The Rest Is The Easy Part

"The hardest part of leaving is picking up the keys and finding the nerve to start that car." - The Easy Part by Chuck Wicks


So I know I promised that I would post this yesterday but, as is my life, there's a delay. People have given me crap (even in my own family) as to being a Cowboy. No I never lived on a ranch or owned a horse. Yes, I graduated from a high school south of Baltimore, Maryland. But the Cowboy identity is a mindset. A mindset of never being satisfied and always moving on. Never being tied down but always finding a reason to return. Being honorable and charitable, working with what the Good Lord gave me and never complaining when things don't go my way. Anyway, I've finally figured out why there's been a delay in this. It's because I've been subconsciously putting this off. You see, as a military brat you learn how to say goodbye and leave things behind. Over my first 18 years of my life I became immune to the idea of severing ties. However, in the last 4 years I have found something that I'm actually afraid to leave. Since the fall of freshman year in 2007 I have been a part of 88.7 FM, Radio Hofstra University. This past Sunday I hosted my final Locker Room, the symbolic end to my career here. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to thank all the people that I wanted to or to the extent that they deserved so here it is:

To the administrators of WRHU: Bruce Avery, John Mullen, & Ed Ingles. The three of you have been the cornerstone of my ability. Ed, when I came here as a senior in high school I looked at you and said "I want to be a sportscaster," and you replied to me with "If you bust your ass, you'll be on air your freshman year." That was all I needed to hear, I was sold. Since then you have continued to mentor me and helped groom to where I am today. John, you are always there to get some legitimate advice in this industry and if I ever need anything you'll be one of the first ones I call. Bruce, I can't thank you for everything you've done for me. After the unspeakable acts of October 2009, I asked you if that would alter my potential to move into a managers role at this station. You told me it wouldn't and two months later you gave me a vote of confidence to be the first "sports department" member to become Station Manager. Since then, I've learned how to be a manager, and a leader, and for that I thank you tremendously.

To the WRHU Sports Department: Everything I said at my final meeting is true. Everyone of you has the potential to be the best person at this station and make our department the best in the country. I implore all of you to continue competing with each other to continue growing and don't ever get complacent. To the seniors of this department; Mitch Merman, Gabe Diamond, Kyle Geesaman, Alex Santiago, Jeff Mills, Ray Rotella, and Pat O'Brien, there isn't a group I'd rather leave with. We've made such an indelible mark on this department that it will forever be remembered. More specifically to Mitch, you know how much I owe to you and ever award I've ever garnered, any job I ever get and any compliment I ever receive is one to you as well. Without you forcing me to join this station and do what it takes to be better than you, none of this would happen. Just know that I would much rather both of us get the accolades than just me. Also, to Ryan. Dude, you've been one of my best friends in such a short amount of time. I know you're going through some tough times but if I can ever be of help to you, personally, or professionally, I will always be there. I can't imagine ending my broadcasting career in any other way than with you on the broadcast with me.

To the Alums of WRHU Sports: You all, from Todd Ant and Marc Ernay to Mike Leslie and Jon Lauder, have paved a road for all of us not only here but in the real world. Thank you so much for doing everything you have that allows us to be what we want to for the rest of our lives. Specifically to Matt Shortis, thank you for taking the interest in me as a senior in high school and seeing it that I get here to do this. To Jon, you've been like a brother to me and our friendship is something that I will value more than any job or award I ever receive. To Mike Leslie, what you said to me on Sunday night was the first sign of tears. I am truly honored that someone is making their path in the professional world would think that I am going to surpass you and all the others. Thank you for setting a bar for me to reach and I hope I do that. To Siddique Farooqi, you are my mentor, my big brother, and my icon. When I was a senior in high school you took an interest in me and when I arrived at WRHU you convinced me to stick to you like glue. Without your guidance I would not be the well-rounded broadcaster I like to think I am. Thank you for everything, I'm going to miss you the most.

To my other RHU'ers: You all work at the greatest college radio station in America, bar none. I've enjoyed every second of every hour I've put into this place. You all have a special place in my heart and I will never forget you. Mainly to Veronica Kennedy and Lindsay Clark. The two have you have been rocks in my time here. Lindsay, we haven't always had the best light shed on our relationship but I've loved being able to call you a friend and am honored to keep doing that. Veronica, we've known each other for all four years here at Hofstra and I'm so happy you finally joined this station. I'm confident that you are going to have a great life, both personally and professionally.

