Tyler Mayforth

Official Website of Tyler Mayforth | Delaware Born | NOLA Living

Month: May 2016

On Being A Proud Uncle: You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid

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On May 31, 2016

In Life Happenings

Picture this: It’s 11:55 pm on New Year’s Eve and I’m glued to my phone.

My life is about to change in an amazing way.

I’m going to be an uncle for the first time.

I told my friends that if my sister gave birth to the first baby of the new year, I’d buy rounds for the rest of the night. Knowing the company I kept, that could have been a dangerous proposition — but I couldn’t contain my excitement.

Eventually I got word that Jack entered the world at 1:16 a.m. ET on New Year’s Day. That’s 12:16 a.m. local time in New Orleans, in case you don’t know.

Astronauts could have probably seen my smile from space.

Jack turned out to be the first BOY born that day, but a girl earned the distinction of being the First Baby of 2016. I still bought a round to celebrate.

Fast forward nearly five months and the groundwork was laid for me to finally meet him in person. FaceTime — or any video messaging — is an incredible invention, yet real face time with those you love can’t be beat.

Here’s the thing: I wanted it to be a surprise for my sister.

Every time I talked to my sister on the phone, she told me how she couldn’t wait for me to meet Jack. Based on my schedule, she knew it would be tough for me to find free time outside of Christmas, but held on hope that I could visit beforehand.

That time came this past weekend and I can’t put into words how great it was.

My sister crumpled to her knees upon seeing me sitting the dining room and sobbed out, “Tyler! I can’t believe you’re home.”

Part of me wanted to record her reaction — probably the millennial in me. Check that, definitely the millennial in me. Then I remembered how Lupe Fiasco lambasted someone at the concert I went to about recording the show and ruining the now for the future. Sure, you can see the moment over and over again, but you lose the true feeling of remembering it as it was.

So I let nature take its course and it was something I’ll never forget.

I spent as much time as I could over Memorial Day Weekend with my nephew and the rest of my family, for that matter. Those times are few and far between.

I’ll cherish them more and more from now on.

Kickball Supremacy And Life Lessons From Ric Flair

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On May 26, 2016

In Athletic Achievements

A wise man once eloquently said, “To be ‘The Man,’ you gotta beat ‘The Man.'”

That man is legendary professional wrestler Ric Flair, who cut some of the best promos during his run at the top of the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance), WCW (World Championship Wrestling) and WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).

That line sprung to mind last night as “Black Balls 2.0” took on the reigning kickball champion, “Swift Kick in the Grass” during the final game of the regular season. Last time we played them it didn’t go so well. We got destroyed 17-2 in a humbling loss.

This time was a bit different.

Our team defense was flawless once again.

We got breathing room early (four-run first inning).

Pressure didn’t fluster us.

By the time the dust settled on a controversial final play, “Black Balls 2.0” walked out with a 5-4 win.

That thrilling victory pushed our record to 4-1 and we’re currently in second place. A loss earlier this season to “The Alcoballics” — a team that has an identical mark of 4-1 — owns the tie-breaker and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

I guess you know what that means: We’ll just have to beat them, too.

P.S. — Since y’all know I love to keep stats, I went 1 for 3 with an RBI single last night. That makes me 9 for 15 on the season with two home runs and eight RBIs.

On Texas State Baseball Beating Texas And Why I Still Care

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On May 17, 2016

In Sports, Texas

The streak is over.

Don’t worry, Shocked Undertaker Guy: I don’t want to give you flashbacks. After all, I was in the Superdome with you on that fateful day in 2014 when The Undertaker was pinned in the center of the ring by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30. I’d say I was shocked, but not nearly as flabbergasted (Good word, right?) as you were.

The streak to which I am referring is this one…

You read that right. It had been 11 years since Texas State beat Texas in baseball.

I lived in San Marcos, Texas for a little more than six years (December 2007 until July 2014) and never saw the Bobcats upend the Longhorns. It was borderline maniacal how many times Texas State got within centimeters of beating Texas, just to watch a game slip away in the final innings.

https://twitter.com/tylermayforth/status/732759699683057664

Both of those games were one-run losses.

The first was a 6-5 loss in the Horns’ first trip to San Marcos in the history of the series and that was arguably the best team the Bobcats ever fielded with the top of the lineup consisting of Texas State greats Tyler Sibley, Bret Atwood and Paul Goldschmidt. That loss stung Bobcat fans since a few calls by the umpires swung momentum of the game, yet Ty Harrington’s team still had chances to win.

