We all have quirks about ourselves that aren't pleasing to think about or talk about. Don't deny it. We do. And I don't mind talking about *some* of mine. One of my biggest quirks is that, basically, I'm a lazy person. There, I said it. Like you already didn't know!
For some weird reason, the laziness didn't carry over into my job, but for the most part, I'd rather just sit and veg out than do anything strenuous (mentally or physically). I guess I'm a victim of the remote control/video game generation.
Conversely, I don't like to waste energy. When I'm sitting on the couch, doing nothing, essentially I'm wasting my life away. But it doesn't feel that way. Instead, it feels wasteful to exercise when I'm not really accomplishing anything. Riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill? Waste of my time.
I've said all of this to set up the fact that I hate to run. Hate it. I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything when I'm running around a track or through my neighborhood. I leave from one place and end up back at that place, exerting energy and wasting time. It's not the same for all exercise. Running up and down a basketball court, in an attempt to throw that ball through a hoop, for some reason I feel like I'm accomplishing running. But running? Meh.
Not only does it feel like I'm not accomplishing anything, it feels terrible when I'm doing it. I hate not being able to breathe, and no matter how hard I concentrate, it doesn't take long before I sound like Darth Vader merging into an asthmatic, wheezing my way around the block. I hate that my legs scream at me with every step that I take. Why does it have to hurt? Isn't running supposed to be good for you?
I starting running several weeks ago when a buddy of mine asked me if I would run a 5K with him. I've run in the past. In high school, I was a decent runner. Could run two miles without much of a problem. Actually ran a mile in less than six minutes, which wasn't nearly good enough to make me a competitive runner at a track powerhouse program, but was better than most high school kids. But I didn't enjoy it. So, eventually, I stopped doing it and focused my exercise attention on more fruiful activities such as basketball.
But I'd never run a 5K before, and I thought, sure why not? Then, I started running and began thinking, WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO? It's very difficult to go from not running for YEARS to trying to get into shape to run a 5K in just three weeks. Very difficult. I ran a mile a day for the first week, and my body just rebelled. I ditched my training plan, which was to work my way up from a mile a day the first week to two miles a day the second week and three miles a day leading into the 5K, and decided to take a week off and then work my way up to the 5K on the final week.
I came back with fresh legs and ran my best mile time yet in less than 7 minutes and 30 seconds, not nearly as good as I was more than a decade ago, but still not a bad effort. Then I ran two miles in 17 minutes and 8 seconds, and actually felt pretty good about the way things were going. Thought I would try three miles the next day, but again, the legs rebelled and I didn't even finish running all of two miles, but still finished in 18:26, which wasn't terrible considering I walked about a quarter of a mile.
Strangely enough, as much as I hate running when I'm running, I'm starting to enjoy the way my body feels after I'm done. Like I said, I'm pretty much a lazy person, and my body doesn't get too much physical use, especially since it's the offseason from my basketball officiating (which starts back up next week!). So it actually is starting to feel good that my muscles are being used often.
I don't really know what to expect in the morning. I haven't run 3 miles yet, much less 3.2, and I don't know if I can finish the whole thing without walking. That's my first goal. I think being in a competitive race, where it's not just me and the road, will help me have some adrenaline and push me to continue running when I want to quit. But I really don't know how my body will react. My legs are sore today, even though I didn't run, after the two straight days of running two miles. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I really have only put about two weeks of training into this thing, so my body is not ready to respond to all-out training. I initially set a goal of finishing in less than 30 minutes, and I still think that's a goal that I can meet. However, after running 17:08 on Wednesday, I've started to think that if I can keep that pace up, that I might be able to finish in under 25 minutes. That's what I'm considering an "impossible" goal, but I think you need to push yourself and challenge yourself when you are competing.
What I'm hoping is that this isn't just a one-and-done thing. Once I actually finish a 5K and have an established standard, I truly believe I'm going to want to compete against myself to do it better the next time. And hopefully, if I keep pushing myself and doing it more and more, I'll get even better and start to enjoy it more. After all, I do need to exercise. I went to the doctor earlier this week and had lost 10 pounds from where I was three months earlier. But I'm still 17 pounds heavier than where I really need to be. Hopefully, with a positive result in the morning, I'll keep heading down this road and see the pounds shed off.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Grrrrrrrrrowl!
Boy, these girls have a TON of energy! And by "these girls," of course I mean the pups, who as I type are growling and fighting one another on two-thirds of the couch. Make that the whole couch; nevermind that I'm here too.
*BIG SIGH* Grrrrrrowl! That's Sandy. Lots of deep, gutteral growling. Of course, her bark is just that. Ryley, on the other hand, you just never know. And when she starts barking, you KNOW she means business!
Elizabeth and I had a busy day, spending about 12 hours away from home while the girls were cooped up in their room. We had the annual Granger Birthday Bash at Elizabeth's parents. Since there are a number of June-July-August birthdays in the family (unfortunately, yours truly NOT included), we get together for one big party. We enjoyed plenty of burgers and a whole lot more cake!
Afterward, Elizabeth and I went with one of her brothers, his wife and our niece to watch Despicable Me (terribly cute) and then to go shopping at the mall for the niece's birthday. Then we finished up the evening with supper together, where there were TOO many laughs to go around (strike that: can you EVER have TOO many laughs?).
So, when we got home, we had some pretty amped puppies. They were excited to see us, which for them means running back and forth from the couch and the chais lounge to see me and Elizabeth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Eventually, though, Elizabeth left us to go downstairs and work out, leaving the two girls and me in the living room. Talk about some entertainment! First of all, they pull toy after toy from their room into the living room. No joke, they're toddlers. It's funny stuff! Then, they fight over the toys. Or really, I should say, Sandy bullies Ryley with the toys. Whichever toy Ryley has, that's the one Sandy wants. And it's the one Sandy takes. So Ryley moves on to another toy. And Sandy takes that one too. Again, lather, rinse, repeat.
I had a blast today at the movie, but honestly, I don't need to leave the house to get some good, quality entertainment with these two pups!
*BIG SIGH* Grrrrrrowl! That's Sandy. Lots of deep, gutteral growling. Of course, her bark is just that. Ryley, on the other hand, you just never know. And when she starts barking, you KNOW she means business!
Elizabeth and I had a busy day, spending about 12 hours away from home while the girls were cooped up in their room. We had the annual Granger Birthday Bash at Elizabeth's parents. Since there are a number of June-July-August birthdays in the family (unfortunately, yours truly NOT included), we get together for one big party. We enjoyed plenty of burgers and a whole lot more cake!
Afterward, Elizabeth and I went with one of her brothers, his wife and our niece to watch Despicable Me (terribly cute) and then to go shopping at the mall for the niece's birthday. Then we finished up the evening with supper together, where there were TOO many laughs to go around (strike that: can you EVER have TOO many laughs?).
So, when we got home, we had some pretty amped puppies. They were excited to see us, which for them means running back and forth from the couch and the chais lounge to see me and Elizabeth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Eventually, though, Elizabeth left us to go downstairs and work out, leaving the two girls and me in the living room. Talk about some entertainment! First of all, they pull toy after toy from their room into the living room. No joke, they're toddlers. It's funny stuff! Then, they fight over the toys. Or really, I should say, Sandy bullies Ryley with the toys. Whichever toy Ryley has, that's the one Sandy wants. And it's the one Sandy takes. So Ryley moves on to another toy. And Sandy takes that one too. Again, lather, rinse, repeat.
I had a blast today at the movie, but honestly, I don't need to leave the house to get some good, quality entertainment with these two pups!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Why today?
Of all days this week, today was the one that was super busy. Of all the days! That stuff happens when you have a nearly two-hour press conference!
The Saints made their stop in Alexandria today for their Victory Tour, and as a Saints fan, I had to make a detour to see it. I mean, the freakin' Lombardi Trophy people. I don't think you understand! The Lombardi Trophy!
Unfortunately, because of the afformentioned busy day at work, I simply didn't have time to battle the crowd and stand in line to get pictures. I would have loved to have my photo taken with the trophy. Instead, I snapped a few shots of the trophy (without me in front of it), as well some close ups of one of the Saints Super Bowl rings, and Michael "The Beer Man" Lewis who was signing autographs. (Aside: Honestly, you couldn't get one real player to show up??? When's the last time Beer Man returned a kick for the Saints? I mean, I know he's an employee and an ex-player, but it's not like he was a member of this Super Bowl team!)
It was a nice, neat experience. I wish I had 30 minutes to an hour more during my day to actually have enjoyed it and gotten my picture taken with the Lombardi Trophy, but it is what it is. Still a pretty cool experience, and a reminder, that WE DAT!!!!
The Saints made their stop in Alexandria today for their Victory Tour, and as a Saints fan, I had to make a detour to see it. I mean, the freakin' Lombardi Trophy people. I don't think you understand! The Lombardi Trophy!
Unfortunately, because of the afformentioned busy day at work, I simply didn't have time to battle the crowd and stand in line to get pictures. I would have loved to have my photo taken with the trophy. Instead, I snapped a few shots of the trophy (without me in front of it), as well some close ups of one of the Saints Super Bowl rings, and Michael "The Beer Man" Lewis who was signing autographs. (Aside: Honestly, you couldn't get one real player to show up??? When's the last time Beer Man returned a kick for the Saints? I mean, I know he's an employee and an ex-player, but it's not like he was a member of this Super Bowl team!)
It was a nice, neat experience. I wish I had 30 minutes to an hour more during my day to actually have enjoyed it and gotten my picture taken with the Lombardi Trophy, but it is what it is. Still a pretty cool experience, and a reminder, that WE DAT!!!!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Summer of Betrayal
Note: This blog was the brainchild of one of my best friends, who told me that text messages and tweets weren't doing justice to my feelings on this subject. Be prepared. I have a feeling this is going to be a long, long rant. Don't blame me. Blame Kyle.
Really, LeBron? Really? I hope when the smoke clears and all is said and done, you will be able to live with the decision you made this week. I really do.
LeBron James, perhaps the biggest superstar in the NBA, decided to leave the Cleveland Cavs this week to join the Miami Heat. On the surface, this isn't that big of a deal. Players change teams all the time. Heck, even superstars change teams sometimes. Only, this is a big deal. It's a really big deal.
For the record, I have no ties to Cleveland, but I certainly have felt like a Clevelander this week. I wasn't a Cav fan before LeBron James, and I'm not a Cav fan today. Unfortunately, though, I'm no longer a LeBron James fan either, and I feel as though I've wasted a decade of my life with this guy.
Unlike Cavs fans, this isn't about my team. It's not about my city, my region or my state. But, like them, it is personal to me, just for a completely different reason. You see, I've invested a decade of my life being a fan of LeBron James. A decade. Gone. In the blink of the eye. Well, a little longer than that, but just long enough for James to utter the words: "I'm taking my talents to South Beach."
You see, I've been on the LeBron James train longer than anyone I know. Before he was "The Chosen One," as he was dubbed by Sports Illusrated. Before he was "King James," as he was dubbed by, well, himself. Before LeBron James became LeBron James and won the hearts of millions of fans, he won me as a fan.
I first heard about LeBron during the summer after his sophomore year in high school, which was in 2001. I'd just completed my sophomore year of college. LeBron had just led his high school to its second straight state title and had won the first of three state Ohio player of the year awards. He was tearing up the summer AAU circuit and was quickly developing a reputation as the best high school player in the country -- not in his age group, but out of all high school players. It wasn't long before James cemented that reputation, earning his first of two straight national player of the year awards the next year. All of that to say this: Before LeBron was starring on national TV, before many people knew who he was, I was beginning to believe. I was beginning to believe in LeBron James, in his potential greatness, in his ability to amaze, in the chance that he could become the greatest player in basketball history.
Unfortunately, I've lost that belief. I've never forget when it happened, exactly when LeBron uttered those now infamous words about taking his talents to South Beach. At that precise moment, LeBron quit. He gave up. No longer will he ever be considered the greatest basketball player ever, something I convinced myself over the past 10 years was destined to happen.
I refuse to say I bought into his hype. Hype is manufactured. LeBron's basketball talent is real. Very real. No one has possessed his physical gifts: a power forward's body at 6-8 and 250-plus pounds with a point guard's game. The only player before him was a man named Magic, but Earvin Johnson wasn't nearly as explosive as James. LeBron's physical gifts are truly amazing, but until this week I've conditioned myself to look past all of his flaws because I wanted to believe in LeBron's greatness. I can't kid myself anymore.
When LeBron decided to leave Cleveland, his hometown team where he was the savior of the franchise for the past seven years, for Miami, he gave up on being a leader. He decided to be a follower. He followed Chris Bosh to join up with Dwyane Wade with the Heat. Once he puts on that uniform, he'll follow D-Wade. Miami is D-Wade's team. Just like Cleveland was LeBron's. You can't have two alpha male leaders. Inevitably, one will rise and the other will shrink. LeBron's decision is essentially his saying that he's willing to shrink.
On the surface, I should be cheering an athlete who's willing to put his ego to the side, who's willing to take less money in the pursuit of the ultimate goal of winning. I get that argument. I understand the people who are making that argument. It's not my argument to make. LeBron is taking the easy way out. He's admitting he wasn't good enough to lift the Cavs to any championships, and it was time to run away. And because he ran, he's giving up any hope of ever being considered an all-time great. He's no MJ, no Bird, no Magic, no Kobe. His physical gifts will allow him to be considered one of the top 10 or 15 players ever, but he's missing some inner drive to be the best. And that's why he tucked tail and ran to Miami.
All of a sudden, it was like a light that was flipped, and the blinders were taken off of my eyes. I'd made excuses for LeBron over the past few years. About how his teammates were good enough. About how he had to be perfect nearly every game for the Cavs to win. About how his willingness to pass up the final shot for an open teammate was in the best interest of the team, not because he lacked a killer instinct to be a great closer. About how he was a good guy that didn't have a huge ego. All of those things were wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.
LeBron had many choices during this free agency debacle. He could've stayed at home and continued to be Cleveland's savior. He could've answered the call of the Big Apple and teamed with Amar'e Stoudemire with the Knicks. He could've gone to Chicago, where he would've played in MJ's shadow, but teamed with D-Rose and Boozer. All of those were legitimate options where he could have remained the alpha dog and continued moving his legacy forward to becoming one of all-time greats, if not the best player ever. But he chose the one move, Miami, where he didn't have to be the guy, where he didn't have to shoulder all of he burden, where it would be easy to just chase rings, something he's said for years he didn't want to do. He wanted to build something. He failed.
He also failed with the method in which he delivered the news. Who goes on national TV, with a one-hour special no less, to rip the heart out of a city that has been devastated for years by its sports teams? Who does that to his hometown, his home state? Someone who's all about me. Someone like LeBron James. Unfortunately, LeBron totally miscalculated what's about to happen next. He thinks he's going to head to South Beach, have some parties, live it up with Bosh and D-Wade, and win title after title. And all of that might be true. But he's also going to be hated, despised. He's now a villain.
LeBron always has wanted to be beloved. He's always been beloved. He's the hometown hero. The savior. Worshiped. Idolized. At least he was, up until he uttered those seven words. The stage was set. News had leaked he was heading to Miami. A big party had been set up on South Beach. ESPN spent all day talking about the pending decision and how much of an effect it would have on Cleveland. LeBron could've swept in and become an even bigger savior than he was before. But he didn't. Instead, he publicly mocked his hometown, told his fans they were lucky to know him but that they were totally unimportant. He's bigger than Cleveland. He's better than Cleveland. He doesn't need them.
And now they hate him. Now he's not welcome in his own home. He has no clue what awaits him when the Heat travel to Cleveland. The vitriol will be on a level we may have never seen before. But it goes well beyond Ohio. LeBron has been villified nationally. He's now worshiped in Miami and hated everywhere else. His decision to join with Wade and Bosh to create some superteam has made the Heat the most hated franchise in the NBA. Just like that, overnight, Miami has replaced New York, Boston and the Lakers as the team to hate by everyone else in the nation. LeBron doesn't understand what he's done. But he will find out soon. Very soon.
Really, LeBron? Really? I hope when the smoke clears and all is said and done, you will be able to live with the decision you made this week. I really do.
LeBron James, perhaps the biggest superstar in the NBA, decided to leave the Cleveland Cavs this week to join the Miami Heat. On the surface, this isn't that big of a deal. Players change teams all the time. Heck, even superstars change teams sometimes. Only, this is a big deal. It's a really big deal.
For the record, I have no ties to Cleveland, but I certainly have felt like a Clevelander this week. I wasn't a Cav fan before LeBron James, and I'm not a Cav fan today. Unfortunately, though, I'm no longer a LeBron James fan either, and I feel as though I've wasted a decade of my life with this guy.
Unlike Cavs fans, this isn't about my team. It's not about my city, my region or my state. But, like them, it is personal to me, just for a completely different reason. You see, I've invested a decade of my life being a fan of LeBron James. A decade. Gone. In the blink of the eye. Well, a little longer than that, but just long enough for James to utter the words: "I'm taking my talents to South Beach."
You see, I've been on the LeBron James train longer than anyone I know. Before he was "The Chosen One," as he was dubbed by Sports Illusrated. Before he was "King James," as he was dubbed by, well, himself. Before LeBron James became LeBron James and won the hearts of millions of fans, he won me as a fan.
I first heard about LeBron during the summer after his sophomore year in high school, which was in 2001. I'd just completed my sophomore year of college. LeBron had just led his high school to its second straight state title and had won the first of three state Ohio player of the year awards. He was tearing up the summer AAU circuit and was quickly developing a reputation as the best high school player in the country -- not in his age group, but out of all high school players. It wasn't long before James cemented that reputation, earning his first of two straight national player of the year awards the next year. All of that to say this: Before LeBron was starring on national TV, before many people knew who he was, I was beginning to believe. I was beginning to believe in LeBron James, in his potential greatness, in his ability to amaze, in the chance that he could become the greatest player in basketball history.
Unfortunately, I've lost that belief. I've never forget when it happened, exactly when LeBron uttered those now infamous words about taking his talents to South Beach. At that precise moment, LeBron quit. He gave up. No longer will he ever be considered the greatest basketball player ever, something I convinced myself over the past 10 years was destined to happen.
