Punkin and Circumstance

As much as I hate to admit it, I go through life looking at many things with what might be termed an unhealthy amount of cynicism. That I've grown up to be a sarcastic jerk is really what it comes down to. I'm reminded of an episode of The Simpsons where Homer is part of a traveling freak show connected to "Lalapalooza." He's the dude that gets shot in the gut with a cannon ball. As he's walking onto the stage, one of the "Gen Xers" out in the crowd says, "Here's that cannonball guy. Yeah, he's cool." The girl standing next to him says, "Are you being serious or sarcastic?" He responds by hanging his head and saying with a slight bit of panic in his voice, "I just don't know anymore." I'm like that guy sometimes. I've become so used to being cynical and sarcastic that there are times where I have to tell someone explicitly that I'm being serious in a statement and not sarcastic. Last Friday, I was asked to place my cynicism aside for the evening.

My daughter, Punkin, has been attending preschool twice a week for the past year. She's loved it. Her class is small (around eight students), and she's made some friends that she would talk about constantly at home. I was happy that she was getting to know some other kids her age. It was good for her. However, we're now getting really close to summer, and school was almost done. I come to find out that they're going to have a graduation ceremony for the preschool. Immediately, my mind went to the slight silliness of the situation: "Congratulations, kids! You have 13 years of public school ahead of you plus any extra that you do post-high school! Hope you enjoyed the finger painting while it lasted." However, for the sake of my daughter, I put that aside. I decided I would enjoy myself and be proud that Punkin (and Anne) got through the year successfully. After all, there is a bit of "grading" in the sense that they recommended that she move on to kindergarten as opposed to pre-kindergarten. So there we are in our seats, waiting for the ceremony to start, juggling two boys and three different cameras (video, film, and digital) between the two of us. We've been out-numbered for a while now. They marched in to "Pomp and Circumstance." They sang some of their songs with actions that were cute, but never quite synchronized among themselves. They had a video of the year together in pictures and set to some appropriately - I hate to use the word, but I have to - sappy songs. After all, it's just not a graduation ceremony at a Christian school if you don't get to hear Michael W. Smith belting out, "And friends are friends forever..."

Then the ceremony was over. The teacher was fighting back tears as she was saying "Thank you" to the parents and all of the kids. Punkin was unusually quiet when saying goodbye to her teacher and on the drive home. After we got home, we were cleaning up all the toys in the living room like we do every night before bedtime. I went over to help Punkin put the books on the bookshelf. I saw a little bit of moisture in her eyes and asked her if everything was OK. She turned to me and said, "I'm sad that I'm not going to be able to see my friends again." Then she started to cry. I hugged her for awhile. She was like that for the rest of the evening, crying two or three more times before going to sleep. It was very sweet and sad all at the same time.

I'm glad that I had to put aside my cynicism for the day. I'm glad I was able to see my daughter "graduate" even if she has a long way to go yet. I'm also glad that I got to see a bunch of five-year-olds doing what looked remarkably like "Raise the Roof" during one of their songs. Mostly I'm just a bit melancholy to see my little girl grow up, even if it's just a little bit.

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500 v. 0.1

It was a dark and stormy night. Ok, that’s mostly a lie in that it was 3:00 in the afternoon and the sun was shining, but dark and stormy is how Frank’s mood currently was. He was strolling down the street on this Tuesday, or was it Wednesday? Have you ever noticed how Tuesday and Wednesday feel exactly the same? There’s not really a distinction between the two, aside from name. Anyway, he was walking down the street contemplating his future. He had just learned, via a friend in the mayor’s office, that his town, Guernsey, North Dakota, was getting a Big Ticket Electronics store. On any given day, this would probably be great news to a twenty-something single male, living on the edge of civilization in a college town in the Upper Midwest, but this news troubled Frank.





You see, Frank owned the only electronics store currently in Guernsey. Having been a drop out from Guernsey State Agricultural and Technical School, he purchased an abandoned store in the old downtown area on the cheap, fixed it up, and started importing computers, televisions, video games, and other various electronics into the community. Business was thriving, and he had made a name for himself as a reputable business man.



But Guernsey was like most developing communities fighting for survival on the prairie. They wanted to develop commerce. The wanted to build a mall and commercial complex that would attract potential businesses to lay roots in the community, convinced that the town had something to offer their employees outside of work. And to do that, the Guernsey City Council felt that they needed to bring in a faceless global corporation like Big Ticket Electronics.



