Vince's Journey

Well, once again my teams fell short in their bids to earn a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis. Last Thursday, Xavier lost in double overtime to Kansas State in what many consider the best game of the NCAA tournament this year. The following night, Ohio State lost a heart breaker to Tennessee when Evan Turner was fouled attempting to shoot a game tying 3-pointer as time was expiring, unfortunately, the referee missed the foul so Turner didn't get a chance to shoot the 3 foul shots that could have sent the game into overtime. Don't believe it was a foul? Watch the replay, I did. The Tennessee player is leaning into Turner and he may have hit the ball but he also hit Turner's arm and body, as well.

So who do I root for now? Butler of course. A win by Butler gives other smaller schools hope. A win by Butler tells programs like St. Joe's, Xavier, Dayton and Northern Iowa that you don't have to be from a big name conference to compete for a national title. More importantly, it tells high school players that you don't need to go to Duke, North Carolina or Kansas to have a chance to win a championship ring. So let's go Bulldogs, here's one basketball fan who is hoping your storybook season ends with you winning a national championship in your own hometown.

I heard today that it is very probable there will be a field of 96 in next year's NCAA tournament. To that I say, why? You have the greatest event in all of sports, why screw with it? Why dilute the field? I'm sorry but the #66 team in the country does not deserve a shot at the NC. (More importantly, they'd have no shot of winning, either!) Dick Vitale thought it was a travesty that Virginia Tech didn't make the field of 65; they couldn't even make it to the final four of the NIT. You have an incredible product NCAA, don't let greed lessen it's appeal.

One more thing regarding college basketball; they need to do something to improve the quality of officiating. Allowing 60 year old, out of shape men who can hardly run up the court attempt to control a game being played by some of the greatest athletes in the country is simply not acceptable. They miss calls, whistle fouls on what they think they see as opposed to what actually happens and in games that typically come down to the final possessions of the game it's not fair that kids have they hearts ripped out because of the officials incompetence. Give some of these guys like Timmy Higgins and Joe DeMayo a life time achievement award and send them off to pasture. On the other end, put together a 'referee institute' and train younger, in shape individuals to officiate NCAA games. Have specific guidelines which the referees must meet before they are able to call games; simple guidelines like being in shape, being able to run without limping, 20/20 vision and the 'onion's to call a foul no matter what the situation is in the game. A play that's a foul for 39 minutes should not stop being a foul when the game is on the line. There are some good referees out there but the ones who you know by name typically aren't; you referee should go unnoticed. It's hard not to notice Tim Higgins waddling up the court blowing call after call.

I picked Judd up from UD last night and Aaron is on his way home from St. Louis as I type so our whole family will be together through the Easter holiday. It will be great to have everyone home - I miss having the boys around and while I know they'll drive Abbey nuts while they're home, deep down she'll enjoy having them around, too.

Finally, I'd like to say thanks again to everyone who has reached over the past week to offer their thoughts, prayers and support. I'll start my maintenance rituxan treatments on April 6 and it's very comforting to know you have the support of so many wonderful family members and friends. I'm also very close to hitting my $4000 fund raising goal for my upcoming cycle ride; thnks to everyone who has made a contribution to this very important cause. It was fund raising events sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 20 to 25 years ago that led to the development of Rituxan which is the most effective drug at treating follicular lymphoma. Who can say what our fund raising efforts will lead to but I know we are getting closer to finding actual cures everyday. It will indeed be a wonderful day when we can actually say we can cure all blood related cancers.

Have a wonderful Easter!

Vince

As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, yesterday I had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Leming to go over the results of my recent CT scans. Unfortunately, after nearly 4 years of positive visits I learned there are several lymph nodes in my abdomen that are showing enough negative activity that Dr. Leming has advised I have 4 Rituxan treatments to 'knock them back down'. My initial reaction to this news was a word that starts with 'f' and ends in 'uck' and I'm not talking about 'firetruck' but Dr. Leming assures me the Rituxan treatments should do the job so that's the approach I'm going to take. The bottom line is, On April 6th I'll have the first of 4 weekly Rituxan treatments and things will hopefully be back to 'normal' (whatever the hell that is!) by the end of April.

