An Intro to Greg

Honored.

That was my intial feeling when Will asked me to co-author this blog. Well, I guess confusion was actually my intial feeling. But as soon as I remembered who Will was, the feeling was definitely honored.

I'm kidding, of course. Will and I spent 18 glorious months working and living together in beautiful Johnstown, PA, not too long ago. In the words of the great Steve Winwood, Driscoll and I were definitely back in the high life... again. Our two-bedroom townhouse on Belmont Ave. was the Sistine Chapel of Johnstown living quarters. We worked at arguably the top local TV station east of the Mississippi. And money was no object. We weren't ordering off the Dollar Menu. If we wanted to go to Chili's for dinner, we did. If we wanted to catch a movie on Friday night instead of the matinee on Tuesday, we did. If we wanted to take a door off the hinges to make a beer pong table in the room just off our living room, we did. Hot girls took numbers outside our front door like customers at a deli. We were sports guys on TV for God's sake! Big Timers, if you will. Rules and laws are for Part Timers.

And then it all came crashing down. The news department got cut and we were out of a job. We thought we might be saved by large protests from our adoring fans. Those thoughts were put to rest when we were told we didn't have any. There were even rumors floating around that not one single person had watched one single newscast or sports program featuring Will or myself in the entire year and a half we worked at the station. We didn't believe it. We couldn't believe it.

How did this happen? Was it our fault? Probably. But you couldn't tell us that. In fact, we pointed the finger at everyone but ourselves. It was the only way we could cope. After the high of incredible success, failure is a bitter pill to swallow. Thankfully, failure was far from the only pill we swallowed during that time.

But this is the "comeback" segment of the Whitmer/Driscoll E! True Hollywood Story. We're 40 minutes into this program and you folks just tuned in. And you're definitely in for a treat. DVR the rest and fast-forward thru that last commercial. It is here that Will and myself will pour our thoughts on sports (and many other things) on to a computer screen for your enjoyment. We're excited. You should be, too.

A few things about me before I wrap up my first post...

I was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. I love where I grew up, but I'm glad I left for a few years and I don't mind being back for now. I refer to Ohio as "The O-H." I've lived in four states in two time zones since I've been out of college. Yes, I saw LeBron James play in high school. I love the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, Denver Broncos and University of Kentucky basketball. The latter two are sort of random, but I have my reasons. I went to Ohio University in Athens and got my bachelor's degree in journalism. The going to OU part was a great idea. The journalism part? Not so much. I worked in local TV news for almost four years as a sports reporter and anchor. There are some things I miss about the job, and a lot more that I don't.

What else do you want to know? Do I love Taco Bell? Yes. Do I love Chipotle? Nope. Deal with it. Do I know the words to a lot of "boy band" songs? Yep. Am I embarrassed by that? Not at all. Do I think Jim Calhoun is a prick? Yes. Can I stand Chris Berman? No. Do I lose sleep at night wondering how a major sport in this day and age can justify determining its champion without using a playoff system at the end of the year? Yes. Do I think adding a playoff system to college football is the simplest solution to a problem in modern history? Absolutely. Do I love the NFL? Not really. Yep, I said it. Do I love the NBA? You're goddamn right I do! Is the NBA my favorite pro sport to watch in person? Nope. I gotta go with baseball there. Do I despise the fact that the University of Oklahoma goes by OU when semantics clearly point out that they should be known as the U of O? Yes. Is this because of my deep love for the real OU (Ohio University)?? Yes. Obviously. Is this the greatest 3:20 in recorded history? There is no doubt in my mind.

'Til next time...