Explorers featured on Simply South Dakota tour

The Explorers were featured on the 6:00 pm edition of KSFY's "Simply South Dakota" on Thursday, June 27.

That's the Way It Is...er...Was

Walter Cronkite was an icon of American broadcasting. He was a legend and anyone over fifty years of age remembers Cronkite's famous announcing the death of President John F. Kennedy or his reporting the assassination of Martin Luther King or his reporting on the moon landing among many others.

Douglas Brinkley's biography of Cronkite took me on a journey that evoked many memories and emotions from my first twenty years on this planet. I enjoy biographies and historical books, but nothing I have read before has inspired so many memories from my childhood. Cronkite was the one who delivered the news of every significant national or world event from my early days.

The very mention of Cronkite's name reminds me of my maternal grandmother who, in a supreme understatement, was not Cronkite's biggest fan. Grandma Theresa was an avid reader. Her conservative politics were fueled by her favorite publications, Human Events and the US News & World Report. Both were popular conservative magazines in the sixties and seventies.

Grandpa Frank was a Goldwater-conservative. Though he died when I was just seven years old, I knew, even then, of his political activism. He was a small businessman/entrepreneur who served many years as Tripp County, South Dakota Republican Chairman. But Grandma took a backseat to no one when it came to Republican politics.

It was Grandma who first put the thought in my mind that a news broadcast might have an ideological slant. As a young boy, I naively thought that the news was the news. But Grandma made it crystal clear that she did not agree with Cronkite's version of the news. She rarely made it through an entire CBS Evening News broadcast without calling Cronkite a "bastard" (her favorite moniker for those with whom she did not agree).

This was long before satellite or cable television. In rural South Dakota, your choices were Cronkite's CBS or a snowy, noisy broadcast of ABC that depended very much on weather conditions and the height of your external television antenna. NBC was not an option. Cronkite's early evening news broadcast was almost the exclusive source of television news in that area.

So Grandma loved to hate Walter. I remember her talking back to the television, telling Walter to quit editorializing and just deliver the news! That was the filter through which I read this book.

Grandma was not the only conservative who never forgave Walter Cronkite for editorializing in early 1969 that the Vietnam War would end in a “bloody stalemate". But Cronkite’s editorializing made him into part of the story. That is not the newsman's role.

As Matthew Sheffield notes, according to Brinkley's book, during the time he was anchoring the CBS Evening News, Cronkite secretly begged liberal senator Bobby Kennedy to run for president and then later interviewed Kennedy about his plans, never disclosing his private pleadings. That's not all, however, Cronkite planted recording devices inside the Republican Party's convention in 1952 and then later had the audacity to go after president Richard Nixon for Watergate.

At the time of Cronkite's death, James Taranto examined how a great newsman helped undermine his profession’s ethos. By taking sides, Cronkite compromised his role as a newsman. The line between editor and newsman since Cronkite has gone from blurred to erased.

Brinkley portrays both the traditional and objective journalist who Jack Kennedy distrusted and the egotist and emphatic liberal who lost his moorings after he retired too early. The revelation that Cronkite was a liberal and talked with liberal politicians, such as Bobby Kennedy, really shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody and pales in comparison with the politicization of the media today.

Grandma had no use for any of Cronkite's colleagues either. Dan Rather, Harry Reasoner, Morley Safer, Eric Sevareid, Mike Wallace, et al were all thorns in her side. Even when cable gave Grandma some choices, I don't think she held Howard K. Smith or Franks Reynolds (ABC) or John Chancellor (NBC) in any higher esteem!

Despite widespread criticism of Brinkley's editing, I found "Cronkite" to be a very interesting read. It was a step back into a time which seemed less political at the time. But looking back, I'm not so sure it was.

It is ironic that a book about the life and times of Walter Cronkite would cause me to write about my Grandma Theresa, but as Walter would say...

April SDADA Column

The theme of this column is government regulation and how it continues to impact every facet of our business.  You will find below three more intrusions: one in advertising, one in service and one in the finance office.

In March, I attended an NADA Public Affairs meeting that really got my attention. In addition to the Tesla discussion (see my column in last month's SDADA bulletin), we learned that the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) has indirect lending through dealerships square in its bull's-eye. With the way the profits are distributed in most new vehicle stores, that should scare the hell out of us!

