About Exit 181

In this life, there are leaders, and there are followers. Count me in to the latter group. After a growing affinity for a few different sports blogs on the web, and my idle Journalism degree from Bowling Green State University, I thought hey, I can do this too. (Although the frame I put the diploma in is pretyyy good.) The vast majority of my sports media experience lies in the broadcast end, but I've always enjoyed writing despite my desire to not make it a career. In the end, looking for a job in the competitive world of play-by-play announcing, and actually having a job in said industry (I have actually spent time employed behind the mic!) is so time consuming that the non-binding nature of blogging is ideal to satisfy my writing bug as hobby.

A few caveats. #1. I love college sports, and by that, I don't just mean the BCS conferences. Graduating from a MAC School, you learn that the sacrifices made by college athletes are the same at every level, whether you're in DI or DIII. Big money conference athletics are a very small part of a scene that at its core, is still a very pure entity. I hope to help people to realize that as my life in sports goes on. I understand the hierarchy of the NCAA, and even defend the Bowl Championship Series. But if you're looking for yet another sports media type to suck off the Ohio States of the world, and say the Bowling Greens of the world don't belong near the top, Exit 181 probably isn't for you. #2. I love hockey. At the end of day, It seems like I'm always left defending the NHL as a major sport in America. Sure, maybe all 12 Florida Panthers season ticket holders may not make a compelling case, but if you don't think hockey is a major sport in the U.S., check out downtown Buffalo or Detroit the night of a game. #3. I HATE the NBA. That product has really fallen off since the Magic-Bird-Jordan days. I can't see myself writing about it very much, unless a player gets arrested. The me-first attitude of the players and the non-chalant nature with which the games are played have really turned me off. And enough with this "they are the best athletes in the world" crap. I think the guys who play the same amount of games during the season, yet do it on a sheet of ice with several pounds of equipment on them are better athletes. For as much as I despise the NBA, I am probably the biggest college basketball fan you will ever meet, men's or women's. While I love a good Duke-UNC game, I've had no problem driving through the snow to make sure I get to the Toledo-Buffalo game on time. #4. Like any fan, I have my favorite teams, and there are teams I absolutly hate. I'm sure that will all come out in time. Between all the groundbreaking objectivity I have planned, you'll see a little bias. Sure I don't get paid for this while Joe Newspaper does, but that's the beauty of the blogosphere. If I wanna talk a little Bowling Green Hockey, I can. I'll find a real job one of these days, so I'll take the trade-off.

Without making this a PSA for my fledgling career, I've been announcing sports on the radio since the fall of 2000, when I landed my first high school football gig for my alma mater, the Geneva (NY) High Panthers. I was actually a sophomore in high school at the time, and when perennial whipping boy Geneva beat league bully Newark 20-14 in overtime to clinch a playoff birth during my first broadcast as a color guy, I knew how I wanted to put food on my table. Even if that food continues to be frozen pizza rolls, as in the excitement following our upset win no one bothered to mention the harsh realities of the sportscasting business. I always like to stroke my ego by casually mentioning that I called my first football game before I could legally drive a car. I went on to college at Bowling Green State University in the fall of 2003, and graduated in May 2007 with a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism and a Minor focusing in Interpersonal Communication. I constantly wax poetic about how much I love BGSU and how much I absolutly love the athletics, and I'm sure that will all come out in time as well. There, I worked for WBGU-FM, the University owned and student run radio station, broadcasting BGSU Falcon Sports. That opportunity culminated with me being one of two lead broadcasters for the 2006-07 BGSU Women's Basketball team, who ended the season 31-4, (15-1 as MAC Champions) ranked 15th in the nation and were the Mid-American Conference's first ever "Sweet 16" participant in the NCAA Tournament. Calling our win over Vanderbilt in the second round, the SEC Tournament Champion, was an unbelieveable cap to an unforgettable college career. Hardly a one-year wonder, that program's sustained success totally squashes the "Mid-Major" stigma of college sports that so many elite athletes have been unfairly labeled with.

Finally, I am not computer savvy, and am learning as I go along. And as you can tell if you're still reading, I tend to be a little long-winded. But if you are still reading, and if you ever come back, thanks. I do have a vision, but I'm not sure how Exit 181 will evolve. It won't be totally about me, but I love to funnel my opinions and knowledge through my personal experiences and travels in sports. Oh, and about the name. If you ever find yourself traveling I-75 in Ohio, just remember my blog and you'll have the directions to the inspiration of a lifetime. Welcome, and thank you for reading.