Later today I will be doing the last official signing of 2007. Appropriately enough it will be with the Yankee Captain Derek Jeter. Aside from Mariano I have probably spent more time with Derek over the course of the year so it will definitely be fitting that they last two athletes I worked with this month were Jeter and Mo (I was over at Mo's house yesterday working on a few charity things....you would all be surprised at how much time I actually spend with Mariano aside from what I post here) I have decided to post the Jeter photos next month when I return from my vacation as I plan on using some of them for the new (improved) 2008 blog graphics. I have a ton ideas on how to make the blog even stronger and am always looking for suggestions (so keep the emails coming)
Anyway, I am now hours away from beginning my twelve day vacation (Yes, I do count Saturdays and Sundays as vacation..as I should considering my typical schedule). As is the norm for my vacations I am going absolutely nowhere for the next two weeks. I plan on hanging here in New York. I have been away from here so much over the past twelve months so I am really looking forward to spending some time at home. I actually considered going away but what would be the point in going to Florida when I will most likely end up spending the better part of a month there between Red Sox and Yankees Spring Training. In what has also become tradition I will be doing the whole three show Govt. Mule New Years run at the Beacon Theater (lower balc for all three..check me out if you are going.).
2007 was the first full year of the blog. It took me all over the country. I have spent more time in Massachusetts and Indiana than in New York (ok, that a little bit of an exaggeration but I have been to those two states a lot). Just as I did last year I have compiled some interesting personal statistics for this year (I was inspired by the Grateful Dead shirt that states 36,086 songs, 2317 concerts, 298 cities...you get the idea...I miss Jerry)

-236 signings (teams signing count as one)
-73,560 miles (traveling to and from our office doesn't count)
-20 states
-Somewhere between 200 and 250 hours on airplanes..hard to tell with so many flight delays...somewhere between 8 and 9 full days total

Anyway you look at it that is a lot of traveling. Over the course of those 73,560 miles I have learned a lot. So here are a few random thoughts and observations that I have had along the way (in true Lupica style)
-Hotel pillows are awful. They compensate for how bad the pillows are by giving you a lot of them.
-Most flight attendants don't know how to open the door to a plane once it has landed.
-Sharpies must not look like markers when they are seen through an airport security x-ray machine. My bag is searched practically every flight I take.
-Boston is not as close to New York as it looks on a map.
-Even Bruce Springsteen's worst album is still much better than most artist's best work.
-Home plates are the heaviest thing known to man.
-Any flight out of South Bend Regional Airport is on an automatic three hour delay (sometimes longer).
-People complain about flight delays yet take their time when de-planeing...makes no sense.
-Hotel food is the only thing worse than airport food.
-Airport food and hotel food are the only things worse than the food in Boise.
-Boise is not as boring as it sounds.
-Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings...it's true. (thank you to Sipps for that one)
-Never stay at the Howard Johnson's in South Bend..NEVER..trust me.
-Paint markers on leather never dry.
-Remember when we were young and the flight to Florida was only two hours door to door...when and why did that change? It takes longer now to get to Tampa than it did to fly to Miami in 1999.
-Albert Hammond was wrong...once in a while it does actually rain in southern California (i have seen it)
-Strong is the greatest adjective ever. I have tried other descriptive words over the past few months but none of them are stronger than strong.
-A seven game lead with seventeen to go is not a free pass to the post-season.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading my stuff over the past twelve months. Before ending this I would like to give a special thank you to the legendary Joe Cancel for being there on the front lines for years turning balls and making things happen.
2008 will undoubtedly be even busier and more exciting than '07 so hopefully you will all continue to support the blog.
Happy New Year!