LIKES: Chelsea FC, rock 'n' roll, the Virginian Railway, real pizza (if you think Papa John's, Dominos and Pizza Hut are real pizza, you are lost forever), history, model railroading, fantasy soccer and football, chess, weather, C-43 and Carlyle Hall.............................. .....................DISLIKES: Violent behavior, people who put their dogs on a chain in the backyard, backwoods culture, people who shoot off their mouths first and ask questions later, the moronic concept of hell and how certain people use it to scare the ignorant, the song "Afternoon Delight," the Andy Griffith Show, Seinfeld, American Idol... and I definitely don't like Raymond
Music
The Doors, Uriah Heep, Game Theory/Loud Family, Kaiser Chiefs, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Roxy Music, Phil Manzanera/801, Anemos, Julian Cope, Nirvana, Paula Carino, The Animals, The Kinks, Garbage, Liz Phair, R.E.M., Renaissance, Yes, Lush, Sing-Sing, Go-Go's, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Fanny, Talking Heads, Velvet Underground, Neil Young, X, U2, Jethro Tull. Not familiar with these groups? Ask me about them!
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Movies
Casablanca; Star Wars I, II and III; A Hard Day's Night; and Men in Black I (OK, I don't see enough movies)
Television
Dark Shadows, Babylon 5, MI5 (Spooks), House, Forever Knight, No Reservations, Highlander, "Good Morning Sports Fans" on Sky Sports (2 a.m. here in the State on FSC), Fox Soccer Channel , The Weather Channel, MSNBC (if Chris Jansing and Keith Olberman are on).
Books
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas or any other work by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson; any book in the Deryni series by Katherine Kurtz; The Winds of War/War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk; Model Railroading with John Allen; Soccer for Dummies
Heroes
(1) WVU professors Dr. Dennis O'Brien and Dr. Scott Stringham, and Mullens junior high/high school teacher Carole Foglesong. They opened my mind, teaching me to think, not mindlessly believe. They died far too young and the world is a much poorer place without them.
(2) The doctors and nurses in the cardiac care units at Charleston Area Medical Center and Raleigh General Hospital during spring 2003
(3) Anyone who works to give animals safety
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
Graduated: 1978
Student status: Alumni
Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Major: History
Minor: Political Science/Volleyball
1973 to 1978
DAN just updated his kick-ass English Premier League fantasy soccer team. Gotta stay in first place!
About me: I've been a sports writer for The Register-Herald in Beckley, WV, since 2000. Before that I spent 19 years as sports editor for the Welch Daily News. I was ultimately driven off by an evil witch.
At Beckley they call me the Non-revenue Sports Guy. I like covering high school girls basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball. Wrestling and track, too. Not that I don't enjoy a good boys basketball game. Or even football, as long as it's teams who throw the ball.
And, of course, I'm always happy covering Concord women's basketball (Go Joanna!) and MSU men and women's soccer (Go Tina, Go Vottle!).
I've gotten to know hundreds of athletes and coaches over the years, covered thousands of games. My stories and photos are in a lot of scrapbooks, which makes me proud.
Getting to know people has always been the best part of the job. Most, like, oh... Miranda! are not just great athletes but great people as well, and I'm honored to have become their friend.
Sports writing doesn't make you a lot of money, but it leaves you a rich man.
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Who I'd like to meet: Longtime sports heroes Joe Namath and Tony Perez; legendary newscaster Walter Cronkite; fantasy writer Katherine Kurtz; Dark Shadows actors Lara Parker, Jonathan Frid and Kathryn Leigh Scott; Sky Sports' Mike Weddeburn, Millie Clode and Alex Quinn, MSNBC's Chris Jansing and Keith Olberman, next Prez Barack Obama and soccer coaching god Jose Mourinho.
Hope your doing well in Beckley. It's getting awful close to baby time here. I'm huge, feet swell and my back hurts. Someone actually said at my shower yesterday, you sure aren't that softball player rolling in the mud anymore. HAHA If I was on the ground it would take me 5 minutes to get up. :-) Miss ya
Dude, I so namchecked you today in my blog. Unfortunately it's buried in a too-long entry, so maybe I need my old editor. :) Check it out at http://...com/46yleb
People are LOVING my bulletin (I can't take credit for writing it, but I did some creative editing.) Several folks have reposted it on their MySpace sites. The conservatives don't have an answer for it other than harrumph!
John, you're the one coach, futbol or football, ready to talk about his team. Makes me believe you guys are ready to kick butt big time! Now if I could just get a few more coaches to talk...
