I leave this column space with my last will and testament to The Heights. For the places I have gone, the people I have met, and the friends I've made for a lifetime, this was an experience that I won't soon forget.
Since I have few valuable material possessions to bequeath, aside from a Derek Jeter rookie card and a signed 1994 New York Rangers Stanley Cup poster, I leave behind mostly thank-yous, I-owe-yous, and memories.
I'll start by leaving two years and countless Wednesdays and Sundays to this newspaper, first as associate sports editor under the leadership of Dan Schwartz, a legend of the softball diamond and a good mentor.
I leave West Lafayette, Ind., my first road trip and the site of the 2006 NCAA women's basketball tournament, with an embarrassing karaoke performance on the team bus the night before BC upset No. 1 seed Ohio State.
I leave Albuquerque, N.M., one week later, just three points short of taking Utah to overtime and two wins shy of reaching the women's Final Four in Boston.
I leave the 2005-06 men's basketball team, one defensive stop away from a trip to the Elite Eight and this school's best shot at glory in the sport in recent years.
I leave BC hockey, both the men and the women, with the respect that it deserves, and coach Jerry York with the second national title he has come so close to getting.
I leave Tallahassee, Fla., with a thank-you to our intrepid cab driver "Brick," who found a way to the nearest Applebee's, and to the brothers of Phi Gamma Delta, who were gracious hosts at their tailgate before the 2006 game at Florida State.
I leave Tom O'Brien with a measure of respect for establishing BC's football program, but a sour taste for the way he left it.
I leave Charlotte, N.C., the legend of "Sid Vicious," and a Hollywood ending to a great story in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
I leave Clemson, S.C., in January 2007, without Sean Williams or Akida McLain, and a team that looked lost without them. I also leave a much belated thank-you to Boston Globe reporter Mike Vega for driving me and a photographer to the game, and then to the airport to make our flight home.
2008 Woodie Awards
