Chris Ross led this year wire to wire. He ran off six straight victories to take the lead and then held off Analicia Baker in the final game after she had rushed back to tie him before the Orange Bowl. Therefore, the plaque stays in San Rafael, California, but with a new name. The Commissioner has been informed that the California crew will take care of adding the name out there on the left coast for the sake of economics.
Of course we mourn the loss of R.C. our founder during this year. Like I said before, he would want us to carry on with this great contest. I was glad to see Kirsten back in contention. Matthew had a strong year picking and ended strong. We encourage you to invite others to participate in future contests. Anyone with a connection to the family who is actually a human being. Next year we will return hopefully to a full bowl season with more than 20 games to pick, a visit to some bowls by participants in the pool, and a more colorful blog with pictures and comedic banter.
But for now I'll leave you with this memory. R.C. loved college football. He used to take me in the summers to the North Carolina High School All-Star Football Game where he would point out Carolina signees to me as they competed. The game would always end with a fireworks show. And, as was his custom when he drove on the return trip he would tap out jazz drum beats on the dashboard as he guided the car on the freeway. One year, Tim accompanied us and I had a date! Tim in the front passenger seat sleeping. R.C. lost in jazz and driving and drumming. Me in the backseat with my date... well... I'll leave that alone. The more the merrier is the message here. Get your mind out of the gutter. The beauty of sports and music and fellowship and fireworks all wrapped up on a beautiful summer evening in North Carolina. You can't beat that. You savor that. Savor every last second of it.
Take care on your journey. Every day is a blessing. As Jim Valvano said, a good day is when you laugh, you cry and you think. That is a great day. I hope you have plenty of them in this new year.
- The Commish
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