Peter Marhoefer- Mr. Touchdown USA

In the eyes of many of my relatives over this Christmas weekend I must have been the coolest guy who ever lived. In a four day span, I partied it up on Bourbon Street, Hit the Strip in Vegas, and checked out the hotties on the beaches of San Diego. Sadly because I am on 6AM and 7AM flights every morning this is far from the truth.

I have had little time to develop new discoveries and traditions in the city’s I have visited. I had been to New Orleans a few times and been to Vegas several. There are fun things that I truly like to do in both. The truth is I am committed to making the game the next day these traditions have to be put on hold.

In New Orleans I skipped Bourbon Street instead getting coffee and biegnets at Café DuMonde. As I left the Superdome at 12:30AM and faced a 7AM alarm clock, it did not seem to make a whole lot of sense. In Vegas going to PURE or Ghost Bar did cross the mind, but I instead opted for the ten dollar prime rib at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Having been in the freezing in the Vegas cold all night and a flight to San Diego the next day, it just didn’t feel I could accomplish it all and have a clear mind to write. San Diego ended with a 1am trip to In and Out Burger in Old Town. When a Flight gets in a 2pm and kickoff is at 5pm the beach has to wait.

Nashville was my exception. I had driven through Nashville two or three times and had always heard how much fun Broadway Street was. I promised myself, no matter what, I was going to be going Honky Tonkin. If I was lucky I might be able to see a newly single Shania Twain out on the town!  

 I started out getting dinner at the Broadway Brewhouse and Mojo . Janet the bartender had to imply on me that even though about every sign in the bar advertised a Sunday Special, that there were “No Specials!” I tried the Gumbo and I am far from a Gumbo connoisseur but it was the best I had ever eaten even at 11:30 PM. Janet and I eventually became famous twenty-percent tip friends and she kindly informed me to go down the road a bit and there were all kinds of country bars.

 I am not a Country Music fan, I am more of a Linkin Park sort of guy. I like some Toby Keith songs, I have watched Hank Williams Jr. in concert a couple of times, and can be caught watching the movie Pure Country when it is on cable. My wife also likes Taylor Swift quite a bit and has told me her story nine or ten times. You will find zero Country Music stations programmed on my car radio pre-sets however.

 I ducked into to see the Shane Thomas Band at the Nashville Crossroads Music City. He was a Kentucky native and very excited to have a bar full of Wildcat fans. “When I heard Kentucky was in the Music City Bowl we changed our whole tour schedule,” he informed the crowd. He then sang a beautiful version of “My Old Kentucky Home” that got the whole bar going. I stayed for a few more songs and watched as the Bud Light and Jim Beam flowed all around the bar, Even though the Wildcats had lost, you could not tell it on the faces of the Kentucky faithful. This is what the Bowl experience is all about. This is part of the experience I miss out of in my quantity over quality itinerary.

As I head toward Shreveport I am interested in seeing why the SEC and Big 12 could not wait to get out of this contract. I have heard so many mixed things about the Independence Bowl, I am excited to see for myself.

There’s snow on the ground, Christmas trees in houses, and most importatntly its COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON! This is the time that teams are in the trenches, all of the off-season work comes into play. Who hit the gym, who took time off, and who will make it to March?
Kansas and Kentucky are looking strong this year, with dynamic backcourts and relentless pressure these two are my forerunners right now. Wall, from Kentucky, has dominated his opponnets and he has stepped up to lead his team, and Kentucky, off to a strong start. Kansas is posting big numbers, behind Senior guard Sherron Collins. They have dominated the bulk of their schedule and are on pace to hold their number one seed.

It is the most wonderful time of the year, and it’s gonna be a great one!

I have come to a very fast conclusion that this year in college basketball is going to be exciting. Tonight’s game against UConn and Kentucky had a very March like feel.  I can tell that this year there is going to be a lot of excitement about the college basketball scene. One thing that stuck out to me was the performance of true freshman John Wall. His performance against North Carolina and tonight against UConn set him apart in my mind as a star to watch. There are only a few players who come to mind that carry that kind of preseason clout Lebron, Jordan etc.  He was able to control both sides of the ball and come through for his team in clutch situations.

I am very interested to see the excitement that is going to surround John Wall as he carries his team high into the tournament. What is so exciting is that we were able to get a taste of a true march madness game and it only be early December. These reasons are really going to get me transitioned from being die hard football to gaining a real love for college basketball. My only hope now is that my team can decide to really playing basketball this year and make another appearance in the dance. I will predict now that the Wall will personally lead his team to an NCAA final four game even potentially a National Championship.