There's always a sale on "Stupid"

And today, i was 'BUYING', Big Time.

As many of you know, i'm here in Las Vegas for the next 10 days for the PBR World Finals. It's a crazy schedule, but one that is very rewarding, not to mention fun to be a part of. This morning, however, i felt i could steal some time for myself, and head off to the "Red Rock" area for a fast-paced bike ride. I have spent the past couple of weeks planning for this ride- i drove out here specifically to bring my Specialized; i consulted friends for the most challenging and scenic routes; i packed a myriad of clothing selections to make sure i was 'covered' no matter what the weather conditions, well, you get the picture.

AM comes knockin' on the window, and i'm ready. I've laid everything out- water bottles, gels, arm warmers, vest, wind jacket, Powertap, Oakley's...i'm good to go.

I drive to the 'put in' point my buddy had suggested- about a 20-25 minute drive off the Strip, or more specifically, my LUXURIOUS Embassy Suites 'suite'. I no sooner have stopped the car when i realize, 'oh $%#@, i forgot SOCKS!'. Seriously. Of all the freakin' things, come on!

Are you kidding me?? Man, i am not the sharpest tool in the shed. At least not today.

There was no going back, there was definitely no way i was giving up, but it was 49 degrees out, and i wasn't about to sacrifice my toes in the name of 'cycling adventure', no matter how good i thought the route would be.

I thought of riding with my arm warmers wrapped around my feet- a modern-day version of Greco-Roman sandals, or like the soldiers you read of in the World Wars that wrapped their feet before hiking through snow. OK, i know, a tad dramatic. It wasn't life or death, but it was a fish-or-cut-bait moment. And then, off to the left, it was the "A" that caught my eye.

An "Albertson's"...seemed like a long shot, but i had nothing to lose.

I perused the aisles for a good 5 minutes, finally succumbing to the dreaded 'male phobia' of asking for help, and i was immediately instructed to find Aisle 5, and to keep my fingers crossed (as i was told that they stocked WOMEN's socks, but not MEN's).

A veritable cornucopia of lady's leggings and foot coverings greeted my frenetic mind, but alas, nothing of the men's variety. So, faced with the tough decision of REALLY not wearing any socks, or making 'due', i stared at my last resort...

white and pink SLIPPER SOCKS. Seriously.

I pulled the trigger, albeit reluctantly, on the purchase, and dang-nabbit, if they didn't turn out to be the most comfortable freakin' things i've ever worn inside my cycling shoes!! i'm going to start a new trend...i may even do an infomercial! BAM!

"Super Secret Cycling Socks to the Stars"...brought to you by Craig Hummer, by ACCIDENT!

All's well that ends well, as they say. I had a fantastic 2hr, 40 mile ride. My feet were warm enough, and besides the frustration, pain, and anguish PRE-PURCHASE, i only ended up spending 3 bucks on these babies! Bargain to BOOT! YES!

Buckeye-Bound

I spent my childhood surrounded by Buckeyes. Literally. We had a Buckeye tree in the backyard of our house, we made 'Buckeye' candies at Christmas (peanut butter 'balls' with chocolate covering), i was sworn in to 'Buckeye Nation' earlier than i can remember, and of course, more often than not, i was subjected to Buckeye Humiliation at the hands of...(fill in the blank with your favorite NON-BIG TEN team)...most Januarys come the Rose Bowl, or less-prestigious post-season game.

All in all, it was a great childhood. I can remember Woody Hayes walking the sidelines. I can remember my parents (yes, BOTH of them) screaming at the TV on countless Saturdays as the leaves fell from the trees outside, and our spirits sank as well if the Bucks lost. That was what i figured 'normal' was. And that's what 'normal' still is here in the Heartland.

In no small way, my love of sports was born on those days- or at least my connection to what makes sports great. I loved watching everyone around me BE excited. FEEL the emotion. EXPRESS their passion. I used to dream of catching TD passes and celebrating in 'The Shoe', and every time i got to sit in the stands, even though that dream faded a bit with the progressing reality of passing youth, it was no less fun to DREAM.

It's probably been 30 years since i watched a game inside The Ohio State University's famous stadium, but every time i travel back here to Columbus, i'm transported back to those days, and those aspirations. Anything was possible, all you had to do was imagine it.

Here's the fun part. That glorious mindset was born here in Ohio, but i've carried it with me into adulthood. And as a parent, if i'm worth anything at all, i will teach my children to dream bigger than i ever would or could.

Go Bucks.

California Dreamin'

The Sizzle of Summer has far from faded here in Southern California. We 'locals' know that when the calendar turns to September and October, the true heat waves roll in. Look no further than this past weekend in Ontario. You could 'feel the burn' as my daughter and i drove (oh yes, glorious to DRIVE to work) inland roughly 60 miles to the '909' and felt first hand what it's like to stand right next to an oven! The mercury measured 110 degrees on the ride out, and forget that whole 'Yeah, but it's a DRY HEAT' mentality, it was stinkin' HOT!

