resumes a day online with the hope someone will notice and actually read what comes across their desk. There are the countless phone screens, phone interviews with recruiters, awaiting the call saying you’ve been passed through to someone who actually works for the company, etc. Then there’s the phone interview, the second phone interview, (for God sakes probably the third phone interview) and then you are so fortunate to be invited into the office for a real interview. This is all beside the point I am trying to make, which is a feeling some of us m* words may feel when they become  disconnected from their ever-important mobile device for a specific period of time.

For instance: While job searching online took up a wide margin of my day, the other time spend surfing the internet was spent via social media which isn’t a surprise to anyone. Keeping up with Facebook updates, tweets, Instagram postings and blogs on that rocket ship of a website called Barstool Sports helped pass the time while I waited for that next big phone call. In a way, I felt like I was on top of EVERYTHING. However, looking at it from another lens, what exactly was I on top of?

World news, politics, business, sports, I knew it all. I followed tweets of my favorite bloggers, frequently refreshed Instagram to see who was taking pictures of what, you know that whole deal. But finally, at long last on July 17^th, I was offered a job which I believe is perfect. I began working there this week and it’s safe to say with complete honesty…I am LOST when it comes to being in the know.

"What do you mean lost? You have a job and can finally stop scrolling the internet and get down to business?" What I mean is the past three days I’ve come home and felt so overwhelmed by catching up on Twitter, podcasts, blogs etc. that I thought I was headed for a legitimate breakdown. Hell, I went a full day on Tuesday not knowing Julian Edelman was thrown out of practice for fighting Stephon Gilmore, imagine that? 

The reality is this: I went for a walk last night knowing I had six podcasts I hadn’t listened to, about half a day’s worth of Barstool blogs I hadn’t seen, a FULL day of Instagrams I hadn’t checked…and guess what? I realized that this is amazing. I had spent so many weeks (while job hunting) being engaged in social media and on top of all sports news that when I finally was unable to physically keep up, I felt free. There is so much content one can access that it  will literally make you think you’re headed for breakdown and it simply is not worth getting worked up about it. So my advice is this: go for a walk, and don’t worry about if you can’t listen to Pardon My Take within the first day of a new episode release. You’ll catch up eventually, which is what I’ve finally done in my professional life.