Arms Wide Open

Wow. Alright, let me just get the only bad part of the our Opening Night visit to Conseco Field House for the Pacers game out of the way…Tyler Hansbrough (the reason we got the tickets) did not dress. Well, he was dressed, but it was a suit and dress shoes. His bad shin is “this close” to being ready to play. While that was a bit of a buzz kill, it did not put a damper on a great, great night for “the boy” and I. I couldn’t even make this up, check this out….

1. He got on the jumbotron (pictured above with me beside him taking the picture).

2. He got a ball when they were throwing them out during a time out

3. He got another pacer jersey when they were throwing them out during a different time out.

4. He got sat on by the mascot

5. NBA Legend Larry Bird was in the house…and my friend Jeff pointed out that we had better seats!

The Pacers didn’t bring home the victory, but man that was a lot of fun. We got there just in time for tip off and were sitting right behind the cameramen on the baseline the entire game. At one point, Jermaine O’Neal came right at us for a loose ball. He landed in the empty seat beside me but did step on my camera in the process. No harm done though. He even said “you okay”?

Could you imagine explaining that warranty claim? “See I was sitting in the front row at this NBA game and a player stepped on it….” Right…

Anyway, “The Boy” was star struck at Dwayne Wade, Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, Danny Granger and, of course, Larry Bird. You can actually see us on the game highlights on NBA.com. The best views are at the :43, 1:36 and 1:47 marks. We’re by the “I” in Indiana on the baseline. The video is (HERE).  It was definitely a night we will remember. We’ve got 2 more dates circled on our Pacers calendar right now. November 20th and January 29th. Both games are against the Cavs. More to come on that.

Here are just a few of the many, many pictures I took.

Most of you will probably be glad that UNC is out tonight so I will stop blogging about them (although they have a wicked sweet baseball team too). One final post after the loss to Kansas. I’ll give UNC credit, they made it worth watching in the 2nd half. Danny Green (he of the 6 turnovers) had a 3 that went all the way around the rim and out which would have brought the once 28 point lead to 2. It was amazing. Then they ran out of gas.

It was a lot of fun this year. Hansbrough will probably be back for one more shot at it. They also have one of the highest ranked recruiting classes next year.

I still hate Sports Illustrated….

It’s 10:00pm on Saturday and two things are clear to me right now.

#1. I hate Sports Illustrated.

#2. We are getting absolutely embarrassed by Kansas.

Kansas 44 UNC 27

I didn’t do a whole lot of posting the past few weeks, but it was a Carolina Christmas at the Conrad household! It started when Heather got me the Carolina flag which now flies outside our home on game day. I also received a Carolina tie which will come in handy for dress up days.

Austin was the real winner this year though. His gifts included a UNC snow hat (which also fits me), a UNC Hoodie (which doesn’t fit me) and a wicked sweet Tyler Hansbrough jersey! We haven’t been able to take it off of him long enough to wash it.

I also bought myself a UNC gift by grabbing the domain tarheelfan.net. I have no idea what I am going to do with it, if anything, but it was too good to pass up. I also got word from my team leader in Charlotte that he is working on getting tickets to the UNC vs North Carolina State game at NC State in February. Believe me, you will know about it if I get them!

The guys are 13-0 with one more game before ACC play begins. It’s been a great ride so far.

I was going to let the TAR HEEL WIN go by with nothing more than the pictures in my previous post. That being said, I have been getting emails, phone calls and text messages all day. You’d think I would be the one sending them out boasting. It’s cool though. The reality is, I live in Buckeye country, which makes me a Buckeye. However, in case you missed it, I am a Tar Heel fan, living in Columbus. Talk about a man without a country! (Insert village idiot jokes here).

As you can see, we stayed true to the rules and wore our Buckeye gear. As you can also see, I wore the Carolina Blue closest to my heart. Not pictured are my old school Carolina Nikes on my feet too. I was well covered. Austin, Heather and I used an Outback gift certificate and had a nice pre-game meal together. We were bringing Heather up to speed on the players, and what to watch for.

We got to the arena and it was electric. Painted faces (UNC and OSU fans), crazy outfits and of course the band playing “Hang on Sloopy”. Our seats were at half court about 16 rows up. Great seats. The only bad part of the evening occurred about 10 minutes after we got their when the batteries in our camera died. I had to take the rest with my phone. Just a minor setback.

Austin and I were in hoop heaven! I told the guy next to me (who was Thad Matta’s neighbor) that I was sorry before the game even started. I explained I was a Carolina fan and I would be cheering for them. He took the news well and I think I actually made a friend.

One thing is for sure, I’m glad I have unlimited texting because people were coming out of the wood work every time OSU would make a run or take the lead. I got calls from people I haven’t spoken to in MONTHS! In terms of the game, OSU played great defense, especially against Hansbrough. The officiating was horrible on both sides. Without Ty Lawson (Austin’s favorite player), UNC is just not the same team. OSU really struggled shooting the ball and that ultimately cost them the game. It wasn’t pretty but we will take it.

The whole experience was great. Seeing Carolina for the first time in person, with my son and wife by my side was more than I could hope for. I would wear Duke gear if it meant I could do that again. Those that know me know that is saying a lot. I cheer and will cheer for the Buckeyes all the time. Just one night, against one particular team, the decision was easy. Thanks to all of you that shared in the fun. Thanks to “D-Rich” too. I owe you HUGE for this one.