Chapter 13 Fit Happens: Closing the Door on The Flab Four

I can remember January 1st like it was yesterday.

Jen and I had just gotten home from a wedding evening in Lasalle/Peru. I put on my "workout clothes" (I put this in quotes because in order for clothes to be classified as workout clothes, you need to, you know, work out) and walked to the elevator to begin my first workout while Jen relaxed after we had a long fun night the night before.

There was only one other person in the gym, which had three treadmills, a stepper and about 10-12 different weight machines for the various muscle groups. Most importantly, there was a television, which allowed me to watch the bowl games that were on (most of which I had some kind of bet on). The only thing that got me through the pathetic struggle of my first workout was the fact that all of my bets hit that day (several while I was in the gym for that 40 minutes or so).

At that time, I weighed in at over 235 pounds. 235.6 pounds to be exact. The first workout, along with about the first 2-3 weeks worth of workouts, showed me just how much I had gotten out of shape compared to my recent fitness focus from November 2008 through July 2010, where I was able to shed my weight from 220 to a low of 175 thanks to a rigorous workout routine - 5 times a week in the gym, with many one hour runs on the treadmill that spanned 6-7 miles.

My initial thoughts on January 1st brought me down to earth and realized that I had to get my ass back in shape. Sadly, 4 mph on the treadmill was tough at first, but after a month or so, I was able to run back at my normal 6 mph pace. As you've seen through the blogs before this, the pounds shed as the workouts became more intense.

Fast forward to now, and I am much better off for my Fit Happens experience, as are the others. While we all had our slight regression towards the end, we've all developed better habits (exercise and diet) that can carry over in the future months.

The Final Standings

User	lbs	%
Dave	-22.2 lbs	-7.69 %
Hippo	-19.5 lbs	-7.9 %
LionEsquire	-28.2 lbs	-11.56 %
B-Bo Knows Weight Loss	-32.6 lbs	-13.84 %

The good news for all, aside from the good amount of weight we all lost, was that no one will have to face any punishment.

And also good news for me is that as a result of winning the contest as well as three of the five recorded months (no monthly winner for June), I was able to score $220 profit from the others. Which is funny, because a part of me was motivated by the money at the beginning.

But as I stood on that treadmill January 1st, I knew it was much more than about money at that point. It was about making a lifestyle change while I could before long-term health damage could take place.

Sure, I still have my share of bad diet habits that will likely never go away. However, as long as I am physically able, I will make sure to continue my workouts/runs to ensure that getting fat has disappeared into thin air.

Nike Fit App

Since I have yet to join a gym, I have been relying on my runs to keep in shape. I have found the Nike Fit App to be a great tracker of all of my runs. And the nice thing now is that I have a few friends who are on the app, possibly because of me.

I admit there were a few times I ran this month when I saw my closest competitor in miles creeping up on me. In all, I ran a total of 24.17 miles on the app for June. A great total, which I only hope will improve on a monthly basis.

Next month, our first month away from the contest, I am aiming to get 35 miles of running. This would likely require me to run about 20 times. With my cost-cutting efforts likely keeping me away from the gym for the time being, I will be focusing on running even more to keep myself in shape.

Also, seeing my friends adding to their running stats will get me going for sure.

The Next Steps

So what becomes of the Fit Happens crew?

If I have anything to say about it, we will still keep in touch about our goings-on. Some of us are using Chris' wedding date in October as a platform for our next set of weight loss goals. At that time, I hope to be about 190-195, and the other gents have set similar reasonable goals to reach by that time.

In the coming days, I will have some exit interviews from the Flab Four, including what experiences we gained from the contest as well as our next steps in improving our health.

Thanks for reading once again

Looney Junes: My Crazy Busy Month from A to Z

It's been a hell of a month for yours truly. A little bit of everything has happened. A tour of the alphabet is in order....

Awesome girlfriend and cat family. I'm loving the new set-up and loving it even more with the loving g/f and cats that inexplicably entertain me on a daily basis. We've all adjusted to the new neighborhood quite well.

