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Name: Christi S.Age: 27, but I'll be 28 on Wednesday.
Location: I've lived in Louisville all my life.
Job: I work two part time jobs: UPS third shift...they are paying for my MBA, and the benefits are awesome (plus I get paid to exercise...thats a bonus). My day job is with an advertising firm and I get to exercise my creativity.
Favorite Teams: My favorite teams are the University of Louisville basketball and football, and recently baseball since the new stadium is about a mile from my house and the games are free. I love the Lady Vols basketball team. The Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the LA Lakers are my pro teams.
Least favorite teams: University of Kentucky
Favorite sports to watch: I think my favorite sport to watch is whatever season it is, although I probably watch a little less baseball than the others.
Favorite expert: Pat Forde and Bobby Valvano...aside from his job at ESPN radio, Valvano is the color analyst at Louisville basketball home games.
Least favorite expert: I cannot stand Lee Corso. Or Dick Vitale.
Favorite movie: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I'm not going to pick one out of the three since they all are just a part of the same story. From the cinematography to the acting ensemble, those movies were so well done.
Favorite TV show: 24. Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland's character) kicks terrorist butt. Plus, he's kinda easy on the eyes.
Intro/Personal:
First off, did the bunny bring you anything good for Easter?
The Easter Bunny came bearing birthday presents today, so that was pretty cool. Even better, though, was getting to watch my 4 yr old niece run around finding eggs and torturing her mom and dad with a sugar buzz. That was good stuff.
I hear you have to work all day on your birthday this Wednesday. Do you have any postponement plans? Any celebratory night out before or after the fact?
I do have to work all day on my birthday. Next Saturday night, however, I will be painting the town red. Especially if Louisville scores a good victory or two. We do face Tennessee and possibly North Carolina. I'm hoping Washington State will do the dirty work and handle North Carolina for us. But I can't complain about making the sweet sixteen.
Where did you get the nickname Breeze?
I got the nickname Breeze my sophomore year in high school. I played field hockey and I had a great day running sprints at camp. One of the girls said that I made running sprints look like a breeze so it stuck.
Tell us about the one day you would go back and relive from your youth:
The day I'd relive from my youth would probably be a whole weekend. In 1994, older sister (who will be turning 48 in two weeks) had about 30 minutes of business to handle in New York. She took my younger sister and I with her. I don't think I fully appreciated the fact that we only had four days to see the sights. I'd like to do any one of those days over, especially since we were there pre-9/11.
Being in graduate school, on your way to your MBA is a very impressive feat. What’s been your favorite part from the academic aspect of U of L?
My favorite part of the academic aspect of U of L is getting to do hands-on projects with other people. Since many of the people I have classes with are establishing themselves in the business world, I feel like I have an excellent opportunity to network and to get ideas from people who have done more time than I have in the real world.
Sports:
You attended University of Louisville. Besides championship wins, what was your favorite moment as a Cardinals fan?
My favorite moment as a Cardinals fan is easy. We were 20 points down against West Virginia in the Elite Eight game of the 2005 NCAA tournament. We took the game to overtime and won. The date...March 26, 2005...my 25th birthday. That was the BEST birthday present ever!!!!
You love a wide variety of sports; NCAAF, NCAAB, NFL, NASCAR, MLB, even horse racing. What was the most exciting moment in any of these ever, for you?
The most exciting moment in sports ever was getting to go to the 2007 Orange Bowl and watch my Cardinals defeat Wake Forest. I was able to go because my best friend's family was going and her mom was unable to go at the last minute. I could get used to hanging out in South Beach.
Being from Louisville, and a fan of Cardinals men’s basketball, what made you a Lady Vols fan?
I became a Lady Vols fan as a teenager watching them play. Pat Summitt is an amazing coach. I think I love them so much because with them I realized that girls can achieve sports greatness. So many of the girls there can hang with the guys, and even embarrass the guys (Candace Parker...she is phenomenal). I think they defy the statement..."for a girl."
Who was your favorite athlete growing up?
Definitely Michael Jordan. He was almost magical to watch. I think he defined basketball for my generation.
We all have that moment as a kid, usually the first thing we remember that turns us into sports fans. What was yours?
I was supposed to be a boy up until the day I was born. My older brother is not much of a sports fan, so I think all my dad's desire to have a child to play sports with was transferred on to me during my mom's pregnancy. I remember having a baseball glove on my left hand as a very young child and pitching and catching with my dad on our front driveway as a very young child. I think those bonding moments sealed my fate as a sports fanatic. I was (and still am) a true daddy's girl, and sports bonded us very early on.
