Introverted Twins

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When former Detroit Pistons Vice President of Public Relations Matt Dobek died on Saturday August 21 at the age of 51, I got sick to my stomach!

Yet, his cause of death is something that I mentally deal with on a daily basis.

Dobek apparently committed suicide just months after losing his job with the Detroit Pistons.

In the past year, not only did Dobek lose his job of 29 years, but the loss of his father, former Pistons Owner William Davidson and Coach Chuck Daly also died and that obviously was too much for him to overcome.

I have known Matt Dobek since 1988. He was the first local Detroit Sports Public Relations Director to grant me credentials when I returned home from college in Florida, and one year in Sports Management in North Carolina.

My first assignment was the 1988 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Pontiac Silverdome.

I never missed a big event at the Palace of Auburn Hills when I lived in Detroit.

Those crucial playoff games, finals appearances, ring and retired jersey ceremonies are long long lasting memories.

Dobek made sure I always had my season passes. When I went on road trips, there was never a problem.

There was a time when I took a cross country trip that lasted over 35 days, spanned over 10,000 miles where I drove a rented car which included NBA stops in Sacramento, Seattle, Portland, Utah and Indiana.

When these Public Relations Directors needed verification, Matt took care of the situation! There were times when I called him from the road and he told me to relax and drive safely after I told him the project I was working on.

There were other trips to Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami and Orlando where we would talk, hangout at lunch or dinner.

In my eyes, Dobek was the Most Misunderstood person I've ever known!

While he maintained a low-keyed demeanor and wasn't the most outgoing person, Matt was cordial, cooperative, had a calmness about himself but more importantly was always there when you needed him!

The last time I saw Matt was in Miami in April of 2009 just shortly before Daly died of Cancer. Chuck lived in Jupiter, FL and Matt was not only his friend but his publicist. Matt was working the Pistons and Heat game and must have known that Daly's health was near its terminal stages thus it was a great opportunity for them to spend time together.

After Detroit won its second championship in 1989-90, Matt presented me with a plaque with a piece of the Pistons floor at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

It proudly hangs in my hallway in Deerfield Beach, Florida!

He told me that you deserve it!

Matt and his staff treated me with respect! They were like another family to me, My Basketball Family.

If you were loyal to them, acted professional, did an honest job but covered them not only when they were winning but also losing, they showed their appreciation. They used to send Christmas Cards every year to myself and Sports Editor George Eichorn.

They were a class act and that's attributed from the man in charge which was undoubtedly, Matt. It was easy to continue to write about this team, from Matt, to Tom Wilson, Mr. Davidson, etc... That's why I loved covering this team.

But as sadness about Matt's untimely death continues, plus lingering questions on why he committed suicide by hanging himself, I found that after this happened, we are more alike than I thought we were.

Matt and I like to keep things bottled up inside.

We don't like to burden our friends & family with personal and financial hardships.

Matt and I are proud individuals!

Therefore, I'm not surprised he committed suicide!

Everybody has their own set of problems and I won't add to them!

Although I'm 47, since I've relocated to South Florida in 2002, I've watched myself age by 53 years!

While I've enjoyed many great sports memories connected with my passion in the media, the inability to find a constant career in South Florida has been a tremendously huge lingering battle.

What I've discovered in this transient Sun-Belt Melting Pot during this process is that I'm over qualified for the majority of the positions I've applied for.

While there are dishonest people everywhere, there are more scams and cons in South Florida than any other place that I've ever been connected with.

I've seen human resource people that are late to interviews, fail to show up and don't hire you because they're concerned you'll eventually replace them.

I even had a youngster in his early 20's interview me and one of his first questions during the interview was, "What is your favorite toy?" He was looking at his list of questions in the back of his desk and just pulled it out of his drawer.

To me, this would be enough to drive anyone nuts!

My intensity to land a good career and competitiveness to be the best when I landed the position has led to numerous sleepless nights.

Have to admit many of these interviews could be book material down the road and I have been real calm the majority of the time. Sponging these experiences is priceless but it does nothing to help ones checkbook.

I even had a friend say to me one time that we can't even get a job we don't want. Go figure.

But like any athlete or person, I hate to lose and despise failure!

To complicate matters, I suffered a major lower back injury in 2007 and physically haven't been the same.

