Random Thoughts, Vol. 3

• Should I be worried that when my daughter is wearing her pink sunglasses, she strangely makes me think of Kurt Cobain? She has that same straight blond hair for one thing, I guess.
• Except that she's sober and alive, of course.
• Today's sign that I'm getting old: I went over to a friend's house for a gaming night (he just purchased a Wii) the other day. It was a lot of fun. However, it's now two days later, and my shoulders are still sore.
• That reminds me: I'm out of shape as well as getting old.
• There are few things in this world that are as sad - in the completely superficial and selfish sense - as an empty bowl of ice cream.
• Of course, if your stomach is hanging out of the front of your XXL Styxx shirt, you might want to consider skipping Cold Stone for the evening.
• John in Poughkeepsie! Hello!
• I was out for a walk this morning and saw tons of ants all over the side walk. I think there's something brewing...
• ...and I, for one, welcome our new ant overlords.
• In case you missed the above statement, yes, I am walking for exercise. I never thought I would either. I justify it by telling myself it's a way to catch up on podcasts.
• Speaking of podcasts, currently on my list: MacBreak Weekly, 7th Son Trilogy, The Bitterest Pill.
• The NBA draft is this week. I'm much more interested in the draft than I was in the playoffs, and that's a really sad statement for the league.
  

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Geek Vs Casual Fan: Trading KG

By Gudy and Jeff Kamp

Welcome to a new feature of Pluckytown known as "The Geek Versus the Casual Fan." The point is to take someone with (hopefully) deep knowledge about a subject and have the debate go back and forth with someone who's more of a casual observer of the topic at hand.

Today's topic will be the debate about whether to trade Kevin Garnett away from the Timberwolves or to keep him for the upcoming season. With that topic in mind, here we go.

Round 1. *Ding!*

Geek: One of the biggest things to keep in mind when discussing a trade of Garnett is the fact that he's been increasingly frustrated with the organization and their continued incompetence when it comes to putting a team around KG. He wants to win. He knows he's getting towards the end of his career. He's averaged over 38 minutes per game over an 11-1/2 (because of the strike-shortened year) season career. That's a lot of wear and tear on his body. Especially when you consider how intensely he plays the game.

CF: That's the beauty of keeping him, though. I really appreciate his intensity and his unselfishness. I realize that he's probably the only tradeable asset on the Timberwolves, but he's also the only asset worth watching.

G: He's the only asset worth watching right now. This team is going nowhere with the roster as it is. They have a very nice start to the off-season by trading James for Howard, but they need to continue to wipe the slate clean as far as bad contracts go. As much as I love KG, his contract has really been the cornerstone of this franchise's being hamstrung. A trade would, hopefully, bring back a young player, an expiring contract or two to help alleviate the cap issues, and at least one draft pick, hopefully lottery. Those are the building blocks of a watchable team.

CF: Garnett is by no means over the hill. So why can't he be a part of the rebuilding project? Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, Craig Smith, and the 7th pick would do well to have a savvy veteran around to teach them the ropes. That's five players right there to mesh together in order to win some games. We have some pieces perhaps some team would be willing to add, namely Ricky Davis, and perhaps adding one or two more veterans along-side Juwan Howard to help out would be the start of a decent team.

G: I honestly think that, at this point in his career, Ricky Davis is considered by most to be really damaged goods. He's had six teams in nine years and has garnered a reputation of being a bit of a head case and a guy who only gives full effort some of the time. I'm really concerned that McCants is starting to lean towards being a bust, along with the fact that he and Foye are essentially the same player from the standpoint of being a combo guard that relies on quickness and doesn't have the greatest defense. The problem for McCants is that Foye is turning out to be the better player. I completely agree about having a savvy veteran around for the younger players. That's why it's great to have Howard in the fold. He can be a calming influence on these young men and put an arm around them when they screw up, whereas Garnett is more likely to stare holes through their heads with his sheer intensity - a trait (the intensity) that I admire in Garnett and that works great on a veteran team, which the Timberwolves aren't and can't be because of the cap purgatory they're in.

CF: Davis may be "damaged goods" and he may have a reputation, but he does one thing in this league well, and that's score points in bunches. There will always be someone to pay him for that. Moving him, and perhaps one of the other stiffs, would be more beneficial than keeping him, shipping Garnett, and having even more youthful inexperience for Juwan to babysit. I'm sure Howard is at a point in his career where he's fine being somewhat of a team leader, but I'm not sure he wants to be the go-to-guru that he'd have to be as the old man on a young team.

G: The problem is that we have no idea what the Wolves would be able to get for Davis. Most likely, it'd be some other team's baggage/bad contract that doesn't help what the Wolves' main problem remains: age and salary cap. We know what we'd get back for KG based on the proposed deal from the Celtics, to which they agreed in principle: a young, rising post player (Jefferson); an expiring deal (Ratliff/Szczerbiak); getting rid of more baggage (Hudson); and a very high draft pick (5th overall), which could very easily turn into the player that I covet most for the Wolves in Corey Brewer. That fills many of the needs of this team in one deal. Granted, the only one who would give the Wolves, currently with one of the worst GMs in the league in McHale, such a deal is one of the other worst GMs in the league in Danny Ainge. Of course, we can only dream about that deal now, since Garnett's agent stamped down that possibility.