Lat month, the CFPB released a bulletin that claims indirect lending through dealerships may result in minorities paying more for auto loans. Though dealers are exempt from CFPB oversight, auto lenders are not. So the CFPB’s guidance could drastically change how auto finance sources compensate dealers for arranging auto loans. In other words, banks could get rid of finance reserve.

It would be very interesting to see the methodology by which the CFPB has come to this conclusion. They are not accusing anyone of intentional discrimination. The CFPB issued its guidance based on a theory called disparate impact. If minorities end up paying more for credit than non-minorities in the same credit tier, then it is considered unintentional discrimination. But how does CFPB determine disparate impact exists in today’s marketplace?

Disparate impact can only be proven through a statistical analysis of past transactions, but the CFPB has not revealed how it is conducting its analysis or what data it’s relying upon. There is also no indication that the Bureau has studied how moving to a “flat fee” compensation method would impact the marketplace.
We know that dealer-assisted financing—which is optional—increases access to and reduces the cost of credit for millions of Americans. Our customers overwhelmingly choose dealer-assisted financing because it’s convenient and competitive.

Before this consumer-friendly model is disrupted, the CFPB should explain how it is conducting its analysis. The Bureau also should demonstrate the effect flat fees would have on today’s intensely competitive auto financing market.

The regulatory beast that is the federal government continues to extend its ugly tentacles into every facet of our business and our lives. This is an issue that’s not likely to go away, so stay tuned.

FTC Staff Revises Online Advertising Disclosure Guidelines 

Our second example of intrusive government regulations is the Federal Trade Commission's release of a  new guidance for mobile and other online advertisers that explains how to make disclosures clear and conspicuous to avoid deception. Updating guidance known as Dot Com Disclosures, which was released in 2000, the new FTC staff guidance, .com Disclosures: How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising, takes into account the expanding use of smartphones with small screens and the rise of social media marketing. It also contains mock ads that illustrate the updated principles. Like the original, the updated guidance emphasizes that consumer protection laws apply equally to marketers across all mediums, whether delivered on a desktop computer, a mobile device, or more traditional media such as television, radio or print.

Connecticut Body Shop Faces More Than $50,000 in OSHA Fines

Finally, if you don't do what "Big Brother" wants you to, this is what happens. Hoffman Auto Body Shop has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for nine alleged violations of workplace safety standards at its Connecticut Avenue facility in East Hartford. The auto body repair shop faces proposed fines of $54,300. OSHA’s Hartford Area Office began their inspection on Dec. 6, 2012, to verify correction of hazards cited during a 2011 inspection. In the 2012 inspection, OSHA identified hazards similar to those cited during the 2011 inspection. Specifically, equipment and materials, some of it flammable, were stored near paint spray booths and electric panels. The stored materials limited access to extinguish potential fires, presented fire and shock hazards and impeded cleaning around the booths, which allows potentially combustible materials to accumulate.

Charred to Perfection

In the spring of 2007, we did a backyard project that included a new wood fired pizza oven. I love outdoor cooking so this addition was right in my wheelhouse. I couldn't wait to start making pizza in the new oven...and so I did.

Looking back now, I made some awful pizza. The fact that people ate it and I actually got some positive reinforcement is a testimony to making them wait to eat and serving lots of beer while they're waiting!

My last several efforts, however, have shown some real promise. I recently made six pizzas for my daughter's 17th birthday party. Teenagers will eat ANY pizza (including the frozen stuff served on a cardboard crust), so I let their compliments go in one ear and out the other.

But I ate a couple slices and they were pretty good (if I say so myself!). I am becoming particularly fond of the chicken pesto we now make.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I thought I would post some photos of the most recent effort:

This is a photo of several crusts ready to go. I tried several different recipes (including a whole wheat crust) before I finally landed on this more traditional recipe. The secret here is the flour. My crusts were always tough and chewy until I bought Antico Molino Caputo pizza flour. It is used in most Pizza Napoletana restaurants. This special finely ground flour yields a tasty crisp crust with a moist interior.

