A Note About....

A Note About......What's Next?

The last two months have been a beautiful blur. I have worked and had a lot of great experiences on a Governor’s campaign. It was an uphill battle in many ways but we did as much as we could with what we had.

 If you are wondering what we had to work with.....I will tell you. The Jim Ryan for governor campaign only had a full-time staff of six people, a few outside consultants and three resourceful interns. We also were outspent 10-1.

 With such a small staff and money.....I was exposed to experiences I probably never could have been exposed to if the staff was larger, considering my age and looking at my experience. In addition I made some great friends and learned a little bit more about who I am.

But when it is said and done, we finished a disappointing 4^th out of six candidates, and in some ways I feel like I am back to square one.

In some ways I almost feel like I have woken up from a two-month-long bender. I have neglected responsibilities outside of work, I have laundry piled to the ceiling, I have two books overdue at the library, my back hurts, I have a thousand phone calls to return, I have to go get my car checked out after a long winter and now I need to find a job, or at least something to do, for the next six months before law school.

Yet today I didn’t feel like doing or worrying about any of that. All I felt like doing was working on the campaign and talking with everyone I worked with. But unfortunately today was a day to say goodbye and start to move on.

It is a day to prepare to take the next step. I don’t know what the next step is for me. I have never known. Perhaps I never will.

Will I find a profession that I enjoy, will I ever find a girl that is willing to date or even marry a fool like me, will I ever decide to go to law school, will I ever have enough money that I can take my dad out to dinner or will I ever get to a point in my life when I am not just looking at the next best thing? I don’t know the answer to any of those questions. Perhaps I never will.

In our life though we often come back to the same point. What we search for is not in this world but beyond us. And what is beyond is something that can’t be attained in this world…. no matter how hard we try.

Perhaps I take things too seriously but I guess when I am in a reflective mode, like I am today, I just can’t help it.

 You hope for certain things, you pray for them, and most of all you will for them to happen…. the only problem is often self-will can lead to self-loathing….when what you hope for doesn’t work out.

I had many hopes about how last night would go and how I would feel this morning.

 I imagined it in my mind….Last Evening

There would be mass bedlam in the war room as the election results came in, when it was announced that our candidate won the race the staff would have a pile-on like a team that won the World Series, like the famous LIFE photograph I would find some random woman in the street and plant a big smooch on her, the celebration would flow out into the parking lot and the police would have to be called in with riot gear.

 This Morning

The phone would be ringing off the hook with everyone wanting to be apart of the campaign, I would have a swearing-in ceremony as the knew deputy press secretary and we would begin the strategy to win in November.

 Uh yeah…none of that happened. Unrealistic expectations? Yeah I think so.

 What really happened….Last Evening 

Faces in the room were ones of dejection as the results came in. The scoreboard of votes around the state continued to pile in favor of our five opponents and I went home and almost fell asleep in my suit.

 This Morning

I sat alone in our campaign office and waited for a few of the other staff members so we could grab lunch. The phone rang only once and the office was quieter than I have ever heard it in the time that I worked there.

What I have to realize is all the self-will in the world will not change the circumstances of last evening, of today, of tomorrow and the next day. The one thing it can change is my attitude and how I approach the circumstances life has for me.

If I do this.....life I know will continue to be a beautiful blur.....and one that in the end will answer life’s most important question….what’s next?

A Note About.......Underwater MP3 Player RIP

Can we have a moment of silence for my MP3 player......January 10, 2010 – January 20 2010

I should have bought a goldfish.

After paying $40, exchanging emails with a customer service representative in China, 5 minutes of it working when I swam underwater…the device that I thought would make my swim more pleasant…is destroyed. Kaput! The way of the Dodo!

How you ask?

