Dave Lohse Speaks

North Carolina’s men’s tennis won again Wednesday afternoon, beating No. 20 NC State 4-3 in Raleigh to go to 18-0 overall and 6-0 in the ACC. The Tar Heels have not started a season 18-0 since 1970 and the last time they started better was a 20-0 beginning to the season in 1965. Carolina has won an uncanny number of 4-3 and 4-2 decisions this season, matches that were literally inches away from tipping one way or the other with a line call here or there. Five of UNC’s six ACC wins have been by 4-3 or 4-2 scores. NC State has its best team in a quarter century and came in ranked No. 20, looking to beat Carolina for the first time since 1988, a 6-3 win over the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. But once again it was UNC which found the way to win, beating State for the 19th straight year in the regular season. The deciding point in the match was at No. 6 singles where Will Plyler, a Raleigh native playing his first ACC match of the season, split sets and then ran off a 6-1 third set triumph. The Tar Heels are back home for their next three matches — BC Saturday, Maryland Sunday and Duke next Wednesday when the Heels will be looking for their first regular season win over the Blue Devils since 1996.

Today I am all about saluting friends who are cool. Some kudos to my buddy Adam Schauer of the Tar Heel men’s swimming team. He had the best meet of his career at the ACC Championships in Chapel Hill in February, is graduating with honors next month from The Hill and already has a great job lined up in Charlotte. Adam is one of the kindest and smartest people I have ever met in my life and here’s a shout out to my boy Adam.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Kudos to Ian Thorpe. We miss you in retirement but we will always remember the way you rocked Sydney and Athens.

This post is late but I recently got the pictures. These are the nephews, Talan and Cree, respectively. The date if February 23, 2007, the day they turned one. And they are frigging adorable.

I am having to admit I have completely fallen in love with You Tube. Can someone out there cure me of my addiction? I particularly love the loaded clips of stuff from Broadway Musicals. And clips of Boy Bands are all over the place. They have Depeche Mode stuff from the early 90s and the original video of the Pet Shop Boys’ “Go West”. That video holds a special place in my heart. I first viewed it at the Bourbon Pub in New Orleans the weekend the Tar Heels won the NCAA title in hoops in 1993. There are also a lot of clips of musical theatre majors from the University of Michigan singing and they are amazingly good. Also check out the videos from WonderRobbie. This guy rocks. He should do the videos for a living.

I was truly saddened to hear of the passing of President Gerald Ford. I thought he was one of the most honest and decent men to ever serve in American politics.

Although I have never voted for a Republican for President in my life (author’s confession; I did vote for John Anderson in 1980 so I have voted for an independent) I believe in reflection that in 1976 we had a matchup of two great men in the presidential election and the country could not have lost had either won. I can’t say that has been the truth since although George H.W. Bush was an able and competent president even though I disagreed with him on many things.

I thought it was sad that the Reagan crowd went after Ford so strongly in the 1976 primaries. Ford deserved better. Betty was a wonderful wife and an outspoken First Lady. She has done much good in the years since her husband left the White House.

Gerry Ford’s legacy should be a lesson for the modern day Republican Party whose purpose in life seems to be based on dividing the country into armed camps with the politics of disunion, pandering to the most base instincts through hateful campaign language, pursuing a foreign policy which makes America the most hated country in the world and vilifying groups of people because they were born different — Black, Hispanic, Gay, etc.

Gerry Ford did not believe in that kind of electoral and governing B.S. He was a man who believed in uniting society, building bridges and treating all with respect. His libertarian bent was well respected by this liberal Democrat. He also believed that he had a responsibility to govern, not merely win elections in order to force an ideology on public policy.

His passing is a sad time for America. He will be missed. He was a man of the House and of the People.

What am I thankful for this Christmas. Let’s see. 10-month old twin nephews for one.
Anything Carolina Blue. And less than 25 more months of the George W. Bush presidency. Egad.

I am also thankful for the fact that in less than a month Nancy Pelosi will be the Speaker of the House and Harry Reid will be the Majority Leader of the Senate.

Merry Christmas (notice that Fox News folks — this blog is making no attempt to make War on Christmas) to one and all — especially Jake Gyllenhaal. Oh and Ian Thorpe as well.
And since I got in trouble better add in the kid sister who produced the twins and the niece, Welsey, 13.