The next important ingrediant is a hot oven. You can see my fire here is about 800 degrees. I like to cook in a 700 degree oven. That will cook the pizza in 90-120 seconds. It takes a good hour to 90 minutes to get the oven to this temperature. The roof of the oven is white and the flame will peek out the top of the mouth of the oven. This fire is ready to go!

Here is a cheese pizza (the kids' favorite) cooking. It needs to be turned about 4 times during the 90-120 seconds that it is cooking. I like to finish the pie off with the "Jimi Hendrix" method. I take the pizza peel and "Kiss the Sky" (hold it about 5 inches from the top of the oven) to brown the cheese across the entire pie.

Here is a pizza after about one minute in the oven. It is a little black on the near side (too many photos and not enough turning of the pie!). "Charred to Perfection."

Here is a chicken pesto pizza in the oven. Time to put the camera down and start spinning the pizza!

Here is a chicken pesto pizza still on the peel and ready to be sliced and consumed.

Here is another chicken pesto pizza. It has been sliced and it appears someone got a piece before I got my picture!

While I have found that red wines go pretty well with pizza (cab with cheese pizza, a big zin with pepperoni, pinot noir with the chicken pesto, etc.), nothing goes with pizza like beer. For me, the hoppier the beer, the better it compliments the pizza.

So after six years, many experiments and some undeserved compliments, my wood-fired pizza is finally ready for "prime time". I'm still making them wait and serving plenty of beer while they wait, but now the pizza is worth the wait as it is "charred to perfection"!

March SDADA Column

I hope you have been following the electric-car manufacturer Tesla Motors' battle with dealer associations in Massachusetts and Minnesota over its retail model. Tesla is aggressively lobbying policymakers, reaching out to fans to foster public support and even countering with its own franchise law proposals. 

The Minnesota Auto Dealers Association is opposing Tesla's market entry because the California-based automaker wants to sell cars directly to consumers without using local franchisees like other manufacturers do. The company plans to open a store at Mall of America and a service center in Edina, MN.

MADA recently recently withdrew a bill at the Minnesota Legislature that would have clarified the state's franchise law. Instead, it's now bracing for a court battle.

Do I think Tesla Motors will come to South Dakota to threaten our state franchise law? No, not yet. But the money they spend fighting franchise laws in other states could serve to weaken them and make all dealers more vulnerable. It is fair to assume that Tesla is not spouting positive remarks about franchised dealers as they attempt to dismantle our franchise laws. 

The franchised dealer model has been proven many times over to be the most efficient model for the sales and service of new vehicles. Dealers have been concerned about manufacturers and distributors owning dealerships for a long time. This makes publicizing the benefits of the franchise system a top priority for NADA and state dealer associations.

I hope you're following this because I can promise you that your manufacturer is!!
Dealer Operations Brings Many new Offerings
One of my committee assignments this year is Dealership Operations. Not only does Dealer Ops have perhaps the widest reach in NADA, it probably offers you the most direct value for your membership.

NADA University falls under Dealer Ops and NADA U has been busy! They are currently rolling out several new products and services that you need to be aware of:

NADA University Online Launches ‘My Career Path’ to Facilitate Training

The new “My Career Path” for dealership employees features job-specific training recommendations, links to relevant content from NADA University and tracking capabilities for a growing list of job positions. Career paths are organized into six areas of training, which includes core courses, dealership basics, marketing and operations, legal and regulatory, customer relations and employee relations. Career paths are now available for the general manager, new- and used-vehicle sales consultant, service advisor, F&I manager, service manager, sales manager and parts manager, with more on the way. Sign into www.NADAuniversity.com to take a look and begin.

Special Ops Training Programs in Academy, Allows Managers to ‘Zero In’ on Departments

If you are looking for top notch training for key personnel, NADA University has introduced an all-new Special Ops training program that allows dealership managers to hone their skills for specific departments by attending individual weeks of NADA-ATD Academy programs. The training focuses on the following areas of dealership operations: Financial Management; Fixed Operations I – Parts; Fixed Operations II – Service; Variable Operations I – Used vehicles; and Variable Ops II – New vehicles.