1.       It was piece of……you know what.

2.       I didn’t read the directions

3.       It was nearly impossible to swim with

4.       And uh….I dropped it into the toilet

One of the worst fears of my life was realized yesterday…I dropped something valuable (at least I thought at the time) into a toilet. I was blowing my noise and talking to someone I knew…..when the mp3 player slipped from my grip and plunged into the unknown. I had no option but to grab it. Had it been my own toilet…it wouldn’t have been as big of a deal…but it was at my health club right before I was going to swim.  Beyond gross!

So I closed my eyes and I grabbed it. I proceeded to wash my hands for 10 minutes and the mp3 player.  One problem…..this MP3 Player although waterproof, had one weakness; the hole that the headphones go in can’t get any water in it. Well it did.

So instead of swimming to music I selected…..I was forced to listen to the same crap they played over the speakers.

The worst part in all this wasn’t that my MP3 player won’t work, or that I am out 40 bucks…it’s that….well you could probably ball park it after hearing the story.

A Note About....Haiti

Like many Americans I have been watching, reading and thinking about the current situation in Haiti. There isn’t a cave you could hide in to avoid it. And there shouldn’t be.

Now here is the key to this whole thing…… if you are breathing, which we all are, you can help in some way. I don’t have a lot of money but I can donate 10 bucks. Sounds easy..but the problem we all face in this pursuit of helping....is the danger of becoming desynthesized to the images we see on television and apathetic to the hopelessly massive situation.

In addition to this mindset, it is easy to ask: what possible difference can one person make? Well I can’t tell you what the specific difference you can make is. Many of us can’t just head down to Haiti, grab a shovel and start digging out people. In some ways, while I write this I am speaking to myself, because it is the want-to-be-hero inside of me that wants to go down and help in some way. The problem is I have no medical experience and would cause more harm than good upon arrival.

So......I am Donating 10 dollars : Yeah I know I am the 500th person to promote this....well good....because that is not nearly enough. Pull out your wallet and use the same credit card you bought all those christmas gifts on.

- http://www.yele.org/  

- http://www.redcross.org/ 

- http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/

- All of these sites give you the ability to donate through text message

                - (Or just type in Haiti into Google and take your pick)

If you don't donate I will send this guy after you.

I never thought I would quote JFK but these words go so well with what we deal with in Haiti.

 “For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.”

Dan Haubert

A Note About....And Now We Run

I am a perfectionist when it comes to certain things. One thing I am perfectionist about....is when I make a video documenting something awesome. Well this weekend I attempted to document something awesome and I want to make it perfect. Dave what did you document you may ask?

I documented several of my friends running a marathon. But not just any marathon....The Disney World Marathon. And my friends were not just running for the heck of it. They were running for our friend Dan Haubert who passed away in October. In fact this very event was what sparked my blog.

Dan's girlfriend Colleen Van Tiem, Dan's friends Adam Rathge and Anna Young, started a blog in honor of Dan. The blog is on posterous, and is called, "And Now We Run." The link is below. The blog documents grieving with the loss of Dan through running, and training for the race, that was this weekend.

http://andnowwerun.posterous.com/

So since I followed their training and was rooting for them big time.....the entire weekend I decided to put a camera in their face. I wanted to form a great tribute.
I often received looks....from most like....Who are you? And what the heck are you doing here? But they all took it with a grain of salt knowing that I would at least be able to turn it into something memorable.

I attached a link to one of the videos I will make. It isn't the full version and I still want to do a lot with it...but it is a start of hopefully something that will meet my expectations.

In all seriousness, rather than focusing on how shaky the shots are, or how bad some of them look....I hope to focus on how cool it was that so many people came down to be involved in the weekend. Most of all I hope to focus on how this weekend is now going to become a tradition.

The same group hopes to remember Dan once again when they run in the Las Vegas Marathon in December 2010. We also hope to get more runners and more supporters for one big Dan Haubert bash!!

I hope to be there in Vegas to once again attempt to create the ultimate video....but not the ultimate tribute...because the runners will do that.

A Note About....The Chicago Cubs...a Decade of Success?

