Earning My Wings

Disclaimer: This is a story, a memoir almost, about how I became a Red Wings fan. That’s all it is, so don’t be disappointed if you’re expecting anything else.

I’m a big believer in real, true fanhood. Sports are a huge passion in my life, but it is this belief that leads me to declare fanhood to only 3 teams amongst the 6 major sports I follow (counting all college sports as 1).  Born and raised in Tallahassee by two Florida State alumni, I grew up rooting for the Seminoles. Even still, it wasn’t until I got accepted into FSU that I truly knew what it meant to be a Nole. Since Florida’s capital isn’t home to any pro-football teams, it’s only logical to declare fanhood to one of the 3 teams in the state. After I went to a Dolphins game at age four with my dad, and saw Dan Marino play, I was hooked for life. You’d be hard pressed to find anybody who would question my fanhood regarding either of those teams, however, my third loyalty belongs to a team I’ve never watched in person, found in a state I’ve only driven through.

My oldest brother, Aaron, has probably influenced my passion for sports more than anyone. He encouraged me, and my brothers Josh and Jacob, to pick a team to follow in each professional sport since we were all Florida State fans. I was probably 6 at the time and I was all about the color red. It was that stage (hopefully not unique to me) when your favorite color influences every aspect of your life. All I wore was red. My favorite Power Ranger was the Red Ranger and Raphael was my favorite Ninja Turtle. So when Aaron told me to pick my teams I had him present me with all the teams whose primary color was Red. I chose the Cincinnati Reds (MLB), the Portland Trailblazers (NBA), the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL— the Dolphins were still my team), and the Detroit Red Wings (NHL). As you can tell, this fanhood was very shallow, temporarily rooted (favorite colors change), and immature. So, naturally, as I began to grow up I started actually following sports. Just as I am today, I was smitten with them. I didn’t feel the need to have a team for all of them. Yet my immaturity was still apparent as I only found interest in the “big three” pro sports (NFL, NBA, MLB) and college football- obviously. All of this is to say one thing: I had no interest in hockey, so as a result, I never lost my fanhood for the Red Wings. Anytime I was confronted with a hockey highlight or update I always rooted for Detroit, it just wasn’t wholehearted since I didn’t care for the sport. Essentially, my fanhood lied dormant.

Fast forward to my freshman year of high school. My brother Jacob had just moved into a dorm at UNF and his roommate was a huge NHL fan. When Jacob came home and told me all about his newfound interest in the sport, I reevaluated my view on it. Although it was far from immediate, I slowly began to come around on hockey. As I gave it a second chance, I never doubted who my favorite team was. My interest in the NHL grew very slowly through high school until my junior year when I met someone else who liked it—Tallahassee, as a whole, couldn’t care less for the hockey (insert Tiger Sharks allusion). This guy’s name was, and still is, Evan Cameron. Evan was no ordinary high school kid though. He looked like he walked straight off the set for Lords of Dogtown and was the star goalie for Chiles’ soccer team. Also he was dating a dime and sported a sweet red Jeep Cherokee around town. On the front of the jeep was a metallic Red Wings plate that just set him comfortably atop my man crush list. When he gave me a ride home from a study group one night before finals, I told him I was a Red Wings fan and sparks flew.

The entire Cameron family follows Red Wings hockey the same way every other Tallahassee household follows Florida State football, so I’m not sure how much I influenced Evan, but I’m sure he enjoyed the company. That year, and every year since, we watched the playoffs together. Our good buddies Chris Kessling, Phillip Kelly, and Josh Waller frequently join(ed) us. It was a magical first postseason as friends. The Wings advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for a rematch with the Pittsburgh Penguins (We beat the Pens to win the cup in 2008). While the series was memorable for many reasons, I’ll never forget the disappointment of watching our team lose that game 7. Though I’m sure the Camerons probably secretly blamed me for the loss- I felt like I deserved blame- they knew I was sticking around.

As Evan and Chris moved to Gainesville for college, it was hard to keep up with the regular season together. I did my best, but I didn’t have any other friends who liked hockey. That changed when I started working at Sonny’s with a tall, handsome gentleman named Steven Zewicky. While he grew up in Nashville rooting for the Predators, Steven is a bigger Red Wings fan than me and has a lot of family in Detroit. Aside from being one of the coolest dudes I’ve ever met, Steven gets significant credit for my maturation into a full-time fan. After taking this next step in my fanhood we watched the Red Wings claw their way into a 22^nd straight playoff appearance. Watching them go into Anaheim and win a game 7 was possibly the most fun I’ve ever had watching a professional sporting event. I felt a sense of pride and pain that I’d never experienced before when we took the eventual Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks to seven and fell just short. It was then that I knew I had earned my stripes as a Detroit Red Wings fan. Maybe to others I had reached true fanhood years before, but I finally convinced myself that night that I was officially there. I proved to myself that I was a real fan, the way I define the word.

