i Need my iPod

As a resident, worker, and commuter of the northern metro Atlanta suburbs, I get the pleasure of having a 45-50 minute commute each way to work. Luckily, my route takes mostly back roads and avoids all major highways, which allows for a pretty consistent commute each day. With a very generous 1 day a week telecommute option, I log about 6 hours each week in the car. Besides getting the dirt on the kids from Rebecca, it's mostly me and the radio.

As a transplant, I gotta say that the radio options in Atlanta generally pale compared to other big cities. But there are a few good options, with the return of The Regular Guys in the morning, and Buck & Kincade (sports talk) on 680 The Fan in the afternoon. However, I have recently joined a movement that is helping to put a dent in talk radio, the podcast. What took me so long? I have no idea, but much like my first cell phone and Tivo, I can't see myself going back. The commercials are missing, conversations can flow more naturally, and it really makes the time go by faster. Right now, I'm aligned mostly with the larger ESPN podcasts from Sports Guy Bill Simmons, The Herd, and the bi-weekly ESPN college and pro football updates. I can easily see venturing out to other subjects like money, entertainment, news, etc. I guess the thing I like the most is having it being in control of the news, and not reliant on finding it online when I get a break at work or at home.

If I find some other good podcasts, I'll pass them along. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check iTunes and see if there are some new podcasts to download for tomorrow's drive...

Herding Cats

We have arrived at the end of another week here at Casa de Cahill. Seems the guys have been hooked on playing golf in the backyard most nights after school/work/dinner. Thank God for Daylight Savings Time. Been a lot of fun spending time out there with them.


This blog entry is probably a good description of what I will be tasked with tomorrow morning. Zachary’s baseball playing career begins with his foray into the local YMCA Tiny Tykes T-Ball league. They were short on coaches, so I got roped in to helping out coaching the team. We have 8 3 year olds on the team. I predict that we will have about 5 coach-able minutes before we lose them, and I believe we are set to go 2 hours. Despite that, I am excited and it should be a lot of fun, as it’s been a while since I did any coaching. My last stint was back in college helping to coach a couple of softball teams. I promise to treat this a little less serious then my last go around as a coach. I certainly don’t want to be the first T-ball coach to suffer this fate:

Harry The K

Back at it today after a nice 3 day weekend. Stayed busy most of the time, and had a very nice Easter relaxing with just the 5 of us (including Herschel, our black lab). Sunday afternoon was about as picture perfect weather-wise as you could get. Watched Phil and Tiger duel it out for a while at Augusta, but they ran out of holes and fell by the way. Still pretty riveting television. I took Zachary and Liam out to play some golf in the back during the afternoon. By play, I would mean Liam walking around picking up a ball and holding the kiddie driver, Zachary taking a Happy Gilmore-esque whack of the whiffle ball with his putter, and me trying to get my shot game in order with my wedge and the other wiffle ball that Liam wasn’t holding or going after. Had a delicious chicken and rice dinner, then enjoyed Amazing Race.

It is a sad day for many Phillies fans like me with news of the passing of longtime play-by-play announcer Harry Kalas. Players and coaches come and go, but many times we as fans identify with our team’s announcer more so than any one person. Harry Kalas had that sort of connection with Phillies fans. He had a distinct voice, which you knew the millisecond you heard it. Of course I’m sounding partial, but his famous home run call of “It’s Outtttttttta Here!” is probably the best in all of the sport. When the Phillies finally broke through and won the World Series last October, Joe Buck’s final out call on FOX didn’t bring a tear to my eye. It was when FOX replayed the last out with Harry’s call from the booth that I lost it.

Plus, as many others may not realize, he was a long time voice of NFL Films, and probably the 2nd most known voice of capturing the history of the NFL after John “Frozen Tundra” Facenda. He also gave a voice of authority every Super Bowl Sunday to Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl”.

Perhaps this is fate’s way of preparing me for the eventual day when we receive similar news regarding the lifeblood of Georgia Bulldog football, Larry Munson. I dare say there is no one announcer more intertwined and affixed to a college football team than Larry and his urging the defense to “hunker it down one more time!” or announcing that there will be “property destroyed tonight” after the 1980 win over Florida. He is THE connecting force between all Dawg fans despite your age and your background. As our former church pastor said, “the mortality rate in N. Fulton county is 100%”, so we know that everyone’s number will be called at some point. Here’s hoping Larry can enjoy a full run at the 2009 SEC Championship while fishing this fall.

We’ll end this note on the positive, with a quick shout out to my brother Ryan on his birthday today. Ryan, remember 29 is just a number, a prime number in fact!

Harry, enjoy the Herr’s potato chips in heaven and we’ll miss you here. There’s no better way than to go out on top, so please enjoy some of Harry's best, all leading to call of the final out of the 2008 World Series last October.

The Masters - What it Means to Me

For sports fans, it’s easily the most relaxing and soothing theme song ever that simultaneously gives you goose bumps and gets you fired up.