CF: Well, the question we need to be asking is: Is Garnett/Brewer/Whoever we'd get for the baggage better than Brewer/#7/Jefferson/expiring contracts? If the answer is yes, we shouldn't trade Garnett, because there is the definite possibility of Brewer falling to us at #7, and we wouldn't have to move KG.

G: The likelihood of Brewer falling to 7 is pretty low. Our own mock draft, as "homerish" as we can be, didn't have Brewer falling to the Wolves. It's much more likely that he goes 5 or 6. If the trade was able to be made, we'd be looking at a starting lineup of Foye/Brewer/Hassell (or maybe Jarik)/Jefferson/Blunt. That's not even mentioning the #7 pick, which could very well be Spencer Hawes to man the middle or Jeff Green to take the small forward position away from Hassell/Jarik. That's a very nice and athletic young team that might take a year or two to start to come into their own, but by that time, the Wolves will be out from the cap troubles and able to sign a mid- to high-tier free agent. That, to me, is much better than a team with horrible cap issues and a rapidly-aging star who frightens everyone around him with his intensity.

CF: The fact that we'd HAVE to be starting Hassell in that situation is enough to make me cringe. A young, developing team does not need to be having an offensive liability making up 20% of it's starting lineup. Hassell needs to be coming off the bench as a defensive stopper. Also, Hawes scares me a bit, as he hasn't fully developed, and might not. What if he's all he's ever going to be? If we're moving a proven, elite, scoring big man for a good big man (Jefferson) and a completely unproven one (Hawes), that seems like a step down to me.

G: Compare apples to apples: Jefferson isn't that far off from Garnett's numbers last year. (J/G) - Minutes: (33.6/39.5) Pts: (16.5/22.4) FG%: (51.4/41.6) Reb: (11/10.4) Assists: (1.3/4.1). And you have to factor in that Jefferson is nine years younger than KG with his best years yet ahead of him. I want to have a team with a young, talented nucleus that can grow together. Of course, that means we have to trust management to draft and sign free agents correctly.

CF: And that's where I finally agree with you. In the end it all comes down to trust. Or lack thereof. I don't trust management to make any correct decisions, and so I'd rather just sit tight in my comfort zone with KG.

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500 v. 0.4

The instructor sighed. "Try again," he said, replacing the earlier sarcasm with the patience of a man accustomed to teaching students who took a bit of time to come around. A hint of command came through his voice.

"This will be the fifth time," snapped the young man without any patience. "It won't work."

"Derek," said the instructor, "Now is not a time to doubt yourself. Now is a time to be sure and certain. Now is a time to understand that we have an important task ahead of us. Now is a time to stop thinking, doubting, and questioning. Now is a time to act. Try again." This time there was no patience, only command.

"Now is a time that I can't stop thinking, doubting, and questioning." Derek thought to himself. "Here we go again," he said out loud.

Lining the closest wall was an assortment of shelves full of jars which seemed to house large moths. Upon closer examination, however, these were not moths at all, but very small birds. Apart from being much smaller than most birds, and having red beaks instead of yellow, there seemed to be nothing ordinary about these creatures. Many were brown with black stripes, some were pure gray, and some were completely black with a white tip on the tail. Derek chose a particularly docile gray bird. As he removed the jar from the shelf, the bird seemed to know that it might soon end up in an ash heap. The bird began a frenzied flight inside the jar. "So much for being docile," Derek thought.

He placed the jar lid-down on the white dais and began to twist the lid. Managing to open it slightly, he quickly removed the lid and kept the small gray bird captured in the jar. On either side of the dais were two slightly crude looking contraptions. They looked as though they were supposed to act as a pair, but their lack of perfect symmetry suggested otherwise. They were made of what appeared to be bronze, but the metal was a much more orange than brown. Derek turned a plastic knob clockwise on one, and counter-clockwise on the other.

A soft hum began to fill the room. Derek quickly moved back to the dais and removed the jar as the hum became louder. The small gray bird, believing itself to be finally free, attempted to fly any direction it could away from its current location. Just as it seemed that freedom was inevitable, the hum became a loud, clear note. The bird was captured in mid-flight with its wings and talons spread.

"Excellent," commented the instructor. "Proceed."

More knobs awaited Derek. As he turned each one in a memorized pattern, the hum became louder and still more clear. It was as though gorillas had decided to form a choir and sing one pitch without ceasing. Derek was about to push himself past the point of no return.

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List Dominated Society: Cartoon Theme Songs

Continuing with a theme from an earlier post, today we are going to explore what should be another controversial topic: Cartoon Theme Songs. The one caveat is that these cartoons are all pre-2000. I haven't had much time for cartoons since, much to my dismay.

I don't think that there's a person I know who has watched as much cartoons as I have. This is both a boast and a lament. It's also the product of two different things: (A) I've watched and incredibly ridiculous amount of television in my 27 years on Planet Earth, and (2) I don't know that many people. With these in mind, here are what I deem to be the best cartoon theme songs of my youth. Feel free to disagree...just know that you're wrong if you do. :o)

7. Captain Planet: This is both a dark horse candidate and the exception to the rule. While most theme songs are played during the opening credits, you have to wait to the ending credits to hear this remarkable song that starts off, "Captain Planet, he's our hero, gonna take pollution down to zero." Excellent stuff.

