Mike Falick's Blog

Miracle on Ice (30 Years Ago Today)

On February 22, 1980, the United States Hockey Team beat the Soviet Union's Team in one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history.  I remember watching the game, and the video below really captures how the game felt that day (for those of you who watched it live).  It is hard to explain to kids, as I tried to do last night, why this game was such a big deal. 

Robbery at the University of Texas

From Monday's University of Texas Campus Watch:

DKR-TEXAS MEMORIAL STADIUM, 2200 Robert Dedman

Robbery: Several UT staff members, faculty, students, and Texas Ex's discovered a fraction of a percentage point had been taken and was transported across state lines. The percentage point was discovered north of the Red River at the campus of another Big 12 South University.

(Slightly) Off Topic: Are You Ready for Some Football? Want the Complete Schedule for Every Division I Team? Here It Is

This spreadsheet is slowly circulating around the internet.  I don't have any idea who created it, but it is the complete schedule for each of the Division I college teams, complete with each team's helmet shown on the  spreadsheet each week the team plays.

NCAA by the Numbers: Odds Against Picking th"Perfect Bracket" - 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 1

From ESPN.com's Page 2:

NCAA BY THE NUMBERS

$1.5 billion: Amount of lost workplace productivity due to the tournament, according to the consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas

$2.5 billion: FBI's estimated amount of illegal wagering in office pools and other bets

$37.39: Cost for a half-case of HammerMill color copy paper at Staples

$109.99: Cost at Staples for a two-pack of toner cartridges for a Canon ImageRunner 9070

9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 1: Odds on picking a perfect bracket according to Pregame.com

$15,452.75: Average annual cost to attend the No. 1 seeds if you live in state

$28,101: Average annual cost to attend the No. 1 seeds if you live out of state

$14,469.75: Average annual cost to attend the No. 16 seeds if you live in state

$19,734.75: Average annual cost to attend the No. 16 seeds if you live out of state

$70,322,772: Average athletic budget at the No. 1 seeds according to Blue Ribbon

$9,056,728.75: Average athletic budget at the No. 16 seeds according to Blue Ribbon

$1.36: Salary you wasted your employer by reading this list

Off Topic: If You Can Swing a Golf Club Like this, You Could be the Next Tiger Woods

I usually don't cover sports on this blog, but given Tiger Woods' recent winning streak, I found this Nike website really interesting.  Nike has utilized a very expensive camera to show Tiger's swing in extremely fine detail.  After watching the video, it's clear why he will be the number 1 golfer in the world for a long time.

Oak Ridge's Thomas Rooke Pitches a Great Opening Day Game

My nephew Thomas Rooke is a very good pitcher.  I thought I'd share with you his opening day performance as reported in today's Conroe Courier

Oak Ridge opened with an 8-2 win over Dayton with Jason West getting the win and Jared West and Frankie Miranda hitting three-run homers for the War Eagles. ORHS then came back a few hours later and blanked former league rival Willis 6-0, with Thomas Rooke coming through with a dazzling performance on the mound, going seven innings and allowing just two hits, while striking out 15 and walking none.

THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU

TEXAS 41....USC 38

And for a hilarious review of the game, consider ESPN's Bill Simmons' Welcome Back, Coach Fredo.

Time to Stop and Smell the Roses

The BCS gets its dream matchup as Texas defeats Colorado 70-3 (could have easily been 100-3) and USC beats UCLA 66-19 (could have been 80-19). 

It's going to be great watching the Horns end USC's 34 game winning streak on January 4.

ESPN2 to Air Bound for Glory Marathon on Thanksgiving Day: Final Opportunity to See Montour Spartans' 2005 Season

ESPN2 is scheduled to re-broadcast all 8 episodes of its reality show, Bound for Glory, on Thanksgiving Day beginning at 11:00am CST.

My brother, Stephen David, and his business partner, Darryl Silver, created Bound for Glory.  You can read my prior posts on the show here, here and here.

Bound for Glory: The Montour Spartans Reach the End of the Season

ESPN's reality show, Bound for Glory, airs its final episode tonight at 9:00pm CST.  It hasn't been the most successful season for Montour, but as a reality show, I think Bound for Glory has proven to be one of the best.  Well edited and filmed, Bound for Glory has given viewers an insight into the day-to-day life of high school football players, cheerleaders, coaches and parents.  Dick Butkus and Ray Crockett made a great tandem of bad cop (sometimes appearing slightly unbalanced) and good cop.

Montour's complete season record is available here (by clicking this link you will see the complete record including the last 3 games which will be included in tonight's show, so don't click if you don't want to spoil tonight's episode).

Tonight's episode will be rebroadcast on ESPN2 on November 9 at 12:30am CST and November 11 at 1:00am CST.

My brother, Stephen David, and his business partner, Darryl Silver, created Bound for Glory.  You can read my prior posts on the show here and here.

Stay tuned for Stephen's next two projects, God or the Girl, scheduled to air on A&E in Spring 2006, and Freedom House, a Warner Bros. production scheduled for release in 2006.