What's Up Homes? Truck Stop Royalty Edition

Yes, and my wife is an heiress.

The Jack's service station/restaurant/western wear/outdoor wear empire looms prominently in the Cullman, Alabama skyline. If you've ever traveled I-65 from Birmingham to Huntsville, then you've probably frequented the family truck stop.

My father-in-law (the grandkids call him "Pa-Paw") lives way out in the boonies in a majestic place on Smith Lake.

Oh yes, it's haunted too. The Savannahesque statue guards 17 graves in the front yard. My wife reports all sorts of strange happenings from her childhood, including a sleepwalking chase which involved tearing out a window screen...Just another piece of the puzzle I guess.

The owner is a stickler for decor in all five bedrooms on three levels.










It makes me think I might have jumped to conclusions about life in Alabama and the truck stop business. Maybe I ought to tear up that screenplay.

Breaking up is hard to do

This was the first Sunday Night after the Breaking Bad season finale. And while a fine Game 2 of the NBA Finals helped fill the void, the loss of my new favorite show hasn't really sunk in yet.

***CAUTION-SPOILERS***

While it hasn't sunk in for me yet, imaging being Walter White (Bryan Cranston).

You've beaten cancer. You've taken care of your family financially for the forseeable future. You've rescued Jesse (Aaron Paul), your "business" partner from an abyss of drug addiction and depression and set him up in a cushy recovery situation.

You've managed to evade law enforcement. This includes a dogged DEA bigwig who just so happens to be your brother-in-law who is actually looking for you (well your alias "Heisenberg" - named after a pioneer in quantum mechanics).

And most importantly you're still alive when so many that you've come into contact with are no longer.

So, you've won. Except that all the lies you've told your family to get to this point are being called...And your wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) says she's had enough and leaves you.

And as this all sinks in, Walt's property is bombarded by debris from an overhead plane crash...The result of a chain of events that he actually set in motion. Seems that everything's connected in the ABQ.

Now, we'll all miss the great characters unveiled in the second half of Season 2.

"Better Call" Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk, Mr. Show) - the sleazy, well-connected, brilliant criminal lawyer. Without Saul, Walt and Jesse would still be at each other's throats and more importantly, would still be broke.

Gustavo (Giancarlo Esposito from a million things, maybe best in Do The Right Thing) - the successful owner of Los Pollos Hermanos, a regional chain of Mexican chicken shacks, and community leader. He's also the largest crystal meth wholesaler in the Southwest.

Donald (John de Lancie, who was the comic antagoinst "Q" from Star Trek: TNG) - the grief-stricken air traffic controller who can't come to grips with his daughter's overdose, which yields tragic results.

I guess we'll see ya'll next season. It's a break that will seem too long.

An Alabama Hit and Run

How was your weekend?

Mine was spent behind the wheel. Took my 5-year old to Grandma's in Cullman on Saturday, then made an about face on Sunday.

First stop, truck stop. Meet the family business.

You can spend an entire day and a lot of money at Jack's Western Wear. My son must think that Crocs grow on trees. I considered buying him one of these T-shirts:

A cursory check yielded no such Christmas requests to play for Gene Chizik at Auburn. Not yet anyway.

When I spent the night at my father-in-law's lakeside estate (more on this in a later post), I found a familiar looking statue waiting for me.

And much like the Savannah version, she guards headstones - in his front yard.

Swung by Talladega Super Speedway on the way back.







If fictional race car driver Ricky Bobby ever enjoyed any Talladega Nights, that would be a fictional account too. If there's any nightlife in this sleepy town, it would be a major upset.

Despite being almost constantly on the road, my XM radio kept me connected with my Yankees. Heard both weekend games in their entirety. Got to watch Federer make quick work and history on Sunday morning. Got home in time to see a vintage Tiger Woods Sunday finish.

Tennis...Anyone?

I like to think I grew up in the "golden age" of tennis.

Borg. Connors. McEnroe. Lendl. Becker. Which spawned the next era of Sampras and Agassi. Today isn't shabby either with Federer and Nadal, but neither of them are American.