Of course, this was great for the rest of the community. In fact, Frank may be the only person in the entire town that would be negatively affected by the expansion. But as such, Frank found himself in a sullen mood.



Shuffling down the sidewalk, he kicked a rock along the way to his apartment that was 6 blocks away from the store. As he kicked the rock, it caught the crack between to slabs of sidewalk, kicked up in the air, and cracked the tail light of a Lexus that was parked on the street, setting of it’s alarm.


“Crap,” Frank thought to himself.



A person, who appeared to be the owner of the vehicle, perked up at the sound of the alarm and dashed out of the barber shop where he had been waiting. The gentleman looked at the tail light, and with the alarm still sounding, looked at Frank. After a few awkward moments he finally reached for his keys, opened the car, and shut off the alarm. He proceeded to look back at Frank, as if expecting an explanation.



“Double crap,” Frank thought to himself.



“What did you say?” the man said in a stern voice. Frank had a bad habit of muttering what he was thinking.



“I said, ‘Double Crap,’” Frank replied timidly.

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It is Time

The time has come for a long-planned project at Pluckytown to come to fruition. I am talking about a progressive story. What is a progressive story you ask?

Well, we are going to be in the process of telling you, the reader, a story. The unique twist will be that each author/contributor will only be able to write 500 words at a time. When we reach the 500th word, we have to stop, regardless of whether it's in mid-sentence or not. There will be some challenges that will be in order, most of which I'm looking forward to:

1. Each author needs to be careful to remain consistent with the storyline. We want to entertain, but we want to do it on a consistent basis. As such, we need to avoid negating something somebody previously wrote by attributing it to a dream sequence or other such phenomenon.
   
2. Each author needs to be careful not to advance the plot line too quickly. It's not a competition. We're trying to put something forward that more or less resembles a novel, or at least a longer short story. It will definitely be tempting to try to accomplish too much in your allotted space.
3. Each author needs to remember to be original and entertaining. This first story will take shape as we write. None of the collaborators have discussed plot or characters or anything ahead of time. They will just have what has already been written to work with, and that's all.
   
4. We have been challenged by Kamp's wife, Anne, to write a story about aliens that is different from all the other ones.
   

So, without further ado, I bring you the first installment of Pluckytown's first progressive story, "500".

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Congratulations Are In Order

I'd like to take a moment and congratulate the NBA. Congratulations on a year in which you've managed to have a situation in which I don't care at all for any of the four final playoff teams. In fact, in most other situations, I would be actively rooting for the team that they were playing. The problem is that I naturally want to root against all of the remaining teams. Here's why.

• Cleveland - I try to live my life on a strictly merit-based system. I don't deserve anything until I have earned it. That's why I can't stand it when someone comes into a situation and is immediately anointed as anything along the lines of "the best." This was the situation with LaBron James. He was a young man coming out of high school with a ton of hype surrounding him when he had done nothing but run circles around opponents that were significantly inferior to him physically. He hadn't earned anything. Is he one of the best players in the NBA currently? Yes. However he has the talent to be the best player in the NBA. One of the things that the Sports Guy has talked about regularly in his NBA articles is that he has noticed James taking time off on the court. He's not driving himself to be the best. There's an unfortunately long list of athletes that have failed to live up to the hype or potential for one reason or another. Vince Carter. Ryan Leaf. Darko Milicic. Mark Prior. Randy Moss. Yes, Randy Moss. I've said before that the worst thing to ever happen to Moss was getting his big contract extension. That caused him to get rid of the gigantic chip that he had been carrying on his shoulder about all the teams that passed on him. He lost his edge. He had it in him to be the best wide receiver ever. Then he stopped caring. I'm afraid that the same sort of thing could be happening to LeBron. He doesn't seem to have the fire that drives the Hall of Fame players. It makes it very difficult for me to cheer for them.

• Detroit - When it comes right down to it, I should like this team. There's really no one who is set apart as the star of the group. One night, Chauncy is the hero. Another night, it could be Prince, Wallace, or Hamilton. They play good team defense. I even really like their coach. I still believe that Flip got a raw deal in Minnesota, by the way. I just can't do it, though. Partially, it's the fan base. They're still remembered for a riot after winning a championship and the worst in-stadium riot this millennium. Partially, it's the fact that they have one of the worst sports in the game on their team in Rasheed Wallace. He holds the record for technical fouls in a season. They might as well call the current rule about being suspended after 16 technicals the "Rasheed Rule." I don't think that I can cheer for them.