It’s time once again to celebrate Augusta, GA’s most important contribution (other than birthplace of James Brown), THE MASTERS. By far, it is my favorite golf tournament each year, and probably ranks in the top 3 of all my favorite sports events. While other golf majors shift courses every year, there’s always the second week in April to enjoy the azaleas, pine trees, and lighting fast greens.

What makes it so special for me is the fact that everyone involved (golfers, caddies, patrons, CBS announce crew, etc.) realizes they are stepping on hallowed ground when they go inside the gates and honors that tradition. I do not know of another sporting event that has that sort of feeling. Even the Super Bowl lacks that due to corporate influence. The Masters is like an anti-Super Bowl.

I was fortunate to be able to see 2 practice rounds there in 2005. As beautiful as it looks on your HDTV, it’s about 100 times more impressive in person. One thing most people do not realize is how hilly and long the course is to walk. You really get a workout trucking it around the course. All of the vendor wrappers, cups, etc. are green as to blend in with the grass. It’s also the last place on earth you can get a bag of chips for $.50 and a beer for $2.00. They do get you in the souvenir tent, which of course is the only place to buy authentic shirts, hats, or anything else with their famous logo. Can’t fault them for that. The practice rounds provide an interesting insight to the golfers themselves, as you can see they’re trying to relax, but they know the pressure that lies ahead for them come Thursday morning. The European golfers tend to pal around each other, while guys like Tiger, Phil, and others hang with their friends, or will play with the amateurs who got invited to participate. The holes and greens are exactly as you picture them. Augusta is almost like a living museum or monument to the game of golf.

However, the one thing that will stick with me the most about my visit has to do with the crowd (patrons, as the Augusta brass refers to them). Every person I met in the gallery, from kids to high rollers, knew how lucky they were to be there. I’ve never seen a more polite and courteous group of strangers (Rebecca was 8 months pregnant at our visit and we had people bending over backwards to make sure she could see and was comfortable). We were walking up one of the fairways, and a man about 20 feet in front of us had a sandwich wrapper blow out of his hand. Before he had a chance to turn around to get it, a stranger walking about 10 paces behind bent down, without breaking stride, and picked up the wrapper and placed it in a trash can. It was if he was treating the grounds like his own yard, and you realize you must be someplace special.

Good luck to the competitors and I hope I can enjoy my Easter Sunday afternoon by watching a shootout on the back 9. I'm pulling for Padraig Harrington, go get that Paddy Slam!

The Champions Dinner

One of my favorite events begins this week down I-20 in Augusta, GA. It is the perfect combination of golf excellence and unbridled tradition. It is The Masters.

Tomorrow will be a much more in depth look at why I love this golf tournament, but in honor of the traditional Tuesday Champions dinner tonight, I would see where everyone's tastebuds are.

First a brief background on the dinner. Every Tuesday before The Masters, the prior year's winner hosts a dinner for all prior champions and the chairman. Those are the only folks in the room. The good news is the prior year's winner (for 2009, Trevor Immelman from S. Africa) gets to pick the menu. The bad news is he has to pick up the tab. Apparently, you can still order off the regular menu if you don't like the options (as one such year will clearly show in a bit). While American-born winners tend to have their favorite food, international champs try to honor their country of origin. Here's a breakdown of some prior year's menus:

Trevor Immelman, 2009: Bobotie (a spiced minced meat pie with an egg topping), sosaties (type of chicken skewer), spinach salad, milk tart and South African wines.
Zach Johnson, 2008: Iowa beef, Florida shrimp
Phil Mickelson, 2007: Barbecued ribs, chicken, sausage and pulled pork, with cole slaw
Tiger Woods, 2006: Stuffed jalapeno and quesadilla appetizers with salsa and guacamole; green salad; steak fajitas, chicken fajitas, Mexican rice, refried beans; apple pie and ice cream
Phil Mickelson, 2005: Lobster ravioli in tomato cream sauce, Caesar salad, garlic bread
Mike Weir, 2004: Elk, wild boar, Arctic char, Canadian beer
Vijay Singh, 2001: Seafood tom kah, chicken panang curry, baked sea scallops with garlic sauce, rack of lamb with yellow kari sauce, baked filet Chilean sea bass with three flavor chili sauce, lychee sorbet
Mark O'Meara, 1999: Chicken fajitas, steak fajitas, sushi, tuna sashimi
Tiger Woods, 1998: Cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, french fries, milkshakes
Nick Faldo, 1997: Fish and chips, tomato soup
Ben Crenshaw, 1996: Texas barbecue
Jose Maria Olazabal, 1995: Paella and hake (whitefish), plus tapas
Bernhard Langer, 1994: Turkey and dressing, black forest torte
Fred Couples, 1993: Chicken cacciatore
Sandy Lyle, 1989: Haggis, mashed potatoes, mashed turnips
Bernhard Langer, 1986: Wiener schnitzel

Can you guess what year most folks ordered from the menu?

When I win The Masters in 2012, the 2013 dinner I would be hosting would include the following menu:

Peanut Oil Fried Turkey, injected with creole marinade

Filet Mignon kabobs

Egg Noodles

Green Beans drizzled in olive oil

Oreo Ice Cream Dessert (specialty from my mother-in-law)

Yuengling

Chateau Elan Merlot

What would you serve if you were the champ? Nosh away!