The second came the next year in Austin where first-year pitcher Carson Smith (who is now a member of the Boston Red Sox) started one of his first games in a Texas State uniform. Smith, who admitted after the game to not knowing about the Bobcats’ past struggles against the Longhorns, twirled a gem. The pitcher with a three-quarters delivery struck out eight and held Texas without a run for 6 1/3 innings. The floodgates unfortunately opened when Smith tired and the bullpen couldn’t stem the tide. The Longhorns scored one run in the seventh to make it 2-1 and answered Texas State’s solo run in the eighth with three of their own to make the final score 4-3 and to add another one-run loss to the Bobcats’ tally.

Now some of you are probably wondering why I just typed 340 words about a team I haven’t covered since 2014. That’s ages ago in the sports-writing world and even longer in my career arc (I have since moved twice — from Texas to Athens, Georgia and then again from Georgia to New Orleans, Louisiana where I am currently working for the USTFCCCA).

I guess I can’t get Texas State completely out of my system. When you spend nearly seven years of your life in one location covering one program, you get attached in a way you never thought you would. Not only to the people, but the town. That’s why I had to collect myself as I drove away from San Marcos on Highway 80.

Well done, Bobcats. Enjoy this one. Don’t riot too much on The Square.

It Was The Fest(ival) Of Times In New Orleans

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On May 13, 2016

In New Orleans

Of the many things New Orleans does right, festivals and Mardi Gras are on top of the list. Seeing as I already experienced my first Carnival Season, it was time for me to knock off another huge item on my Big Easy Bucket List — Jazz Fest.

For those uninitiated, Jazz Fest — formally known as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — is a two-week celebration of culture and music held at the New Orleans Fair Grounds Race Course. It started in 1970 and has since grown into a destination music festival for hundreds of thousands of fans due to the wide variety of artists booked for both weekends, ranging from No Doubt to Neil Young and just about everything in between.

Two days caught my eye the most: the first Sunday and the final Saturday. Red Hot Chili Peppers and J Cole headlined the former, while Snoop Dogg and the legendary Stevie Wonder would close the latter. Fortunately I secured tickets for both days.

The first Sunday, as you can see from the picture above, was absolutely beautiful. There were very few clouds in the sky and the sun scorched down, which made my fair skin a target. Needless to say I forgot a key ingredient for “festing” — a hat.

The next Saturday wasn’t as lovely from a weather standpoint. Ominous clouds hung overhead and eventually it let loose with more than two inches of rain in less than two hours’ time. The Fair Grounds quickly turned into a knee-deep marshland.

A common theme tied together both days, though: Fun.

It didn’t matter what the weather did: People were going to enjoy themselves at Jazz Fest whether the sun beat down or the rain left knee-deep mud around.

Sure, I would have loved to hear Snoop Dogg and Stevie Wonder just as I did Red Hot Chili Peppers and J Cole, but it wasn’t to be. What the second time out there lacked in music made up for in company and good vibes as no one in the tent we were hanging out in allowed the rain to dampen their spirits.

I can see why festivals are a big thing down here. Can’t wait for Voodoo.

Kickball Recap: It Just Keeps Getting Better

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On May 6, 2016

In Athletic Achievements, Kickball

If I ever had a better time playing an organized team sport than I did this past Wednesday during our weekly kickball game through the PlayNOLA league, I’d be hard-pressed coming up with it on the spot.

I mean, the first game “The Black Balls” ever played together was pretty epic (Seriously. Read that post), but there was something even more remarkable about the most recent engagement.

Maybe it had a lot to do with how the game transpired.

We trailed 6-1 after the third inning and it really looked like we were about to get blown out. Our defense struggled (mine included) and whenever we had runners in scoring position we’d kick it right to a fielder.

Then something clicked.

We didn’t allow a run the rest of the way, had a few 1-2-3 innings and pushed three runs across to make it 6-4 going into the bottom of the seventh. League rules allow us to play seven innings or an hour, whatever comes first, if it’s not a run rule.

As we switched sides after retiring them in the top of the frame, a guy on the other team said, “This is either going to be a great comeback or an epic choke.”

So which one would it be?

I came up third and with one out and a runner on second, I ripped a shot out of the shortstop’s reach. The ball split the outfielders too and I motored around the bases to score the game-tying run. I clapped loudly and let an expletive fly as I touched home plate as the excitement of the moment washed over me.

Three “batters” and one out later, the winning run crossed home plate. It was a 7-6 victory and we improved to 2-0 on the season.

What I really think made this game special is that we’re all friends now and we know what makes each other tick. We can push each other’s buttons and through that we gel not only as a team, but as a group (if that makes any sense at all). They know I’m ultra competitive and I own it.

Stay tuned as we find out if “The Black Balls” can stay undefeated next week and beat one of the better teams in the league.

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