Sunday With Doodle

Hopefully, it's been fairly obvious as I've been writing here that I love my kids. They're often hilarious, always interesting and occasionally infuriating. Doodle lately has been daddy's boy lately, so he's been needing some time to be with me. We thought that this weekend would be a good time for the two of us to get out on our own and see a movie, especially with the way that he's been talking so constantly about Wall-E. I figured that we'd get home from church, eat a quick lunch, put Squeaker (and Anne, to be honest) down for a nap and head off, just us boys, for the movie. As many things seem to go in my life lately, none of this went according to plan.

We arrived home from church, as planned, but Doodle was a bit frustrated about something which, honestly, is immaterial at this point. I had to physically lift him in to the house from the garage because he wasn't coming in. This only served to frustrate him even more. Before moving on, it 's worth mentioning that since he was a little past two years old, Doodle has worn glasses due to being severely far-sighted. He's been fantastic with his glasses for the most part, diligently wearing them every day and usually being careful with them so they don't break. Anyway, after lifting him in the house, I turned away and hear Punkin gasp. I turned back around and saw that Doodle had taken his glasses off his face and snapped them in half. Needless to say, he got a bit of a chewing out for that along with some time in timeout.

Then, of course, came the inevitable conversation between Anne and myself which could essentially be boiled down to answering the question "What now?" It was finally decided that we should head to a local eye wear establishment since they could get him new glasses today. You see, when hes' not wearing his glasses, one of his eyes severely cross in. In fact, this was how we first discovered that he needed glasses. At first we just thought he was being goofy after having discovered that he could cross his eyes. We never guessed at the time that his eye was crossing because the muscles were straining so hard to allow his eyes to focus on whatever he was trying to look at. Quite honestly, when he's not wearing his glasses, it pains me to see his eye cross like that.

We knew that heading out for this sort of shopping experience could get a little bit (dramatic pause) interesting. For one thing, we were scheduled to go to some friends' house for supper, which would come up quickly since we had to essentially cross town almost twice in the allotted time. Added to this is the fact that Squeaker hadn't had a nap that day yet. Both Squeaker and Punkin would essentially have to stand around while we focused our attention on Doodle with him trying on pair after pair of glasses. The solution, as it often is, was the promise of candy.

So, after much trying on of glasses and debate back and forth, we settled on a pair of glasses for the young man. They said that the glasses would be done in about an hour. Since it was then nearly three, we figured they'd be done a bit before four, which would have been just enough time to get home, gather the necessary things for supper. No problem. We went to a couple of other stores, looking for things that we might need for a potential camping trip in the near future and then went back to the eyeglasses store a few minutes before the assumed time of delivery.

Just Doodle and I went in to the mall to retrieve the glasses. Him because they probably wanted to check the fit of the new glasses on him and me because the last time we let Doodle go around the mall on his own, he came out with a bunch of stuff that we really didn't need. He is, after all, only three.

We got in the store and they went in back to check on his glasses. We were told that they had to "resurface one of the lenses," so it'd be another 15 minutes. I called Anne and delivered the bad news. "Just hurry," was the response.

While we were waiting, Doodle decided to take advantage of the time to talk a bit. He wanted to play a game called "What's Your Favorite..." in which he asks a question about a person's preferences. Each player takes turns answering the question. We talked about favorite superheroes, books, songs, and colors. We talked almost the entire time that we were waiting for his glasses to be done. The glasses ended up taking a half hour longer than originally anticipated instead of the fifteen minutes that we were told when we first got back. By the time we got back to the van, Squeaker was in nearly complete meltdown and Anne was quickly reaching wits end. We were late for our supper appointment.

Despite all of this, I really enjoyed that half hour that I got to spend with Doodle just talking about what he likes. He's the middle child and can often get lost in the shuffle, but when he's able to have the individual attention, he really seems to blossom. He's a pretty cool kid. When he's not destroying his eye wear, of course.

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NBA Draft In Hindsight

I've held off writing my review of the latest NBA draft for a very specific reason: I needed to make sure that there was enough distance between my current time and the time of the draft to avoid saying something that I might regret. I know that a good portion of my writing style involves writing such that you really hear my "voice" coming through the page, but I didn't want that voice in this case to be that of a raving lunatic. A mildly upset lunatic will have to do. I was so upset after the draft that I could hardly see straight. Here's the crazy thing, though: I actually wasn't all that upset about trading away Mayo.

Now I probably need to clarify a bit. In our mock draft, I desperately called for McHale to draft Mayo with the third pick. I know that the Wolves had a glut of guards at that point. In fact, some of the guards could have been viewed as having similar skill sets as Mayo. Both McCants and Foye were of similar statures to Mayo, at least physically. Mayo, however, brings a significant amount more talent to the table. There's a reason that a team selects in the top five positions in the draft. Either it's through shrewd dealings with other teams, or the fact that your team was horrible and in desperate need of help. The Wolves definitively fall in to the latter category. Falling in to the former category are the Pistons who, for all of their smart decisions in other cases, learned this the hard way in the 2003 draft when they skipped selecting Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosch, or Dwyane Wade because they had those positions "covered" and instead selected Darko Milicic with the second overall pick after the Cavaliers took LeBron. They've been haunted by that selection ever since. When you're drafting in those slots, regardless of how you received the pick, you need to select the best possible player. You don't draft with need in mind at all.
Mayo was widely considered the third best prospect in the draft, so when the top two prospects came off the board, he became a no-brainer. I would have been very upset with almost anyone else being drafted in this slot.

I was actually still awake when the trade came down. When I saw that the Wolves had gotten rid of a horrible contract (Marko Jaric) to go along with Mayo and received Love, Miller and a reasonably-serviceable defensive center (Collins), I thought that it was a reasonable trade for both sides. Did I like giving up the potential superstar in Mayo? Of course not. Did I mind giving up the potential headache in trying to get him signed? Again, of course not. I didn't think there would be too much of a problem signing Mayo to the rookie deal, but there were already people talking about how the Wolves would have a hard time getting Mayo signed to an extension. Then again, if you make your roster moves in basketball based on what could happen in four years, you don't deserve to be a basketball executive. Of course, we've been saying that about McHale for years, so anything is possible. I'm not crazy about Al Jefferson having to play more time at the center position when he and Kevin Love are on the court at the same time. However, I love the fact that the Wolves have a legitimate three-point threat in Miller. To me, the combination of Love and Miller makes the deal worth while. I would have liked to get one of the Grizzlies' young point guards and one of Milicic or Marc Gasol, but it's still a reasonable deal.

Now, if you've been paying attention, you're probably wondering what it was that infuriated me about the Wolves' draft night. It all comes down to the second round. The Wolves had the first pick of the second round along with the fourth pick (34th overall). By the time their pick came around, I looked at the "best player available" list. I saw two surprises in that list: Chris Douglas-Roberts and DeAndre Jordan. They were both thought to be border-line lottery picks, so to see them still available was a shock. Needless to say, I was very disappointed to see the Wolves pick someone I had never heard from and in researching him, found that he won't be a help for at least two years. Then the 34th overall pick came up and they were both still available. The Wolves picked...neither of them. They selected Mario Chalmers, a point guard who had hit the final shot to win the NCAA tournament. I suppose I could deal with that. Then they traded him away for two second round picks next year. How exactly does this make sense? Yes, there were stories about Jordan's "stock" dropping because of "poor workouts." The infuriating thing is that in games, you don't go through workout drills. You play basketball! Jordan is admittedly still quite raw. In 20 minutes per game, he averaged almost 8 points and 6 rebounds per game to go with 1.3 blocks. If those numbers were to hold over 40 minutes in a game, that would be 16 points (reasonable), 12 boards (very nice) and 2.6 blocks (great). What Big Al needs right now in a front-court mate is rebounding (check) and defense (check). Most importantly in my mind, is the fact that Jordan would allow Al to play his natural position. CDR is a very skilled scorer who gets to the basket and to the foul line, which are two skills the Wovles could really use. And the Wolves could have had both of these players. I love the thought of having a lineup of Foye, CDR, Brewer (defense), Al, Jordan with Kevin Love and McCants coming off the bench. That is a very young, skilled lineup. You're still hoping that Brewer, Jordan and Foye progress and make use of their potential, but that potential is huge. That's what upset me about the draft. Having two very high second round picks and getting nothing immediately useful out of them. Way to go, McHale.