In June of 2009, I had back surgery to remove a disk and had two cages inserted to provide me with support. For the past 14 months, there have been major travel restrictions and I haven't been able to lift more the 10 pounds. Thus, a bad job market became worse.

I'm still on the mend and while there has been progress in the recovery, there seems to be no end in sight to a lawsuit that could take years to resolve but won't solve the hardships I've experienced financially, physically and mentally.

Besides the injury and poor South Florida job market, dealing with criticism by family members at meals, over the phone that make accusations that I'm lazy because they don't understand the complexity of how difficult it is to deal with liars and snakes on a daily basis is enough to drive anyone over the edge!

It would even frustrate Albert Einstein!

This entire situation makes it difficult to create a personal life with a potential significant other.

As I define Matt Dobek's legacy, there are certain ways to view things.

1) I've always had the belief that you "Live Everyday As If It Were Your Last."

2) It isn't Quantity, but Quality!

Todays job market has no loyalty. When I entered the work force 31 years ago, two weeks notice was a common courtesy. Now it's two seconds.

To work 29 years at one job and not be given severance pay as was the case with Matt, was idiotic. I've worked in industry's where politics prevented me from landing in other positions.

That's why Matt rejoined his other support system.

I don't know what God has in store for me.

But I do know that when my time is over, there is an All-Star Team waiting for me when I pass away.

In addition to Dobek, who was one of the greatest public relations people that I've ever worked with, there is Ernie Harwell, Mr. Davidson, whom I became very friendly with at Pistons games and is ironically buried in the same cemetery that all of my family is in back in Michigan, Daly, whom I enjoyed the time working with during the Bad Boys Era.

Add family members Terry Kroll, Morris & Celia Kroll, Sidney & Dorothy Caplan, Sidney Jacobs, Sidney & Sophie Jacobs-Morganroth along with other close people such as Fred Cullen, Ronald Grant & Peter Bluesten; this is a group that I miss dearly!

As most of these recent blogs turn into death related stories, it's hard to believe that Dobek has joined the likes of Harwell, John Wooden, George M Steinbrenner and Ralph Houk as painful deaths of 2010 that I've been associated with.

We haven't even reached Labor Day.

While watching a Pistons game will never be the same again without Matt, once again, he's taught me that it's not how many years you live, but how good they are!

The one signal that I'll know when My Life Is Over is I will not Live and Sell My Heart, Soul, Ethics, Integrity and Wallet Short "To Exist."

When the time comes that "I Live To Exist" then I'll Flip the Switch and "Non-Exist!"

For those who know me, while I'm glad I've accomplished a lot, enjoyed the memories we've shared together, I have no fear when my life comes to a halt as I'll one day reunite with My other All-Star Team.

I will never be trapped into a situation just to hang around a few extra years!

Meanwhile, Matt, you'll always be viewed as not only a colleague, but a great friend, and I hope you rest in peace.

I imagine one day we'll be at court-side one at the old Richfield Coliseum in suburban Cleveland watching Daly lead his Pistons to a victory in a nationally televised game talking about the "Bad Boys."

Thanks again for the piece of the championship floor and being a championship person!

I'll miss you greatly!

Scott Morganroth's blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com and he can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com

December 29 Great Memories

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As I celebrate my 47 birthday, what makes December 29 so unique?

I've never failed a test or exam in any school because there were no classes to attend.

It's the last of 107 or 108 days in the 20's of every month depending on if it's a leap year.

There are 72 hours left in the year and there were 8,688 hours that have past to get to this date. In a leap year that number would increase to 8,712 hours.

As the temperature this year in Deerfield Beach, FL., hit 66 degrees and my Aunt Judy Strohl told me today that I was missing snow and 22 degree weather back in Michigan, I'll never forget my 16 birthday when I had to take a drivers test during a blizzard in 1978. Thanks to an assist from my late Grandmother Sophie Morganroth Jacobs, who drove my father's old Yellow Cadillac, I managed to pass the drivers test by using her vehicle despite the bad weather as I had an understanding nice looking dark blonde woman instructor who was very patient despite the slippery roads.

To date, I've driven 2.75 million miles in 31 years and taken several cross country trips despite the fact that I've never been a paid truck driver. There are too many restrictions in flying and I could make my own schedule and see more places.