6. Smurfs: Best use of La's...ever. The link is to the actual theme song. Make sure you take the time to watch the opening show sequence, which is the top related video.

5. Duck Tales: "Life is like a hurricane, here..in..duck..berg.." Come on, you're already singing along, aren't you?

4. Gummi Bears: I love this song. Seriously. It's just happy.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Besides being a kickin' tune, it provides you with some solid background information on the main characters. We learn that Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines, Raphael is cool but rude, and Michaelangelo is a party dude. Good to know.

2. Animaniacs: This might be the funniest cartoon ever, after Wile E. Coyote & Roadrunner of course, and I still know all the lyrics to the opening theme.

2. The Simpsons: The Simpsons perfected the random ending theme & variations to their theme song, and this link is quite possibly the best of the intros.

1. Ren & Stimpy: The top two themes on this list don't have words, and sadly the top theme doesn't even have a link. I was unable to find an adequate video or sound clip to link to, but this song is totally awesome. If you don't know it, just trust me.

Honorable Mention: Tale Spin and DarkWing Duck were not included, as they were spin-offs of Duck Tales and I was trying to get a good variety of shows represented here. It's just not fair if the same people are over-populating a meaningless list like this. Pinky & the Brain was also omitted for the same reason as it was a spin-off of Animaniacs. I desperately tried to figure out how Thundercats would fit in, but it just doesn't. It turns out that all I really wanted to do was reference "thunder, Thunder, THUNDERCATS, Hoooooooooooooo!" And I just did.

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On Anticipation

We've all experienced it. The movie that we've been seeing previews about for months. The CD of your favorite band that has that one fantastic single they've been playing on the radio. The laptop for which you've been saving your money for months. Finally, the day arrives. You rush home and rip open the package. Sometimes, it meets all of your expectations. Sometimes, you're disappointed in the final product, and the disappointment is all the more bitter because of how much emotional investment you had in the source of your disappointment. For my kids, they looked forward to Halloween while I dreaded it to a certain extent. ("Yes, they do look cute in their outfits. They're five and two. No, we don't live in the neighborhood. We're from Hawaii. Honest.") I had a bit of anticipation recently where I was looking forward to reading a comic book that I had borrowed from the library that I had heard about for a long time. It was The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.

Don't know who Jeph Loeb or Tim Sale are? That's OK. You might be familiar with some of their work, though. Tim's artwork can be seen prominently displayed throughout the first season of the series Heroes. Every painting that Isaac did in the show was actually done by Tim Sale. Why did they use Tim's artwork? Well, one of the executive producers on Heroes was Jeph Loeb. He also was one of the writers on the series. He also worked on a couple of little series that you may be familiar with: Smallville and Lost. He also wrote both Teen Wolf movies, but we won't go in to that.

Anyway, I had heard about Batman: The Long Halloween for quite some time. It's the sequel to Frank Miller's Batman: Year One which chronicles some of the early adventures of the Dark Knight. I had gotten a large stack of graphic novels from the local library with Halloween being among them. I had determined to read it last, however, since I like to save the best for last. I had some concern that I would be let down. Would it live up to the expectations? The hype? I remember when I watched Pulp Fiction for the first time. Everyone had been talking about it for months. We listened to the soundtrack while lifting weights in school. Finally, I was able to watch the movie. I didn't like it at all. Sure, it had a couple of memorable lines, but it just wasn't a movie that I liked at all. Would Haloween be the same? No, it wouldn't.

Halloween is comics story telling at its finest. Loeb and Sale weave a dark crime noir story within Batman's Gotham City surrounding a series of murders done on holidays. They play with all of the heavy-hitters of Batman's rouges gallery - the Joker, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow - while we see the clues unravel and see certain characters' sanity unravel. There were several legitimate surprise twists that I didn't see coming at all. It was well worth the wait.

The thing about anticipation is that when your expectations are met instead of being shorted, it almost brings about feelings a relief instead of joy. Another one of those human nature sort of things, I guess. Maybe we just need to not allow ourselves to anticipate things so much. I'm going to start that right after I finally have enough to purchase my laptop.

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500 v. 0.3

First Section


Previous Section



Frank blushed, smiled, and shrugged sequentially. He bid farewell to Chuck, squinted at his watch and continued his sullen march down the street, this time with more focus and purpose in his step. Not only was he about to be shut down, financially speaking, by a large electronics store, but now some jerk who knew his name was going to be dropping his name at the mayor’s office.




He made a mental note to put forth more of an effort to keeping his thoughts to himself. He made a second mental note to stop talking to himself out loud. The third mental note he made had something to do with buying a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, and a stick of butter at the convenience store on the corner. A fourth mental note was mostly unintelligible, but certainly worried Frank more than the previous three.



Frank picked up the pace of his stride, and was so lost in his thoughts that he walked right past his apartment building. He definitely wasn’t ready to be cooped up in his empty one bedroom living space after the events of this day. Fresh air was going to be the only thing that would help him sort out his thoughts right now. Well, fresh air and a cheeseburger. And a strawberry shake. And some onion rings.


