Where the Girls are the Fairest

I realize this is a blog primarily focused on basketball, but I am taking this opportunity to discuss a little football, Gator style. I recently had the great pleasure of meeting up with 7 other girlfriends from the college days (all Tri Delta ladies, of course) and hanging with my sister and her family as they have just relocated to Gainesville. We all gathered for the Florida/Kentucky game, in which Florida made a very promising performance and beat Kentucky with great finesse. Prior to the game, one of the Delta ladies and her lovely beau took us on a tour of the "behind the scenes" areas at Florida Field. We even went out onto the field that other teams know and fear as "the Swamp". At this point I was with my brother in law, niece (of Vero Beach Rivers Volleyball fame) and nephew (also famed, but not yet discussed in the Full Court Dress) and the three of us dropped to the ground to touch the fine blades of grass as we stood in the south endzone. In addition, we checked out the training room, the fitness center, the locker room, the lucky gator the team touches on their way out onto the field and the storage room stacked from floor to ceiling with Gatorade, that tasty beverage invented by the fine folks at the University of Florida. Really, this was a Gator fan dream come true.

I am writing this now so that I can remember good times with the Gators, rather than the heartache inflicted by that houndstooth-loving, semi-pro team in Tuscaloosa. Ouch!! And many thanks to my friend Mark, a big fan of this blog, and an even bigger Bama fan, for not heckling me during the game and after the miserable loss. That was a true act of kindness.

The Gator defense may have been lackluster last week, but I have a little defense of my own for my alma mater. I hear a great deal of criticism of the game day attire worn by the Gator Nation. I'm sure it's shocking that unlike our oh-so-southern rivals in the SEC, we don't do cocktail dresses and you'd be crazy to wear a tie, let alone a sportcoat into the great sweltering heat of Ben Hill Griffin stadium. But I do have evidence, as I am photographed here tailgating with my friends, that we are looking quite nice for our game and very stylish, in a relaxed UF kind of way. We may have left our pearls and stilettos from the previous nights outing behind, but I think we look quite nice and are proof of good Gator fashion. Krissy (third from right) even managed to find an orange and blue, lightweight Tory Burch dress for the occasion. I mean, really, how cute is that?

Now I've got to go assemble my own game day attire as the Gators play those crazy Tigers from LSU tonight. I'll be watching from home with my husband and a nice glass of wine, hoping for a Gator win. (Sorry Mr. Baton Rouge)

Wins and losses aside,

It's great to be a Florida Gator!

xoxo

The Season for Sports

I have so much to report about the wide world of sports right now that I can't even fit it all in one blog entry. With the final day of summer last week, and fall beginning, I am now able to fully embrace college football, NFL football and NBA preseason activity. I'm so happy that my summertime sports drought is over...call me un-American, but I simply cannot follow baseball. Going to a live game, of course, but the endless days of televised baseball are not for this sportsfan. In only one week, I have the Miami Heat training in my hometown, I cheered on the Gators at Florida Field and...brace yourself...I met an all-star NBA player!!! Perhaps it would be more fitting to say that I ambushed him.

Here's the story: I was spending the day shopping at the Mall at Millenia in Orlando with Krissy, my super shopping-savvy cohort, just flown in that morning from Connecticut. As I was standing in the entry area of Neiman Marcus, perusing the fall Theory collection, I looked out into the mall and spotted none other than Orlando Magic Forward Rashard Lewis. He tends to stand out a bit as he is just shy of seven feet. At first I thought it was just cool to have seen him, but thanks to Krissy's encouragement, we chased him along the corridor past Jimmy Choo, Tiffany's, etc. (and it's hard to move quickly past those enticing windows) then down the escalator where we finally caught up to him. Wow, is that guy tall!?! He was very nice to us and kindly let Krissy snap the photo shown here. In my frenzy of catching up to him and my typical moment of idiocy when meeting famous folks, I forgot to ask him any sports questions or where he had been shopping that day. Next time I'll be better prepared, but I was able to tell him I'm a huge fan and that I hope they have a great season. He seemed to be quite confident that it will be a good year for the Magic.

