Don't run from the cold, avoid it!

It’s not often I feel compelled to use this blog to give advice. Frankly, I don’t know if I ever have. But as an arctic cold sweeps across southeast Michigan this week , and as my own stupidity came front and center, I really can't help myself.

There’s an old saying “no pain, no gain,” which we have all heard and at some point probably lived through. There’s another saying I’ve heard and recently lived through, “stupid is as stupid does.”

Part of life is making mistakes and learning from said mistakes. So with that in mind, I’ve decided to highlight my own mistake in an effort to educate others – and probably get a few people to ask, “What was he thinking?”

I’m not sure when it started, probably in college when my football career came to an end and the requirement of conditioning ended with it. Since then, though, I’ve found myself running roughly three miles or so  four to five times a week.

Now don’t get me confused with one of those “runners.” You know, the people who can do two marathons a year, are up at 4:30 a.m. in the summer, have the short shorts, the stop watch and the gel packs. Running isn’t my favorite thing to do, by any means, but in an attempt to keep myself in shape, it’s one of the best things for the body.

Unless, of course, the temperature is in the single digits, as it was a week or so ago when I ventured out for my three-mile journey.

Bundled up with long socks, Under Armor, winter gloves, a head band and a couple more shirts, I made my way into the evening night. The first half of the run, with the wind at my back, was, well, a breeze. But as I reached my halfway point and turned  into the howling wind, I quickly felt the pain.

It didn’t take long before my legs started feeling numb, and my face was as cold and frozen as the ground my feet were pounding on. “I can tough it out,” raced through my mind. But before long, the cold had simply consumed me. Returning home, finally, I felt dazed, upset with myself and even concerned for my well-being.

First, it was a shower of cool/warm water to allow my body to thaw out. Then it was a quick call to an old friend who coaches cross country in Albion, who reminded me about the dangers of extreme cold and frostbite, and how quickly it can set in.

"You might as well just hit the treadmill,” he said. 

If you’re anything like me, the treadmill might as well be called the dreadmill (clever huh?). What's more ridiculous than essentially running in place for as long as desired? Yet, after that fateful night of shivering and shortness of breath, it’s the go-to option when the weather is like this.

So my advice, after all that, is to be smart this winter. Whether you're training for the spring sports season, maintaining your shape for the current winter season or preparing for those two marathons you have to run this summer, only do so when the weather  allows and educate yourself about the dangers of extreme cold. 

Believe it or not, spring is right around the corner, and that 4:30 a.m. alarm will be ringing before you know it.

A closer look at Stanley's summer

In one way or another, we all have a job somewhat unique. Our daily tasks, hours and efforts all differ.

For some, work is just that, a way to pay the bills. For others, work is a story in itself.

Which brings me to the latest installment of my series on jobs in sports, "A Chauffeur to Lord Stanley," a story that began running in most of our papers Oct. 22.

Mike Bolt is an individual you may have seen a time or two, especially this past summer. Maybe not in person, but you probably saw him on TV, in the newspaper or in any of the magazines that aptly depicted the Red Wings’ summer-long celebration with the Stanley Cup.

Bolt works at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, but he also has the distinct honor (called his job) to travel everywhere the Stanley Cup goes.

This job is detailed in the story, but if you want another look at just where the Cup has been and who has had the chance to see it, visit the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Web site at www.hhof.com and click on the Stanley Cup Journal link on the right side of the page.

The journey details a month-to-month and player-to-player schedule the Cup (and Bolt) endured over the summer.

Some of the entries will leave you shaking your head (Kris Draper), while others will show just how much of a celebrity the Cup really is.

A day with Mario

As the fall prep sports season hits high gear, as college football begins another quest toward championship question marks, also known as the BCS, and as the NFL starts rocking and rolling (undefeated preseason anyone?), I felt it my duty to grab onto the that summer feeling and squeeze every last drop out.

With that in mind, I spent some time a few weeks ago with Detroit Tigers television play-by-play commentator Mario Impemba for the latest installment of my series of jobs in sports.

OK, I also did it in a selfish way as an educational tool for my career as a broadcaster. But anyway...

A Sterling Heights Stevenson and Michigan State University grad, Impemba, now a Macomb resident, showed me the ins and outs of a day on the job.

The story itself will begin running in our papers Sept. 10, but some of the highlights of my time spent with Impemba included the preparation he puts into each broadcast. By 3 p.m. any day of an evening game, he is already the booth preparing stats, opening comments and information to use that night.

We walked to and through the Tigers’ clubhouse, the opposing clubhouse, the back halls and hidden alleys of Comerica Park, all in a day's work.

This is the seventh year Impemba has brought Tigers games from Comerica to our television sets and still, even as a grown man with a wife and two kids, he said he is living out his wildest dreams.

The best way to describe my time with Impemba is, "refreshing."

He has a job he loves, a job he is very good at, a job he spent years in the minor leagues to get to, and still he gets a genuine kick out of coming to the ball park on a summer night and calling America’s past time.

Not a bad gig if you're lucky enough to get it.

A refreshing reminder

Within the next week or so, my summer series about jobs in sports will officially begin with a piece on Channel 7 weekend sports anchor Vic Faust.

