Jason's Untimely Thoughts

This past Saturday I was at the MU football team scrimmage.  Ended up sitting with some of the parents, one of whom arrived late.  They wanted to know if their son had made an interception yet, then told me how they always tell him they want to see him with an interception returned for a touchdown.  But only against one of the quarterbacks, because the other one is a friend.  We joked about how that was a lot to remember during the course of the play.

On Tuesday, the scenario played out exactly as hoped for, except the poor kid tore his ACL when returning the interception.  It was just weird, given the conversation at the previous practice.

This leads me to Weird Athletic Injury Story #1, which took place on my last day of work in the athletic department at Columbia College.

We were hosting the men’s volleyball national tournament, just a few days after announcing we were not going to field a men’s volleyball team any longer.  Good vibes all around, and since every other team was playing somewhere, I was the only athletic department person around to share the fun.

I was keeping stats during the Championship Match, with the assistance of two volleyball players from China (now assistant volleyball coaches at MU).  Since it was the championship match, the All Tournament and team trophies were on the desk in front of me, at court side.

Sometime during the first game, a ball comes our way, smacks a trophy and breaks it.  The way the trophy was made, it breaks right at the trophy guy’s ankle, snapping off cleanly.  I laugh, make some comment about bad luck, move on.  The two Chinese players very seriously tell me that in their country this would all be a very bad sign.

About an hour later, in game three of the match, one of the players goes down with a…… broken ankle.  Worst injury I witnessed in 3 years there and 2 years in minor league baseball.   Story continues.

At the end of the match we announce the All Tournament Team and pass out the trophies.  Last member of the All Tournament Team…. kid with the broken ankle (who wasn’t there, so thankfully I didn’t have to give him the trophy with the matching broken ankle).

My collegiate football memories include lots of bad advertising campaigns…. Earning Our Stripes, Jump on Woody’s Wagon, etc.

In that vein, the following email exchange today:

wishbone says:

Earning your stripes out there people?  who would have thought that the wresling coach would come up with the football slogan for next year’s unleashing.

“When I saw him get that first takedown I was like ‘Whoo, he got it,'” coach Brian Smith said. “I just saw him relax and start breaking people.”

Relax and Start Breaking People, Mizzou Football 09

pickle says:

I like “Whoo, he got it” better.

wishbone says:

OK, that can be our new ‘Gig’em, Whoooooop’

yogi says:

Whooooo.

pickle says:

He got it!

wishbone says:

Did you see the way he just relaxed and broke that guy? Dang.

it was funny to me.

A benefit of going to a ‘real’ pre-school has been the random health screenings that are part of the territory. Hearing screening, Adelaide needed tubes put in.  Eye screening, Adelaide needed glasses.  And so on.

When at the eye doctor picking up her glasses, the doctor told Sarah that there would be an adjustment period “while her brain adjusts to seeing the new way”.  Or some similar.  Over the weekend, we’re asking Adelaide how she likes her glasses and if she can see better.  “Yeah, I think my brain is adjusted.”

Sarah says, “you listen very well, don’t you?”

“Yeah, now that I can hear,” AEB replies, in her best teenager impersonation.

Never one to be outdone, Jack Thayer (or “Just Jack” as he currently prefers), is also high on the drama.  Every answered question is followed with (good news) “Yes!” or (bad news) “Oh man”.

For example, “Can I sleep with this soccer ball?”  Sure.  “Yes!” “Can I watch Disney Channel all day?”  No.  “Oh, man.”

That is all.

I discovered on New Year’s Eve that I hate the SEC. The Southeastern Conference that is, I’m not nearly enough of an investor to hate the Securities and Exchange Commission. I’m not an investor. Is devestor a word?

Anyway, I hate the SEC. If I was sure of the definition of irony, I’d say my hatred is ironic, because it’s based on my evolving hatred of the other teams in the Big 12. Specifically, I used to just hate KU. A lot. Over time, I started hating Nebraska and K-State too. Lived in San Antonio, hated UT and A&M. Went to a game in Boulder, hated CU (fans). Whining visor boy becomes coach of OU, I hate them. And so on.

To the point now where I simply hate them all. If they’re playing someone, I want someone to win. If someone is already winning, I want them to win by more. A simple philosophy for a simple guy. I realize the whole argument of makes the conference look better, thereby making Mizzou look better. Really, I get it. Occasionally, not when KU is playing, but occasionally, I can talk myself into that. But mostly, I don’t care and I hate them. The combination makes for a mostly win-win situation for me.