He walked for two or three blocks more, and turned down an alley way. The alley was just like any alley you’d find in small-town America. One side was lined by a solid brick wall of a building whose previous owner had thought it wise or interesting to paint it some unusual shade of blue. The other side of the alley was lined by some kind of vine that had long since won its battle with a ten-foot wooden fence. A yellow and black butterfly was suddenly bobbing around Frank’s head.



The driver of a car passing by in the opposite direction failed to notice that said alley way was completely empty two seconds after Frank had turned down it, save for a small yellow and black butterfly.

Meanwhile, in a place quite some distance from Guernsey, North Dakota, a young man with pointy ears removed his goggles after the flash of light had subsided. His hair was singed, and soot covered his face.



“Well, that went well,” An older gentleman who appeared to be an instructor or mentor sarcastically commented. The marks on his sleeve identified that he was, in fact, an instructor.



“Perhaps next time, I should supply the barbecue sauce and some tongs,” the instructor continued dryly.



The young man did not reply. Perhaps he did not hear the gentleman because of the ringing in his ears. Perhaps he chose to dwell on his own perceived failure, and silently acknowledged his instructor’s tone. Whatever the case, the young man stared down at a pile of soot on the center of a solid white dais where a small flying creature had rested moments before.

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Yaaarrrrrr!

Anne and I seem to develop traditions with movies. During the run of Lord of the Rings movies, we would go to see the current one during Christmas with at least part of Anne's family. It was a lot of fun, but left us with a bit of a hollow feeling when they were all done. Then, we went and saw the second Pirates of the Carribean movie with some friends of ours. At that point, Anne was expecting Squeaker. This time around, they were expecting. If they make another one, we're going to have to flip for who's going to be expecting at that time. Vegas currently has odds saying that it'll probably be me.

Anyway, we were all a bit disappointed with the second film. It seemed to me to be a series of events put in place to be able to get from one gigantic set-piece to another. There was a lack of the solid and coherent story that made us care about any of the characters that we fell in love with in the first film. A good summation of the situation was done by the brilliant people at Ask a Ninja. Check out their review of the second film.

I'm a completist. If I have one album of a group that I really like, I try to collect them all. If I have one graphic novel of a series, I try to get them all. If I watch one movie, I try to see them all. Such was the case with The Matrix, even though I saw that the series was very quickly going downhill. To a certain extent, when you were disappointed with the second movie in a series, it helps the third movie by lowering expectations. You aren't necessarily expecting to watch a fantastic movie, so there's no let-down. This helped Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End.

All of the major characters are back: Jack Sparrow (excuse me, Captain Jack Sparrow), Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner, and their crew. Elizabeth and Will are charged with the task of retrieving Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones's locker. I was disappointed that they didn't have a Monkey's song playing when they were there, but such is life. They are opposed by Lord Bennet and Davey Jones himself, who has really let himself go since the sixties. OK, I'm done with the same name jokes.

Ultimately, I think that the best thing I can say about the third pirates movie is that it's significantly better than the second film. For one thing, the third move has an actual plot, which was a nice change of pace. It's also significantly darker than either of the first two films and has the gigantic, epic battle that's becoming standard in these sorts of movies. However, it still doesn't nearly approach the classic (yes, I said "classic") that the original film was. To a certain extent, they should have just left the first move to stand on its own without creating sequels. I think we all would have been happier for it.

Final Verdict: two-and-a-half large, floppy hats out of five.

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NBA Mock Draft

Not to be confused with our Mockery of a Mock Draft, Kamp and Gudy have decided to actually try to predict, prognosticate, foretell, or guess at the actual outcome of the upcoming NBA draft. This should be interesting, because Gudy knows very little about the NBA, and is rather annoyed by the league, and Kamp's feelings are pretty evident as well. The format will be much like our Viking's Draft Recap, except Kamp will be taking the odd numbered picks, and Gudy will be taking the even ones. Each pick will be made one at a time, with the selector explaining his pick, the other responding to that, and finally the selector responding to the response. We hope you enjoy!

1. Portland - Greg Oden, C, Ohio State University
   
• Kamp - The temptation is to say that they should select Kevin Durant based on the fact that they have LaMarcus Aldridge and Zach Randolph to play on the front line, and they could use perimeter help. However, Aldridge is young and talented enough to play the 3, and they could use a solid center to rebound and play defense, which we know Oden can do well. Any offense they get from him can be viewed as a bonus.
• Gudy - I believe that for a rebuilding team like the Blazers, the right move is to trade Randolph during this off-season or next, and to build around Oden, Roy, and Aldridge. This is pretty much a no-brainer.
  
• Kamp - I don't know why it is, but I keep forgetting about Roy on this team. He's a great player in the making. With the addition of Oden, Portland has a great young nucleus of players.
  
2. Seattle - Kevin Durant, SF, Texas
• Gudy - The temptation here is to see Portland without a swingman, and with Aldridge and Randolph already manning the paint. Seattle doesn't really have a viable big man, but I think Rashard Lewis' time is limited with Seattle, and Durant makes a nice combo with Ray Allen and has a good point guard in Luke Ridnour to get him the ball.
• Kamp - Durant actually fits in with what Seattle likes to do better than Oden. Oden would run out of gas in a big hurry in the up-and-down style that Seattle plays. The problem, of course, is that if Seattle takes Durant and keeps Lewis, who plays/guards the likes of Garnett, Duncan, and Nowitzki in the West?
  