Bowling this summer. Our team has sucked so far this year. However, to start the second half of the year, we swept our first series. Let's see if this carries over into July & August.

Cell Dwelling at US Cellular Field. I've gone to a few games there this June, both unique in their own ways. I experienced my first-ever fog delay on a Monday night game when the White Sox faced the Blue Jays. I also attended the second game of a doubleheader on June 28th as the White Sox blew a 9th inning lead against the Indians.

Donations. Thanks to a last-minute pledge for money in my St. Jude/Warrior Dash efforts, I was able to gather a total of $1070 from my network of family and friends. I know those kids at St. Jude appreciate every single dollar donated. Thank you to everyone who donated.

Exercise. I need to find a gym soon or find new workouts to do. I don't want to regress to what I was before January 1st.

Fit Happens Champion. Over 30 pounds lost. Still have about 20-25 pounds to go before I'll be completely happy.

Game 6 - in both NBA & NHL Finals. Watched both in different venues (NBA at home, NHL at a bar). Each viewing experience left me shocked and reaffirmed why I love watching sports - the unexpected, unscripted drama that you can't get anywhere else.

Holding pattern. I had big plans coming up (trip to Seattle, new bowling league in Fall) that may need to be put on hold with the layoff. Hoping that I can find work quicker than the three months it took between jobs last time.

Ink for my computer. Yep, need some more ink. I had no idea what to write for the I portion of this blog, as you can tell.

Job search in progress. Yep, out of a job starting the end of day, July 5th. Any help would be much appreciated.

(5)K runs. I did my first one in quite a while on June 2nd. Fittingly enough with one of the guys who helped get me into shape. Thanks Chris. Going to try making them a monthly thing. Might hold off on this, depending on cost of 5K. Me needs to save some dough, yo.

Logan Square - love the new neighborhood feel. Moved here June 1. Love it here so far.

Mohawk. It may be short-lived, especially if I start to get interviews soon. I got it in dedication to my cousin Marilyn and the Warrior Dash run. Plus I look awesome with it.

Networking. It's the key that got me my last two jobs. It's exactly where I picked up when I heard the news of being laid off. So far, it has not produced results, but I have faith that my networks will be what gets me employed again.

Olivers. This remains my go-to suburban bar, particularly after bowling on Wednesdays before heading back to the burbs. I caught most of Stanley Cup Game 1 there, the end of Game 4, and always share good stories and good times with my friends there.

Pizza places. My favorite part of moving into a new Chicago neighborhood is to try new pizza places. I do miss Pat's Pizza, but there's a few good joints around here that I'm sure we'll enjoy just as much.

Quarterback Keeper. In less serious news (or more serious, depending on your level of fantasy football interest), trying to decide who to keep in my fantasy football league. Earlier in June, I was thinking Kaepernick. Now, I'm thinking Peyton Manning. I'm not sure how much longer Peyton has. I can keep either one of these guys for the next three seasons. Who would you choose?

Rear ended on June 14th. It was my second accident in a row where my car was not in motion when I got hit. Luckily, it was only a few minor bumps on the bumper. The guy who hit me offered to pay for my troubles, but I was not about to bother with that.

Stanley Cup Playoffs. Definitely the most active I've been involved with hockey in my life (from betting it to watching it). While I give bandwagon people a hard time, I have no problem with them. Bandwagons breed new fans of a sport, and that's never a bad thing - as long as people take the time to learn the sports they follow.

Trans mount. I needed a new one of these for my car (I couldn't tell you what a trans mount is or where it is in my car). I was about to get a new one and pay $400 last month at Firestone, but they didn't have one for my model car. Luckily they didn't - totally forgot about what was covered by CarMax and the warrant. Just got it fixed by CarMax for the low price of free.99.

Uncle Brian. Still is awesome to say. Will always be awesome. Every moment I've had to hold my nephew Brayden has been a fantastic moment. The last two times I saw him this month, he has been looking around and soaking in his environment. Can't believe he's already six weeks old.

