March 1st, 2010 marked the 7th anniversary of ESPN 760 and March 3rd was the 7th anniversary of Evan and I doing a show together.

As I was just walking into work, I looked up and saw the new ESPN 760 sign on the top of our office building. When looking at that sign it really struck me how far we've come. Nearly everything is different. Even our station logo that is now at the top of the building was completely different then, and it damn sure wasn't on the building.

The crew here at ESPN 760 is also markedly different despite some notable exceptions. I was hired at the beginning but, at first, was only working 2 hours a night running Palm Beaches Gamenight with Evan Cohen. Evan was here obviously and you all have seen what he has grown into. I will tell you that his evolution as a talk show host and as a person has been vast and profound. Changes like that are only made by people with extremely sharp minds and I promise you that Evan has that in spades. It should also be said that I consider Evan a very close friend. I have gone through some very tough times in the past 7 years and Evan was always there for me no matter what. I know you may not be able to always tell that from our relationship on the show, but I assure you it's true. Dean Grossman is a sales guy that has been around since the beginning. He's a great person with a great family and he's been extremely important to the development of this station. And, you may not realize this, but the fearless leader of this group is and has always been Steve Politziner. You may have heard him on the Steve and Craig Show in days past or on the Steve and Craig Podcast currently. You can also hear him on the Sunday Sports Page and the Rollie Massimino Show. This is only a very tiny portion of what he does though. Steve is the backbone of this station and without him we certainly wouldn't be where we are today. I can definitely tell you that I wouldn't be where I am as an employee or a person without him. He is a great leader and a great friend that is constantly thinking of ways to improve this station and himself. Many people say that they strive to continually improve, but I can tell you that Steve truly does. I could write for days and not fully encapsulate Steve's importance, so I'll just leave it at that. That wraps up the people that are here and have been since the beginning. I can't leave out Lance Davis and Debbie Jeter though because they are still with the company ,although not in this location, and their blood, sweat, and tears were intrical in the development of the station.

There are tons of other people that joined our team later that have shaped the face of ESPN 760 as well. Mike Goldstein who you hear regularly on updates and the Saturday Sports Page does as much behind the scenes as anybody and deserves a boatload of credit for his tireless efforts. Stephanie Prince and Krissie Weaver are also behind the scenes and are both invaluable for the many things they do, which certainly includes putting up with a bunch of crude dudes all day every day. Eric Lowenthal and Keith Mangan are sales guys currently and are busting their butts to insure that we continue to grow. Both are great guys as well. Sales people that are no longer with the company such as Jason Cardinal, Dan Hrones, and Jen Hellman also had a ton to do with where we are today. As long as we are talking about past employees that had an effect on where we are now, Colin Holder certainly deserves a mention. He did the things that nobody else wanted to and when he's in a good mood, there is nobody funnier. He has truly been missed around here.

Pat Rooney Jr. has had a wonderful effect on our growth. He is a wonderful guy and people like Pat are simply immeasurable in what they bring to the table. He helped us establish relationships and really helped us become members of this community. I can assure you that there is no better person to be running for office than Pat. We would be lucky to have more guys like him running this country.

Newer additions to the fold include guys like Ken LaVicka, Jason Pugh, JMP, Herb Uzzi, Bobby Cline, Kyle Green, Kelley Bydlon, and McLovin. Most of these guys started as interns and have worked their way up, but all of them have busted their humps to improve the station and themselves.

I know there are tons of people that have helped our growth that I didn't mention by name, but they are certainly not forgotten. Every one of our partners throughout the years, our friends in the community, and of course all of the interns over time have helped us in so many ways. Wow, I saw our sign which made me walk down memory lane and now I've rambled on and on. Before I go though I have to mention Craig Karmazin who has positively influenced every employee that has ever worked here despite not being here that often. It truly takes a special person to do what he does.

Lastly, I want to thank you. You are the real reason that we are successful. We would be nothing without you. Your support is absolutely invaluable. I love every chance I get to interact with people that listen and support the station, even when it includes hearing about how annoying my laugh is. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

If I have forgotten someone, I truly apologize. My memory is terrible and it certainly wasn't intentional.

Now the goal is to make the next 7 years even better than the last 7!

I just spent a couple days in Orlando for the unveiling of ESPN's Wide World of Sports and it was awesome. They treated us great and there were tons of athletes and ESPN personalities there to enjoy the experience. The things they are doing in the Wide World of Sports are amazing. They are really going all out. It was fun to be a part of it and see what was going on.

Courtney was able to go up with me and around times when I was working, we hit up some parks. She LOVES Disney so it was really a great time. There are tons of great things to be enjoyed at the parks, but in my estimation, there are three attractions that you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't do them.