What I've always enjoyed about this birthday is I haven't worked on it in 47 years and the streak remains intact. I have found that employers are just as relieved that the year is over and they seem to be enjoying the holiday season. The only way that I would put an end to this 47-year streak is if I became a Professional Public Speaker or had a Broadcasting/ Full Time Newspaper career. I have no problem going to work when it doesn't feel like I'm working but I'm having a lot fun writing my two Blogs today. The first was my Tribute to Ernie Harwell earlier this morning.

In this Blog, I'm going to list the top 10 Moments of "December 29" over the years.

1. While taking a 10,000 mile plus trip that lasted 35 days in a rental car across country, I stopped in Salt Lake City, Utah and not only did I have a chance to understand the Mormon Culture, visited Temple Square, and covered a couple Utah Jazz NBA Basketball Games, one of the local radio stations invited me to come back and left a ticket at will call at the Salt Palace to watch a minor league hockey game the day of my birthday to have me on as a guest during periods. They wanted me to talk about the route of my trip, how many games I was going to see in the different sports plus other tourist attractions, in how many days and how many states I was going to be in. Ironically, that hockey team would be sold to late Detroit Pistons Owner William Davidson which played at the Palace of Auburn Hills and became the Detroit Vipers.

2. On another Western Trip, I had a grilled cheese sandwich and hash browns with a trucker whose CB handle was "The Sting" at 4 am at a truck stop in New Mexico. We were talking for hours about the icy roads, where the cops were hanging out to give tickets, etc. Sand was the only way the tires on my Burgundy Buick Regal could grip the roads so I would have traction to avoid an accident. I relied heavily on my CB to communicate with truckers and my handle was "Scoop." But "The Sting" and I hung out for a couple hours to talk and as I grabbed his bill, he insisted on paying our checks insisting that it was my birthday present and thanked me for having a nice experience. I never had a cell phone on that trip, just a pre-paid phone card to use in pay phones & hotels to stay in order to stay in contact with family members and friends.

3. I had a chance to watch a Harlem Globetrotters Game at the Old Olympia Stadium in Detroit with my family featuring Meadowlark Lemon and Curley Neal.

4. I had lunch with one of my best friends Chip Namais when he worked with the Tampa Bay Bucs. I've known Chip since 1982 when he was the Director of Public Relations for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the defunct North American Soccer League. That night, another close friend Gus Pantelides, whom I've known for 31 years took me out for ribs at a restaurant at New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner's Hotel the Bay Harbor Inn in Tampa and bought me a Tampa Bay Lightning hooded sweat shirt.

5. When I was in Cancun, Mexico one year, I attended the bull fights during the day then I went to Pat O' Brien's at night where the manager bought me two of his famous Hurricane Drinks after I showed him the proper identification. I was real relaxed and enjoyed socializing with the crowd.

6. On my 30 birthday in 1992, I took the most beautiful drive of my life on California's Pacific Coast Highway 1 after watching the Detroit Lions lose to the San Francisco 49'ers the night before at Candlestick Park. I remember talking with former Lions QB Andre Ware on December 28, and not only did we have a good football discussion but I did mention the drive I was about to take for my birthday. He smiled, gave me birthday greetings and gave me a big hug and told me to be careful. The 16 hour drive from San Francisco to San Diego with all the mountains and water plus listening to great music was awesome. I can just imagine how much better the music would be today with satellite radio.

7. Birthday No. 40 saw me watch the Lions lose to the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field and after the game, I drove out to Eastern Tennessee., where I would hang out with a friend and we took six laps around the famed High Banked Bristol Motor Speedway. The $10 I spent for those laps was cheap and went to charity plus I had a huge adrenaline rush afterwards.

8. My ex wife Susan and I spent a great non sports day visiting the famous Casa Grande Ruins in Arizona in 2000.

9. While I can't count how many birthdays that I actually spent with my Grandmother Sophie, she was alive for 37 of them. To this day, she remains the most important person that has ever been in my life and will always be No.1. She is pictured with me at www.scottsports33.com.

10. Last but not least, No. 46 was spent with my best friend George Eichorn & Detroit Tigers Hall of Fame Broadcaster Ernie Harwell on Decemeber 29, 2008 at Ernie's residence in Novi, MI. We spent a couple hours together and it was truly special. Now that time becomes more magnified because Harwell was diagnosed with incurable Cancer of the Bile Duct. I also had the opportunity to visit many close friends in Detroit, received an abundance of phone calls and text messages. To cap things off, I enjoyed dinner at Apple Bees with My Aunt Judy Strohl and Uncle Bob Strohl.