• San Antonio - Ordinarily, I'd happily cheer for this team. I love how Duncan goes about playing the game. He works hard on both ends of the floor. He's consistent. He does whatever he can to make his team better. The Phoenix series ruined it for me, though. The refs were allowing San Antonio to get away with muggings on the court. Bowen should have been suspended at least two separate times during the six game series. The Horry play was the final piece. Gudy mentioned to me the other day that it really feels to him as though the league is trying too hard to have Duncan be the face of the league because he is such a fantastic player to have others be modeled after. I'm not about to say that the league mandated that the Spurs win, but there is no other league that seems to invite the conspiracy theorists more than the NBA. They have the frozen envelope conspiracy. They have the fact that so many fans feel that the refs are out to get their team. People are convinced that they know the outcome of the game based on who is officiating. The league will continue to have an image problem until this is cleared up. The San Antonio/Phoenix series is just the latest in the series. I really can't cheer for them this year.

• Utah - Huh? What could I possibly have against the plucky underdog? Well, as you can tell from my reasoning above, all it really takes for me to be against a team is a player or two that has lost my respect. In the case of Utah, it's Carlos Boozer. I still think it was incredibly under-handed for Boozer and his agent to ask to be released from his contract because he was out-playing it and then sign with a different team. Did Utah offer more money? Yes. Would 99 out of 100 people take the money and run? Yes. That's not the point. Play out your contract and then get paid. Don't stab in the back the franchise that drafted you and put their time and effort into developing you as a player. They're the ones who got you where you are. Think of the potential tandem of Boozer and James in Cleveland. That could have been special. As it is, I can't cheer for him or, by proxy, his team.
  

So, who's the pick? Well, to win it all, I'm going with San Antonio over Detroit in the finals. Who am I going to be pulling for during the rest of the playoffs? The Twins.

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List Dominated Society

Point #1 - We live in a list dominated society. Maybe I've mentioned it before, but I can't remember, and since I'm short on material, I'll either visit it for the first time, or re-visit it.

Point #2 - We live in a list dominated society. See above. Every one of the websites that I read on a regular basis has a top ten list. Sports, especially, is drifting towards this format. Don't believe me? Just read CNNsi.com for any amount of time. They're not capable of putting new material on the site without putting it in a list. 10 greatest left-handed pitcher of all time? 20 most notorious athletes of the last 25 years? Top 15 lists posted on CNNsi.com? As a friend of mine used to say, "Easy, Cheesy!"

Sports isn't the only genre dominated by the list. Music is pretty much defined by it. Ever heard of the Billboard Top 100? Essentially any album released is a list of top 15 or so songs that a band or artist was tinkering with at the time. Music channels like VH1 are constantly having specials and shows dedicated to lists.

Since I'm not one to be original, I'll continue with the trend. In a continuing effort to post on Pluckytown on a more regular basis, when I don't have anything particular to rant about, I'll just come up with a list. So here you have it:

Top 3 Christian Rock/Alternative Albums of All-Time

3. Newsboys - Going Public - In my mind, this is a very under-rated album. While Take Me To Your Leader has probably gotten a bit more attention, and much of their later work has gotten more air time as they've become more popular, this is still my favorite Newsboys album. It's got one of my favorite songs in "Shine", as well as my personal Newsboys favorite, "Spirit Thing". Also, it has a very good song as it's last track that most people don't know about. "Elle G." is very solid, and if you haven't listened to it lately, do so.

2. Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay - I've seen "Jars" play live more than any other band. It's been a huge disappointment to me that they peaked with their first ever album, but then you think about what great quality it really was, and wonder how they'd ever top it. They haven't yet, but that's probably not to their discredit. This album is loaded with great songs from top to bottom, with personal favorites being "Worlds Apart" and "Love Song For a Savior". Also, the hidden track at the end contains an excellent little ditty.