The first is located in Hollywood Studios. It's the Tower of Terror. You go in and there is a great Twilight Zone story attached to it. The gist of the ride itself is a free fall type thing. It's much cooler though. I've been on a ride where they take you up way high and then you just drop at a million miles an hour. At first glance, that's what you would think this is. I was proven wrong in the first second of my first ride. I was proven wrong because the ride went up at a fast pace first. Then it dropped. Then it dropped some more. Then it went back up and so on and so on. It was awesome. What was even cooler was that the next time we went on it, the ride was completely different. I was expecting to go up at the beginning and we did a huge drop. All in all it is a pretty awesome ride.

My next two favorites are both roller coasters and I can't choose which I like better.

If your main coaster criteria is just sheer speed and pandomonium, then the Aerosmith Rockin' Roller Coaster is your ride. You initially walk in and you are in the recording studio with Aerosmith. You are there to watch them record a song, but their manager busts in and informs them that they are late for a show. As a consolation for missing their recording session, you are offered a backstage pass for the show. They are then sped away in a limo. The manager says that our ride is awaiting us in the alley and that it's pretty fast. She gives a wink and disappears. You then get into the coaster itself and get ready. Most coasters start slow and then you go up a huge hill and the fun begins. Not this one. You get strapped in and it counts you down and the ride just blasts off into a fast paced track with backflip and a corkscrew included. It was awesome. It's super fast, the track is great, and the rock music in the background just enhances the mood. This ride is awesome.

Last but most certainly not least is in Animal Kingdom and it's called Everest. The premise has to do with the Yeti and Mt. Everest. As you stand in line there are tons of things relating to that part of Asia and the Yeti itself. The ride itself starts like a typical coaster in that you start slow and go slowly up a big hill. Instead of a huge drop though, it's a small drop that whisks you around a turn and you realize up ahead that the track has been destroyed. You sit still for a few seconds and then you speed down a hill backwards. Awesome. While that was a little bit surprising, I did figure it out because you simply couldn't go forward, so that was the only option. Now as you're flying backwards, you again come to a stop. Now I'm confused. Are we going to speed backwards some more? We can't go forward because of the destroyed track right? Wrong. You then go flying down a huge hill forward and the ride wraps up with some fast twists and turns. This ride is amazing because you really can't see it coming. That last drop took me by surprise and I loved every second of it.

These rides were so much fun. If you go to Disney soon, you have to get on them. If not, shame on you.

Something happened last night in the Courtmart household that I must share with you guys. As you may know, we have 3 beautiful doggies. They are technically Courtney's dogs, but I love them and consider them mine now as well. Anyhoo, take a gander at these pretty little pups.

The two in the bottom pic are Schitzu's and the one in the top pic is a border collie. They are great dogs. They are well trained (for the most part) and are very sweet animals. The story starts with me sitting in the living room playing a video game while Courtney was taking her makeup off or something in another room. I was so zoned into my game that I didn't notice Sophie, one of the Schitzu's, peeing on the carpet literally two feet away from me. Courtney came out and saw the stain and was not pleased with me or the dog to say the least.

Sophie was then banished to a night in her cage instead of in the bed with us. Now, I'm a softie through and through. It pains me to see that little dog in her cage when she doesn't want to be there. Oftentimes she will go in there of her own accord and just hang out there but this was not one of those occasions.

Courtney ended up going to sleep about an hour before I did. When I was ready for bed, I crept around the bedroom getting ready for bed making sure not to make a sound, so as not to wake her. She was snoring more loudly than her usual, so she was completely out and off in dreamland. I laid down in the bed and every 5 seconds Sophie would let out this little whine. She wasn't doing it constantly, which would have most likely made Courtney wake up, she was doing it about every 5 or 10 seconds. She would then scratch her paws on the bottom of the cage to get my attention as well. These noises weren't very loud at all, but they completely prevented me going to sleep. After about 20 minutes, I couldn't take it any more.

I figured if I let her out of her cage and onto the bed Courtney wouldn't notice because she was so out of it. She may get annoyed in the morning if she remembered, but my first priority was sleep. Getting in trouble in the morning was the least of my worries. My mind was made up. I slowly and quietly crept out of the bed and went to the cage. All good, Courtney still snoring. I undid the first latch....heart racing...still snoring. We're good. I undid the second latch....shhhh....I hear snoring....we're good. I open the door, which doesn't make a sound, and Sophie comes out of the cage. At this point, I hear the beginning of a snore, and I think I'm home free. I swear to God, mid snore, I hear WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!? I nearly screamed like a girl. I have no idea how she did that. How did she know?

