It hasn’t all been bad though. This past weekend, I went to Buffalo to go to my first ever home Sabres game. They won, my favorite player scored and I had a blast!! Definitely something I will never forgot. Other highlights, Ohio State is on a rampage in the NCAA Tournament (Go Buckeyes!) The Sabres are well on their way to making the NHL playoffs. My BELOVED Buffalo Bills made a couple HUGE signings this off season to give every fan and player, just a little more hope, that things are changing.

Aside from the near the death experiences, well not “near-death” but you get the idea… March has been a great month. I can only hope it is a sign that April will be just as good for me : )

Hello everyone [:-)]

I am writing to you today because I need your help. I am apart of a pre-medical honors society called Kappa Rho here at The University of Texas at Austin. Our organization has joined “Relay for Life @ UT” to help the American Cancer Society fight back against cancer.

“Relay for Life” is a worldwide event where survivors of cancer, individuals that have family/friends affected by cancer, or even individuals who simply just want to come out to be supportive come together and celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.

The University of Texas at Austin is holding “Relay for Life” on campus near the Tower on April 21st at 7pm. It will be 24 hour event where we will relay to honor cancer survivors, remember people we have lost, and spread awareness to help save lives. I have personally signed up for “Relay for Life @ UT” in honor of my mom, who is just now reaching her 5th year of being cancer free. For every $50 I receive, I will be running a mile at this event for her and for my sisters of Kappa Rho that were in someway affected by cancer [:-)] . My goal is to achieve $300 and our team goal for Kappa Rho is $1000. I would greatly appreciate if you could help me spread the word of this amazing event and cause by either forwarding this email, coming out to the event itself, or simply just word by mouth.. and together.. we can help put an end to cancer.

If you are interested in helping the American Cancer Society, Kappa Rho, or myself, the link to my page to make a donation is:

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12National?px=26810487&pg=personal&fr_id=41287

Thank you so much,
Missy Wu

Animal control officials alleged 13 beagles were left on their own inside a foreclosed home in Port Clinton. The homeowners are now charged with 13 misdemeanors apiece. Despite reports the owners would leave a bag of open dog food on occasion, the animals were apparently left living in their own urine and feces. The outpouring of help following that story led to all the beagles were sent to foster homes.

On the way back, I just dropped in at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge to see what information they had. A pair of wildlife biologists, one of them the refuge manager, just happened to be at the visitor center during my stop. They led me along the trails that had been closed to hikers in search of eagle’s nests. It only took 15 minutes to find four eagles in flight, and a good picture of a large nest.

People in the news business joke that the surest way to get a reaction of viewers is to do stories about kids and animals. This trip certainly proved true. My Facebook page and phone blew up with messages from friends willing to help the beagles and people who now have a place to stop to view the eagles.

That was definitely a good day in the TV news biz: when people reach out to help or learn a little more about their corner of the world.

Think about what he is. A guy who’s scored at least 20 points in five straight NBA games, all wins for the previously struggling Knicks. That’s not easy, no matter the sample size. And historically speaking, anybody who’s pulled off this kind of run has been at least an NBA veteran, but mostly players who were All-Stars at one point in time or another. What I’m saying is that past history suggests this small sample size is enough to predict that Lin will, at the very least, stick in an NBA rotation somewhere.

And this comes from a guy who so many people say “came out of nowhere.”

But did he really?

Kobe Bryant said, “Players don’t come out nowhere” after Lin dropped 38 on his Lakers. He’s right. Guys don’t just come into the league randomly and score 5 straight wins while scoring 20+ points and 7+ assists in each. That stuff doesn’t happen overnight.

Jeremy Lin won a high school state title in California when he led his team over powerhouse Mater Dei. He was named Northern California Division II high school player of the year. We’re talking talent-rich, population-rich California. We’re not saying he was player of the year in Northern Hawaii or Northern South Dakota. We’re talking California. So it’s not like he wasn’t good in high school.

So how many Division I scholarship offers did he get? ZERO. Yup, zero. Try finding another Cali high school player of the year who didn’t get a single scholarship offer to play ball.

Coaches can say all they want about how his athleticism didn’t really stick out. The guy won a state title in Cali, for crying out loud. They had enough sample size to watch his basketball IQ and how it could lead to winning. He wasn’t a role player on a good team – he was a PLAYER OF THE YEAR.

Am I saying race is an issue? Let’s keep it real here. Of course I am. I can’t say I blame the coaches either. These coaches look for upside, right? Public perception doesn’t exactly scream high-flying athleticism when it comes to Asian Americans. We’re known for being smart and, if we’re playing any sports, it’s supposed to be tennis, golf, or badminton. People don’t expect a Jeremy Lin to crossover his way past John Wall and then dunk it. Lin may have achieved what he did in high school, but coaches placed athletic upside over basketball IQ. It happened. Accept it.

I first noticed Jeremy Lin when I saw that Harvard beat Boston College during his junior season. Not only was an Asian American dude hooping it up on the highlights, he had the stats to show it across the board, whether it be points, assists, and steals. This guy LED them to the big win. They pulled it off again the next year. Lin also had a strong showing against UConn.

