There’s one thing about writing for a site like UDPride.com: you know that the audience has a lot in common with you. As a result, I realize that most of you are huge Flyer fans. You may be a fan of one of the soccer teams, the baseball team, one of the basketball teams, the football team, or one of the other 11 supported sports teams at UD. One thing that we try to do here is give you a flavor of what is going on at UD and give a little insight as to what the players and coaches are thinking.

Just to give you an idea of where I am coming from, my wife refers to me as a UD groupie. I have no real hobbies other than taking my two sons to what seems like year-round baseball practices. As a result, I needed something to use up my available time when I’m not at work, at baseball practice, sleeping, or watching Sports Center. About two and a half years ago, Chris Rieman, the father of this site, contacted a handful of we hardcore Flyer fans and asked us if we had any desire to write an occasional article for his site. He promised us that the pay would be non-existent, the hours would be lousy, and we might have to chip in a few dollars now and then to keep the site up. With all of those benefits staring us in the face, how could we say no?

One of the things that he failed to mention was that I would have days like last Thursday. I took a day of vacation from my normal mundane life and for that one day, I got to live in the fast lane. After completing my fatherly duty of dropping the kids off at school, I just kept on driving for 90 minutes until I found myself in front of the Frericks Center. I was about to begin a day that many a Flyer fan would give their eyeteeth for.

At 9:30 AM sharp, I was in the office of Jaci Clark. As many of you know, Jaci has taken our women’s basketball team from no man’s land to the brink of breaking into the top three or four of the A-10. This is a league that has sent four or five teams to postseason tournaments for the past several years. We spoke about her plans for the near future including hosting the NCAA Women’s Regionals in 2003 and just what to expect from this year’s team.

After an hour plus with Jaci I moved over to Josh Postorino’s office. Josh will be sitting down with UDPride a number of times this year to answer questions generated by our staff and any interested readers. His first Q & A will appear sometime in the next week. There is nothing like talking to a coach with all the enthusiasm of youth and a true love for the University.

I then moved across the hall and spent 75 minutes talking basketball with Ron Jirsa. Needless to say, it was enlightening talking to someone with his broad background. The thing that I like about the people at UD is that they are not afraid to speak their mind and will not pull any punches. We talked about everything from his childhood to his firing at Georgia to his views on recruiting.

On the advice of one of our faithful readers, I next interviewed Todd Forcier, the man we can thank for those chiseled bodies that you see running around in UD uniforms. Not only did I get some inside info on how our men’s and women’s teams are preparing for the upcoming season, but I also got a few tips on how to improve my slow-as-a-slug 10 year old’s break out of the batter’s box on his way to first base.

The day of interviews was topped off by more than two hours with AD Ted Kissell. I have had several 1 to 2 minute conversations with Ted over the years, but have never had an opportunity to get into any depth. This is a man that has, at times, been questioned by the public concerning the timing and reasoning behind some of his decisions. At the same time, he has been praised for his forward thinking ideas about where we need to go with our sports programs. I really didn’t know what to expect. What I found was a rather engaging and very open individual.

At the end of the interview, Ted introduced me Tony Vittorio, the baseball coach who is on his way to putting Flyer Baseball on the collegiate map and to a friend of the University, Frank Pacetta. Frank has recently completed a book titled Stop Whining – Start Winning. This book on management in the business world features a chapter that talks about how Kissell aggressively recruits coaches and staff. It also spends time talking about the recruiting techniques of Purnell. Sometimes it is easy to forget just how good the people that guide our programs are.

Over the next few months, I will be dissecting the six hours of tape that were created yesterday and fill you in on the lives and thoughts of some of the more visible individuals in the athletic department. The thing that I took away from my day of vacation was just how open and willing to communicate these people were. Can you imagine the Athletic Director of Michigan or Ohio State or Notre Dame spending two hours with some part-time hobbyist writer for some non-profit web site?

Not only do these people take the time, but they also make you feel like you are actually welcome and part of the team.

It was a long day, but one of the more fun days that I have had in quite some time. Not only that, but it didn’t even cost me an E-Ticket.