The women's side still has strong US representation, and international sex appeal as well.

Tennis is still globally relavant, but it's not moving the meter much here in Dixie.

Tennis happens all over the world at all hours, but it's a different age now with the internet, ESPNEWS, etc. If I'm at the playground, I can keep up with scores on my phone. If I'm in the car, I get updates every 20 minutes on ESPN Radio.

I expect to pop in the house and see live action.

On Sunday morning, Rafael Nadal entered his 4th Round match against #23 Robin Soderling having never lost at Roland Garros (31-0). But as I learned he was on the ropes I raced home to check out the end.

It was the weekend so I went to NBC first - infomercial. So I went to ESPN2, the Grand Slam Network - Outdoor show. No live coverage for the biggest upset in the sport in years.

On Friday afternoon, Roger Federer was in a deadlock against #5 Juan Martin Del Potro. It was the Men's Semis, so I went to NBC first - Judge Judy. I went to ESPN2 - College Baseball Super Regionals. Great event, not what I was looking for.

No live TV for Federer's 5-set gut-check win to knock on the door for his first French title.

Twice this week, the live TV situation completely burned me - and is helping to push me away from a sport I used to love.

Jumpin' Around

June 4, 2009 turned out to be one of the monster sports days. It started off quietly enough as four women with multiple syllables and hard to pronounce names faced off in the French Open semis.

But as the afternoon moved on, working in and around parent things, action heated up in the Bronx.

The Yankees capped off a rally from 5-1 down. A bases-clearing double by 2009 MVP Candidate Mark Teixeira and a clutch single by A-Rod set the table for The Amazing Melky Cabrera, who came up big again with a 2-run game-winning blast in the 8th.



Then Randy Johnson, the Big Unit, collected win #300 – some say he’ll be the last to get there. Brian Wilson closed out the Nationals, striking out the side in the 9th for a 5-1 Giants win just before 7 ET.


Get the kids to bed and it’s the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals on the same night. Very odd that it happened.

With the potentially long layoff for the NHL since the Wings and Pens easily advanced to their Finals rematch, the start date was moved up one week. The problem was, NBC wanted to launch Conan O’Brien without the risk of a double OT game moving him to the middle of the night. So Stanley Cup Games 1 & 2 aired back-to-back weekend nights on NBC, and Versus got a very reasonable Tuesday/Thursday double-dip in Pittsburgh.

I was relegated to my office and my instincts and a remote. My wife used her rare off night to watch Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange on the big TV. If she went for Full Metal Jacket, it might have been a tough call. If it was Eyes Wide Shut, she probably would have gotten me out of the house.

With the 1-hour stagger you really can watch both, even on one set.

The NHL game was the superior product, at least on this night. It’s not really a fair fight as it was Game 4 vs Game 1. The scene in Pittsburgh had a lot more intensity despite Leo, Jack, et al in LA.

The LA crowd was “Been there, done that.” Pittsburgh's was “Been here, do this!”

The Red Wings were looking to seize control of the series. They led 2-1 in the Finals, and were up 2-1 on the road early in the 2nd Period. They got back-to-back Pittsburgh penalties, and were looking to ice the game and, effectively, the series.

But Jordan Staal got a steal and scored shorthanded for the tie. Right after they killed the remainder of the penalty, Sidney Crosby scored the go-ahead. Then Sid set-up Tyler Kennedy on some gorgeous pinball action. It was 4-2 home team and the Igloo was on fire. Talk about a House of Pain !

The electric 2nd Period ended just in time to see The Magic get spunky early in LA. Jameer Nelson's return further bolsters the St. Joe's rep - that "The Hawk Will Never Die." But the Lakers woke up in time to go on a 25-10 run to end the 1st Half. And as intermission approached in one venue, action began in another.

The Pens got strong goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury throughout the final period and got even. Now they're headed back to Detroit for Game 5.