I refuse to say I bought into his hype. Hype is manufactured. LeBron's basketball talent is real. Very real. No one has possessed his physical gifts: a power forward's body at 6-8 and 250-plus pounds with a point guard's game. The only player before him was a man named Magic, but Earvin Johnson wasn't nearly as explosive as James. LeBron's physical gifts are truly amazing, but until this week I've conditioned myself to look past all of his flaws because I wanted to believe in LeBron's greatness. I can't kid myself anymore.
When LeBron decided to leave Cleveland, his hometown team where he was the savior of the franchise for the past seven years, for Miami, he gave up on being a leader. He decided to be a follower. He followed Chris Bosh to join up with Dwyane Wade with the Heat. Once he puts on that uniform, he'll follow D-Wade. Miami is D-Wade's team. Just like Cleveland was LeBron's. You can't have two alpha male leaders. Inevitably, one will rise and the other will shrink. LeBron's decision is essentially his saying that he's willing to shrink.
On the surface, I should be cheering an athlete who's willing to put his ego to the side, who's willing to take less money in the pursuit of the ultimate goal of winning. I get that argument. I understand the people who are making that argument. It's not my argument to make. LeBron is taking the easy way out. He's admitting he wasn't good enough to lift the Cavs to any championships, and it was time to run away. And because he ran, he's giving up any hope of ever being considered an all-time great. He's no MJ, no Bird, no Magic, no Kobe. His physical gifts will allow him to be considered one of the top 10 or 15 players ever, but he's missing some inner drive to be the best. And that's why he tucked tail and ran to Miami.
All of a sudden, it was like a light that was flipped, and the blinders were taken off of my eyes. I'd made excuses for LeBron over the past few years. About how his teammates were good enough. About how he had to be perfect nearly every game for the Cavs to win. About how his willingness to pass up the final shot for an open teammate was in the best interest of the team, not because he lacked a killer instinct to be a great closer. About how he was a good guy that didn't have a huge ego. All of those things were wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.
LeBron had many choices during this free agency debacle. He could've stayed at home and continued to be Cleveland's savior. He could've answered the call of the Big Apple and teamed with Amar'e Stoudemire with the Knicks. He could've gone to Chicago, where he would've played in MJ's shadow, but teamed with D-Rose and Boozer. All of those were legitimate options where he could have remained the alpha dog and continued moving his legacy forward to becoming one of all-time greats, if not the best player ever. But he chose the one move, Miami, where he didn't have to be the guy, where he didn't have to shoulder all of he burden, where it would be easy to just chase rings, something he's said for years he didn't want to do. He wanted to build something. He failed.
He also failed with the method in which he delivered the news. Who goes on national TV, with a one-hour special no less, to rip the heart out of a city that has been devastated for years by its sports teams? Who does that to his hometown, his home state? Someone who's all about me. Someone like LeBron James. Unfortunately, LeBron totally miscalculated what's about to happen next. He thinks he's going to head to South Beach, have some parties, live it up with Bosh and D-Wade, and win title after title. And all of that might be true. But he's also going to be hated, despised. He's now a villain.
LeBron always has wanted to be beloved. He's always been beloved. He's the hometown hero. The savior. Worshiped. Idolized. At least he was, up until he uttered those seven words. The stage was set. News had leaked he was heading to Miami. A big party had been set up on South Beach. ESPN spent all day talking about the pending decision and how much of an effect it would have on Cleveland. LeBron could've swept in and become an even bigger savior than he was before. But he didn't. Instead, he publicly mocked his hometown, told his fans they were lucky to know him but that they were totally unimportant. He's bigger than Cleveland. He's better than Cleveland. He doesn't need them.
And now they hate him. Now he's not welcome in his own home. He has no clue what awaits him when the Heat travel to Cleveland. The vitriol will be on a level we may have never seen before. But it goes well beyond Ohio. LeBron has been villified nationally. He's now worshiped in Miami and hated everywhere else. His decision to join with Wade and Bosh to create some superteam has made the Heat the most hated franchise in the NBA. Just like that, overnight, Miami has replaced New York, Boston and the Lakers as the team to hate by everyone else in the nation. LeBron doesn't understand what he's done. But he will find out soon. Very soon.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
World Cup reaction
Sunil Gulati is on the clock. The man who runs the U.S. Soccer Federation failed to get his coach after the last World Cup and had to name Bradley as the interim coach. Then Bradley notched a ton of wins against mediocre competition, and Gulati had no choice but to give him the full-time gig. Gulati must take decisive action and get rid of Bradley soon. Then he needs to go get a world-class coach -- either his first choice in 2006, Juergen Klinnsman, or someone else with experience winning at the World Cup.
Bradley is lucky that the USA is not a soccer-mad nation. If it were, Bradley would be getting roasted for his poor tactical decisions at the Cup. There are so many questions that I don't even know where to start:
What did Robbie Findley do to deserve more than one start, much less a third against Ghana?
What more could Edson Buddle have done to earn even a SHOT up top?
Why did we end EVERY game with Clint Dempsey playing striker, yet not start him up top ONCE?
What did Rico Clark do to earn a start against Ghana? Had Maurice Edu not taken that position?
Bradley simply relied too heavily on his strategy, going back to it again and again even after it failed to work. We had no second striker to place next to Altidore, and yet he kept giving Findley and Gomez opportunities (although he didn't give Buddle much of an opportunity).
Perhaps the five best players on the roster (Howard not included, although I don't think he had a GREAT Cup) were Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Edu and Feilhaber ... and yet Bradley was never flexible enough to rely on them all to start a game. There were major holes on this roster when it was set up, and they were holes that scared me entering the Cup. We didn't have a striker who could score consistently (and the four forwards combined for ZERO goals at the Cup), and the defense was a major weak point that caused the U.S. to fall behind early in three of its four games. Maybe you can argue that Bradley took the best 23 he could, or maybe you can argue that his construction of this roster wasn't very good. The jury is still out on that one, I believe.
One thing that can't be lost is the positive in how Bradley's team fought. We need to use that for the next manager to build upon. This team fought hard the entire time and was a break or two away from advancing to the quarterfinals and having a legit chance to make it to the semifinals. But, in the end, this performance was an underachievement and failure for the second straight Cup.
There are some good things to build upon for 2014. Howard will be back, and at 35, will still presumably have another Cup in him as one of the premier keepers in the world (at least that's his reputation). The midfield is going to be very, very strong again. Donovan (32) and Dempsey (31) should have another Cup in them, although I'd like to see Dempsey moved to forward. Michael Bradley, at 26, should be in his prime and could be emerging as the successor to Donovan as the greatest player ever to wear a USA uniform. Feilhaber (29), Edu (28), Holden (28) and maybe Jose Torres (26) could return, and there is plenty of depth waiting for their chances in Sacha Kljestan (28), Alejandro Bedoya (27), Sal Zizzo (27), Robbie Rogers (27), Freddy Adu (25) and maybe even Jermaine Jones (32), who we missed as a defensive midfielder in this year's Cup. The midfield appears like it will again be the strength of this team.
Altidore, at 24, should continue to develop, as he gets more and more games and opportunities to play in Europe. As much as was expected of him this year as the team's top striker, it's hard to remember sometimes that he's only 20 years old. I'd like to see Dempsey moved up top to pair with Altidore, but Charlie Davies, who will only be 27, could be the missing piece if he can return to form following a near fatal car crash last year. It's hard to think of what might have been should he have been healthy in South Africa. I would also expect Lee Nguyen (27) to make a serious run at making the roster at forward. It should be wide open because I wouldn't expect Gomez or Buddle to get another chance, and Findley would have to make some major improvements to get another chance, even though he'll only be 28 in 2014.
The defense will face some major restructuring, and I'm not sure how many of the seven defenders from this Cup will be back in four years. Bocanegra, the captain, and Cherundolo -- the two outside backs -- will each be 35. DeMerit will be 34, and Onyewu will be 32. That's a very old back line. Goodson didn't get off the bench and it's tough to see him in Brazil in four years. Spector (28) and Bornstein (29) could be the two outside backs in four years, and there's some good young talent looking to crack the team. Chad Marshall and Heath Pearce, who will both be 29, just missed the 2010 roster. Omar Gonzalez, who at 21 right now is one of the brightest young defenders in the nation, could be the center back of the future for the next eight years. Other young players hoping for their shot on the national team are Gale Agbossoumonde (18), Eric Lichaj (21), Ike Opara (21), Kevin Alston (22) and Tim Ream (22).
There are also plenty of young players that none of us have heard of. Honestly, who thought four years ago that Michael Bradley would not only be on the World Cup roster this year, but would be starting? Nobody. We just don't know what will happen four years from now, but what we do know is that the U.S. can't stand pat now. It's time to take the next step and bring in a world-class coach to take us to the next level.
Bradley is lucky that the USA is not a soccer-mad nation. If it were, Bradley would be getting roasted for his poor tactical decisions at the Cup. There are so many questions that I don't even know where to start:
What did Robbie Findley do to deserve more than one start, much less a third against Ghana?
What more could Edson Buddle have done to earn even a SHOT up top?
Why did we end EVERY game with Clint Dempsey playing striker, yet not start him up top ONCE?
What did Rico Clark do to earn a start against Ghana? Had Maurice Edu not taken that position?
Bradley simply relied too heavily on his strategy, going back to it again and again even after it failed to work. We had no second striker to place next to Altidore, and yet he kept giving Findley and Gomez opportunities (although he didn't give Buddle much of an opportunity).
Perhaps the five best players on the roster (Howard not included, although I don't think he had a GREAT Cup) were Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Edu and Feilhaber ... and yet Bradley was never flexible enough to rely on them all to start a game. There were major holes on this roster when it was set up, and they were holes that scared me entering the Cup. We didn't have a striker who could score consistently (and the four forwards combined for ZERO goals at the Cup), and the defense was a major weak point that caused the U.S. to fall behind early in three of its four games. Maybe you can argue that Bradley took the best 23 he could, or maybe you can argue that his construction of this roster wasn't very good. The jury is still out on that one, I believe.
One thing that can't be lost is the positive in how Bradley's team fought. We need to use that for the next manager to build upon. This team fought hard the entire time and was a break or two away from advancing to the quarterfinals and having a legit chance to make it to the semifinals. But, in the end, this performance was an underachievement and failure for the second straight Cup.
There are some good things to build upon for 2014. Howard will be back, and at 35, will still presumably have another Cup in him as one of the premier keepers in the world (at least that's his reputation). The midfield is going to be very, very strong again. Donovan (32) and Dempsey (31) should have another Cup in them, although I'd like to see Dempsey moved to forward. Michael Bradley, at 26, should be in his prime and could be emerging as the successor to Donovan as the greatest player ever to wear a USA uniform. Feilhaber (29), Edu (28), Holden (28) and maybe Jose Torres (26) could return, and there is plenty of depth waiting for their chances in Sacha Kljestan (28), Alejandro Bedoya (27), Sal Zizzo (27), Robbie Rogers (27), Freddy Adu (25) and maybe even Jermaine Jones (32), who we missed as a defensive midfielder in this year's Cup. The midfield appears like it will again be the strength of this team.
Altidore, at 24, should continue to develop, as he gets more and more games and opportunities to play in Europe. As much as was expected of him this year as the team's top striker, it's hard to remember sometimes that he's only 20 years old. I'd like to see Dempsey moved up top to pair with Altidore, but Charlie Davies, who will only be 27, could be the missing piece if he can return to form following a near fatal car crash last year. It's hard to think of what might have been should he have been healthy in South Africa. I would also expect Lee Nguyen (27) to make a serious run at making the roster at forward. It should be wide open because I wouldn't expect Gomez or Buddle to get another chance, and Findley would have to make some major improvements to get another chance, even though he'll only be 28 in 2014.
The defense will face some major restructuring, and I'm not sure how many of the seven defenders from this Cup will be back in four years. Bocanegra, the captain, and Cherundolo -- the two outside backs -- will each be 35. DeMerit will be 34, and Onyewu will be 32. That's a very old back line. Goodson didn't get off the bench and it's tough to see him in Brazil in four years. Spector (28) and Bornstein (29) could be the two outside backs in four years, and there's some good young talent looking to crack the team. Chad Marshall and Heath Pearce, who will both be 29, just missed the 2010 roster. Omar Gonzalez, who at 21 right now is one of the brightest young defenders in the nation, could be the center back of the future for the next eight years. Other young players hoping for their shot on the national team are Gale Agbossoumonde (18), Eric Lichaj (21), Ike Opara (21), Kevin Alston (22) and Tim Ream (22).
There are also plenty of young players that none of us have heard of. Honestly, who thought four years ago that Michael Bradley would not only be on the World Cup roster this year, but would be starting? Nobody. We just don't know what will happen four years from now, but what we do know is that the U.S. can't stand pat now. It's time to take the next step and bring in a world-class coach to take us to the next level.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Quick update
Our time in Lincoln-Omaha has come and gone, and we head home to Alexandria today. It was great saying hello and goodbye to Rosenblatt Stadium after 60 years as home of the College World Series. We had a great couple of days at the stadium and saw two great games. Today, we begin our lengthy trek home. It should take us about 16 hours, including a pit stop to watch Team USA against Ghana in the World Cup. Hopefully, we'll arrive home sometime before midnight!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Oh my snap
Rosenblatt Stadium is AMAZING!
E-beth and I got our first taste inside the park today, and we were treated to bonus baseball! I'll take (almost) anything for free. If I pay for nine innings of baseball, and you want to give me 12, I'll take it! Well, we got 12 innings today at Rosenblatt Stadium, watching South Carolina rally from behind TWICE to win 3-2 in 12 innings. The Gamecocks tied the game with a run in the 8th inning, and then scored two in the bottom of the 12th after Oklahoma had taken the lead on a solo home run in the top of the 12th.
Getting inside Rosenblatt made the trip totally worthwhile. It wasn't exactly easy to get to that point, though. We went on Wednesday and experienced all of the hectic hustle and bustle around the stadium, but we didn't actually make it inside because, well honestly, I just didn't want to wait in line.
Today, our plan was to visit a garden/arboretum and the Omaha Zoo before going to the game. However, Elizabeth wasn't feeling well this morning, so those plans changed. Those plans are now Friday's plans. While Elizabeth stayed at the hotel, I drove into Omaha in order to upgrade our general admission tickets to reserved seating. At first, I was upset because the line looked tremendously long from the road, and I was worried about not being able to get tickets. It turned out, howeve, that I only had to wait about an hour in line and had no problem getting tickets.
Our upgraded seats were down the third base line in the outfield. While we were far from the action, it actually turned out to be some of the best seats in the house because of the location of the sun. We were among the first seats to be in the shade, and in fact were in the shade almost the entire game. We arrived in the bottom of the 1st inning, thinking we were attending a College World Series game that would be full of offense and instead were treated to a pitcher's duel. It wasn't until the bottom of the 12th that one of the teams scored more than one run in an inning.
Rosenblatt's views truly are breathtaking, and it's really sad that the stadium that has been home to the College World Series for the past 60 years no longer will exist soon. The stadium will be torn down at the end of the Omaha Royals (Kansas City's AAA affiliate) season and will become part of the Omaha Zoo. The CWS will move into a new, state-of-the-art stadium in downtown Omaha, which is expected to open in time for next year's series.
Our vacation is coming to a close. On Friday, we'll visit the garden and the zoo before going to the second game of the day at Rosenblatt. It should be a long, exhausting day. Then, we have a long drive ahead of us on Saturday, as we will try to make it all the way back to Alexandria (while also finding a place to watch the U.S.-Ghana soccer match somewhere along the way). Honestly, I love vacation, but I'm always ready to get home. And I'm especially ready to see the pups, who have to be thinking by now that mommy and daddy may never come home. But we're coming girls, and we'll see you soon!
E-beth and I got our first taste inside the park today, and we were treated to bonus baseball! I'll take (almost) anything for free. If I pay for nine innings of baseball, and you want to give me 12, I'll take it! Well, we got 12 innings today at Rosenblatt Stadium, watching South Carolina rally from behind TWICE to win 3-2 in 12 innings. The Gamecocks tied the game with a run in the 8th inning, and then scored two in the bottom of the 12th after Oklahoma had taken the lead on a solo home run in the top of the 12th.
Getting inside Rosenblatt made the trip totally worthwhile. It wasn't exactly easy to get to that point, though. We went on Wednesday and experienced all of the hectic hustle and bustle around the stadium, but we didn't actually make it inside because, well honestly, I just didn't want to wait in line.
Today, our plan was to visit a garden/arboretum and the Omaha Zoo before going to the game. However, Elizabeth wasn't feeling well this morning, so those plans changed. Those plans are now Friday's plans. While Elizabeth stayed at the hotel, I drove into Omaha in order to upgrade our general admission tickets to reserved seating. At first, I was upset because the line looked tremendously long from the road, and I was worried about not being able to get tickets. It turned out, howeve, that I only had to wait about an hour in line and had no problem getting tickets.
Our upgraded seats were down the third base line in the outfield. While we were far from the action, it actually turned out to be some of the best seats in the house because of the location of the sun. We were among the first seats to be in the shade, and in fact were in the shade almost the entire game. We arrived in the bottom of the 1st inning, thinking we were attending a College World Series game that would be full of offense and instead were treated to a pitcher's duel. It wasn't until the bottom of the 12th that one of the teams scored more than one run in an inning.
Rosenblatt's views truly are breathtaking, and it's really sad that the stadium that has been home to the College World Series for the past 60 years no longer will exist soon. The stadium will be torn down at the end of the Omaha Royals (Kansas City's AAA affiliate) season and will become part of the Omaha Zoo. The CWS will move into a new, state-of-the-art stadium in downtown Omaha, which is expected to open in time for next year's series.
Our vacation is coming to a close. On Friday, we'll visit the garden and the zoo before going to the second game of the day at Rosenblatt. It should be a long, exhausting day. Then, we have a long drive ahead of us on Saturday, as we will try to make it all the way back to Alexandria (while also finding a place to watch the U.S.-Ghana soccer match somewhere along the way). Honestly, I love vacation, but I'm always ready to get home. And I'm especially ready to see the pups, who have to be thinking by now that mommy and daddy may never come home. But we're coming girls, and we'll see you soon!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Days 2-4
So, it's Thursday morning of our vacation that began on Sunday, and I'm just now getting around to posting my Day 2 update. It's been one of those trips. But hopefully I can get everyone caught up pretty quickly.