• Gudy - That's why I think they let Lewis walk...I don't think it really fits into their philosophy to keep both of them on the same team...plus, I just read that Lewis opted out of his contract, so he is officially a free agent now.
  
3. Atlanta - Al Horford, PF, Florida
• Kamp - What we decided to do in this mock draft is to make those picks that we would make if we were the team. Horford comes from a winning program that prided itself on working together as a team. Hopefully, he can help solidify an Atlanta team that has been in disarray for years now. Mike Conley, Jr., could also be the pick here.
  
• Gudy - If Atlanta really has their eye on Conley, I'm wondering if they'd consider trading down a few spots to take him. I can see someone falling in love with Horford or the Chinese guy and putting something together to move up to this spot.
  
• Kamp - I don't usually like the idea of moving down when the player that you want is there. If you really like Conley, take him even if you think that you could get him a few picks later, because you can't be certain that he'll still be there.
  
4. Memphis - Brandon Wright, F, North Carolina
• Gudy - This is another team with a distinct PG need, although I still don't think anyone is ready to reach for Conley yet. Wright and Horford are going back-to-back in most mocks on the internet, and if Horford is gone when Memphis picks, I could see them going Wright here.
• Kamp - I don't know that Wright is a good pick for them here unless they're moving Pau, which is a real possibility. Wright is still raw, so he gives Memphis another excuse as to why they're not winning yet.
  
• Gudy - I pretty much made this pick under the assumption of a Gasol trade. Trading Gasol means that they need to land a PG, though. If Chicago is still in the running for Gasol, I could see Ben Gordon as a real possibility, although he's not really a true PG.
  
5. Boston - Yi Jianlian, FC, China
• Kamp - I have to admit that even though I'm the one making the pick, I'm not that crazy about it. It's a very high risk/high reward sort of pick which I don't normally like teams making (e.g. Ndudi Ebi). At the same time, the only centers that the Celtics have on the team right now are Olowakandi and Ratliff. Most of the other positions have established people (Jefferson, Pierce, and Szczerbiak, for instance). Again, Conley is another possibility.
• Gudy - Looking it over, my guess is that Jianlian could end up going to Memphis as well, but this pick makes sense for the Celtics. He's starting to get the same type of buzz that Andrea Bargnani had going into last years draft, and if he plays scrappy, the C's might not have to wait so long for him.
  
• Kamp - Boston has plenty of time to wait, though. They seem to be perfectly happy to make questionable move after questionable move and not have the pressure put on anyone to win games. Usually, it's exactly the opposite. It's interesting to me that we have three former Celtics players in positions of authority in the league right now (Bird, Ainge, and McHale) that seem to have managed to not learn anything from Red Aurbach during their time in Boston.
  
6. Milwaukee - Corey Brewer, SF, Florida
• Gudy - While my dreams have him sliding one more pick to the T-Wolves, Brewer is a logical pick for Milwaukee with Mo Williams and Michael Redd at the 1 & 2, and Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut at 4 & 5. Brewer slides in as a defensive stopper/slasher at the 3, and really provides this team with a new dimension.
• Kamp - Fantastic pick for the Bucks. In a relatively short period of time, they've assembled a great group of young players to be a solid core for many years to come. Makes me wonder how they're going to screw it up, but I digress. Brewer strikes me as the kind of player who wants to do whatever it takes to have his team win. From defense to shooting threes and everything in between, he just wants to help the team.
  
• Gudy - Brewer brings a lot to the table. He's an amazing athlete, he's a winner, and I've heard him described as "Trenton Hassell with useful basketball skills."
  
7. Minnesota - Jeff Green, SF, Georgetown
• Kamp - There have been a lot of rumblings about the possibility of taking Conley here, but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a very guard heavy team like the Timberwolves unless they can move Mike James and one of McCants/Foye for some front-court help. That's not to say that I'd prefer to have Conley over Green, though. Green really makes sense for the team in need of youth in the front court to help out KG. Green is very much like Brewer in that he wants to help the team win.
• Gudy - I'm not sure I agree with this pick. If Brewer is gone, I'm probably hoping for Joakim Noah in this situation. Another one I'd personally rather have than Jeff Green would be Julian Wright. But I'm usually wrong about the NBA, so maybe this is a good pick.
  
• Kamp - The only stats in which Wright is better than Green are FG% and rebounding along with being an inch taller. I really liked what I saw from Green during the whole NCAA tourney, not just the Final Four. Green is a better scorer and passer. That's why he's the pick. Also, because I forgot about Wright, to be honest. That would have made the pick more difficult to make, but I still think that Green's the better pick for the Wolves.
  
8. Charlotte - Julian Wright, SF, Kansas
• Gudy - He seems like a good fit for Charlotte, especially since the Bobcats are in an almost identical situation with Gerald Wallace as the Sonics are in with Rashard Lewis. He's an unselfish player with exceptional passing skills for a forward, teaming him up with Raymond Felton will help this team maximize their scoring potential by finding easy points on each possession. He's not an offensive liability either, and since he's better at scoring in the post, he may also take some pressure off of Emeka Okafor and help prevent him from being the next Ben Wallace. How's that for name dropping?
• Kamp - Wright is a nice upgrade from Wallace, who had done nothing in the league until, surprise, it was his contract year. He's another guy who's following in the footsteps of Tim Thomas. Charlotte is another team that has a good young core. If only they could get Sean May to care.
  
