National Sales Meeting - 2018

For the sixth year now, my company has done a large national sales meeting for our commercial sales organization and related support functions.

General Session

Being a commercial operations support function, I get to go. These meetings last from a Monday to a Friday, and have been mostly at Gaylord (Marriott owned) resort/convention facilities.

Dinner Party in the Atrium

In those 6 years, we have done the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine Texas 3 times (including each of the last two years), the Gaylord in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry twice, and the Disney World Dolphin and Swan once.

Alternate reality in the Atrium

In the interests of recruiting and maintaining a world class sales organization, the meeting is first class, and has been both productive in terms of content as well as a boost to morale.

This year, we didn't have any major weather complications around the country, and everyone was able to get in and out of the meeting with no real problems.

I used to travel more for business than I do now, and I can't honestly say that I miss it much, but it is nice to get to go to a first class facility for a productive and informative meeting every now and then. But now back to my office until next year...

Parkettes Invitational 2018

Overshadowed (I admit) by the Eagles appearance (and victory!!) in Super Bowl LII, was Grace's gymnastics meet at the Parkettes Invitational in Allentown PA.

Grace did what she often does, which is to not place extremely high in individual events, but to be consistently good enough to have a very good all around score.

4th place, vault

The Excel Gold team from Roth's Crosspoint Gymnastics also did very well, placing 3rd (??)

Team happiness

Go Eagles! (sorry)

World Champions

It's hard to describe the effect a Super Bowl win has had on Eagles Fans.

As noted previously, I didn't see a single play of the game live due to Grace's gymnastics meet, but having taken today off well ahead of time, I have been spending a decent part of the day watching the game on DVR, and watching all the commentary on the local sports stations.

It's funny how much less stressful watching the game is when you know how it will end. I find myself taunting Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels all throughout the Tom Brady lovefest that was the NBC broadcast. They wanted a Brady comeback victory so very very bad...and didn't get it...but I digress.

It is remarkable the number of adult Eagles fans who are brought to tears by the victory. Calling in to the radio stations. Or interviewed on TV. As happy as I am in the victory, I'm not one of them. Necessarily. Or at least for the personal joy of having won a Super Bowl (to the degree that a fan can win a Super Bowl)...

What I do find moving, and what has brought a tear to my eye on more than one occasion, is the reactions of others.

Beloved Hall of Fame Eagles reporter Ray Didinger's son David coming out to embrace Ray on the set of NBC Sports Philadelphia during the after-game show, bringing Ray to tears. I love and respect Ray...the ultimate gentleman. I have to be happy for Ray.

Stan Hochman, another old school newspaper reporter who died a few years back and never got to see this.

Bill Lyon, yet another of the old guard of newspapermen who is suffering from the onset of dementia (publicly acknowledged), who did get to see it.

Brent Celek, Eagles tight end and the longest tenured Philly athlete, finally getting a taste of the ultimate victory. Brent may well choose to retire after the victory. There couldn't be a more fitting way to ride off into the sunset. Seeing him in tears on the field during the celebration made me tear up.

Jon Dorenbos, 11 year veteran long snapper of the Eagles (and famous magician), who was traded to the Saints prior to the start of the season, failed a physical due to the discovery of an aortic aneurism, retired (had successful surgery), and was invited to the Super Bowl by Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, and who was told "when we win the Super Bowl, you will get a ring." A classy move and well deserved. As noted in other posts, "Ohana means family, and family means no one left behind..." Kudos to Jeffrey Lurie.

And all the Eagles fans who have stories that go something like this: "My dad had season tickets for 30x or 40x years. We always went to games together. He never missed a game. He wanted a Super Bowl win so bad and never got one. He died "x" years ago and we buried him in an Eagles jersey..."

My dad was't THAT degree of Eagles fan, although he definitely was a Phillies and Eagles fan. He saw Eagles games at Franklin field. And never saw a Super Bowl win. He lived through the pre-Super Bowl championship in 1960 (and 1947 and 1948 for that matter). He saw the loss in 1980. And the loss in 2004. But never a win.

So I think of this Super Bowl victory as being for Ray and his son. And Stan. And Bill. And Brent. And Jon. And all those other nameless dads and granddads who passed before getting to see one. And my dad. And yes, lastly, for me.

E A G L E S Eagles!!!!!

The Moment of Victory

I had "watched" the first three+ quarters of the Super Bowl on ESPN's Gamecast while watching Grace's gymnastics meet. Play by play text updates were better than nothing, but...