The news that actually spurred me to finally write this all down is the Wovles trading a 2.8 million dollar trade exception to the Sixers for two players and a first-round draft pick. This means that if everything falls in to place as expected, the Wolves would have four first-round picks and three second-round picks in the 2009 draft. The Wolves would have to fall in the top ten after the lottery, the Celtics would have to be out of the top three, the Sixers would have to be out of the top ten, and the Miami Heat would also have to fall out of the top ten (I think). All of this has started me thinking that the Wolves strategy is to constantly have the Wolves' fans in the worst state in the world of sports. "Maybe next year..."

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NBA Mock Draft 2008

Yes, we know that the draft was last Thursday. However, the fact that both Gudy and Kamp are busy people with families and the illusion of a life meant that we weren't able to get this posted prior to the start. However, we assure you that the great majority of the picks were made previous to the actual selections. Therefore, we still feel like we're being honest. At least as far as you know.

1. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis

• Gudy - This is probably the obvious pick. He's from Chicago. He's a PG in the mold of Chris Paul. Everyone is claiming how PG's are more valuable in today's "New NBA", blah, blah, blah. I was going to be bold and creative and take Beasley, because he feels a need. But here's the deal with drafting: You do what makes your team better in the long run, and I feel that Rose makes the Bulls better in the long run. With him, they can shop Hinrich and Gordon for an upgrade at SF or C. He doesn't come with the baggage, or the apparent selfishness, that Beasley comes with. And, Chicago can save money and just give him Jalen Rose's old uniforms. It's really a win-win for everyone involved.
• Kamp - It's not just probably the obvious pick. It is the obvious pick. They have some more moves to do like signing Deng to a long-term contract, but the Bulls are looking good for the future.

2. Miami Heat - Michael Beasley, F, Kansas State

• Kamp - Another obvious pick, in my opinion. Beasley completely dominated the college game this past season. There are some character concerns along with questions about exactly how tall he is, but Beasley should step in and put up solid to very good numbers all season long. This will hopefully translate in to great numbers down the road. Selfishly, I want Miami to screw up the pick, but this is what I would do.
• Gudy - The one real question this raises is how will Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley handle a shared spotlight. It worked for Shaq and Wade, since Shaq was the "crafty vet" who took Wade under his large, law-enforcing, wing. Now Wade is the vet, and will Beasley disrupt the pecking order? His talent is undeniable, though, and you worry about chemistry later.

3. Minnesota Timberwovles - O.J. Mayo, G, USC

• Gudy - Here's one (among many) major flaw in this exercise: We are both operating under the premise that each team makes their allotted pick. Essentially we're just drafting the slot. But in this case I want the T-Wolves to trade down to the 5-8 range, upgrade their team, and draft Kevin Love. Reports have Milwaukee, Memphis, and the Clippers salivating after Mayo. I'd love to pick up a PG from Memphis, a few extra picks so the Wolves can trade up and snag Augustine or Bayless at the point, or Hibbert at C, or get Villanueva from Milwaukee. Then I'd select Kevin Love, who aside from Beasley and Rose is the only other player I really like in this draft. I think he'd pair perfectly with Big Al - he does all of the little things that would allow Al to focus on scoring and rebounding. Since I don't have the ability to trade the pick, even in a fantasy/fictional scenario, Mayo is the pick. He's got perhaps the most talent of anyone in the draft, and he's easily the best player on the board. Take him, trade Foye and or McCants, and build around Mayo and Jefferson.
• Kamp - For the love of all that is holy, McHale, if you pick here, select Mayo. He has become the obvious third-best talent in the draft. I also wouldn't have a problem with the Wolves trading down to improve their team, but I'm not quite as sold on Love. The biggest advantage of selecting Kevin, besides his passing ability out of the post, is all of the really bad jokes/song references that will be made by talk radio. The biggest problem I have with picking him is the fact that he would cause Al to play another year out of position. In Gudy's senerio of possibly picking Hibbert (which I wouldn't mind doing late in the first round), you wouldn't be able to have all three players on the court at the same time since none of them can guard a perimiter player.

4. Seattle Supersonics - Kevin Love, PF, UCLA

• Kamp - I know that there are some that would prefer having Durant play power forward to completely abuse a slower defender, but I don't think that he has the strength to do that on a consistant basis. With Love, they have a big that can draw his man away from the basket and help open up the floor. They still would have dificiancies on the defensive end, but offensivly, Love helps make the world go 'round. And that's the kind of comment that I'm talking about.
• Gudy - This is a surprise here, especially with such an obvious need at PG, but I can see it. In response to your comments on Love above, Hibbert is pretty much going to be a backup in this league, anyway. With Love, Hibbert, and Big Al, the Wolves have an effective three-man rotation in the post. And I disagree about the three of them being on the court at the same time. Love could play a big three, with Al at the four, and Hibbert at the five. Then you have Foye and Brewer at the guard positions. That's a solid lineup, for a stretch.

5. Memphis Grizzlies - Joe Alexander, SF, West Virginia

• Gudy - I have two reasons for making this pick, and they both involve Memphis being the one team in the league that is consistently better than the Timberwovles at making the worst possible decision with player personnel. Alexander is the highest rising name in the draft. He's athletic, he's aggresive, and he's a project. With Love off the board, and the lack of ability to make a trade here, Memphis tries another home run swing on a knuckleball. Alexander should be slotting closer to 10, but Memphis is massively screwed up, and I think this pick makes sense if I'm channeling my inner Chris Wallace.
• Kamp - Wow. 40% of the draft so far is white. I'm shocked. I could see Joe being essentially a more athletic version of Adam Morrison with a worse shot. I would point out at this point that we should be making the pick that we would make if we were the team. Not what Chris Wallace or Kevin McHale would do. Also, they have Rudy Gay at the position right now, so I don't see how this pick makes much sense at all. But I still love you, Gudy.

6. New York Knicks - Eric Gordon, G, Indiana

• Kamp - The Knicks are a mess. I don't know of anyone outside of the Dolon family that thinks they're close to winning. I don't know how well Gordon will do as a pro, but he brings a lot of talent to the table. In my mind, he's a poor man's O.J. Mayo. He will be asked to run the point for stretches in New York or playing next to Nate Robinson when the Knicks go small.
• Gudy - I'm not sure I like this pick here. Gordon is already coming from one volatile situation at IU. The Knicks would be a terrible fit for him...well, for almost anyone, really. I should also mention here that I lost interest in this draft as soon as Kevin Love went off the board. Just wanted to point that out.

7. L.A. Clippers - Jerryd Bayless, PG, Arizona

• Gudy - I go Bayless here over Westbrook because of the Chauncy Billups comparisons. The Clips may be on the verge of losing both Corey Maggette and Elton Brand. They need to build from scratch. In Bayless, they get a floor general who can score on his own and distribute. He has the chance to become the best player on the court for their team, a la Brandon Roy. Had they more mature scoring and leadership options available, I would have gone with Westbrook.
• Kamp - Love this pick. They can't rely on Livingston coming back healthy at this point. Bayless could come in and go for a run with Thornton. His distribution skill are still in question, but when you're drafting in the top ten, you go for talent, and Bayless has that in abundance.

8. Milwaukee Bucks - Russel Westbrook, PG, UCLA

• Kamp - Milwaukee is another team that has a mess for a roster. If they're serious about shopping Mo Williams, they need a point. There's also talk about them shopping Michael Redd, so a guy that could play in either guard position really helps hedge their bets about being able to trade one or both of the players. Westbrook will hopefully provide them with a good young core to go with Bogut and Yi. I admit that my initial pick was going to be Brook Lopez, but I have to factor in the fact that they still have Bogut, Gadzuric, and Villanuava in the front court.
• Gudy - Makes sense, and as you mentioned, Milwaukee's roster is a mess right now, so I really can't argue drafting a point here.