1. dc Talk - Jesus Freak - Really, what can you say about this album? It's (for me, anyway) the standard to compare all other albums to. It's excellent from the first note to the last, and every song stands on it's own as something that is terrific. My absolute favorite song "In The Light" is found on track 10. You have "Jesus Freak" which may be the most popular Christian release ever (aside from hymns of course). I could literally say something good about every song, but don't want to get redundant. If you haven't listened to this album, or if you haven't listened in a while, make some time for it. You won't be disappointed.

Now it's your job, Reader. Discuss, disagree, fill in the final 7 spots of the top ten.

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The Raw Dirt

I never thought that it would happen to us. We've been happily married for the better part of a decade and thought we would be past the danger zone for it. I had always promised myself that it would never happen in my marriage. Growing up, I had seen what it did in my family. The division that it caused. The struggle and the strife. Here we are, though, and I see it happening in my own family. Today, we planted a garden.

When I was growing up on the farm, my mom had a big garden. By the end of the summer, we'd have all the zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, strawberries, corn, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkins, green beans, carrots, and peas that we could possibly eat. As I've gotten older, I've finally realized why she kept such a large garden for all of those years. Sure, it was nice to have all those fresh veggies to help us save money. My suspicion, though, is that Mom wanted to have some alone time. She was living in a house with her husband and three sons. All she had to do was yell throughout the house, "I'm heading out to the garden. Who wants to come help me?" and she wouldn't see us again for hours. She was able to just be in the garden and not have to worry about any of us.

For me, however, I equate it with a lot of work. All of the tilling, hoeing, planting, weeding, harvesting and cleaning took up a lot of time and energy, and always keep in mind that I'm incredibly lazy. As such, when Anne said that she wanted to plant a garden, I groaned inwardly. OK, maybe it wasn't so inward. We have a small patch of dirt on the side of our garage that we could use for just such a purpose. We measured it, and it was just enough for a few veggies as a test run to see what grows well and what doesn't. 23' X 3 1/2'. Still I grumbled. I think that I'll always equate gardening with hours in the hot sun doing work that I really didn't enjoy whatsoever. It's the same reason I put off mowing the lawn. In my mind, mowing the lawn is still the all-day event that it was when I was growing up. The job just kept getting bigger. Each time that we would get a larger mower, we'd increase the size of the lawn that we would mow. Finally get a riding mower? Now we can mow on the other side of the clothes fence. Get a bigger riding mower? Now we can mow on the other side of the drive way. To a certain extent, even though we live in town now and it's a half-hour job at most, I still have that image of hours on the riding mower ahead of me whenever it's time to mow the lawn. Perhaps it's just the curse of my long memory. Or maybe I'm just a weenie. One of the two.

So, now we have plants growing next to our garage. Two tomato plants, a hill of cucumbers, two rows of peas, four potato plants, and a row of onions. Hopefully, we'll be able to give away what we can't use. If we were smart, we'd coordinate with friends and neighbors so that each of us grows only one crop and share amongst each other, but I digress. Also, I've rarely been smart. I know, intellectually, that the work will be minimal. I'm going to try and have a good attitude about it. Honest. Still, though, you should probably pray for Anne.

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2007 NFL Draft Recap

Gudy - Brad Childress has been to me a lesson in patience. As one who follows sports rather obsessively, I tend to be on the uber-hyper-critical side of things when it comes to a team's front office and coaching. On the wings of a rebuke from a few of my more tame friends, I adopted a three year grace period for new head coaches. Brad Childress has made me question that more than a few times. But I'm willing to bite the bullet. He's still got two years to prove himself, and riding on the eternal optimism of the draft, I'm willing to enter the middling year of said grace period. With that said, let's look at the initial impression that Pluckytown had of the 2007 draft.

Pick 1 (#7 overall) - Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma

Gudy - Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe we landed Peterson with the #7 overall pick. He was second on my overall draft board, right behind Calvin Johnson, and just a tick in front of LaRon Landry. This is absolutely exciting to me. We needed to have a more dynamic offense. Well, if we draft a QB, he's got a learning curve, and who's he going to throw to? If we draft a WR, he's going to have a learning curve, and who's going to throw to him? Running back is the most natural position in the NFL. There is far less thinking to do as a RB, because you just grab the ball and run. Peterson can do that. I'm frankly not concerned about his injury history, and from what it looks like, he's also stellar at catching passes out of the backfield, which, if it's true, is perfect for Childress's dink-and-dunk offense that we saw last season.

