Happy 40th Birthday, Mark Thomas DeVault

Happy Birthday, Mark.

For those of you who do not know my baby brother, he's the tall, sandy-haired, sports and sports-stats-loving kid with the website dedicated to WVU Mountaineer Basketball stats (he compiled an historical database that they refer to when looking things up for the media) and the extremely nifty family. Hes also pretty good at Trivial Pursuit, having, as I recall, won a tourney when he was at WVU.

Forty. Man. I recall when you were born. I was so fascinated by the new baby I quit my 5th grade basketball team to just come home and hang in your room, marvelling at the tiny fingers and toes. I don't regret that.

I could tell so many great stories about you, but most would be embarrassing, and I'll save you your dignity. But, one of my favourites was when you were coming to visit me in Virginia. A friend who had never met you, but knew you were coming to visit, sees some guy driving down Elden Street in Herndon, Virginia, wearing "groucho glasses" and comments to her husband that he must be my brother.

She was right.