9. Charlotte Bobcats - Brook Lopez, C, Stanford

• Gudy - Even though I'm supposed to take into account who I would pick here, there are a number of factors that went into this decision. First, Gallinari has stated he wants to play in NY. The Knicks didn't take him, so the Nets are the next logical destination for him. Second, Larry Brown loves ready-to-contribute college players, and if Brown's my coach, you make him happy. Lopez isn't a project, so he can step right in and be a bust alongside Adam Morrison and Emeka Okafor. With this pick, the Bobcats might have the most disappointing young frontline in the NBA.
• Kamp - For the Bobcats, it's a case of sticking with what you're good at. I don't think that Lopez with be a complete bust. He'll be a contributer to a team. The only problem is that I don't know if that team can be the Bobcats with the questionable moves that they've been making.

10. New Jersey Nets - Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State

• Kamp - Right now all of New Jersey is horribly mad at the Bobcats for having taken the center that they really wanted. They settle for the second best white center in the draft. Koufos helps them a bit in the rebounding and should also help protect the rim (he averaged 1.8 blocks per game). As an added bonus, his name sounds like he could have been the villan of a mid-80's spy novel.
• Gudy - We have a slider on our hands. Who will take Gallinari?

11. Indiana Pacers - Danilo Gallinari, SF, Italy

• Gudy - Best player on the board. I rest my case.
• Kamp - Not a bad pick. With the flops of high-profile Europeans (e.g. Tskitishvili, Bogut), G.M.s should have a bit of hesitation with drafting them so high. Gallinari has potential. It's another question of if he will realize that potential.

12. Sacramento Kings - D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas

• Kamp - We finally start getting to teams that don't have complete messes for rosters. Sacramento has servicable pieces in most of the other positions, but lack much of anything at the PG positino. They would be very excited to have Augustin fall to them here. He'll step in and immediately upgrade the offense as possibly the second best pure PG in the draft.
• Gudy - As long as Sacramento keeps their defensive core (read: Ron Artest) intact, a PG like Augustin with such glaring defensive liabilities makes sense. I like the pick.

13. Portland Trail Blazers - Brandon Rush, SG, Kansas

• Gudy - I almost went Mario Chalmers here, which would free up Roy offensively at the two. But Roy has proven that he is at least adequate at running the point, and Rush will be a better pro, in my opinion.
• Kamp - I love this pick. Rush is my choice to be the player selected way too late for how good he is. Secretly, I'm hoping that if the Wolves make a draft-day deal, Rush will slide to the point where they'd be able to get him. I don't hold out too much hope of that happening, though.

14. Golden State Warriors - Marresse Speights, PF/C, Florida

• Kamp - The Warriors have no rebounding or toughness on the inside. Speights provides both of those after averaging over 8 rebounds per game in just over 25 minutes per game. If he maintains that over 40 minutes, he's a solid 18/11 guy with around 2 blocks per game. If they can teach him to pass out of the post, he could help them generate their fast break very well.
• Gudy - Right now, Speights is the anti-Joe Alexander. He's slipped further than...I can't even come up with a proper analogy here. Solid pick for the Warriors, who could use a solid big to help protect Andres Biedrins, if he stays.

15. Phoenix Suns - Mario Chalmers, PG, Kansas

• Gudy - Because Steve Nash isn't going to live forever, and because Barbosa is being talked about hotly in trade rumors as we speak, er, type.
• Kamp - Here's what we know: the odds of Phoenix actually being the ones to make and keep this pick are very, very low. In fact, Bill Simmons has written about the team that they could have had. I consider Chalmers to be projected higher than he deserves because of the Final Four heroics. My thought for right now is high bust potential.

16. Philadelphia 76ers - Anthony Randolph, PF, LSU

• Kamp - What's a team to do? They need size and a shooting guard. Unfortunately, the best prospects on the board at those positions have some major questions. We don't know if Randolph will be able to fill out to handle the rigors of holding down the paint. We don't know if Darrel Arthur will be able to keep himself motivated to give consistent effort. At this pick, the talent and potential of Randolph wins out.
• Gudy - I'm fine with this pick here. The 76ers are a young team that can afford to develop someone like Randolph. He seems to be a good fit here.

17. Indiana Pacers - Donte Green, SF, Syracuse

• Gudy - The Pacers just picked up TJ Ford from Toronto with a pick for Jermaine O'Neal. They'll have to start rebuilding their front court. Green is the best player on the board. This works.
• Kamp - Um, the Pacers already have a very good SF in Granger. Are either of them quick enough to defend shooting guards in the league? Questionable pick, in my opinion. They need size with the trading of O'Neal.

18. Washington Wizards - Robin Lopez, C, Stanford

• Kamp - Washington is in need of a big body for the middle that isn't a head case (I'm looking at you Brendan Haywood!) Lopez isn't going to be a top-flight scorer, but the Wizards have scoring covered. They need rebounding and defense, so Lopez won't have too much to learn.
• Gudy - They need a big, but that's all they're getting here. Lopez struggled with rebounding in a weaker PAC-10, we can't expect that the light is suddenly going to turn on in a faster, more talented NBA. At least this isn't a lottery pick, or this would have bust written all over it.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers - Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown

• Gudy - Varejao is expected to be gone, and Ilgauskas isn't getting any younger. Hibbert will provide a more than serviceable option for the current rotation, and someone who can move into a more prominent role as time moves on. I like him almost infinitely more than Robin Lopez.
• Kamp - Excellent pick. I probably should have taken him the pick earlier, to be honest. Maybe I was secretly hoping he'd fall to the mid-20's so the Wolves could move up and get him.

20. Denver Nuggets - J.J. Hickson, PF, NC State

• Kamp - The Nuggets are currently one of the more disfunctional teams in the league. Who knows if Iverson or Anthony will be back for next season. What they need right now is some size up front to help Camby out with the rebounding chores and also to hedge their bets in case Nene isn't able to return.
• Gudy - My initial reaction to this pick: Who?!? I stand by my initial reaction.

21. New Jersey Nets - Chris Douglas-Roberts, SF, Memphis

• Gudy - Our fake Nets landed Kosta Koufos with their first pick. They'll be gunning for LeBron in a couple of years, and have been shopping Richard Jefferson to create cap space. CDR could and would provide them with instant scoring ability to make up for that loss, should it ever materialize. He was being talked about as a potential lottery pick just a few months ago.
• Kamp - Excellent pick by the fake Nets. Douglas-Roberts should be able to step in and contribute on a regular basis right away either from the bench or starting if they should trade Jefferson.

22. Orlando Magic - Courtney Lee, SG, W. KY

• Kamp - Easy pick. I knew that whichever of the two NJ didn't pick would be the choice here. They have their PG, SF and PF positions set for a while. They could really use an athlete that can get to the rim and score. Lee provides that.
• Gudy - I debated for about 1/2 second before I took CDR over Lee. That said, this is a solid choice for the magic, especially considering that the two best players in the draft with female names were already off the board.

23. Utah Jazz - DeAndre Jordan, C, Texas A&M

• Gudy - The Jazz need to get bigger. Jordan is a project, for sure, but who better to learn the game from than Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams? This is a nice fit for him, and he could be making a big splash in a couple of years.
• Kamp - The only problem I have with this pick is if Jordan is going to completely frustrate Sloan. Sloan strikes me as a guy that doesn't have patience for the "potential" guys.

24. Seattle Supersonics - Serge Ibaka, PF, Congo

• Kamp - Seatle, as previously stated, needs help up front. Using their second first round pick on a project big man can be afforded. The fake Sonics shake their fists in frustration at the fake Jazz. That's the pick they were going to make.
• Gudy - At the 24th pick, I can't argue with any selection, much less this one. However, Ibaka's people warned NBA teams to not take his client in the first round. Apparently, he's got a rather large offer from a team overseas. Chad Ford's latest mock has him going to the Wolves with the first pick in the second round.

25. Houston Rockets - Alexis Ajinca, C, France

• Gudy - Off the top of my head, I'd consider Houston a pretty international savvy team. Ajinca has been going all over the board in various mock drafts. He's a workout warrior that struggled in competition overseas, which is a huge red flag. He's also a project, but with Yao's injury history, I take my chances on the seven-footer.
• Kamp - Workout warriors always scare me. Sure, they have great measurables, but that doesn't always translate to play on the court.

26. San Antonio Spurs - 26. SA - Nicolas Batum, SF, France

• Kamp - Back to back French picks! The international melting pot of San Antonio continues. Finally Parker has someone with whom he can talk French. Batum is reportedly talented. We'll see.
• Gudy - I think at this point, you could say, "Batum reportedly has four legs and breathes nitrogen gas" and I couldn't refute it.