My work conference didn't begin until noon, so Elizabeth and I were able to lounge around the hotel some on Monday morning to relax and recuperate after our long trip up to Nashville on Sunday. I'm not going to go into too many boring details about the conference -- if you're really interested, get on Twitter and search the hashtag #ganire to see what was discussed -- which lasted from noon until about 6:30 p.m.
I skipped out on the supper after the first day of the workshop because I had made plans to catch up with an old friend from my hometown, Seth Jones. Seth is a couple of years younger than me and lives in Nashville, where he works in the music business doing a number of different things, but primarily writing music.
We caught up to eat at Jackson's Bar & Bistro, which is just between the campuses of Vanderbilt and Belmont universities. It's always good to catch up with old friends, particularly ones you haven't seen in several years and have been communicating with via Facebook and Twitter. Our visit with Seth certainly has been one of the highlights of the trip.
Unlike Monday, which started slowly, the third day of vacation and second day of the workshop began early. After breakfast, I had to be at the First Amendment Center on Vandy's campus at 8:30 a.m. We had about five hours worth of classroom sessions -- while Elizabeth drove around unsuccessfully in search of a park in Nashville and eventually settled for hanging out at the First Amendment Center until the workshop was finished -- before we hit the road for Omaha.
That's where things got interesting. Naively, I decided we didn't need to make hotel reservations for this night. I said, let's just drive as far as we can before we get tired and then find a place to sleep. Omaha, from Nashville, was about a 14-hour drive. We left Nashville around 2 p.m. and just started driving. Honestly, these are some of the best moments of our trips. We love driving and looking at scenery. So far, this trip has covered nine states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska) and more than 1,200 miles.
Along the way, we stopped in Metropolis, Ill., to visit Superman. Seriously, the town square has a giant Superman statue right in front of the county courthouse. How cool is that! While there, we ate at a Dippin' Dots that had been renovated from an old skating rink. It had a nice little coffee shop vibe. Think the Frothy Monkey, but with Dippin' Dots and not coffee. We stopped in St. Charles, Mo. -- just outside of St. Louis, where Elizabeth and I spent our third anniversary to see a Collective Soul concert -- and ate supper at Buffalo Wild Wings.
At that point, it was around 11 p.m., and both of us were getting tired and a little road weary. However, I really wanted to get to the other side of Kansas City, which would put us only about two or so hours away from Omaha (and Lincoln, where we're actually staying). Bad decision. After wrestling the keys away from Elizabeth (literally, she drove the whole way from Alexandria to Nashville, and then had driven every minute from Nashville into Missouri), I plowed on through Kansas City as Elizabeth fought with trying to sleep in the Sportage.
I keyed in on St. Joseph, Mo., about 45 minutes north of Kansas City as the place we would stop and get a hotel. It was around 2 a.m. The only problem? I didn't have a reservation, and EVERY room in EVERY hotel was booked because of some military function in town. SERIOUSLY! The one time Elizabeth and I show any spontaneity backfires! So back on the road we go, much to Elizabeth's chagrin, not knowing if there would be any opportunity to stop at a hotel between St. Joseph and Lincoln, where we didn't have a room either because our hotel was booked and couldn't get us in a night early. Luckily, we were able to find a bed -- the LAST room -- at a Super 8 a little north of St. Joseph.
We checked in about 4 a.m., exhausted. After all, we'd been on the road for 14 hours, give or take some time for the stops in Metropolis and for supper. I wanted to get to Omaha as soon as possible, but we needed sleep. So we crashed for a couple of hours, and then added a detour by watching the U.S. soccer team defeat Algeria to win its group in the World Cup (priorities, people!).
After a couple of hours on the road, we finally arrived in Lincoln around 1 p.m., when we grabbed some lunch at Ruby Tuesday and were able to check into our room around 2:30. Finally, after about 28 hours of driving and a two-day detour for a work conference, we'd arrived from Alexandria to Omaha/Lincoln for our vacation!
So it was time to get started on what we came here for -- the College World Series. Or so I thought. Again, call me naive, but I had no clue what I was getting myself into. We drove down to what I'll lovingly call the Trainwork on 13th Street. Wow. Some people love the party scene. Some people love being a part of huge crowds. They think it's fun. I don't. I just want to watch the game. I'd much rather be one of 20,000 people in a 40,000-seat stadium, instead of being one of 100,000 crammed into a stadium designed to seat 80,000. Give me space. Give me room. Let me just enjoy the game.
I can't even accurately describe the scene at Rosenblatt Stadium. It was crazy. The line to get in the stadium using our general admission tickets was insane, and partly because I was cranky after the long drive and little sleep, I just didn't want to deal with it. So we checked out the fan zone a little bit, did some shopping (and have some more to do) and called it a night. We're going to try to upgrade our general admission tickets to reserved tickets today and Friday so that we don't have to fight the crowds and will be guaranteed a seat. It's a little more money, but a lot more peace of mind.
My work conference didn't begin until noon, so Elizabeth and I were able to lounge around the hotel some on Monday morning to relax and recuperate after our long trip up to Nashville on Sunday. I'm not going to go into too many boring details about the conference -- if you're really interested, get on Twitter and search the hashtag #ganire to see what was discussed -- which lasted from noon until about 6:30 p.m.
I skipped out on the supper after the first day of the workshop because I had made plans to catch up with an old friend from my hometown, Seth Jones. Seth is a couple of years younger than me and lives in Nashville, where he works in the music business doing a number of different things, but primarily writing music.
We caught up to eat at Jackson's Bar & Bistro, which is just between the campuses of Vanderbilt and Belmont universities. It's always good to catch up with old friends, particularly ones you haven't seen in several years and have been communicating with via Facebook and Twitter. Our visit with Seth certainly has been one of the highlights of the trip.
Unlike Monday, which started slowly, the third day of vacation and second day of the workshop began early. After breakfast, I had to be at the First Amendment Center on Vandy's campus at 8:30 a.m. We had about five hours worth of classroom sessions -- while Elizabeth drove around unsuccessfully in search of a park in Nashville and eventually settled for hanging out at the First Amendment Center until the workshop was finished -- before we hit the road for Omaha.
That's where things got interesting. Naively, I decided we didn't need to make hotel reservations for this night. I said, let's just drive as far as we can before we get tired and then find a place to sleep. Omaha, from Nashville, was about a 14-hour drive. We left Nashville around 2 p.m. and just started driving. Honestly, these are some of the best moments of our trips. We love driving and looking at scenery. So far, this trip has covered nine states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska) and more than 1,200 miles.
Along the way, we stopped in Metropolis, Ill., to visit Superman. Seriously, the town square has a giant Superman statue right in front of the county courthouse. How cool is that! While there, we ate at a Dippin' Dots that had been renovated from an old skating rink. It had a nice little coffee shop vibe. Think the Frothy Monkey, but with Dippin' Dots and not coffee. We stopped in St. Charles, Mo. -- just outside of St. Louis, where Elizabeth and I spent our third anniversary to see a Collective Soul concert -- and ate supper at Buffalo Wild Wings.
At that point, it was around 11 p.m., and both of us were getting tired and a little road weary. However, I really wanted to get to the other side of Kansas City, which would put us only about two or so hours away from Omaha (and Lincoln, where we're actually staying). Bad decision. After wrestling the keys away from Elizabeth (literally, she drove the whole way from Alexandria to Nashville, and then had driven every minute from Nashville into Missouri), I plowed on through Kansas City as Elizabeth fought with trying to sleep in the Sportage.
I keyed in on St. Joseph, Mo., about 45 minutes north of Kansas City as the place we would stop and get a hotel. It was around 2 a.m. The only problem? I didn't have a reservation, and EVERY room in EVERY hotel was booked because of some military function in town. SERIOUSLY! The one time Elizabeth and I show any spontaneity backfires! So back on the road we go, much to Elizabeth's chagrin, not knowing if there would be any opportunity to stop at a hotel between St. Joseph and Lincoln, where we didn't have a room either because our hotel was booked and couldn't get us in a night early. Luckily, we were able to find a bed -- the LAST room -- at a Super 8 a little north of St. Joseph.
We checked in about 4 a.m., exhausted. After all, we'd been on the road for 14 hours, give or take some time for the stops in Metropolis and for supper. I wanted to get to Omaha as soon as possible, but we needed sleep. So we crashed for a couple of hours, and then added a detour by watching the U.S. soccer team defeat Algeria to win its group in the World Cup (priorities, people!).
After a couple of hours on the road, we finally arrived in Lincoln around 1 p.m., when we grabbed some lunch at Ruby Tuesday and were able to check into our room around 2:30. Finally, after about 28 hours of driving and a two-day detour for a work conference, we'd arrived from Alexandria to Omaha/Lincoln for our vacation!
So it was time to get started on what we came here for -- the College World Series. Or so I thought. Again, call me naive, but I had no clue what I was getting myself into. We drove down to what I'll lovingly call the Trainwork on 13th Street. Wow. Some people love the party scene. Some people love being a part of huge crowds. They think it's fun. I don't. I just want to watch the game. I'd much rather be one of 20,000 people in a 40,000-seat stadium, instead of being one of 100,000 crammed into a stadium designed to seat 80,000. Give me space. Give me room. Let me just enjoy the game.
I can't even accurately describe the scene at Rosenblatt Stadium. It was crazy. The line to get in the stadium using our general admission tickets was insane, and partly because I was cranky after the long drive and little sleep, I just didn't want to deal with it. So we checked out the fan zone a little bit, did some shopping (and have some more to do) and called it a night. We're going to try to upgrade our general admission tickets to reserved tickets today and Friday so that we don't have to fight the crowds and will be guaranteed a seat. It's a little more money, but a lot more peace of mind.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Vay-kay-shun!
We made it! It's Day 1 of our 8-day vacation, and I'm hoping to give daily (or semi-daily) updates via my blog.
Today was our trip from Alexandria to Nashville for my two-day work conference, which kicks off our vacation. We decided we weren't in that big of a hurry, so we took the Natchez Trace Parkway up to Nashville, instead of going along the interstate the whole trip.
If you are into the outdoors -- hiking and biking -- or just a fan of beautiful scenery, I highly recommend this trip. The parkway runs 444 miles from Natchez to just southwest of Nashville, and it's billed as an "unhurried" trip. That's exactly what it is. If you're impatient, don't worry about it. But if you don't mind taking your time -- the posted speed limit the whole way is 50 mph -- you'll love this trip.
We stopped a few times along the way to use the restroom and stretch our legs, as well as to have a quiet, riverside picnic with sandwiches and drinks that we brought along with us, and it took us about 11 or 12 hours from Alexandria to Nashville. But it was a wonderfully peaceful trip, which included sights of three white-tailed does and several turkeys (as well as two slithering snakes across the road -- booooo!).
Once we got into Nashville, we ate supper at Five Guys Burgers & Fries. Honestly, it was OK, but nothing special. I've heard some people compare Five Guys with In-and-Out Burger as the best fast-food burger joint in the country. The burger was good, juicy and sloppy, even if it wasn't a little on the small side. And they use sweet pickles, rather than dill pickles. That's a picky preference thing, though. The fries were decent, at least the regular fries are. The Cajun fries were just doused with a cayenne pepper that was a little too much for this "Louisiana Yankee." I'd eat at Five Guys again, don't get me wrong, but I still don't think it's nearly as good as Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers.
Monday should be a slow day, at least for me. I'm planning to sleep in after the long drive today, and then I have the first day of my conference from noon to about 7 p.m. Afterward, I'm hoping to catch up with an old friend from my hometown and have supper with him and his wife. Should be fun times. And it puts us one day closer to getting to Omaha and Rosenblatt Stadium for the College World Series!
Today was our trip from Alexandria to Nashville for my two-day work conference, which kicks off our vacation. We decided we weren't in that big of a hurry, so we took the Natchez Trace Parkway up to Nashville, instead of going along the interstate the whole trip.
If you are into the outdoors -- hiking and biking -- or just a fan of beautiful scenery, I highly recommend this trip. The parkway runs 444 miles from Natchez to just southwest of Nashville, and it's billed as an "unhurried" trip. That's exactly what it is. If you're impatient, don't worry about it. But if you don't mind taking your time -- the posted speed limit the whole way is 50 mph -- you'll love this trip.
We stopped a few times along the way to use the restroom and stretch our legs, as well as to have a quiet, riverside picnic with sandwiches and drinks that we brought along with us, and it took us about 11 or 12 hours from Alexandria to Nashville. But it was a wonderfully peaceful trip, which included sights of three white-tailed does and several turkeys (as well as two slithering snakes across the road -- booooo!).
Once we got into Nashville, we ate supper at Five Guys Burgers & Fries. Honestly, it was OK, but nothing special. I've heard some people compare Five Guys with In-and-Out Burger as the best fast-food burger joint in the country. The burger was good, juicy and sloppy, even if it wasn't a little on the small side. And they use sweet pickles, rather than dill pickles. That's a picky preference thing, though. The fries were decent, at least the regular fries are. The Cajun fries were just doused with a cayenne pepper that was a little too much for this "Louisiana Yankee." I'd eat at Five Guys again, don't get me wrong, but I still don't think it's nearly as good as Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers.
Monday should be a slow day, at least for me. I'm planning to sleep in after the long drive today, and then I have the first day of my conference from noon to about 7 p.m. Afterward, I'm hoping to catch up with an old friend from my hometown and have supper with him and his wife. Should be fun times. And it puts us one day closer to getting to Omaha and Rosenblatt Stadium for the College World Series!
Friday, May 14, 2010
See you at the crossroads ... crossroads
Pardon the Bone Thugs 'N Harmony reference, but it really is quite appropriate for this blog, which I'm sorry to say to my most loyal readers, is about sports. Well, about a man transcends sports. About a man, who at the age of 25, has the world at his fingertips for the next couple of months.
That man is LeBron James.
In the interest of full disclosure, LeBron James is my favorite basketball player. Ever. Yes, I know there are a lot of great basketball players out there, although many of the all-time greats were before my time. Michael Jordan is still the greatest. I don't think that is yet up for debate. And Kobe Bryant is starting to wind down a brilliant career, although he lost me as a fan during that whole Colorado rape escapade. There are tons of other players that I enjoy watching, but none more so than LeBron, who I vividly remember starting to follow when he was a high school sophomore. We've watched him grow from the best 16-year-old ever into a two-time MVP at 25, a hybrid of some of the greatest players evers, with Magic Johnson's passing ability as a big man to any number of power forwards with his size and strength. But LeBron has more speed, agility and athleticism than any 6-8, 260-pound player has ever had.
Entering this year, there was much speculation about what would happen after the year, when after seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavs, LeBron James could become a free agent. There are some very talented free agents available -- Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh immediately come to mind -- but it's no exagerration that this will be "The Summer of LeBron."
Heck, it's already started. The Boston Celtics knocked the Cavs out of the Eastern Conference playoffs not even seven hours ago, and already I have read and watched enough speculation to drive a normal person insane. I want more of him. I'm going to give you more of it. People are wondering where LeBron will go. Does he stay loyal to the Cavs, where he's played the first seven years of his career without a championship, and his home state of Ohio? Does he jettison off to New York to play for the Knicks in the mecca of basketball and media capital of the world? Does he dare try to take on the challenge of become the first real superstar in Chicago post-MJ? What about other darkhorse candidates like Miami, Jersey or the Los Angeles Clippers? At this point, it's all speculation.
However, I do believe, as much as it pains me to say, that we've seen the last of LeBron James in a Cavs uniform. He's poured his heart and soul into that franchise for seven years, lifting it out of the sewer to make it the best regular season team the past two years. But what has that brought? No championships. In fact, in his seven years in Cleveland, the Cavs have been to the NBA Finals just once, in 2007, and they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. The following three seasons they were defeated by the Celtics in the second round, Orlando Magic in the conference finals and Boston again this year in the second round. He hasn't even sniffed a title, hasn't even come close. LeBron already announced he was going to switch numbers, hanging up #23 for good to honor MJ, so why not just go ahead and wear a completely different uniform?
LeBron is, without a doubt, the biggest free agent on the market since Shaquille O'Neal left the Orlando Magic after four years to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he teamed with Kobe to win three titles. Shaq later won a fourth title with Dwyane Wade in Miami, and although many people thought he was the missing piece this seaosn to bring LeBron his first title, it didn't work out. Shaq still has four rings, and LeBron is still searching for his first piece of jewelry.
I sincerely believe that LeBron loves Ohio. As an Akron native, his heart is there. That's his roots. But perhaps his time in Cleveland has run its course. I also know he's inrigued by the Knicks and playing nightly at Madison Square Garden, plus his good buddy Jay-Z is a part-owner of the New Jersey (soon-to-be Brooklyn) Nets. But the more and more that I think about this, the more and more I lean toward Chicago.
The Bulls haven't won a title since MJ retired the second time in 1998. That's a dozen years. Actually, they haven't even come close to winning a title since then. LeBron would love to be the guy who re-rescued that franchise. Plus there are some good pieces in place, particularly young point guard Derrick Rose. And the Bulls have the ability to move some players to open up some cap room. There's been talk of James, Wade and Bosh all signing together in the same place and trying to win multiple championships together. While I'll believe that when I see it -- after all, these guys understand the NBA is a business and they've got to get paid -- it's a possibility they all could land in Chicago, which is Wade's hometown and Bosh is rumored to love.
Here's how it could work:
The way the NBA salary scale works, and the way these three guys set up their contracts to be free agents this year, they would each earn about $17 million next year. That's a total of $51 million, which would only give the Bulls about $5 million in cap room to play with. However, they could work a sign and trade with the Cavs to land LeBron, sending Luol Deng to Cleveland. They also have tradeable assets in Kirk Hinrich and Joakim Noah that could be packaged for either Wade or Bosh. Trading those three players would clear about $23 million off the books. It also would mean the Bulls would have just six players (LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Rose, Taj Gibson and James Jones) under contract for a total of about $58 million. That would give them a great starting five and sixth man but nothing left on the bench and not much wiggle room under the cap to add any complimentary pieces. But I'm not sure how much more they would need. You add a rookie or two through the draft, and a couple of minimally priced free agents, and you have yourself an NBA title contender.
