I recently made a road trip with my family for a Florida vacation.  As we were cruising down the interstate, I looked at my three kids in the back seats.  One was watching a movie on a DVD player (that’s sooooooo 2005!).  One was playing games on an iPad, while the other was listening to music on an iPod.  I thought back to the car trips of my own childhood, and thought,

HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, let’s look at our mode of transformation.  Nowadays, we have mini-vans and SUVs full of movie players, charger outlets, USB ports,…

Back in the 1970’s, we had mostly cars and station wagons.  And they had two things.

The highlight of our entertainment was fighting over what radio station button to push.  Dad usually won with either oldies, easy listening, elevator music.

Cars also had this…

If you younger whipper snappers are wondering what that image is on that charger,

IT”S A CIGARETTE!!!!!!!!!!!

We didn’t use that plug for hand-held Atari video game systems (which didn’t exist).  It was used to either light cigarettes or, according to the movies, escape car jackers.

So to keep ourselves entertained, you could try fun, creative quirky activities like…

Singing “99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer….take one down, and pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall.”

For the Aljancics, that beer would get pretty flat by beer bottle 96.

You could also look out the window for different state license plates.  Or count car colors.  Or find things that started with different letters of the alphabet.  Or play ‘I Spy’.  Or try to get a truck driver to honk is horn.

WE DIDN’T NEED NO STINKIN’ TECHNOLOGY!!!  WE HAD OUR CREATIVE MINDS!!!

And alot of boorrrrrrrrrrriiiiiinnnnnnnngggggggg hours suffering in the back seat.

One thing we kids did put to good use was fighting.  Not over charger wires or movie choices.  We fought over battle lines.

My wonderful sister, Andrea, who is one year older than me, waged at least a 7-year war over that imaginary line that cuts the back seat in half.  Things would get heated from time to time, but I do have to pack me and sis on the back for being models of diplomacy.  As a trip would go on, we would get tired, and thus find peaceful diplomatic solutions to our border disagreements.  We would simply lay length wise in opposite directions for some rest and relaxation.

Things got more complicated when my brother Jon, 4 years younger than me, was thrown into to the backseat mix.  Andrea & I continued the terms of our laying lengthwise peace treaty, so we had to figure out to do with this new upstart nation.  Our solution was to either have Jon sleep above us under the back window, or below us where you would normally put your feet.

In case you worry worts were wondering, seat belts were not in any part of this equation.

Seat belts were those things you stuffed in the seat crack.  Did anyone other than Ralph Nader wear a seat belt in the 1970s?  I guess SAFETY had a slightly different definition back then.

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Here are a few other memories that nowadays would get parents skewered on Facebook today….

That car seat looks pretty safe!  You know what many parents thought was safer?  Holding your kid on your lap in the front seat.  Or having your toddler sit between you and dad on the front seat.

I faintly remember being 6 or 7 and riding on my dad’s lap one time for a few minutes as he was driving.  I even got to steer a little!  Hey, if it’s good enough for Andy Aljancic, it’s good enough for Brittany Spears!

Another questionable auto safety choice I remember goes back to one of my baseball teams.  After games, we would got to either Dairy Queen or Varsity Isle for treats.

ONLY if we won, of course.

Anyhow, to get there, half of us would pile in Coach Butch’s van, and the other half would pile in the back of Coach Nub’s pick-up truck.  And then we would race to see who could get their first (well, maybe it was just a race to us kids).  I will say that the pick up did have a cap, so Nub must have been a ‘Safety First’ kind of guy!

How about this safety violation.  For a few years, we had a sweet orange Chevy Vega station wagon like this…

 

Now the Chevy Vega is famous for being one of the worst cars ever.  But being a station wagon, it had its perks.  It was too small to have one of those ‘face backwards’ seats, but you could fold all the seats down in the back so you have your own flat area to lay out in!

I am happy, and very thankful, to say that my siblings and I managed to survive all those years of suspect safety standards and tedious times of pre-technology.

So next time your kids start complaining in the back seat, tell them to click on their ‘Sports Smack with Mac’ app and reflect on the simpler times of car rides.  And maybe find an property line to fight over.

 

Follow the author on twitter:  @macaljancic

You can also e-mail him:  macaljancic@yahoo.com

 

Who we are and what we do can often be traced back to our fathers (as well as uncles and grandfathers.

Can you change a brake pad?  You probably need to thank your dad.

Are you able to field dress a deer?  Thank your dad.

