February 2002

February 2002 Newsletter

The start of a new month came with the end of the NFL football season. The St. Louis Rams played the New England Patriots in Superbowl XXXVI. Merri Beth had a small party with Bates and Margie. Bates couldn't party too hard because he had a calculus test the next day. I unfortunately had to work on Super Sunday, but came home for my dinner break and was able to enjoy some of the game. The Patriots beat the Rams 20-17 in what some call the most exciting Superbowl in years! I was pulling for the Rams primarily because of one of my favorite players, Torry Holt, who went to college at, guess where, N.C. State!!

The Monday following the Superbowl was spent out on the town. A small group of us, Merri Beth, Margie, Jesse, and I got together and ventured to the Flying Saucer for pint nite. After we enjoyed a few brews at the pub, we went to play some pool. We checked out a new place in our neighborhood that was very cool. Time Out Billiards has excellent Brunswick Gold Crown tables and a growing membership base. Check them out on Lake Wheeler Road. Membership is only $1.00.

Wednesday, February 6, 2002. N.C. State plays Virginia at the E.S.A. MB and I get tickets in Section 111 and the place is wild! Julius Hodge was suspended by the ACC for unsportsman-like conduct from the Maryland game. Scooter Sherrill had the game of his life with an all time high, 20 points. N.C. State beat #10 ranked Virginia by 17 points (85-68). We are very proud of our team, Go Pack!!!

Sunday, February 10, 2002. The Pack beats Florida State at FSU by 76-67. I decided to meet the team during my dinner break at work, along with some other Wolfpack fans. Check out some pictures of us meeting the team. I met almost the entire team and got a cool picture with Scooter Sherrill.

February 14, 2002, Valentine's Day. Nothing special, Merri Beth and I did a change from the norm and didn't even exchange gifts. She got me a nice card and I cooked her an awesome dinner. After dinner, we sat a watched the V-day murder of N.C. State when Duke whipped The Pack by a score of 71-108. After the game we met the Wolfpack at Reynolds Coliseum. There were only about 10 people who joined the Welcoming Crew on this cold February evening, but despite the huge loss, the team seemed appreciative to see us there. MB got mad autographs from almost the entire team.

February 20, 2002. MB, Jesse, and I meet Margie at Playmakers's, a local sports bar. We planned on watching N.C. State beat Georgia Tech but that's not the way it happened. We enjoyed each other company and were satisfied with a great first half performance from the Pack. Unfortunately, the game slipped away and Georgia Tech came away with a big upset with a score of 65-59. We went home in dismay, but come to find out, the Yellow Jackets aren't that bad. Despite their shameful record, they have won 5 of their last seven, with losses to Duke and Maryland. Not bad, but State still should have won.

February 21-22, 2002. Surf's up boys and girls. Jason managed to tear himself away from Raleigh to catch a few good, cold waves. I arrived on the Outer Banks after 2 days of solid 8-foot swell. Thursday the 22nd was still holding up 4-6 foot swells with slightly bigger set waves. The swell was a North East swell with Southwest winds. The waves were excellent and the water on North Pea Island was in the mid to lower 40's. I was able to get in 2 hours of solid surf, which consisted mostly of battling the Northern current towards Oregon Inlet. The 22nd offered 3-4 foot surf with light winds that shifted Northeast and began tearing down the nice barrels. I logged in about 2 more hours of surf before I departed back to Raleigh. I would have had some pictures except the film in my camera was not loaded correctly.

February 24, 2002. MB and Margie go to see the Wolfpack play UNC at the Raleigh E.S.A. It's senior night and senior players Anthony Grundy, Archie Miller, and Brian Keeter are honored for their college careers at NC State. The first half was a little scary but the Wolfpack came out in the 2nd half and took control. NCSU beat UNC 98-76 and finally broke the 20 win barrier. Jason had a ticket but was stuck at work. I was loudly cheering on the Wolfpack as I listened to the game over the Internet. Go Pack!