It was a good day for me. The shock of what transpired on Sunday morning is beginning to subside. Everything is beginning to feel ‘somewhat’ normal again for me. I’m at peace. I know Mark is at peace as well.
I think it’s okay to grieve and cry, but at some point for me at least….I had to get that little voice in the back on my head saying, ” Let’s go, MJ. We’ve still got some serious work in front of us to beat this horrible disease.”
So I basically headed over to the Integris Cancer Center and found my special little place where I meditate and pray. It’s a beautiful little spot and there’s a coffee machine not far away where I always make myself a cup of praline pecan coffee.
Everything came into focus for me. I’m good. It doesn’t mean I won’t cry again at some point. But it feels as if I centered myself to the point where I can get back to work beating Stage 4 cancer.
I then changed into my Jamal Murray jersey and put on one of my MJ ( Michael Jordan) NBA Championship ballcaps and headed over to the Wellness Center for my first workout of the week.
To be blunt…I nailed it. It was my best time ever in my one mile sprint workout on the bike. I just killed it.
Then I headed into the weight room and much to my surprise a former NBA player was in the gym working out. So to me… that meant I should just follow him on the machines doing the exact same weight and reps.
Thing is though….his workout was a little pedestrain for me so I had to start adding 20 to 40 pounds on every machine.
One of my old racquetball tournamnent buddies… Don, watched the whole thing and said,” You just blew him away like some little girl.”
I replied, “Yes, I did and if I had a right knee I’d be dangerous right now.”
I haven’t been on here in awhile. I’ve been too busy living life to the max every day.
Yesterday was probably one of the most jubilant days in my life until around noon. I got up early on Sunday morning and headed off to our family land and fishing pond just southwest of Alex.
This was a big test for me. I went by myself in my truck with two fishing poles and my high end hiking poles. This was the first time since my cancer diagnosis that I felt comfortable enough with my physical condition to do this solo.
My primary goal was simple… head down to the pond and do one hiking trek around the two acre pond and then make it back to my truck on what is a tough terrain trek. This is rough land. Not many flat spots. Gray County isn’t for sissies.
And I have to say I did it easily with plenty left in my gas tank. The last twenty yards I was Rocky with my fists pumped upright towards the sky. Yo, Adrian.
It was a great moment for me. A moment I’ll never forget on my cancer journey.
I bonded with our three new burrows who have been added to the cattle mix to protect the cattle from coyotes. I then fly-fished for bluegill and perch for about an hour. I caught about thirty fish in an hour and decided to get back to the truck and head back home.
But before I started my truck…I looked at my cell phone and noticed I had a call not only from my wife, but one as well from my cousin/brother Mark.
Except the problem is the call from Mark was from his wife Carla notifying me Mark had suffered a brain aneurysm on Sunday morning and was on life support at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City.
It was then explained to me from my wife Mark would be taken off life support that evening as there was no hope.
Keep in mind…Mark was only sixty years of age and played competitive tennis and golf his entire adult life. There is an absurdity to this which has not escaped me. That being…I always figured Mark would out live me by at least twenty years.
Life is hard and sometimes it makes no sense whatsoever. This is one of those times.
Mark was my cousin. My friend. And in reality….one of my brothers. Mark was a person I truly admired and looked up to even though he was five years younger than me.
As a husband, I can think of no other man who held a candle to Mark. His devotion to Carla was absolute. His love and dedication to his two daughters, Avery and Em, was off the charts. He lived his life to a code which all of us as men should aspire.
He genuinely cared about other people. It didn’t matter if you were poor or rich. Black or white. Whatever. He had a kind heart and a sense of aspiration which is achingly missing currently in American culture. He’s the guy you would want in the foxhole next to you if you’d been wounded in battle.
If you had Mark as a friend…you had something special. Me? I had him as a friend, a cousin, and a brother. I’m one lucky dude to have been in Mark’s inner circle. I am.
I’m not angry at God, but rather the opposite. I feel grateful for all the great experiences I shared with Mark over the years. I won’t sugarcoat this. I hurt right now. I feel like my guts have yanked out. I feel like a truck ran over me yesterday.