• Gudy - May's presence was what kept me from going big with Joakim Noah. He still remains a possibility here.
  
9. Chicago - Joakim Noah, PF, Florida
• Kamp - I hate having to make this pick. I had promised myself that I wouldn't pick Noah under any circumstances. However, it makes sense at this point since the Bulls need some young size in the low post which Noah would provide. Now, I must explain. I have inexplicably been convinced that Noah will be the new millennium's version of Christian Laetner. He just strikes me that way.
  
• Gudy - Noah makes sense here, because the Bulls don't really have any players on their team already who are defensive specialists/energy guys that can't play offense. He probably would've been a better fit in Sac-town.
  
• Kamp - I'm detecting the sarcasm in your voice. The thing of it is, though, that Noah is about 20 years younger than Ben Wallace looked for a good portion of this year. He fits in better with the Bulls and their current youth movement (Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Nocioni, Thomas). Also, I think it's a bit of an exaggeration to say that he has no offense.
  
10. Sacramento - Mike Conley, Jr., PG, The Ohio State University
• Gudy - While the Kings probably need to find someone to fill their front line out, it's too tough to pass Conley up here. You get the replacement for Bibby that they've been longing, and Bibby is a very tradeable piece that might bring the size they covet anyway.
• Kamp - If they can get any value for Bibby, then it's a great pick. Otherwise, it makes no sense since Bibby is the best player on the team that's not certifiably crazy.
  
• Gudy - They've been shopping him for two or three seasons now...if they are going to move him, they'll do it with Conley in the fold.
  
11. Atlanta - Jarvis Crittendon, G, Georgia Tech
• Kamp - If this is the way that things pan out, then Atlanta is upset that Conley just went off the board. They would have been ecstatic if he would have fallen to their second pick. As it is, they'll settle for the project that is Javaris Crittenton. He needs to improve the assist/turnover ratio a bit, but he should have fun running with the other very skinny people in Atlanta. I'm looking at you, Josh Smith.
• Gudy - This is a surprising move with Acie Law still on the board, but it actually fits with what Atlanta has done in the past...questionable moves.
  
• Kamp - And that was the decider for me. I was going back and forth between Jarvis and Acie. The thing that tipped the scales was the fact that it's Atlanta.
  
12. Philadelphia - Spencer Hawes, C, Washington
• Gudy - On a squad that is in all-out rebuilding mode, Hawes makes a lot of sense, since they already have a decent guard in Andre Iguodala. This adds another dimension to their offense.
• Kamp - At this point for Philly, they just need warm bodies that can play. The question for Hawes is can he add the strength that he'll need to play the 82 games of an NBA season? After all, he's nearly seven feet tall, but only weighs in at 250.
  
• Gudy - Plus, this would theoretically give Philly a formidable front line with Hawes and Dalembert. I say theoretically because they both might amount to nothing.
  
13. New Orleans/OKC - Al Thornton, SF, Florida St.
• Kamp - Chris Paul gets a running mate in form of a very athletic small forward. This will give David West some help in the paint as well, if Thornton can get the offensive rebounds and put-backs.
• Gudy - I think this is a fairly safe pick for New Orleans. They're probably a team that just needs to add talented players and depth.
  
• Kamp - Talent is what Thornton gives them. His pro comparison is Shawn Marion. That's a good bit of talent.
  
14. LA Clippers - Acie Law IV, PG, Texas A&M
• Gudy - Let's see...Shaun Livingston has a catastrophic injury right now...Sam Cassell is um, Sam Cassell, and he's out the door soon anyway. This pick makes sense.
• Kamp - Very good pick for the Clippers. While I wasn't that impressed with what Law did during the the tourney, he still should be able to become a good point guard for the Clippers. Hopefully, he'll only learn basketball skills from Cassell instead of how to handle the business side of things.
  
• Gudy -If I'm the Clippers, in this situation I'm keeping Law as far away from Cassell as possible...and trying to keep Cassell from even knowing that they drafted him.
  
15. Detroit - Josh McRoberts, F/C, Duke
• Kamp - McRoberts does a little bit of everything. He averaged 10 points and nearly eight rebounds for the Blue Devils last year and while I can't say that he'd be a steal here, he should be a good pick for the Pistons. However, always keep in mind that he's a Blue Devil, so he's probably overrated.
  
• Gudy - This might be a reach, but it's still a solid pick...McRoberts killed his draft stock by staying in school. Perhaps he's a little more mature and savvy, though, and should be able to help out at least a little bit. Plus I'm sure he and Rasheed Wallace will be fast friends.
  
• Kamp - Even if he did kill his draft stock by staying in school another year, he ends up in a better situation than he most likely would have last year. He's going to a team that has been to five straight conference finals and he'll be able to take minutes away from the player formally known as Chris Webber.
  
