May 2
Lots people ask me what I do during the offseason. Let me tell you, I am a very lucky person, baby! I just spent a great week, enjoying my time with the fans. I had a blast, and yes, it was financially rewarding.

If you love people, love traveling and sharing words with fans, and they really make sports a happening, it is something special. It started with the Dick Vitale Sports Night in Sarasota, Fla., where we raised funds for the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Then it was off to Maumee, Ohio, near Toledo. I was the guest speaker at a Juvenile Diabetes fund-raiser. It was really special meeting people who had a great love for each other and for the game of basketball. Dan Cummings of WTOL was the emcee and did a fantastic job. It raised money for an important cause, the fight against juvenile diabetes.

My message was to do your best in life, to pursue your goals and dreams and chase them with enthusiasm and energy ... I pinch myself every day for the things that happen in my life.

I met a number of beautiful youngsters. One 12-year-old who spoke to the crowd was Kyle Jazwiecki, who has a great love for Duke; he's even going out to the Durham campus for the Duke basketball camp during the summer. He spoke about having the disease and simply wanting to be a normal 12-year-old, playing basketball and riding his bike. His mother, Jan, helped organize the event. Kyle made a big-time impression on me and my wife Lorraine. I enjoyed sharing words of motivation with the crowd of 500. I was touched by the warm ovation.

My message was to do your best in life, to pursue your goals and dreams and chase them with enthusiasm and energy. Don't ever forget where you came from and give back to those who made good things happen for you in your life. Then we talked about sports. I loved every moment of the visit.

Next I picked up daughter Terri and granddaughter Sydney. There was a visit to the Boca Raton resort, where I was the featured speaker for a pharmaceutical group from Palo Alto named Connetics. They were entertaining a group of doctors, many of whom were hoop junkies. There was Dr. Eric Baum, who knew his hoops, and Thomas Wiggans, the CEO of Connetics, another big basketball fan from Lawrence, Kan. You know we talked about Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk and coach Roy Williams!

I shared my feelings about having energy and enthusiasm and a passion for life. We had a blast with the beautiful people from Connetics, and I look forward to speaking to their marketing people at the Four Seasons in San Francisco next January.

I am so lucky, man! I pinch myself every day for the things that happen in my life. I always reflect back on where it all began, back at home, where my mom and dad instilled in me the drive and desire to do my best.

From there, my family and I had a great time spending three days in Boca Raton. Then it was back on the big bird, flying west to Dana Point to a resort that blew me away, the St. Regis. If you ever get a chance, you should check it out. I have been fortunate enough to stay at a lot of great resorts in my lifetime, and this was incredible. It's only 10 months old and there's a great golf course right on the Pacific Ocean. They made me feel like a million dollars.

I was out there for a speech for ADT security company. Again, the universal language of sports was spoken. There was Mike Snyder, the president of ADT, VP Bill Barnes and Director of Marketing Dan Geiger; they treated me with tremendous warmth and the hospitality was outstanding.

I spoke to approximately 400 top dealers who were honored. I told them they should never get into the comfort zone; the message was simple: never get complacent. I look at Alex Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers, a player making $25 million a year, yet he always works hard and competes. A-Rod plays with passion day in and day out, even when he could take it easy when the team struggles. He has a sense of pride, wanting to be better tomorrow than he was today. The same applies to the corporate world as well.

I am lucky to be with the Washington Speakers Bureau, the best of the best. They have been great to me, sending me to unbelievable places, sharing the microphone with terrific people from all walks of life.

The week ended with a trip to Beverly Hills and a stay at the Wilshire Hotel. I took a stroll down Rodeo Drive, and it's great to go celebrity hunting. I went to dinner at Spago, where world-renowned chef Wolfang Puck made me a special dessert and a special appetizer.

One of the Spago managers is a big basketball fan: Jamie Murphy went to Boston College and was concerned about his team for next season. Don't worry, Jamie! guard Troy Bell is back and coach Al Skinner will have his team back in the fight in the Big East. It was an up-and-down season last year.

Jamie gave us a great table: 10 feet away on one side was Jim Belushi. On the other side, about 20 feet away was Warren Beatty. Nearby was Kevin Costner. It was a blast, being a groupie, acting 15 instead of 62, baby! Finally Jamie mentioned a private party, and I was invited to join the group honoring Disney's Dick Cook, chairman of the Disney Studios. There was Dustin Hoffman, along with some of the great directors in Hollywood. Cook is a basketball lover who also played baseball at USC under Rod Dedeaux. The common denominator again was sports.

I also saw the chairman of board and CEO of Disney, Michael Eisner, along with Robert Iger, the president and chief operating officer.

It was quite a journey. I'm floating -- it was a blast meeting so many great people. I loved every moment of it!