If you’re belly is like mine, the pants are unzipped from the massive Christmas spread over the holiday weekend. Every year I tell myself things are going to be different but once the food is on the table there’s no getting around the fact that good eatin’ such as this only comes around once or twice a year. Why punish myself for no good reason? I’ve worked long and hard to get to this point and what the body wants the body is going to get. Wait, I just felt something. Could be my stomach walls rupturing. I’ve also found myself saying things like “someone should harpoon me” or “I’m never going to eat again as long as I live.” Did I mention my pants are unzipped?

With all this time to sit around and rest the innards, why not also digest the past 12 months in a quick 2006 Year in Review. It would take far too long to touch upon everything so I must narrow things down a bit. Sounds like work. Where’s the fun in that?

I presume no one wants to hear about my escapade with the shift manager of Subway Restaurants on March 21, 2006, so let’s keep things focused on all things UDPride. By the way, why do they keep telling us it is Subway Restaurants? What other self-respecting place that forces the patron to fix their own beverage calls itself a restaurant? I wouldn’t call a hospital a hospital if the surgeon walked in the door with a scalpel, handed it to me and said, “cut yourself like pot roast and go with the grain. I’ll stop by tomorrow and see how you’re doing.”

The first of the year got off to a poor start. The Flyer men’s basketball team started off 8-3 and managed to win at Cincinnati. From there, the flight plan called for scattered water landings and occasional nosedives into the countryside. After a while, fans just wanted the season to end. Perhaps the players did too. The departure of Trent Meacham to Illinois changed the entire complexion of the team and forced some players incapable of making dynamic improvements to make dynamic improvements. Once the season reached Defcon-3, the writing was on the wall and salvation would have to wait at least one more season.

Women’s basketball made continued progress under Jim Jabir. Led by post player Cara Wright, the Flyers finished 17-12 overall and 8-8 in the A10. After starting the season 12-4 however, they cooled off at the end by winning just five of their last 13. UD beat Rhode Island in the conference tourney before falling to Temple a day later. The WNIT passed over the Flyers and the lackluster finish probably made the difference. The program took another positive step forward nonetheless.

April brought perhaps the biggest headline of the year — at least for us. After slaving for months (we’re talking sweatshop conditions) during nights and weekends to revamp UDPride, we introduced a new redesign, new message board, re-tooled Pride Plus premium area, and managed to sweet-talk the Dayton Daily News into peddling our ware in exchange for some primo ad space. At the time it was our biggest project in the 10 years history of the web site, but we pulled it off with fewer hiccups than all of the prior projects combined. After making every mistake in the book three or four times, all of that knowledge eventually pays off. While I worked with no sleep for 180 days to make it fly, John Mad Dog Churan text-messaged me from the golf course every day to stay involved and take most of the credit.

With a disappointing men’s basketball season in the rear view, Brian Gregory made up lost ground by adding to the 2007 recruiting class with a commitment from athletic big man Devin Searcy in June. Combo guard Stephen Thomas would add his name to the list in September, creating a terrific three-man unit headlined by local Top-50 product Chris Wright. Wright jumped on board in November 2005 and gave UD recruiting a shot in the arm.

Summertime came and gave all of us an opportunity to step aside during the slow news period and catch up on some personal items. I went to the mall once, made Tuna Helper, and read six back issues of Excellence magazine I couldn’t find time for when I pulled them from the mailbox (yet another reminder of how hard I work). The UDPride Support Vehicle took home First Place honors at a pair of concours, including a three-peat at the Taj Kreuzers Speedfest. The highlight of the season was an invitation to appear at the Indianapolis Concours D’Elegance during Formula 1 race weekend. After Pebble Beach (CA), Amelia Island (FL), and Meadowbrook (MI), Indianapolis is about as good as it gets. You know the show is ‘big time’ when invited cars participate for free and champagne bottles go to the owner.

The fall sports season had the makings of a very good one. At times it was, but at other times things never fell into place. We predicted the women’s soccer team to finish 2nd in the conference. Ultimately they finished 6th at 8-6-3 (6-3), but only a goal separated them from 2nd. In many ways the team surprised and disappointed. At times, Head Coach Mike Tucker’s team showed terrific potential and spunk, at other times they had no spark and did not compete like Flyer teams of yore — especially late in the year while occupying first place with destiny under control. With much of the talent in the lower classes, things look very promising in 2007. Injuries probably cost Dayton a victory or two.