Back home in the panhandle, the Heat have arrived and are staying very well protected and out of the public eye as guests of the Air Force. Sadly for me they are staying on the base (in California king beds provided by the team--I just knew there wouldn't be beds their size around here), dining on base and practicing on base. Very tight security there so it is unlikely that I'll get to see them, which I don't mind now that I've had my recent brush with Magic royalty. My brother-in-law, Devon Ravine, however has been on the scene photographing for the Northwest Florida Daily News. He hasn't been close enough to chat with them, but reports that they "seemed personable" and of their playing skills found them to be "insanely fast". He sent me this great shot of Dwyane and LeBron. Click here to check out the rest of his photos.

Upon reviewing Devon's photos, my sister, Mathilda has declared that Dwyane Wade "almost rivals Dwight when he's smiling." Good thing she threw in the almost because we all know Dwight has the sweetest of all smiles. I'll be looking for him on my next shopping spree...

xoxo

Panhandle Forecast: Heat

Imagine my surprise when my sister called me bright and early this Thursday with the front page story from the Northwest Florida Daily News. She said I wouldn't believe the news...so I'm thinking "finally we're getting a real Saks not just the outlet store", but no, it's a sports story, and not just any sport, it's basketball. Then I query "is Carmello Anthony being traded to the Magic?" No, it's better than that sportsfans...the Miami Heat has announced that it will be holding it's training camp in none other than my hometown. That's right, you read it correctly, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and company are coming to town to train in the quiet and (unfortunately for me) protected setting of Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base.

The Heat will arrive on September 27 and will train and practice here until October 3. Needless to say, I am wracking my brain to think of ways I can have a sighting of this most highly anticipated hoops trio. Security is something that the Air Force, naturally, takes quite seriously so I'm not sure how my chances are looking for seeing the live action on base.

Perhaps I'll have to spot them in a public setting, maybe a restaurant. The husband seems to think that basketball players eat lots of steak , so we should go out to steakhouses during that week. Hmmm....it's an interesting thought but he might just be using this as a way to get out of the house where he is typically force-fed a mostly plant based diet. Meat deprivation can apparently make one quite devious.


Then I wonder, where will they stay? Could they be staying on base, eliminating any wishes I have to see them? Are they staying in a fine local hotel? Are there extra long beds available at fine local hotels? Do we have any fine local hotels?


I'm sure the details will soon be revealed as secrets don't usually stay secrets in small towns. The imminent threat of oily beaches seems to have spared us, tourist season is over and the tropics are not (knock on wood) sending their winds down Hurricane Alley, so we have little else to do but chat about the fact that a hugely popular professional basketball team is coming to town. I have happily lived here, on the Redneck Riviera, for my entire life and cannot recall any visits/events of this magnitude. Previously we just looked forward to the running of the crabs and Captain Billy's yearly show of taking the city over from the Indians so I'd say this is pretty big news for our once sleepy fishing village.

And hopefully, yours truly will be able to take in some of this exciting basketball action.

xoxo

Organic Basketball

My life lately is displaying a lot of contrasting interests. For example, I typically start the day with a a brisk walk and a nutrient rich green drink, then I could find myself starting the afternoon lounging around poolside with an oddly green, lime enhanced pina coloda (you know the one, Krissy). Or after a quiet bit of yoga, reflecting on the simple joys of life, I immediately turn up the AC/DC and check out the latest at Saks.com, consumerism at its finest. Perhaps I have multiple personalities, but I prefer to think I just do a nice job of keeping my life in a state of balance and harmony.

In this same vein, I find it somewhat curious that the only two magazines I subscribe to are Whole Living (previously Body & Soul) and Sports Illustrated. This seemingly polar opposite pair showing up in my mailbox seemed odd to me at first, but it's starting to make sense. I tend to spend a lot of time studying up on what to eat, what not to eat, what's good for the environment, what's bad, the importance of exercise, etc. Basically, I'm trying to take care of myself, inside and out, and apparently so are all of those athletes reported about weekly in Sports Illustrated. The really great ones know that their birth talent alone is not enough, to be the best, you have to work hard and you have to treat your body well for peak performance.

