Matt Morris' Blog Spot

It was standing room only on the sidelines of the WCAA football contest between the U7 division Bulls and Tigers in this first playoff game. The end of regulation saw the game in a deadlocked 18-18 tie ball game! It was a poor start for the Bulls when starting quarterback Scott Grisack threw a pick 6 early in the game, but the Bulls steadfastly battled back! Jake Albrighton and Myles Coates both accounted for rushing scores and Gabriel Morris scored on a 15 yard touchdown pass from Grisack to tie the game. The Bulls nearly won in regulation when star running back Jake Albrighton was stopped inches from the goal line in the waning moments of the game.

The first three overtime periods saw two additional scores by both teams with the Tigers pulling out the victory in the third overtime period! Although the Bulls fans were disappointed with the outcome of the game, all fans agreed this was the Bulls best and most passionate performance of the season! Gabriel Morris also had a tremendous defensive performance with 5 tackles and and a well defended pass at a critical point in the game!

It’s been seven long years, but I was finally able to return to Wisconsin this past week. It’s the first visit for my kids and I think they had a great time. We stayed at my cousin Ronda’s house in Bloomer, WI and visited other family in and around Eau Claire. It was chilly and a nice change of scene from the typical 90+ degree summer here in Florida.

• Downtown Seattle at the Washington State Convention Center: Seattle was smokin' hot this year with 100+ degree heat! I learned that several people in the greater Seattle area don't even have AC because the temps are so moderate.
• The Commons - Microsoft Campus: The TechReady attendee party was held on the Microsoft campus this year at a new area known as the Commons. The Commons is basically Microsoft's own private outdoor mall complete with shops, several dining establishments and athletic facilities - really neat place. I ended up playing basketball at the party in deck shoes with freakishly big Euro-dudes.
• The Ritz-Carlton, Henderson, NV: My trip to Vegas was actually a weeklong trip to nearby Henderson. We had business meetings at the Ritz. You could actually see the Strip from our location in Henderson about 18 miles or so away. It almost looked like you could walk to the Strip. The barren desert coupled with the immense size of the Strip hotels made them look a lot closer than they actually were. Another interesting fact was that the "Bachlorette" and her chosen bachelor were also at the event with us. Her pick was a fellow Microsoft employee in the same division I work in - weird!
• The Strip: Nothing special to note here. I made it out to the Strip one night and I checked out Encore, Steve Wynn's new mega-casino.
• Eldorado Canyon: I had never heard of this place before going here one night for an evening event. There were a bunch of local types there who served us up a nice spread of steaks, etc. This crew was a bit odd though. I had heard after the event they named their cats in numerical order because they were often eaten by coyotes. There were up to number 17! It was beautiful there and we got to see an amazing full moonrise.