Yeah don't check for any typos that is right. For the Cubs Standards last decade could be portrayed as a success. Three playoff appearances in the decade (2003, 2007, 2008) is the most since the 1930's. Granted the Wildcard and 4 team playoff system didn't take affect until 1995, but that is still something for Cubs fans to hold to. In addition the Cubs finished over .500 six times this decade.

Below the first number for each decade is how many times the Cubs finished above .500. The second is how many times they made the playoffs for that decade.

2000's 6-3
1990's 3-1
1980's 2-2
1970's 3-0
1960's 4-0
1950's 0-0
1940's 2-1
1930's 10-3

     

Click here to download:

A_Note_About....The_Chicago_Cu.zip (49 KB)

Our Distingushed panel: (George Will, SouthSideBob05, Harrylives08)

What a White Sox's Fan would say:
SouthSideBob05 says, "I have another number for you zero. That is how many World Series you have won during that time. You don't need a calculator to add that one up. Like every Cubs fan you think about the times you came close and how things might get better....when in reality nothing is going to get better. You will always be losers. It is amazing to me how the Cubs love their tradition. Harry Carey was better when he announced for the White Soxs, your best player in the last 15 years used steroids, your best pitchers burned out before they did anything special and you haven't even won a World Series in your new stadium. All in all I would not only call this an unsuccessful decade for the Cubbies...I would call it an unsuccessful century. While you are at it get a jumbo tron...so when I come to Wrigley this summer to watch the Sox's belt home runs...I can watch replays of them. Speaking of times you came close....get over Bartman! Even if Alou catches that flyball in Game 6...your shortstop couldn't handle a grounder, your bullpen didn't do what they were supposed to do and most of all you had another game (game 7 of the 2003 NLCS) to get it done and you blew it. The next closest loser to you guys (100+ years without a WS) are the Indians (61 years), the Lions (51 years), the Blackhawks (47 years) and who cares about the NBA. Curse no...losers yes. One final thing stop talking about Ron Santo he will never get into the hall and he shouldn't. In fact based on his announcing he shouldn't even be allowed in a baseball stadium. I could go on but I don't have the time to spend on responding to you yuppies."

What a Cubs Fan would say:
Harrylives08 says, " I don't know where to start. First in response to your comment about the number zero. That is true and I can't change that fact. As a true fan though you support your team through thick and thin. Just because our team doesn't win for a while doesn't mean Cubs fans should turn into Sox's fans....and not go to games. You wanna talk about players in the last 15 years? Ill take it a step further....how about the last 100 years. Shoeless Joe Jackson, Carlton Fisk and Frank Thomas? Crook, remembered for time he played in Boston and who could forget the Big Baby. Yeah really fine history. Amazing that even though the White Soxs won the world series...they are still the second team in the second city.

A logical point of view:
George Will Says, " Silly rival banter and tomfoolery aside......When you consider the Cubs and their historic destitute...you have to recognize the recent success they have had. Entering a new Century we see an organization that no longer is satisfied with the lovable loser label but instead have come to loathe it. It drives them to creating a team that can eliminate that label once and for all. Therefore it is safe to assume that these aren't your father's Cubs but instead a team that is getting closer to the ultimate goal that has alluded them for more than 100 years. At the same time it is that 100 years of World Series infertility  that creates a growing anxiety with every pitch. It is also what seems to somehow influence plot lines, through a silly curse, that only the dreariest of screenwriters could create. Self fufilling prophecies and superstitions aside...the fact is the law of averages are now on the Cubs side. The current pattern suggests what the real question about the cubs is. The question is not....will the Cubs win the World Series but.....what year this decade?"