It certainly will be interesting to watch. Yes, there's still plenty of basketball left to be played, and I really am exciting for the Lakers-Suns and Celtics-Magic series. It should be an interesting run to the title. But I also expect we'll be hearing plenty of talk about King James between now and when free agency officially begins on July 1.
That man is LeBron James.
In the interest of full disclosure, LeBron James is my favorite basketball player. Ever. Yes, I know there are a lot of great basketball players out there, although many of the all-time greats were before my time. Michael Jordan is still the greatest. I don't think that is yet up for debate. And Kobe Bryant is starting to wind down a brilliant career, although he lost me as a fan during that whole Colorado rape escapade. There are tons of other players that I enjoy watching, but none more so than LeBron, who I vividly remember starting to follow when he was a high school sophomore. We've watched him grow from the best 16-year-old ever into a two-time MVP at 25, a hybrid of some of the greatest players evers, with Magic Johnson's passing ability as a big man to any number of power forwards with his size and strength. But LeBron has more speed, agility and athleticism than any 6-8, 260-pound player has ever had.
Entering this year, there was much speculation about what would happen after the year, when after seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavs, LeBron James could become a free agent. There are some very talented free agents available -- Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh immediately come to mind -- but it's no exagerration that this will be "The Summer of LeBron."
Heck, it's already started. The Boston Celtics knocked the Cavs out of the Eastern Conference playoffs not even seven hours ago, and already I have read and watched enough speculation to drive a normal person insane. I want more of him. I'm going to give you more of it. People are wondering where LeBron will go. Does he stay loyal to the Cavs, where he's played the first seven years of his career without a championship, and his home state of Ohio? Does he jettison off to New York to play for the Knicks in the mecca of basketball and media capital of the world? Does he dare try to take on the challenge of become the first real superstar in Chicago post-MJ? What about other darkhorse candidates like Miami, Jersey or the Los Angeles Clippers? At this point, it's all speculation.
However, I do believe, as much as it pains me to say, that we've seen the last of LeBron James in a Cavs uniform. He's poured his heart and soul into that franchise for seven years, lifting it out of the sewer to make it the best regular season team the past two years. But what has that brought? No championships. In fact, in his seven years in Cleveland, the Cavs have been to the NBA Finals just once, in 2007, and they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. The following three seasons they were defeated by the Celtics in the second round, Orlando Magic in the conference finals and Boston again this year in the second round. He hasn't even sniffed a title, hasn't even come close. LeBron already announced he was going to switch numbers, hanging up #23 for good to honor MJ, so why not just go ahead and wear a completely different uniform?
LeBron is, without a doubt, the biggest free agent on the market since Shaquille O'Neal left the Orlando Magic after four years to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he teamed with Kobe to win three titles. Shaq later won a fourth title with Dwyane Wade in Miami, and although many people thought he was the missing piece this seaosn to bring LeBron his first title, it didn't work out. Shaq still has four rings, and LeBron is still searching for his first piece of jewelry.
I sincerely believe that LeBron loves Ohio. As an Akron native, his heart is there. That's his roots. But perhaps his time in Cleveland has run its course. I also know he's inrigued by the Knicks and playing nightly at Madison Square Garden, plus his good buddy Jay-Z is a part-owner of the New Jersey (soon-to-be Brooklyn) Nets. But the more and more that I think about this, the more and more I lean toward Chicago.
The Bulls haven't won a title since MJ retired the second time in 1998. That's a dozen years. Actually, they haven't even come close to winning a title since then. LeBron would love to be the guy who re-rescued that franchise. Plus there are some good pieces in place, particularly young point guard Derrick Rose. And the Bulls have the ability to move some players to open up some cap room. There's been talk of James, Wade and Bosh all signing together in the same place and trying to win multiple championships together. While I'll believe that when I see it -- after all, these guys understand the NBA is a business and they've got to get paid -- it's a possibility they all could land in Chicago, which is Wade's hometown and Bosh is rumored to love.
Here's how it could work:
The way the NBA salary scale works, and the way these three guys set up their contracts to be free agents this year, they would each earn about $17 million next year. That's a total of $51 million, which would only give the Bulls about $5 million in cap room to play with. However, they could work a sign and trade with the Cavs to land LeBron, sending Luol Deng to Cleveland. They also have tradeable assets in Kirk Hinrich and Joakim Noah that could be packaged for either Wade or Bosh. Trading those three players would clear about $23 million off the books. It also would mean the Bulls would have just six players (LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Rose, Taj Gibson and James Jones) under contract for a total of about $58 million. That would give them a great starting five and sixth man but nothing left on the bench and not much wiggle room under the cap to add any complimentary pieces. But I'm not sure how much more they would need. You add a rookie or two through the draft, and a couple of minimally priced free agents, and you have yourself an NBA title contender.
It certainly will be interesting to watch. Yes, there's still plenty of basketball left to be played, and I really am exciting for the Lakers-Suns and Celtics-Magic series. It should be an interesting run to the title. But I also expect we'll be hearing plenty of talk about King James between now and when free agency officially begins on July 1.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Monkey see, monkey do
Children do it all the time. A 3-year-old will copy what his 5-year-old brother is doing. He'll watch, he'll learn and he'll repeat. I distinctly remember doing this growing up with my brother, who is five years older than I am. Heck, I lived at the baseball field, watching and emulating what my big bro and his friends were doing.
Teens do it all the time. It's called peer pressure. The cool kid gets the latest pair of shoes or trendiest new techie gadget, and everyone else wants one too. I wasn't as bad about this when I was a teen. Sure, I felt peer pressure. But it wasn't about being popular. It was about trying to impress my friends, emulating the guys who I looked up to. I wanted to be as smart as they were, as athletic as they were, as strong of a Christian as they were.
Adults do it all the time. They call it keeping up with the Joneses. We buy the most expensive cars, build the most luxurious houses, rack up the most debt that we can -- all in the name of impressing people. Why? Because we see other people do it. Because we covet. We watch. We desire. We give in to those desires.
It's a natural part of life for people to observe things and then put those things into practice. Everyone does it -- including my dogs. Seriously, they are hilarious.
Sandy, who is still a pup, has been around for about 18 months now. She rules the roost. This is her house; we just live in it. What Sandy wants, Sandy gets. No questions asked. But don't tell Ryley that. Although isn't much younger than Sandy, she's only been with us for about three or four months now. But boy does she learn quickly.
How did she learn? By watching her big sister, of course. Sandy loves to be scratched -- where Sandy WANTS to be scratched. Not on her head. Not behind her ears. Not on her back. She wants it on her chest, or on her belly. If she's sitting, and you're rubbing her head, she will use her paw to move your hand right where she wants it. Or, she'll slide down onto the floor and roll over, so you can give her belly a good ole rub.
So what does Ryley do? The exact same thing. She's started using her paw to direct where she wants to be scratched. It's not as bad as Sandy, because she actually likes being rubbed on her head, but she'll use that paw to tell you what she wants.
That's just one of the many things we see on a daily basis where the younger pup has patterned her behavior after the older pup. We like to call it monkey see, monkey do -- and Ryley's the monkey!
Teens do it all the time. It's called peer pressure. The cool kid gets the latest pair of shoes or trendiest new techie gadget, and everyone else wants one too. I wasn't as bad about this when I was a teen. Sure, I felt peer pressure. But it wasn't about being popular. It was about trying to impress my friends, emulating the guys who I looked up to. I wanted to be as smart as they were, as athletic as they were, as strong of a Christian as they were.
Adults do it all the time. They call it keeping up with the Joneses. We buy the most expensive cars, build the most luxurious houses, rack up the most debt that we can -- all in the name of impressing people. Why? Because we see other people do it. Because we covet. We watch. We desire. We give in to those desires.
It's a natural part of life for people to observe things and then put those things into practice. Everyone does it -- including my dogs. Seriously, they are hilarious.
Sandy, who is still a pup, has been around for about 18 months now. She rules the roost. This is her house; we just live in it. What Sandy wants, Sandy gets. No questions asked. But don't tell Ryley that. Although isn't much younger than Sandy, she's only been with us for about three or four months now. But boy does she learn quickly.
How did she learn? By watching her big sister, of course. Sandy loves to be scratched -- where Sandy WANTS to be scratched. Not on her head. Not behind her ears. Not on her back. She wants it on her chest, or on her belly. If she's sitting, and you're rubbing her head, she will use her paw to move your hand right where she wants it. Or, she'll slide down onto the floor and roll over, so you can give her belly a good ole rub.
So what does Ryley do? The exact same thing. She's started using her paw to direct where she wants to be scratched. It's not as bad as Sandy, because she actually likes being rubbed on her head, but she'll use that paw to tell you what she wants.
That's just one of the many things we see on a daily basis where the younger pup has patterned her behavior after the older pup. We like to call it monkey see, monkey do -- and Ryley's the monkey!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Second-half live blog
Note: This blog is for my boy Ethan McDaniel, who actually isn't my boy at all because I don't know him, but he goes by the handle @emcdaniel09 on Twitter and has been talking trash to me about the NBA Playoffs.
It's halftime of Game 5 of the Jazz-Nuggets game, with the Jazz leading 52-50. We'll pick it up from there.
Flashback to about 8:20 p.m., when Ethan sends me the following tweet: @b_hoss_mac expect mr. bigshot to show up against the jazz... he's gonna make the jazz #kissdababy, mark my words!!
I'll guess we'll find out here in the second half if Mr. McDaniel is right and the Jazz are "kissin' da baby" as he says.
11:10 p.m. -- We're back from halftime and starting the third quarter. Denver must be able to overcome the loss of center Nene, out with a sprained knee, as well as foul trouble with power forward Kenyon Martin and point guard Chauncey Billups each with two fouls.
11:12 p.m. -- Jazz have the ball to start the quarter.
11:13 p.m. -- Mike Fratello: First three or four minutes are going to be critical in what could be final half of the year for Denver. Good observation.
11:13 p.m. -- K-Mart and Aron Afflalo hit first two shots to get into double figures. Carmelo said he needed help, and he's getting it tonight.
11:15 p.m. -- Utah with second straight turnover. Billups hits 3. Now has 11 points. Nuggets lead 59-54 after 7-0 run.
11:15 p.m. -- Carlos Boozer follows his own miss. Up to 17 points, along with Deron Williams. Both playing well, but need some help in second half.
11:17 p.m. -- Melo picks up his first foul ... and smiles. He does a lot of smiling on the court, but usually it means he's not happy. I know, ironic.
11:17 p.m. -- Billups hits second 3 in third quarter. Has 8 points so far, after scoring only 6 in the first half.
11:19 p.m. -- Loose ball situation. Wesley Matthews bounce pass to DWill, who bounce passes to Boozer for a monster stuff. Beautiful basketball!
11:20 p.m. -- Carmelo Anthony with the reverse layup. Nuggets lead 70-62. Denver outscoring Jazz 20-12 in third so far.
11:22 p.m. -- Billups with a layup. Now has 10 in the third quarter, 16 for the game. Nuggets lead 72-66 with 6:05 left in third.
11:23 p.m. -- According to tweet from Ross Siler of Salt Lake Tribute, Denver has started 9-for-10 in the second half. Melo and Billups have 17 of those points. Wow. *Shakes head*
11:25 p.m. -- Melo knocks down a jumper. Jazz defense stayed in the locker room, apparently.
11:26 p.m. -- Wesley Matthews with steal and layup. Jazz only down 4, 74-70.
11:28 p.m. -- Afflalo makes step-under jumper at shot clock buzzer. Nuggets now 11-12 from floor in second half. At some point, Jazz have to get some stops.
11:31 p.m. -- DWill drains 3-pointer. Now has 24 points and 8 assists. Millsap with follow-up on next possession. Nuggets lead down to one, 80-79.
11:33 p.m. -- Random thought: Do they sell Coca-Cola products at the Pepsi Center? Oh, and Taco Bell, you may call it a tortada, but it's a sandwich.
11:37 p.m. -- And just like that ... free throw, offensive rebound, 3-pointer ... Nuggets lead back to 7.
11:39 p.m. -- In a crazy sequence of trying to get 2-for-1 opportunities, Ty Lawson turns ball over and DWill misses 3-pointer. Then Nuggets with an offensive foul. Sloppy end to 3rd quarter.
11:41 p.m. -- C.J. Miles misses three at the buzzer. Denver leads 86-81 heading into fourth quarter.
11:43 p.m. -- After playing every minute of third quarter, Deron Williams will start fourth on the bench. Pivotal moment here to see how much time Jazz can steal with Ronnie Price on the floor and how close they can keep it before DWill returns.
11:47 p.m. -- Boozer with an offensive rebound and putback. Jazz trail 89-86. Booz 25 points and 14 boards. DWill 26 points and 9 assists.
11:50 p.m. -- DWill returns with 9:51 remaining and Jazz down by only 4. Good break.
11:51 p.m. -- J.R. Smith nails a wide-open 3-pointer. Denver up 94-88.
11:52 p.m. -- Millsap hits a turnaround hook shot to cut the lead down to two.
11:53 p.m. -- J.R. Smith with another 3-pointer, the Nuggets' eighth consecutive 3 made. Denver's lead is back to seven, 99-92.
11:57 p.m. -- Carmelo tackles C.J. Miles while going after a loose ball. For one of the world's best players, Melo makes some stupid decisions.
11:58 p.m. -- Johan Petro with a tip give Denver biggest lead of the game at 9, 101-92, with 5:58 remaining.
Midnight -- Good morning, everyone.
12:03 a.m. -- Booz grabs his 15th rebound of the game. Also has 25 points. Not a bad game.
12:06 a.m. -- Billups knocks down 2 free throws to put Nuggets up 11, biggest lead of the night, at 105-94.
12:07 a.m. -- You can refer to the Nuggets as Team Tat. Between Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen and J.R. Smith, there's no team in the league with more tattoos.
12:09 a.m. -- Billups steal leads to J.R. Smith runout dunk. Denver up 111-97 with 3:10 left to play.
12:11 a.m. -- Too much balance tonight for Denver with six players in double figures. DWill's 32 points and 10 assists, and Boozer's 25 points and 15 rebounds can't overcome all of the Nuggets' balance.
12:14 a.m. -- Despite the double-digit deficit, DWill is not going to go away quietly.
12:17 a.m. -- Probably just a lot of frustration, but Boozer and Millsap doing a lot of complaining about physical play and being hacked under the basket without getting any calls.
12:19 a.m. -- With tempers and tension soaring, the benches empty with Denver up 114-110. DWill fouls out after a brilliant game of 34 points and 10 assists. First player in NBA history with 20+ points and 10+ assists in first five games of the series.
12:21 a.m. -- Ballgame. Final: Denver 116, Utah 102. Jazz lead the series 3-2 and head home to Salt Lake City with chance to clinch at home on Friday night.
It's halftime of Game 5 of the Jazz-Nuggets game, with the Jazz leading 52-50. We'll pick it up from there.
Flashback to about 8:20 p.m., when Ethan sends me the following tweet: @b_hoss_mac expect mr. bigshot to show up against the jazz... he's gonna make the jazz #kissdababy, mark my words!!
I'll guess we'll find out here in the second half if Mr. McDaniel is right and the Jazz are "kissin' da baby" as he says.
11:10 p.m. -- We're back from halftime and starting the third quarter. Denver must be able to overcome the loss of center Nene, out with a sprained knee, as well as foul trouble with power forward Kenyon Martin and point guard Chauncey Billups each with two fouls.
11:12 p.m. -- Jazz have the ball to start the quarter.
11:13 p.m. -- Mike Fratello: First three or four minutes are going to be critical in what could be final half of the year for Denver. Good observation.
11:13 p.m. -- K-Mart and Aron Afflalo hit first two shots to get into double figures. Carmelo said he needed help, and he's getting it tonight.
11:15 p.m. -- Utah with second straight turnover. Billups hits 3. Now has 11 points. Nuggets lead 59-54 after 7-0 run.
11:15 p.m. -- Carlos Boozer follows his own miss. Up to 17 points, along with Deron Williams. Both playing well, but need some help in second half.
11:17 p.m. -- Melo picks up his first foul ... and smiles. He does a lot of smiling on the court, but usually it means he's not happy. I know, ironic.
11:17 p.m. -- Billups hits second 3 in third quarter. Has 8 points so far, after scoring only 6 in the first half.
11:19 p.m. -- Loose ball situation. Wesley Matthews bounce pass to DWill, who bounce passes to Boozer for a monster stuff. Beautiful basketball!
11:20 p.m. -- Carmelo Anthony with the reverse layup. Nuggets lead 70-62. Denver outscoring Jazz 20-12 in third so far.
11:22 p.m. -- Billups with a layup. Now has 10 in the third quarter, 16 for the game. Nuggets lead 72-66 with 6:05 left in third.
11:23 p.m. -- According to tweet from Ross Siler of Salt Lake Tribute, Denver has started 9-for-10 in the second half. Melo and Billups have 17 of those points. Wow. *Shakes head*
11:25 p.m. -- Melo knocks down a jumper. Jazz defense stayed in the locker room, apparently.
11:26 p.m. -- Wesley Matthews with steal and layup. Jazz only down 4, 74-70.
11:28 p.m. -- Afflalo makes step-under jumper at shot clock buzzer. Nuggets now 11-12 from floor in second half. At some point, Jazz have to get some stops.
11:31 p.m. -- DWill drains 3-pointer. Now has 24 points and 8 assists. Millsap with follow-up on next possession. Nuggets lead down to one, 80-79.
11:33 p.m. -- Random thought: Do they sell Coca-Cola products at the Pepsi Center? Oh, and Taco Bell, you may call it a tortada, but it's a sandwich.
11:37 p.m. -- And just like that ... free throw, offensive rebound, 3-pointer ... Nuggets lead back to 7.
11:39 p.m. -- In a crazy sequence of trying to get 2-for-1 opportunities, Ty Lawson turns ball over and DWill misses 3-pointer. Then Nuggets with an offensive foul. Sloppy end to 3rd quarter.