Then, at a bar in the hotel in Dallas while Arkansas fans are openly and loudly cheering for the Kentucky football team. Except they never say Go Kentucky, or Go Cats, or anything resembling that. Just every time there’s a good play, they smugly say “SEC!” or some crap and smirk at each other before another round of calling the Hogs. And over and over again for the remainder of the trip. Didn’t you guys just join the SEC last week or something?

And then the LSU fans start chanting “SEC” in the Superdome at the end of the national championship game? What?! Celebrating your conference is crazy, give me a nice round of rivalries.

On other news, Adelaide had a hearing screening done at pre-school a few months ago. As a result, she now has tubes in her ears. She had a vision screening done a few weeks ago. Found out this morning she needs glasses. Hooray Screenings.

on a side note, screw ku.

It’s been another grand year for the Becking household, moving forward with housing and growing and schooling and dancing and Mizzouing as appropriate.   Sarah & Jason travelled to New York, Virginia, Colorado, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio, with the rest of the family also making those last two trips.  We mixed in some medicine and some Mizzou on those trips, but even better got to see some old friends on each of them.  Thanks to all for hospitality along the way.

Jack Thayer is now two and likes race cars and football guys and super guys.  And race car shirts and football shirts and super guy shirts.  He’s also not above wearing a pink leotard should the occasion arise (with sister’s encouragement).  He’s attending pre-school for the first time, two days a week, and seems to be taking that very well.

Adelaide is five but missed the cutoff for the start of kindergarten by a few weeks, so back to CDC pre-school for her, this year at five days a week.  Jack shares her class in the afternoon when he’s there, so she gets to boss both the teachers and the brother around on those days.  She just had her third Christmas Dance recital, performing wonderfully in a Mambo Santa number, on the path of wanting to be Hannah Montana or, even better, a Golden Girl (and thanks to them for being so nice to her during the year).

Sarah & Jason are each cruising along in the photography realm.  Sarah continues to shoot for Mizzou and lots of kids’ portraits.  Jason continues to bring lots of her orders home with him from Miller’s.  It’s conceivable that her business is the only reason he remains on the payroll.  On the health front, monitoring and education remain the primary treatments, with the good help of our local physicians and friends accompanying the national groups.  Sarah continues to feel well, thank you.

It’s been a shockingly busy year, with lots of time in lots of places, but not nearly enough time with lots of friends and family.  The way of everyone’s busy world for sure, but we hope to improve there and see more of each of you along the way.  You’re warned for 2008.

After beating the mythical shoe-wearing birds on Saturday in KC, our beloved Tigers are ranked #1 in the BCS Standings, the AP poll, and whatever the other poll is called that was supposed to accomplish something. Mizzou stands at #2 in the coaches’ poll. MU plays OU on Saturday in San Antonio, one of our favorite places in the world, for the right to play in the BCS National Championship game.

While I commonly predicted 14-0, told a few people in private asides that the game at OU was going to be tough but 13-1 might really happen, and am generally fairly optimistic about our chances (I tried to avoid saying “our”, “we”, etc., but simply can’t), the reality of being #1 in BCS standings and potential of playing in the national championship game simply hasn’t hit me. Oh well, lots of time between now and January 7!

Since the Tiger victory Saturday night, I have been genuinely amazed and surprised at the number of people who have told me “congratulations”. And meant it. I’m extremely happy we won. Thought of losing to KU in that context was especially difficult to stomach. But, I didn’t play. Didn’t coach. Etc. I sent lots of e-mails though and bought lots of tickets, so perhaps that’s why people feel the need to tell me congratulations and I can’t resist saying “we”.

On the lots of tickets topic, my obsession led me to purchase 81 tickets to MU football games thus far. 81. I’ll have used 12 personally, but still. That’s crazy. And doesn’t count the 380 tickets I put on the work credit card for company tailgate or the however many we end up with for the next game. I say again, if only there was some really obvious way that the athletic department and Sarah could get together so they’d get photos they need and we’d get tickets we evidently need.