27. New Orleans Hornets - Darrell Arther, PF, Kansas

• Gudy - This pick is actually Portland's now, and I'm going with the "best player available" defense here.
• Kamp - Not a horrible pick for Portland. Though, I would point out that their front court is getting kind of crowded.

28. Memphis Grizzlies - Jason Thompson, PF, Rider

• Kamp - They need a big body after giving away Pau. Thompson should provide immediate rebounding help.
• Gudy - I'm not so sure about immediate, but at least he might get a rebound.

29. Detroit Pistons - Ryan Anderson, PF, Cal

• Gudy - At this point I shouldn't have to explain my pick.
• Kamp - And welcome to they "we're just picking guys off of a rankings list" portion of the mock draft!

30. Boston Celtics - Valium, Sedative

• Kamp - Well, they need something to calm down KG.
• Gudy - A solid pick, however, Valium lacks the jumpability and freakish athleticism that other prescription drugs could offer here.

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Congrats, It's a Puppy

I know that there are certain advantages and disadvantages to having been raised on a farm. Sure, I couldn't get a group of neighborhood kids together for a game of football, but I had a quiet area to call home and could pee outside without worry about being arrested. One of the things that I might not have appreciated as much as it deserved was being surrounded by animals and creation. There were birds galore, deer walking through the front yard, dairy cows providing fresh milk, more felines than you could swing a cat at, and a variety of dogs at various points. We had a Scottish terrier, a stray collie that hung around for a while, a cocker spaniel, and some little mutt of a dog. My wife, Anne, grew up in the city and never had a dog. She had a cat, but her mom drew the line at feline. Yeah, that line was on purpose. I'm sorry.

Anyway, as years of our marriage have gone by, it became very obvious that eventually, we'd be adding a dog to our family. Anne keeps claiming that it was part of our marriage license that I signed. I'm still going over the fine print. Because of Anne's personality, she researched the different breeds of dog in order to find one that fit our family. I tried looking on Consumer Reports, but didn't find much.

This past Thursday, we finally took the plunge in to dog ownership. She's a tiny (around three pounds) King Charles spaniel named Shelby. We've been working hard to keep the kids calm around her which is nearly a full-time job in and of itself. The kids have really gotten a kick out of having a puppy and none of them have crushed her yet. I consider that a victory.

All of my shoes remain intact for now and the poop has been confined to linoleum, thankfully. Anne is certain that eventually, I will consider Shelby to be part of the family and have more enthusiasm for having a dog. For now, I remain my normal, ambivalent self. At the same time, though, I find myself trying to understand things from my wife's perspective. This whole "owning a dog" thing is completely new to her. There's a newness about it that's almost like a breath of fresh air. Oh wait, that was just the dog. Gotta go clean that up.

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Today's Gaming Tip: Don't be a Dink

Here's a confession: I'm not a very high-level gamer. Sure, I enjoy playing video games and spend quite a bit (too much?) of time playing them, but I'm not very good. In a real-time strategy (RTS) game, I tend to "turtle" or hang out in my primary base building up my forces, fending off the paltry attacks that the computer brings to bear until I'm ready to break out and demolish them. In a first-person shooter (FPS), I walk very slowly and carefully, making sure to uncover every thing possible in a room before moving on just in case there's that extra health pack or ammo laying around that could make a difference in the next room. Neither of those practices is conducive to playing these games online. The people online playing an RTS have the first five minutes of any match mapped out to the point that they know exactly what each character will be doing, what will be built and what forces they need. It's like playing Axis and Allies against my brother (old-school geeky reference). The people playing FPS games online have obviously been bionically enhanced to heighten their reflexes so that the commands sent through their FIOS connection (to make sure that they have minimum ping) are exactly the right move at the right time. That or they have ESP so that they know exactly where to fire the rocket so that it splatters my virtual self all over the floor. But I'm not bitter.

Here's the thing, though: I know I'm not good. I'm OK with that. What I'm not OK with is a player who is more advanced being a dink. Let me give you a couple of examples.

I had been playing WarCraft 3 with a friend of mine online. Both of us were not very good. We both acknowledged that fact. We would play 2 vs. 2 battles against other people that the WC3 service would deem as being "on our level." We were playing one such match and completely got our butts kicked. As we're congradulating our opponents on a well-done match, one of them makes the comment that they created new accounts to play against lower-tier players. In other words, they were "slumin' it." So much for the match-making service.

Lately, I've been playing a bunch of Team Fortress 2. This is a completely online FPS, so there isn't a single-player campaign to get your feet wet. You're immediately thrown to the wolves, trying to learn the ropes. I was momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer number of servers on which you can play when by happy chance, I stumbled on a server marked as being just for someone like me: a complete Newbie. I was over-joyed. I was still noticably worse than the other people on the server, but I felt like I was among my own, for the most part. Then, tonight as I was playing, I asked what I thought was the fairly innocuous question of what control I use to activate the cloak for the spy, since I hadn't much experience running the spy before. Someone voice chats, "Don't tell him! Because then he'll play the spy and suck. Read the manual, noob!" In fairness, could I have looked at the keyboard layout in the options menu to find out? Yes, of course. It just didn't occur to me at the time. However, I didn't expect such a response on a server marked as being for people who aren't completely up to speed on the game. Silly me.

Destructoid had a very good tongue-in-cheek article about online gaming. One of the best lines in there, using the ever-interesting second person point of view, is "You, however, were never a noob. You were playing games online before the Internet was even invented." Let's try to remember, folks, that we all had to start somewhere. I'm starting with TF2. I'm trying to get better, and I think that I have. For one thing, I'm not trying to be a front-line soldier with my medic any more. That was just silly.

My name is Jeff Kamp, and, for now, I'm a newbie. So if you see my spy fumbling with his cloaking watch, please pause for just a second before killing me. I'm sure I'll give you ample time to actually take me out. Thanks.

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Sunrise, Sunset

"We fear change." - Garth Algar, Wayne's World.

We've been in a small group Bible study through our church for the past three years. It was a very serendipitous series of events that lead us to the group that we ended up attending. I won't bore you with all of the details, but suffice it to say that we were very happy with the group. Up to that point, we really hadn't connected with people in town and were happy to even have people that we could name that I didn't work with. Very quickly, we were doing social events outside of the weekly small group: going out to eat, watching sporting events, play dates for the kids, etc. However, it is looking as though this chapter in our lives has come to a close.

We always knew that our group would most likely be temporary. In fact, it was stated as such at the beginning. We would stay together for a few years and then we'd branch out into other groups. After all, our church had just started trying to get people in to small groups and there was a strong need for more group leaders. That was the plan and we knew it from the onset. That doesn't mean that I have to like it, though.

It's not as though our group remained the same through all three years. One couple that was at the initial meeting decided that the group wasn't for them, so we didn't see them the next week. Over the three years, we added two new couples, a total of six new kids, and one more baby sitter. We've seen each other through ups and downs in our personal lives. We've spent more time talking about the collective labors and births than the time that was spent actually in labor and childbirth. We've laughed together, cried together, prayed together, and eaten a lot of desserts together. Now the time has finally come where it's time to branch out. It's time to multiply our groups so that others can be involved in small groups as well. So that they can have the closeness and the friendship. I'm just not sure if I'm ready for it to end.

I've used Garth's line from Wayne's World many times over the years because it is a quote with which I strongly identify. I've always been resistant to change. I think it has something to do with my upbringing. I lived in the same house for nearly the first 19 years of my life. In that time, I attended the same church, went to the same school with essentially the same classmates and had the same haircut. I had the same girlfriend all through high school along with the same best friend. Hopefully, that helps explain my aversion to having anything in my life change.

Again, I point out that I completely acknowledge the need for the group to split. We need to give others the opportunity to join small groups so that, as a church, we can have sustainable, personal growth in our faith. We need to make sure that people feel welcomed and "plugged in" at the church.

I'm just saying that I'm really going to miss that guaranteed time with some of my closest friends.

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How Many Times Have I Been Fooled?