Go muddin’ on your four-wheeler this weekend?  Thank your dad.

Been to a race track this year?  Thank your dad.

Fixed your roof?  Thank your dad.

So far, my dad is 0 for 5 in the ‘Thank You’ department so far.  He wasn’t a car guy, a hunting guy, a racing guy, or a construction guy.

And, predictably, I don’t score very high marks in any of those departments, either.  There is some hope for me, though.  I can change my car’s headlamps, I have hung drywall, I do periodically read about NASCAR, and I did catch a mouse once!

But there probably are a few things that I could thank my dad for.

Thanks, dad, for giving me your love of playing sports.  You not only put a hoop in our driveway. You put a basketball court in our basement!  If only I grew another foot, I would have been a regular on ESPN highlights with all the power dunks I learned!

You taught me the art of punting.  You built our house on a double lot so our home was the place to be for backyard football and baseball.  You took your four kids to the tennis courts.  You let us tag along when you coached high school sports.  You coached our youth teams.  You spent hours on end hitting me grounders for our ‘Flubba’ games.  You even put this in our yard…

It didn’t get any of your sons to the U.S. Open, but we sure had alot of fun hacking around ‘Aljansga National Golf Course’.  And I wanna issue a belated apology to our neighbors for any divots we put in your yards.  No broken windows, though!

Thank you dad, for giving me your love of music.  Some of the music you played made me cringe back in my youth (I am talking to you, Ray Conniff!), but you gave me an eclectic taste in tunes from Sinatra to Mozart to the Beatles to Motown to Johnny Cash that I now cherish.

Thank you, dad, for your cheesy sense of humor you gave me.  I like to believe I trimmed out at least a third of the cheese in your recipe and replaced it with some dry wit.  But I still have a heavy dose of Andy Velveeta.  I don’t know if my three children, my wife, my 8th grade students, or my blog readers 100% appreciate the humor you bequeathed me, but I’ve think I have squeezed out a few smiles.

By the way, I just watched yesterday one of those old Peter Sellers Pink Panther movies.  Funny as ever.  I know to be careful if I ever ask someone the question, ‘Does your dog bite?’

Thank you, dad, for passing down your love of Cleveland sports teams.

 

 

Well… maybe not.

But anytime there was a twi-nite double header at the old stadium, we were there.  (By the way, could the kids of this generation sit through 6 hours of baseball?).  And I loved our many trips to the dog pound for Browns’ games.  We also sprinkled in a few journeys to the Coliseum for World B. Free and the Cavs.

Thanks for giving me your love of teaching.  I can’t tell you how many of your old students have come up to me and told me how much they appreciated you as a teacher.  This blog from an old student  sums you up perfectly as a teacher.  I just finished my 22nd year, and it has been a great career choice.  I need to continue to remind myself of how you went the extra mile to touch students’ lives.  Teaching is a great opportunity and privilege to be a positive influence, and you epitomized it.

Too bad you missed out on all this fun new stuff  that legislators have ‘blessed’ educators with!

Thanks, Dad, for all of your encouragement, smiles, and hugs.  They irritated me from time to time as as a teenager, but as I look back, I see how much they lifted me up.  I find myself putting them to use on my three kids.  But I need to remember to use heavier doses of Grandpa Andy joyfulness and much less of my own creation of ‘grumpy dad’ home brew.

And thank you most of all, Dad, passing your love of God down to me.  You not only read me Bible stories and took me to church.  You lived your faith by your choices and your actions.  You always looked for ways to serve God, especially by serving and caring  for others.  Thanks for being an example and inspiration to me.  I hope I can better strive to follow your lead.

I can thank you for so much more.  But I want to thank you for being a big part of making me me.

Though I could probably do with a little less cheese.

I love you and miss you very much!

Follow the author on twitter:  @macaljancic

You can also e-mail him:  macaljancic@yahoo.com

We have been on a true NBA Finals roller coaster ride over the last 10 days.  Now the series stands at two games apiece.

In the music arena, we have to pick a side:

Taylor Swift or Katie Perry?

Beatles or Rolling  Stones?

Backstreet Boys or N’Sync?

Kenny Chesney or Luke Bryan? (had to acknowledge my country audience)

Perry Como or Andy Williams? (had to acknowledge my over-70 audience)?

Debbie Gibson or Tiffany? (Debbie all the way)

For the attitude of Cavs’ fans, it’s  time to pick a side:

 

OR…………………….

 

Huh?

Let me explain.

One of Janet’s first hits was “What Have You Done for Me Lately?”