I recalled an article I'd read about Shaquille O'Neal as I was perusing the selection of local produce at the Seaside Farmers Market this weekend. Even Shaq is going organic, and removing soda, white bread and red meats from his diet. I'm hoping this change will give him better luck sporting the Celtic's green than he had back in Cleveland with that other guy.

So, Shaq and I have this interest in common now, except I don't think he buys his healthy provisions in Seaside, but he should consider it. It has a lovely market downtown every Saturday morning, where I can now purchase all types of seasonal fruit and vegetables, honey, milk, eggs, etc. all from local area farmers with lots of local color. And I've been reading up on what are the MUSTS for organic and which ones are safe if you can't find organic, so here's the scoop:

Organic Musts: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots, pears, potatoes, raspberries and spinach

OK Non-organic: onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, mangoes, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwis, cabbage, eggplants, papayas, watermelon, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cauliflower, bananas

But don't be fooled, it's not always healthy eating around here, as indicated above by the midday consumption of strangely delicious green drink. Moderation is the key so they say...

or to quote the great Oscar Wilde, "I can resist anything except temptation."

xoxo

Where the Blues Was Born

Greetings fashion savvy sportsfans,


I believe I have finally recovered from a rather severe case of LeBron LeDecision fever. I am happy that the royal dust has settled and he and his crown have found a new home in Miami. Meanwhile, I have been silently hoping that Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets would pull an LBJ and abandon his hometown team and join Superman and his friends in Orlando, but I fear that he is staying in New Orleans. I would have loved to see the 'Magic' that he and Dwight Howard could make, but I have to respect that he chose to stay with his people in the Big Easy. And I myself would have a hard time leaving New Orleans behind.


Oh...New Orleans, that little jewel of a city, the true gem of the gulf coast, where yours truly will be travelling tomorrow for a quick fix of city life. I'll have no more than 24 hours to take in the essence of that great place: a little music, people watching, scrumptious food, fabulous shopping, beautiful sights and wonderful friends.


The husband has a little business to tend to, so in my free time I have a couple of options, 1) stalk Chris Paul and beg him to change his mind to join the Orlando Magic or 2) cruise over to Saks for a little powershopping. I'm especially interested in making a new shoe acquisition and I don't think the odds of me getting a personal audience with CP3 are that high, so I think it will be option #2, an afternoon at Saks. Not just any Saks, but my favorite Saks outside of the real deal on Fifth Avenue in the Big Apple. I absolutely adore the New Orleans Saks because it is full of beautiful things, it's not too big and not too small, the people there are so lovely and helpful (as are most folks in that fine city) and the selection seems to be carefully chosen for inhabitants of the Gulf South where a) we like nice things b) we don't take ourselves too seriously and c) it's very hot. Now that I think of it, those are the very same reasons that I love the city of New Orleans.


In addition to all this shopping, arts, culture and dining, this city knows a thing or two about playing ball, whether it's football or basketball. New Orleans has two outstanding sports teams in the Saints and the Hornets. And a seriously crazed fan base. So I will celebrate with the fine folks of New Orleans that Chris Paul stays and that the Saints have a Super Bowl Championship. But most of all I will celebrate the spirit of a city that shines through adversity and continually wows the world with it's resiliency and joie de vivre. If the world is an oyster, New Orleans must be it's pearl.

The King: James or Scout?

In case you haven't heard, LeBron James, aka the King, is headed to South Beach to join his friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at the Miami Heat. Even if you are one of my many friends that pays no mind to basketball current events, you had to have heard of this news. As much as I love the spotlight on the NBA, I can barely take anymore. It's all day, every day, everywhere from ESPN to NPR. The topic even came up at a recent lunch with a girlfriend at our very favorite Smiling Fish Cafe and then again the next evening while sipping colorful cocktails with a bunch of stylish ladies. I wouldn't have typically been talking sports, especially basketball, on these two occasions with these lovely friends, but this is how deeply the LeBron Mania has spread throughout our country.




I foolishly thought it would be over once he announced the decision on the ESPN special, "The Decision"--very clever title for such a program. The intent to film the event at the Boys and Girls Club was thoughtful, although I was disappointed to hear no mention of that spectacular organization or their very important works outside of a couple of commercials during the LeDecision hour(click here for a link to our local Boys & Girls Club--they are doing an amazing job!).