Sophie and I were then yelled at for 5 minutes. Courtney went right back to sleep as if nothing happened. I put Sophie back in her cage and she didn't make another peep all night long. First off, the dog played me like a chump, and Courtney let me know as much. Secondly, how the hell did Courtney do that? I could understand if the dog got in the bed and she woke up or if we made noise and she got up, but neither happened. It scared the bejeesus out of me. I'm still mystified by it.

I am a huge Colts fan. I am a huger Peyton Manning fan. I was extremely lucky to be able to attend Super Bowl 44. I was even more lucky to have the best seats you could imagine. We were on the 50 yard line about 20 rows up. I was awestruck from the moment we walked in at the greatness of these seats. I have never experienced a football game like that before, let alone a Super Bowl with my favorite team and favorite athlete in any sport participating.I was also with a great group of people. All of this adds up to one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

When it comes to sports the word fan is short for fanatic. Now, this may sound weird, but I am a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, but I am by no means a fanatic. I will always root for them no matter who they play, but truthfully I am not really emotionally invested in them. When they get to the playoffs I will definitely get excited and will root for them, but if they are unceremoniously ousted from the playoffs (as they were this year) I may be momentarily upset but it won't cut too deep and it won't last too long.

Peyton Manning and the Colts are different. I am a fanatic for the Colts. When I say that I don't mean that I spend hours poring over their roster trying to crunch stats or learn where Melvin Bullitt went to high school. What I mean is that I root with my heart. I am nervous on game days. For big games I pace around my place like a crazy man. I speak to the TV as if Peyton can hear me. I yell at them when they make mistakes. I scream when they score. I scream when they get scored on. I am completely emotionally invested. I'm a fanatic.

The Colts record of 14-2 doesn't really explain how the season went. You look at that record and it seems like they were dominant and just destroying teams, but that simply wasn't the case. The whole season was a rollercoaster ride. They had 7 fourth quarter comebacks. Seven! For someone like me that is very emotionally draining, but it also got to the point where I expected Peyton to lead the comeback and walk away with a win. In the regular season and their first two playoff games he walked away with a win in every contest he was allowed to finish.That all changed on Super Bowl Sunday.

I won't bore you with a long breakdown of the game as I'm sure you've gotten plenty of that from people way more knowledgeable than me. What I can tell you is that when Peyton threw that pick 6 my heart broke. I wanted to cry. I was sure that he was leading us to the promised land, but I was wrong, and it hurt like hell.  I have never felt pain like that at the hands of anything other than a woman or death. Maybe that's being dramatic, but I can't think of anything more painful that wasn't associated with a woman or death. Don't hold me to that though.

For the whole ride home, I was lost in my thoughts and thoroughly depressed. I didn't think I would ever snap out of it. I got home and Courtney did her best to try and console me (keep your mind out of the gutter, that's not what I meant). We talked about the night and recounted my experiences. She was most interested in the fact that I saw Kim Kardashian. After a bit, it was time to go to bed. I couldn't sleep. I had to stop myself from crying, but then something unexpected happened. I know this may sound weird but I thought to myself that this is all because of a game. Then I smiled. Again, I know I am a weird dude by all accounts but feeling the sharp pain of that loss made me realize why I love sports. Yes, it is the overwhelming joy of being a champion, but the flip side of that is the agony of defeat. They go hand in hand and I realized in that moment that both are a part of it and often you need to experience one to appreciate the other. The fact that people you have never met, that play a game for a living, can affect your emotions so powerfully is pretty amazing.

As soon as this realization struck me I fell asleep. I am still down about the loss and the end of the season, but when it all boils down, the Colts had a great season and I got the experience of a lifetime. The Saints deserve this championship, and Peyton and the Colts will be back. I can't wait for next year! Hopefully it will be tears of joy next year.

Check out this crazy video. I seriously couldn't take my eyes off of it. It's by the South African group called Die Antwoord.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc3f4xU_FfQ&feature=player_embedded

If you haven't heard, the Palm Beach Mall is now closed. There are a few stores that will remain open because of long term leases, but that mall itself is closed.

I can honestly say that I will miss the Palm Beach Mall. I know that it's been rundown for a long time now, but I will still remember it fondly. If you have been to the mall in the last couple years, you likely think I'm joking, but I'm not.

When I moved to West Palm in 1994, the Palm Beach Mall was the spot. I worked in several locations in the mall, with the longest stint being at the $1.50 movie theater. I had some great times there. I experienced everything from a mini riot to a dead rat in a popcorn bin to cleaning up some of the grossest things you could imagine when cleaning the theaters. I know those don't sound like pleasant memories, but that was a fun time.

We now have much newer and nicer and more modern malls, but I'm sorry to see the old one go.