Victory parade. I debated whether to attend the Blackhawks parade, but my parade experience in 2010 was all I really needed. Millions of people, with even just 5 or 10 percent of them drunk and an even higher percentage annoying, was not my cup of tea for this year's celebration.

Warrior Dash completed on June 16th. It was much tougher than when I did it three years ago. Glad to be a part of Team Carter.

eXcel Spreadsheets. As I was transferring files to my personal email before my work computer is taken away, I forgot how many excel spreadsheets I've worked with over the years. Many of my blogs had data stored in excels.

Year is half over. The year has flown, but it feels like this month has lasted longer than 30 days, as you can see by this blog.

Zombie Seinfeld. I caught this production on June 14th, right after the rear-ending. It was an excellent adaptation of Seinfeld that does not require one to love zombies (I can't stand zombie stuff) or even Seinfeld. Great job by Jeremy & Dan Eden, as always.

The Ultimate Blackhawks Bandwagoner Quiz: Are You A Real Fan?

Since I have nothing better to do, I decided to come up with a quiz to see how much you might know about the Blackhawks. Most of these answers, I knew beforehand but had to do some fact-checking just to make sure. I came up with this just now: eight Blackhawks questions for you fans and "fans" to answer. Feel free to provide answers in the comments, on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

And no Googling.

1. How many Stanley Cups have the Blackhawks won since becoming an NHL franchise?
a) 2
b) 4
c) 5
d) 8
e) all of them

2. Before 2010, when was the last time the Blackhawks won the Cup?
a) they never did
b) 1992
c) 1961
d) 1932 
e) trick question, hockey was invented in 2010

3. Who is the all-time leader in goals in Blackhawks history?
a) Jeremy Roenick
b) Bobby Hull
c) Stan Mikita
d) Patrick Kane
e) seriously, who are a, b, & c; it has to be d, right?

4. Who is the captain on the Blackhawks?
a) Jonathan Toews
b) Patrick Kane
c) Joel Quenneville
d) Dustin Byff.....Buff-something
e) Captain Planet

5. Who was the owner who kept the Blackhawks home games off of television up until his death in 2007?
a) Jerry Reinsdorf
b) Bill Wirtz
c) Rocky Wirtz
d) Frederic McLaughlin
e) Their games have always been on TV, duh

6. What event in American history was taking place when Chicago hockey received national attention for their loud rendition of the National Anthem while hosting an All-Star Game? 
a) World War II
b) Vietnam
c) Gulf War
d) 9/11
e) The release of Chelsea Dagger

7. What team was the last team to beat the Blackhawks in a Stanley Cup?
a) Philadelphia Flyers
b) Pittsburgh Penguins
c) Montreal Canadiens
d) Toronto Maple Leafs
e) They've never lost a Cup

8. Which of these teams is not among the Original Six teams?
a) Montreal Canadiens
b) Detroit Red Wings
c) Boston Bruins
d) Minnesota Wild
e) Chicago Blackhawks

Grading scale:
7-8 - Three stars (First-line fan that knows their stuff)
5-6 - Two stars (Second-line fan - good Blackhawks knowledge)
3-4 - One star (Third-line fan - sharpen up those skates)
0-2 - No stars (Full-fledged wagoner)


(Note: if you answered e) for any of these questions, you fail automatically. You get zero points, and may God have mercy on your soul)

Time of Your Life...Me? Ehhh, Not So Much: The Contrast of Emotions While Watching the Hawks Win the Cup

It's a surreal experience. Everyone around you - all your friends having the time of their life, the best day of their year. Within a couple minute span in real time, Blackhawks fans went from pondering their Game 7 plans to figuring out who they are going to the parade with on Wednesday.

It's awesome to see all these happy faces. And yet, at the same time, you can't fully enjoy the moment. Not when you've had one of the shittiest days of your year.

It didn't start shitty, and by no means did I plan on having it end shitty. But the news I received mid-afternoon, that I swore to keep to myself as long as I could to risk changing the mood around me, could only be buried under so much cheap beer (22 oz cups my ass).