The Patriots took their first lead of the game, 33-32, while they were doing the awards ceremony (Grace didn't have a very good meet but tied for second for score on Vault, getting 4th place because of overall score tiebreakers). I will have to admit that my reaction was probably similar to most other Eagles fans: "uh oh...please don't do this to me again..."

We finished up and got in the car to head home, going west on 22 to get to the Northeast Extension south. Thankfully all in range of WIP, the Eagles flagship radio station. Merrill Reese and Mike Quick. Familiar voices. Friends to all Eagles fans.

We were somewhere between the Lehigh Valley exit and the Quakertown exit when Nick Foles threw a TD pass to Zach Ertz to put us back up 38-33. The Patriots had taken the lead and then we responded. We came back. Foles playing like Brady. A minor whoop and a fist bump with Grace. But still a lot of time on the clock. Only a five point lead...

Ertz touchdown, 38-33

Then nearing the Quakertown exit when the Patriots got the ball back, had Brandon Graham strip-sack Tom Brady, and the fumble was recovered by rookie Derek Barnett. A big whoop and several fist bumps. A touchdown would seal the deal. But it wouldn't be that easy.

Passing Quakertown when rookie Jake Elliott hit his third field goal of the day, a 46-yarder, breaking his own 42-yarder rookie Super Bowl record for a kicker, set earlier in the game.

Elliott from 46 yards. Eagles 41-33.

Eagles up 8. A one-score game to tie (a TD and a two point conversion), but no chance of losing the game short of overtime. Feeling pretty good, but this is Brady and the Deflatriots. So anything is possible. Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels on NBC rooting HARD for Brady and the miracle finish...

With the score 41-33, Brady and the Patriots got the ball back, gained some yards, and were near mid-field with 9 seconds to go.

Only 9 seconds. Maybe 2 plays. Probably only one.

This can't happen. But every Eagles fan knows it can. We're bred with that gene that says if it can go wrong it will go wrong... And often has.

We were just north of the Lansdale exit.

Brady dropped back. Was rushed and almost sacked again by Graham. Stumbled. Rolled to the right. Longtime Eagles play-by-play man Merrill Reese called the Hail Mary. Ball in the air. Deflected. Batted again. Hung in the air. And fell harmlessly to the ground. There was a moment of silence before Merrill announced that time had expired and that the Eagles were Super Bowl champions. Color guy and ex-Eagles great wide receiver Mike Quick went nuts in the background.

I looked over at Grace, unsure of what had just happened. She gave me a big (tired) smile. I let out a big whoop. Or two or three. Super Bowl champions. For the first time in my life (or anyone's life, for that matter). Super. Bowl. Champions.

Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles

The last 10+ miles of the Northeast Extension were surreal. Fireworks to the right. Then ahead to the left. Then behind to the left. Then ahead to the right. All over the place. Fourth of July in February.

Justifiably happy Eagles fans everywhere. First championship since 1960. First ever championship in the Super Bowl era.

A few words stuck in my head. "You can't beat Brady in a shoot out".

Well, guess what. Nick Foles and the improbable Eagles just beat Brady in a shoot out.

In the immortal words of 2008 Phillies world champion Chase Utley: World F#$*ing Champions!

Super Bowl Sunday

The Eagles play in the Super Bowl today for the third time in my lifetime. We lost to Jim Plunkett and the Raiders in 1980. And lost to Tom Brady and the Patriots in 2004.

Maybe the third time will be the charm. If it is, this city is going to go nuts. As well as we support all of our teams, we are first and foremost a football town, and winning a first Super Bowl after all these years would be (fair to say) the biggest pro sports event of my lifetime.

Nick Foles and the suddenly improbable season

It's almost hard to believe that we are where we are after our MVP candidate Carson Wentz went down late in the year, but having gotten here, I actually think we will win.

I'll be keeping tabs as best I can from the Parkettes Invitational gymnastics meet in Allentown, where Grace will be competing, starting at 6:30pm, which is exactly the moment of kick-off.

In related news, it was announced last night that Brian Dawkins ("Weapon X") was voted into the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility. It is a fitting tribute, as Dawkins was the heart and soul of this team for 13 years, was probably the best safety of his generation, and became the blueprint for what the ideal modern safety is.

20 leads the Eagles onto the field

Congrats to Brian and Go Eagles!

Blogging Catch Up

For anyone with an interest, I have spent the last few evenings trying to catch up on blog posts that should have been written in 2017 but weren't.

There are about 15 new posts from August 2017 onward.

More to come (and a commitment to do better in 2018 than I did in the back half of 2017).