But life is tough and I will respond to this grief in my own time. My own way. There is no statue of limitations for grief.
Mark was one of my many inspirations for me pulling myself back up after the 1212 PSA count which had me on an apparent death sentence of sorts. He challenged me. He pushed me. He knew I wouldn’t just curl up and die.
And I didn’t. Mark was a huge part of this with me. Fortunately, for me, I called Mark around six weeks ago and told him how much he meant to me. I told him I loved him like a brother.
Even worse than Dan Quayle’s pathetic performance versus Lloyd Bentsen in the 1988 Vice-Presidential debate.
Bush 41 still won that race over Michael Dukakis, but these are different times with the Internet and social media.
Joe Biden…as a compassionate adult… I not only want you and Kamala Harris to drop out of the race by Monday morning…I want your car keys, buddy. You were that bad. You were historically horrific.
You were so bad you allowed Donald Trump of all people to sucker punch you with the Manchurian Candidate comment which propelled me out of my chair laughing my ass off.
You were horrible.
And evidently one of my favorite columnists at the NY Times, Tom Friedman, agrees with me because like me he’s calling for you to do the right thing by Monday morning at your farewell presidential press conference.
You were so bad there in fact should be some talk of invoking the 25th Amendment.
Keep in mind…I still think Donald Trump belongs in federal prison for the remainder of his life for what he did before Jan. 6th, on Jan. 6th, and after Jan. 6th. But just because the fact Donald Trump is a compulsive liar and in fact a criminal does not let you off the hook.
The fact of the matter is last night the American people and democracy would have been better served if Liz Cheney, Adam Kensinger, Mitt Romney, Chris Christie, and Asa Hutchinson had been on that CNN stage opposite Donald Trump.
Here’s my list…Gretchen Whitmer, Hakeem Jeffries, Michael Bennett, Tim Ryan, Will Hurd, and maybe Larry Hogan. Hell, at this point…I’d even call Chris Christie and see if he would consider appearing in a debate one on one opposite Donald Trump on behalf of American democracy.
Dude…this isn’t about your presidential legacy ego at this point.
This is about the preservation of American democracy. The preservation of our institutions. The preservation of our judicial system. The preservation of our concept of the three branches of government.
THIS IS ABOUT THE PRESERVATION OF THE RULE OF LAW AND YOU MASSIVELY FAILED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE LAST NIGHT WITH THE WORLD WATCHING.
Joe Biden…do the right thing and drop out of this presidential race.
Almost Fourth of July….MJ’s favorite holiday. Thirty-nine hours from now I’ll be floating the Gunnison River in Crest Debutte….jah, man—very good.
I’m so happy the Florida Panthers prevailed in Game 7 in a 2-1 thriller. I love those guys. They’re grinders just like MJ. Nothing pretty….they just grind and grind on the forecheck when they show up to play. It’s all about the work, man. You bring your lunchpail and the guy next to you needs to do the same.
I’m so happy for head coach Paul Maurice. He finally won the big one. He can quit now if he chooses so. He no longer has to worry about being the Marv Levy of the NHL. Very classy guy. I cried listening to his post game presser. He has become another one of my heroes as I fight the cancer fight on my journey heading into month seventeen.
Had my monthly checkup yesterday and eveything looks very nice. Dr. Julie…Dr. Showalter’s aid smiled and said, “Keep it up, MJ. It’s not yet time to celebrate….but these numbers are very good.”
I suggested we could maybe do a televison commercial togther for the Integris Cancer Institute and she pretty much ignored MJ’s suggestion.
Well…I haven’t posted in two weeks because I’ve been extremely busy livin’ the life of a Stage 4 cancer survivor to the hilt. But I certainly did watch the Celtics prevail in five games against the Dallas Mavs.
Winning a ‘ship is fun, Sam Presti. This is what it looks and feels like.
Granted…I’m sad Jamal and ‘my’ Denver Nuggets didn’t repeat, but I feel these Boston Celtics are a great group of guys and richly deserved this championship. So…like-Jah, man….I’m good with the Celts winning it all this season. No problem from MJ on this.
