BS Report: March 11th

Hey it's nifty, Bill's turning 50!

Bill Shanks reminisces on his career and some of the amazing moments and people he's seen in Georgia sports.

Put down your phone and enjoy.

This Friday is my birthday.

I’m not saying this to get birthday wishes or to get a cake.

I’ve got one of those coming – a big chocolate cake.

I’m saying this to show appreciation.

It’s a big birthday, one of those that makes you think about your life and worry a bit.

I will turn 50 this Friday, and as much as I have dreaded the big 5-0… it’s here.

If 50 is middle-aged, then I’m living to 100 and I’m fine with that.

But I’m grateful – grateful for those little things, like good health and good friends, the things we should appreciate every single day.

I’m also grateful for my life as a sportscaster and what I’ve been able to see.

As we grow older, we all wish we could knock a decade or so off our life.

And sure, I wish it was the big 4-0 I was turning Friday instead of 50.

But I’m glad I’ve been able to see great things in sports.

I’m glad I remember life before remote controls and cell phones.

I’m glad I remember the days of getting the newspaper in the morning to actually get the news.

And I’m glad I got to watch Dale Murphy take an at bat in the big leagues, and I got to watch Steve Bartkowski lead my favorite football team, and see, in person, Dominique Wilkins make a slam dunk.

While I didn’t see him in person, I’m glad I used to run home from mass every Sunday to watch the Vince Dooley Show so I could see the best player in college football history, Herschel Walker, run all over people.

Now this is kind of hard to believe, but if you are watching this and you just graduated from college, you likely were not alive when the Atlanta Braves won the World Series in 1995.

Well, I was there – that October night, and thank God I was.

I didn’t just read about Tom Glavine and John Smoltz and Greg Maddux, I watched them play in person.

I’m glad I was around when Ernie, Pete and Skip were calling Braves games and for Bobby Cox to manage my favorite team.

I’m grateful I heard Larry Munson every Saturday afternoon in the fall for 35 years.

Since my life in very sports oriented, I’ve seen a lot of great things in my 50 years.

I’ve also seen great things here in middle Georgia for almost half my life.

I was 25 – almost 26 when I moved to Macon.

And believe it or not I’m kind of glad that when I started my career in television, we were still banging on typewriters and not computers.

We were carrying around big, heavy cameras and tape decks taping sporting events.

There was actual tape in the cameras instead of a small chip.

I’m reminded of how times have changed when I walk in our newsroom, as I’m now the old guy in here.

I see kids who graduate from college and can only hope they understand that the millennial work ethic doesn’t always work.

It takes more than texting your friends all day to get your job done, and sometimes it even takes more than eight hours – whether you’re paid for it or not.

I’m just grateful, despite the fact one of my good friends told me that now that I’m hitting 50, my check engine light is going to come on more often.

I’m still grateful --- for what I’ve seen, how I’ve lived and what I’ve still got to look forward to for the next 50 years.

And… shouldn’t we all be.