I know that at this portion of my life, after everything I've seen, I shouldn't be allowed to get my hopes up. I've seen the same sort of results every single time, but yet I keep hoping. Hoping that I'll see the years bear fruit, but the same old conclusion keeps slapping me in the face. There's an old saying that insanity can be defined as repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting to get different results. Well, that's been me for the past few years, and tonight it completely slapped me in the face. That's right, it was the night of the NBA draft lottery. I think that it's been fairly evident that I'm a fan of most of the Minnesota pro sports teams. Along with that has come a lot of heartache. It might not be on the level of Philadelphia sports' problems, but there's still a rather impressive list. Consider:

• Going to and losing four Super Bowls. Sure, I wasn't alive during any of them, but it's still my heritage.
• Trading away a king's ransom for Hershel Walker with Denny proudly proclaiming that they've just won the Super Bowl because they acquired the missing piece. The problem with that quote was that it was actually taken from the Dallas press release.
• Drafting Ndi Ebi over Josh Howard. Yes, Howard has had some reported problems lately, but at least he's actually a player in the league. Ebi spent three years being "injured" and then was done.
• Isaiah "J.R." Rider. That's all I have to say about that.
• The Wolves never improving their draft position in the lottery.
• Drafting NBA Rookie of the Year, Brandon Roy...and then trading him away.
• Joe Smith.

These are just the examples that immediately spring to mind. I could go on for quite a while. The point being that I was looking to tonight as being a potential turning point for a franchise that needed a bit of luck. They needed the ball to bounce their way just for once. They have a very good player in Al Jefferson who could be a cornerstone in the low block for years to come, but he needed some help. Help in the form Derrick Rose to run the pick and roll, give perfect passes for easy finishes and to receive the outlet pass to start the fast break. Help in the form of Michael Beasley to share the rebounding chores, make the opponent pay for a double team and provide some much-needed help on defense. Alas, these scenarios, as it stands now, appear unlikely to occur. You see, the Wolves, true to their history, stayed put. They had the third-worst record in the league at the conclusion of the season, and they will have the third overall pick in the NBA draft. All of this means that among my fellow Wolves fans the debate will start about who is worthy of the 3rd pick that will also help the team. One of the largest problems that I see in this draft is the fact that many of the players mentioned for the number three pick have skill sets that are very similar to two players the Wolves already have on their roster in Randy Foye and Rashaad McCants. O.J. Mayo, Erik Gordon, and Jerryd Bayless are all, essentially, mid-sized (6' 3"-6' 4") scoring guards who might have to be forced into a hybrid point guard role in the NBA. That pretty much describes Foye and McCants. A back court of one of those players and Foye or McCants would most likely be a disaster. You can't teach size, right? That's what we hear all the time about why a general manager selected a big man over a more talented but shorter player. However, it rarely holds true. If the big isn't athletic or have solid skills already, they aren't worth the risk. The possibility of selecting Brook Lopez or Kevin Love scares me right now because I'm not sure how well their games will translate to the next level. DeAndre Jordan is intriguing, but has the "motivation problem" label. All of these lingering problems is why I so desperately wanted one of the top two picks. I would actually have preferred the second pick. Let the team in the first position agonize over who to select. Just hand in the card for the other guy after they make their pick. But, no, the Wolves get the third pick. Sure, something strange could happen and Miami or Chicago will over think things and pass on Rose or Beasley so they fall in to the Wolves' lap. That's essentially what happened for the Vikings with Adrian Peterson, so it's not completely unprecedented. What's the likely-hood of that happening, though? I was talking with my brother-in-law about the lottery results and he responded to my lament about picking third with the following: "The one thing I'll say is that there will be 3 stars coming out of this draft. We know who two of them will be, but the question is who will be the third." My current pessimistic response? "We just know that it won't be whoever the Wolves pick."

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I Gotta Go Potty!

Travel with my family continues to get more interesting. Today was the first day that we went on a trip since starting to potty train Doodle. The current state is that he's in his normal underwear when we're home (his choice of Spider-Man, Diego or Transformers). If we're going to church or the store, he's in a pull up. For bed time, he's still in a diaper. Progressively, his pull ups have been dry. This also means that we've been making more trips to the rest rooms lately.

For the most part, this is OK. Anne will watch the other kids while Doodle and I head in to the restroom and take the largest stall available, and he goes potty. Then he covers his ears while the toilet flushes. Those things can be loud some times. If at all possible, he likes to wash his hands by himself. Usually, the sink isn't low enough for him, so I have to lift him up for the washing.

Today, we made sure that he went at home before we left and put a pull up on him. Then it was on the road. We were about half-way through the trip to Grandma's house when it started.

"I have to go potty."

"Well, you're wearing the pull up. You could just go in that." This was an unacceptable solution to the young man, and to a certain extent I can understand. Once you've had the sensation of not having a wet diaper for portions of the day, I can imagine that one would want to keep it that way.

Since it was almost time for supper anyway, we stopped at the nearest Unnamed Fast Food joint and took care of both outgoing and incoming business.

Of course, an hour later, we had to stop again for a bathroom break. I have a bad feeling that trips are going to take longer for a bit.

Really, he's doing a great job with it all, for the most part. It's just frustrating that that my schedule is being interrupted.

Of course, maybe that's being selfish.

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Holy Crap: My First Experience with DTV

A couple of months ago, I applied for a coupon (pronounced "coo-pon") on a website. For the next few weeks, I checked the mailbox every day and told Anne that if I got the coupon, I would be immediately rushing out to make a purchase that I hoped would change our lives. I'm talking about digital television. Actually, that doesn't do it justice.

Digital Television!

There. That's better.

You may or may not know that in February of 2009, the TV stations that we're used to seeing over the air and captured on our rabbit ears will be going away and replaced by a purely digital signal. This is a good thing. Just like digital technology on our cell phones, DTV promises clear reception because it's either a one or a zero. The receiver isn't having to figure out where along the entire wavelength the signal is at a given moment, it's either a one or a zero. You either have the signal or you don't. There's no fuzziness. No ghosting image. Great right?

Well, I finally received my coupon in the mail on Saturday. I of course rushed right out to purchase the Zenith digital converter that Consumer Reports recommended. It took me a couple of days to find the time to connect it, but I finally did it. Then I turned it on.

The setup couldn't have been easier. It ran through the channels to find the signals available. The basics were all there - ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC - and there were some extras that were pleasant surprises such as a couple of weather stations and about four different kinds of PBS. OK, I could have done without the PBS stations, but whatever.

My initial reaction was "Wow!" The picture was completely amazing. I don't have a high definition TV, but the image was crystal clear. I settled in and watched a bit of Letterman and a bit of Family Guy. I was happy.

Could it last? Of course not. Suddenly, some of the stations would go black and show a happy little bouncing sign to tell me that there was "no signal." Herein lies the problem with a digital source: The fact that if you don't have a signal, you really don't have a signal. Granted, I just have rabbit ears on the top of my TV and I'm sure the consistency could be smoothed out if I got an attic antenna or something . However, it's not like I live out in the country. I live right in a reasonably sized metropolitan area. I should have very good signal consistently. Maybe this will improve as we get closer to the full switch over, but it's mildly frustrating that it's not better now.

For more information, you can go to the US Government's site dedicated to digital TV.

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Here's How It Is: A Pluckytown Update

I know, I know. You don't even have to say anything. We've been horribly negligent in getting anything posted here. We've had good intentions at times, honest. I've even had a few starts at articles that were interrupted by life in general and then I forgot about them. Or at the very least, forgot where I was going with them. Weeks turned in to months and time, as it is want to do, moved in a mostly linear fashion forward. It's always annoyed my by doing that.

The other guys in the group at least have more excuse. Frederick and Gudy are in school still, so they have their jobs plus schoolwork to be doing. I just have to claim laziness, really.

Here's what we're going to do for you, though. I'm going to try and post more often, but it will be in a shorter, more informal manner. I'll still try to do the occasional longer article, but they will come as I have time and ambition. I have a few ideas that I want to do, but haven't gotten around to fully fleshing out.

Hopefully, you're willing to keep reading even after this long hiatus. Thanks for your patience. I love all three of you.

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Disappointment Unlimited

I love our local library. I've been able to catch up on quite a bit of comic book reading (Ultimate Spider-Man) and read some that I've always wanted to but never had the chance (Watchmen, V for Vendetta). I've also been able to watch a few shows that I wanted to see (Lost). I've also been a bit disappointed. I'm a really big believer in being truthful in advertising. If you say that your product does something, or is something, I would greatly prefer that your product does or is that thing. That's why I was mildly frustrated with the people who produced the show that I borrowed from the library: Justice League Unlimited.