After surviving cuts at work at the end of April, I thought I might be in the clear for a little while. A little while turned out to be a couple months. I received "The Call" about my job being no longer once July 5th reaches its end. At this point, unless I am able to find a job, I will be without work.

I leave with no ill feelings - in fact, I still love the company and love the people that I worked with for my entire 35 months there. At this point in my life, it has been the best company I've worked for in my brief professional career.

Going back to Monday...I debated whether I was going to meet up with Jen's co-workers as planned for the game or if I was going to lay back and likely sulk/drown my sorrows with Summer Shandys. I flipped a few times (nah, the walk there ain't worth it >>> don't let this stuff bring you down, go out >>> you just bought beer, stay home >>> how often do you get to go out with people during the week?)

So yeah, I went out. And I'm glad I did, despite the microburst that hit right before I reached the bar. I had to run the last mile of the planned walk in my flip flops due to the pending storms, with the last couple blocks being completely aided by the unreal winds and storm that I had no idea were coming.

I spent the entire time at the West End (blocks away from the United Center) standing up, taking different shifts at the TVs that surrounded me. I shared my sob story with one other friend before the game (thanks Ruthie), but otherwise kept it to myself as to avoid ruining the mood. I didn't sob, but call it a sob story for the simple fact that it sure as hell ain't a laugh story.

Several people in the group saw my empty stare towards the end of the game, at which point I could no longer really hide the weight of my day. Once the game ended and there was plenty of time to celebrate, I told a few of them what happened. I appreciated their well wishes, as I did with the initial wave of people that I told earlier in the evening before going to the bar.

The striking moods - about as 180 degrees as there could be between a person and a group of people - was present in my mind most of the night, especially as the spurt of goals led to a sudden Stanley Cup win for the Blackhawks. It was fantastic seeing the people who I've known a short while and suspect very little to be bandwagoners to have such joy on their faces. A fan's sports team winning a championship never gets old, even if it's the second time in four years, so to see that joy is fun to see.

On the other side, there's this bum of a guy who just got some bad news, trying to enjoy the moment of his friends while burying the bone of the bad. If anyone has been in a situation like this, where you've tried to keep a happy face on a great situation with a group of people around you while masking something that pains you, I'm sure you know my ordeal.

Life goes on - I'll get on my feet quick. I have the right attitude and will get through this situation just fine.

For that hour or so at the bar, the contrast of my friends' euphoria and my brief realization of my fate (which hit just as the game was winding down) was quite the mental spectacle.

Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone around me for your future help (and current help).

Son of a South Beach: The Development of the Hate for Lebron & Lebron/MJ Myths Dispelled

It's quite the feeling to root for a player that your entire social network hates, aside from a few people. But that's the feeling I had as I watched the NBA Finals the past couple years. The Heat defended their NBA crown Thursday night by winning a thrilling seven-game series against the San Antonio Spurs, their toughest opponent in the past two years.

All the while, every move, every breath, every bowel movement taken by Lebron James was analyzed by everyone. The media who need something to write about. The fans who hate him for one reason or another. About 99 percent of my Facebook/Twitter peeps were rooting against him and/or the Heat.

Why the Hate?

They cite many reasons for their hate. Let's start from the beginning:

1. The Decision - Lebron teasing what team he was going to led ESPN to help create a prime-time special that was as highly watched as a non-sporting sports event could be. Jim Gray asked Lebron a bunch of nonsense questions before King James announced that he was taking his talents to South Beach. And with that statement, he drew the ire of basically every fan base but the Miami Heat. I'm not so convinced that Bulls fans would have a different perspective of this event had he said he was joining the Bulls, who would likely be hoisting their second title in third years if he joined them.

The glitz and glamour of the Decision aside, what no one mentions is the amount of money Lebron raised for charity through this event: $2M for the Boys & Girls Club. A friend of mine says Lebron could have donated his own money, but that's $2M more than most of us have donated to that. A charitable act like that is still a charitable act.

