Rare sightseeing trip (Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
As a sportswriter, most times you fly into a city, cover a game and then return home the following morning.
It’s extremely rare that you can go sightseeing. Too many press conferences to attend, stories to write.
The NCAA Tournament often is the best opportunity to get a few free hours on the day of a game.
I’ll never forget Berry Tramel, Jenni Carlson and myself spending a day in New York City during the day, then watched Oklahoma State beat Pittsburgh that night in East Rutherford in a Sweet 16 game en route to the Final Four.
On Tuesday a similar situation arose. Waiting for the OU-Miami second round NCAA women’s game, I had time to tour Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s legendary home/mansion you see on the back of a nickel.
Jefferson, who wrote the Constitution, was the third U.S. President and founded Virginia University, ended up owning 3,000 acres on a mountain overlooking Charlottesville. The word Monticello means “little mountain.”
It was a great historical view of our country from one of the founding fathers.
Having the time you take such sightseeing trips on the road while covering a sporting event is rare but always enjoyable.
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