What I say: " The Cubs have seen recent success and I believe, although there are some exceptions to the rule, that World Series teams are built over years. Meaning teams frequently get to the playoffs and get knocked out a few times before they make a run. I believe the Cubs are one of these teams. Another way of putting it is If you keep trying to hit a dart board....the law of averages shows that you are gonna hit it. I think this is true with the Cubs. For About 50 years they didn't even make the effort to throw a dart...the last decade they did. Finally what puts the icing on the cake for me is they have a new ownership. Granted the transition period may be a gradual one but the new owners I believe have the mindset to win. It is certainly in their best economic interests to do so and in the interest of the fans as well."

A Note About....Anger = Wrong, A Chicago Bears Manifesto, Third Amendment Activism

Anger = Wrong
Someone recently told me the angrier you are...the more likely you are wrong. Well as much as I disagreed at the time with those remarks.....I have since found those words to echo true. I am not saying you can't be angry and right. I am also not saying that anger is a bad emotion...it can be a good emotion if used in a healthy way. But there is no lying that anger has a connection with being wrong.

So why do I mention this?

Well I recently had an email exchange with a friend, and immediately upon reading the email sent I was angry, and I felt like turning the conversation into a battle out of the 300. But luckily I took a step back and got an outside perspective on the situation. I took advice from someone, who was not emotionally involved, and looked at the situation logically.

The result?  I handled the situation sanely and rationally. Nothing bad happened, I had no regrets after responding to the email and I never wrote any words I couldn't take back.

Now removed from the emotion of the situation....I definitely was angry.....but even more.... I definitely was wrong. I wince at the thought of what I could have said...but luckily I didn't.

So what example does it bring to our lives?
1.Everyday we are given lessons. The only problem is we often don't review them.
2. Like reviewing materials for a test we must remember these situations and apply them when the moment comes.
3. We must review....Instead of dismissing events as specific instances that can't be applied in a general way to our lives.
4. We must review.....Instead of only paying attention to our emotions, our resentments and most of all our pride.
5. Because when we don't review these lessons....we fail to see the logical perspective of what we are actually doing...and that my friends...is the battle we will always face as human beings.

3rd Amendment Activism
People need to be aware of their constitutional rights. When doing this no amendment is more important to be aware of than the 3rd amendment of the constitution. I frequently tell people this and they are immediately puzzled. They ask which one is that? Well I'll tell you...It states:
 "No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law."

Why is this important? Well when the time comes, I would be happy to give soldiers a place to stay any time. Even in times of peace it's no big deal...all they have to do is ask for permission. Once they receive my consent we are good to go. What a great law!! If I ever run for public office I will make sure that this is a big part of my campaign.

A Chicago Bears Manifesto
Like the business world...in sports when things go south...people get the axe. In the NFL that person who is first to go....is often the head coach. Right or wrong they usually are the scapegoat. With the Bears announcing that head coach Lovie Smith will be back next year...I have to say I am quite surprised....but knowing how the Bears operate....maybe I shouldn't be.

Lovie's Tenure
Six years as a head coach on the same team....makes Lovie Smith one of the longest tenured in the league. Take a look at this.....In the NFL...there are only six coaches who have a longer tenure with their team than Lovie Smith (2004):
1. Titans: Jeff Fisher 1994
2. Eagles: Andy Reid 1999
3. Patriots: Bill Belichick 2000
4. Panthers: John Fox 2002
5. Bengals: Marvin Lewis 2003
6. Jaguars: Jack Del Rio 2003

So what has kept these six coaches around the longest? All six coaches have got there team to the playoffs at least once over the past 3 years...Lovie hasn't.
So why does Lovie get the pass?
1. The Bears are cheap:
Lovie is owed $11 million dollars over the next two years. The Bears would have to pay that contract, if they fired him, and in addition would have to pay a new contract for the new head coach. So what do the Bears do? Fire everyone below Lovie, and may possibly promote the defensive line coach Ron Marinelli, to defensive coordinator.

2. The Bears are Stupid:
 Marinelli who coached the worst team in NFL history, and coached a defensive line in 2009 that was one the of the worst in the league, now may head a Bears defense that didn't even rank in the top 20. I am not a X and O guru but I can read numbers and statistics. The Cover 2 (the Bears defense) doesn't work anymore. We need to Stop....and do something different. Having a new coordinator who runs the same defense will not change the outcome.