If you had your choice to attend any sporting event, anywhere, what would it be?
The sporting event I'd really love to attend is any March Madness event....ideally Louisville winning the National Championship. Or the Kentucky Derby on Millionaire's Row.
What was your most disappointing moment as a sports fan?
Disappointing moment as a sports fan...watching Louisville's men's basketball team lose to Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament last year. We lost by seven (I think) and it was such a close game. Edgar Sosa gave Acie Law such a hard time...he scored 30 points on him as a freshman. I could tell my boys played with everything they had and still lost. Sosa cried after the game and Acie Law approached him and, although I don't know what he said to Sosa, I could tell the gist was that he had nothing to be ashamed of. I hate to see a team play with everything they have and still lose.
Do you have any of your own sports superstitions/rituals when you watch your teams or play a game? If so, what are they?
My sports superstition is that I never say a team has won the game until the final buzzer has rung and it's official. Louisville won by 30 points Sunday, and I dared anyone to call it over until it was over.
Cliché:
Describe your idea of the perfect day:
My perfect day is a warm spring or fall day that I don't have a responsibility in the world. I love to spend the day outside or doing what I call "hometown tourist" activities...going to museums (I LOVE to go to the Louisville Slugger museum and factory because you get to see whose bats they are making. I got to handle one of Alfonso Soriano's bats that had a minor defect the last time I was there...that was a priceless moment).
Where would we find you spending a day playing hooky from work or class?
If I played hooky from work or class, you'd probably find me at a place called the Falls of the Ohio State Park. It's across the Ohio River in Southern Indiana. I love it because there are huge fossil beds that are really cool to explore. It reminds me that this world is so much bigger and older than me. It takes my breath away.
You and your favorite celebrity or sports figure, current or past, are going out to dinner at your favorite restaurant. Who is it, and where are you going?
If I'm going to dinner with my favorite sports personality, it's gonna be John Wooden. I have always admired him as a coach. I'd like to pick his brain about changing his offense for Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and about what he's learned about life through his many years of coaching. We're going to a place called Cunningham's so my multiple personalities can argue over whether I'm ordering a hamburger or a fish sandwich....Cunningham's has a side story. That may be a blog on my page soon.
You find a Genie’s lamp and are granted three wishes; what are they?
My three wishes from the genie would be: financial security for everyone on earth, a ncaa championship for my Cards this year, and a Cubs World Series victory.
If you had to choose five CD’s to listen to for the rest of your life, which five would you choose?
My five CD's would be Santana's "Supernatural", Rob Thomas "Something to Be", Rascal Flatts "Feels Like Today", Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill", and Dave Matthews Band "Crash".
Who would play you in a movie about your life; and why that person?
If I could pick one person to play me in a movie about my life, it would be Scarlett Johannson. I think she is incredibly beautiful and talented.
FanIQ:
How did you find FanIQ?
I found FanIQ on someone's MySpace page. He's not active on this site right now and I don't keep in contact with him.
What is your favorite feature on the site? (Blog, polls, trivia, quizzes, etc.)
I think my favorite thing on the site is the polls, both sports prediction and the locker room stuff. I've learned some very (ahem) interesting things about people!!!
What is the most bizarre Locker Room poll you’ve ever seen?
I can't really recall anything too bizarre in the locker room polls, but I did think the "which part of your tongue gets the biggest taste workout" poll was a little random.
What’s your favorite poll that you, yourself, created?
My favorite poll that I created was the "Are You a Sap?" poll. I was so happy to find out that I'm not the only one who turns on the waterworks when "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is on.
Have you made any good friends on the Q?
I have made some good friends on the Q. Dave (Hskrdave) and I have very similar senses of humor, and I know I can give him a hard time and he can take it. There are other people I talk to on a fairly regular basis...I don't want to leave anyone out. But Dave's the boss. I can't tick him off.
What’s the boldest prediction you’ve ever made, and did it turn out?
I've been told that my prediction that Louisville would win the NCAA tournament this year is pretty bold. The jury's still out on that one. North Carolina may have other plans.
Speaking of bold predictions, let’s sign off with one. Which of your favorite professional teams - Lakers, Steelers, or Cubs - do you think will either win a championship or come closest to winning one this season?
The prediction I sign off with is going to be really bold...Like they say, "Go big, or go home." I think of all my favorite teams, the Cubs will have the best year of all. We could see them in the World Series this year.
Thanks for the interview, Christi! I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say it's been a pleasure getting to know you better. Have a happy Birthday (if not at work, at least the celebration!)
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