Kamp - I agree...to a point. I'm happy to have Adrian be the new AP in town (following in the illustrious footsteps of Anthony Peeler...OK, he needs a new nickname). However (you knew there was a however), my enthusiasm is tempered until I see that he can stay healthy. Most of his injuries seem to be just freak things that shouldn't affect his long-term career, but at the same time, there seem to be some people that just attract injuries. For instance, the other guy writing on this article.

Gudy - Collarbones heal. Plus, we have the advantage of having Cedric Taylor in the backfield, so that Peterson won't have to carry a full load during his first year. I imagine that they'll alternate series, or something like that. Either way, he's much better than any alternative we would've had at #7.

Pick 2 (#44 overall) - Sidney Rice, WR, South Carolina

Kamp - I hate doing comparisons to existing players because so often that doesn't do justice to the rookie. After all, they're their own player and have to blaze their own path. That being said, I'm going to compare Rice to two existing players. His body is reminiscent of Plaxico Burress: tall and thin. There are concerns about Rice being able to get off the line on a hard jam. If he's able to handle the punishment, the physical tools (speed, height, agility) all seem to be there for him to be a very good player. Being from South Carolina and going to the Vikings, Troy Williamson also springs immediately to mind. However, he played in the run and gun Spurrier offense. I hope he can put it all together and help out the passing offense, because we all know the Vikings need it. I have to admit, though, that I was pulling for them to pick Jarrett at this point.

Gudy - I'm going to disagree with you here and say that I was much happier getting Sidney Rice than Dwayne Jarrett. Rice, even about a month ago, was going in the late first round on some people's draft boards. He's got the physical tools to really succeed, and I would venture that he'll easily be a better WR than Williamson. I'm not about to give up on Williamson either. It's not his fault the Vikings reached for him. I think Rice was the perfect guy to draft to take the focus off of Troy and let him develop at a slower rate. Jarrett is known as a good route runner, but it's also just as easy to see him as a product of the USC system. I think he'll be good, but I don't see Jarrett being a star in this league, where Rice at least has that kind of potential.

Kamp - I would point out that Jarrett also was projected as a late first-round pick in the weeks leading up to the draft, so your point is essentially moot there. I also am not ready to give up on Williamson. The rule of thumb that I've always heard with receivers is that you give them three years to develop. If after their third year they still haven't gotten it, it's time to let them go. Williamson is entering his third year in the league, so he'll be closely watched to find out if he's worth keeping around.

Pick 3 (#72 overall) - Marcus McCauley, CB, Fresno State

Gudy - I didn't know much about McCauley going into this draft at all. I've read that he had first round potential, but that an injury sidelined him last season, and he played tentatively once he came back. That makes me a tad bit nervous. But what I have heard is that McCauley can hold his own in coverage. If that's the case, we can use him in nickel situations, and move Antoine Winfield to the line of scrimmage and blitz him, at which he is TERRIFIC. If McCauley is capable of doing this, it gives our defense an entirely new dimension, and also takes pressure off both the secondary during passing situations and the D-line, because the opposing team will also have to account for Winfield. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but if that's a possibility, then we'll have a great D again.

Kamp - The gigantic concern is if he can regain his confidence. It really sounds like that's what he's lost after his injury. Corner is one of the positions on the field where you have to be nearly egotistical to truly be successful. If he can regain that confidence, he's a good to great value at this position, especially when you factor in the need for secondary help.

Gudy - For a third round pick with first round talent, I think the confidence issue was an acceptable risk for the Vikings, especially considering the revolving door their CBs were last season (aside from Winfield....Fred Smoot, I'm looking at you).

Pick 4 (#102 overall) - Brian Robison, DE, Texas

Kamp - Robison had a large drop-off in production his last season at Texas. If he can gain some strength without losing any of his quickness, he'll be better against the run and still be effective in pass rush situations. With the exception of the first pick in the draft where the Vikings took the best athlete available to them, the Vikings have been able to fill holes on their team. The lack of a pass rush was a huge problem for a team that allowed opponents to gain large yardage through the air. Hopefully, with Erasmus James coming back from injury (and hopefully avoiding bad penalties), Udeze in a put-up-or-shut-up year, and Robison joining the group, we'll see some improvement.