I've always been more of a Marvel guy than a D.C. guy. I'm sure that it's partially because the first comic that I started buying on a regular basis was the Amazing Spider-Man. From there, I went on to the the Incredible Hulk, the Uncanny X-Men, and Wolverine, among others. It's only been in more recent years that I've started getting more of an appreciation for the "Distinguished Competition." Mainly in the form of liking to read Batman, but also reading some of the Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Justice League stories. When I saw a disk that was labeled "Justice League Unlimited, Season 1," I was excited to see the Justice League crew in cartoon form and able to see it from the beginning. Boy was I wrong.

The animation was in a style that we've come to expect from the WB/D.C. studios that started with the animated series for Batman. The voice work was top-notch. We had Kevin and Jason from the Wonder Years. We had Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, and Gina Torres from Firefly. The characters were many and diverse. We had the heavy-hitters (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern), the mystic (Dr. Fate, Zatana) and the lesser-known (Hawk, Dove) characters. The stories were interesting and mostly self-contained, but with an over-arching story that carried with it clues to where the show was heading. Unfortunately, that also included some information (or lack thereof) about from where the show had come.

You see, this wasn't what I would call a "pure" season one of the show. It had continuity that it had carried over from a previous show. There was some whole thing with Hawkgirl so that she was hanging out in some pocket dimension with Dr. Fate along with the fact that there seemed to be some unrequited love thing between her and Green Lantern. To top it all off, one of my favorite characters in the D.C. universe, the Flash, who is one of the major, flag-ship characters of the entire comics line along with being a founding member of the Justice League (Well, really, it was his predecessor, Barry Allen, who was one of the founding members, at least in the comics, but that's not important right now. Well, to you it's not important; to me it's a detail that they missed. Where was I? Oh, yeah: the Flash) doesn't even make a single appearance in the series besides the opening credits until the seventh episode of the series. How does this make sense?

So, to sum it all up: If you're looking for the Flash, expect to be disappointed until mid-way through the first season, and please don't mind the fact that they said it's a first season, but really it's not, and they don't completely explain the stuff that they figure you should already know because, after all, you watched the previous series that wasn't actually named Justice League Unlimited, right? I mean, why would you be watching this series if you didn't watch the first one? It's not like they said that this was the first season of a brand new series, right? Oh wait! They did. (Deep breath.)

My name is Jeff Kamp, and I approve this rant.

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Random Thoughts: Kutlass/Newsboys Edition

Recently, Anne and I went with some friends to see Kutlass and Newsboys in concert together, along with a third opening band whose name I have no desire to actually look up. I decided to do a random thoughts on the concert. I hope you enjoy.

• You know, I don't mind paying for parking when I'm able to get tickets for free. Have I mentioned that I like my employer?
• "Everybody remember where we parked."
• We find our seats and our group immediately segregates themselves by male and female. Welcome to the 21st century. You gotta love progress.
• The opening act is...interesting. Dude at the keyboard does a little "human beatbox" thing before doing a "power organ" thing. So, it seems like their musical influences are mid-'80s rap and ELO.
• And B.B. King.
• And Boxcar Willie.
• Kutlass was awesome!
• The guitarist for Kutlass likes doing this thing where he flips his guitar completely around his body by the strap. Kinda cool.
• I can just picture him practicing and someone comes up behind him, "Hey, dude, how's it..." *smack!* "..OW!"
• When did Billy Corgan become the lead singer of Newsboys?
• And when did he pick up the Australian accent?
• Thrumming bass? Check. Obnoxiously-bright light show? Check. Unable to discern any of the different parts of the music? Check. It's definitely a rock concert.
• I'm not sure why, but hearing the song "Something Beautiful" at 250 decibels seems to me to be a contradiction.
• "I could be wrong, sir, but I'm pretty sure your five-year-old son will have enough issues losing his hearing to his own music."
• And stop trying to hand the lead singer a box of Cap'n Crunch.
• Oh good. Another joke about how they're Australian.
• I don't know about you, but when I look at a platform that is raised ten feet in the air and is five feet in diameter while someone is frantically standing and drumming on it and say sarcastically to myself, "Oh yeah, that looks stable," I start to think that it's time to re-consider the gimmick.
• "If your ears aren't ringing, then I want my money back!" Don't worry, dude, I think you accomplished it.

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Trust Me, It's Broken

An epiphany is an interesting thing. It strikes you when you least expect it. For instance, my family and I had decided that we would go to a local eating establishment one day, and we were waiting to order when a thought suddenly struck me. It was very much like in the first Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book where someone has an idea to fix all the problems in the world. It would work. Everyone would get behind it, and then the world blew up. I had a very similar idea on a smaller scale. It wouldn't fix all of the problems in the world. Just one of the more disputed issues in the world of sports. Maybe that's why the world didn't blow up after I came up with the idea. At least, as far as I know the world didn't explode. I have an idea that would fix college football.

One of the biggest discussions every year is about the Bowl Championship Series in college football. Everyone except for the NCAA and the people directly involved in the bowl games hate the BCS. I've written about it being one of the biggest problems I have with college football. We end the year in a major sport where the champion may or may not be the best team in the nation. We're not sure because the teams that are out on the field for the championship are there because a computer decided that they're the best two teams in the nation, not necessarily because they've proven it on the field. Some have proposed that there be a four or eight game playoff at the end of the season. That doesn't appease the good old boy network that claims this would cause the regular season to be meaningless. I would say that the the BCS has caused the regular season to be virtually meaningless already considering that at the outset of the season, only ten teams have a legitimate shot at going to the national championship game. Why not make most of the season a tournament?

I started thinking down those lines after we had gotten our food, but I needed to flesh out the details a little bit. For one thing, I didn't know how many teams there are in division one football. When I don't know the answer to a question like that, I know what I need to do: Call Gudy. One of the benefits of being friends with a guy like Gudy is the fact that if I don't know the answer to a sports questions, most likely he does. I quickly called him from the cell phone. Here's a transcript of our conversation.

Gudy: "Hello?"

Me: "Hey. How many teams are there in division 1A college football?"

Gudy (without hesitation): "119."

Me: "How many games are in the average team's season?"

Gudy: "11 or 12."

Me: "Thanks. I'll talk to you later." Click.

So now I had all the information I needed. Just the numbers. Here's the details.

• The season would start with each team playing five games. They can schedule these games however they'd like. The could play against conference teams. They could play traditional rivals. This would allow us to still see the match-ups we care about every year: USC v. Notre Dame, Florida State v. Clemson, University of Minnesota v. North Dakota State University, Michigan v. Appalachians State. You know, all the traditional, bad-blood rivalries.
• At the end of those five games, we make use of the BCS computers to rank the teams. Not just the top 25, however. We go from one to 119 with the top nine teams having a first week bye.
• For the remaining seven weeks, the teams play out the bracket.
• If a team loses, they drop down into the consolation round. That's essentially what happens today anyway when you consider that it only takes one loss to drop you out of contention.
• For the consolation group, the top 30 teams participate in the bowls. That'll keep the good old boys happy.
• The two left standing at the end play for the national championship. Last one standing gets the crown.

So, there you go. The one downside of this plan is that the conferences become, for all intents and purposes, irrelevant. Unless you do something where, based on the final standings, the conferences get some sort of bonus for how their teams finished. The large advantages are nearly self-evident. Everyone, top to bottom, has a chance to win the championship and not just the teams that are fortunate enough to be in the top 15 at the beginning of the season. The bowl games are all still in play. In fact, you can preserve the rotating national championship locations that we have today between the Rose Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, and the Sugar Bowl. The biggest thing for me is the fact that the champion is decided on the field and not by a computer. It's also all done without adding any games to the schedule, which is another thing people have against a playoff system. To me, this fixes things, whether or not you wish to believe that it's currently broken.

P.S. It is currently broken.