You’ll read about his start in the broadcasting business, his climb to sports producer in Tulsa, Olka., his eventual unemployment and his arrival in Detroit.

You’ll learn about his faith in God, which he said has guided him through the ups and downs that come with the business.

Still, in talking to Faust, learning about his job and his life, there was one refreshing aspect of our conversation that many people sometimes forget.

“One of the things I enjoy most is the fact that professional athletes are really ordinary people," Faust said. "Sure, they are extremely gifted and make a ridiculous amount of money, but what’s cool to watch from my perspective is just how ordinary they really are.”

This came as no surprise to me. While covering prep sports doesn’t often translate to a behind- the-scenes view of the world of pro sports, I’ve had an occasion here and there to see these “celebs” in their ordinary moments.

Take away the cameras, the fancy cars and flashy clothes, and you have ordinary men and women with families, friends and lives outside the world of sports.

“Hockey players are probably the most down to earth,” Faust added. “But they’re all pretty cool people. Pretty ordinary.”

Anchoring the beginning of a series

The sports wrap on the Sunday night news is that last-ditch effort to grab onto and squeeze every last second out of the weekend before Monday rears its ugly head.

Fans see highlights of games they already know about, get a little extra perspective and pick up insight on the upcoming week.

This, the weekend sportscast, is where my summer series about jobs in sports begins. In the coming weeks, the story of Vic Faust, Channel 7’s weekend sports anchor will appear in our papers.

You’ll read how a former St. Louis resident went from being jobless to covering the 2004 Ryder Cup, the 2006 World Series and the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals and understand the ins-and-outs and ups-and-downs of being a sports anchor.

“Despite what a lot of my friends think, I don’t show up at 10:30 p.m., do the 11 p.m. news and then go home,” Faust said during our conversation last week.

Look for this story in the near future, where someone who's job it is to end every weekend will begin my series.

A paycheck in sports

We’ve all seen, heard of or maybe even taken part in the routine at some point. Punch the time clock to end the day, battle traffic on the journey home, and then relax in front of the television with the remote and our favorite sport.

Or maybe the escape takes us to the ballpark, the ice rink or the gym.

You get the picture.

Anyway you look at it, for many people, the end of the work day only means the beginning of sports.

But what about those people who punch the time clock to begin their day and do it in the world of sports?

Good question.

And over the summer months, I hope to answer it, or at least take a better look at those who earn a paycheck in sports with my summer series.

Early plans include stories on a Detroit Tigers broadcaster, a local sports anchor and a behind- the-scenes look into the world of sports-talk radio, among others.

At the same time, I’m open to any ideas you may have. Do you know anyone who has an interesting occupation associated with sports? If so, please feel free to e-mail me or give a call.

Or, as the summer months pass, flip through our papers and take a look at those who work in sports, those whose day actually begins with the first pitch or the drop of a puck.

You can reach me at mmoore@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1038.

Frozen Madness

Well, at long last, March Madness has officially arrived.

And no, the previous statement has nothing to do with CBS airing six minutes of commercials for every three minutes of basketball, and I’m not referring to the ever-so-interesting showdowns between No. 1-seeded powerhouses and their No. 16-seeded (technically one team seeded 17th) practice dummies.

Instead, as the calendar turns from February to March, the most exciting part of the high school hockey season officially begins. In an eight-day span, the playoffs will go from regional finals (March 1), quarterfinals (March 4-5), semifinals (March 6-7), and then culminate March 8 at Compuware Arena in Plymouth.

Players, coaches, fans (and even media) who have, well, played, coached and witnessed the hockey playoffs understand the overall madness these eight days produce.

One lucky bounce or one key save can propel a team from the brink of elimination to center stage. Last season, for example, Grosse Pointe North watched as St. Clair Shores Unified hit the post in triple overtime in the opening round of the playoffs. Less than three weeks later, that lucky bounce partly to thank, the Norsemen were playing in the Division 1 semifinals.

A year later, the Norsemen are alive in this playoff chase, along with other local favorites (Cranbrook, St. Mary’s and De La Salle) and even some you’d be surprised at (Stoney Creek, Notre Dame Prep, Troy Athens).

As each day passes, the field will be cut in half until March 6, when the final 12 arrive at Compuware, which is the perfect culminating spot for the playoff tournament.

I understand the aura that comes with playing at Ford Field for the football state finals, but in a stadium that seats more than 60,000, excitement and atmosphere often get drowned out by the empty seats. (Compared to pro games at Ford Field where the seats are filled but there is no excitement or atmosphere).

Compuware is the perfect platform for the finals. It’s big enough to house everyone in attendance, but small enough to keep the atmosphere rocking from start to finish.

I understand and won’t deny my bias toward the hockey playoffs — it is the best sport in the world, right? — and I realize the girls basketball quarterfinals (semis and finals), the boys basketball regionals, the swimming finals and the boys individual wrestling finals are all this week as well (everyone at the MHSAA is smiling at that), but there’s something about the hockey playoffs that just has that “it” factor.

Needless to say, buckle up and let the frozen madness begin. Even if it is only a week. After all, unlike the March Madness this one actually ends … in March.