That said, I can’t say I expected Lin to be drafted. And I don’t blame race for that. Let’s face it: how many Harvard kids get drafted? How many Ivy League kids get drafted? But he did his thing in the Summer League against Wall, Golden State noticed, and picked him up. Both the Warriors and Houston Rockets cut him, and they had roster situations and financial considerations that forced them to do so. Plus, as both teams’ GM’s have publicly said, they had no way of knowing Lin was going to be like THIS. I agree with them. No one, not even his most ardent supporters, could’ve predicted this.

I’m absolutely stoked to see Jeremy Lin excel as he has. He’s proven he can ball. He’s proven that it doesn’t matter what background you have… you can achieve your dreams.

And if you think race had nothing to do with his “coming out of nowhere,” please find me a high school player of the year in a large talent-rich state who didn’t get ANY DIVISION I OFFER.

It’s simply Linsanity.

That’s made it rough for the good folks from the Toledo-Area Metroparks, who tried to give families a couple of outdoor venues for wintertime fun.

They installed sled riding hills and offer ice skating at Sidecut Metropark in Maumee and at Pearson Metropark in Oregon. The Maumee facility also has outdoor fireplaces for folks to keep warm.

Unfortunately for them, there’s been little snow and temperatures to warm to freeze ponds or an earthen ice rink.

But the deep freeze will hit just in time for the Whitehouse Winterfest this weekend. An Arctic blast is on the way, which will provide below-zero wind chills for the annual event.

Whitehouse Winterfest runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the downtown area of that Lucas County community.

Organizers had planned cardboard box sled races, a snowman building contest, a snow angel contest, and ice carvings. It’s hard to tell at this point whether those can be done.

However, there will be horse-and-carriage rides, music, food, and a Snowy Night Light Parade at 6:30 p.m.

Don’t know how “snowy” the parade will be, but the event will go on as planned—with or without snow and ice.

I’m not a wintertime fan, but here’s hoping there’s at least a little of the weekend white stuff so folks can enjoy both the outdoor Metropark facilities and a winterfest.

But there is the Super Bowl, signaling the end of the football season, National Signing Day, which signals yet another season of college football to look forward to when it comes to your favorite school, and the start of spring training for baseball.

While I will be sad to see another NFL season come and go, the major-league baseball fan in me hopes my beloved Cleveland Indians will solve their first baseman problems long-term or find another nugget of talent in the farm system to round out their roster.

I’m also hoping the Ohio State football team can put their scandal-ridden past behind them once and for all and that new coach Urban Meyer restores a sense of responsibility and pride in the squad. It’s been exciting to follow the large number of verbal commitments he has secured so far, but nothing is guaranteed until recruits sign a national letter of intent.

Of course, on both fronts, “potential” will be the watch-word until the teams actually take the field. But it will be fun to follow the off-season action, as it always leads to an actual season which could prove to be an exciting one—much like last year, when the Tribe hit the ground running with a great record, then lost steam as injuries took their toll.

It’s just fun to be a fan, period.

Sorry, I’m not a fan of snow. I grew up in Northeast Ohio and saw my fair share, especially the blizzard of 1977 as a kid. My family lived on a hill. I’ve shoveled tons of the white stuff in my lifetime. I’m tired of it. Done. Finished. So I’m very delighted to only see an inch or two at a time that quickly melts.

Move to Florida or some other warmer climate, you say? Nah, I like Ohio and its people.

Our seasons may be a whole lot shorter compared to other regions, but, like many others, I want to stay close to family and friends. I’m a creature of routine, if you will. My early career took me out-of-state and if I can help it, I’m not going to leave again.

That’s not to say I won’t be the typical Ohioan and complain about the weather. Yes, we always know snow is going to happen, yet we whine and moan about it anyway. I guess it’s in our DNA.

But you won’t hear me complain about this winter to date. In fact, I’ve been able to get out and do some stuff on the weekends I probably wouldn’t do if I was shoveling instead. But I am worried about a possible repeat of what happened a few winters back, when we had a mild January. Old Man Winter buried us in late February and well into March. Spring seemed to take forever to finally arrive. Here’s hoping there’s no reprise this time.

Many of them are inviting families from outside their membership circle to watch a showing of the movie “Courageous.”

The film is about fatherhood and the struggles dads face to balance their work and home life, as well as being a parent. The movie centers on several police officers forced to make life-changing decisions as they come to grips with struggles within their own families.

“Courageous” follows in the vein of another successful film that caught a lot of people by surprise with its message. Fireproof starred Kirk Cameron, who you may recall from his days as a teen heartthrob on the TV series “Growing Pains.”

So why are churches doing this? Opening their doors right now at a crucial time in people’s lives is one way of reaching out to the community and performing the mission of ministry at home. Many churches focus on hunger and poverty around the world, but many pastors have realized there is a lot of hurt here at home—and have refocused their church efforts accordingly.

My church is one that is showing the film and I extend an invitation to Maumee United Methodist Church at 6:30 p.m., Sat., Jan. 21. For the little ones, my church is showing Dolphin Tale.