As for the PBR's finest who descended on Ontario as well, they showed few ill-effects of the rising temps. In particular, Kody Lostroh caught fire and cranked up the heat on the competition, winning his 5th event of the year, and once again distancing himself from his closest challengers.

Our job on TV is to present the 'possibilities' of what could happen in the closing weeks of the season...Kody adeptly, and somewhat exasperatedly, emphatically declared this weekend that he could give a 'rat's behind' about what the commentators say, that his JOB is to ride bulls, and that's what he enjoys doing. Here, here.

If every rider cared as LITTLE about what was SAID, and more about what they did, it would be a much tighter Title Race. You have to hand it to Kody- he doesn't like the limelight, he disdains the distractions that come with his success, and yet, at every instance he has come close to relinquishing his lead in the standings, he finds a way to answer his rivals and his critics. I admire that.

California's real estate is some of the most expensive around, but Lostroh might want to make a down payment on some property- he's won THREE times this year in the Golden State. His wins in Fresno, Anaheim, and now Ontario have provided the backbone for his season's success. Kody admitted after his win last night that he is finally riding up to the potential that he, and his fans, have felt he has possessed all along. It's far from over, but his 'potential' could blossom into a BUCKLE in a few weeks time.

Reno-Bulls, Balloons, and Beef

Very strange to be fully immersed back in the PBR side-of-life. We've got a 6 week run to wind down the regular season, and then it's time to head to VEGAS, BABY! A lot on the horizon as we start this final push to declaring a World Champ, including a tight points race, and a contract dispute between Comcast and DirecTV that has affected a lot of our followers. I have had so many people ask me 'why have they dropped Versus?' and all i can say is these decisions are made way 'above my pay grade'. Bottom line, i have no idea. But, yes, i wish it would get resolved. The more people that see our shows, the better! Duh!

So, back to the basics- a weekend of bullriding, balloons and burgers. The bullriding- JB Mauney won, and cut into Kody Lostroh's lead. Exciting. Balloons- The Great Reno Balloon Festival greeted the dawn each of the two days we were there- close to 100 balloons in the air each morning- another exciting aside to the 48 hours+ in Nevada. BUT, the highlight had to be my culinary decadence! Burgers! I gorged myself not once, not twice, but three consecutive evening meals on beef...ah, it does a body good!

Sometimes you just have to say, WT'BLEEP'.

Can't wait for the coming weeks- plenty to write/tweet/comment on, but not before it's time. Until then, all the best.

Escape from New York

I love visiting the Big Apple. 99% of the time, I am there for work, so when I got the chance to mix ‘business with pleasure’ this trip, I jumped at the opportunity.

It may be referred to as a ‘Concrete Jungle’, but last week, I was finally made aware of what awaits just outside New York City’s urban interior. For two days, two of my friends played the roles of Lewis and Clark, as they led me on bike trips across the George Washington Bridge and into a veritable cornucopia of cycling options. I fell in love with the terrain instantly, and while it did not possess the vertical of some of my normal SoCal coordinates, it was more than enough of an interesting trek to make my spirits soar (and if I lived in the area, to keep me in stellar shape for any athletic goals).

Much like the city itself, with its cultural labyrinth and myriad of options, so too were the pathways we chose to glide upon. River Road, Palisades, 9W, and Nyack- all names I did not know before my two-day baptism by fire, but I know them now! To top if off, the café we stopped at in Nyack had one of the best paninis I have ever tasted. I tried to do my new “Versus” kit proud by hammering home each day as best I could, not sure I turned any heads, but at least the ‘colors’ were flying!

I can’t wait for the next chance I have to throw down and put myself through a suffer-fest of East Coast proportions! Here’s hoping it’s soon.

Rockin' 30 ROCK!

It's always fun to return to the Big Apple, especially when it's to perform on the 'big stage' of NBC!

I spent the weekend anchoring 'Sports Update' for the 'Peacock', and it was good to be back at Rockefeller Plaza. You are walking the same halls that many of the biggest celebrities in news, TV, and sports frequent on a daily basis. NY in the summer is absolutely chock-full of tourists, and it was fun to people-watch while i wasn't on the set. Perfect weather this weekend as well- in the mid-80's, but in the low 70's in the evening (which is when i finished work).

Let's talk about the weekend's sports for a moment. The fun thing about doing 'Update' is that it's a full-speed, distilled version of what's important in sports at that given moment. The producers, and everyone working on the show, have to be on their toes constantly, in case something happens that needs to be included in the highlights.