NADA U FUEL

NADA U Fuel is a private online community, is being launched by NADA University exclusively for the following NADA and ATD members: Academy students and alumni, 20 Group members and NextGen ATD members. The online community was created to enhance and expand the collaboration and idea-sharing that already exists among these groups. FUEL provides community members with instant access to peer discussions, subject matter experts and NADA University’s comprehensive education and training resources. It’s a way to exchange ideas and tips for doing business, discuss trends in the marketplace, resolve business problems, give and get advice and keep in touch. FUEL’s custom online platform is powered by DrivingSales, whose technology creates an individualized profile and view, displaying only the content that is relevant and useful to each user.

NADA U Enhances the HR Essentials Product, Adds it to the Learning Hub Premium Subscription

The HR Essentials management tools, with content powered by Bloomberg BNA, have proven invaluable to users over the years. Job Descriptions Online enables managers to customize job descriptions quickly and easily. The product contains descriptions for more than 100 dealership-specific jobs—and thousands of additional jobs. Recently, NADA University engaged Northwood University to review the dealership-specific jobs. Completely new and updated descriptions are now available in the online product. Coming soon, NADA U will add an entirely new feature to HR Essentials: Fast Answers™ Online provides fast and reliable answers to more than 2,400 questions on thousands of everyday HR topics. HR Essentials also includesPerformance Evaluations Online and HR Policy Handbooks Online. The package is included in the Learning Hub Premium Subscription. The package and the individual components are also available separately as an annual subscription.

NADA Members can log intowww.NADAuniversity.com or call (800) 557-6232 for more info on any of the services.

First Time for "Arch Madness"

March came in "like a lion" for me as I attended my first "Arch Madness" Missouri Valley Conference Mens Basketball Tournament in St. Louis. The main reason for the junket to St. Louis was a wedding shower for our oldest daughter and her fiance. But someone did some wonderful planning and planned the shower over the MVC tourney weekend for all the Jays fans.

I have seen 93 Final Four games, over 150 Big 8/Big 12 tournament games and many, many other college basketball games through the years, but I was really looking forward to watching the beloved Creighton Bluejays attempt to "double down" on their MVC regular season championship.

I was in Omaha the prior weekend for the regular season finale showdown between the Bluejays and the Wichita Shockers for the regular season title. It was a classic game as Creighton star and National Player of the Year candidate Doug McDermott scored 41 points to lead the Jays to a 91-79 victory. I believe we saw one of the greatest single-game performances in Creighton history by McDermott,

When I was a freshman at Creighton, I was lucky enough to witness a classic Larry Bird performance in 1979 (the year Indiana State went to the national title game). The Omaha World Herald article below from that game said Bird's performance that day "what might be the best performance ever by a college basketball player in Omaha".

But McDermott's was better because the stakes were so much higher. McDermott was not going to let Creighton lose. I have never witnessed a more spectacular offensive performance than McDermott's in person. It was simply amazing and I'm pretty sure most of the 18,600 fans in attendance don't realize how great it was.

So it was great fun as more than 6,000 Bluejay fans invaded the Scottrade Center in St. Louis for the "Creighton Invitational". The Bluejays brought their "A" game as they disposed of Drake by a count of 65-53 in the first round. They overwhelmed Indiana State 64-43 in the semi-finals setting up a third game of the season between the leagues two best teams.

Wichita State won the first game of the season between the two squads in Wichita 67-64. Creighton had missed two three point shots at the end of that game. As I mentioned above, the Bluejays beat the Shockers in the final regular season game of the year.

So in front of a national television audience, the Jays played great and the crowd was electric. Creighton (27-7) won its 12th MVC Tournament title pushing its record to 9-0 all-time in MVC Tournament championship games in St. Louis.

Wichita State threw a late scare into the Jays, as they drained consecutive three-pointers to trim CU's lead to 66-61 with 2:28 to play. A free-throw, followed by three-pointer cut CU's edge to one with 43.4 left. But a Bluejay basket with 11 seconds left pushed the lead to three, and WSU's contested three-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark. Jays win 68-65.

While the basketball was great, what really made it fun was sharing the weekend with our family and friends. Our daughter, Rachel, and her fiance, Andrew, had their group of about 13-14 friends that they have been reuniting with at this event for several years. Our son, Alex, and his five former roommates have made "Arch Madness" an annual reunion. We enjoyed our weekend with all of them and it wasn't a bad Creighton recruiting weekend for our daughter, Sarah, who is a junior in high school!