This offseason I’ve been more invested in the team than ever before and have already begun planning for games in Florida that we’ll be attending, as well as a possible trip to the Winter Classic! In the next year I’ll be purchasing my first jersey and game ticket as my journey will continue to grow in memories and excitement. I’m in for life.

So that’s it really. It’s not really an inspiring story, but it’s my story. The story of how I became a Detroit Red Wings fan. I’m sure it doesn’t mean much to anyone else, but hopefully it can be of some benefit going forward.

*Other notable Red Wings fans left out of the story: Chad Reinhardt, Karlee Young, Adam Reichert, Kyle Cotton, Ben Peirce, Kid Rock, Tupac Shakur, and a handful of others that weren’t memorable enough to name

Marin

I listened to Invented on the way home. Not a particularly fitting song for the occasion but most Jimmy songs aren’t, they just always carry that sentimental tone so it always leaves me feeling nostalgic and emotional. Not that I was short on those emotions tonight, but it felt appropriate when it came up on shuffle. Tonight I said goodbye to a dear friend. She is moving to West Virginia to start a new chapter in her life with her fiancé, Kyle. I’m excited and happy for her as she embarks on a brave adventure.

I remember the first time I worked with Marin. She was so nice to me and very unassuming. She had been working at Sonny’s a few months longer than me but immediately I felt comfortable around her. Anyone who has met her can affirm that. At first I thought she was just another coworker, but the more time I spent around her, the more I began to really like her personality. I think the biggest thing was how quickly she figured out my sarcasm and appreciated it. Once you can be yourself around someone, it’s very easy to bond. That’s exactly what Marin and I did for the next two years. You build some incredible friendships working with people, especially when waiting tables. Marin is just a fun and wonderful person to be around. She is a tough girl. She’d come to work with different things going on and still cheer you up and have a good attitude no matter what. I loved making her laugh on a tough day when we both hated our jobs. She was one of the hardest working servers I ever worked with, yet you’d rarely hear her complain (especially compared to most servers). Above all else, her humility astonished me. She never expected anything from anyone and always treated everyone with the utmost respect and kindness- regardless of merit or stature. There’s no way to describe the excitement I got when I would come in to work and see her name on the schedule (or already clocked in). Working and spending time with her was an absolute highlight of the last 3 years of my life. College has been a wonderful time in my life, one that I will always look back at with fond memories, and there haven’t been many people that I consider more privileged to call my friend than the wonderful Marin Dennie (soon to be Marin Rogers)!

PS- I attached the only pics I had of me and Marin on my phone. A tragedy these are the only ones, I know...

Dolphin Direction

As even the most casual sports fan probably knows, the Miami Dolphins have made quite a splash this offseason. Forgive the pun, but the Dolphins, who entered the offseason with the third highest cap space of any team in the NFL, have overhauled much of their roster during the past two months. A once dominant force under Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, Miami’s team was a perennial contender throughout the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s. However, those days are long gone now and the last decade and a half have been marked by mediocrity in the form of missed playoffs, disappointing drafts, and countless regime changes- including ownership. The differences between the different eras in franchise history are clear and aptly described by one word: stability. Most involved with the NFL would agree that the most important places of stability are ownership, front office (namely general manager), head coach, and quarterback. Ask any Dolphins fan and they’ll likely agree those positions have more closely resembled a revolving door than the franchise’s first 25 years.

The most recent names to fill those positions are Stephen Ross, Jeff Ireland, Joe Philbin, and Ryan Tannehill. Ross has been under the microscope since he bought the team in 2008. His first move was to bring in coaching legend Bill Parcells as VP of football operations, who brought Jeff Ireland with him from Dallas to be the team’s GM. Since Parcells’ departure in 2010 Ireland has been the primary personnel decision maker. Many fans, fueled in large part by the South Florida media, have used Ireland as the chief scapegoat for recent failures. Regardless, he has received Ross’ full support and in 2012 the two endorsed the hiring of new head coach Joe Philbin. The trio’s first move as a unit was drafting Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill in the first round of the draft. The team surprised many last season with 7 wins in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. And Tannehill showed promise in his 16 starts, especially considering it was only his second as a quarterback (he was a wide receiver until 2011).

So that brings us to today. While it’s hard to defend keeping the core of a team that achieved less than satisfactory results in recent years, the Dolphins’ offseason upheaval has led many to point out, “Championships aren’t won in March and April.” Moreover, Joe Philbin has suggested that building a team through free agency isn’t a recipe for success. However, many of the players Philbin inherited did not fit the offensive and defensive schemes he had begun to implement and several available free agents did. The driving force behind the spending binge Miami went on was steered by urgency. Vacant stadium seats led Stephen Ross to apply necessary pressure on both Ireland and Philbin to win now. And that’s exactly what this team aims to do.

