At 6’6” did you EVER play baseball, pitcher, left field or were you just left out? No, I chose to dedicate myself to one sport only. Looking back, baseball is the one sport other than basketball that I think I would have really enjoyed playing.While attending North you met and later married Nikole Murphy. There was another student named Nicole Murphy attending North at the same time. Did you ever write notes of endearment to the wrong Nicole? Absolutely not! The other Nicole Murphy was a year older than us, so by the time Nikole and I began dating she was no longer a Mustang.
Let’s get this controversial question out of the way. A former Mustang graduate, now prolific blogger, keeps referring to your hometown of Armada as Farmada. He claims the agrarian context is positive. Your thoughts? We Armadians are very troubled by this unnecessary and reprehensible attack on my hometown. I might suggest to this “prolific blogger” to stay far away from the Armada Fair in 2009, it could get a little ugly!
In 1995 you were named Macomb County’s number one basketball player. What basketball experience has helped you in your life off the court? Basketball in a round about way brought me to North. My years at LHN changed my life dramatically in ways that will impact me for the rest of my days. So I guess the actual game hasn't helped me too much in my daily life, but the people that I have met and been influenced by because of basketball have been invaluable to who I am today.
In his Left Field debut, your hoops partner declared,
“I do recall strict rules with our mini fridge. It had 3 shelves in it, I think I was entitled to half a shelf. College dorms are barely big enough for two people, especially when one is 6”6”. Our dorm had to house his bike, I think it leaned against a wall for a solid semester without moving.”
I can understand the bike scenario but defend yourself against these refrigerator allegations. I certainly do not want to call Kyle a liar, so I will just say that he is confused. The fridge was always filled with Country Time Lemonade – all three shelves (thanks Mrs. Simmons). Maybe he just thinks that they were mine because I drank all of them.
The bike story – 100% correct, it may have been more than a semester though.
You have built an excellent reputation as a photographer. The Left Field Czar doesn’t recall you snapping too many photos during you high school career. How did your interest in photography begin and then explode into Murawski Studios? The photography bug hit me about 7-8 years ago and has grown uncontrollably since. Murawski Studios “opened” 5 years ago when Nikole and I decided that I would work from home so I could stay home with our children. It has taken some time, but I believe that I have been able to cultivate a thriving photo business. My blog – www.murawskistudios.com/blog – has been a huge success and continues to help me grow the business. But my amazing customers and their referrals are the main reason I have begun to enjoy some success. Just in case anyone is wondering, we shoot Senior Photos, Family Portraits and Weddings – all of which can be seen on the blog.
What bus story do you hope your sons never discover? I was never directly involved in any bus hijinks. But there are two stories that come to mind, the one Kyle retold comes in second place among most memorable. The other one involved a student manager vomiting on the bus, the remaining details are a little disgusting so I will stop there.
I’ve seen the movie Mr. Mom. How accurate is Michael Keaton’s portrayal of a stay-at-home dad? It has been a long time since I have watched Mr. Mom, but to my recollection it is a fairly good portrayal of my life. And I love every minute of it.
On winter Friday nights, word on Blogger Boulevard is that BDub conversations gravitate toward creating a Lutheran North Hall of Fame. Name and briefly explain three teams, sport and year, that should receive initial induction honors. Most of our most heated debates revolve around the players that would get in, but here is a list of teams that should get in. Obviously the state championship teams would be in. There were some amazing girls basketball teams in my years at North, I believe the 1993 version was one of the best. The 1987 and 1988 boys hoops teams were good, but not as good as the1995 team, so the 1995 team would get the nod.
Name two athletic items that should also receive induction rites. For example, the baseball that Scott Carden used to hit his first varsity baseball home run AND break the windshield of his car. I have heard the Carden story before, that is a good idea. The second one is close, it would either be the ball that Simmons hit the shot with or the banner that Simmons tore off the wall at East after an OT victory in 1994.
The Left Field Czar recently learned that the play that led to The Shot was supposed to be a pick and roll where after you set a pick for Simmons, you would roll your springy and lanky 78-inch self into the paint. What happened to that fine idea? I felt really good about the 3 point look that I somehow ended up with and took it upon myself to adjust our plan. Looking back it seems that there might be a reason you were the coach and I was the player. A lesson I hope my current players already understand. Even with my somewhat large error in judgement, everything worked out in the end.
Not many Lutheran North athletes can say they played against a professional athlete. Assuming you actually spent some time down in the paint, what was it like to battle former Detroit Country Day star and current Houston Rocket, Shane Battier? I have blocked much of that night out of my memory, but I do remember thinking that he was a rather impressive fella. He was only a sophomore and was bigger and better than any player I have ever played against. Some would say that I only have that opinion because of the three straight possessions that he dunked on me, they may have a point. He was not the only NBA player that I have had the opportunity to play against, while at Hiram I had an opportunity to play Ira Newble and Wally Szczerbiak. Didn't fair too well against them either.
Left Field Pop Flies:
Three pointer or convincing dunk? dunk shot
Jim Essian or Jimmy Green? Green
Josh Worden or The Goat? without a doubt – The Goat
Ford Festiva or Honda Civic? Festiva
JV Boys’ Hoops or Freshmen Girls’ Hoops? JV Boys
Buffalo Wild Wings or New York Strip Steak? BWW
Kampe or Izzo? After over 10 years of consideration - Kampe
Cougars of Concordia Chicago or Grizzlies of Oakland University? the “Grizz”
Spandex cycling shorts or Man-pris? unless you are in The Tour there is something wrong with spandex.
Mo, Philly or X? tough one but Mo edges X, maybe if X had worked more than 1 time it would have had a better chance
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