Gudy - I just read an article on Robison in the Star Tribune. This guy is supposedly uber-competitive, and he's a world class athlete. He's already qualified for the Olympic tryouts in the shot put. I guess, either at the combine or some other time, he's put up identical numbers to Gaines Adams in the 40, bench press, and vertical jump. He's also faster in the 10 yard dash, which is probably more important for a D-Line player, since that's basically all they'll ever have to run. If he can get in a rotation with James and Udeze, and McCauley and Alexander can contribute, we may have actually improved our defense from last year, which would be superb.

Kamp - The competitiveness aspect of things is great news. Hopefully, he'll work hard and be pushing James and Udeze to improve the play of all three. The weakest points of the defense last year was pass rush and secondary. The team is definitely addressing both of those needs.

Pick 5 (#146 overall) - Aundrae Allison , WR, East Carolina

Gudy - I admit...I know nothing about Aundrae Allison. Hold on while I do some quick research. Ok...I'm back. Well, he looks like your classic prima donna burner WR. His top comparable was Santonio Holmes. All his positives were about his great speed and quickness, and his negatives focused on lack of strength, focus, and perceived work ethic. Apparently, in the "Culture of Accountability," the Vikings were not concerned about that last negative. It also looks like it's a case of just get a bunch of WRs in camp, throw them against the wall, and see who sticks. This is the first pick where we'll take a look to see who was available immediately after Allison. The one glaring thing that I see is that Troy Smith was taken at the end of the fifth round. I know we're ready to go to battle with Tarvaris Jackson, but maybe taking a flier on Smith would have at least provided an insurance policy, because Brooks Bollinger is currently our backup, and Drew Henson our #3. Other than that, I don't think I can find fault with this pick.

Kamp - At this point in the draft, I have no problem taking a flier on a guy that could be used as a kick returner. There might be a little bit of "see what sticks" in this pick, but that's OK. It's not like the Vikings used all of their first day picks on WRs. If he contributes on special teams, great. If he is able to successfully contribute on offense, bonus.

Gudy - In essence, I don't disagree with the pick, but the fact that we could've had Troy Smith is starting to bug me. I'll just have to let that pass, and see if Allison can make a contribution to the Purple. I guess my one remaining criticism is that that there are probably plenty of tall, fast guys we could try out as a kick returner. There are only so many big-time QBs who have played in a national championship game, regardless of what scouts think that player will be at the pro level.

Pick 6 (#176 overall) - Rufus Alexander, OLB, Oklahoma

Kamp - When it comes to personnel decisions, there's a place for the "measurables" of height, weight, strength and speed (see also: Sydney Rice), but I give a greater weight to production on the field--especially when that player is coming from a successful program in a large conference. I'm not a fan of the Sooners in the slightest (just the opposite, in fact), but even I have to admit that they're a successful program. Alexander was not only a part of the program, he excelled in it. By any measure, recording over 100 tackles in a college season, which is normally 25% shorter than an NFL season, is an indicator of a very good player. He doesn't have the greatest 40 yard dash time (4.81) or "ideal" height (6'), but he's produced at a high level. Great pick in the 6th round.

Gudy - I agree with you here. Depth is a good thing to be adding in the 6th round, and if they got an athlete who can succeed in a defensive-minded program on a big-time scale, then I'm all for it.

Kamp - It's interesting to me that what once was seen as one of the weakest parts of the defense (linebackers) is now one of the stronger positions with Henderson having a great season last year, the signing of Leber last year, the (hopeful) return of Greenway, and now Alexander. The one other thing I was hoping for on the defensive side of the ball was for an understudy to Pat Williams. I don't know how much longer he's going to be able to play at his recent level and he's a very important part of the defense.

Pick 7 (#217 overall) - Tyler Thigpen, QB, Coastal Carolina

Gudy - Hold on...research. Well, his top comparable is D.J. Shockley, which doesn't exactly inspire awe and wonderment. I will direct you to my comments above about Aundrae Allison. If we needed a QB, even to be a 3rd stringer, wouldn't it have been wiser to get Smith, as opposed to Tyler Thigpen? Unless you have big plans for Allison, I really don't see the point of this pick.

Kamp - I agree that I would rather have had Smith than Thigpen if for nothing else than name recognition. However, at the same time, Smith reminds me of Eric Crouch. Good physical talent. Won the Heisman. Probably won't do much in the pros.