The men’s soccer team failed to take a step forward. We knew 2006 would be a struggle after losing Dasan Robinson (third leading scorer/Chicago Fire), Omar Jarun (leader scorer), and Terry Alvino (second leading scorer). Lubimor Bogdanov finished fifth in scoring despite playing just eight matches and finished his eligibility as well. Leaning on solid coaching, great depth, and a hunger to win, we predicted a fifth place finish but UD never gave themselves a fighting chance. The Flyers competed hard all year and had their moments. In fact, the fellas played their best soccer at the end of the year against A10 frontrunners Richmond (2-2 tie) and Charlotte (4-2 win). The long-term prognosis is good. Head Coach Dennis Currier is a proven winner at every level he’s coached. We like the recruiting and returning talent. What’s missing is a couple dynamic players good enough to be among the most dangerous attacking players in the league.

No program had more hype than Coach Tim Horsmon’s volleyball team. After making the NCAAs three years in a row, nothing less was expected in 2006. By most accounts, this year’s team was the best yet and had a legitimate chance to advance in the Dance. The Flyers started off hot and up-ended then #18 Arizona while scattered among competitive losses to Top-10 foes Purdue and LSU. Dayton raced to a 19-5 record and 9-0 start in the league, but lost six of the last nine. UD managed to secure the A10 regular season title and #1 seed in the postseason tourney, but St. Louis won the automatic bid on Dayton’s home court, taking two of three in the season series. Horsmon’s club lost a pair of matches to talented Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount after the A10 tourney to extinguish whatever faint hopes were left for an at-large bid. Senior Faye Barhorst earned her second A10 Player of the Year honor while teammate Erin Schroeder won A10 Setter of the Year. As hard-driven as the staff and players are however, the ending left a slightly bitter taste.

Football broke all kinds of records this year. By break we mean put an end to, and by records we mean consecutive seasons of unparalleled success. The Flyers finished with a losing record (4-6) for the first time since the invention of the cotton gin. Defense, a Flyer staple for two decades, leaked like a runny faucet on too many occasions, holding opponents under 14pts just once. In most years, Dayton surrenders an average of 14ppg or less. Getting taken to the cleaners out in Cali against Jim Harbaugh’s high-revving San Diego Toreros put an exclamation point on a season to forget. Was 2006 an aberration or a sign of things to come? Has Flyer football entered a state of mediocrity? Don’t ever bet against Kelly and his astronomical winning percentage, but it might get worse before it gets better.

The circle is now complete and we’re back where we started: talking Flyer basketball. The end of 2006 has Coach Gregory’s team situated nicely at 10-2. A date with #2 North Carolina looms and fans can only hope UD puts a better foot forward than Saturday’s shredding against Top-15 Pittsburgh. Chances are the Flyers need another quality win or two in order to make the Big Dance. We’re already working under the assumption that 11-13 wins in the weak A10 are needed along with a respectable showing in the A10 tournament. Anything short of that and it’s NIT.

Jabir has his work cut out for him on the women’s side. The Flyers are 4-8 and currently ride a four-game losing streak. Getting up-ended by lowly Wright State is never a good sign and the program continues to struggle for just enough dynamic ball handlers to make Dayton an upper-level club on an average day. It’s a guard-dominated game nowadays and teams that shoot the rock, limit turnovers, and pass confidently into the post are the ones hanging around by season’s end.

We’ve covered 12 months in less than 12 minutes; or 12 seconds for those of you schooled in infomercial kingpin Kevin Trudeau’s speed-reading audio tapes and book tutorials. For our short-bus comrades, we’re still tracking the time by sundial. At your own pace my friends.

As we hoist mugs and celebrate another year forthcoming in the wonderland of UDPride, let’s also take the time to say thanks for what we have. Mad Dog Churan has endless vacation time and golf clubs to thank. I have a stomach full of so much turkey and ham I can’t breathe without unzipping my pants. Plus the wisdom of knowing the difference between a restaurant and a fast-food joint.