So as the nets came down, I was grateful for the opportunity to experience my first "Arch Madness" and the Jays success. I was grateful for a wonderful wedding shower on Saturday morning. It was fun to be with our family and friends.

It's a good thing we didn't procrastinate a trip to the MVC tournament any longer. It looks like this may have been the Jays' swansong in this conference tournament. Maybe we'll make the trek to Madison Square Garden next year for the Big East Conference Tournament!

Please Define "Local Control"

Bob Mercer, on his "Pure Pierre Politics" blog, has an interesting post about school districts and exclusive contracts. This is an issue being debated in our legislature this year and Mercer's post looks at both sides of the issue.

SB 119 would ban school districts from entering into exclusive broadcasting (read "sports broadcasting") contracts with a local broadcaster or newspaper. A coalition of broadcasters and newspapers are asking the legislature to bar these exclusive contracts for regular-season high school sports.

Do we really need our legislators deciding this issue? Are local school boards not competent to determine what is best for their district? Isn't this just a end run by broadcasters and newspapers in certain communities who do not want to pay up for the right to valuable programming?

As an advertiser, I have to make decisions every day about whether an advertising source offers a value commensurate with the cost involved. I might think a source has value, but if it doesn't justify the price, I do not advertise there. It's not rocket science. It's a business decision that every business makes every day. Broadcasters and newspapers need to make a business decision.

If a school district decides to grant exclusivity, we will find out very quickly what the value of this programming really is. While some of the larger schools districts may have an asset, smaller school districts may find that they should have to pay to have their games broadcast. Many radio stations are doing a public service by broadcasting smaller schools games. Many advertisers are supplementing those services with little to no value in return.

Message to the broadcasters and newspapers in South Dakota: If you want the programming, bid more money. Quit whining and crying about not having access. You have the opportunity for access, what you do with it is up to you. Warning: If you pay too much, you will have to ask too much for advertising on your programming. Advertisers may see fit to take a pass on your programming. It's a business decision.

To South Dakota legislators: Please don't show your hypocrisy. You cannot be for "local control" and "less government" and support this ban. This is a local control issue. We do not need you to stick your nose into our school district's business. If our local school board makes bad decisions, they will have to face the electorate. That is how the system works. I know you are all brilliant, but you do not know what is best for the Chamberlain School District! I trust my local board of education to make this decision. BUTT OUT!!

To South Dakota school boards: Be careful as you make this decision. You may make money on this programming but you may lose the support of broadcasters, newspapers and businesses that make many, many contributions (not just monetary) to your schools.

To supporters of SB 119: Why is not acceptable for the school districts to grant exclusive rights to their events but it is perfectly fine to grant the South Dakota High School Activities Association exclusivity for the TV broadcast rights?

Message to all: Please keep the money-hungry, power-grabbing, self-serving South Dakota High School Activities Association as far away from this issue as possible. If you think you have a problem now, get them involved. You will really have a problem then!

February SDADA Column

I just returned from the 2013 NADA Convention held in Orlando. It was great to see several South Dakota dealers in Orlando. I hope those of you who did attend found it beneficial.

The Exposition floor was packed with vendors and dealers. There were many new and updated products and services. I am amazed at how the expo floor and the vendors (BDC’s, CRM software, social media initiatives, etc.)  have changed over the past five years. 

David Wescott Takes NADA Helm

The NADA Board has its winter board meet just prior to our convention. Bill Underiner completed his year-long stint as chairman. Bill did a great job for NADA and especially for small dealers. 

Dave Westcott from North Carolina now takes over as chairman. Dave has served on many NADA committee's and brings a lot of experience. I am confident he will do a great job.

I received my committee assignments for the upcoming year. I will serve on the Public Affairs committee again this year and I will be on the Dealer Operations committee. It has been a couple years since I served on Dealer Ops so it will be interesting to get back to that. I also start my 3-year term on the Finance Committee having served a year filling out an appointment. I am looking forward to a great year.

Glenn Mercer Phase 2 Study Released

On Saturday in Orlando, Glenn Mercer highlighted the findings of the second  phase of the facility image programs. This study analyzes the Return on Investment (ROI) of image investments in the short term, and examines whether these investments might be right in the longer term, for Dealerships of the Future. The first phase of the study was completed a year ago.