2. Championship Guarantees - Not even a day later, Lebron made the famous "not 5, not 6, not 7..." championship guarantee. This was preceded by a celebration of Wade, Bosh and James joining forces that resembled a wrestling event more than an NBA team coming together in July. This brash prediction seemed a bit much and only added more fuel to the fire to the bandwagon haters (yes, anyone that has hated the Heat since 2011 is a bandwagon hater). I didn't care for this prediction either way - this definitely added to the hate.

3. Bulls/Heat - Eastern Conference Finals - This is when I saw the hate first-hand as I lived in the Chicago burb of Oak Forest at the time and realized how bad it would be for the future. I went out to my local bar for the first game, a game in which the Bulls romped the Heat and led to extreme overconfidence with many of my friends (you know who you are). The next four games were won by the Heat. I went out for a couple more games for the series, including the clincher in which the Heat came back from double digits down in the last half of the fourth quarter to take the Eastern Conference crown. All the while, cries of the refs favoring the Heat were seen all over. Only the true fan boys blame the refs for losses - as every team gets calls here and there that are ignored when they benefit their team but stressed when they don't.

4. Mavs beat Heat - I was in Vegas for several of the 2011 NBA Finals games (random fact, I can remember starting my Twitter account during this series). The most interesting thing about following the series was how many people all of a sudden treated a Heat loss as if the Bulls were the ones who beat them. Nope - it was the Mavs, led by an unconscious Dirk Nowitzki, the man who was truly destined for the title in this particular year. As Game 6 closed, many Bulls fans celebrated the Mavs victory as if it was their own, which puzzled me. 

5. The Crowning A Year Later - In the 2011-12 Finals, the Thunder won game one on their home court but failed to win another game (just like the Bulls). The rest of the series was owned by the Heat, including a title-clinching romp. I don't recall anyone outside of me in my friend base that was happy that this Lebron title-less story was over and done with.

There's probably a few things in between that I'm missing, but you get the point/timeline.

The Jordan Rules: Unraveling the Myth

Now, a year later, the Heat add a title to their resume and people hate the Heat more than ever. Which brings me to my next topic, a topic that I swore I'd never address again as recently as last year when comparisons between Jordan and Kobe were made constantly. 

Last year, now that Lebron had a title under his belt, the topic of Michael Jordan was brought up as a comparison point as to who whether Lebron is better than him. 

Let me tell you how ridiculous the comparison is:

(1) We're comparing how Lebron is now to how Jordan finished, not where Jordan was at this point in his career. Lebron has just completed his 10th NBA season and won his second title. Jordan had three titles after 10 seasons. While Jordan was 32 entering his 11th season and on the precipice of winning the last three of his titles, Lebron will still be under 30 and has a chance to win as many as Jordan did. But is that really the argument? If he wins as many or more titles than Jordan, would Jordan fans really concede that Lebron is better? By the time Lebron turns 34, he may have as many titles as Jordan.

(2) No matter the titles, Jordan fans will say that MJ > Lebron...but then why does it always come up as an argument point - that MJ has more titles than Lebron? The total titles is just an excuse. Lebron could win 8 and it wouldn't matter with many fans - Jordan would be better.

(3) Jordan didn't need to join forces with a team. This argument makes me laugh the most. The myth of Jordan, as everyone has built, states that Jordan would have never joined forces with other superstars (a la James) to win a title.

Do you know the players that were drafted or acquired by the Bulls in the Jordan years (the pre-title years and the second title runs included)? Here are the best ones (there were some duds in between, but enough hits to help Jordan)

• 1987 - Horace Grant drafted, Scottie Pippen acquired in the draft. The Pippen trade might be the biggest fleecing in an NBA trade in our lifetimes (traded for Olden Polynice). Grant was a starter on the first three title teams.
• 1989 - Another starter for the championships was drafted: B.J. Armstrong. Not a superstar, but a sufficient player that helped Jordan.
• 1990 - Toni Kukoc, a key contributor to the second set of titles
• 1995 - Dennis Rodman acquired in a trade for Will Purdue

In the entire title run, there wasn't a time where Jordan was playing without at least one Hall of Famer. 1991 through 1993, he had Pippen; 1996-98 he had Pippen and Rodman.

