Jimmy’s Blog

For those that know me, I love Sports — so y-day was a great day.   After taking a 10-hour flight back from Brazil, I arrived at Dulles at 6:00 am y-day.   I slept for a few hours on the plane … then got a two-hour nap at home before heading to play a baseball game in our adult baseball league at 11:00 am.   Despite the lack of sleep, I was excited to be playing my favorite game … we won 19 – 3 and I went 3 for 4, including the furthest hit ball in years (a 330 – 340 shot to left).

Then, I made it home for the Skins – Browns game at 4:15 pm.  I was so tired and bored that I fell asleep in the first half, but then watched with glee as they held off the Browns for a 14 – 11 nail-biter.

But, that wasn’t the end of it … there was Game 7 last night of the ALCS between the BoSox and Rays.  There are very few things more exciting than a Game 7 in the play-offs.   And, last night’s game lived up to its hype.  What a great performance by the rookie pitcher, David Price, in the 8th and 9th.  Wow.

What a great day in Sports!

After not posting for a long time, I’m going to try to write on a daily basis – or at least a couple of times per week.  What’s new?  I just got back from a terrific week of vacation in Brazil … in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo.

It was my first visit to South America. I loved it there … the people, the beautiful beaches, the futbol match at the legendary Maracana Stadium, the view from Christ the Redeemer (one of the seven modern wonders of the world), the food and drink, etc.  Also, I was completely blown away after taking a tour of two of the favela’s in Rio — it’s hard to describe it in words — one needs to be there to witness it.

I can’t wait to go back!

I attended my first-ever Seder last night.   It was definitely a memorable and excellent experience.  I grew up with a Bhuddist mother and a Christian father, but I’m always open to other experiences.   After all, that’s how one grows as a person … by opening your eyes to different experiences.

My hosts were very gracious in teaching me the Passover and Seder customs … I now have a much better idea about this terrific holiday and tradition.

I attended Game 5 of the Capitals / Flyers series on Saturday afternoon.   Wow, what an amazing atmoshpere at the Verizon Center on that day.  The Caps came into the game trailing 3 – 1 … and needed to win to keep the series alive.

They jumped out to a 2 – 0 lead and dominated the Flyers in the first part of the game.  But, then the Flyers came charging back in the 3rd period.

At one point, they played Guns ‘n Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” during a time-out break — I can’t imagine an arena being much louder than what took place on that afternoon — plus, it was great to see so many Caps fans wearing red.   Fortunately, they hung on for the win — they now play another “must-win” game tonight in Philly.  If they win tonight, it’ll come down to an exciting Game 7 tomorrow night at Verizon Cetner.

I spent most of last week in NYC attending a work conference … they had us in over 30 meetings, workshops and meals in 2.5 days.   It was exhaustive, but it was a good learning experience and lots of excellent networking took place.

As always, the air travel is hit-and-miss.  Flight delays now seem to more than the norm nowadays.  Sigh.

We had a good class last night at Georgetown Univ … our guest speaker was Ryan Kuehl, who’s played in the NFL for 12 years … with the Redskins, Browns and Giants.   Ryan’s a sharp dude – he spent parts of 7 off-seasons pursuing his MBA at AU, which he completed last year.  That’s an impressive feat while playing in the NFL.   He’ll be getting his Super Bowl ring next month (it hurts for me write that as a ‘Skins fan).

I then made it home in time to watch the thrilling NCAA Championship Game.   It was exciting since it went to OT, but it was a bummer to see CDR and Rose miss those free throws late in the game.   I’m sure it’ll be hard for them to get over loss, especially since Memphis had a 9 point lead w/ just over 2 minutes left in the game.  I think they will both turn out to be great NBA players — Rose will most likely be the top pick in the Draft.

I’m trying to post a blog nearly every day, but I missed the past few days since I was in Ft Lauderdale for our annual boys golf weekend – same ole, same ole, but it was a fun, few days in the nice Florida weather.

It was another great weekend for sports fans … the Capitals completed their glorious run to make the NHL Play-offs, which start this Thur at the Verizon Center … two entertaining Final Four games — I think Memphis will take the crown tonight … the Nats got swept while the O’s swept the Mariners.  This will be another grand week with the NCAA Championship Game … the Nats w/ their first true homestand in the new, beautiful park … and, of course, Tiger’s quest to continue to dominate the Master this weekend.

I had my rotisserie baseball draft last night so I unfortunately missed the Capitals / Hurricanes game — which is a total bummer since it was billed as the important game in the past 5 years for the Caps.  They had to play with urgency since they’re in the battle for the final play-off spot.  And, after watching the highlights, they looked like they played a brilliant game as they won convincingly 4 – 1.

As for my draft, I’m in a highly competitive league with a bunch of fantasy sports experts.  It was an auction-style draft, which meant you had to be completely prepared as you bid for players for your team.  I was fortunate to finish in 2nd place in last year’s 14-team league.   I’m not sure if I can fare as well this year — a lot depends on if the young players I’ve drafted can come through.

In regard to real MLB action, my fav team, the Nationals, are off to a nice 2 – 0 start.   It’s going to be a tough season since they’re in a division with three excellent teams — who all have much higher payrolls.  But, at least they’ll be playing in their glorious, new ball park.

We had a great class last night at Georgetown. One of my closest friends in the Sports industry, Steve Trax of MTX Wealth Management, did a superb job in talking to the class about how they manage the investment portfolios for their stable of clients, primarily all MLB and NHL players. It was a fascinating discussion. From the emails I’ve seen today, the students really enjoyed the presentation.