The Exporting of Foster Care

Well, I figured I could hold longer, but it’s time for a soapbox moment, brought to you by Irish Spring (well, not really, but since everything else has a corporate sponsor, I figured maybe someone out there will see this and hook me up).

This weekend Rebecca and I watched the most recent SNL with Seth Rogen (by the way, that Muppets sketch at the end, classic!). During the Weekend Update, there was a very funny part where Madonna (I think it was Kristin Wiig) came out and was explaining why she wanted to adopt a baby from Malawi. Then Angelina Jolie (one of the newer cast members, don’t know her name) came out with her now classic “Did someone say baby?” bit and the 2 of them had a pretty amusing discussion about why each is more prolific than the other at adopting.

Fast forward to this morning, I'm reading about the Phillies coming out flatter than a 3 day old open Diet Coke can, I saw that ace starting pitcher Cole Hamels and his wife Heidi Strobel (aka “peanut butter” from Survivor: Amazon) are looking to adopt a child from Ethiopia after being tired of the stonewalling from the folks in Malawi.

Couple of things here:

1) I don’t understand why these governments put up so much red tape in the adoption process. I’m 99.9% sure these children will head to a healthier environment and be generally better from a resource standpoint. Plus, it’s essentially free publicity for the country, which if they worked with the celebrity and their staff, could be spun to make the country look more appealing. If I’m Malawi, I cut the red tape for Angelina in exchange for her filming part of the next Lara Croft movie there.

2) A bigger concern for me, however, is the fact that celebrities feel the need to go outside the USA to adopt. Folks, there are plenty of at-risk children in this country who could benefit from adoption. Why is nobody famous adopting American boys and girls? I’m all for helping out others in need, but sometime you don’t have to look very far outside your mansion. By looking abroad, celebrities give the impression that someone else in a foreign land is more important and is valued more than someone right here. Perhaps there would not be as many headlines, but it would keep the focus here. A great example of this is what Angelina’s main squeeze, Brad Pitt, is doing in helping to build housing in New Orleans. It is an area in need in this country, and he is dedicating his resources there, and getting praised for it.

It’s great to help others, and we strive to it when we can, but sometimes you don’t have to use Google to find someone a continent away who needs help.

Enough heavy stuff, kids to put to bed and Jack Bauer to watch tonight. Will be back tomorrow with a decidedly more tasty entry!

The Easter Enforcer

Today was our subdivision's annual Easter, I mean, Spring Egg Hunt. Weather was good, and we arrived to see a pretty decent turnout. I was walking with Liam when one of the ladies organizing the event asked if I could help with "crowd control" as they set up the eggs in the open field area. Since there was only one field, they had to do each age group's hunt (0-1 year, 2-3 years, 4-5 years, etc.) one at a time, then replenish with new eggs. I agreed to do it, and have a new respect for bouncers and other security staff you see at concerts and sporting events. You try keeping 30 6 year olds at bay while younger kids get to look for eggs! Fortunately, I kept a level head and had to redirect a few kids who committed a false start out of the blocks. By the time we got to the older kids, I was nearly trampled at the start of their hunt. Since this is now the 2nd year in a row I did the bouncer thing, I'm afraid I've been typecast and will not be able to don the Easter Bunny suit or do the MC duties in the coming years. Oh well.

A quick shout out to Rebecca as she has established a baking dynasty in the neighborhood!

Had a good time, and now the kids are both napping, which is a pleasant surprise given the fact that Zachary said he doesn’t need to nap.

Off to continue research on lawn services. Sad to say, but I think we need to outsource the treatment of the grass to a professional before it's too late. I'll still be cutting and trimming, at least until Zachary is old enough to do it for us!

GREETINGS!!!

Hello everyone out there! I have decided to give it a go at the world of blogging. Please bear with me as I get the hang of things as far as the layout/format. It's basic to start, but I can't shake the feeling that it needs a little more something.

As you have no doubt seen, the title of my blog was inspired by the late great John Wayne and role as Cahill U.S. Marshall. Since that nickname has been given to me over the years by more than one person, we'll channel the spirit of The Duke and honor him with this site.

While many topics are possible game for blogs on any given day, you can bet a great number will deal in the following areas:
1. Sports (specifically UGA and my hometown Philly sports teams)
2. Funny kid stories (although a much more comprehensive look at our family life is already dutifully documented on my lovely bride's blog "Cahill Craziness" (see Blog Roll).
3. Entertainment (TV/movies/music)
4. Politics (but only if I really feel the need to get on a soapbox)
5. Those "Seinfeld-esque" moments we all have in our daily lives.

I will strive to leave work and touchy subjects out of here, as we all have enough stress in our lives and I don't want to inadvertently cause you to have more. Feedback is a gift, so please don't be bashful about making comments should you feel the need.

I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you and thank you in advance for your viewing eyes should they head this way. Let the blogging begin!