Ron Barr and Sports Byline USA LIVE from Iraq

BY RON BARR

August 25, 2010-- Traveling halfway around the world, dealing with extreme weather and then add to that full days moving around Iraq to meet and greet the troops, your body takes a beating and you look forward to laying your head on the pillow at night. For four out of the five in our group we fear the night time. That's when former quarterback Jim Miller goes to work cutting heavy duty zzzzzzzs. Miller will never make Canton, but he's a lock for the Snoring Hall of Fame.  Continue story...

We're housed at the Al Faw Palace VIP quarters. Wonderful accommodations. However, we're all in the same comfortable room with bunk beds. No problem with that as Miller and Antonio Freeman said, it felt like they were back in training camp. Everyone in our group likes each other and there have been many laughs and great stories. But, four of us are planning a strike on Miller to take out “The Bear” as we call him. The first night we didn't get into Iraq until after midnight and to bed until almost 3 am. About an hour after we crashed in our bunks The Bear went to work sawing trees, and these must have been some pretty big ones as his snoring hit ear splitting levels. Being to closest to Miller's bunk, Jon Bullock, Bob Delaney and I bore the brunt of his mind and body numbing sound. I yelled at Jim, I shook his bed. The only response I got was laughter from my awaken partners for my efforts. We were seconds away from carrying Jim in his bed outside and calling in an air strike.

It became evident the night and our desired wish for sleep was a lost cause. At some point we each got up and watched the sun come up while The Bear continued harvesting his forest of trees with his snoring. He was now ours for the ridiculing and it was unmerciful from the four of us. We threatened to leave him in the desert, hide his passport so he couldn't get back in the United States or offer to trade him to the bad guys here. To Jim's credit he was apologetic. Later in the day he got nasal spray, convinced that would solve the problem and we'd all get a good night's sleep last night. After a second night, this just in: We're starting negotiations with the bad guys to take Jim. If they do, we're all confident peace will come to this part of the world as Jim drives them as nuts, as he has us. In case the negotiations fail, J.B., Delaney, Freeman and I are already developing Plan B. This is getting serious folks!