11:41 p.m. -- C.J. Miles misses three at the buzzer. Denver leads 86-81 heading into fourth quarter.
11:43 p.m. -- After playing every minute of third quarter, Deron Williams will start fourth on the bench. Pivotal moment here to see how much time Jazz can steal with Ronnie Price on the floor and how close they can keep it before DWill returns.
11:47 p.m. -- Boozer with an offensive rebound and putback. Jazz trail 89-86. Booz 25 points and 14 boards. DWill 26 points and 9 assists.
11:50 p.m. -- DWill returns with 9:51 remaining and Jazz down by only 4. Good break.
11:51 p.m. -- J.R. Smith nails a wide-open 3-pointer. Denver up 94-88.
11:52 p.m. -- Millsap hits a turnaround hook shot to cut the lead down to two.
11:53 p.m. -- J.R. Smith with another 3-pointer, the Nuggets' eighth consecutive 3 made. Denver's lead is back to seven, 99-92.
11:57 p.m. -- Carmelo tackles C.J. Miles while going after a loose ball. For one of the world's best players, Melo makes some stupid decisions.
11:58 p.m. -- Johan Petro with a tip give Denver biggest lead of the game at 9, 101-92, with 5:58 remaining.
Midnight -- Good morning, everyone.
12:03 a.m. -- Booz grabs his 15th rebound of the game. Also has 25 points. Not a bad game.
12:06 a.m. -- Billups knocks down 2 free throws to put Nuggets up 11, biggest lead of the night, at 105-94.
12:07 a.m. -- You can refer to the Nuggets as Team Tat. Between Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen and J.R. Smith, there's no team in the league with more tattoos.
12:09 a.m. -- Billups steal leads to J.R. Smith runout dunk. Denver up 111-97 with 3:10 left to play.
12:11 a.m. -- Too much balance tonight for Denver with six players in double figures. DWill's 32 points and 10 assists, and Boozer's 25 points and 15 rebounds can't overcome all of the Nuggets' balance.
12:14 a.m. -- Despite the double-digit deficit, DWill is not going to go away quietly.
12:17 a.m. -- Probably just a lot of frustration, but Boozer and Millsap doing a lot of complaining about physical play and being hacked under the basket without getting any calls.
12:19 a.m. -- With tempers and tension soaring, the benches empty with Denver up 114-110. DWill fouls out after a brilliant game of 34 points and 10 assists. First player in NBA history with 20+ points and 10+ assists in first five games of the series.
12:21 a.m. -- Ballgame. Final: Denver 116, Utah 102. Jazz lead the series 3-2 and head home to Salt Lake City with chance to clinch at home on Friday night.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
NFL Draft ... and other musings
It's shortly after midnight on the Saturday morning of NFL Draft weekend. At this point, I should be crawling into bed and getting ready for an all-day marathon. Instead, we're two days and three rounds into the draft. It's just not right. The NFL Draft used to be an event, where fans all followed intently thoughout the day on Saturday, and more casually in the later rounds on Sunday.
It looks like the new format, which brings the first round in primetime on Thursday and the second and third rounds on Friday, will be here to stay, at least for the short term. The TV ratings are good. I don't have to like it though.
A few quick hits from the draft, and then a deeper look at my team, the New Orleans Saints:
-- I really like what the Lions have done. Ndamakong Suh is about as can't-miss a defensive tackle prospect as there ever has been, and he's a great start at #2. They traded up at the end of the first round to take Jahvid Best at #30. Best, I believe, is the second-best running back in the draft and will have a better career than Ryan Matthews, who went 12th. They also got Amari Spievey, a defensive back from Iowa, at the top of the third round, and he'll give the Lions depth at corner and safety. The Lions have a fourth-rounder and three seventh-rounders today to add some more depth.
-- Other teams whose drafts I liked were the Chiefs, the Raiders (surprisingly), the Bengals, Cowboys and Jets. KC picked up two starters (S Eric Berry and CB Javier Arenas) and a major contributor (RB/WR/KR Dexter McCluster, who should get 10-15 touches per game in a variety of ways) in the first two rounds. Oakland, known for reaching for players with less-than-stellar production but great potential, picked up perhaps the second-best defensive player in MLB Rolando McClain at #8. Cincy grabbed stud TE Jermaine Gresham at #21 and a solid WR in Jordan Shipley in the third round, along with a steady CB Brandon Ghee at the end of the third round. The Bengals, of course, can't go a draft without taking a shady character, this time choosing Florida DE Carlos Dunlap in the second round. Dallas had just two picks but grabbed a future Pro Bowler in WR Dez Bryant at #24 and a future starter at ILB in Sean Lee. The Jets, meanwhile, were ecstatic that CB Kyle Wilson, a top-10 talent, fell to them at #29 at the bottom of the first round.
-- I just can't figure out what's going on in Denver. The Broncos trade their Pro Bowl quarterback last offseason. This offseason, they jettisoned perhaps the best receiver in the NFL and their starting tight end. Then, they traded down in the first round and traded back up twice for two reaches. I'm not sold on Demaryius Thomas as a future star receiver (although the choice of Eric Decker in the third round was a good one), and then the Broncos snatched Tim Tebow at #25. I like Tebow. But at 25? It's safe to call that pick a reach, and coach Josh McDaniels essentially has tied his future in Denver to Tebow's development as a quarterback. I'm not sure I would be willing to do that if I were in his shoes.
-- Congratulations to D'Anthony "Boo" Smith, the defensive tackle from Louisiana Tech, for being drafted in the third round by the Jacksonville Jags. Boo is a great kid who represented by alma mater wonderfully for the past four years. Now he joins two other Tech grads, Josh Scobee and Luke McCown, in Jacksonville. If only the Jags would trade for Ryan Moats now.
-- Now to my Saints: I'll just borrow a phrase from the immortal Vince Lombardi. "What the hell's going on out there?" You know, winning a Super Bowl, especially at a place with such a dismal past as New Orleans, will get you a lot of leeway. I'm trying to keep that in mind. But I'm just not getting this draft. I understand the premise that you take the best player available if you can't get a trade offer you like, but that idea also doesn't consider the fact that your team has needs. And the Saints haven't filled their needs through the first three rounds. They have glaring needs at linebacker, both depth and the big hole at the starting strongside linebacker spot with the departure of Scott Fujita. Yet, through three rounds, there have been no linebackers chosen, despite a myriad of options available.
New Orleans selected cornerback Patrick Robinson with the last pick of the first round. He looks great on paper, but he struggled with consistency at Florida State. That's usually not a great trait to have entering the NFL. It's the second year in a row the Saints have picked a corner in the first round, so that doesn't bode well for last year's pick, Malcolm Jenkins. There was talk then that he'd end up at safety, and that appears to be the case with this pick. Still, the Saints have an emerging playmaker in Tracy Porter at one corner and Jabari Greer at the other corner with Randall Gay as the nickel back. Depth is good, but you usually don't try to build depth in the first round. You normal look for immediate starters there. I understand injuries piled up in the secondary last year, and you can never have too many guys who can cover in this league, but I thought the Saints had bigger needs than cornerback.
The Saints picked an offensive tackle at the end of the second round in Southern Cal's Charles Brown. The best part of this pick, according to my wife, is the guy's name is CHARLIE BROWN! Yes, my wife, ladies and gentlemen. She'll be here all week. I'm a big USC fan, and if I haven't heard of the guy, he's probably not that good. And it's not like there's a glaring need at offensive tackle. Jon Stinchcomb is an entrenched starter at RT. Jamaal Brown is a Pro Bowler at LT, even though he's a restricted free agent who is coming off an injury and likely will be traded. Jermon Bushrod filled in admirably for Brown last year while he was injured. Zach Strief also plays a lot as a sixth offensive lineman during running situations. Maybe the Saints plan to trade Brown for a linebacker, or maybe they plan for him to play one more season while Charles Brown learns. Again, there were much bigger needs than a fourth offensive tackle.
And my least favorite pick happened at the end of the third round, when the Saints grabbed Miami tight end Jimmy Graham. Graham has great size and physical tools, and his upside is tremendous. But he's a basketball player who only played one year of football in college. Yes, San Diego struck gold with Antonio Gates, a basketball player from Kent State. But Gates was an undrafted free agent. Graham is a big-time reach in the third round, particularly when there were other more established tight ends like Pitt's Dorin Dickerson, LSU's Richard Dickson, Florida's Aaron Hernandez and USC's Anthony McCoy still available. Heck, I'm willing to bet that Dennis Morris, Louisiana Tech's tight end, has a better NFL career than Jimmy Graham.
The Saints have three picks in today's final day of the draft -- a fourth, a sixth and a seventh. Here's hoping two of those are linebackers and a third is a developmental quarterback who can battle with Chase Daniel to become Drew Brees's backup.
Leaving the draft, let's finish up with some NBA playoffs talk. We're about halfway through the first round, and a few things have stood out so far:
-- The Jazz just keep on winning. Two starters, Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur, are out of the series against Denver with injuries. Yet, the Jazz have taken two of the first three games and have the upper hand in the series. The star of Friday night's Game 3 was Paul Millsap, the team's sixth man and backup power forward who played at Louisiana Tech. Millsap posted career playoff highs of 22 points and 19 rebounds to help mask a subpar game from starting power forward Carlos Boozer. Deron Williams has emerged as a challenger to Steve Nash as the best point guard in the NBA, and he's the clear leader of this young team. But the Jazz's role players, led by Millsap, have really stepped up. Rookie Wesley Matthews, who was undrafted, has stepped in as the team's starting two-guard, and young center Kyrylo Fesenko have filled in nicely for the two injured starters. And the other two wing players, starter C.J. Miles and reserve Kyle Korver, have played strong as well.
-- It's time for Dwyane Wade to get away from South Beach. Yes, he won a title there. But this team is terrible. There's not a single player starting next to Wade who should be a starter in the NBA. It's really depressing, especially considering how hard Wade plays and how much he's done to keep the Heat in the games against Boston. But Boston leads the series 3-0 and is well on its way to a sweep.
-- The Chicago Bulls pushed Boston to the limit last year, and they've already taken a game against Cleveland, the NBA's best team during the regular season. How does LeBron James respond? Can he lift the Cavs over the next two games to close the series out in 5, or will Chicago continue to hang around and make this a series?
-- The OKC Thunder, the young but supremely talented eight seed in the West, stole Game 3 from the defending champion L.A. Lakers. Most analysts I've seen have the Lakers responding to win Game 4 and closing the series out in five. I think Kobe is fading and Kevin Durant is ready to step up and make this a seven-game series. The main question is can the Thunder steal a game in L.A.? If they can, they might just make it to the second round.
It looks like the new format, which brings the first round in primetime on Thursday and the second and third rounds on Friday, will be here to stay, at least for the short term. The TV ratings are good. I don't have to like it though.
A few quick hits from the draft, and then a deeper look at my team, the New Orleans Saints:
-- I really like what the Lions have done. Ndamakong Suh is about as can't-miss a defensive tackle prospect as there ever has been, and he's a great start at #2. They traded up at the end of the first round to take Jahvid Best at #30. Best, I believe, is the second-best running back in the draft and will have a better career than Ryan Matthews, who went 12th. They also got Amari Spievey, a defensive back from Iowa, at the top of the third round, and he'll give the Lions depth at corner and safety. The Lions have a fourth-rounder and three seventh-rounders today to add some more depth.
-- Other teams whose drafts I liked were the Chiefs, the Raiders (surprisingly), the Bengals, Cowboys and Jets. KC picked up two starters (S Eric Berry and CB Javier Arenas) and a major contributor (RB/WR/KR Dexter McCluster, who should get 10-15 touches per game in a variety of ways) in the first two rounds. Oakland, known for reaching for players with less-than-stellar production but great potential, picked up perhaps the second-best defensive player in MLB Rolando McClain at #8. Cincy grabbed stud TE Jermaine Gresham at #21 and a solid WR in Jordan Shipley in the third round, along with a steady CB Brandon Ghee at the end of the third round. The Bengals, of course, can't go a draft without taking a shady character, this time choosing Florida DE Carlos Dunlap in the second round. Dallas had just two picks but grabbed a future Pro Bowler in WR Dez Bryant at #24 and a future starter at ILB in Sean Lee. The Jets, meanwhile, were ecstatic that CB Kyle Wilson, a top-10 talent, fell to them at #29 at the bottom of the first round.
-- I just can't figure out what's going on in Denver. The Broncos trade their Pro Bowl quarterback last offseason. This offseason, they jettisoned perhaps the best receiver in the NFL and their starting tight end. Then, they traded down in the first round and traded back up twice for two reaches. I'm not sold on Demaryius Thomas as a future star receiver (although the choice of Eric Decker in the third round was a good one), and then the Broncos snatched Tim Tebow at #25. I like Tebow. But at 25? It's safe to call that pick a reach, and coach Josh McDaniels essentially has tied his future in Denver to Tebow's development as a quarterback. I'm not sure I would be willing to do that if I were in his shoes.
-- Congratulations to D'Anthony "Boo" Smith, the defensive tackle from Louisiana Tech, for being drafted in the third round by the Jacksonville Jags. Boo is a great kid who represented by alma mater wonderfully for the past four years. Now he joins two other Tech grads, Josh Scobee and Luke McCown, in Jacksonville. If only the Jags would trade for Ryan Moats now.
-- Now to my Saints: I'll just borrow a phrase from the immortal Vince Lombardi. "What the hell's going on out there?" You know, winning a Super Bowl, especially at a place with such a dismal past as New Orleans, will get you a lot of leeway. I'm trying to keep that in mind. But I'm just not getting this draft. I understand the premise that you take the best player available if you can't get a trade offer you like, but that idea also doesn't consider the fact that your team has needs. And the Saints haven't filled their needs through the first three rounds. They have glaring needs at linebacker, both depth and the big hole at the starting strongside linebacker spot with the departure of Scott Fujita. Yet, through three rounds, there have been no linebackers chosen, despite a myriad of options available.
New Orleans selected cornerback Patrick Robinson with the last pick of the first round. He looks great on paper, but he struggled with consistency at Florida State. That's usually not a great trait to have entering the NFL. It's the second year in a row the Saints have picked a corner in the first round, so that doesn't bode well for last year's pick, Malcolm Jenkins. There was talk then that he'd end up at safety, and that appears to be the case with this pick. Still, the Saints have an emerging playmaker in Tracy Porter at one corner and Jabari Greer at the other corner with Randall Gay as the nickel back. Depth is good, but you usually don't try to build depth in the first round. You normal look for immediate starters there. I understand injuries piled up in the secondary last year, and you can never have too many guys who can cover in this league, but I thought the Saints had bigger needs than cornerback.
The Saints picked an offensive tackle at the end of the second round in Southern Cal's Charles Brown. The best part of this pick, according to my wife, is the guy's name is CHARLIE BROWN! Yes, my wife, ladies and gentlemen. She'll be here all week. I'm a big USC fan, and if I haven't heard of the guy, he's probably not that good. And it's not like there's a glaring need at offensive tackle. Jon Stinchcomb is an entrenched starter at RT. Jamaal Brown is a Pro Bowler at LT, even though he's a restricted free agent who is coming off an injury and likely will be traded. Jermon Bushrod filled in admirably for Brown last year while he was injured. Zach Strief also plays a lot as a sixth offensive lineman during running situations. Maybe the Saints plan to trade Brown for a linebacker, or maybe they plan for him to play one more season while Charles Brown learns. Again, there were much bigger needs than a fourth offensive tackle.
And my least favorite pick happened at the end of the third round, when the Saints grabbed Miami tight end Jimmy Graham. Graham has great size and physical tools, and his upside is tremendous. But he's a basketball player who only played one year of football in college. Yes, San Diego struck gold with Antonio Gates, a basketball player from Kent State. But Gates was an undrafted free agent. Graham is a big-time reach in the third round, particularly when there were other more established tight ends like Pitt's Dorin Dickerson, LSU's Richard Dickson, Florida's Aaron Hernandez and USC's Anthony McCoy still available. Heck, I'm willing to bet that Dennis Morris, Louisiana Tech's tight end, has a better NFL career than Jimmy Graham.
The Saints have three picks in today's final day of the draft -- a fourth, a sixth and a seventh. Here's hoping two of those are linebackers and a third is a developmental quarterback who can battle with Chase Daniel to become Drew Brees's backup.
Leaving the draft, let's finish up with some NBA playoffs talk. We're about halfway through the first round, and a few things have stood out so far:
-- The Jazz just keep on winning. Two starters, Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur, are out of the series against Denver with injuries. Yet, the Jazz have taken two of the first three games and have the upper hand in the series. The star of Friday night's Game 3 was Paul Millsap, the team's sixth man and backup power forward who played at Louisiana Tech. Millsap posted career playoff highs of 22 points and 19 rebounds to help mask a subpar game from starting power forward Carlos Boozer. Deron Williams has emerged as a challenger to Steve Nash as the best point guard in the NBA, and he's the clear leader of this young team. But the Jazz's role players, led by Millsap, have really stepped up. Rookie Wesley Matthews, who was undrafted, has stepped in as the team's starting two-guard, and young center Kyrylo Fesenko have filled in nicely for the two injured starters. And the other two wing players, starter C.J. Miles and reserve Kyle Korver, have played strong as well.
-- It's time for Dwyane Wade to get away from South Beach. Yes, he won a title there. But this team is terrible. There's not a single player starting next to Wade who should be a starter in the NBA. It's really depressing, especially considering how hard Wade plays and how much he's done to keep the Heat in the games against Boston. But Boston leads the series 3-0 and is well on its way to a sweep.
-- The Chicago Bulls pushed Boston to the limit last year, and they've already taken a game against Cleveland, the NBA's best team during the regular season. How does LeBron James respond? Can he lift the Cavs over the next two games to close the series out in 5, or will Chicago continue to hang around and make this a series?
