There IS such a thing as ...

… a free lunch.

The Demon basketball team found out the nice way today, thanks to the havoc created by Milwaukee’s worst blizzard in two years.

The storm passed, ironically, just after the Demons were the beneficiaries of kindness from the Wisconsin Laywers, the state bar of Wisconsin. The group was hosting a tax law seminar at our hotel, the Hilton City Center, but hardly anyone who was supposed to attend could make it.

The bar association had a wonderful buffet luncheon set up outside its meeting room. The few folks who were able to attend enjoyed their lunch. Meanwhile, the Demons rolled back into the hotel lobby after their midday shootaround at the Bradley Center, site of tonight’s game.

Timing is everything. Somebody around the front desk asked our coaches if the team would want some free food that was going to be otherwise thrown away, and explained the circumstance. It wasn't a tough decision.

Our very gracious hosts were Dennis Price, the media coordinator for Wisconsin Lawyers; Timothy A. Clark, the group's program attorney; and administrative assistant Anita Klan.

It was an unexpected surprise that filled the gap created when the tournament luncheon, scheduled for noon, was cancelled due to the storm.

It was more enjoyable to meet some wonderful Wisconsin folks whose kindness came out of the blue -- er, white drifts of snow blowing through downtown.

The Demons were very relaxed at their shootaround and had a great practice Thursday morning before leaving Natchitoches. Let's hope it translates into a super game tonight against Marquette!

Blizzard Warning

The phrase "Blizzard Warning" is what the Demons awoke to this morning.

The very biting, cold wind had been replaced by what local news stations are referring to as the worst storm in more than two years in Milwaukee. Schools are closed, businesses closing and the snow is falling at 1-1/2 inches per hour. The wind is hitting 40 mph and the wind chill is 15 degrees.

The picture at the top is a shot from my hotel window in downtown Milwaukee early this morning. I hope you can see the snow falling vertically like rain.

The good news for the Demons as they get set to take on Marquette tonight is that the Bradley Center is just a few blocks away, so if necessary, we can slide our way over there, literally.

The National Weather Service just issued a warning saying that "if you go outside, you go at the risk of your own life."

Wow.

March Madness Extends Into November

At Northwestern State, advertising is not measured in millions of households or millions of dollars, it is measured in hundreds or thousands of dollars and thousands of households.

And yet, in advertising and television circles, you hear about the millions of households watching a given program, ratings and shares. None of that has really meant anything to NSU…until now.

With Jermaine Wallace’s shot as THE defining play of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, everyone around the athletic department at NSU knew that the benefits would be impressive. The $107,000 to the general scholarship fund. The countless mentions, front page stories and even the domination of the “One Shining Moment” highlight montage at the end of the tournament.

But surely the good pub will stop there.

It has not.

CBS has begun airing a promo for its NCAA Tournament coverage. Who gets mentioned? Of course George Mason, the Cinderella of all Cinderellas that made it to the Final Four. The Florida Gators? Of course, they won the national championship. The only other team very noticeably included in the highlight?

The Northwestern State Demons with Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery’s call of “Oh my goodness, Northwestern wins!”

The Demons are in that commercial at least three times (Tyronn Mitchell jumping, the Demons jumping on the sideline, a sideline shot of Mike McConathy clapping with the team celebrating the comeback behind him).

The reason I began this story talking about ratings? Because the CBS NCAA promo was running during the NFL coverage on CBS. The NFL is a runaway juggernaut of ratings, with almost every sports fan in America watching. So the fact that the promo runs during that time means that tens of millions of people see NSU again.

No longer can the NSU athletic department talk about buying a billboard in Natchitoches or putting a radio spot on the local airwaves without realizing that with one stirring comeback and one miracle shot, anything they can pay for would be dwarfed by something they didn’t have to buy.

And as anyone in advertising will tell you, the more people who see you the better, the lower the price the better.

Being able to advertise to millions of people for free? Priceless.

Stillwater first, now Louisville

The week long road trip with the Demon basketball team continued as we loaded up a Continental Express plane and flew from Oklahoma City to Houston, then Houston to Louisville Thursday afternoon.

The three days we're spending in Louisville began with a night practice on the UL campus in the volleyball gym. Freedom Hall, the home of the Cardinals, is not available due to a cattle show being held until Friday.

On Friday morning, the team loaded up into three vans and headed for nearby Seneca High School where the team practiced from 7:30 a.m. to 9. What was interesting about this practice, nearly 200 of the school's students filled the bleachers to watch the Demons go through their preparations for Saturday's contest.

Demetrius Bell joined the team later Friday morning after playing in the Demons' final football game of the season Thursday night at Stephen F. Austin.

On Friday afternoon, Patrick Netherton and myself headed to Churchill Downs to catch some live horse racing. After that, the team loaded up and headed off into different directions.

One group when with Coach Mike to Bowling Green and to the Corvette assembly plant while the other crew jumped in the vans with Coach Slessinger and Coach Moore to visit the Muhammad Ali Museum.

The team gathered for a meal at a local buffet restaurant for dinner before studying films for Saturday's game.

A local television station ran an interview with UL head coach Rick Pitino during its six o'clock sports segment, and this is what Pitino said about the Demons...

"This is definitely the toughest team I've played in a season opener in my 32 years of coaching."

Life on the road with the Demon basketball team

No one can argue the amount of time spent at the office in the sports information field. Weeknights, weekends, holidays, etc., etc., etc.

But there are times when “work” is anything but.

That time is occurring to me this week as I’m getting to make my first trip with the Demon basketball team in my three-and-a-half years at Northwestern.

It all started Monday night at 7 when we rolled out of the Prather Coliseum parking lot en route to Denton, Texas – halfway from our first destination, Stillwater, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

After a morning practice at North Texas on Tuesday, we packed up and headed north for Stillwater.

After arriving around 4:30 yesterday afternoon, I got to step foot for the first time in the ever-popular Gallagher-Iba Arena on the OSU campus. I definitely was not disappointed.

Positioned high into the air, 13-thousand plus orange seats are almost literally stacked on top of one another in steep fashion. Out in the lobby of the arena are a few memorabilia displays – one containing things from my all-time favorite football player, Barry Sanders.

While the team was warming up before the short practice, Patrick Netherton and I fired off some three-pointers, most, of course, didn’t go it. But Patrick did make more than he made last year (0-for-15 I think) and I rolled off three-straight 3s before tossing up an air-ball. That was my stopping point. BTW, Jermaine Spencer had a couple of assists off those treys.

After my play time, I was able to sneak away and make my way into the OSU football stadium that is right outside the basketball arena. OSU is playing host to Oklahoma this week, so outside of GIA was a tent city of students camping out, waiting to get their ticket to the big contest. Some said they had been there for 23 days.

It’s now 10:35 Wednesday morning… gameday! We’ll head to shoot-around at 11:15 then play tonight at 7:05.

We’ll head to Oklahoma City tomorrow to fly out for Louisville. There, the Demons will take on Rick Pitino’s Cardinals at noon on Saturday. But prior to then, a lot is to be seen and visited… Churchill Downs, Louisville Slugger factory, Muhammad Ali Museum and maybe even Valhalla Golf Course (site of the 2008 Ryder Cup).

Stay tuned for more.