To the other RHU alums: Joe Kuczynski, thanks for being one of the more fun people I met here. You were the first guy I tracked with and I'm proud I was able to take the reigns of country music on Long Island and run with it. To Sam Manning and Jen Joas, some of my favorite times here were anchoring Newsline with you. You two loved goofing off just as much as I did and we always were able to have a great time on the air and off. To Kathleen Shortis, my wonderful teacher and SM, thanks for being wonderful. I hope I performed the job to same level you did.

To my two Training Classes: I hope that you all learned one thing from me in your class more than anything else: passionate fun. Please, be passionate in what you do and have fun while doing it. Without that you won't be able to stand yourself or the jobs you end up with. You all have an incredible amount of talent and potential, and know I'll be watching when you finally reach it.

To my other College Friends: My roommate of three years Matt Landis. You were the force that kept me grounded for three years and I don't know where I would be if you weren't there for me. I love you so much and I missed you more than you will ever know this past year. You were one of my best friends and I can't wait to see you again. To Kelly Glista, Sarah Ciopyk, Jill Andrews, Caroline Kirkwood and Erin Carr, you five were always a way to brighten up the room and escape from the troubles of WRHU. Kelly, Erin and Sarah, I love you all and I'm so happy our friendship has continued as strongly as it has past your graduation. To the girls of Lib/Rep, mainly Katie Metz, Jaime Hoerbelt, Alana Glaubiger and Jennie Brill. Katie, you are the only person at Hofstra who truly knows me and I can't thank you enough for being there when I needed you and being one of my dearest friends ever. Jaime, you and I were just as close as Katie and I and I thank you for putting up with everything and staying with me. Alana, you are (and always will be) my sister. You could always put a smile on my face and make me realize what was needed even when I didn't want to. Jennie, I know we haven't had the strongest of relationships, but I hope you know that I cherished every moment we had together. I'm sorry that I couldn't be the better person I know you saw in me, but you stuck with me as long as you could and I don't blame you for what happened between us.

To my High School Friends: Old Mill High School was a place I couldn't stand and couldn't wait to leave. That being said, Forrest Corry and Patrick Benjamin, you two will always be my two best friends and I'm so happy I have a place to return to if I ever want to. Lorinda Lukenbach and Nora Ellenes, you two are the happiest people I have ever met and I'm so happy I will always have you there by my side if I need you. To Don and Ashley White, thank you for letting me be a part of your son's life. The thought of being some form of importance to a child is incredibly rewarding. I hope I can be to Joey what you two are. To AshLee Rempfer and Jen Berry, you two were my rocks my senior year and the summer that followed. AshLee, you're still one of my best friends and JJ, just know that I will always love you.

To my Housemates: Guys, this past year was LEGEND.....wait for it...wait for it!.....DARY! Seriously, I couldn't imagine living with a better group of guys. Whether it was just hanging out watching football on Sundays, drinking on any given night, watching "Whose Line?" or the many parties we had, I can't imagine a better ending to my college career. George, we've known each other since freshman year and having you in the house makes life so much better. Gabe, something about you just makes things funnier and helps to put everything in perspective. Butters, when you actually come out of your room the conversation always becomes more lively. Matt, dude, this has been awesome mainly because of the stupid things you have done and the free-living lifestyle you have. Kyle, for the second straight summer (and even longer) I got to live with you. I'll be honest, this year wasn't as awesome as that summer, but the school year ruins that. Thanks for being who you are though and don't change that. Pat, man, all I can say is without you, I never would have had the greatest night of my life and I'm honored to be a part of how your birthday began. Thank you all so much for making this what it was.

To the Hofstra Athletic Department: Athletic Director Jack Hayes, thank you for allowing us at WRHU to do what we love doing. You could easily sign a professional broadcast but you don't and I think I speak for all of us at WRHU Sports, past present and future when I say thank you. In the athletic communication office, Jim Sheehan, Jeremy Kniffin, Len Skoros, Brian Bohl and Stephen Gorchov. I have gotten to know you all very well over the last four years and I am so happy that I got that chance. Stephen, I can't count the memories you and I have had on road trips and I truly thank you for helping me grow more than you realize. Len, it's a been a blast this past season working on baseball and I hope you give every guy after me the same hard time you gave me.