That is the panic vibe that I am getting for many Wine and Gold fans right now.  The Cavs got rolled, 103-82, in game 4, so now, we don’t have a chance.  We are too old, too hurt, too shallow of a bench.

Or you can take the Meatloaf state of mind…

“Now don’t be sad…’Cause

If you woulda told me at the beginning of the series that we would be tied a 2 games a piece, I would have taken it.

And if you would offered me a 2-2 split after Kyrie got hurt, I would have been doing cartwheels.

It’s a 3-game series.  Like the ‘Loaf croons, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.  We need 2 great games out of Lebron.  The best player on the planet when he is on.

While we are ordering, how about…

2 games of J.R. Swish.

2 games of the the big Russian dominating inside.

2 games of Tristan cleaning the glass.

2 games  of Shumpert playing up to his Kid’N’Play flat top.

2 games of DELLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And remember that anything  can happen in sports.  Ask Isaiah Thomas about his rolled ankle in game 6 of the 1988 Finals.  Probably cost the Pistons a ring.

So when things look bleak, start belting  out that Meatloaf jingle.

‘Two out of Three Ain’t Bad……………”

Follow the author on twitter:  @macaljancic

You can also e-mail him:  macaljancic@yahoo.com

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If you search ‘NBA Finals 2015’ on the internet right now, I am sure you could find a ton of results — 47,100,000 to be exact — breaking down the series.  So I am gonna contribute the 47,100,001st take from a slightly different approach.

TIME TO CHECK EVERYONE’S INBOX:

Hey Cleveland Cavaliers.  The National Media called.  You are supposed to lose.  Bad.

For the most part, the NBA media doesn’t believe the Cavs have a chance.  For instance, ESPN had 27 writers predict the finals.  22 picked the Golden State Warriors.  And that was BEFORE Kyrie Irving was lost for 4 months to a cracked kneecap in overtime of game 1.  In the ABC pre-game show before game 2, Doug Collins and Jalen Rose were pretty much giving a sympathetic, poetic eulogy for the Wine and Gold.

But thankfully,

Hey Cavs. Former NFL coach Herm Edwards skyped you this classic video message.

With the injuries to Irving along with Kevin Love, the Cavs had more than enough legitimate excuses to roll over and call it a season.  But coach Herm hit the nail on the head.  If you are gonna play, you play and fight your hardest to win, no matter the odds.  Thankfully, our nation’s forefathers had that attitude, or right now, most of us would be speaking with one of those cool English accents.

Speaking of accents…

Hey Matthew Dellavedova.  The sports world twittered.   U R not an NBA player. 2 short. 2 slow. 2 Australian. Ugly shot. St. Mary’s is a small college. U R a cheapshot for diving into guy’s legs. (I made it in 140 characters!!!)

I have to confess.  I have not been much of a Delly fan.  I have cringed at times throughout the season when the Thunder from Down Under has been in.   Just look at his form on this shot…

You are not gonna see that technique being taught at any youth camps this summer.

Last night before the game, I sent a text out to my sports buddies asking if Delly is the worst player ever to start in an NBA finals.  After much debate, Sasha Pavlovic of the 2007 Cavs edged him out.

But Delly has tuned me and the rest of the haters out.  He simply plays HARD.  He busts his butt on defense.  2015 NBA MVP Steph Curry, who has been heavy nominated for the ‘greatest shooter ever’ crown during these play-offs, shot 0 for 8 when Delly was guarding him.  0 for 8! That includes his airball in the final seconds for the potential game-winning last shot.

And Delly does all the little things.  He dives for balls.  He boxes out.  He HUSTLES 100% of the time.  He gets hate from much of the sports world for being un-NBA-worthy.  But he also gets love–and should be embraced by me and 99.8% of the world’s population–because he is one of the very few NBA players that we can relate to talent-wise.  Many of us weekend warrior athletes even mistakenly think we can kinda play at his level if he showed up at the YMCA for an open gym.

And examining his offensive game…

Hey Delly.  My 2-year-old niece’s sippy cup called.  It wants its floaters back.

I am guessing he throws it up with an either/or mentality…

EITHER it might go through the hoop,

OR someone might grab it and dunk it in as a sweet alley-oop pass.

I think I need to incorporate this into my driveway battles against my 9th grade son!

One more message for Mr. Dellavedova…

Crocodile Dundee called using one of those Australian Outback horns.  He wants his accent back…  

So I can have my wife back.