Since hockey concluded in tidy regulation, I got to see the Kobe show in the 3rd Quarter. Certainly looks like a man on a mission, playing with a ferocity that we haven't seen from someone so smooth.

Interesting to see if Versus, which had a very nice rating on Tuesday, made a dent in the mighty NBA on ABC. They had the better product and some fortunate timing.

Meet Your 2009 American League MVP?

It shouldn't be that big a surprise considering the money the Yankees spent on Mark Teixeira. But, if you date back only 3 weeks, he was batting just .191 and frustrating a nation of Yankee fans, as well as his himself.


His bat has rebounded in a big way, but the numbers aren't off the charts. His 16 HR and 44 RBI rank 2nd and 4th in the AL, respectively. His .279 average is a big step up, but the measurables don't begin to tell the story of Teixeira's impact.

It's his intangibles that are leading the Yankees to their current perch on top of the League. He is a 2-time Gold Glove winner and the best defensive player on a team that just posted a Major-League record 18-game errorless streak. First Base is usually a position where you hide one of your best hitters, but Teixeira adds that extra dimension, which is what makes him so valuable.

And he may have had his defining moment in last night's win over his former team.

If you see the final score, it looks like a 12-3 romp for the Bombers. If you look in the paper, Mark Teixeira went 0-for-3. He didn't score a run. He didn't drive one in. But if you look closer, you'll see he was hit twice by the Rangers' Vicente Padilla. The second time was a little too obvious.

But instead of charging the mound, Teixeira took care of it the old-fashioned way, breaking up A-Rod's potentially inning-ending Double Play.

Teixeira's fire and determination kept the rally alive and helped turn the 3-2 deficit into a 9-3 lead, and there's no trace of it in the box score.

His play, and most importantly the way he plays, is what makes the Yankees a different and better team in 2009. And as the Yankees separate from the pack as the summer wears on, he may very well be the ringleader.

What Exactly Do You Do? (Redux)

There are two of "me" - there's the "professional me" (7 months a year) and the "domestic me" (5 months a year).

I am now in the dog days of the domestic me. Limo service for my kids to karate, T-Ball, speech, gymnastics, swimming, doctor & dentist appointments, etc. Creator of world-class pancakes, tacos, and any fish you can grill. Semi-avid runner and wine-taster. The Yankees are a daily fix. Basically, I'm driving my wife crazy.

Plenty of time to blog, but not too many experiences to post about - unless you count Sesame Street Live.

So I offer some perspective on the sports world when I have some, but usually that winds up being the kiss of death. My most recent post pointed out how the French Open no longer has any drama on the men's side because Rafael Nadal has never lost there. (Lo siento, hermano)

So I'll re-introduce the professional me, from one of Backtime's earliest editions.

February 3, 2009 - "What Exactly Do You Do?"

Art Garfunkel was once asked that. Paul Simon wrote the songs and played the guitar, while Garfunkel provided only half of the vocals. Garfunkel rambled thoughtfully about being a producer of the record (back when we had records), and how he had to manipulate all the subtle nuances to create the final package.

As a producer, I can relate. When you watch a sports broadcast on TV, I’m not the guy calling the game, cutting the cameras, or coordinating the graphics. So what exactly do I do?

I have one boss who likens the producer role to a conductor of an orchestra, bringing all the different components of the show into harmony.

If I were my own boss (which, technically, I am), I would say that being a producer is about weaving a tapestry of storytelling and using all the personnel and equipment at my disposal to create a seamless journey through synergy and association. And I would make damn sure I was wearing a suit and tie when I said it.

Look, the real fun part of a production only really happens around getting all your breaks in, and running all your promos and sales obligations. That’s when it’s time to get creative and use your instincts. To try and anticipate what happens next and hope that you haven’t only mapped it out in your own head, and properly communicated it to your crew.

Content. Visuals. Replays. Graphics. Music. Forecasting. Sometimes you do nothing but enjoy the sounds of silence. A lot goes into producing a live TV show. I used to joke with a colleague that “You have no idea what I do.” That makes two of us.