To the Hofstra Coaches: Every single one of you is so generous with your time to us at WRHU and I can't thank you enough for that. To Pat Anderson, Skip, this has been one of the greatest joys of my life and I hope I made it fun for you. My biggest goal when I came here was to call Hofstra Pride baseball and I'm so happy to see you have the program going in the right direction. To Richard Nuttal, it was so much fun working with you in the fall and the previous three years of my career. You've been very gracious with everything and I truly do thank you. To Simon Riddiough, you are one of the best people to talk to off the field and off the mic because you have a personality that is just infectious. Finally, to John Russo. Coach, as a graduating senior I can't thank you enough for relieving the primal fear of being unemployed. My life's dream is call baseball games and this summer you have taken a chance and given me the opportunity to do that. Thank you, so much.

To Hofstra Men's Basketball: Coach Mo Cassara and the rest of the staff, thank you so much for making covering Men's Basketball enjoyable. That isn't to say it wasn't before, but you guys made it that much more fun. Coach, you're a great guy to talk with and always willing to have a good time and that certainly makes me more comfortable. To the players I've had the opportunity to know, namely Charles Jenkins, Greg Washington, Brad Kelleher, Antoine Agudio, Miklos Szabo, Mike Moore and David Imes; you guys have been awesome. You were always willing to talk to us and gave us some great insight. Charles, I'm honored to be able to call a soon to be NBA player a friend. Greg and Brad, I'm beyond honored to walk out the door with you guys as seniors. Mike and David, you guys have this program ready to rock next year and it was fun covering you this year. Thanks.


To Hofstra Women's Basketball: Anyone who knows me knows I can't leave this program out. Coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey, you are beyond incredible. The last three years of covering this team made me enjoy this industry more than I ever could have imagined. You enjoy our coverage more than any coach I had the pleasure of working with. You always loved seeing us there and you always gave me information that made my broadcasts better. I will forever remember the trip to Texas last December, our trip to the WNIT and beating Penn State and getting ice cream and of course the incredible win at Drexel. Your staff has always been amazing as well. From Shalon Pillow and Danielle Santos to Faisal Kahn, Jess Manetti, Bill Ferrara and Tanika Price. You all follow the mold that I've come to know and love of the Hofstra Pride coaching staff. I wish I could stay here and cover this team forever. To the players, all the way from Natty Fripp and Nikki Williams to Kate Loper and Annie Payton. Y'all are my favorite group of people I've ever been around. Your personalities are tremendous and your love for the game is even higher. I have made three great friends within this team: Sam Brigham, Nicole Capurso, and Candice Bellochio. The three of you are hilarious, talented and amazing. Sam, last year was awesome. From sitting in the Houston airport watching Boondock Saints to discovering your mom's cookies, I'm glad I got the chance to know you. Nicole and Candice, I can't believe the level to which you two have helped bring this program to. Candice, I remember watching you in Richmond with a broken arm trying to match Chuck in his trick shots and thinking this was the attitude of the team and I love it. Nicole, we got to be closer friends this semester in class and yes, that post-game after Drexel was intense. To anyone reading this, please go support this team and this program. They deserve so much fan support that it's almost criminal they don't. In my opinion they have the last two Rookies of the Year in the CAA in Shante Evans and Kate Loper. Not to mention an incredible group of veterans and coaches. Please go watch them, they deserve more than anyone. I can truly say the only greater joy I had than being a fan of this team, was being a reporter covering them.

To my Second Family: Victoria Rossi. Sweetheart, I remember telling you as you drove me to the ER to get my dislocated finger that I have a conundrum with relationships that sometimes ends them. You looked passed that and 2 1/2 years later, I couldn't be happier you did. I'm so proud of you and what you have accomplished and I love you more than I could ever admit, just because that's who I am. To Bill and Deborah Rossi, thank you for letting her be a part of my life and giving me another spot to call "home". Bill, sir, I truly do mean what I said on Sunday night. I wish I could have met her mother and I know that I can never love Victoria more than you do, but I hope that I can at least make you and her mother proud of the fact that she is with me. Tina, you're a crazy one, but I love you all the same. I'm sorry I couldn't be around more with your sister gone but know that every night I came over and got to be a part of your life, I truly enjoyed it.

To my Extended Family: On my mother's side, thank you all for understanding why I wanted to break the chain of our family going to Norwich University and supporting me in what I've accomplished here. On my father's side, thank you for being a place I can go to whenever I need to get back to family or just away from the stresses of college. I hope I make you all proud one day.