As the news of this little setback hits the streets I've been overwhelmed by the wonderful show of love and support we've received from family, friends and colleagues. My phone and e-mail have been ringing and buzzing all day long and I can't thank everyone enough for taking the time to check in with me. As I've said many times before, it's comforting to know we have the support of many, many wonderful people.

I'm actually in very good health (if you ignore the fact I have lymphoma festering in a few lymph nodes); I feel good, my training is going great for my upcoming cycle ride and the treatments should not interfere with anything I have planned to do. And I've always expected a return of the lymphoma, it's basically the nature of the disease I have. I'm just grateful that there is a drug like Rituxan that will continue to knock the lymphoma back down on those occasions it decides to flare up. As always, I'd appreciate all the prayers you can offer up for me and my family. We're all doing fine but until we have follow-up scans and see the results of the treatments, things will be a bit 'edgy' for a while.

I think that's it for now. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers - I'll be sure to update the blog as I head into this next leg of the journey - here's hoping it's a very, short leg.

Peace and blessings to all and Go Muskies!! Go Bucks!!!

Vince

First, I know I haven't posted for a couple weeks but I've been watching a lot of reality TV and basketball games so I haven't been able to visit my blog. A couple weeks ago, right before the Academy Awards, I posted my predictions for the Oscars and did fairly well, only missing on 2 predictions. Since the show, I watched Inglorious Basterds and have to admit it was very good. It was a bit bloody and violent but very entertaining. Brad Pitt as a Nazi hunter from Tennessee trying to pass himself off as French makes the movie worth watching by itself but there are many other classic performances, most notably Christoph Waltz as the jew-hunting opposition to Pitt. Definitely worth renting or putting on your queue for Netflix.

I hope you're all enjoying March Madness. For, me it started when Ohio State's Even Turner drilled a 35 foot jumper in the Big Ten Tournament to knock off upset-minded, Michigan. Turner has had a phenomenal junior year and it would be a crime if he were not selected the college basketball player of the year. This afternoon I'll watch Ohio State and Xavier in the NCAA tournament, hopefully they'll both advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Xavier has a chance to avenge last year's loss to Pitt in the Sweet Sixteen and the Buckeyes will be taking on a very athletic Georgia Tech team.

Next to college football in the fall, March Madness is my favorite time of year. Watching underdogs like Northern Iowa beat the supposedly invincible Kansas Jayhawks is what it's all about. I doubt there is a kid on Northern Iowa who was recruited by Kansas and yet when they got together on the court, it didn't matter. Kansas got caught up in reading their press clippings, NIU believed in themselves. I loved every second of the game, especially the shots of the stunned Jayhawks and their fans when the games was over. I could care less about my bracket; there is nothing quite like watching a team that has everything stacked against them pull off the ultimate upset. Here's hoping Duke and Kentucky meet a similar fate.

On Friday I had my 6 month CT scan taken at Christ Hospital. I feel fine and don't expect any surprises but obviously won't know the results until my appointment with Dr. Leming on Wednesday. Any prayers you'd like to send my way would certainly be appreciated.

Other than that, things are going pretty well. Abbey is on a mission trip this weekend while Judd and Aaron are back at school following their spring breaks. We look forward to everyone being home for Easter. I hope all is well with you and your family and will do my best to post again in the near future but with Chad Ochocinco dancing tomorrow night on Dancing With the Stars, it probably won't be tomorrow night! Go Bucks, go Muskies, go whoever is played Duke and Kentucky!!!

With the big show on tomorrow, here are my predictions for this year's Oscars.

Adapted Screenplay - Precious
Original Screenplay - Inglorious Basterds
Musical Score - Up
Animated Film - Up
Avatar will win a bunch of technical awards
Supporting Actor - Christopher Waltz, Inglorious Basterds
Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique, Precious
Actor - Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Actress - Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia
Director - Katherine Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best Picture - The Hurt Locker

We'll see how it all plays out tomorrow. If I missed any, it will probably be Sandra Bullock for Best Actress.

