My Biggest Fan

There have been many people who have come to see me play throughout the course of my life including family, friends and acquaintances.  Despite this fact there has always been one fan who has come whenever possible and always enjoys himself easily taking the "Biggest fan" tag from anybody else.  I am speaking of my cousin Joey.  Joey is 45 years old with Downs Syndrome and has been coming to my sporting events since I was 8 years old.  There is never a moment that he gets down or negative about what is happening in the game.  He has come to wrestling matches, football games, baseball games and basketball games as well as others.

He has been there all the way through, asking when my next game was going to be every time I see him.  Sometimes he asks numerous times (i.e. 10-15 times) in a relatively short amount of time.  This doesn't bother me because I understand that he thrives on coming to see me play and will bother my Aunt Carol until they are able to make it out.

Every time he makes it out to a game and I turn my head and see both Joey and my Aunt I can't help but crack a smile.  I know that he doesn't have much to give and comes because he enjoys to watch the game but I can't help but feel differently.  I have found over my years of seeing Joey in the stands that I can never give to him what he has given to me.  He has believed in me all of my life and given me an appreciation for the skills that I possess to continue playing the sports that I love.  I might refer to him as "My Biggest Fan" but in reality I am his biggest fan.

The Big Game

This day comes but once a year... no I'm not referring to any religious or national holiday.  I'm referring to Super Bowl Sunday!  Arguably the biggest game in the world.  The Super Bowl is heavily watched year in and year out by football fans and non-sports fans alike.  It has become a tradition in the United States to treat this day almost as a holiday with big gatherings and celebrations especially if your team has made it to the big game.

Super Bowl XLVI is projected to be the most watched Super Bowl in history.  Not only is it projected to shatter this record but it is also likely to be the most watched televised event in history.  Whether you enjoy football or not there is always something fun happening on Super Bowl Sunday.

The sheer fact that you don't truly enjoy football is no reason not to tune in and watch the spectacle that is the Super Bowl.  Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest advertising day of the entire year.  Companies and Corporations spend the "big bucks" in order to debut their new commercials during the breaks of the big game.  These companies will dish out 3.5 million dollars for a mere 30 seconds of air time for their commercials.  This means that the commercials alone for the Super Bowl will equate to hundreds of millions of dollars in the approximately 5 hours of viewing time during the game.

Despite the fact that big business is going about their very expensive agenda during Super Bowl XLVI this is not what the game is about.  What I suggest is for everybody to find some friends, family or both and sit down and enjoy the drawing power of the Super Bowl.  It is easy for everybody to get caught up in the commercialization of this day but if you are able to see past this you will realize the beauty of an event that brings people together.  Take a look around while you are watching the game and I'm sure that you are spending time with at least a handful of people that you consider to be closest to you.  This is the true power of the Super Bowl.

Loudest Hole in Golf

Hole 16 at TPC Scottsdale is considered by many the loudest hole in professional golf.  Today during the Phoenix Open every player who came to the 16th hole realized just how loud the grand stands could really be. Despite the fact that the crowd is quiet before and during a players shot it is evident approaching the hole just how loud it can really be.  I could only imagine how intimidating that hole can be as a player approaches the 16th hole gradually.  When at the 15th hole it must sound like a riot just down the course.    Is this hole intimidating?  You bet!

This 162 yard par 3 is surrounded from tee to green by the massive grandstands that seat between 15,000 - 20,000 people.  Some golfers thrive in these circumstances and others do not.  Today during the Phoenix Open Rickie Fowler made it perfectly clear that he was one of the individuals who thrives in one of these type of situation.  After amping up the crowd by waiving his hands upward Fowler hit his tee shot about 25 feet from the pin.  He then handed about three hats to fans in the stands.  He proceeded to sink his 25 foot putt flawlessly, dropping it straight in the front edge of the hole.

The Great Outdoors

I have spent my life playing sports and maintaining an active lifestyle.  There are very few things that compare with the exhilaration of enjoying a "perfect" day.  I bet some of you are thinking why I stated it as "perfect"... The reason that I did this was because a perfect day for me all depends on the context of the time of day, time of year and what I am interested in doing on this particular day.

I started playing organized sports when I was 6 years old.  Baseball has been my favorite sport since I was old enough to hold a ball.  I played all the way through until I reached my sophomore year of college at which time I had an arm injury and was never able to throw the ball the way I used to.  Despite this my passion for both baseball and other outdoor activities have not faded.

I am fortunate enough to live in an area where I am surrounded by a wealth of things to do on any particular day.  I live in Wallkill, NY which is about an hour and fifteen minutes outside of New York City and about 20 minutes from the Shawangunk Mountains, which is one of my favorite places in the world.  I enjoy going hiking whenever the weather is optimal.  By optimal I don't necessarily mean sunny and pleasant outside, instead I mean as long as the conditions aren't hazardous I am more than willing to get outside and enjoy myself.  Some of my best outdoor experiences have been when it was either snowing or raining outside.

I do have to mention one thing that I have been a little depressed about, there has been almost no snow this winter aside from the freak snow storm at the end of October which dumped 16.5".  Being an avid skier such I have not been very happy this year with the lack of snow.  Needless to say I opted for not getting new skis this year.  I know it's a little late but if you care enough say a little prayer and pray for some snow I would greatly appreciate it.  The season can still be salvaged... I hope.

Teaching in "The Burgh"

My name is Patrick Lahey.  I have never blogged before and was at somewhat of a loss for what I should write about.  I figured I would write about myself and my experiences.  For my first blog I am going to give a little background on teaching in Newburgh, New York.

I am currently teaching Technology in South Middle School in Newburgh.  This past May I was asked to step in to a leave replacement for a teacher who had a health emergency.  Teaching technology was a new endeavor that I was more than willing to undertake.  This truly was a bit of a shock for me because I had gone to school for physical education.

Teaching in Newburgh has many advantages and disadvantages alike.  I am happy to say that the community between the faculty and staff is very strong and everybody works well with one another.  Many of the students are products of a very difficult environment in which they have grown to know all too well.  Newburgh has been ranked in the toughest cities in America numerous times over the years.  Despite this fact there are countless students that are hungry to learn and are willing to put forth the efforts to get the best possible grades.  On the other hand however, there are many students who are not motivated to be in school and it is obvious that some of these students come to school merely so that they can eat and have a warm environment.  There is also a large population of students who are admittedly associated with gangs.  Despite all of these facts students still come to school daily in order to better their knowledge and grow.

Before I started working in Newburgh I was very familiar with the surrounding area and knew of many of the problems that existed throughout the city.  I understood that there were many good kids that went through the school as well as a very difficult population of inner-city students.  I was aware of what to expect but it was absolutely impossible to foresee all of the difficult situations that would arise.  This naivety is something that I would imagine every young teacher experiences when they begin teaching.  Being in the heart of a beast such as Newburgh was something that would educate me quickly.