I found the program and the hours of chit chat before and after to be a gross display of an over active ego, and a bit tacky overall. It seemed a little too contrived and a little too much of a marketing stunt for my delicate senses. But humble, LeBron is not. Yes, he is a fantastic player, but really, the dramatic touches could be scaled down a little.


It was a sad, sad way for the heartbroken Cleveland fans to hear the news that their hometown boy was jumping ship. But leave it to the owner of the Cavaliers to help mend their aching hearts with a nasty letter, accusing the self-titled King of a long list of personal faults including: narcissism, cowardly betrayal and more. The town quickly rallied with anger, burning all #23 jerseys and removing the larger than life images plastered throughout the city that lost the race for LeBron. Maybe they should look into a city-wide ten-step program to help them through the pain of this loss.


And the show didn't stop there, that was just the pregame celebration, the real party took place in Miami last night with a world class party full of all sorts of celeb appeal. I heard that the King and his 'camp' camped out at my personal favorite, the Loews. I love those hotels because not only are they painfully hip and always overflowing with beautiful people, but they also allow me to travel with best friend, Lab-like rescue pooch and spoiled rotten pet, Scout, who also fancies himself to be the King (as shown in photo above).

Back to the news, I think LeBron chose wisely. They might be a championship contender or maybe not, but Miami is a beautiful city, ripe with folks who think a lot of themselves so LBJ should fit in nicely. And of course there's so much shopping, dining, nightlife and beachlife all wrapped together with an international flare and a nice tropical climate. What could be better?




Oh yea... a ring.



xoxo

LeBronathon

Please forgive my absence during this past week, I've been sucked into the vortex known as the 2010 free agency. At first, I couldn't get enough of the speculation, the commentary and the anticipation of the upcoming announcements. But now as we move into day 8 of the month of LeBron, I am ready for the these guys to wrap things up. Or rather I'm ready for LeBron to wrap it up, he's really living up to his 'king' nickname this time--the guy is truly a drama king. Tomorrow night at 8:00 central, he will host a one hour special, in which he will reveal to all of us fans in sportsland which fair city he will next call home. Will he go with the sentimental ties to Cleveland, the star-studded scene in NYC, the great history of Chicago, or join his friends D Wade and Bosh for a run for a championship in South Beach? We'll find out tomorrow night, and I'm sure it'll be a dramatic event.

I think it's safe to say we've all had a little too much LeBron exposure lately. One hardly hears mention of anything else, the World Cup, Wimbledon, or those very talented back-to-back national champs, the Lakers, because it's all LeBron, LeBron, LeBron. As a former endurance athlete, (yes, I kicked off my Manolo's a few times to run a handful of marathons) I thought that I could handle the duration of this LeBron Countdown, but even I, trained to endure through difficult and challenging times, find this to be painful and tiresome. Maybe it's more like an Ultra Marathon, which even I was not crazy enough to do (tempted yes, but my occasional rational judgement ruled out the possibility, or was it the fear of really bad tan lines?). So if this is a LeBronathon, I'm feeling like we're on mile 24 or so of the 26.2 mile race, our minds are a little numb from the repetitive state we've been subjected to, we can hear the bands playing and the crowds cheering at the end of the race, maybe I spot my mother-in-law in front of the Plaza, and we know the end is near. All of the preparation and anticipation will be winding down, making way for new discussions of future races, teams, events. Personally, I look forward to crossing the finish line and completing this chapter of the book of LeBron.

I'm sure LeBron will not fail to entertain us tomorrow night. I am also sure that many folks will rejoice and celebrate his decision, while other cities mourn what could have been. But fear not friends, regardless of what city the King sits in his throne, we will be witnesses of some very exciting basketball over the years to come. I'll save my thoughts on the entire shake down of the NBA for a later date, once the dance is complete and our aches from this long and drawn out free-agent season have subsided.

And special thanks to all of the input on what to wear in Sonoma County. I've made the final cuts and my bags (and lashes) are packed and ready to go to wine country. What better way to celebrate the grand finale of the free agency season, than a trip to California with my charming husband, visiting dear friends, drinking amazing juice, and of course a little shopping in San Francisco?

Cheers!

xoxo