Mercer said one of the goals of the Phase 2 study is not to prescribe a "one size fits all" solution, but to assist dealers and auto manufacturers alike to better understand each other's points of view better, and negotiate on a more informed basis for the most-efficient (low cost) and effective (high growth) way to invest in dealership facilities, not only for today, but for tomorrow as well.

Mr. Mercer said the current trend to build more expensive and more brand-customized auto dealerships will lead to excessive and wasteful spending, as dealers repeatedly raze and rebuild their facilities, and as auto makers constantly update their brand image campaigns.

Perhaps the most relevant finding of the study, at least for South Dakota dealers, was that standardization spending is almost always a "pure deadweight loss". That means there is no ROI to tearing up floor tile, replacing mullions and closing up "customer touch points". While this comes as no surprise to small and medium size dealers, I hope it is a revelation to the manufacturers!

FTC Warns Dealers on Buyer’s Guide 

The Federal Trade Commission has warned 11 used car dealerships in Jonesboro, Ark., that their failure to properly display the "Buyers Guide" on used vehicles offered for sale violates the FTC's Used Car Rule. FTC staff inspections in Jonesboro found that eight dealers failed to display Buyers Guides on almost all used cars offered for sale, and three dealers failed to display the guides on a significant number of used cars. Ten dealers properly displayed the guides on all or nearly all of the used cars offered for sale. The FTC sent warning letters urging the 11 dealers to come into compliance by properly displaying the guides in a clear and conspicuous location on all used cars.

I always welcome people to come to our beautiful state, but I invite FTC investigators stay the hell away!

Working With Our Future

Thanks to Shandra Thomas of the Chamberlain/Oacoma Sun for the article about the Explorers. I have been fortunate to work with the Explorers for 12 years. It is a great privilege to work with these young men. I enjoy watching them grow up, most right before my eyes as they progress from 6th grade through 8th grade as Explorers.

I have eleven photos hanging in my store near my office - one of each year's Explorers group. If you look closely at some of those first few photos (the first year is shown below), you will recognize very young faces of men around our community and our state who are taking leadership positions in our communities. I love when people ask me about those photos and give me a chance to tell them about the Explorers organization.

I have had a lot of help from parents along the way. So many parents have helped out in so many ways - from driving, chaperoning trips and dances, buying whatever the Explorers may be selling, having their cars washed (sometimes in the rain) among many other things. Teachers and school staff have been very supportive of the Explorers in many of the same ways. The community has supported the Explorers as well. 

Inaugural Class of Explorers 2001-02

The Explorers have raised money for projects including Explorers Field, the scoreboard, the lights, the trees and picnic shelter, the playground equipment and the soccer field, fencing and lights at Explorers Field complex; the fishing pier at American Creek campground; the slides at the Chamberlain Public swimming pool; the renovation of Avenue of Flags Park; and a variety of A/V equipment for the Chamberlain Public Schools. They have also helped several individuals and groups in the community.

Though Shandra was generous and gave me more credit than I deserve, you can see there have been many people who have had a hand in the success of the Explorers.

I look forward to more years with the young men of our community. I hope I can give back to them a fraction of what they have given me.

Update 3/6/2013: Thanks to St. Joseph's Indian School for recognizing the Explorers here.

The Fever

If most college basketball fans get "March Madness", the real fanatics get "February Fever". They know that those conference games in February will decide who wins the regular season titles and get the spoils that go with that.

Count me in that group. When I tear the January page from my calendar, I start thinking about those critical conference games, then the conference tournaments, "Selection Sunday" and the three greatest weekends of the year that follow. I also think about that last weekend and and check to make sure all my plans are set for my annual Final Four trip with a group of friends. So today it starts.

When people hear that I have been to 31 straight Final Fours, usually the first question they ask is about where I get tickets. Tickets aren't a problem - there are always more than 60,000 of them and sometimes more than 70,000. The much more precious asset is a motel room within walking distance of the festivities. We are always working on this and have booked motel rooms up to four years in advance. Unfortunately, we have also been more than a half hour drive out and that's not fun!

