What a week....

You know, they say death comes in threes, but really, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson? That's a pretty devastating week for pop culture geeks like me. A few notes and thoughts on each...

Ed McMahon was without a doubt the greatest sidekick ever, and he's a guy I grew up with. Mike Wilbon on PTI mentioned he would sneak away at night after his parents went to bed to watch the Tonight Show, and I was the same way. It's amazing to think that Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon are both gone, and that probably the most iconic version of The Tonight Show has been off the air for 17 years. It's worth noting that Doc Severinsen, the Tonight Show band leader, turns 82 on July 7. Here is a clip I could watch over and over again.

Farrah Fawcett was JUST a few years ahead of my formative years (I was born in 1970, so I was like 7 when she was really big). This one hurts my older brother and dad more than me, but she was truly iconic, a testament for many actresses of today that no matter how beautiful you are, if you have the acting chops, you can get the roles and make a difference. When I think of Farrah Fawcett, I think of probably the current iconic actress...Megan Fox of Transformers. She has gone on record as saying she hasn't had the chance to showcase her acting skills because she really has only been in robot movies. Megan should look no further than Farrah Fawcett to see exactly how far she can reach if she makes the effort.

And now to Michael Jackson, and this one hurts. When I was 12 and 13, Thiller came out, and it was one of those records, going to junior high school in New York, that it just wasn't "cool" to like, but we all secretly did. I took my aunt's copy of it and played that album A LOT. Interestingly, as his career went on and sales went down, the music really was still brilliant. His duets with Paul McCartney were great, and no one should forget that until Michael Jackson's Billie Jean video, MTV (back when they showed videos), did not show black artists, and he broke that barrier down, and led the way to "Yo MTV Raps", and in reality, opened the door that is still open today Without Michael Jackson, there is no Akon, no P-Diddy, no Beyonce...his contribution to world culture is massive, and should never be taken for granted. Oh yeah, he wrote We Are the World....not a bad aside to a musical career.

Junior National's....Not a Junior Mint
Mike Arnold did it again....the sickest ISU freshman vaulter, possibly ever, qualified for the 2009 Pan American Junior Games by setting a third straight PR in the vault, clearing 17-feet for the first time. I'm calling it, but Arnold has three more years at ISU, and he can become ISU's first ever men's track individual national champion. Dave Nielsen has done an unbelievable job coaching him, and that combination could mean a serious Olympic bid in 2012 as well...don't count it out...Arnold isn't even 20 yet. Oh yeah, Stacy Dragila is still kicking too....

Life with a Window
So I've been working at home all week on the media guide, and I'm in my home office (formerly my daughter's bedroom). I have a window to look out of, which is a far cry from the dungeon office I have in Holt Arena. Even if I wasn't in the bottom floor of Holt, how weird is it that no office in Holt Arena has a window that you can see outside. I can't tell you how enjoyable this has been.

I Try to Help
So, I called the Idaho State Journal and gave them a story about my neighbors, the Nelsons (there is no link on the net for it, but it was in the June 24th edition on the front page). The story was written by Tiarra Stout, and I don't know her, and I'm not really calling her out, but her story missed the most important thing....the woman not only delivered her own baby on the interstate on the way to the hospital, she caught the kid herself while her husband was driving and her mother was on the phone with the hospital. Think about this...people drop things all the time...I dropped a glass as home this week ... she CAUGHT HER OWN BABY AS IT WAS BORN. I was worried the doctor would drop my child and he was sitting there like Joe Mauer waiting for her.

The baby's head appeared on the interstate, and the rest of the baby was born on Clark Street...all this happened at like 5 in the morning, which is good, since Steve was checking the rear view mirror as much as the road at that point. My favorite part is when they got to the hospital (and by the way, the baby wasn't crying at all...just cooing after she was born), the hospital staff came out like the Keystone Cops and took Bri and her mother and the baby (umbilical cord still attached...everywhere, and use your imagination) inside, and Steve was left in the car, with a bunch of towels. He said as they all raced inside "I'll park the car...don't wait up." Classic. Suffice to say the car is getting detailed by the way. Amazing, amazing story.

Oh yeah, I officially have a boss
After a long 15 months (really, there has been wars completed in fewer time, but I get why it took 15 months), Jeff Tingey finally had the interim tag removed from his title. What I have found funny is the comments about it at the Idaho State Journal from a few fans ... apparently the 15-month turn as interim wasn't enough for them, nor was the turn around from an $800,000 deficit to a surplus good enough. Do me this...change his name from Tingey to Thompson, and NO ONE HAS A PROBLEM. For the record, Dr. Tingey (Jeff's dad, and what Jeff himself calls him) has nothing, zero, nada, zippo, zilch to do with the athletic department. Jeff has earned this promotion boys and girls...he did all of that 15 month-span as an interim while leading the department through NCAA Certification (which is a giant pain and very time consuming) and having a wife pregnant with twins. It's well earned, and you know, isn't nice to have a Pocatello native running the ship?

Shhhhh, Don't Tell Anyone...
....but look who is one game out of first place....