3. The Bears don't hold the Front Office responsible:
The NFL is all about personnel. Sure the system you place them in is important.....but who you have on your squad gives you the tools to compete. Jerry Angelo and the Bears haven't done that. They have relied on late round draft picks and players who produced at one time...but haven't in a while. The team is unbalanced and was unprepared for injuries this year...because in the NFL injuries do happen...having the personnel to be ready makes all the difference.

4. The Bears are trying to buy time:
The bears don't have any draft picks in the first two rounds in 2010 and are missing their first round pick in 2011 (Cutler and Gaines Adams deal). The Bears may simply be holding out hope that somehow they will get it together next year....if not...it will be easier to bring in a head coach after next season. And cost less.

5. The Bears are Delusional:
The 2006 season led to the super bowl...the last three seasons have led to a below .500 record. Two late season victories in 2009 doesn't change that. Anyone who thinks the team is on the right path should be led to a mental institution.

A Note About....Boise State Cowbell Player

One Problem....she's blind. Yikes. I should have probably checked that out before I watched it and sent it to friends. Five minutes after sending out the link I sent a retraction. You think I would know better as a journalist to fact check things. It is a lesson many others have learned as well....all across the internet.

The you tube link is one of the most viewed on the site today and is flooded with comments by people berating those who would laugh at the blind band member. There is no soap box to stand on here for me. I am not going to tell you there is some moral lesson here about what we laugh at...we can't control what is funny. But what we can control is fully understanding the context of the situation before we reach that point. It is a lesson I certainly learned and won't forget anytime soon.

A Note About....2009 "Our Pets Heads Are Falling Off!"

In one of my favorite movies, Dumb and Dumber, Lloyd (Jim Carey) goes off on his roomate Harry (Jeff Daniels) about how bad their lving situation is. What pushed him over the edge...was finding their bird decapitated in its cage by hit-men. The video  is below:

Excerpt: "That's it. I've had it with this dump. We got no food, we got no jobs..our pets heads are falling off."

Why do I mention that? Because there are many times this year I have felt like Lloyd felt. We all have. (coincidentally Lloyd tapes the head on the bird and sells it to a blind kid in a wheel chair...but that's not important right now)

Anyway "Our pets heads are falling off," has become my favorite thing to say in times of stress or even when dealing with situations I really don't feel like dealing with anymore. One such thing is...2009. Yes 2009.....The year..."Our pets heads were falling off."The economy. It plays with human emotions. You think it's too big to affect you until it does.

For the first three months of this year I couldn't find a job and I remember the feeling of complete anxiety, and helplessness, wondering if I would find one. Well I did.....but not one I expected.
My course definitely took a strange path...and I worked down in Alabama for six months...something I still can't believe I was able to do.

Things didn't get better. Tragically I lost a close college friend who I saw weeks before at a wedding, and more recently, my grandfather. I also lost several older friends who I knew through my dad. Dealing with such things are never simple. The video clip from Lord of the Rings (below) brings a good perspective to the whole process. The clip reminds us that the end is only the beginning...

Excerpt:
"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass... And then you see it."
What? Gandalf?... See what?
White shores... and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.

In the spirit of that optimism and insight.....I guess not everything was bad this year. In 2009 I ran a marathon and started a blog (which hopefully you read). I also started a daily email bible passage list, saw the Blackhawks play at Wrigley, I went to Vegas for the first time, gambled at a casino for the first time, saw one of my Alma maters win a first round NCAA Tournament game and the other qualify for a New Years Bowl......and I went to Yellowstone National Park for the first time.