To my Family: My younger brother Brandon. I said this Sunday night, but seriously kid, please get your head together. You have all the potential in the world to be someone great and once you realize that you'll reach that potential quicker than you could ever imagine. To my youngest brother Mikey, you have the best parts of Brandon and I. You have his raw talent and my work ethic. These two qualities will make you the most successful of the three of us. I wish you would have stayed with baseball because those five years as your coach were the best five years of my life. To my mother, who is the strongest woman I know, thank you. Thank you for letting me leave home and be the man you want me to be. I miss you every day and I'm sorry I can't be there more when the boys give you fits or you need a hug from your son. I'm a true Momma's boy (I'm actually tearing up as I write this part), and you always be my first love. To my father, since I can remember, everyday of my life has been a pursuit to make you proud. Whether it was being more involved in Church, wrestling in high school or whatever, I just wanted to live up to the level of respect and admiration others have for you. We've come a long way since that recruiter was sitting in our living room talking about the nice office in Kuwait City I was going to sit in. Hearing you say you're proud of me is one of the greatest accomplishments I've ever had and I hope I continue to do that. I love you all very much.

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One of the things I've always preached is that college is $40,000 a year to learn time management. My best times were managed in the walls of WRHU. While my diploma may say "Hofstra University" my education came in a studio, on a team bus, in the field reporting, or just in the main office goofing around. This place is the hardest place to leave. But, as a man who truly has been all over the place, this is one of the few places I will always call home. Thank you everyone so much. It has been a fabulous ride and I can't imagine changing anything.

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

I wrote this back in February on a piece of paper and just stumbled across it. Found it amusing, hope you do too.


It's weird, ya know, I was watching the movie "3:10 to Yuma" the other day. It's a Western movie with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Crowe plays this renegade outlaw who gets caught because of Bale's character. But Bale plays this rancher who is crippled from the Civil War and is in dire financial needs due to a drought.

Anyway, it got me thinking. Our society really hasn't changed much since the pioneer days. Aside from inflation and technology bringing different kinds of jobs there are basically three types of people in the world. You have your middle class people who get the mildly glamorous high paying jobs; the blue-collar workers who rely on the good gracious of whats been given to them to earn a living. And then there is Ben Wade.

While the idea of Ben Wade is an outlaw who kills and steals to make his way through life, I find a different meaning to his role. Wade is a guy who does what he has to to survive. He could easily be a banker, or a lawyer, or an artist (Wade is a brilliant artist in the film.) Or, he could rely on what Bale's character does, the land to provide for his family. Instead, Wade is a criminal. He bends, and breaks, the rules of society constantly traveling to country wreaking havoc on those who stand in his way.

While the movie depicts him as a criminal and an outlaw, I like to consider the idea of Ben Wade as something more beneficial: a hero.

Think about it. Here is a guy who is hell bent on staying alive, staying on his own path, simply so that he can continue on the life he has. Isn't that the American Dream?

I get that he steals and kills and makes the lives of others absolute hell, but consider this: haven't we always been told that we can be whatever we want to be as long as we do whatever it takes, and not to let anyone tell you you can't and don't let any sonuvabitch stand in your way? Isn't that what Ben Wade does?

And yes, Bale's character is the "good guy" of the film, but he and Crowe's screenplays are the same person, just on different spectrum's of the law. Bale does whatever it takes, including abandoning his wife and deathly ill son, just to make sure a hardened criminal is locked away.

While that is the righteous thing to do, consider the final fifteen minutes of the picture. Wade constantly is trying to persuade Bale to set him free, double the reward, and Bale refuses simply because the story he told his sons about losing his leg in the war is not as heroic as it seems. In fact, it's embarrassing. He wants to do something that will make his family proud of him.

Upon hearing the actual tale, Wade decides to help Bale's character get him on the train to Yuma prison. He even kills every member of his own gang after they (SPOILER ALERT!!!!) after they kill Bale's character. He then jumps on the train to Yuma, completing Bale's heroic quest, but not before admitting that he has escaped the prison before. Twice.

I guess the conclusion is that there are two types of heroes. The one who does what he can until an extraordinary chance comes along to do something right. And the one who blazes his own path so the ends justify the means. My question to you then, is this: in this "dog-eat-dog" world, which one would you rather be?