With the mindset of win now in place, Ireland and the rest of the front office brain trust went to work trying to fix team deficiencies and plug up holes on the roster. Priority number one: providing playmakers for Ryan Tannehill and an offense that lacked explosive plays. Ireland’s solution was to throw money at a young, but proven, and elite deep threat receiver Mike Wallace. In the days and weeks following the team added seam-threat tight end Dustin Keller and versatile slot wide receiver Brandon Gibson. Priority number two: enhancing a defense that was good, but not good enough to slow down Tom Brady. With the Dolphins chasing the division front running Patriots, Ireland and Philbin know that until they can stop New England’s All-Pro quarterback, they’ll be shooting for a wild card playoff berth every year. Every team’s goal is to win the division, win the conference, and then win the Super Bowl. Miami has their eyes set on goal number one. That’s why they replaced solid veteran linebackers Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett with rising stars Danelle Ellerbe and Phillip Wheeler. While the four players had similar production last season, the team’s defensive coordinator, Kevin Coyle, prefers blitzing linebackers as part of a more aggressive scheme. Both Wheeler and Ellerbe bring that element to the table as they have displayed a proven knack for getting to the opposing team’s quarterback. The Dolphins and their fans just hope this year that quarterback is Tom Brady.

While they’ve shelled out more than $50 million dollars in contract money and added several household names to their roster, Miami is far from done making noise this offseason. The Dolphins have 5 picks in the first 3 rounds of this year’s draft. With some speculation of trades, most believe Ireland will keep his picks and hopefully add 5 solid contributors to the team. After the draft the team will return to free agency to fix any remaining roster deficiencies.

If you follow the team, or even the NFL, with any regularity you probably already know most, if not all, of these things. Whether you’re a Dolphins fan or not you’re probably skeptical because you’ve heard this song all too many times in the past 15 years. Let me be clear, I’m in no position to tell you that you’re right or wrong. Only one man is, and his name is Ryan Tannehill. Sure you’re not surprised to see a quarterback given significant responsibility for his team’s success, but some aren’t willing to take it to this extreme. Last season, the rookie flashed moments of greatness, but not enough consistency to carry the team when they needed him most. This is understandable because he’s in his first season and didn’t have much talent around him. No I’m not suggesting that he needs to become a top 5 QB by next season or the franchise is doomed. I am, however, pointing out that he has no more excuses. He’s been through a full 16 game season and gotten through his lumps. His receiving core is now almost as good as any in the league. Additionally, he’ll have the same position coach and coordinator continuing to instruct him in the offense. No one is expecting him to lead his team to the Super Bowl in 2013, but as a young signal caller with promise, and all the tools to succeed, will he be the next Joe Flacco or the next Chad Henne?

Everyone in Miami is getting excited for next season. With a new logo, new uniforms, several new star players, and possibly a renovated stadium on the horizon, it’s an understandable sentiment. I’m not here to poke holes in it, or rain on the parade of a success-starved fanbase, but the fate of the franchise hinges on a 24-year-old gunslinger from the lone star state. That’s why they call them franchise quarterbacks.

Zach and Maggie

Chills race down my spine as I am greeted by the cold winds of a rainy, March Sunday afternoon blowing upon my face. Yet I know these are not from the seasonal weather, but produced by my realization of where I am. Standing next to me is my best friend of over 10 years. Directly in front of him is the woman of his dreams, his very soon to be wife. For only a few more minutes Zach will be the same immature, crazy, redheaded goofball I’ve known for so long, because in a moment he will make a covenant before God to become one flesh with Maggie for the rest of his life. This 19-year-old boy standing beside me is about to become a man in front of 55 witnesses.

            “What about you? You lookin at any girls at CCA next year?” I asked.

            “Actually, I’m thinking about going after Maggie Hague. Remember her? She went to CCS in 6^th grade,” was Zach’s response.

            “Yeah, yeah! She’s pretty cute dude, I could see that.” I rolled over in my bed and looked up at the ceiling, smiling. Not realizing what I had just heard, we continued talking, far past when my mother had told us to be asleep by, until we could no longer keep our eyes open.