Yes this year there were many times when "Our pets heads were falling off", and I have no doubt that there will be other years when it may seem that way. But the key is realizing that our lives, like Dumb and Dumber, won't always be that way. We will have funny moments, and those that bring us adventures, we may not have expected. That is what the new year is all about, and as corny as it sounds, something we need to remember. 2010 is a new beginning....2009 is no more. 
I hope to take that optimism into next year and hopefully have next year be more like this....

Five Top Ten lists of the 2000's

Top 10 Best Movies of the Decade: (Note:) I have to say I love many lists that magazines make because they usually have only one movie that is made in English. This list contains the opposite perspective.
1. Traffic (2000)- This arguably may be one the most real and gripping films ever made. The colors and feeling of the movie portray a drug battle that still grips our nation 10 years later.
2. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-03)- The book...became a movie...the movie became a phenomenon
3. The Passion of Christ (2004) - The movie was overshadowed by the subject it took on but it was damn good.
4. United 93 (2006) - This movie really paid tribute to the real life event that happened five years earlier. It is a gritty and very real portrayal.
5. Gladiator (2000)- Russel Crowe's biggest role to date. Epic....the Spartacus or Ben-Hur of this decade.
6. City of God (2003)- This movie is on a lot of top ten lists and there is a reason for that.
7. The Dark Knight (2008)- Heath Ledger stole this movie with his performance and cemented the film as one of the finest action movies ever made.
8. Man on Wire (2008) - This movie is dazzling and in a poetic way portrays an impossible event that could never be accomplished again.
9. Juno (2007) - Humorous, poignant and timely.
10. WALL-E (2008)- In addition to UP and other films..this one for me stands out more than the rest. Never has an animated film done so much with so little dialogue and such a unique story line
10. Michael Clayton (2007)- One of George Clooney's best performances. A complicated issue turns into a simple lesson in the film.

Next 10 Best Movies:
1. Borne Supremacy: This was my favorite film of the decade. Like the two previous films in the series, this movie served as the action series of the decade.
2. Black Hawk Down: Real tough for me not to put this on the top 10. It really was a vivid and grizzling account of a bloody conflict.
3. Blood Diamond: One of my three personal favorites. So Powerful that it goes beyond the Hollywood feel...to give a raw portrait of the diamond trade in Africa.
4. There Will Be Blood: This was an epic film and had the best male performance of the Decade by Daniel Day Lewis. When I asked one my friends, who is a former actor what he thought of Lewis' performance in the film, he responded, "He is so good it's scary."
5. Gangs of New York: Like the movie above Daniel Day Lewis is so scary it's good.
6. The Queen: You could make a case for this being in the top 10 movies of the decade. Helen Mirren made this movie and played the queen to the T.
7. No Country for Old Men: What you get with this movie is critical acclaim....and a movie character who could be the biggest sociopath in cinematic history.
8. The Departed: Definitely not as good as Goodfellas, but the film still became one of the most memorable of the decade.
9. Finding Nemo/UP: Like Wall-E these films stretch far beyond their incredible creative aspects.
10. Slumdog Millionaire: a popular choice and perhaps the most surprising movie of the decade. Created a feeling that wasn't seen in any film before it.
Honorable Mention:Avatar: I have not seen this film but by what I have heard, it is worth mentioning on this list. It could be a precursor of films to come.
Old School/Anchorman: That's right Old School and Anchorman. One served as the Animal House of the Decade and the other created a genre of many comedies to come.
Spiderman, Iron Man Star Trek and Batman Begins: All of these big-budget movies brought back or established action genres in a new and successful way. All of them were also entertaining and fun films that will be raking in cash.....or have raked in cash with sequels.