Now....do you know the best signings and draft picks the Cavaliers made since James was drafted there in 2003?

Check out this murderer's row of draft picks since 2003 for the Cavs

The best player to be drafted by the Cavs between James and 2010? That's a tough call. Do you go Daniel Gibson (7.8 points/game for his career), who is best known by his feminine "Boobie"? Or is it J.J. Hickson? What I was totally unaware of before looking at this draft list was that the Cavs drafted the newly-famous Danny Green, who was only with them for 2009-10 and played sparingly, going to the Spurs the next year.

Free agent/trade-wise, James played with some stars who were waaaaaay past their primes. Ben Wallace & Shaq were among the stars who had faded long before they joined forces with a young Lebron. Mo Williams was about as prime of a star as Lebron had in his time in Cleveland.

If Lebron wanted to win a title, he had no choice but to join forces with other superstars - no superstars were going to the Cavaliers, and they certainly were drafting anyone that helped Lebron in the slightest. NBA history has shown that you need Hall of Famers around you to win titles. Lebron wasn't going to win it with this consistent rag-tag bunch of misfits. Yes, there were years of getting the 1 or 2 seed, but that was a testament to how great Lebron was and had little to do with the players around him.

Now you're telling me that Jordan wouldn't have left the Bulls if he was in the same situation - terrible talent evaluation and free agent acquisitions - with his drive to win and further market his Jordan brand? Jordan may say he would have never left, that he would have never wanted to play with the guys who he competed against, but that's only with the benefit of hindsight - he would have left in a heartbeat if he didn't think Pippen and company could help win him a title (and let's not forget that guy Phil too). If the roles were reversed, James would have never had to leave his original team, as he would have had a competent front office that made moves to help surround him with the parts necessary to win a title. And yes, I believe Jordan would have left the Bulls if Jerry Krause was unable to put the necessary players (including a Hall of Famer in Pippen) in place.

Haters Gonna Hate

The one thing I have learned to accept for the most part is that most people I'm close to will never appreciate Lebron as much as they should, for many of the reasons mentioned above. The arguments of hating him get tiresome - if you want to hate him for his whining and flopping, I'm way more ok with that than any other reason mentioned above (he has no reason to complain or flop).

But if you're going to hate him for a Decision, surely not Lebron's finest hour, 60 minutes erred in judgment (you've never had a Decision or erred in judgment like that, Yeah...), which mind you, helped donate $2M in charity, get over it. It happened three years ago.

The best part of being freed from the Lebron/Heat hate that people around me have is that I've been able to enjoy the best NBA player do his thing without wasting energy to hate something/someone. Why can't we just enjoy things these days, enjoy immense talents like Lebron, a once-in-a-lifetime talent, without having an element of hate?

Have fun wasting your energy with hate. I'll continue to enjoy one of the best ever without all of the stress and hate that accompanies your viewing of Lebron and the Heat.

(If you've read this far, I should note that I'm not a Heat fan, but a fan of Lebron - but I guess you'll associate it all the same, so no worry).

Game 6-cess: The Greatest Non-Bulls NBA Game I've Ever Watched

So much happened in that Game 6 comeback win for the Miami Heat that I'm not even sure where to start, so I suppose I'll start from the most logical spot: the beginning...

Before getting into my analysis, for full disclosure, I had the following bets: Under 95.5 for the first half; Under 191.5 for the game; Under 184.5 for the game at 2/1 odds & Lebron scoring over 28 points

1st quarter - Father Time has been kind to the Spurs nucleus of Parker, Duncan & Ginobili, and was especially kind to the Big Fundamental in the first half. Duncan started the game as if he chugged from the fountain of youth, netting 12 of his 25 first half points in the quarter. Meanwhile, Lebron started out slow, deferring quite a bit to his teammates - Chalmers led the Heat w/ 10 points in the first quarter. Miami carried a two point lead into the second quarter.