Congrats to the Celts and their fanbase.
I’m not even sure OKC could conduct a championship parade given the lawlessness of the Trump domestic terrorists and the Trump fake Christians….but maybe if I for the second June in a row post what a championship parade looks like in cities like Denver and Boston…Presti and his trained puppies Little Nick Gallo and Low Energy Royce Young could start prepping the Thunder fanbase on how to behave if Shai, JDub, Chet, and Lu win a ‘ship in Oklahoma City.
That’s it for me today. Game 7 tonight in what will be a historic ending to these Stanley Cup Championship Finals. I’ll be back tomorrow to post on Game 7.
All is good. I’m reset after the grueling week of OU baseball and softball post season games. As a fan…I left nothing in the tank for either team. I watched the first game of the Stanley Cup Final last nights and it was actually relaxing for me as Boston and Colorado are my two favorite teams and neither made much of a splash in this year’s tournament.
I love the Florida Panthers’ grit…so I guess I’m for them moving forward.
My June will consists of multiple fishing trips in Oklahoma to spots I have never fished before. This is a short list given I was taught the art of fishing by the greatest angler in Oklahoma history…that being, Joe Carter Sr. who was buried with his fishing gear and was one of my dad’s cleints.
The Stage 4 cancer journey continues. I do not plan on wasting a single day. My wife will be in Florida for two weeks while I fish…then we hit Crested Debutte for the 4th of July, then Seattle in the second week of August, and back to Denver the last week of August. I might try to sneal in a four day fishing trip to New Mexico as well. I’ll have to see how I hold up during the dog days of summer.
I literally have no idea what my life expectancy over/under is at this point. I don’t want to ask Dr. Showalter for that specific juncture. I just want to embrace every day like it could my last. If Trump wins…in all candor, it might be God’s sign on how much he loves me and is going to reward for my genuinely good heart if I suddenly depart like Jonathon Livingston Seagull.
It is what is, baby.
This life has been more than good to me and I have no grievances or regrets. It’s all been good. I’ve been blessed.
I have some tree limbs to burn out here on the Deer Creek mini-ranch today as the winds have finally relented. I’m such an Oklahoma country boy.
Have a beautiful Sunday and never forget to live hard while you can.
I am absolutely whipped. I have nothing left in the tank.
After watching the Sooners baseball team this week-end just fall short in the regional championship game at L. Dale Mitchell Park and this Sooners’ iconic softball group of seniors somehow win their fourth straight national championship without Jordy Bahl and Grace Lyon….my competitive soul is whipped.
I’ll need a rest. A reset of sorts before I even comment on a pathetic Game 1 in the NBA Finals. I think we now understand Porzingas is healthy.
I cried last night just like Kensie and Nichol May. This was special. This was a moment I’ll take with me on my journey moving forward. My soul needed this.
As a Sooner fan I’m so proud of this group. The way they never relented in the semis versus Florida. When Jada Coleman hit that walkoff homer in the 8th inning I went berserk.
What a group of seniors and what THEY accomplished at OU. Maybe even more impressive than UConn womens’ basketball or Tennessee womens’ basketball under Pat Summit because this took place during the NIL and transfer portal era in college sports.
And Kelly Maxwell…wow. Girl, just like Kevin Durant, you did the right thing. And I want to write about this previous sentence sometime this week-end after I’ve decompressed some more.
Jada Coleman, Tiara Jennings, Kenzie Hansen, Riley Boone, Alyssa Brito, and Nicole May you have this old guy’s heart forever. You guys aren’t normal compared to your age contemporaries of today’s world.
You remind me of my Packers back in the 60’s. Each one of you in your post game interviews talked about God. You talked about family. You talked about your coach and your teammates. You talked about doing things the right way every single day and not getting down during the rough spots in this season.
I am so completely impressed how this group believed in themselves and never backed down even after the departure of Jordy Bahl.
So great in fact…I passed on the National Cancer Survivors celebration at Sizzortail Park yesterday. Yeah, I mean, I’m so busy livin’…maybe next June I might attend if I hit the 28 month mark of my journey. Right now…I’m just focused on livin’ and to continue livin’ hard every single day to the fullest.