Gudy - If that's the case, Baltimore fans really better hope that the Ravens have a contingency plan. Everything that I've read is pointing to Smith being the QB of the future for Brian Billick and friends.

Pick 8 (#233 overall) - Chandler Williams, WR, Florida International

Kamp - I really only have one thing to say about this guy: When you're trying to rebuild a team that has been mired in scandals and trying to bring in quality, character guys, do you really want to have a player whose claim to fame is being the best receiver in Florida International history, and oh yeah, he dove helmet-first into a Miami player lying on the ground during one of the worst on-field brawls in college football history. At best, he'll probably be a decent kick returner.

Gudy - It's really hard to over-analyze 7th round picks, but again with the Aundrae Allison argument. I'm really starting to be unhappy on losing out on Troy Smith, since he apparently is the QB of the future in Baltimore already. Arghh...it still was a good draft, but this is a tad bit frustrating.

Kamp - Again, I point out that Smith probably won't do much in the pros. We have a QB of the future (in theory) in TJ. I'm fine with him for now.

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The Fun of Being Sick

Everyone knows that there are some really bad parts about being sick: the coughing, the sneezing, the head full of cotton, the aches and pains, the hot, no the cold, no the hot. However, it occurred to me as I was going through the latest version of the plague that was ripping through work or Punkin's school or church or wherever we picked up the bug that there are actually some things that I enjoy about being sick.

• Staying home. Every so often, you just need a day away from the pressures of life. Away from homework, away from deadlines, and for some people, away from co-workers/classmates. Even if you really like them, sometimes you need a break. Even if that break means that you're laying on your couch in extreme pain. Which brings me to my next point.
• Laying on the couch. I'm a simple man. My idea of a vacation means that I'm able to kick my feet up and read a book or just watch some TV. In fact, one of the ways that I'm able to forget about the fact that my body's immune system is in a revolt against the very body in which it is housed is to pretend that I'm on a mini vacation. Usually, I'm in some exotic location and made the mistake of drinking the water, which I use to explain the frequent trips to the bathroom.
• Daytime TV. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of soaps or anything like that. Well, at least ever since I stopped watching them with my dad when I was in kindergarten. However, there is one daytime program that I love to watch whenever I'm at home on the couch and sick: The Price is Right. Sure, the hair is a bit more white than when I was a kid, the money is bigger, and we're no longer treated to the familiar voice of Rod Roddy, but it's still the same insanely thin microphone, the same big wheel, and the same admonition to have our pets spayed or neutered. There's something very comforting about that. It's like he truly cares.
• Mid-weekday naps. Our weekend routine usually involves at least one of the two adults (well, one-and-a-half, since I'm not completely grown up yet) in our house being able to lay down and have a nap. However, there are many times throughout the week that I feel like I could really use a nap in the middle of the week. Being sick allows me to do just that, and Anne does a great job of chasing the kids away so I can sleep. Usually.
• In pajamas past noon. I don't know why this one is important for me. Maybe it brings me back to when I was in school and I'd wake up early on Saturdays and watch cartoons for as long as I could. Then I'd finally get dressed sometime after lunch. Good times.

As you've probably been able to guess by now, most of my list (well, OK, all of my list) involves me being able to do what comes naturally to me: being completely lazy. This way, when I'm sick, I can be lazy and have absolutely zero guilt. One day off like that is worth a little bit of physical agony. Usually.

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Third Time's the Harm?

I remember the comic book that got me into collecting when I was in junior high. It was a one-shot (complete story contained in one issue as opposed to a multiple-issue story arc) of The Amazing Spider-Man (issue #340) in which Spidey fights a group of women super villains. At the conclusion of the episode, he had decided that he wanted to be permanently rid of his powers, which he accomplished through the help of a "gracious" researcher's special ray beam gizmo. I didn't put a spoiler alert on this because the issue is now almost 15 years old. If you haven't read it by now, you probably aren't. Anyway, I collected the next 59 issues of that title, missing only #344 on my way to #399. I never got the 400th issue, for some reason. That's about when I stopped regularly collecting comics. At any rate, because that issue of Amazing was the one that got me going in my collection, Spidey's always had a very special place in my heart. It's the reason that the movies based on the comics are two of the few movies that I demanded we see in the theaters instead of waiting for the DVD. I've really enjoyed the work that Sam Rami, Toby Maguire, and the whole team have done on the first two efforts. They've remained relatively true to the source material (which I greatly appreciate) with their deviations being understandable, justifiable, and done in a way to not detract from the character. However, I'm having growing concerns with the upcoming third installment of the series.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hoping for something to go wrong this time; I just think that there's a chance of it happening. What they have going for them is obvious. The fact that the large majority of the cast is returning for the third installment of what is essentially a sci-fi/fantasy film is a testament to Rami, who also returns as the man in the big chair for number three (got tired of saying third movie) which is another plus. Rami deserves a large portion of the credit for the first two movies. They're still working with a character that has a ton of material from which to draw (40 years and counting) and, presumably, they'll be remaining true to the story lines again. Now we come to my ever-popular "however."