Top 10 US Events of the Decade:
1. 9/11 (2001): One of the most horrific and unfortunately remembered events in our countries history. The attack altered the course of our nation and the entire decade.
2.  Iraqi Freedom (2003): A campaign which launched a war that would last the rest of the decade and would set the foreign policy of the Bush Administration.
3. Financial Crisis (2008): Banks collapsing, layoffs at businesses, houses foreclosing, government loaning and people hiding....The effects of the economic downfall were felt throughout the world.
4. Virgina Tech shootings/Northern Illinois (2007,2008): These horrific shootings were bloodier than columbine and called into question security on college campuses across the nation.
5. Pacific Tsunami (2004): This obviously didn't directly affect our country but the destruction was so massive that there wasn't any human on the planet it shouldn't have affected.
6.  Hurricane Katrina (2005): It will not just be remembered as one of the worst natural disasters in our country's history, but one that was made political.
7. Barack Obama elected president (2008): Whether or not you like Obama, or even if he turns out to be the worst president in our country's history this event was an historical landmark in our country. Not that Barack Obama was elected but that a black man could be elected.
8. Presidential Election in Florida (2000): what do you get when you add: Butterfly ballots, Katerine Harris and the State of Florida? Political drama that gave us the tightest presidential election in our country's history
9.  I-Pod (2001): One the most relevant inventions in our culture. Over 200 million have been sold since its release. It changed the way we listen to music.
10. Enron/Balco (2001,2003): Both were big events that shook their respective industries: One the regulation policies in business and the other the way we look at athletes.

Top 10 Games of the Decade:
1. Michael Phelps 2nd and 7th gold medal The Beijing Olympics (2008): Obviously Michael Phelps wining his 8th Gold Medal was historical but two races leading to it may have defined the sporting event that defined the decade. On the final leg of the 4 X 100 relay Jason lezak overcame a deficit to beat the favored french and keep Phelps hopes alive. Finally in Michael Phelps pursuit for the record he beat Milorad Cavic by the closest of margins to win his 7th Gold Medal. No group of races have had as much drama before or since.
2. Texas vs. USC Rose Bowl (2006): The greatest National Championship game I have seen....that featured lead changes, the best players in the country and a thrilling finish.
3. Titans vs. Rams Super Bowl Super Bowl XXXIV (2000): Never has a Superbowl come down to the wire in this fashion. The Titans coming 1 yard short. A gutsy affair that left both teams exhausted.
4. Boise State vs. Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl (2007): A hook and ladder and a Statue of Liberty makes this game one of the most memorable ever.
5. Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer Wimbledon final (2008): One word....Epic.
6. Giants vs. Patriots Super Bowl XLIV (2008): David Tyree's catch not only was the greatest in Superbowl history, but the game may have been the greatest ever played as well.
7. USC vs. Notre Dame (2005): Still to this day may be the greatest regular season college football game I have ever seen. The back and forth battle ended -with a QB sneak and a little push.
8. New York Yankees vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Game 7 World Series (2001): After a great series this game topped it off...with the Diamondbacks being the ones that came back against the Yankees.
9. Boston Red Soxs v. New York Yankees Game 7 ALCS (2003): Aaron Boone's walk off home run added to the Red Soxs misery and added to the Yankees number of World Series appearances.
10. Los Angeles Lakers v. Sacramento Kings Game 7 Western Conference Finals (2002): The best NBA game of the decade. The Lakers on their way to a three-peat faced their toughest challenge.....as the Kings took them to OT in the deciding game.

Top 10 TV Shows of the Decade:
1. The Wire: No contest.
2. The Sopranos: May have been one of the best shows ever.
3. The Shield: Gritty and real cop drama. Made NYPD Blue look like Sesame Street
4. The West Wing: The way it was shot, the quick dialogue and the exciting plots made it s a  great network show.
5. CSI: Year after year it has the best ratings. New type of detective show that was so good its had spinoffs.
6. 24: Jack Bauer
7. The Daily Show: Become more than a show for many a source of political involvement.
8. PTI: Took talking about sports to a whole new level.
9. Arrested Development: New and funny show. Didn't get the ratings but it got the acclaim and a loyal fan base.
10. Chappelle's Show: Only 2 full seasons. No show like it.

Honorable Mentions: Too many...Lost, Mad Men, American Idol (I hate to admit it)....the List goes on