-- The OKC Thunder, the young but supremely talented eight seed in the West, stole Game 3 from the defending champion L.A. Lakers. Most analysts I've seen have the Lakers responding to win Game 4 and closing the series out in five. I think Kobe is fading and Kevin Durant is ready to step up and make this a seven-game series. The main question is can the Thunder steal a game in L.A.? If they can, they might just make it to the second round.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
No Bird, no Magic, no MJ ... no need
Full disclosure: I'm a LeBron guy.
The National Basketball Association, more than any other sports league, is a players' league. College athletics is about the college. You root for your school in all sports. Or at least you should. If you don't, you're a poser. The NFL is about teams. It's the ultimate team league. Was your dad a Cowboys fan? Then you're a Cowboys fan. If you grew up in Louisiana, then you're a Saints fan. Unless you're from Shreveport. Then you might as well be from East Texas. But that's another story. Major League Baseball has its star sluggers and ace pitchers that fans root for, but the passion is about the team -- the Yanks, the Sawx ... and everybody else.
But the NBA, oh the NBA is different. It's about the names on the back of the jerseys, not the front. It's always been that way. Wilt, the Pistol, Bird, Magic, MJ ... you root for superstars. And, man, are there plenty of superstars in the NBA right now.
For many years, we didn't know if the NBA could ever recapture its glory years. In the '80s, Bird and Magic dueled as the game's top two players. They lifted the league to a new level, and then passed the baton to Michael Jordan, who took the game into a new stratosphere in the '90s. The glory years. The MJ years. Then he retired. But he came back! And won three more titles to go with his three previous ones. And then he retired. But, unfortunately, he came back again, and wasn't the same player. Ever since, fans have been wondering if the league would ever see a player as good as Jordan.
As I've watched the first few games of this year's NBA playoffs, I'm not convinced that the league doesn't have more great players than ever. There have been some great players in the post-MJ era. Tim Duncan rivals Karl Malone as the greatest power forward ever, even if he's really a center masquerading as a power forward. Shaquille O'Neal won four titles and will go down as one of the top 10 or 15 players ever, even if he had the physical ability to be the greatest center of all-time and didn't fully reach that potential. Kobe Bryant has been a great player, perhaps the closest to MJ in terms of physical skills, even if he has never been as beloved as Jordan.
But I look at the young talent in the NBA right now and think that the next decade could actually be better than anything we've ever seen. Like I said at the beginning of this blog, I'm a LeBron guy. I've followed his career since he first burst onto the scene as a high school sophomore. I began buying into the hype as soon as I watched him play and thought this kid -- who at 16 looked like a 6-8, 235-pound man already -- could become the greatest player of all-time. His skill set is an unbelievable hybrid of Magic Johnson meets Karl Malone. He's 6-foot-8 and somewhere between 250 and 280 pounds, built like a defensive end with the athletic abilities of a running back. He's an athletic freak with a feel for the game very reminiscent of Magic Johnson, and he enjoys passing and playmaking so much that he goes out of his way to get his teammates involved. He'll soon garner his second straight MVP award and, at age 25, could conceivably win the award for the next 5-8 years. I honestly believe, if he stays focused and dialed in during crunch time, he could surpass Jordan as the greatest player of all time.
But LeBron isn't the only great young player. That draft in 2003 also produced Dwyane Wade, who already has won an NBA title with Shaq, and Carmelo Anthony, who is one of the top two pure scorers in the league. Dwight Howard, the No. 1 pick in '04, led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals last year, and although he still has a lot of growth left in his game, has a chance to be the top center in the game for the next decade.
Deron Williams and Chris Paul went third and fourth to the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Hornets in the '05 draft, and along with Derrick Rose, the top pick in '08, are the point guards of the future in the NBA. Brandon Roy, the sixth pick in '06, looks to be the best player in a weak draft, but if his knees can stay healthy, he has the appearance of a future star for years to come for the Blazers.
Kevin Durant, the second pick in '07, looks like he could develop into the greatest scorer the league has ever seen. At 21, he became the youngest player to lead the league in scoring this year, and he's only going to get better as the leader of an up-and-coming Oklahoma City team. I'm not sure there is a player in the world with a more complete offensive skill set. Durant can simply put the ball in the basket.
And there are several promising rookies from this year in point guards Brandon Jennings, Steph Curry and Tyreke Evans, who joined MJ, LeBron and Oscar Robertson as the only rookies to ever average 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists during their first years in the league.
That's not even counting two No. 1 picks -- '07 top choice Greg Oden and '09 first selection Blake Griffin -- who have earned incomplete grades because of injuries. Even if he ever gets healthy, I'm not sure Oden is ever going to be more than a solid 15-12 center. He's not going to be a perennial all-star or the franchise center many expected, but Griffin has the athleticism and skill set to become a fixture on all-NBA teams at power forward.
With all of these young players, Team USA would appear to be in solid shape for the next two or three Olympic games. How's this for an Olympic roster:
PG Deron Williams
PG Chris Paul
PG Derrick Rose
SG Dwyane Wade
SG Brandon Roy
SG Tyreke Evans
SF Kevin Durant
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF LeBron James
PF Blake Griffin
C Dwight Howard
C Greg Oden
Sure, it's certainly a guard-heavy squad, and it's weak in the post. You could swap out one of the guards (Evans and/or Rose) for a young post player like Andrew Bynum, Al Jefferson or Al Horford. But I think you could win with this team in international competition. You're not going to find a better backcourt with those three point guards, or more prolific scorers from the small forward position. Heck, Durant and Melo might be the two best scorers in the world. LeBron could easily play the 4 in international play and present some very difficult matchups, and Howard should be able to hold his own at the center position.
These days, though, the NBA is a guard's league. More importantly, it's a scorer's league. And there are plenty of young guards and scorers in the league. It's pretty safe to say that the NBa is going to be safe for years to come, and in 20-30 years, fans may be talking about this upcoming decade as the glory years of the NBA as compared to the Bird, Magic and MJ days of the '80s and '90s.
The National Basketball Association, more than any other sports league, is a players' league. College athletics is about the college. You root for your school in all sports. Or at least you should. If you don't, you're a poser. The NFL is about teams. It's the ultimate team league. Was your dad a Cowboys fan? Then you're a Cowboys fan. If you grew up in Louisiana, then you're a Saints fan. Unless you're from Shreveport. Then you might as well be from East Texas. But that's another story. Major League Baseball has its star sluggers and ace pitchers that fans root for, but the passion is about the team -- the Yanks, the Sawx ... and everybody else.
But the NBA, oh the NBA is different. It's about the names on the back of the jerseys, not the front. It's always been that way. Wilt, the Pistol, Bird, Magic, MJ ... you root for superstars. And, man, are there plenty of superstars in the NBA right now.
For many years, we didn't know if the NBA could ever recapture its glory years. In the '80s, Bird and Magic dueled as the game's top two players. They lifted the league to a new level, and then passed the baton to Michael Jordan, who took the game into a new stratosphere in the '90s. The glory years. The MJ years. Then he retired. But he came back! And won three more titles to go with his three previous ones. And then he retired. But, unfortunately, he came back again, and wasn't the same player. Ever since, fans have been wondering if the league would ever see a player as good as Jordan.
As I've watched the first few games of this year's NBA playoffs, I'm not convinced that the league doesn't have more great players than ever. There have been some great players in the post-MJ era. Tim Duncan rivals Karl Malone as the greatest power forward ever, even if he's really a center masquerading as a power forward. Shaquille O'Neal won four titles and will go down as one of the top 10 or 15 players ever, even if he had the physical ability to be the greatest center of all-time and didn't fully reach that potential. Kobe Bryant has been a great player, perhaps the closest to MJ in terms of physical skills, even if he has never been as beloved as Jordan.
But I look at the young talent in the NBA right now and think that the next decade could actually be better than anything we've ever seen. Like I said at the beginning of this blog, I'm a LeBron guy. I've followed his career since he first burst onto the scene as a high school sophomore. I began buying into the hype as soon as I watched him play and thought this kid -- who at 16 looked like a 6-8, 235-pound man already -- could become the greatest player of all-time. His skill set is an unbelievable hybrid of Magic Johnson meets Karl Malone. He's 6-foot-8 and somewhere between 250 and 280 pounds, built like a defensive end with the athletic abilities of a running back. He's an athletic freak with a feel for the game very reminiscent of Magic Johnson, and he enjoys passing and playmaking so much that he goes out of his way to get his teammates involved. He'll soon garner his second straight MVP award and, at age 25, could conceivably win the award for the next 5-8 years. I honestly believe, if he stays focused and dialed in during crunch time, he could surpass Jordan as the greatest player of all time.
But LeBron isn't the only great young player. That draft in 2003 also produced Dwyane Wade, who already has won an NBA title with Shaq, and Carmelo Anthony, who is one of the top two pure scorers in the league. Dwight Howard, the No. 1 pick in '04, led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals last year, and although he still has a lot of growth left in his game, has a chance to be the top center in the game for the next decade.
Deron Williams and Chris Paul went third and fourth to the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Hornets in the '05 draft, and along with Derrick Rose, the top pick in '08, are the point guards of the future in the NBA. Brandon Roy, the sixth pick in '06, looks to be the best player in a weak draft, but if his knees can stay healthy, he has the appearance of a future star for years to come for the Blazers.
Kevin Durant, the second pick in '07, looks like he could develop into the greatest scorer the league has ever seen. At 21, he became the youngest player to lead the league in scoring this year, and he's only going to get better as the leader of an up-and-coming Oklahoma City team. I'm not sure there is a player in the world with a more complete offensive skill set. Durant can simply put the ball in the basket.
And there are several promising rookies from this year in point guards Brandon Jennings, Steph Curry and Tyreke Evans, who joined MJ, LeBron and Oscar Robertson as the only rookies to ever average 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists during their first years in the league.
That's not even counting two No. 1 picks -- '07 top choice Greg Oden and '09 first selection Blake Griffin -- who have earned incomplete grades because of injuries. Even if he ever gets healthy, I'm not sure Oden is ever going to be more than a solid 15-12 center. He's not going to be a perennial all-star or the franchise center many expected, but Griffin has the athleticism and skill set to become a fixture on all-NBA teams at power forward.
With all of these young players, Team USA would appear to be in solid shape for the next two or three Olympic games. How's this for an Olympic roster:
PG Deron Williams
PG Chris Paul
PG Derrick Rose
SG Dwyane Wade
SG Brandon Roy
SG Tyreke Evans
SF Kevin Durant
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF LeBron James
PF Blake Griffin
C Dwight Howard
C Greg Oden
Sure, it's certainly a guard-heavy squad, and it's weak in the post. You could swap out one of the guards (Evans and/or Rose) for a young post player like Andrew Bynum, Al Jefferson or Al Horford. But I think you could win with this team in international competition. You're not going to find a better backcourt with those three point guards, or more prolific scorers from the small forward position. Heck, Durant and Melo might be the two best scorers in the world. LeBron could easily play the 4 in international play and present some very difficult matchups, and Howard should be able to hold his own at the center position.
These days, though, the NBA is a guard's league. More importantly, it's a scorer's league. And there are plenty of young guards and scorers in the league. It's pretty safe to say that the NBa is going to be safe for years to come, and in 20-30 years, fans may be talking about this upcoming decade as the glory years of the NBA as compared to the Bird, Magic and MJ days of the '80s and '90s.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Where has the time gone?
Note: I'm going to try to keep this post short and stay around 500 words, rather than get all rambly and type 3,000. Though, I must say, I reserve the right to change my mind before this post is finished.
So, Elizabeth and I recently started going back to church. Whoa. I know, I never would have thought there would come a time in my life when I wasn't going to church. But, hey, things happen.
Thinks, like, oh, getting caught up in messy drama at church. Yeah, that can kind of put a damper on things. It's hard for me to believe that has been nearly three years ago.
Quick catch up for those that haven't heard the story (though if you're reading this blog, chances are you have) or have forgotten: was going to a church and actively helping out with the youth group before some things happened that caused me to say enough is enough and bail out. Long story short, there were a lot of hurt feelings all the way around, and it was very difficult for me to even want to step foot back in a church.
Then, in December '08, I lost my job and took a new one over in Texas. Found a tremendous church there. Had a Sunday night service I fell in love with. And a few young couples that I got to know. Loved the pastor. Loved the worship. Things were moving in the right direction. I was beginning to get a peace about things again. Then, bam! Lose my job and have to leave Texas. Another setback.
For those who don't know, my spiritual background is one who was raised in the Baptist church. I can't remember not going to church, honestly. Now, I went to a lot of churches through the years, but I was always in some church. Got baptized when I was around 8 or 9, because I knew that's what I was supposed to do. After all, I was raised in the church. At the time, though, I didn't really understand what I was doing and never had a life-changing experience into a relationship with God. Growing up, I was a good kid (mostly) and always was in church, but it wasn't until I was 16 and on a church mission trip that I was saved.
Flash forward to June 2009: Elizabeth and I move back to Alexandria, the site of all of my spiritual pain from a few years ago, and honestly I again just lost the desire to go to church. And once you get out of a routine of going to church on Sundays, it's so easy to continue to sleep in and not think a thing about it. So that's what we did. We just were lazy on Sundays and didn't go to church.
That changed a few weeks ago, though. After a challenge from my father-in-law, who finally said enough is enough and that it was time to get back in church, we decided to visit the church that Elizabeth grew up in over in Pineville. The church, which recently went through a messy split with its former pastor and lost a lot of members, was getting a new pastor and there was some excitement coming down the pipe.
So, we've been visiting, and it's been good to be back in the house of the Lord. I really like the pastor. He's a first-time pastor, after making a mid-life career change and serving as an associate at a bigger church in Alexandria for the past few years. I like his vision, and I like his heart. I think he's going to get things turned around, and pretty quickly, too.
I'm having to make some adjustments, though. The church is still pretty small, and it's made up of a mostly older congregation. While I was raised in traditional Baptist churches, I've been spoiled in my college years with a great worship experience at Common Ground, and my previous church also had wonderful praise music. It's been an adjustment going back to the traditional hymns, though not necessarily a bad one. I'm just not used to it.
This past weekend, while visiting friends in Ruston, I was able to attend Temple Baptist Church's 10:10 Gathering, and that was a wonderful experience. Talk about my kind of service. Man, that was nice. But that doesn't mean that's the only way to worship and experience God. Who knows what the future holds at this church -- or even if that's the place that Elizabeth and I are supposed to be, though I feel we are being called to be there at this time and place. I'm still reticent to jump right back in with both feet, as I did at my previous church, and I really want to take my time to visit and learn before really starting to serve again. But, my personality is to be one who is either involved or not, so I'm sure I will get involved in some way, shape or form. I have such a passion for teenagers that I'm sure the youth could use me in some capacity.
For now, though, it's just nice to once again be able to walk in a church and feel at home. It's nice to see the same faces week after week and begin to build relationships. It's nice to feel wanted and loved. I can honestly say I'm happy to once again be going to church on Sundays. And it just makes me think, why did I wait this long to start again?
So, Elizabeth and I recently started going back to church. Whoa. I know, I never would have thought there would come a time in my life when I wasn't going to church. But, hey, things happen.
Thinks, like, oh, getting caught up in messy drama at church. Yeah, that can kind of put a damper on things. It's hard for me to believe that has been nearly three years ago.
Quick catch up for those that haven't heard the story (though if you're reading this blog, chances are you have) or have forgotten: was going to a church and actively helping out with the youth group before some things happened that caused me to say enough is enough and bail out. Long story short, there were a lot of hurt feelings all the way around, and it was very difficult for me to even want to step foot back in a church.
Then, in December '08, I lost my job and took a new one over in Texas. Found a tremendous church there. Had a Sunday night service I fell in love with. And a few young couples that I got to know. Loved the pastor. Loved the worship. Things were moving in the right direction. I was beginning to get a peace about things again. Then, bam! Lose my job and have to leave Texas. Another setback.
For those who don't know, my spiritual background is one who was raised in the Baptist church. I can't remember not going to church, honestly. Now, I went to a lot of churches through the years, but I was always in some church. Got baptized when I was around 8 or 9, because I knew that's what I was supposed to do. After all, I was raised in the church. At the time, though, I didn't really understand what I was doing and never had a life-changing experience into a relationship with God. Growing up, I was a good kid (mostly) and always was in church, but it wasn't until I was 16 and on a church mission trip that I was saved.
Flash forward to June 2009: Elizabeth and I move back to Alexandria, the site of all of my spiritual pain from a few years ago, and honestly I again just lost the desire to go to church. And once you get out of a routine of going to church on Sundays, it's so easy to continue to sleep in and not think a thing about it. So that's what we did. We just were lazy on Sundays and didn't go to church.
That changed a few weeks ago, though. After a challenge from my father-in-law, who finally said enough is enough and that it was time to get back in church, we decided to visit the church that Elizabeth grew up in over in Pineville. The church, which recently went through a messy split with its former pastor and lost a lot of members, was getting a new pastor and there was some excitement coming down the pipe.
So, we've been visiting, and it's been good to be back in the house of the Lord. I really like the pastor. He's a first-time pastor, after making a mid-life career change and serving as an associate at a bigger church in Alexandria for the past few years. I like his vision, and I like his heart. I think he's going to get things turned around, and pretty quickly, too.
I'm having to make some adjustments, though. The church is still pretty small, and it's made up of a mostly older congregation. While I was raised in traditional Baptist churches, I've been spoiled in my college years with a great worship experience at Common Ground, and my previous church also had wonderful praise music. It's been an adjustment going back to the traditional hymns, though not necessarily a bad one. I'm just not used to it.
This past weekend, while visiting friends in Ruston, I was able to attend Temple Baptist Church's 10:10 Gathering, and that was a wonderful experience. Talk about my kind of service. Man, that was nice. But that doesn't mean that's the only way to worship and experience God. Who knows what the future holds at this church -- or even if that's the place that Elizabeth and I are supposed to be, though I feel we are being called to be there at this time and place. I'm still reticent to jump right back in with both feet, as I did at my previous church, and I really want to take my time to visit and learn before really starting to serve again. But, my personality is to be one who is either involved or not, so I'm sure I will get involved in some way, shape or form. I have such a passion for teenagers that I'm sure the youth could use me in some capacity.