However, here are some of the things about which I'm concerned:

• It's still a sequel - It's incredibly rare in Hollywood for a sequel to be as good or better than its predecessors. We saw this with the Batman films, with the third X-Men movie (though the second was the best of the bunch), the Matrix films, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. Not to mention the huge number of sequels that go right to video ("Oh, hey! I didn't know that they made a sequel to that. Why is it starring Dolph Lundgrin?") The sequel successes is a much shorter list which includes Indiana Jones (at least for now, depending on how much input Lucas insists on having) and a few others. Now, a large portion of the "horrible sequel" list includes the common theme of the reigns and roles having been passed on to someone else, though the Matrix and Pirates movies also had colossal cast and crew continuity. Man, with alliteration like that, you'd think I was Stan Lee or something.
• The ego potential - Everyone involved in the film right now knows that they've done great work in the past. There is always a temptation to assume that you can just breeze through another one just like the previous (see also: Matrix, The and sequels). Are the actors going to put in the preparation necessary for their roles? Is Rami going to be as demanding of the cast since he has such a history with them? Where will they fit Bruce Campbell and Stan Lee in cameos?
• Character overload - This is my largest concern. One of the nice things about the previous two movies, is that they were really allowed to have focus. The first movie allowed us to concentrate on the origin story of the character and his battle with the Green Goblin. That was largely it, and it was a good thing. It was the first movie in what was hoped at the time to be a franchise of films. We were given the time to meet the principle characters, learn how they interact, and to care about them. In the second movie, we had the on-going love story of Peter and Mary Jane and the introduction of and conflict with Doctor Octopus, with the smaller sub-plot of Harry's downward spiral. Essentially, only two major new characters were introduced in the second movie: Doc Ock and his arms. The third movie is going in a new direction, though. We're going to be introduced to the Sandman. There will have to be at least two epic fight sequences with him along with learning his origin story. The whole sub-plot with Harry's hatred of Spider-Man looks like it'll be coming to the forefront. Peter's relationship with MJ is continuing to grow. It looks like we'll see the introduction (beyond a 30-second bit in the first movie) of Betty Brant - another love interest of Peter's. There's the symbiotic costume that will be introduced, along with where it comes from and what it actually does when Peter puts it on. In theory, we would also have the introduction of Venom in this movie as well. That's a lot of stuff to throw at an audience in one movie. The concern is that some or all of the characters won't receive the necessary development on the screen to make us care about them, which was so vital for the first two movies. Who gets short-changed? I ask you to remember the Batman series. They felt the need to keep "upping the ante" as they progressed through the movies. One villain in the first movie (Joker). Two villains in the second (Penguin and Catwoman) and third (Riddler and Two-face). Three whole villains in the fourth installment (Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze and Bane). The fourth movie is universally panned as the worst of the group. They relegated Bane, one of the best Batman villains to have appeared since 1970, to essentially being idiot hired muscle. This is the character who, in the comics, out-thought Batman on his way to breaking Bruce Wayne's back in the Knightfall story arc. I don't want the same sort of thing to happen to Venom or the Sandman. Sandman may not be a world-shaking villain, but played by Thomas Haydon Church, he should be a compelling character on film. Venom is one of the best Spider-Man villains to have appeared since 1990 (sound familiar?) and needs to be given time to show his motivation. I should probably get out of the bullets now.
  

So, as you can see, I feel pretty passionately about these characters. To a certain extent, I grew up with them, and I want them to be treated with dignity and care. And I hope that Rami and the crew cause this whole post to be laughable in about a month.

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