Monday, December 17, 2007

Robert "Bob" Payovich










































Robert "Bob" Payovich, age 55, passed away on Monday, Dec. 17, 2007, at his home in Forsyth. Bob was born May 31, 1952 in Red Lodge, Montana.

He is not a slick talker but he is a straight shooter, and where I come from deeds mean a lot more than words.

I have knocked on the door of this man's soul and found someone home, a God-fearing man with a good heart and a spine of tempered steel -- the man I trust to protect my most precious possession: my family.

Never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the American soldier has. Moreover, our soldiers do not just give freedom abroad; they preserve it for us here at home.

For it has been said so truthfully that it is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest.

It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag who gives that protester the freedom he abuses to burn that flag.

I love you Bob, YOU ARE MY SOLDIER.
I thought it was tough hearing it. I thought it was tough being there for it. I thought it was tough seeing the look on his wife and children’s faces. And it was. When I returned to Alaska and the reality that my brother was really gone sunk in; it was devastating.

I guess my first lesson in life as a Payovich was to learn how to mask my feelings and deal with it later. I am dealing with it later – now, and that philosophy does not appear to be working very well. My outlet is writing, which I am doing now, with tears streaming down my cheeks. I miss my brother.

Bobby was like a father to me, because I was so young when my father died. He was my brother, mentor and father figure. The first time I went 100 mph in a car was with Bobby. He taught me how to drive a car. He always lent me his car. He taught me how to fix a car. I wrecked his car. He fixed his car. He said we can fix cars but not you. He taught me how to stack hay. He gave me a work ethic. He gave me someone to admire.

He taught me how to have fun, how to defend myself and the importance of family. He loved his family deeply. He taught me the joy of looking up to a big brother. He was proud of his brothers.

I was sitting on the steps of our house in Red Lodge when that green car pulled up and told my mother that he had been wounded in Vietnam. He loved our mother. He returned alive and watched over me. He came to my high school games. He gave me a job. He let me live with his family. He taught me how to drive a tractor-trailer. He and my Uncle Paul laughed at me and with me. He came to my wedding. He loved my family. He cared for my sister in her time of illness. He stood and spoke for our beloved ones when we lost them. He always cared for me. I am mad at God. I miss my brother.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Favre 2008 Sportsman of the Year

NEW YORK — Brett Favre's standout season for the resurgent Green Bay Packers has earned him the title of 2007 Sports Illustrated sportsman of the year, making him the fourth quarterback to win the award in its 53-year history.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

The Great Alaska Shootout









In my eighth year as an official for UAA Mens/Women Basketball, watching this program grow has really been a treat. Women Seawolves: Division I destroyers, Shootout champs. Kielpinski's game-winner caps 11-0 run to beat Santa Clara 52-50 for crown.
Published: November 22, 2007 Last Modified: November 23, 2007 at 11:52 AM
For the second straight day, the Seawolves staged a memorable comeback against Division I competition in the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.
The first one was impressive. The second was unbelievable. Down 15 points with 14 minutes to play, the UAA women's basketball team pulled off one of the program's greatest comebacks Wednesday to post an are-you-kidding-me 52-50 victory over Santa Clara in the Shootout championship game.