I'm lucky. I get to do something I really enjoy. I get to cover sports. I also get to be a storyteller.
My two children always like my stories. Sometimes those stories are real-- sometimes they are made-up. But the stories on the news each night are very real-- always real. They are about real people using sports to get them through each day.
Some folks use sports to entertain. They enjoy the spotlight of national attention. They enjoy the roar of the crowd. Others use sports to help overcome life's problems. Those are the stories I remember most.
Stories like the young man in Austin who had cancer. Yet he still played for his high school football team. Other members of the team shaved their heads to be bald like him. He had lost his hair to the cancer treatments, but he had not lost his spirit.
He inspired his team and the entire community. When he died a year later at the age of 19, his team dedicated their district championship game to his memory. He passed away just 2 days before his former teammates had to play, and, with tears in their eyes, they won the game for him.
Those are the stories I remember. And I am extremely lucky to have the chance to share those stories with you.
I have covered Super Bowls and national championships. Those are fun, exciting events. I cover local and area sports daily. Those are fun, too, and they keep me busy.
But I always look out for those special stories that make us care-- make us remember. Those are the moments that make this job-- this career- so fulfilling.
I also like to have fun. That's what playing games are all about. I show the "Elzner Excellence Awards" each Tuesday to show the best--and worst of sports. You cannot watch them without laughing.
And I also enjoy making tapes for viewers. They can show them to their grand-children. I like helping to make memories for folks.
I put a lot into my work because I get so much out of it. It really doesn't feel like work at all..
My daughter, Mary, asked me a few years ago if she should do something she really wants when she grows up, or look for the highest paying job. I told her to do something she loves to do, because if she does that, she would never "work" a day in her life.
I may never get rich being a sportscaster, but I have found riches in this job. I feel like I have never worked a day in my life. Without sports, I would have never met that young man in Austin. And I would have never had the chance to tell you his story.
Sports is like the story of life-- of all our lives. Come with me, and we'll watch those stories together!