RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD

Well hello Road Warriors Nation! It has been a whirlwind three weeks with the team as we've been spending a ton of time away from the BI-LO Center. The odyssey continues tonight with a visit to Wings Stadium to take on Kalamazoo. It's a great opportunity for the team to finish off the week with two wins in three games and possibly further solidify its spot atop the South Division. Kalamazoo should provide a good test with its veteran club playing on home ice. I hope you'll join me on the broadcast side starting at 7:15 with the pregame show and then faceoff at 7:30. In the meantime, since I haven't had a chance to flush out any well-thought ideas into a post I have a collection of random thoughts from the road. In no particular order here they are:

• It's been great getting to catch up with some college friends on this road trip. I'm not very good about making phone calls/writing emails to stay in touch with old friends so being able to go to their towns and spend some time has been great.
• The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale is the best movie I have seen in a loooooong time.
• I now understand why retirees from the north go for winter homes in Florida.
• Being in a snow-covered town with absolutely zero chance to go skiing is akin to torture (to me at least). 
• I was happy to be away from the BI-LO Center while the circus was at the arena because I am afraid of clowns and probably would have had a breakdown if I had seen one up close.
• After the episode in Florida, it is a pleasure to work with fans as classy as the ones who attend Road Warriors games in Greenville.
• It was a pleasure to talk with former Grrrowl goalie and assistant coach Nick Victucci last night. Greenville fans were certainly lucky to have a person like that representing their town and team.
• The South Division is, without question, the toughest and most competitive division in the Eastern Conference, if not the entire ECHL. Don't be surprised if the last team standing out of the South is playing for some hardware come late May/early June.
• If you're ever in Toledo, the Blarney Irish Pub near the baseball stadium is really worth checking out. Had the bangers and mash for lunch there yesterday and it was delicious.
• Being on the road so much in the winter makes it hard to see concerts. Was a bit disappointed to miss Gaelic Storm at the Handlebar in Greenville a couple weekends ago.
• And, finally, if you're going to be traveling a lot a good blanket and comfy shoes are essential.

The last item of business for this post is the Song of the Week. After catching up with old friends over the last two weeks I was reminded of this song and how much I played it in the summer of 2006. It's "Swing Life Away" by Rise Against: