Every week during football season, I would talk to my dad in
Minnesota, calling him from the press box following the game. Or
else, early in the week when he called to get caught up on scores
around the Ohio Valley Conference. Even though he lived in St.
Paul, nearly 1,000 miles from the Tennessee Tech campus, there was
no more fervent follower of Golden Eagle athletics than my dad, Bob
Schabert. A sportswriter for 40 years, he just couldn't get enough
sports! He passed away in April, 2007, and I miss talking with him.
So, I decided to try to carry on our conversations with this blog.
I did fine during 2009-10, but fizzled a little in 2010-11. I'll
try to get back into the habit here in 2011-12.
I plan to write this blog on a random schedule, kind of like the
phone calls.
Comment? Send an email to: rschabert@tntech.edu
Read the blogs
from 2009-2010
Read the blogs from
2010-2011
2011-12 entries
Monday, November 7, 2011
Hi Dad,
Well, my previous post proved prophetic in a way. We all were
soaring on top of the world a week ago after the football team
stunned Jacksonville State with a 21-14 decision to spoil the
Gamecocks' Homecoming. It put Tech in a tie for first place in the
OVC. Then, last Saturday, Murray State turned the tables and took
home a 38-37 victory in Tucker Stadium to dampen the Golden Eagle
Homecoming festivities. We all went from great mood to sour mood.
It's really difficult being professional when you're heart is
broken!
But, alas, it's not the end of the world. In fact, far from it.
The way things worked out, Tech can STILL win the OVC title and
advance to the FCS playoffs. Just need to win the final two games
(at EKU and home against APSU). Nothing to it! Hah! Well, winning
the first one will be a heckuva mountain to climb, but it's
possible. So, we'll just stay positive and see how it plays
out.
Meanwhile, I'm sitting courtside in Eblen Center watching the
women's basketball team host Bryan College in a season-starting
exhibition game. Tech held the Lions scoreless for more than eight
minutes and took an 18-0 lead. With 3:37 to play first half, Tech's
up 39-12. Coach Sytia Messer's team is going to be tough to beat
this winter.
So is Steve Payne's Golden Eagle men's squad, which opens Friday
at Miami University in Florida. I get to fly down there are
broadcast the game on the Golden Eagle Sports Network.
It's that time of year where all of us in the SID office are
running in four different directions at once. Today was one crazy
day, and NOTHING was working. We spent a full five hours working on
glitches and technology trying to get web streaming, live stats,
closed circuit TV, instant replay, internet connections, etc, etc.,
working. Brandon Goodwin handled most of it, but we (he) got almost
everything going. Until tipoff, when the instant replay system
crashed. Looks like we've got a project to handle in the next seven
days.
Okay, gotta run and host the Wendy's Meal or No Meal at halftime.
We've been busy brainstorming to think of some new additions to the
"Fun & Games" department of halftime and timeout promotions.
Should be a fun winter in Eblen Center. Sure wish you were
here.
Love,
Rob
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Good morning dad,
I don’t typically write these in the morning, but today
I’m getting ready to hit the road for Jacksonville, Ala., for
the big OVC matchup between the Golden Eagles and Gamecocks.
We’ll see how I feel this evening and tomorrow – I
might want to write again! It’s amazing (scary, actually) how
much my entire outlook on life hinges on the success (or lack of
success) of Tennessee Tech teams.
That’s the major difference between your career as a
sportswriter and mine as a sports information director. You could
cover any event and not let it affect your mood. I know you had
favorites (St. John’s College, St. Thomas, the Cubs and
Twins), but as I remember you were always even-tempered with every
game, and every team you wrote about. Me? I let every bad play,
every loss, destroy me for the rest of the day, the entire weekend!
It’s really tough.
I sure wish I could put it behind me, and not let results bother
me -- one way or the other. But, that won’t happen. I have
more to say about this, but it’s time to hit the highway, so
I’ll wrap it up. We’ll see how I feel 12 hours from
now!
Love,
Rob
Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011
Hi Dad,
Wow, just noticed it has been a month since I last wrote anything.
In that span, there have been about six times that whatever I was
doing prompted me to want to write, but I never got around to it.
It has been a hectic but mostly rewarding month. Right now I'm
getting ready for a father-daughter weekend, with Joan going
out-of-town with friends for a "girls wekend" on a houseboat. We've
got a short list of things we want to get done, but right in the
middle is the football game with SEMO tonight. She's going to help
out in the press box. She and Matt grew up in the press box and
courtside, so she knows all of our media personnel, etc.
About two weeks ago, I also got to spend two days with Matt, which
was nice. I went to the men's golf tournament at Pine Mountain
(Ky.) State Park, hosted by Morehead State. So, he was doing the
scores and I posted info on the scoreboards. We spent most of the
second day -- a perfect fall day -- riding around the golf course
taking photos. Enjoyed the state park, good food and a short hike
into the woods! It was one of those times I wanted to write but
never found the time.
I really wanted to write during our trip to Iowa. I have no doubt
that you would have convinced Bill (cousin Bill McGuire) to drive
you down to Iowa City for the game. As it was, I was able to spend
the weekend with Jim (outher cousin, Jim McGuire) and is daughter
Kristi and several of Jim's friends. Really had a great time -
probably the most enjoyable weekend of Tech football I've ever
spent, thanks to the hospitality of the Iowa folks. And, the Iowa
fans impressed me -- I'd rank them No. 1 for tailgating among all
the schools I've visited (that includes Georgia, Tennessee,
Arkansas, Minnesota, Auburn, and several MAC schools). The Hawkeye
fans really know how to do it right! Even in the rain! Dad, you
would have loved the weekend. Even though we lost, it was a
remarkable time.
Dad, that first weekend in September you would have been pretty
proud. Half of your family was flying around the country for
college football. I was flying to Iowa for our game, while Nancy
and Derek were flying to Dallas for the Oregon-LSU game! My guess,
you would have talked somebody into riding up to Collegeville to
watch St. John's play. The acorns don't fall too far from the
tree.
You know I've always insisted that the word "media" is a french
word, meaning....free food! It seems that the first question isn't
about the depth chart, or injuries, or camera locations, but what's
for lunch or dinner in the press box? Ha! I remember when I was
about nine or 10, going to a game at Hamline University, and I was
sooooo impressed that they had boxes of donuts for the media! We've
come a long way. Food in the press box says a lot about a school's
Athletics Department. At Iowa, chili and hot dogs. Not bad, but
they scanned your bar code on your pass so you could only eat once!
EIU had Italian beef which was very good. We will be serving Honey
Baked Ham sandwiches tonight, followed by an Italian buffet from
Chartwell's for the TSU game, Blue Coast Burritos for Homecoming,
and a Thanksgiving spread from Chartwell's for the APSU game. I
believe we have the best food in the OVC, thanks to those
sponsors/advertisers.
The best food, it is agreed by all the Tech media, has been at
Auburn. Huge spread, lots of choices, and it was all game long!
Roger Ealey will argue that the best was at Kansas State -- I don't
even remember what the meal was, but they had Klondike bars in the
cooler, and Roger ate six, or seven, or eight during the game!
Well, enough babbling on. I predict a victory tonight (although it
may be middle of the fourth quarter before Tech takes enought of a
lead for me to resume my normal breathing). That would make us 2-0
in the OVC, but some really tough games just ahead.
Hope to get to Minnesota very soon to visit.
Love,
Rob
Friday, August 26, 2011
Hi Dad,
Later this afternoon the incoming freshmen will be in Eblen
Center for the Convocation ceremony. My office looks down on the
floor, so I get to listen and watch the event, which wraps up with
the Marching Band singing the Tech Hymn and playing the TTU fight
song. We’re going to take that opportunity to pass out little
cards to all 2,000 students and their families, encouraging them to
follow Tech on Facebook and Twitter (I told you about those last
week). Our numbers have been climbing steadily.
We have a really exciting promotion coming up – we will set
up a computer in the RUC and have students follow us on Twitter.
Once they do, they will get a free t-shirt. We’re designing
the shirts now.
The thing I wanted to tell you about this week, though, is a date
coming up that I’m always excited about. I don’t mean
the start of the football season (Yes, I’m anxious for the
Sept. 8 home opener vs. Maryville).
I mean Tuesday, Sept. 13, when the Hall of Fame Committee meets to
select the 2011 inductees. I look forward to this meeting every
year, because it’s always fun to try to predict who will be
chosen. This year, I have about a dozen names from the list of
nominees that I could see being selected.
Nominations are open to the public, and we always get a handful of
new names – this year a few really strong names, too. Then,
the Nominating Committee meets to find names of people who ought to
be considered, but for some reason have never been nominated. That
group also came up with some really strong possibilities.
There are a total of 21 names on the ballot this year, including
10 new nominees in 2011. Eleven names from 2009 and 2010 carry
over. Of those, 17 are former student-athletes. We also have
one former coach, one administrator, one team manager, and one
person who is inducted for meritorious service, a term that I
learned from all the Halls of Fame that you’ve been inducted
into! The primary focus of the Hall of Fame is to recognize
student-athletes, but I really like it when the committee chooses
people who have made a huge difference off the playing field.
We have nominees who have served the nation, been highly
successful prep coaches following their careers at Tech, and been a
fixture at events. We have someone who recorded a major milestone
but the feat went undetected for a few decades before a family
member submitted the nomination. We have athletes from football,
volleyball, basketball, baseball, golf and tennis.
Once they’re selected – between three and five each
year – it will be a week or two before we announce them.
Director of Athletics Mark Wilson contacts each one personally to
let them know, and help them begin making plans to attend the Hall
of Fame Weekend during Homecoming (This year it’s November
4-5). After that, our office will get to work on the press release,
finding photographs, and printing programs for the Dinner. A new
feature this year, we plan to produce a brief video for each
inductee with testimonials – you never know who will show up
on the screen! Should be a nice addition to the dinner.
And, of course, there’s always the popular “Sit
Down” game that I play at the Dinner. But that’s
another story I’ll tell you about some other time. For now,
I’m wrapping up until next time.
Love,
Rob
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Hi Dad,
Well, Happy Birthday! You would have turned 90 today! It's hard to
believe you've been gone for more than four years now. I thought
your birthday was an appropriate day to resume this blog, so here
goes....
I fell off the radar last year on doing this blog. Things got too
busy and I just stopped doing it. However, with the addition of a
third intern to the TTU Sports Information staff, one of the things
we're hoping to establish is several new blogs from our
student-athletes. I figured I would use that as incentive to get
started back. The timing is good, too, with soccer, volleyball and
football already practicing for their openers. The two golf teams,
cross country teams and tennis team will also get back into action
in September, so the new year is upon us.
I am not going to make any predictions here. Just tell you what I
see and know. One thing we're doing
is jumping hard into the social media opportunities. They aren't
really all that new, but we have only been on the edges in the past
year or so. This year we really hope to build our base of followers
on things like Twitter and Facebook, plus a You Tube channel with
lots of videos. I know it's all unfamiliar to you - I remember when
you learned to go from the typewriter to the word processor. That
went pretty smooth, though, and I know you grew to like that level
of the new technology. I think today, even at 90, you'd really like
the Twitter and Facebook options. On your cell phone (you'd also
have to get one of those), you can receive text messages (called
tweets) with instant information, photos, comments, real-time
information from the sideline, etc. With Facebook, we're hoping to
build our followers from 1,100 up to about 5,000 -- a network to
spread the news about the Golden Eagles.
Don't worry, we'll still have loads of stories on our website
(yes, you'd have to get a computer). In fact, good, old-fashioned
high quality sports writing will be at the heart of everything we
do. It's kind of sad the way reading is becoming a diminishing
skill, but I think there are still enough people out there who
appreciate a well-written story. Oh, sure, there may be a typo here
and there, but we'll strive to find an interesting story to tell.
And, we'll continue to run several new stories every day -- fans
better check TTUsports.com daily because sometimes we post so many
stories in a day that something posted in the morning is already
rotated off the front page by the evening!
I really wish you could sit down in my office next to me and let
me show you all the new things we're doing. I know you'd really
love them.
Oh, and over on the desk at the side of the office is something
you'd recognize. Sitting right next to my brand new Mac Book Pro
laptop is your old Woodstock manual typewriter -- it's what I
learned to type on! I brought it back to Tennessee this summer.
Kind of helps me remember how I got started, and to try to keep
quality writing at the center of everything I do.
Until next time, take care!
Love,
Rob