2nd quarter - Still waiting for Lebron to take over some of the scoring load, but he was never able to get going. Boris Diaw - a man who couldn't even crack the Bobcats' starting lineup a couple years ago - was a thorn in the King's side. Meanwhile, Duncan continued to dominate as the Spurs carried a 50-44 lead into the half thanks to an 11-2 run to end the quarter.

At this point, I was starting to doubt the Miami Heat's chances. I was thinking they would need to have a Game 2/4 effort to have a chance.

3rd quarter - Lebron still being held in check, but the Heat are able to chip the lead down to 1 within the first 5:30 of the half. Then, the Spurs had a run that made just about everyone think that we were about to see Duncan get a ring where he could high-five Kobe with a hand-full of rings. A 14-2 run gave the Spurs some separation as they took a 75-65 lead heading into what most people thought would be the final NBA quarter of the 2012/13 season.

4th quarter - A quick 8-2 run less than two minutes into the final quarter gets Miami back in it, and no shock - Lebron had his hands on all three shots made (2 points, 2 assists). Before you knew it, Miami was able to grab the lead just as quickly as it took the Spurs to build it - a Ray Allen lay-up with just over six minutes left gave the Heat their first lead since the latter half of the second quarter.

But then, just as Lebron was dominating the fourth quarter to quiet all of his critics (7-for-10, 16 points in the quarter), a couple of ugly possessions involving Lebron (including what looked to be a lob that someone didn't read) threatened to end the Heat's chances of repeating as the Spurs went from three down to up five in a 90 second sequence.

Lebron somewhat made up for his errors on previous possessions by burying a three after Mike Miller grabbed LBJ's initial long-ball miss moments before. Down 2, they were fortunate that Kawhi Leonard split his free throws, setting up the drama of Ray Allen using the cold blood in his veins to nail a three to tie the game with five seconds left, which forced overtime.

In the overtime period, the teams exchanged baskets before the Heat took the lead for good with less than two minutes to go. After Ray Allen hit a pair of free throws, a Danny Green three was blocked by Chris Bosh (his second block of the overtime) to end the game.

Best Game Since the 1998 Finals

After reflecting, I still say this game holds up as the best game I've watched since Jordan ended his Bulls career and sixth title run with a Game 6 win over the Jazz.

The game had everything you'd want in an all-time game:

• One last moment to remember Tim Duncan by. No matter what he did in the second half, his 25 first half points were more than he scored in any Finals game in the series before this. (By the way, just realized that Duncan's career started when I was a freshman in high school). A loottttttt has changed since then, but Duncan being a beast has not changed.
  
• A game that had more runs than the aftermath of a chili cook-off. It was impossible to figure out when one run was about to end to give way for another to start.
  
• A Joey Crawford-reffed game that had little-to-no major sightings from the controversial referee, whose appearance on a court is usually greeted with groans of game-fixing and disillusionment from some of the outlandish calls he has been known to make.
  
• A Hall-of-Fame player playing like a Hall-of-Famer when it mattered. Lebron took ownership of the fourth quarter, which was nearly forgotten in a two-possession sequence that threatened the Heat's repeat chances. (The one thing I hated about Lebron was what the common complaint against him has been - complaining about calls. It wasn't the complaining that bothered me as much as his lack of effort in getting back to the defensive end. There's no excuse for that, especially in the Heat's most important game of the season - and arguably the most important game in the team's short-term history)
  
• Another Hall of Famer, doing what he does best. Ray Allen's three in the corner with five seconds left tied the game at 95 to force overtime and essentially ended my chance of winning my under bet on the game. Due to the significance of the moment, I didn't care the slightest in my bet losing there. I jumped off of my living room couch, scaring one of the cats and probably Jen in the bedroom as she watched one of her reality shows.

I don't know what will happen in Game 7. I think the Heat will win, if only because this loss for the Spurs reminds me of the 2011 Texas Rangers, who had a World Series title at their fingertips, a strike away several times before the Cardinals and David Freese took the moment away from them.

The Spurs seem like too good of a team to have this game mentally affect them going into Game 7. In the back of their minds, they have to know that this is one of the (if not the) last times they will have a chance to win a title together again. I think Pop will have them ready to play, but I'm not sure that will be enough. Losing will not spoil their dynasty in my eyes (4 titles since 1999 is nothing to sneeze at).

