Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Don Jozwiak

Don Jozwiak

Figuring it out as I go along.

Music Monday: Things Have Changed.

"Lot of water under the bridge, lot of other stuff, too.
Don't get up gentlemen, I'm only passing through."

This is going to be a Bob Dylan sort of week. I'm grooving on this particular song in the most backhandedly optimistic way. No one in front of me and nothing behind.

Any thoughts on golf and the environment?

I'm working on an upcoming PGA Magazine cover story on golf and the environment. I'm going to be talking to a handful of experts in how the sport can become greener (by becoming browner) and overcome any current misperceptions. I have a lot of questions, but they're all based on my years in the golf business. Anyone out there have any questions/concerns/complaints about golf's environmental impact? I'd love to hear from golfers and non-golfers alike. Let's crowdsource this thing! Occupy my story!

Home office hazard.

I've been working from home for the better part of the last decade. Today I reached a new height (or low, depending on your sartorial viewpoint) in clothing selection:

1. Black zip-up hoodie (with bonus random motivational saying on the back)
2. Red T-shirt
3. Navy blue sweatpants (baggy)
4. Gray wool socks
5. Brown suede slippers

Was I productive? Yes. Was I cozy on a cold day? Yes. Did I look like a model for a cold medicine ad? Oh yes. So be it. I'll spare you posting a photo of this, but you should be able to conjure a suitably frightening image in your mind's eye. I pray to God, in the name of all that is Tebow-like, that I never have to start doing video chats with my co-workers.

A punch in the bowls.

As we were watching the Outback Bowl, Jackson asked the question that the NCAA should ask itself about the arcane bowl system: "What does MSU get if it wins?" Um, a trophy. Bragging rights over a team they may never play again. A cool reward for the players, who get to finish their season with a sunny road trip filled with goodies (up to a $500 value; these aren't professionals, after all!). And ... that's it.

Unless you're playing for the national championship in whatever bowl is hosting the Nos. 1-2 teams, you're not playing for anything else. Does it matter who won the Rose Bowl? The Outback Bowl? The Sugar Bowl? The Mountain Dew Livewire Bowl Presented by 7-11 Nacho Lime Big Bites? Nope. (And don't get me started about this year's "championship" game having two SEC teams; that only increases amount of BS packed into the crap sandwich the NCAA is serving.)

Oh wait, the bowls are a reward for the fans, right? After all, schools that "travel well" are rewarded with disproportionately prestigious bowl bids. Except the fans have wised up. Take the Sugar Bowl: The whole reason the BCS passed over more deserving teams to give bids to Virginia Tech and Michigan was because their fans would pack the Superdome. Only they didn't. There were (conservatively) 12,000 empty seats. My non-scientific survey conducted using my remote control showed a similar pattern at nearly every other bowl game (not the Rose Bowl, because that still seems to have a purpose with its Big Ten-Pac 10 tradition). Why shell out thousands of bucks to go watch a meaningless game?

Why is March Madness so great for college hoops? Because every game means something in the grand scheme. Each matchup builds toward a championship game. What if the field goal dramatics of the Outback and Sugar Bowls set up a playoff rematch between the Spartans and Wolverines, in a warm-weather vacation town, with the winner of that game going to the National Championship game? That'd be something worth traveling for. Until the current system is plowed under and replaced by a playoff, all the bowls have turds floating in them.

Incredibowl comeback.

You don't expect the Spartans to win a bowl game against an SEC team played in Florida where the opponent gets a safety on your first offensive play and adds TDs on an 80-yard TD bomb and a 90-yard punt return in the first half. Especially against a team that runs an NFL defense, and has an NFL-caliber QB, according to former NFL coach Jon NFL Gruden NFL. (Note to ABC: Please keep Gruden away from college games. Forever.)

Really, though, that first sentence is too long. It really boils down to "You don't expect the Spartans to win a bowl game." For all the advances of the Dantonio era, the team had looked anything from bad to completely overwhelmed in its five previous bowls. I actually feared for the safety of the MSU players on the field against Alabama last year.