A few weeks ago, my wife came to me all excited after hearing Delly in an interview.  “Did you ever hear Delly talk?”  And now, that’s all I ever hear about.  Last night after game 2, she had to keep the TV on past 1 am just to hear Delly in a press conference.

It took a few years for her to get this former Browns’ QB beefcake out of her head…

I could never keep up with Brady Quinn’s brown eyes and bulging biceps.  But I can maybe grow a beard and start mixing in ‘G’day Mate’ to my vocabulary to complete with Delly.

I guess I deserve this competition for always asking my beautiful bride to say ‘Honey’ in a Julia Roberts Steel Magnolias Southern Belle accent.

And speaking again of accents…

Hey Coach Blatt.  Vladimir Putin called on the emergency red phone hotline.  He is giving you permission to play the big Russian in the 4th quarter.

Timofey Mosgov had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the first three quarters.  Then sat the entire 4th quarter and all but a few seconds of overtime.  We lost an 11-point lead in the last three minutes because we couldn’t score.  I know Tristan Thompson provides great defense and rebounding, but the Russian can play.  More importantly, he has this sweet sweet video song tribute courtesy of Cleveland comedian Mike Polk Jr.

Hey Draymond Green, Paul Bunyan sent a letter via Pony Express.  He wants his axe back.

You just about cut off both of Lebron’s arms on this late game shot…

And the ref didn’t even call the foul!!!   Speaking of which…

Hey NBA conspiracists. David Stern held a podcast for you.  He wants you to examine the evidence.

Conspiracy #1:  Stars get all the calls.

Umm, someone forgot to tell these NBA officials that LeBron is the greatest player in the world.  Because he certainly isn’t getting any calls.  In fact, he doesn’t get many calls because he is too big, too strong, and too athletic.

Conspiracy #2:  The NBA is fixed.

If that was true, the NBA would want the Cavs to win one of these first two games to maximize interest and the length of the series.   Thus, the Cavs would have gotten some marginal calls down the stretch to clinch the game.  That definitely did not happen.

Hey Warriors.  The Bricklayers just filed an injunction.  They want there jobs back.

The Golden State Warriors made 47.8% of their shots during the regular season, including 39.8% of their 3-point bombs.  Last night, they shot 39.8% from the field and 22.9% from the 3-point arc.  Yikes.  Now as for their opponents…

Hey Cavs, Mac Aljancic just blogged.  He wants his high school shooting stats back.

The Cavaliers shot 45.8% during the regular season.  In game two, the Cavs shot 32.2% from the field!  And won!!!  The question is, How?  The answer is in our next message.

Hey Lebron and Company.  Jim Tressel just sent a hand-written note.  He wants to praise you for incorporating his game plan.

Great defense.  Methodical offense.  All we were missing was Shawn Marion coming in as the shot clock was winding down to punt a couple balls down court for field position.  It’s not pretty to watch.  But with all the injuries, the Cavs need to play ball control to have a chance to defeat the Warriors.  And they are a shot away from being up 2-0 after two road games.  Speaking of chances…

Hey Ohio.  Lloyd Christmas just sent a snapchat. 

It’s now a 5-game series, and we are on the homecourt for three of them.  I think our odds are a little better than the one-in-a-million odds that Lloyd embraced in Dumb and Dumber.

Hey Mac Aljancic.  A 16-ounce glass containing eight ounces of water just facebooked you.  It wants to let you know that it is half full!

When it comes to my sports teams, I tend to follow the pessimistic route.  Why?  Let’s see if I can think of any traumatic memories…

The Drive of John Elway.  The Fumble of Earnest Byner.  The Shot of Michael Jordan.  The Blown Save of Jose Mesa.  John Cooper’s 2-13 Record vs. Michigan.  The Ohio State BCS championship blowout losses of 2006 & 2007.  The Indians Blown 3-1 lead in the 2007 ALCS.  The Browns leaving town.  Lebron leaving town.  The draft quarterback busts of Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden, and (maybe) Johnny Football.

The Cleveland Cavaliers debuted in October of 1970.  Mac Aljancic debuted in November of 1970.  It took 45 years, but the Cavs got their first ever NBA finals win last night.  Only 3 more to go.

So in the immortal words of this all-time classic 1970s sports song, which is my first Cavalier memory along with Austin Carr, Campy Russell, and Bingo Smith…

 COME ON CAVS!  GOTTA MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Follow the author on twitter:  @macaljancic

You can also e-mail him:  macaljancic@yahoo.com