The only thing I can say about this birthday is I'm glad that I made it to No. 47 since this was a brutal year which started out on a positive note as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa. This was one of the greatest Super Bowls ever.

But major back surgery with a grueling recovery process in a tough economy made me feel like I was glad to make it to the finish line of a major marathon.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com

No Wrecking Ball For Pontiac Silverdome

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When ESPN Los Angeles based Sports Center Anchor Stan Verrett said a judge finalized the sale of the Pontiac Silverdome which sold for a mere $583,000, and to purchase a one bedroom apartment in California was more expensive, that blew my mind!

It took $55.7 million in 1975 to build the Pontiac Silverdome, which at the time was the biggest stadium in the NFL. The stadium sits on a 127 acre pilot. I can't imagine how many square feet a one bedroom apartment would consist of. But I'll guarantee it's not 80,000 seats.

For Football fans, the Pontiac Silverdome was the home of Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49'ers began their dynasty under Joe Montana by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in 1982. The Detroit Lions last playoff victory occurred under the dome as they pounded the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 on Jan 5, 1992.

Former Heisman Trophy winners Billy Sims and Barry Sanders amassed a lot of yards on that artificial surface which covered cement.

If there is one game that I would soon forget, it was against the Los Angeles Rams on November 17, 1991 when offensive lineman Mike Utley sustained an injury to his sixth and seventh vertebrae. This paralyzed the third year pro from the chest down, but when he flashed his "Thumbs Up" this became a symbol to all of us who became more aware of spinal chord injuries.

I have enjoyed many great Thanksgiving Games in the Silverdome. The pre-game meals were fantastic and the games were entertaining.

But the one game that stands out the most occurred on Nov 26, 1998 was when the Lions defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 19-16 in overtime.

This contest was known as the "Infamous Coin Toss" game as Steelers running back and Detroit native Jerome Bettis watched in disbelief along with millions of national television viewers.

The following season a new rule was created where two officials would handle the coin toss. I can just imagine how former Steelers Coach Bill Cowher feels every time he watches a Thanksgiving Classic in Detroit.

Meanwhile, Bettis would later return to the Pontiac Silverdome which housed the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl XL, but he had to have flashbacks about how cold his turkey and the rest of his meal tasted after this bitter defeat.

In addition to Thanksgiving Classics, I had many other great memories at the Pontiac Silverdome.

Watching Sanders in his prime and seeing him climb up the NFL's all-time rushing list was tremendous.

I'll never forget the time that I wrote a story on Lesley Visser, who was voted the No.1 Female Sportscaster of all-time. She was the first female NFL analyst on TV and her accomplishments could lead a trail that would go from her home in South Florida to Alaska.

Talking to Utley when he attended Lions games brought chills down my spine and was awesome!

But the moment I'll never forget was taking a photo with Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe during a pre-game press meal. The only downfall of that photo was my left arm was in a sling as a result of a rotator cuff injury sustained in an auto accident as a AAA tow truck ran a red light in West Bloomfield, MI., which sent me spinning into a fire hydrant.

Thankfully, 10 minutes before the crash, I had just dropped off my 79-year old grandmother Sophie Jacobs Morganroth or this incident could have been tragic. I was fortunate that the shoulder injury was the major extent of my injuries.

Nonetheless, a photo with one good wing with Mr. Hockey's elbow in my face is better than nothing, knowing his opponents took the brunt of his elbows on a regular basis. This photo is on my website which is www.scottsports33.com.

Even as I watched Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford lead his young team to a 38-37 win over the Cleveland Browns Sunday at Ford Field as he injured his left shoulder, like myself, at least the outcome turned out positive.

I'm very pleased to hear that a Toronto based family-owned company plans to refurbish the Pontiac Silverdome into a stadium for men's and women's professional soccer teams. Since this venue has hosted Super Bowls, plus World up Games in 1994, at least the worlds version of football will save this facility from getting demolished as historical Tiger Stadium did this year.

Sanders and Visser are proof that all legendary genders can appreciate the past memories here and this $583,000 could be the best money ever spent to create future great moments.

I'm sure that besides my myself, there are many people who have had memories that are priceless!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com