This year, the Spartans turned the corner. And even on a day when they couldn't get their running game going and their senior QB was 80 percent awful, 10 percent great and 10 percent just good enough, they got it done. They stayed patient, didn't get overwhelmed and didn't lose their heads in a flurry of personal fouls. Jerel Worthy and William Gholston were amazing on the D-line, and Brian Linthicum was a warrior on offense.

They won the game, and another monkey is off Sparty's back. Next year, let's see more of the same in Pasadena.

Revolutions and resolutions.

Time to commemorate another trip around the sun with a to-do list for 2012. Here goes, in no particular order:

Play more golf. I only played six rounds in 2011. That's pathetic. Time to hit the links and get the kids out there with me. (Remind me of this in April or so.)

Play more guitar. Much like golf, another activity that I'm not very good at, yet thoroughly enjoy and don't do often enough. Sophia's learning how to play enough songs on the keyboard that I'd like to be able to play along, and teach her a little bit as we go. So I've dusted off the ol' Yamaha and tuned her up. My fingertips are complaining, but it's great to see my old friends D, E, A and G again. This morning, C and F agreed to come along, and so did Am and Em. With the iPad as an amp and headphones to protect the family from my practice sessions, I'll be back up to speed in no time.

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Lose 20 pounds. It just wouldn't be New Year's in America without having this on the list. I'm already doing the hard work in the gym. Now it's time to pay a little defense at the dinner table. My two-word diet plan: "I'm full." (This starts Jan. 2, by the way.)

Book it. I need to edit my novel, then figure out how to sell it. Looking forward to a DIY journey into digital publishing. Write, publish, repeat. It's been a decade since I've been in the book publishing biz, and I'm ready to jump back in.

Take nothing for granted. My life is so full and I'm so fortunate. I appreciate it every day, even when I'm feeling grumpy and old. That's my main focus for 2012: Enjoying this particular moment in time, living in the present, being glad for who and what I have, and making the most of the opportunities I have. (OK. that's a bit Hallmark-ish, but it's true. And New Year's is the perfect time for a little sentimentality. So there.)

And, of course, I resolve to pay more attention to this space than I did over the past year. So to you, I say cheers to New Year's, and let's have a great 2012 together.

Better late than never. Or, Happy New Year!

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If you've been rushing to the mailbox each day looking for a family Christmas card from our crew, I have some bad news for you. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Not going to beat around the bush. Just going to rip that Band-Aid right off. Here it is: You're not getting one. Sorry, but we ran out of time and ambition on this front. The only people who got actual mailed cards from us are the early birds that shamed us into sending one back to them. So let that be a holiday lesson: You get what you give.

But in the spirit of the still-going holiday season, here's a Happy New Year post I wrote just for you. That's right. Just you and anyone else who can see your device right now. And I've even included an end-of-year family update to bring you deep within our inner circle. Those overachievers who got actual mailed cards from us? They didn't get a letter. See how much I love you? You even get your own customized New Year's greeting photo!

So here goes: 2011 was a supremely awesome year for us. No lie. The adults have jobs, the kids are getting good grades, the house didn't burn down and lots of cool stuff happened. We went to San Diego on spring break and let Sophia soak up some of her hometown, and Jackson was able to experience the feeling of getting a lungful of Pacific Ocean undertow. Important life lesson: Respect the water! All in all, a great trip. San Diego, you're the best. I'd like to live there someday. Again.

Like I said, the kids are great. Sophia's in middle school, getting all As and playing some mean percussion in the band. She's also getting to be pretty adept on the piano, and is writing songs, writing books, taking pictures, shooting movies ... she's a tween content creation factory. And a pretty sweet kid.

Jackson? He's rocking his last year of grade school and growing like a stinkweed. He got the most-improved award on his tennis team over the summer and will have his first on-stage lines in the production of "Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" that he and his sister will be in during January. Catch it if you can. The boy also dances with energy and grace; he clearly takes after the other side of the family.

Speaking of the other side, I have the best wife in the world. Nope, don't even try to argue it. Beck's the best. She's an amazing writer, works harder than anyone ever should have to in keeping our crazy family going in the right direction. And she's somehow continuing to get even more attractive as the years go by. I don't know how she does it, but I'm thrilled that she does.

As for me, I worked too much, didn't play enough golf and didn't post enough to this blog. I did write the first draft of my first novel, and I'm going to get that beast edited and out into the world sometime in 2012. You've been warned.

What am I forgetting? The dog. Ugh. Sparky is getting weirder as he enters doggy middle age. But the kids still love him, so he hasn't gone to live on a farm. Yet.

There you go. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and best wishes for your health and happiness. Let's do it all over again in 2012!

Music Monday: Getting Ready.

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This was Christmas Setup Weekend at our house, so we pumped the Jingle Jams for hours on end. And boy, am I sick of pretty much all of it now. Exceptions can be found on the Swingin' Christmas channel on Pandora: Can't go wrong with Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Der Bingle or the Chairman of the Board.

But in the spirit of sharing something new, I have to recommend the lead song from Paul Simon's latest LP. My lovely wife and I disagree as to whether this is really a Christmas song or not (it isn't, and I'm right). Either way, it's a great tune for any time of year.

Snow way.

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Winter is mostly a drag. But when it's new and the snow that's falling is big, fluffy flakes, it does seem kind of OK. As long as you have a glass of Dark Horse Too Cream Stout to keep you warm. Cheers.

Is my Outback Bowl half full or half empty?

I haven't taken the time to write much about college football this season. On the whole, the Spartans have had a much better year than I expected at the outset – I was thinking 8-4 in the regular season would have been a good year, given the brutal schedule. It really seems like a 10-3 mark heading into a decent bowl game and a Big Ten Championship game appearance should feel better than this. But...

  • Man, I hate losing to Wisconsin. I love Madison as a city/campus, and I like Bret Bielema as a coach (even if he has a Face You'd Like to Punch). But I don't like the way they ran up the score in 2010, and I don't like that they were 9-point favorites in the Big Ten Championship game. And I really hate Bo Ryan, just to mingle a little basketball into football talk. So to lose on a cheap (but correctly called) penalty by Isaiah Lewis and let the Badgers into the Rose Bowl is really disappointing. Great game to watch, crappy way to lose.
  • Speaking of Isaiah Lewis, how bad must it feel to be him right now? Point blank, you cost your team the game. That's sports in a nutshell: If he makes the play and blocks the kick, then all we're talking about is what a gutsy play he made, and how it saved the season and punched the ticket to the Rose Bowl. Bottom line: You can't try to be a hero. Do, or do not. 
  • Big congrats to the Wolverines on their big weekend. Nothing like moving way up the rankings by not even playing. Brady Hoke is a genius for keeping his team out of the Big Ten Championship game. College football is all about losing at the right time. Lose a game in October? No big deal. Lose at the end of the season? Pay the price. Seems like teams that lose in their conference championship game shouldn't lose ground to idle teams that didn't earn a spot in the championship. But if you've read this far, I'm sure we're in agreement on how illogical college football rankings are. 
  • Hey, at least Michigan State didn't get screwed as bad as Oklahoma State. That whole mess just reminds us all that a playoff is the only way to go. Someday, when we finally have one – like the exciting Division II playoffs that the mighty Wayne State Warriors are slugging their way through – we'll look back and wonder why we wasted decades on any other system. 
  • Because, when you get right down to it, there are only two bowls that matter: Whichever one is hosting the No. 1 vs. No. 2 championship game, and the Rose Bowl. Everything else is an advertisement and a money grab by the NCAA and the schools. The best thing for the teams is the extra practice time that a bowl allows you, which is really about getting underclassmen ready for the following season. And the extra cash from playing in the Shake Weight Sugar Bowl Presented by Cialis is nice for the schools. But the games are meaningless; there are two teams that have a chance of winning the national championship, and if you're not one of them, you're playing in a bowl that's about as important as a spring practice scrimmage.
  • Be sure to check out coaches' votes for the final ranking over at USA Today. Art Briles (Baylor), Doc Holliday (Marshall) and Kevin Sumlin (Houston) all ranked MSU 21st on their ballots. I'm sending them all a U-M sweatshirt from Walmart as a token of my respect for their completely wacked-out lack of perspective. Stay crazy, boys.