Back to the KU game. Pre-game, the beakers once again proved to be liars with their athletic director making the ridiculous claim that the crowd would be 70% pro-KU. Wow. Wrong. However, sincere thanks to whomever in beakerville was responsible for keeping the red socks in the drawer this year. I’ll assume that was a nod towards respect and sanity.

Finally, many were expecting me to go crazy on KU week and send out large chunks of material (insert Mangino joke here) (insert Reesing with a piece of KC sod joke here). Home games only, for tailgating purposes, that is all. If I’d have been funnier during the year, I might have sent another one. As it was, I was sick of my ramblings.

Finally, No Freaking Cursing. Chase Daniel is on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. Has caused me to read many e-mails of “oh no” and what not. Garbage. SI’s own research proves that any alleged curse has come true at most 37% of the time. Since the curse clearly worked on the shoebirds last week, my expert statistical reasoning allows that there’s only a 14% chance of it working two weeks in a row. And that’s if there was every any such thing. And there’s not.

BEAT OU!!!! And on a side note, screw ku.

KU game is forthcoming… hatred is building… frightening scenarios are being played-out all over two states and ESPN.  Enough attention this week without me adding to it.  Game is national broadcast on ABC at 7:00 p.m.

My early suggestions for signs:

Chickenhawks:
Always
Been
Cheaters

Chickenhawk
A Mythical Shoe-Wearing
Bird That Presumably
Can’t Fly

A
Beaker
Cookout

Sarah & I were out of town over the weekend, so I didn’t watch any football. I was frantically checking scores, however, especially once I started to clue in to all the upsets going on.

Thanks be to the MU schedule makers who allowed us to have a BYE this week instead of playing the Cornshuckers. The weekend’s action should have drilled in to the Tigers’ collective head that anyone can beat anyone in college football, should you not be ready to play. Now they’ll be prepared and won’t overlook the lowly boys from Nowledge, who come in as 7-point underdogs hoping to shock the world.

Beat Nebraska, screw ku.

Many have asked recently how Sarah is doing, so despite my continuing promises of no more updates until something changes, here’s an update.

We recently had another round of scans, both CT scans and Octreoscans, and then the visits with the corresponding doctors.  The scans continue to show either no change or positive change.  Some of the spots continue to get smaller while others appear to be stable.  Beyond the liver and specific lymph nodes, any time something “new” has popped up on a scan, it’s later been debunked.  No new spots, no growth, some shrinking.  All good.  And we simply can’t stress enough how fortunate we feel to have friends in town who can and gladly do help us decipher this stuff.

More detail, Sarah has been diagnosed as having “atypical carcinoid”.  The main feature that makes it “atypical” is that it grows faster than typical would, a diagnosis based on where Sarah’s carcinoid started, how it metastasized, and the tissue sample from that removed tumor.  However, it’s not behaving as a typical atypical carcinoid would.  Specifically, it’s not growing and has shrunk.

Based on the diagnosis, the standard treatment at this point should likely include chemotherapy.  In fact, the physician we saw in New York recommended a specific (eventually) combination treatment of two chemo drugs, to start immediately and last at least 4 months, potentially for years.  While not decided for certain, we don’t feel now is the time to start that treatment.  If the CT scans were showing something different, then maybe.   We’ll continue to monitor closely (more closely than every doctor we’ve visited recommends, with the exception of our local oncologist) and to investigate options.

One hope, among many, is that perhaps the situation has changed enough to make surgery an option on the lymph nodes, the liver, or in combination.  If we can get the disease limited to the liver, then that opens additional proven treatment options.  That’s where things stand as of today.  The decision on chemo hasn’t been made fully, but that’s how we’re leaning.

A common question when we’re discussing the situation with others is “How’s the football team going to be?”  We’re happy to report that another 14-0 season is in the works.  Tigers open the season in 10 days (6 days using Melissa Smith’s magic counting tricks) against Illinois in St. Louis for victory number one.  We have lodging arranged for 11 of those 14 games, with others in the family taking the bold lead and reserving hotel rooms in San Antonio for the Big 12 Championship game.

Adelaide and Jack have both gone back to school this week.  Adelaide’s in her third-year at CDC, or “Jack’s school” as he calls it.  JT has started there as well, going 2-days/week to “Adelaide’s school”, as she calls it.

That’s where we are.  Hope you’re well where you are.  Go Tigers.  Screw carcinoid.  Screw ku.