Win every day is my motto. Like at L Dale Mitchell Park where these gritty Sooners of Skip Johnson had to sweep a doubleheader against Duke and UConn in a seven hour span to advance to tonight’s regional final in Norman.
It’s tough working your way back from the loser’s bracket in a double elimination tournament. Very tough. I played on two state AAU baseball teams which won back to back titles when I was thirteen and fourteen and we had to fight back from the loser’s bracket on the first championship. Your pitching staff is basically running on empty, but finding a way to get it done on competitive adrenalin. It’s an awesome feeling to fight back all the way through the loser’s bracket. Very sweet.
Last night I found myself sitting behind home plate with the Piedmont baseball team. Holy shit!!!!. These kids were awesome! Truly awesome. They were like the Hansen Brothers in Slapshot. A couple of times I thought a UConn batter was going come into the stands. After the game they were shirtless on top of the OU dugout getting the crowd even more amped up for tonight.
They said they’ll be back tonight. We’ll see. Last I saw of them were shirtless running through the parking lot with Sooner fans honking their horns at them with love.
We did a group photo with them which I had texted to my son in Denver. I told him I wore my good luck Jamal Murray jersey last night along with my lucky OU Sooner baseball cap for extra positive karma. He was somewhat speechless. Kind of like when I suggested I might wear an Austin Reaves OU jersey to Game 2 in the Laker series in Denver. I think we’ve at this point kind of switched roles where he’s the father and I’m the youthful college kid.
Need to go work out and get myself totally prepared for tonight’s regional championship game in Norman.
In closing five words… THERE’S ONLY ONE OKLAHOMA, BABY!
Granted these thirty four convictions are on a par with Bill Clinton’s perjury in relation to the Monica blow jobs, but perjury and failure to dislose the truth in court are pretty much the same thing.
The fact of the matter is…Donald Trump should already have been in federal prison for the rest of his life based on the premeditated insurrection on Jan. 6 which resulted in the death of five human beings and serious injuries to an additional 140 law enforcement officers.
I’m about 90% certain he will be convicted of those crimes in the Washington D.C. jurisdiction if that case ever goes to the court. The evidence in that case is so overwhelming an underacheiving fourth grader could figure it out in fifteen minutes of deliberation.
Kudos to the jury in Manhattan. They did their job. You follow the law. The law was broken. Just like Bill Clinton did when he lost his law license for lying about a blow job.
I need to hit the road and get down to Norman for the OU regional baseball doubleheader today starting at noon.
This song is for all the Oklahoma Donald Trump human rabble.
As young Josh Giddey worked his way through this interview I was incredibly impressed by both his honesty and humility. It was a tough, tough year for Josh Giddey… what with the off the court issue plus the booing at road venues.
Plus the benching in the Dallas series.
Color me a Josh Giddey fan after this exit interview. He was honest, direct, but mostly human. The Thunder could use humans like Josh given it seems most in the organization appear to be Sam Presti fanboy androids from outer space.
If I were the Thunder… I’d keep Josh as my Sixth Man and then focus on finding a second center to help on the defensive boards and defensive rim protection facets of the Thunder game.
This doesn’t have to happen right now. In fact, it could wait until the trade deadline next February. Just find the right human who will mesh with this group of guys.
No more Gordon Hayward or Byombo trades. Again…that was malpractice by Sam Presti and anyone who knows anything about the NBA knows that was total bullshit.
So…. I guess ulimately what Josh needs to decide is if he wants to be a key piece on a team which should be very good the next seven years or so…or if he just wants to the ‘the guy’ on a real shitty team like both Cade Cunningham and Jordan Poole are in Detroit and Washington respectively.
Based on what I witnessed in this interview I would guess Josh will choose the former.
Nice interview, Josh. So completely refreshing to see a human being answer tough questions in the manner in which you did… young man.
That’s it for me tonight. A much needed night off from the NBA to reset myself for Game 5 in Minnesota.
I told you people on Mikey’s blog that Anthony Edwards was a Bad Little Dude. Just sayin’.