The Hated King

I am anticipating a legendary Lebron Game 7 performance that will likely get ignored by many people who hate Lebron - which seems to be everyone in Chicago but me. I'm not sure if people are still mad at Lebron for how he handled The Decision, if it's because Lebron's Heat have eliminated the Bulls in two of the last three postseasons, if it's Bulls fans that still have a hard-on for MJ and need to compare him to Lebron and his lack of rings every chance they get, or if it's just Lebron's flopping personality (every team, even the Bulls, has someone who whines about fouls - but yeah, I get that Lebron doesn't need to do it). The last part would be the most acceptable reason in my eyes, although it still doesn't mean you can't appreciate greatness when you see it as a fan of a sport.

Whatever happens in Game 7, I find it hard to believe that it will match the overall intensity, desperation and stars maximizing their star power that Game 6 had.

Warrior Dash/St. Jude Donation Update - Thank You All

To all of those who have donated towards my Warrior Dash run for St. Jude tomorrow, for those who have been an inspiration in my second round of weight loss, and for my great network of family and friends, I want to say thank you.

With a couple more donations yesterday, I have been able to reach over my $1000 goal, which I raised from my initial $500 back in April. The initial donations I received from all of you was overwhelming and has inspired me to keep going for higher goals (both for donations and for my fitness level).

Inspirations/Dedications

My Bohawk, in honor of my cousin Marilyn

Here are but a few of the people I have in mind when it comes to this race and the donation efforts:

• For my cousin Marilyn who passed away in 1989 after developing a brain tumor as a child, but I know is with us in spirit. From this donation process and dedication, I have learned that people live as long as you keep their story alive.
• For my brother, who as a kid was slowed down only by the leg braces which remained between his legs for years.
• For my friend Jim, who was just medically cleared of the colon cancer that he found out he had last summer. He is the ringleader of the crew of people racing on Sunday, otherwise known as Team Carter.
• For my cousin Kyle, who is currently going through chemo for a brain tumor. His battle is far from over, but he is doing as well as he can, thanks to a strong spirit and a great support network.

There may be a few others I'm missing, and I apologize for this. Some of you may have donated money to this cause with someone else in mind, and I'll gladly dedicate the 3.1 miles to them as well.

What is the Warrior Dash?

Speaking of the race, for those not familiar with the Warrior Dash, you'd probably be interested to see some of what the race has to offer. Take a look at some of the obstacles on the course: http://www.warriordash.com/obstacles.php

When I did this three years ago, I was actually most worried about the Cargo Climb and getting stuck in the rope. And I almost lost a shoe in the Muddy Mayhem portion of the race. If I'm not mistaken, the race ended with the Warrior Roast. It looks more intimidating and dangerous on the webpage than it actually is.

This isn't a race about time for me, but for enjoyment. I will likely walk very small portions of this race to regain energy, as this isn't your typical 5K. They will have times for the race, but I couldn't care less.

Sadly, I won't stand out too much in this at the Dash

I was going to wait till race day to show this picture to the world, but I figured I'd show you what I'm wearing for the race. I was looking to get a California Raisins shirt to wear in honor of Marilyn (I believe that was a favorite of hers), but instead I got a D.A.R.E. shirt and a headband in the colors of the 80s. The great thing about this race is that people dress up even more than this, so I will look like a businessman in this outfit compared to some of the other costumes.

I will keep you all updated on how this race goes. Unlike the 5K I completed at the beginning of the month, I have no goal for time. I'd expect somewhere in the 32-33 minute range, but again, time is not of the essence in this one.

Last-Minute Donations

If you'd like to make a last-minute donation (June 15th) to provide a little more money to St. Jude than my network already has, follow this link and donate what you can:

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?programId=2252&userId=964629&eventId=333033

Again, I appreciate all of your donation efforts and sharing of my St. Jude page to get even more donations. It means a lot to me, my family, and most importantly, the kids of St. Jude.