For now, though, it's just nice to once again be able to walk in a church and feel at home. It's nice to see the same faces week after week and begin to build relationships. It's nice to feel wanted and loved. I can honestly say I'm happy to once again be going to church on Sundays. And it just makes me think, why did I wait this long to start again?
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Are you ready?
Dude, where's your blog? I know, I know. It's been a while. Twenty-nine days to be exact. No excuses.
I've been reading a lot lately. Ted Dekker. Mindy Starns Clark. An autobiography about the first black athlete to graduate from Auburn. Terri Blackstock. I know, that list definitely brings to mind the Sesame Street song: "One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just don't belong."
The other night I started the first book in Terri Blackstock's Restoration series entitled Last Light. I've only made it 100 or so pages into the book, but it's already gotten me to thinking.
Basic premise: it's an end-of-times thriller where some supernatural event has knocked out all power. No electricity. Cars don't work. Water doesn't run. Basically, the main protagonists, who live in Birmingham, are shockingly sent back into prehistoric times.
I spent much of my high school years reading The Left Behind Series, a great premise that is essentially the be-all, end-all of end-of-times books, and a series that unfortunately became so successful that it dragged on and on and spawned spin-off books that never should have been written. But the original premise was amazing, and I own the entire series.
I'm not quite sure yet what direction this four-part series will take -- after all, I'm only about a third of the way through the first book -- but it's made me think just how ill-prepared I would be if something like that were to happen to us today or tomorrow or next week.
My life is very routine, and honestly, I like it that way. I get up around the same time every morning, move my vehicle so my wife can head to work, and then I get ready to work. For the most part, I work the same hours every single day (with some variance), and then I come home to my wife and pups, have supper, watch TV and go to back, only to wake up and do it all over again the next day. Sure, there is some variety in my life. Sometimes, I have to work later to cover a night event. I officiate basketball a couple of times a week as a second job. I'm contemplating taking a third job for a few hours a week to pay off some bills and build up some savings. But, honestly, my life is pretty mundane and routine.
Elizabeth and I do not keep our house stocked with perishable food and drink items. We have some candles and a few flashlights and batteries. But we go grocery shopping when we need items, not to keep a pantry full of food.
Much of my life is consumed by electronics. I live on the computer, both at work and at home. Without the convenience of my Buick LeSabre, I don't know how I would survive. Even though Alexandria isn't huge, it's not like I could get around easily if I had to walk everywhere or ride a bike. We watch TV constantly, and TiVo has changed our lives. Take that away, and you take away a major part of our lives.
Much of these characters' reaction has been one of panic and confusion, and I believe that is a natural response when everything that you know and hold dear is snatched away from you in the blink of an eye. No warning. Just one second everything works, and the next nothing does.
Would you be prepared if that were to happen tomorrow? Or if an earthquake struck your city, or a tornado destroyed your neighborhood, or if your state was the victim of the latest hurricane or tsunami? I know I'm terribly prepared, but I also know that I'm not going to do anything to change that either.
With all of the technology advancements that have occurred in the past decade alone, it's easy to become relient upon that. With iPhones and Blackberrys, wireless internet service, and the proliferation of 24/7 news cycles, we have the world at our fingertips whenever we want it. It's hard to fathom all of that just disappearing at a moment's notice. But it could happen. You just never know.
I've been reading a lot lately. Ted Dekker. Mindy Starns Clark. An autobiography about the first black athlete to graduate from Auburn. Terri Blackstock. I know, that list definitely brings to mind the Sesame Street song: "One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just don't belong."
The other night I started the first book in Terri Blackstock's Restoration series entitled Last Light. I've only made it 100 or so pages into the book, but it's already gotten me to thinking.Basic premise: it's an end-of-times thriller where some supernatural event has knocked out all power. No electricity. Cars don't work. Water doesn't run. Basically, the main protagonists, who live in Birmingham, are shockingly sent back into prehistoric times.
I spent much of my high school years reading The Left Behind Series, a great premise that is essentially the be-all, end-all of end-of-times books, and a series that unfortunately became so successful that it dragged on and on and spawned spin-off books that never should have been written. But the original premise was amazing, and I own the entire series.
I'm not quite sure yet what direction this four-part series will take -- after all, I'm only about a third of the way through the first book -- but it's made me think just how ill-prepared I would be if something like that were to happen to us today or tomorrow or next week.
My life is very routine, and honestly, I like it that way. I get up around the same time every morning, move my vehicle so my wife can head to work, and then I get ready to work. For the most part, I work the same hours every single day (with some variance), and then I come home to my wife and pups, have supper, watch TV and go to back, only to wake up and do it all over again the next day. Sure, there is some variety in my life. Sometimes, I have to work later to cover a night event. I officiate basketball a couple of times a week as a second job. I'm contemplating taking a third job for a few hours a week to pay off some bills and build up some savings. But, honestly, my life is pretty mundane and routine.
Elizabeth and I do not keep our house stocked with perishable food and drink items. We have some candles and a few flashlights and batteries. But we go grocery shopping when we need items, not to keep a pantry full of food.
Much of my life is consumed by electronics. I live on the computer, both at work and at home. Without the convenience of my Buick LeSabre, I don't know how I would survive. Even though Alexandria isn't huge, it's not like I could get around easily if I had to walk everywhere or ride a bike. We watch TV constantly, and TiVo has changed our lives. Take that away, and you take away a major part of our lives.
Much of these characters' reaction has been one of panic and confusion, and I believe that is a natural response when everything that you know and hold dear is snatched away from you in the blink of an eye. No warning. Just one second everything works, and the next nothing does.
Would you be prepared if that were to happen tomorrow? Or if an earthquake struck your city, or a tornado destroyed your neighborhood, or if your state was the victim of the latest hurricane or tsunami? I know I'm terribly prepared, but I also know that I'm not going to do anything to change that either.
With all of the technology advancements that have occurred in the past decade alone, it's easy to become relient upon that. With iPhones and Blackberrys, wireless internet service, and the proliferation of 24/7 news cycles, we have the world at our fingertips whenever we want it. It's hard to fathom all of that just disappearing at a moment's notice. But it could happen. You just never know.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Just call him 'The Fan Collector'
Note: So I answered a Facebook ad to be one of 100 people to get an advanced copy of the latest book of my favorite author, Ted Dekker. The Bride Collector will be released in April, and below is my review of the book.
Meet Brad Raines, the Denver-based FBI agent who is on the hunt for a killer unlike any he’s seen before.
Meet Quinton Gauld, the Bride Collector, who is on the hunt for seven beautiful women. They’re the chosen ones, God’s favorites, the most beautiful women in the world. And for that, they must die.
Gauld, a mentally ill psychopath, believes he’s been chosen as God’s messenger to deliver him the seven brides. He carefully handpicks the most beautiful women in the Denver area and hunts them, stalks them like the prey they are. Gauld attacks them, drugs them and drains them of their blood by drilling holes in their heels, posing each victim in an angelic pose on a wall, with a bridal veil covering their faces.
Raines’ rush to stop the killer’s reign of terror delivers him to an unlikely place, a facility for mentally ill patients who have proven themselves to be highly intelligent. It’s there that Raines meets an odd foursome whom he leans on for help in cracking the case.
One of the four, Paradise, may just be the key to the whole case. A schizophrenic who sees hallucinations when touching dead people, or a highly intelligent young woman with an extremely rare gift for seeing the last moments of a dead person’s life, Paradise could be the only person to lead Raines to the Bride Collector.
It’s not long, however, before the case turns personal for the FBI agent, as the Bride Collector taps Raines’ partner as one of his victims, and then sets his sights on a woman who’s stolen Raines’ heart as the seventh, and ultimate, bride for God.
Ted Dekker has developed a reputation over the past several years as one of the premier fantasy and thriller authors around. From his initial thriller successes Blink and Thr3e to some of his later successes such as Adam and Boneman’s Daughters, Dekker has mastered the fast-paced thriller novel.
But for as much success as Dekker’s found – and he’s found plenty as a New York Times best-seller – The Bride Collector is clearly his finest work yet.
From the opening pages, Dekker dispenses with the formalities, introducing his readers to both the protagonist, Raines, and the antagonist, Gauld. The readers know, by the third chapter, who is the villain and who is the hero. The only thing left is to hold on tight for a thrilling ride of hunter vs. hunter to see who will win.
The Bride Collector is perhaps Dekker’s most mainstream novel to date, and while Dekker continues to excel at pitting good against evil, this book stays pretty far away from any Christian themes – other than the generic look into how every person is essentially God’s favorite because of his infinite love for everyone.
What Dekker does brilliantly is challenge his readers to think about mental illness, as Raines’ eyes are opened the more time he spends around Paradise and her cohorts, to the point where Raines essentially resigns himself to the fact that, at their essence, all people are at least a little bit ill mentally.
It’s not hyperbole to point out this novel is clearly Dekker’s best yet. He’s at the top of his game, hooking readers in early and not letting them go throughout the 400-page thrill ride.
The Bride Collector catapults Dekker from his current position as one of the top Christian authors into a pantheon of the greatest contemporary literary minds such as Stephen King, John Grisham, James Patterson and Tom Clancy.
It’s clear with each passing novel that Dekker is continuing to hone his craft and churn out top-notch novels, and The Bride Collector is no exception.
Meet Brad Raines, the Denver-based FBI agent who is on the hunt for a killer unlike any he’s seen before.
Meet Quinton Gauld, the Bride Collector, who is on the hunt for seven beautiful women. They’re the chosen ones, God’s favorites, the most beautiful women in the world. And for that, they must die.
Gauld, a mentally ill psychopath, believes he’s been chosen as God’s messenger to deliver him the seven brides. He carefully handpicks the most beautiful women in the Denver area and hunts them, stalks them like the prey they are. Gauld attacks them, drugs them and drains them of their blood by drilling holes in their heels, posing each victim in an angelic pose on a wall, with a bridal veil covering their faces.
Raines’ rush to stop the killer’s reign of terror delivers him to an unlikely place, a facility for mentally ill patients who have proven themselves to be highly intelligent. It’s there that Raines meets an odd foursome whom he leans on for help in cracking the case.
One of the four, Paradise, may just be the key to the whole case. A schizophrenic who sees hallucinations when touching dead people, or a highly intelligent young woman with an extremely rare gift for seeing the last moments of a dead person’s life, Paradise could be the only person to lead Raines to the Bride Collector.
It’s not long, however, before the case turns personal for the FBI agent, as the Bride Collector taps Raines’ partner as one of his victims, and then sets his sights on a woman who’s stolen Raines’ heart as the seventh, and ultimate, bride for God.
Ted Dekker has developed a reputation over the past several years as one of the premier fantasy and thriller authors around. From his initial thriller successes Blink and Thr3e to some of his later successes such as Adam and Boneman’s Daughters, Dekker has mastered the fast-paced thriller novel.
But for as much success as Dekker’s found – and he’s found plenty as a New York Times best-seller – The Bride Collector is clearly his finest work yet.
From the opening pages, Dekker dispenses with the formalities, introducing his readers to both the protagonist, Raines, and the antagonist, Gauld. The readers know, by the third chapter, who is the villain and who is the hero. The only thing left is to hold on tight for a thrilling ride of hunter vs. hunter to see who will win.
The Bride Collector is perhaps Dekker’s most mainstream novel to date, and while Dekker continues to excel at pitting good against evil, this book stays pretty far away from any Christian themes – other than the generic look into how every person is essentially God’s favorite because of his infinite love for everyone.
What Dekker does brilliantly is challenge his readers to think about mental illness, as Raines’ eyes are opened the more time he spends around Paradise and her cohorts, to the point where Raines essentially resigns himself to the fact that, at their essence, all people are at least a little bit ill mentally.
It’s not hyperbole to point out this novel is clearly Dekker’s best yet. He’s at the top of his game, hooking readers in early and not letting them go throughout the 400-page thrill ride.
The Bride Collector catapults Dekker from his current position as one of the top Christian authors into a pantheon of the greatest contemporary literary minds such as Stephen King, John Grisham, James Patterson and Tom Clancy.
It’s clear with each passing novel that Dekker is continuing to hone his craft and churn out top-notch novels, and The Bride Collector is no exception.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thursday, February 04, 2010
It's an historic occasion
In case you haven't heard -- and if you haven't, please, I'm begging you please, climb out from under the rock you've been hiding the last couple of weeks -- the New Orleans Saints are headed to the Super Bowl on Sunday. Let me rephrase that: the New Orleans frackin' Saints are going to win the Super Bowl on Sunday!
Honestly, I can't put into words what this means. I'm a Saints fan, have been as long as I can remember. I wouldn't classify myself in that diehard category. I mean, I didn't grow up in New Orleans. I haven't been around for all FORTY-THREE years of the franchise's existence. I've only been to a couple of games in the Superdome in my life, although for as long as I can remember, I've been watching the Saints play on Sunday afternoons. I'm a fan. But I'm not like some of my friends who openly weeped when the Saints knocked off the Vikings two Sundays ago in the NFC title game to advance to Miami for a date with hometown hero Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
Still, it's a big moment in my life. Honestly, it's one I never thought would happen. Ever. I went 19 years on this earth before the Saints won a playoff game, when they knocked off the St. Louis Rams in 2001. I was 24 years old before the Saints ever really threatened to make a Super Bowl. I'll never forget the day that Reggie Bush looked back at Brian Urlacher and taunted him on his way to a touchdown in the 2006 NFC title game. At that moment, I knew -- JUST KNEW -- that we were going to lose. Reggie ... you don't piss off Urlacher!
After a couple of frustrating 8-8 seasons missing the playoffs, this year was the year. The 13-0 start. Followed by the 0-3 slump. That brought back all of the questions of whether these were just the Same Ole Saints. If you're honest with yourself, you had doubts. They looked awful. It wasn't the same team we'd followed all year. I don't even think limping into the finish is the right phrase to describe it. It was downright painful to watch. But perhaps Sean Payton knew what he was doing. The team looked DOMINANT against Arizona, then seemed like a team of destiny, somehow defeating the Vikings in the Superdome.
Honestly, if you had asked me what would happen first -- my alma mater, Louisiana Tech, winning a national title in football or men's basketball, or the Saints going to Super Bowl -- I'd have placed my money on the Bulldogs. Honestly. No, seriously, I'm not joking. Call me a disbeliever all you want. I prefer to be called truthful. I knew the Saints had some weapons. Drew Brees is as good of a QB as almost anyone in the league. The backfield combo of Bush/Thomas/Bell is very dangerous. And Brees has so many weapons to throw to, especially when Jeremy Shockey is healthy. The offense never was the question. It was the defense that had been holding the Saints back. Gregg Williams simply has done an amazing job resurrected a pitiful defense, and that side of the ball has been the catalyst to get us to this point.
Unlike a good buddy of mine from work, I'm not satisfied. He said making the Super Bowl is enough. I disagree. I want to win! Peyton Manning is the best of the best, but you don't get to the big game and not expect to win. And you don't get to the big game and not expect to not be coming back every year. The victory over the Vikings has completely changed the expectations for Saints fans. The '06 trip to the NFC title game made Saints fans expect playoff berths, but this trip to the Super Bowl will make us expect Super Bowl trips. And win or lose -- and winning is the only option -- we're going to expect to be back in the big game again and again.
It's not just the Super Bowl on Sunday that's going to be historic this weekend. On Friday, I will make my officiating debut in varsity action. I can't express how excited I am. I've put in a lot of work in my first year officiating, working junior high games and freshman games and a couple of junior varsity games, working at my craft to improve, all in the hopes that it will pay off into a varsity assignment. The season is almost over. The girls playoffs begin after next week, with the boys following the week after that. There's no chance I will get any playoff assignments, but I was hoping beyond hope for the opportunity to call one varsity game. I've put in the work, have improved noticeably, and have continued to have older officials tell me how advanced I am for a first-year official and that I'm going to be pretty good at this gig down the road. Now I've got the opportunity to call a varsity game, and I hope I can make enough of an impression that next year it's an every week occurrence.
Honestly, I can't put into words what this means. I'm a Saints fan, have been as long as I can remember. I wouldn't classify myself in that diehard category. I mean, I didn't grow up in New Orleans. I haven't been around for all FORTY-THREE years of the franchise's existence. I've only been to a couple of games in the Superdome in my life, although for as long as I can remember, I've been watching the Saints play on Sunday afternoons. I'm a fan. But I'm not like some of my friends who openly weeped when the Saints knocked off the Vikings two Sundays ago in the NFC title game to advance to Miami for a date with hometown hero Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
Still, it's a big moment in my life. Honestly, it's one I never thought would happen. Ever. I went 19 years on this earth before the Saints won a playoff game, when they knocked off the St. Louis Rams in 2001. I was 24 years old before the Saints ever really threatened to make a Super Bowl. I'll never forget the day that Reggie Bush looked back at Brian Urlacher and taunted him on his way to a touchdown in the 2006 NFC title game. At that moment, I knew -- JUST KNEW -- that we were going to lose. Reggie ... you don't piss off Urlacher!
After a couple of frustrating 8-8 seasons missing the playoffs, this year was the year. The 13-0 start. Followed by the 0-3 slump. That brought back all of the questions of whether these were just the Same Ole Saints. If you're honest with yourself, you had doubts. They looked awful. It wasn't the same team we'd followed all year. I don't even think limping into the finish is the right phrase to describe it. It was downright painful to watch. But perhaps Sean Payton knew what he was doing. The team looked DOMINANT against Arizona, then seemed like a team of destiny, somehow defeating the Vikings in the Superdome.
Honestly, if you had asked me what would happen first -- my alma mater, Louisiana Tech, winning a national title in football or men's basketball, or the Saints going to Super Bowl -- I'd have placed my money on the Bulldogs. Honestly. No, seriously, I'm not joking. Call me a disbeliever all you want. I prefer to be called truthful. I knew the Saints had some weapons. Drew Brees is as good of a QB as almost anyone in the league. The backfield combo of Bush/Thomas/Bell is very dangerous. And Brees has so many weapons to throw to, especially when Jeremy Shockey is healthy. The offense never was the question. It was the defense that had been holding the Saints back. Gregg Williams simply has done an amazing job resurrected a pitiful defense, and that side of the ball has been the catalyst to get us to this point.