A fun, and informative, aside to that is that they have approximately 50 TV screens, all tuned in to different events. It's definitely sensory overload, but once you get used to it, the information is all there for the taking! You want to watch the Yankees? Bam! Red Sox, no prob. Pre-season NFL, there it is! Tennis? Track and Field? Tiger at the PGA...just look to the left or right. Really spectacular.

The sporting highlight of the weekend was Usain Bolt CRUSHING his own world record in the 100 Meters at the World Champs in Berlin. Final time- 9.58 seconds! The Jamaican was still pulling away from Tyson Gay as he crossed the finish, and what's even more amazing is that one of the researchers here at NBC found an article from December 31, 2008 where Bolt and his coach talked about how it was 'possible' to go 9.58 at Worlds. OK, can you say "Nostra-BOLT-us?!"

My FAVORITE part of my two days here was getting to talk about Lance Armstrong winning Leadville. It was not going to be something we highlighted, but it turned into a story the producers wanted to do- we even tried to get Lance on the phone- and i think it provided an opportunity to raise awareness of the sport of cycling, outside the parameters of the Tour de France.

A late-night plane flight back to Maine, and then two weeks off of work...i'm not going to know what to do with myself. Correction...i'm going to know exactly what to do- spend time with the family, spend time on the bike, and spend time gearing up for a hectic week of WEC and PBR at the beginning of September! Until then...

Fists of Fury and Shot at Glory

WEC 42...Torres vs. Bowles lived up to the hype in a BIG WAY!

Almost every fight on the undercard went the distance, so that pushed the Leonard Garcia fight to the 'live' card on Versus. And what a way to start off the night! It looked like it was 'lights out' for Leonard, but somehow Jameel Massouh did not realize how close he was to the win, and Garcia came back and made him pay.

Jeff Curran was a fan favorite in his 'Stars and Stripes' shorts, and chants of 'U-S-A' rang through the raucous crowd right from the start as he went up against Japanese sensation, Takeya Mizugaki. Many, including myself, believed Curran did enough to win the bout, but he was shut down in a decision which left the crowd in a funk.

Danny Castillo did not disappoint the legion of URIJAH fans by rep'ing Team Alpha Male in style, a HUGE right hand swayed momentum, and the match, in his favor. He pounced like a possessed tiger and finished off Ricardo Lamas.

The best 'back and forth' fight of the night was Cruz vs. Benavidez. From the start, it was a blur of fists, feet, and finesse. 3 rounds later, Cruz was declared the victor, and Benavidez flung himself to the canvas lamenting the lost opportunity. Cruz now sits as the #1 challenger in the Bantamweight pecking order.

Everyone assumed his opponent would be Miquel Angel Torres...

NOT.

The 'shot heard round the world' can now be matched by the 'shots' heard round the world! Torres delivered a few, but then took a barrage that not only cost him the belt, but looked as if it cost him some brain cells in the process. Brian Bowles believed in himself like few others did, very reminiscent of Mike Brown last year when he went up against Urijah Faber. Bowles shook up the Bantamweight division like a fallen hornet's nest, and now, lays claim to the crown that had sat on the intimidating brow of Miquel Torres for what seemed like an eternity.

This was a night of questionable judging, but also unquestionable determination. Respect was served up in large doses, but the MMA world lives by the mantra, "What have you done for me lately", so the celebrations will be shorted lived.

Miquel Torres left the cage battered, and yes, beaten down, but not 'beaten'. You can bet he will use this as motivation for what is sure to be a quest to return to the top spot. The utter shock of seeing the former champ out cold on the canvas was enough to leave the crowd in deafening silence, but like the phoenix, expect Torres to rise up from the ashes of this defeat.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

On my way to Sin City for a wild weekend of WEC action! Miquel Angel Torres looks to keep one of the greatest 'unbeaten streaks' alive against Brian Bowles on Sunday night, live on Versus.

If you are already a fan of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), you know what this sport, and this fight in particular, offers. I love the 'mental acuity' needed in the sport, as well as the physical prowess. They have to think as thoroughly as chess masters, react with lightning quickness, and execute with surgical precision- based on a myriad of factors processed in the blink of an eye. It's the ultimate episode of "Survivor"- you have to be able to outwit and outplay your opponent, or else the consequences will be dire.

Torres is as complete a champion as Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, or Justin McBride. (You don't win for 5 years straight without doing something right). What all these men share is not just the passion to excel, but the unwavering desire to never settle for past excellence. What happened yesterday, has no bearing on what WILL HAPPEN tomorrow. In simple terms, it's often referred to as 'staying hungry', or reaching for a new goal. It's never good enough to win, but more important to win a certain way.

I admire that. Not just in an athlete, but in anyone who looks to make an impact on their chosen path.