Friday, February 22, 2008

Tag, Your It

Got Tagged by Mary-IronMatron. So you know what that means??? I have to write about 7 things that are weird/random about me. Then, I tag 7 more people who will silently curse my existence and on and on it goes. Its a progressive dinner of the web and everyone brought macaroni and cheese... Think I'm kidding.???? I just got 3 death threats ;-)


Weird/Random TriGuyJt Things

1. I met my bride on a blind date. She came over to my fraternity house with a few friends. I was such a idiot in those days. "Summon the women to my lair", I barked, or words to that affect, considering I was already hammered. The date went poorly. I tried the next year to go out with her. She finally agreed. We dated. She dumped me. I longed for her and even wrote her mother a letter expressing my love. What a sap!!! We eventually got back together. Got married in the summer of 76. I loved my beer in those days. Why she agreed to marry me is a mystery because every time I mentioned matrimony, I was drunk...which leads me to....

2. I don't drink. Quit about 25 years ago. I was one of those guys where one beer was too many and 30 were not enough. Life is cool without the fermented yeast killing my brain cells.

3. I grew up in Cleveland. Was a big sports fans. My real hero was my dad. He was a champion discus thrower. He is still my hero. My football hero was Jim Brown. Which makes for weird happenings every so often, because I interview him for my job as a sportscaster. As a sports fan, I witnessed the last Cleveland major championship. Browns 1964. The next one I witness will be as a professional. Came close a few times. My job affords me the chance to talk to many of the greats, past and present. Sometimes things go wacky. 1980 in Buffalo, I interviewed Muhammad Ali. On the air, I summed up his personality. "Muhammad Ali is an enigma"...
Many viewers thought I said something else. You can imagine the phone calls.

4. Have been a triathlete since 1985, but didn't get a wetsuit till 1998. Didn't get clipless pedals on my bike until 2000. My best discipline is swimming. Grew up on Lake Erie. Still live near it. As a kid, we used to raft waaaaaay out from shore..and I usually was one to swim to shore.

5. My best friend, Gordie went to BW. I went to Ashland. I visited Gordie alot. I was in a crazy fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi. Gordies fraternity at BW had as one of its members, the football coaches son. You might have heard of him. Jim Tressel, Ohio State Coach, whom I have known personally and obviously professionally since those college days. He calls me little "J.T." and refers to himself as the "Big J.T." When I started at Channel 8 in 1980, one of the first interviews I did was with the dying coach of BW football...yep..Jim's father, Lee Tressel. Lee died not long after.

6. Love to read all kinds of books. Not surprising. My Nana was a librarian. I love to go to schools and talk to kids about my love of reading. Euclid. Ohio's library is one of the best anywhere.

7. Family is huge to me. I live 12 blocks from my parents. I am the middle kid of 5 children. I feel blessed to have had grand parents who lived long lives. Two lived into their early 90's. One into the late 80"s. The bride and I have 3 kids..all grown up and gone...for the most part.


Alright, now the tagging. I tag these folks.
1. Charlie
2. Tracies Tri-Adventures
3. Monica
4. Mr. Skin
5. B-bop
6. IronG2015
7. Trisaratops
I was told to mention some rules. 1. Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog which is what I'm doing. Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog# Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.Finally, leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged.

I apologize in advance. And finally, for those who curse the winter, I leave you with this picture, courtesy of a blogger I have just discovered. Give it up for Jahowie!!! Good night everybody.
Tip your waiters and waitresses

How about that. Winters' Number One!!!!

16 comments:

Brian said...

Gee thanks. Thanks a ton. Now I have to hurry and get mine ready cause I don't have that many I can tag and I need to tag them before someone else does.

You've been a triathlete a long time.I hate to make you feel old, but you've been doing it before a lot of the bloggers have been alive. Sorry I had to since you tagged me.

We had Phi Psi's at Toledo. They weren't that cool and were nicknamed 5 guys.

That's super cool that you got to interview Ali. We were just talking about him today and about the guy, the real rocky, who actually knocked him down but lost in a decision. some rogue guy they found.

triguyjt said...

brian
phi psis at ashland were the lacrosse guys who drank alot..i fit in real well.

yes, i might be longer at the swim-bike-run thing than some have been alive....thats scary...

ali was a real icon..plus he, like jim brown, resonated on a social level. i think the guy you are referring to was chuck wepner...fight took place in cleveland.

i am with you on the tagging dilemma.. but, i though..what the heck. I'll play along and make enemies of people i have yet to meet.

Marcy said...

#1 is SOOOOOOOOOO cute!! It made me smile. I can't believe you actually wrote her MOM a letter. Awwwhhhhh

Marcy said...

And I'm LMAO at Brian, don't worry I was 6 when you started out :P

Charlie said...

Oh swell....
OK I am off to try to get my tags out before the rest of the tri club.

Lily on the Road said...

Not scary at all, we've just seen and done more...wooot!

Somedays I wish I'd kept up my running without the thirty year hiatus, but now my whine(ing) has aged like a fine wine, especially about our winter weather!

Luckiy I wasn't tagged!

That was sweet that you wrote to your lovely brides mother, cool!

Viv said...

Great random things! I am with Marcy on writng her Mom. I am glad she stuck with you, and now have so many years together :-)
I love the got clipless pedals in 2000...Goes to show what a tough tri guy you are :-)

Rainmaker said...

Good to see you were a victim of that particular tagging as well. I think I'll post mine tomorrow...maybe Monday. Although yours are more detailed than mind - which are 1-2 liners.

I'm still deciding on victims though.

triguyjt said...

rainmaker...

mine are long because I have
diarrhea of the mouse.

good luck. wear a helmet

Kurt said...

Interesting facts especially about the beer. Thanks for sharing.

I was a Phi Psi at the University of Washington. Something we now have in common.

Wes said...

Man, you really are weird :-) I really got to HFTU and get off of the sauce myself!!

Love the pic at the end. Too.funny!!

jahowie said...

Your job must be amazing!! My brother lives in Ohio and I always give him grief about being a Browns fan!! LOL!! It's very cool that your family is so important to you. I live in the same town as my parents too. If it wasn't for them being here I would move somewhere warm, but I can't imagine not being able to see them all the time. Great list!!

Kim said...

Thanks for sharing!
I luv that pic in the end. It's summing up this winter season right now!

B Bop said...

"diarrhea of the mouse"....
That's great.

I'm counting on you covering a Cavaliers championship soon....all on the shoulders of that one Akron native.

Nice bio in Ohio sports & fitness this month btw.

GetBackJoJo said...

I loved your little facts! See, the game really IS fun. You learn a lot about people... :)
Admit it. You like the tag game.
Loved that picture. My sentiment exactly. The days may be getting longer, but today it only hit 25 degrees in Boston.

Darrell said...

I just realized we're both from OH, cool. Not sure why I didn't realize sooner.

Love the Winter's #1 pic, not that I have anything to complain about.