My annual calendar has had a December reminder to buy airline tickets to the Final Four host city for twenty years. In 1993, we waited too long to buy tickets and ended up driving to New Orleans! About half the trip from South Dakota to New Orleans is through Missouri. Hey Missourians, you don't need to "Show Me", I already saw it!!!

February means it's time to start putting the polish on the trip. It's time to make reservations at a great steakhouse for our Sunday evening feast (perhaps my favorite part of the weekend). We have dined at some of the best steakhouses in the world. Our pursuit of great charred mammal flesh has taken us to Manny's in Minneapolis, St. Elmo in Indianapolis, Bones in Atlanta, Shula's in Tampa and Indianapolis, Little Rhein in San Antonio, Mike Shannon's in St. Louis, McKendrick's in Atlanta, Bohanan's in San Antonio, The Rattlesnake Club in Detroit, Vic & Anthony's in Houston, and my personal favorite, Peter Lugar's in Brooklyn. I am looking forward to a Sunday night feast at Kevin Rathbun Steak in Atlanta this April.

Sometimes it makes more sense to go with the local cuisine rather than a steakhouse. That's the plan when we go to New Orleans where we have dined at Commander's Palace and Restaurant August. August is worthy of special mention here because the chef's tasting menu, "Degustation", is perhaps the best dining experience I have ever had. I highly recommend it!

We also like to experience the host city a bit and February means it's time to book that as well. A "host city experience" can include everything from a swamp tour, to a tour of the Indianapolis Speedway, to a visit to the Alamo, to a trip to the top of the Arch or the Space Needle. We have taken in a baseball game or hit the links. A Sunday afternoon walk down Bourbon Street or the River Walk usually ends up with us sitting in one of the local taverns talking college basketball!

In recent years, we've had to build a little time into our schedule for the media. It seems making it to 30+ Final Fours is a news worthy event practically everywhere! It certainly has made a great conversation topic through the years.

As the NCAA commemorates its 75th Final Four this year, it has been fun to watch the media pay tribute to the special teams, players, coaches and moments in the history of March Madness. It is surprising how many of those extraordinary moments we have been fortunate enough to witness in person.

This year's traveling party includes six other friends who have attended over one hundred Final Fours combined. Chris Korth, a former classmate at Creighton University, is a lawyer in Kansas City and my travel companion for all 31 trips. Emmet Kenney (23 trips) is a psychiatrist from Fargo, ND and was also a classmate at Creighton. Bren Abbott (19 trips) is an attorney from Kansas City. Calvin Rider (20 trips) and Matt Hesse (11 trips) are attorneys from Wichita, KS. Abbott, Rider and Hesse were law school classmates of Korth at Washburn University in Topeka, KS. John Pollard (5 trips) is a dentist from Fargo, ND. Between the six of us, we have 140 trips.

Chris and I have not missed a Final Four since our first in 1982 when Michael Jordan’s game-winning jump shot lifted North Carolina to the 1982 title over Patrick Ewing and Georgetown. We have taken in some 93 Final Four games, in 19 different venues in 15 states and watched 45 different teams represent their respective schools. This year we return to the Georgia Dome for our 94th, 95th and 96th Final Four games.

Memories? Yeah, we have a few. In addition to Jordan's game winner, Dereck Whittenburg’s high-arching air ball that Lorenzo Charles grabbed for the game-winning dunk as Jim Valvano’s North Carolina State Wolfpack edged the talent-loaded Houston Cougars for the 1983 championship came in year two. We saw Keith Smart's shot arching high float through the air before splashing through the net to give Bob Knight’s 1987 Indiana Hoosiers a one-point title game victory over Syracuse in year six.

One of the best parts of March Madness is the little guy taking out the favorite. I loved the 2006 run of George Mason as they knocked off Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn en route to the Final Four. Butler's runs to the title game in 2010 and 2011 were thrilling as well.

Because this season is one of college hoops' most interesting and wide open in recent memory, there is hope that the beloved Creighton Bluejays could make a run. Led by National Player of the Year candidate Doug McDermott, the Jays are poised to be a tough out in March.

Creighton in Atlanta? In April? That is "The Fever" combined with "March Madness" plus symptoms of "Unrealistic Expectations" - it could be terminal (what a way to go!). I won't get my hopes up - but that would be Final Four nirvana for this hoops fan!