Right now, Judd and Aaron are both on spring break. Judd has been in Florida and will be home late this evening - he'll need to be bsck to school on Monday. Aaron got home last night and is off next week. Hopefully the boys will be able to spend a little time together before Judd has to go back to school. I think the plan is for us all to be home tomorrow night to watch the Oscars.

I had a freak accident last night. I was over at the Bruces' getting a beer out of their refrigerator in the garage and accidentally jam my nose into a garbage can. Don't ask how it happened, let's just say it was dark and I couldn't see where I was going. So now, I have a pretty good sized abrasion on my nose and my guess is it will look a lot uglier before it looks any better. Thankfully I don't need to get my license renewed.

I've finally had an opportunity to see the new 'cast' of American Idol. I think the girls are stronger than the guys and would not be surprised if 4 of the final 5 are women. Right now I'd list Crystal as the leader; she's got a unique style and appears to be one of the few singers who knows what she wants to be. I also think Lily is an early contender, I just don't think she's as good a singer as Crystal. Big Mike and Casey are my two favorites on the guys side; the rest of the guys are pretty standard - nothing really unique about them. And then there's Siobhan. I thought she was a little odd at first and she still is a bit quirky but she also can sing. She has a huge voice, doesn't appear to be phony and if she can polish up her act a bit; it wouldn't surprise me if she wins the whole thing. I guess we'll see how they progress.

I guess that's it for now. We'll see how my Oscar predicitons go - if you want to add your own, feel free! One more thing, Congrats to the Xavier Musketeers for winning their 4th straight Atlantic 10 conference championship - now let's see them (and Ohio State!!) win a few games in the NCAA!

Now that the Olympics are over I'll try to be a little more consistent with my blogging. Given that they only occur every 4 years I try to take in as much of the competition as possible. The Vancouver games were very enjoyable but it was too bad the US hockey team couldn't pull off the gold medal win. At the same time, it probably meant a lot more to Canada to have their team win given they were the hosts; can you imagine how miserable they would have been had the Americans won - especially given the fact that the US tied the game with only 24 seconds left to play Nevertheless, the two US/Canada hockey games were among the best I've ever seen and both the Americans and Canada should be proud of how well they performed in the games.

It looks like Aaron is adding his top 50 movies to the blogsite - #'s 50 - 41 can be seen in the message to my previous blog from last week. Good start, Headly, and I'm looking forward to the rest of your list. Also nice to see you included Dog Day Afternoon and you're right; Sal's line about going to Wyoming was classic.

Today was the kick-off to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Man and Woman of the Year campaign. I've been involved with this event since 2003 and it looks like we have a wonderful slate of candidates for this year's event. We also have a very amazing young lady serving as our Girl of the Year. She's only 9 years old, is literally in the final week of her treatment for leukemia and she got up tonight and spoke like shes been attending Dale Carnegie classes since she was an infant. I've never seen a 9 year-old speak with such poise and command; truly an impressive young lady. Back when the LLS was founded about 60 years ago, children receiving a similar diagnosis basically had a life expectancy of less than a year; today we're able to cure close to 80% of these kids. That's the progress we've been able to make - but we're still not where we need to be. So if someone asks you to make a contribution to support the LLS (perhaps me, for instance) I hope you'll open your heart and (your purse or wallet) and help us put an end to all blood-related cancers. I assure you it will be one of the best investments you'll ever make.

Finally, I received some sad news this morning. Joe Dillhoff III, a donor from Xavier who I've had the pleasure to get to know over the past 11 years, passed away yesterday following a battle with bile duct cancer. I always enjoyed my visits with Joe and over the years he became more than just a Xavier donor, he was a friend. Joe was only a couple years older than I am and was very supportive of me when I was being treated for lymphoma. He was very upfront about his situation and despite the odds he was facing, always kept his sense of humor. Please keep Joe and his family - especially his wife Connie and their two children, Katie and Joey, as well as his parents (Big Joe and Phil) in your thoughts and prayers. Rest in peace, Joe, you will certainly be missed.