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Yet Another Patriots Article

I am an avid reader of ESPN's Sports Guy, Bill Simmons. Anything that he puts up, I try to read. He's interesting; sometimes insightful; an unabashed fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics; and more often than not, right on with his opinions. However, sometimes that fan-dom can cloud his judgment. Such is the case with his latest article about the Patriots filming scandal. I think we can all agree that there's been a lot to talk about in the world of professional football lately besides what happened in week one of the NFL season with the cameraman from the Patriots being caught filming the Jets coaching staff. I think we can also agree that much has been said and written about the penalty that Commissioner Goodell handed down to the New England Patriots this past week. The penalty was given after the Patriots had video taped the New York Jets, which was in clear violation of the rule after all teams were warned by the NFL front office against doing exactly that. Everyone has been weighing in with their opinion about the harshness or leniency of those penalties. Here's what I think should have been done immediately by the office of the commissioner: absolutely nothing.

I'll explain that in a moment. First, though, I'd like to point out some things that I agree with Bill's (do you mind if I call you Bill?) article and point out some issues that I have with it.

...NBC was too determined to blow out CameraGate. Before the game, Andrea Kramer reported [Charger's Coach Norv] Turner was taking precautions from a secrecy standpoint, refusing to allow any Patriots personnel into his locker room and even handing his players the first 15 plays Sunday morning instead of Saturday night...Kramer was treating the topic so seriously and breathlessly, you would have thought she was standing in Iraq with missiles going off behind her.

Completely agree. This has been a problem with how network TV handles sports for quite some time. They decide on one or two "story-lines" to follow throughout the game and they just...can't...let...go. This is one of the reasons why John Madden and every other announcer doing a Packers' game spend so much time gushing over Brett Favre. Even if he's having a horrible game, all we can hear about is how he's "having fun out there" and is "a gunslinger." There doesn't seem to be the talent or the producers willing to let the game dictate the line of conversation in the booth. It almost seems like they have a script to read before going on the air. But that couldn't happen, could it?

Look, I know everyone now assumes the Patriots have been cheating for the past six years, even though they hadn't been penalized even once before last weekend; even though no coach or player has left New England since 2002 and blown the whistle on them; and even though the New England players were fired up Sunday night, partly because everyone has been so eager to stick an asterisk next to everything that's happened from 2001-2007.

I agree that there's a bit of a gleam in the eyes of the media and some of the sports-loving public because of the "how the mighty have fallen" syndrome. It's much the same reason why many people enjoy to watch the Yankees, Lakers, and Cowboys struggle. We enjoy success stories in America. We just don't like to see one person/team/group dominate for too long. Success is all well and good, but we like to see fresh faces at the top of the mountain, too. It's just human nature.

Our "evidence" that there may have been a prolonged pattern of cheating last week came from "unnamed sources" and players who had already lost big games to the Patriots and seemed excited to have an excuse after all these years...If this pattern of inappropriate behavior had been happening for six years, wouldn't they have been caught before Sept. 9, 2007?

Um...Bill? They were. In fact, I direct you to your employer's website to read an article almost completely contradicting your statements.

"It's not their first time," a member of the [NFL's competition] committee, who did not wish to be identified, said.

Granted, it's an "unnamed" source, but it's an unnamed source that has to be a team executive or coach, since that is who is on the committee. From the same article (emphasis mine):

Green Bay Packers president Bob Harlan confirmed a similar incident that occurred when the Patriots played at Lambeau Field last Nov. 19. The same cameraman who was questioned by NFL security on Sunday was also the one whom the Packers removed from the sideline and escorted from the field during their 2006 game, according to Packers security official Doug Collins. "From what I can remember, he had quite a fit when we took him out," Harlan said. "We had gotten word before the game that they [the Patriots] did this sort of thing, so we were looking for it."

Hardly an unnamed source with this incident. None of this matters, though. They were caught after the entire league had been specifically warned against employing any sort of recording device in the stadium.

Simmons again:

They got caught, they paid the price. Like every other Pats fan, I hate what happened and continue to be disappointed that our coach pulled a Nixon on us. I don't know how many times I can write this. They are the villains of the NFL. The Belichick era has been tainted.

On to the punishment. Why do I think that Goodell should not have given out any public punishment when so many have been screaming that the punishment should have been more harsh, including adding a suspension of Belichick? Simple: because it's Belichick. The problem with the punishment as it currently stands - $500,000 fine for Belichick, $250,000 fine for the Patriots, loss of a first round pick if they make the playoffs, a second and a third if they don't - is that there is no immediate impact on the season in which the problem occurred. In fact, I find it interesting that all of this happened in a season that some had regarded as Belichick's swan song in New England. I wonder if the extension that he just signed was, to a certain extent, the owner of the Patriots saying, "Clean up your own mess" since the loss of draft picks is normally so crippling for a franchise. See also: The Minnesota Timberwolves and Smith, Joe. However, look deeper. If they lose the first-round draft pick, which most people expect since they should be in the playoffs, they have another one due to a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, which is likely to be higher in the round than their own pick anyway. Is it a loss? Sure, but not one from which the team can't recover. In fact, what all this melodrama surrounding the Patriots has effectively done is provide the team with the dreaded "us against them" motivator. Do you think Belichick isn't going to take advantage of that? Look at the way they effectively dismantled a very talented (but poorly-led) Chargers team. Don't you suppose that Belichick went into the locker room before the game and talked about how the world wanted to see them crumble and fall under the weight of the current scrutiny? He's a master of the us against them mentality. Of course he used it.

Here's how I think it should have been handled. Goodell should not have announced any draft pick removal, fines, suspensions or anything until after the season was over. During the season, he would bring up how fantastic an organization the Patriots are. They've won three Super Bowls this decade. They're the modern dynasty. They're never strapped for salary cap, talent, or intelligence. In fact, he should bring up positive notes about the Patriots even when they're not involved in the line of questioning. "Yes, what Terrell Owens said was a bit over the top. There may be some fines coming for him in the near future. I wish he could be more like Randy Moss has been since he's gone to the Patriots. Moss has been the perfect citizen in New England. I suppose it's being under the influence of such a classy organization from top to bottom. I wish all of our teams could be coached and run more like New England."

Would these sort of talking points hurt the commissioner's hard-line image? Of course. At least, until he handed out the penalties at the end of the year. But it would eat Belichick that he has such a prominent and vocal proponent in Goodell. It would make it that much harder to pull the world is against us bit. Might it cause them some wins? Maybe, maybe not, but it'd be fun to watch if you were in on the "punishment."

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They Grow Up So Quickly

My daughter, Punkin, took another step in her journey towards becoming a young woman. It, of course, brought back memories of changing her diaper, late-night feedings, running full-bore down the hallway when she should be asleep. Ah, the memories. This is normally where a sentimental musical number would be placed. Pretty soon she'll be moving out of the house and finding a husband. The continuing journey was evident today once again. My daughter played Super Mario Bros.

While visiting Anne's folks, her mom mentioned that Punkin, now five, was getting to be a little too big for the baby toys that she had in the bedroom for the kids to play with. She made the suggestion that we should maybe break out the old Super Nintendo and see if she'd like to do that. I was all for it. After all, I really enjoy video games and quite often long for the simpler days where the controllers don't have 20 different buttons. They make me feel old and ineffectual. Super Nintendo may not be as simple as the original Nintendo that I had growing up, but it's simple enough for me. Besides which, I was able to get quite a bit of Super Nintendo time in at friends' homes when I was growing up. Then we fired it up.

It's amazing to me how quickly a little girl who has never before in her life played an actual video game system. Sure, she has this little pocket pet sort of toy that lets her care for a rabbit and play some games with it, but that's it. Once she got the hang of moving the little guy on the screen and jumping, it wasn't too long before she was able to get through one of the first levels all by herself. I cried a little bit.

She has a long way to go, of course. She still hasn't gotten the hang of the cape or being a fire guy. That will come in time, I'm sure. She just has to practice a little bit more.

The biggest surprise to me was that Anne agreed to it. Excuse me now, while I perform the sentimental musical number that I mentioned earlier.

"Is this the little girl I carried?"

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The Long Wait

I hate waiting for things. I hate waiting for a pregnancy test to be ready to read. I hate waiting in lines. I hate waiting for Christmas to be here. Most of all, I hate waiting for something to arrive. Whether it was company coming over when I was a kid, or simply for the mailman, it's always gotten on my nerves to wait for that arrival. This is amplified when I'm having to wait for a new toy. Such has been the case for the past few weeks while waiting for my laptop to arrive. Yes, that's right, I finally purchased one.