16. Washington - Jason Smith, C, Colorado St.
• Gudy - I'm not exactly sure if the Brendan Haywood/Etan Thomas catfight has been resolved yet, but the Wiz could probably do with shoring up their frontcourt.
• Kamp - Adding a legit center to the Wizards will really help this team on the rise. They have their point guard for the next decade in Arenas, a very good small forward in Butler, and a very good five in Jameson.
  
• Gudy - I don't think Jameson is necessarily a five. He probably classifies as a #4, but still, I get your point.
• Kamp - Oops.
  
17. New Jersey - Thaddeus Young, SF, Georgia Tech
• Kamp - This seems to be a banner year for small forwards in the draft. Thaddeus provides New Jersey insurance for when Vince Carter decides that he's worth a lot more money than he really is and bolts the Nets.
• Gudy - And he provides insurance for when Richard Jefferson looks at himself in the mirror wrong, and throws out his back...or whatever other freak injury awaits him.
  
• Kamp - Yeah, I hate when that happens. You hate to see players who would be really, really good if they could stay healthy. See also: Baron Davis.
  
18. Golden State - Tiago Splitter, F/C, Spain
• Gudy - Not really sure where the Warriors are going here, especially after a fantastic run in the playoffs. I took Splitter because of the unknown factor, and because I'm curious what a Tiago is, and why anyone would want to split it.
• Kamp - I think it's Portugeuse for "Chad Ford loves my upside." I'm also looking forward to when he decides he's a big enough star to go down to one name. Will he go with Tiago or Splitter?
  
• Gudy - I think you would have to go with Tiago in this situation, as you potentially could have Ike Diagu (I think he's a Warrior) and some guy named Tiago.
  
19. LA Lakers - Aaron Brooks, PG, Oregon
• Kamp - The Lakers' biggest need off the court is for someone to tell Kobe to shut up and just play basketball because he's not the GM or the coach. The Lakers' biggest need on the court is a point guard. Brooks is the best one available at this point. He's quick and not horrible on the defensive end of the court. He needs to look for his teammates a little more at the net level, though, since he only averaged a little over four assists per game.
• Gudy -I'm going to guess that anyone in California is going to be more than a little wary of drafting a guy in charge of passing named Aaron Brooks. Just a hunch. At least that's why Golden State, based very near Oakland, passed him up...
  
• Kamp - Yeah, but he's trying to make a name for himself that isn't immediately followed by "is a complete failure."
  
20. Miami - Nick Young, G/F, USC
• Gudy - This is the highest pick left on CNNsi.com's mock draft that we haven't taken yet. I don't know much about him, but he went at #11 over there. If he's still available, it seems like a logical pick for the aging Heat to just take the best player left on the board.
• Kamp - The Heat are continually digging themselves an ever-deeper hole by going for aging veterans and trading away all their youth. Of course, it's gotten them an NBA championship, so what do I know?
  
• Gudy - That's a good debate to get going...What's more valuable, one championship, or several year of enduring greatness where you may not win the championship?
  
21. Philadelphia - Rodney Stuckey, G, Eastern Washington
• Kamp - At 6'4, he's able to play both guard spots and averaged five assists in his Sophomore campaign. There's always a bit of risk in selecting smaller-school players, because you can never be too certain if they're that good of a player, or if they just excelled against inferior opponents. At the same time, let's not mince words. Philly is terrible and needs all the help it can get.
• Gudy - As we delve further into this draft, we are increasing the percentage of players I've never heard of. So, I'm just going to agree with you on this one.
  
• Kamp - As it should be, my friend. As it should be.
  
22. Charlotte - Alando Tucker, F, Wisconsin
• Gudy - I waffled on this one a bit. It was between Tucker and Afflalo, and ultimately I went with Tucker because Charlotte could really use a mature player who's ready to contribute. Tucker is certainly that. While I doubt he'll ever be a star in this league, he should at least be a useful player who can make a positive contribution to the Bobcats.
• Kamp - Didn't we just give Charlotte a small forward a few picks ago? Let me check. (scroll, scroll, scroll). Yes, we did. What they needed at this spot was the best shooting guard available. I'm disappointed by this pick. Mainly because I wanted to cause controversy.
  
• Gudy - Again, this pick was about adding talent that's ready to contribute. Julian Wright is a project. Alando Tucker is what he is.
  
23. New York - Rudy Fernandez, G, Spain
• Kamp - Disclaimer: I have never seen this guy play. However, from looking at some of his draft profiles, he strikes me as a slightly more athletic version of Allan Houston. He definitely needs to put on some muscle, weighing in at only 172 pounds, but he can shoot and get to the hoop. After all, the Knicks need scoring.
  
• Gudy - I agree. I think.
  
• Kamp - Well, that makes one of us at least.
  
24. Phoenix - Arron Afflalo, G, UCLA
• Gudy - The Suns have two first round picks, and I see them wanting to add a shooter here, and maybe a project that they can stash away in the NBDL for a little bit. Afflalo fits the profile.
• Kamp - Why waste a first-round pick on someone you want to stash in NBDL? That's what the second round is for.
  
• Gudy - Because if you believe he has first round talent, but you don't want to waste his development time sitting on the bench, you let him play regularly in the NBDL...That's why.
  