Unlike a good buddy of mine from work, I'm not satisfied. He said making the Super Bowl is enough. I disagree. I want to win! Peyton Manning is the best of the best, but you don't get to the big game and not expect to win. And you don't get to the big game and not expect to not be coming back every year. The victory over the Vikings has completely changed the expectations for Saints fans. The '06 trip to the NFC title game made Saints fans expect playoff berths, but this trip to the Super Bowl will make us expect Super Bowl trips. And win or lose -- and winning is the only option -- we're going to expect to be back in the big game again and again.
It's not just the Super Bowl on Sunday that's going to be historic this weekend. On Friday, I will make my officiating debut in varsity action. I can't express how excited I am. I've put in a lot of work in my first year officiating, working junior high games and freshman games and a couple of junior varsity games, working at my craft to improve, all in the hopes that it will pay off into a varsity assignment. The season is almost over. The girls playoffs begin after next week, with the boys following the week after that. There's no chance I will get any playoff assignments, but I was hoping beyond hope for the opportunity to call one varsity game. I've put in the work, have improved noticeably, and have continued to have older officials tell me how advanced I am for a first-year official and that I'm going to be pretty good at this gig down the road. Now I've got the opportunity to call a varsity game, and I hope I can make enough of an impression that next year it's an every week occurrence.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Ask and ye shall receive
Apparently, Ryley has asked for her own blog post. At least, that's what Elizabeth says. And, well, since I'm here to serve, she will get it.
It hasn't even been two weeks yet, but she's already part of the family. Elizabeth and I were out and about on a Saturday afternoon (a day I thought I would be officiating, but I didn't have a gig) when I got in the mood to look at some dogs. There's a group of people who sell puppies near the Sam's Club in Alexandria, so we headed that way. We looked, but the selection wasn't great. The dogs weren't that group, especially when the owners started mentioning prices like $275, $350, $500! What the heazy?!?
After leaving there, we went across the street to PetSmart, which usually works with one of the area shelters to put animals up for adoption. Now there were a few cuties here, including this long-haired terrier mix that was the sweetest little thing. She absolutely stole Elizabeth's heart, and since she was only 80 bucks, we said what the heck! We weren't looking to add a second puppy until like Christmas, but you know, like the Cialis commercial says, you just need to be ready when the right moment happens.
Honestly, I've wanted to get a second dog for quite some time. I just always felt bad leaving Sandy alone in the house. Well, now she has a little sister. She's not a puppy, per se. Best we can tell -- the humane society didn't have much of a back story on her -- she's about 14 months old, only a few months younger than Sandy. We missed all of the puppy stages, and I swear she had to have been trained, because it didn't take her long to understand the doggy door, and she hasn't messed in the house!
It's been an interesting adventure. Sandy still doesn't understand this little pest that has invaded her room, stolen her bed and continues to play with her toys. Ryley, meanwhile, has just made herself at home, like she's been around since the day we got Sandy! They truly act like sisters, playing together one minute and then barking/growling at each other the next. Sandy likes to bully her little sister (and little is the appropriate word, as Sandy is about 50 pounds and Ryley is about 12!). True story: I'll give them each a piece of rawhide to chew on. Sandy drops her, goes and steals Ryley's right out of her mouth. Doesn't bother Ryley, as she goes and picks up the one Sandy drops. Then Sandy does it again. It's a never-ending cycle. Sandy wants what Ryley has!
It hasn't taken Ryley long to learn how to defend herself, though. Especially when food and treats are involved. Ryley will growl, show her teeth and snap at Sandy when she comes over to take something from Ryley. She's also learned to shield the object of her desires with her body so that Sandy can't just snatch it out of her mouth. Seriously, Elizabeth says she's got an evil side. It certainly looks that way when she bares her teeth, but I think she's just learned quickly how to survive having a bully of an older sister.
It's still early -- like I said, it hasn't even been two weeks yet -- but it's been a fun experience. She's such a cute little furball, and she's so soft. And her personality is the opposite of Sandy's for the most part. Sandy is very independent and isn't exactly a lap dog. She loves to play but doesn't want to be touched or petted much (except to be scratched on her chest, over and over and over again). Ryley, meanwhile, loves to be touched. She'll curl up with you, and she loves to roll on her back and have her belly rubbed.
The girls are still learning how to interact with one another and share things, which is certainly natural, considering Sandy spent more than a year without another dog around. I think we're making progress, but Ryley's such a natural. Despite her protective instincts, she's a sweet, loving, gentle little animal that I am so glad is a part of our family!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Going to the 'Big D' ...
For the past couple of years, I've gotten into an almost weekly bonding exercise with my in-laws. Every Sunday evening (except for the six months that I was stuck in Texas purgatory) E-beth and I cross the river to have supper at her parents and watch the PBR.
(Note: Those of you who know me -- and if you're reading this blog, then you obviously know me -- can testify that I am not a cowboy. I am not a bullrider. It's safe to say that I wouldn't exactly fit in very well behind the scenes of the Professional Bull Riders tour.)
My in-laws have been following the PBR for quite a few years, and I don't remember when exactly, but I casually began watching it with them on Sunday nights. Those casual viewings eventually turned to something more than casual. Don't get me wrong: I am by no means a fanatic, and I can certainly survive without the PBR. But I have come to enjoy it, honestly.
Like many other sports that I watch, I know the athletes. I'm not exactly sure if that's the right word. After all, most of these guys are shorter than I am, and certainly are much more crazy than I am, but you have to have some type of athleticism to continue taking the constant pounding that they take every single weekend. That's something I can respect. But it's not just the riders. I know the bulls too. Just as easily as I can point out Kody Lostroh, J.B. Mauney, Guillerme Marchi and Travis Briscoe, I can tell you all about Bones, Code Blue and Chicken on a Chain. Don't ask. I can't explain it.
I've been to a couple of the smaller events -- the PBR has its top tour, the Built Ford Tough Series, as well as a couple of minor leagues similar to baseball where young up-and-comers and older retreads attempting for one more shot at the show battle it out -- in Monroe and in Kinder (which I actually covered for the paper I work at). But I haven't been to a BFTS event, although that's going to change this month.
For my birthday, my in-laws bought me two tickets (one for me and a "friend" who they happened to assume -- wisely -- would be their daughter) to my first BFTS show. It also will be my first trip to the new Cowboys Stadium, when the PBR invades for a unique one-day event, the Iron Cowboy Invitational, which will be a little different than most events. Usually, the riders will compete for either two or three rounds, with the top 15 riders returning for a final round to determine a champion. It's usually a Friday-Sunday or Saturday/Sunday event.
The Iron Cowboy Invitational, however, is a one-day event which will pay the winner about $250,000. The top 24 riders -- the top eight in last year's standings, as well as the highest 16 in this year's standings as of last night -- will compete in a bracket-style competition against the best bulls on tour. It's the best riders vs. the best bulls -- a PBR fan's dream. I'm honestly very excited about it, but I'm even more excited about getting to watch it in Cowboys Stadium with that massive jumbotron!
(Note: Those of you who know me -- and if you're reading this blog, then you obviously know me -- can testify that I am not a cowboy. I am not a bullrider. It's safe to say that I wouldn't exactly fit in very well behind the scenes of the Professional Bull Riders tour.)
My in-laws have been following the PBR for quite a few years, and I don't remember when exactly, but I casually began watching it with them on Sunday nights. Those casual viewings eventually turned to something more than casual. Don't get me wrong: I am by no means a fanatic, and I can certainly survive without the PBR. But I have come to enjoy it, honestly.
Like many other sports that I watch, I know the athletes. I'm not exactly sure if that's the right word. After all, most of these guys are shorter than I am, and certainly are much more crazy than I am, but you have to have some type of athleticism to continue taking the constant pounding that they take every single weekend. That's something I can respect. But it's not just the riders. I know the bulls too. Just as easily as I can point out Kody Lostroh, J.B. Mauney, Guillerme Marchi and Travis Briscoe, I can tell you all about Bones, Code Blue and Chicken on a Chain. Don't ask. I can't explain it.
I've been to a couple of the smaller events -- the PBR has its top tour, the Built Ford Tough Series, as well as a couple of minor leagues similar to baseball where young up-and-comers and older retreads attempting for one more shot at the show battle it out -- in Monroe and in Kinder (which I actually covered for the paper I work at). But I haven't been to a BFTS event, although that's going to change this month.
For my birthday, my in-laws bought me two tickets (one for me and a "friend" who they happened to assume -- wisely -- would be their daughter) to my first BFTS show. It also will be my first trip to the new Cowboys Stadium, when the PBR invades for a unique one-day event, the Iron Cowboy Invitational, which will be a little different than most events. Usually, the riders will compete for either two or three rounds, with the top 15 riders returning for a final round to determine a champion. It's usually a Friday-Sunday or Saturday/Sunday event.
The Iron Cowboy Invitational, however, is a one-day event which will pay the winner about $250,000. The top 24 riders -- the top eight in last year's standings, as well as the highest 16 in this year's standings as of last night -- will compete in a bracket-style competition against the best bulls on tour. It's the best riders vs. the best bulls -- a PBR fan's dream. I'm honestly very excited about it, but I'm even more excited about getting to watch it in Cowboys Stadium with that massive jumbotron!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Haven't blogged in 10 days
This won't be a normal blog, more of a Twitter-esque blog. Short and sweet.
Not a whole lot going on. Elizabeth and I have traveled a little more recently, taken a few trips to Ruston to catch Bulldog basketball. Fun times at 17-3. Been calling some more games -- 3 junior high last night, JV tonight. Clearly improving.
Big Saints game this weekend with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. The excitement can be felt all around. Speaking of exciting, Tech has a new football coach. Sonny Dykes. Not my first choice. Or my second. But he's growing on me. Think he'll continue the momentum.
Been reading a bit more lately. Just finished Burn, the latest novel by Ted Dekker, my favorite writer. Even after finishing, don't really get the premise. Commented to Elizabeth while reading that I wasn't sure if I actually liked the book or if I was just reading it because it was Dekker. Started The Blind Side the other night and am really enjoying it. Can't wait to pick it up again.
Like I said, short and sweet. That's about all I have for now. Hopefully, I'll check in again in the next 10 days.
Not a whole lot going on. Elizabeth and I have traveled a little more recently, taken a few trips to Ruston to catch Bulldog basketball. Fun times at 17-3. Been calling some more games -- 3 junior high last night, JV tonight. Clearly improving.
Big Saints game this weekend with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. The excitement can be felt all around. Speaking of exciting, Tech has a new football coach. Sonny Dykes. Not my first choice. Or my second. But he's growing on me. Think he'll continue the momentum.
Been reading a bit more lately. Just finished Burn, the latest novel by Ted Dekker, my favorite writer. Even after finishing, don't really get the premise. Commented to Elizabeth while reading that I wasn't sure if I actually liked the book or if I was just reading it because it was Dekker. Started The Blind Side the other night and am really enjoying it. Can't wait to pick it up again.
Like I said, short and sweet. That's about all I have for now. Hopefully, I'll check in again in the next 10 days.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Jealous? Who, me? Never. OK, so maybe A LOT!
I went up to my old hometown this past weekend for a concert. It was the CD release party for one of my good friends, Grant Terry. (Quick full disclosure moment: I think I have pretty good taste in music, but I'm also very biased. I think Grant's good, has a bright future. I'm the say guy, though, who still thinks that The Common Ground Band [CGB] is the greatest worship band of all-time, yes even better than Delirious?. I also thought that Agabus was good. And if you've ever heard Agabus, well ... enough said.)
Not only is Grant a good friend of mine, but his keyboard player also happens to be my best friend. So it was like killing two birds with stone, supporting two friends in one night. And a blast to boot.
Elizabeth and I spent a little bit more money than we were expecting. Wasn't expecting an admission charge, but we gladly paid $5 apiece to get in. Then, we bought Grant's new CD for $10. No problem with that because I want to support my friend. And it's honestly worth the investment. It's high quality production from Seth Jones, who went to high school (at different times) with me, my best buddy K-Rob and Grant (who is 5 years younger than me). But I also liked the two bands that opened for Grant, a local group of high schoolers called Waltz With Me, and Oklahoma City-based David Dunn.
If they stick together, which is always a question of a young band that is approaching the decision of going their separate ways for college, Waltz With Me has a bright future. But, to me, it was David Dunn who stole the show.
I've always loved lyrics, even if I have about as much musical talent in my body as most musicians have in a fingernail clipping. Simply put, I can't sing, I can't read music, I don't play an instrument. I just don't have any musical ability, but I do love words. I love words that are strung together to form a powerful statement. And David Dunn is an extraordinarily powerful lyricist.
I purchased his newest 5-song EP, interestingly enough entitled David Dunn EP (he's so clever). All five of the songs are very well done -- great quality and powerful poetry. I grew up writing poetry, even if I haven't written much lately. I've probably written 50 or so poems in my life, and I'd say probably 8-10 of them I would label as being very strong, worthy of being put to music and turned into songs. I would do that, you know, if I had any ability whatsoever. Instead, I listen to people like Grant Terry and David Dunn and am amazed at how they are capable of doing what they do.
The song on the EP that struck a chord the most with me is Underneath Your Skin, which I believe is a poignant look at what we as a society classify as beauty. Unfortunately, we look mostly at the outer portrait to determine what is beautiful, while many times that outward skin is simply a cover-up of something truly ugly inside, which is where true beauty lies.
Here are the lyrics to Underneath Your Skin. I think you'll see why they registered with me.
Everybody stares, anytime you go anywhere you have the spotlight
Every man you meet, he really wants you to think he's Mr. Right
Friends all say that soon someday you will be famous
Oh, the pretention, all this attention goes to your head
Goes to your head
You turn the lights on and everybody knows
That you're beautiful, that you're beautiful
You leave the lights off, will they still know?
I don't think so, I don't think so
I don't think so, I don't think so
Is there more to you than your Gucci shoes and your Mercedes Benz?
They look fine when they don't define who you really are
What you bought makes people stop, give you the attention
The wandering eyes make you despise what you really want
You turn the lights on and everybody knows
That you're beautiful, that you're beautiful
You leave the lights off, will they still know?
I don't think so, I don't think so
I don't think so, I don't think so
Underneath your skin is what makes you beautiful
Don't listen to them, they just want to use you
Underneath your skin
There's women everywhere who don't really care if they are real humans
If they have nice thighs and beautiful eyes, then they're good to go
All that matters to them is attention from men, can you say pathetic?
There's two types of boring, dull and annoying, you get to choose
You turn the lights on and everybody knows
That you're beautiful, that you're beautiful
You leave the lights off, will they still know?
I don't think so, I don't think so
I don't think so, I don't think so
I'm still working on trying to decide which of the 10 songs on Grant's new CD is my favorite, although I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to one. I'll probably post the lyrics to that song a little later and give my reasoning behind why that's my favorite. In the meantime, go check out David Dunn!
Not only is Grant a good friend of mine, but his keyboard player also happens to be my best friend. So it was like killing two birds with stone, supporting two friends in one night. And a blast to boot.
Elizabeth and I spent a little bit more money than we were expecting. Wasn't expecting an admission charge, but we gladly paid $5 apiece to get in. Then, we bought Grant's new CD for $10. No problem with that because I want to support my friend. And it's honestly worth the investment. It's high quality production from Seth Jones, who went to high school (at different times) with me, my best buddy K-Rob and Grant (who is 5 years younger than me). But I also liked the two bands that opened for Grant, a local group of high schoolers called Waltz With Me, and Oklahoma City-based David Dunn.
If they stick together, which is always a question of a young band that is approaching the decision of going their separate ways for college, Waltz With Me has a bright future. But, to me, it was David Dunn who stole the show.
I've always loved lyrics, even if I have about as much musical talent in my body as most musicians have in a fingernail clipping. Simply put, I can't sing, I can't read music, I don't play an instrument. I just don't have any musical ability, but I do love words. I love words that are strung together to form a powerful statement. And David Dunn is an extraordinarily powerful lyricist.
I purchased his newest 5-song EP, interestingly enough entitled David Dunn EP (he's so clever). All five of the songs are very well done -- great quality and powerful poetry. I grew up writing poetry, even if I haven't written much lately. I've probably written 50 or so poems in my life, and I'd say probably 8-10 of them I would label as being very strong, worthy of being put to music and turned into songs. I would do that, you know, if I had any ability whatsoever. Instead, I listen to people like Grant Terry and David Dunn and am amazed at how they are capable of doing what they do.
The song on the EP that struck a chord the most with me is Underneath Your Skin, which I believe is a poignant look at what we as a society classify as beauty. Unfortunately, we look mostly at the outer portrait to determine what is beautiful, while many times that outward skin is simply a cover-up of something truly ugly inside, which is where true beauty lies.
Here are the lyrics to Underneath Your Skin. I think you'll see why they registered with me.
Everybody stares, anytime you go anywhere you have the spotlight
Every man you meet, he really wants you to think he's Mr. Right
Friends all say that soon someday you will be famous
Oh, the pretention, all this attention goes to your head
Goes to your head
You turn the lights on and everybody knows
That you're beautiful, that you're beautiful
You leave the lights off, will they still know?
I don't think so, I don't think so
I don't think so, I don't think so
Is there more to you than your Gucci shoes and your Mercedes Benz?
They look fine when they don't define who you really are
What you bought makes people stop, give you the attention
The wandering eyes make you despise what you really want
You turn the lights on and everybody knows
That you're beautiful, that you're beautiful
You leave the lights off, will they still know?
I don't think so, I don't think so
I don't think so, I don't think so
Underneath your skin is what makes you beautiful
Don't listen to them, they just want to use you
Underneath your skin
There's women everywhere who don't really care if they are real humans
If they have nice thighs and beautiful eyes, then they're good to go
All that matters to them is attention from men, can you say pathetic?
There's two types of boring, dull and annoying, you get to choose
You turn the lights on and everybody knows
That you're beautiful, that you're beautiful
You leave the lights off, will they still know?
I don't think so, I don't think so
I don't think so, I don't think so
I'm still working on trying to decide which of the 10 songs on Grant's new CD is my favorite, although I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to one. I'll probably post the lyrics to that song a little later and give my reasoning behind why that's my favorite. In the meantime, go check out David Dunn!
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