Those who know me well will recall the fact that in my ideal case, I would now be typing on a MacBook Pro. There's just one slight problem with that original plan: they're really expensive. The $1700 for a refurbished MacBook would have taken me another year or so to save up the necessary funds. For a while, I was content to wait, but then circumstances conspired against me. You see, for a few months, we had the laptop belonging to Anne's brother here while I was configuring it for their use as missionaries in Mexico. We quickly found that laptops are addictive. They're so nice and convenient. We didn't have to run all the way into the basement (a short trip, sure, but with small children in the house, you can't make a trip quickly enough) to check our email, the score of the Twins' game (usually not good), or see what the weather is like outside (because opening a window is too hard). You can imagine the withdrawal that we experienced when we finally had to send the laptop to the rightful owners to be used as it was originally intended. Now I could no longer sit on the couch and write my snarky comments. Anne couldn't email me several times a day (I really missed that). This called for drastic measures. This called for my giving up being so stubborn.

One could ask at this point, "Why didn't you go for the cheaper option of the MacBook?" Excellent question. I'm glad that I had you ask that in our pretend conversation. There's a couple of reasons that I didn't want to go for the MacBook. First, I'm not all that crazy about how small the screen was. Sure, it's really small and cute and portable, but would I get tired of looking at such a small screen? Secondly, it bothered me that they used two sticks of RAM to get up to one gigabyte. This might seem like a small thing, but when I knew that I'd want to be upgrading it to two gigs, it became more expensive to upgrade that way. Finally, and this is big for me, was the fact that it was using the integrated graphics card. I know that the integrated graphics have gotten better than they were in previous incarnations, but there's still something in me that's bothered by having such an important component of how the system performs being essentially an after-thought add-in to the motherboard. Give me something I can sink my teeth into that starts by letting me know how big the RAM is on my video card. Don't make me use the RAM that the rest of the system is trying to use. That just doesn't make anyone happy. So, I couldn't go MacBook.

Then I started to research. Price was a big consideration, but I also didn't want something that would be completely obsolete in two months. It could be a little bit obsolete, but I drew the line at completely obsolete. A guy's gotta have standards, after all. I found that Gateway was a bit over-priced. I'd heard too many friends that had troubles with Toshiba. Sony is pretty, but a bit on the pricey side. Then I looked at Dell.
The company for which I work has a deal with Dell. You can either get a certain percentage off normal catalog pricing, or you can customize one of the "company standards" to your liking at a pretty substantial savings. That's the route that I went. Oh, sure, I couldn't get my laptop in Arctic Blue (<sarcasm>Oh, no. Whatever will I do without my laptop being a "custom" color</sarcasm>) and I also couldn't get Windows Vista on the machine, which might not be a bad thing from some of the stuff I've been hearing about Vista. However, I was able to get a Core 2 processor on it, one gig of RAM (single stick), a 128 MB Nvidia graphics card (for all the heavy Diablo 2 playing), and, all-in-all, a very nice machine.

I'm going to call it Junior.

The problem was, however, I had to wait for it. When I ordered it, I got a ship date that was three weeks after the time of placing the purchase. Needless to say, it was a long time to wait for me. I started religiously checking the order status page that Dell provides because, obviously, they have too much bandwidth and need to burn some off. I mean, I was pining the thing every few minutes at one point. Then, finally, it ticked over to "shipped." I raised my hands in triumph. Then I looked at the calendar and saw that it was shipping via 3-5 day ground and we had a long weekend ahead of us. There was no way that I thought it would be here before Tuesday of next week. I was downtrodden again. But I wasn't done with surprises just yet. It seems that DHL is able to get a package from Nashville, TN to my door in just over 24 hours. Anne called me at work around nine to let me know that it had arrived. That made for a really long day of work, let me tell you. Finally, though, I was home and could open the package. Well, after the kids were down for bed at least. Now, for the past three plus hours, I've been working on getting everything installed (FireFox, Pidgin, Hamachi).

Now, if only I could figure out why it's making so much noise each time it's accessing the hard drive. I wonder if I should be worried.

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Random Thoughts Special Edition: Chicago

This past weekend, Anne and I took some time away from the kids and went to Chicago to be tourists. Here are some of the random thoughts from walking around the Windy City.

• The drive to Chicago goes pretty well, but there's one thing I've decided: I can't stand toll roads. Anne's trying to nap and I'm trying to listen to podcasts when another toll booth crops up.
• We stayed out near O'Hare and went with the visitor pass for public transportation. We have no idea what we're doing, and it shows. We missed our first bus. Twice.
• Our first trip was to the John Hancock Observatory. Question: Do you really want to be telling people that the elevator that they're riding in at over 20 MPH to the 94th floor is older than they are?
• Report from the 94th floor: The building is tall. I can see far. Hey look, there's a pool on top of that building.
• "Thank you for visiting the Observatory at the John Hancock building. It's a different experience each time." The next time we're there, the building will be short.
• Called home. The kids are doing fine. They can't talk very long, though, because they're busy playing Nintendo. It's always fun when Grandma's over.
• Current score: Uno's Pizza 1, Kamp 0. Very good pizza, though.
• The train ride home is long. Entertainment is provided, however, in the form of a large bald man in his twenties, his short bottle-blond girlfriend, and his mother who's dressing 20 years younger than she is. Good times.
• Oh crap, there went one of the buses that we could have taken home.
• Double crap. The other bus that we thought we could take doesn't run this late at night.
• I hate not being able to sleep.
• Turns out that the Chicago comic book convention was going on this weekend. How come no one told me this?
• We get to the Shedd Aquarium. There's a gigantic line to get in stretching outside in 90-degree heat. Thanks to the City Pass, we walk right in. Definitely the way to go. Thank you City Pass.
• They have a gigantic tank with sting rays, sharks, eels, and a bunch of little fish that, collectively, are known as "bait."
• Hey look! It's bald guy and BBGF again!
• There's something very, very creepy about a komodo dragon looking at you from two feet away, separated by only an inch of glass. It's like he's thinking, "Dude, I'm only a couple hundred pounds away from causing a Saturday matinee movie in this joint. Hey there, kid. I shall call you, 'Light Snack.'"
• Why am I looking at fish that I've caught fishing with my father-in-law?
• Dolphin show: ooooo...aaaaahhh. It's already done?
• Why is the guy surprised that I want to get the "cajun mayo" on the otherwise completely bland chicken sandwich?
• We go into the Field Museum for the express purpose of taking a picture of the dinosaur skeleton that they have. Thank you City Pass.
• At this point in the day, I'm really not all that interested in spending a bunch of time at the planetarium.
• A free movie about black holes narrated by Liam Neeson. Very nice. Thank you City Pass.
• Oh cool! A replica Mars Rover!
• Sweet! A replica Gemini capsule!
• We decide to be "smart" and ride the train all the way to O'Hare because the hotel told us they have a shuttle that runs there every 30 minutes. We wait for an hour there because it turns out that on a Friday night at one of the busiest airports in the world, they only have one driver for the shuttle, and he's busy taking some people to a restaurant. Grumble.
• Hey look, there's Bald Guy, BBGF and tight-shirt mom going in to that hotel. Weird. Both the coincidence of running into them three times and them in general. Just a strange group.
• "This is not a bus stop!" I'm very, very sorry, bus driver lady.
• First up is the Museum of Science and Industry. I could spend all day here looking at the U-505 and the other stuff, but at this point in the trip, I'm pretty much tourist-ed out.
• Wouldn't you know? We get the same bus driver lady that yelled at us before. She seems in a much better mood, though.
• Lesson learned this weekend: My wife's camera is very, very heavy in the backpack when I have to carry it around for three days straight.
• Final tourist spot is the Navy Pier.
• I refuse to eat at a place that doesn't give me free refills on drinks.
• "Yeah, let's go fancy for our last meal in Chicago. Take a quick look at the menu they have posted. Holy crap. Let's go to Haagen-Dazs."
• Toy store lady, why do you keep shooting me with an air cannon?
• My knee is stiff from all the walking.
• Finally, we've figured out how everything works with the public transportation thing. On our last day here.
• "I miss you daddy." Thanks, Doodle.
• I don't feel bad smuggling in candy to a movie when I'm being charged $9 per ticket.
• Ride back goes as smoothly as one could hope. Except for the toll booths. Grumble.
• It's good to be home.

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