            Now, proudly standing to the left of my closest friend, I can’t seem to close my eyes. Too real to be a dream, this is the moment Zach has been waiting for his entire life. And this is one of those moments for me as well. The five years that have passed since my mind first pictured these two together feel like a fleeting vapor in the wind. No longer a 9^th grade boy, I see tears beginning to roll down Zach’s face. Attempting to keep it together myself, I take a deep breath, face the pastor, and make no attempt to hide my emotion as a smile, 10 years in the making, stretches itself ear to ear across my face.

manic monday

Slowly, I do my very best to separate my dreams from reality as my obnoxious phone alarm goes off for the third time at 8:45. This Sprint auto-tune ringtone echoes like background music in an epic fight scene as I wage war with my exhausted body; these moments are the climax of the hardest part of my day.

Once stabilizing my pitiful, sleepless mind, I stumble my way to the bathroom where I am greeted by the rank smell of the urine I forgot to flush down last night. My roommate will be up before I return from class, so my decision is to add to the reeking toilet without flushing. Immediately after removing my retainer, I meticulously brush and rinse it. This extreme discipline juxtaposed alongside my uncontrollable laziness is truly astounding to see. From here I grab a neatly folded shirt and throw it on my filthy body, which reeks of dried sweat. Looking at the clock, I see that I have only 15 minutes before my teacher takes attendance. No time for anything.

Ignoring, and failing to acknowledge the existence of, my other roommate watching Sportscenter, I grab my trademark Sunbelt chewy Chocolate Chip granola bar and quickly race out the door. Jumping in my car, I am sure to take off my flip-flops despite the brevity of my drive. Before I get going, almost out of requirement, I take a minute to make my music selection from my iPod. Bill Simmons’ “B.S. Report” podcast emerges from the catalog of 7,000 songs. Weaving my way through traffic I speed to each light, racing under them as they turn yellow.

After parking on the Copeland garage’s top level, I put in my earphones and walk to class. With only 5 minutes left before class begins, it’s unlikely I can make it without running. But I walk. For whatever reason, I refuse to run on campus. My phone reads 9:06 as I walk into class, one minute late. The teacher has already begun the lecture, but my optimism tells me I evaded a tardy. Sitting down, I open up my laptop; it’s time to tweet.

face to face with my pillowcase

Often the smallest things in our past can leave the largest imprints on our lives. However, recognizing the impact of these objects and moments presents the toughest challenge, but can produce enlightenment and realizations of the highest caliber. This is not far off from Rebecca McClanahan’s claims that, “The most common things can yield startling surprises when we give our attention to them.” In examining my own past, I have discovered this to be very true. The Miami Dolphins pillowcase I rest my head on each night, lying only inches from my heart, supports my deepest and most sincere thoughts, dreams, and imagination.

            Hardly older than 10 years old when my mother sewed together the threads and seams of this fabric sack, I was just a little boy slowly discovering a passion for sports. As I would continue to grow in age, so too would my love for the Miami Dolphins. The connection to this professional football franchise has become amongst the deepest secular passions in my life. Of course, while this alone carries significant implications in my life, much more than my NFL fan hood is encapsulated in between my comforter and mattress.

            It’s not much to look at, really. The vibrant teal and orange, which once attracted even the laziest of eyes, has faded noticeably. Full disclosure, the soft cotton fabric has probably absorbed more of my saliva than anything else on this planet. Yet where has it traveled? My pillowcase has accompanied me to a four star hotel in New York City, inside a snow-covered log cabin in the Rocky Mountains, on the top of a musty cot in the Big Easy, and everywhere in between. By my side and closer to me than any other, it has been everything I had hoped for and far more. There have been few journeys I have taken without my pillowcase. Still, beyond being with me for all my greatest adventures, it has played a more meaningful role.

            With only a few exceptions, every night for more than 8 years I have laid my head down upon this pillowcase and let my mind drift away into my dreams. Oh the many things I have dreamt while sleeping soundly on these soft fabrics! More than anything else, my Dolphins pillowcase has been the gateway to my uncontrolled imagination and carried me through the emotional rollercoaster of life. When I had nothing else to cling to, I held on to my dreams. Some were produced by sleepless nights staring at the ceiling; others my clustered brain mixing thoughts together like a mad scientist. However they came about, they helped lead me to where I am today. And as I move forward, I continue to dream about what my future holds. With every new day I anticipate wild, unpredictable dreams leading to an awesome, unexpected future.

            I know not when I will sleep my last night with my pillowcase. Perhaps something will damage it beyond repair. Perhaps I will lose it. Perhaps my future wife will tell me it has to go. When that day comes, it will be a sad one. Forever, that humble, teal sheet of cotton will be tied to my youth. But for now, I will get ready for bed; it’s almost time to go to sleep.

Change

Originally this blog was made for my English class, but now that the semester is over I have decided to turn it into my own personal blog. So to my 2 followers, Stu and Debo, enjoy. And Stu since you're my first follower I'll be sure to give you shout outs once I'm famous. I'll hook you up with a free shirt once my blog gets bigger than club trillion.