25. Utah - Marc Gasol, C Spain
• Kamp - Utah is a team that seems to keep making the right moves. They picked up Okur, who's been a great player for them. They essentially stole Boozer from under the nose of the Cavs, and he finally gave them a full season of work. Gasol gives them a huge body in the middle to take some of the punishment and rebounding duties from Boozer. If he can score as well, bonus.
• Gudy - Plus, his name is way better than his brother's, so he's got that going for him, too.
  
• Kamp - How many times do you suppose Pau has heard "Um...you forgot and 'l'"?
26. Houston - Herbert Hill, PF, Providence
• Gudy - Just what the Rockets need: A mature big man who's ready to step in right away, contribute solid minutes, protect Yao in the paint, and hit the boards. It might be a stretch taking him here, as some people have him projected in early first round, but you draft for need, and that's what I did here.
• Kamp - Yeah, drafting for need worked out so well for the Trail Blazers in '84, didn't it?
  
• Gudy - Well, the Blazers weren't drafting 26th overall, were they?
  
27. Detroit - Marcus Williams, SG, AZ
    
• Kamp - Very good mid-range game and has a three-point shot. Not the greatest on defense, but that should be hidden on Detroit pretty well. Might play some point as well.
• Gudy - If there's any team where "not the greatest on defense" can be compensated for, it's Detroit. Now, it remains to be seen how much he can contribute.
  
• Kamp - I agree with what you said, although it's obvious that Detroit isn't what it used to be on defense. I don't think LeBron would have scored 48 against the Pistons teams with Ben Wallace in the middle.
  
28. San Antonio - Ante Tomic, C, Croatia
• Gudy - Well, they have a few dudes from America, a dude from the Virgin Islands, a dude from France, a dude from Argentina...now they'll have a dude from Croatia. Seems fitting.
• Kamp - San Antonio is one of the best internationally-scouting teams in the league. Their one big misstep was Rasho, but they didn't draft him.
  
• Gudy - I think they have a few more foreigners on the roster that I didn't mention, so this is right up their alley...unless the guy stinks, that is.
  
29. Phoenix - Morris Almond, SG, Rice
• Kamp - Not the insane athlete that one would think Phoenix would normally favor, but he's a great spot-up shooter. With Nash driving to the hoop and dishing to Almond, he should have plenty of open looks from three.
• Gudy - I have read an article that the Suns could potentially be looking at Jared Jordan, a PG out of Marist here, but that might be a reach since most people see him as a "second half of the 2nd round"-type pick.
  
• Kamp - Taking a PG wouldn't' be the worst idea in the world due to Nash's age, but they have Barbosa to spell Nash if he needs it.
  
30. Philadelphia - Gabe Pruitt, SG, USC
• Gudy - Again with the NBA-ready talent theme, Pruitt is a talented college junior, and he'll be most ready to play and contribute for a mostly talentless 76ers squad.
• Kamp - They just need warm bodies, mainly. That and a new GM.
  
• Gudy - I agree.
  

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500 v 0.2

Previous section.

The man seemed to ponder these words for a moment.

"Yes, I would say it's 'double crap,'" he said with some form of East-coast accent that would distinguish him significantly in this town of mostly second- and third-generation Scandinavian immigrants.

Frank sighed heavily.

"Look, I'm sorry about the rock. I didn't mean for it to happen, honest. I'll pay for any repairs."

"Do you expect me to believe that this was all an accident, Frank?" the man replied.

"How do you know my name?"

"You haven't answered my question." This was obviously a man who was used to having people jump when he said "frog."

"Well, I do expect you to believe that it was an accident because that's exactly what it was. Now, how do..."

The other man cut him off.

"I think that we should ask the cop over there." He raised his voice to a shout. "Hey! Officer! Yeah, you. Come over here."

This, thought Frank, could be really, really embarrassing.

The officer made his way over.

"How can I help you fine gentlemen today?" he asked cheerfully.

The car owner, whom Frank had started to refer to as "jerk," didn't even let Frank start to open his mouth. "This guy just committed an act of vandalism, and I demand that he be arrested and charged accordingly."

The officer's eyebrows rose a bit. He then turned to Frank, "Hey, Frank."

"Hey, Chuck."

"What happened?"

"I kicked a rock. It bounced up and hit the tail light."

"Did you apologize?"

"Of course."

"Offer to fix it?"

"You need to ask?"

The man was staring at them incredulously. "You know what this is?" he finally said in a huff. "This is police corruption. I have a meeting with the mayor later, and I'll be sure to mention this to him officer..." (he looked at the name tag) "...Richards."

Chuck was starting to get a bit annoyed with Jerk himself. "It's your civil right to do so, sir. When you're there, would you mind asking the mayor if he could give me a ring after he sets up our tee time tonight? Save me the trouble."

Jerk's face turned a new shade of red. He stepped up nose-to-nose with Frank as he said, "I will break you." Then he turned to get in his car.

"I'm still willing to pay for the taillight," said Frank.

"Don't bother! It's a rental!" Jerk growled. He slammed his door and drove off.

Frank turned to Chuck. "I didn't know that you golfed with the mayor."

"Neither does the mayor. I just figured it would be the quickest way to remind the guy that he's not in New York or wherever he's from."

Somewhere around the fourth circle of Hell if you ask me, thought Frank.

"I see your inner-monologue is broken again."

Next Section

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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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