What I Had For Dinner 4/16/08

Whatever I had for dinner was inconsequential.

The only thing that mattered was the bomb-ass cheesecake I had for dessert.

Headlines (Happy B-Day, Pope; I don't trust either side; he was born in 1936!)

Bush, big crowd greet pope on birthday

"One topic not mentioned as a subject of discussion was the clergy sex abuse scandal that has devastated the American church since 2002. But a private meeting later Wednesday between Benedict and American bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was being closely watched for discussion on the pontiff's trip-opening promise to "do everything possible to heal this wound." -- the Sun-Sentinel

It's a good thing they're finally acknowledging the issue of child molestation in the Catholic church, because it's something that always seems to fall conveniently by the wayside. It's hard listen to the Pope (or Bush, for that matter) talk about the "immorality" of abortion and stem cell research when clergymen are luring unsuspecting altar boys into confessional booths for hot monkey business. As a society that loves to witch-hunt, it's disgraceful that we haven't done a better job of turning the heat up on high-ranking officials in the Catholic church. This problem needs to be dragged out of the shadows and paraded loudly through the streets. And speaking from personal experience, I can attest that these sex scandals (and more importantly, the failure to so much as address it, let alone solve it) have profoundly effected my faith in the clergy. Church has always been boring; but now, more than ever before, it's become extremely disingenuous.

And my biggest disappointment in this article? Not a single mention of the Popemobile.

Legal experts call Schultz suit a long shot

"Schultz's expected attempt to prove that Clay Bennett and his partners acted in bad faith when they promised to try to keep the team in the Northwest could set up years of courtroom litigation -- less a legal slam dunk than an exhausting chess match." -- SeattlePI.com

I don't think there's any sincerity at all in this story. Schultz, who is also the CEO of Starbucks, willingly sold the Seattle Supersonics to Bennett, a native of Oklahoma City with no historic ties to the tradition of the franchise or regional ties to the Pacific Northwest. He had to know that this could've happened. To me, this seems like less of a case of compassion or benevolence on Schultz's, and more of a PR move to save face. By filing this half-hearted lawsuit against the new owners of the Sonics, he can build himself up as a hero, a noble businessman that fights the good fight and swoops in during the 11th hour trying to save the hometown team from relocation. Only problem is, he was the cause of all this unrest. If he didn't want to keep the team, that's fine. But at least have the decency to sell it to one of the many potential suitors from the area. He protects his investments from bad publicity, all the while making himself look good in the process. Basically, he gets something for really doing nothing. That's dirty business.

I feel bad for Sonics fans. They're getting jerked around by a bunch of billionaires.

Murtha says McCain too old to be president

Democratic Rep. John Murtha said Wednesday that Republican Sen. John McCain is too old to be president. Murtha is 75, four years older than McCain. He says they are nearly the same age, and the rigors and stress of running the country is too much for guys their age.

"I've served with seven presidents," Murtha told a union audience. "When they come in, they all make mistakes. They all get older."

"This one guy running is about as old as me," he said, drawing laughter and applause. "Let me tell you something, it's no old man's job." -- the Associated Press

I don't normally support ageism, but in this case, it's true. John McCain is too old to be our president. The most troubling thing about his campaign is that while Hilary and Obama offer the potential of what could be, McCain can only offer the stark reality of what already is. He's 71 years old. I don't see much room for improvement there, much room to grow and change and age (that is, figuratively and not literally). He is who he is, and in all likelihood, there won't be much changing that. Worst of all, McCain doesn't offer me much in the way of hope. He's just some old guy who doesn't like the things that I like, hasn't grown up in the times that I have, and has already exhausted over 3/4 of his lifetime. Nothing about that excites me.

And then of course, that isn't even addressing the touchy subject of health deterioration and onset of dementia at that age...

What I Had For Lunch 4/15/08

Pad Thai.

The noodles were moist, the bean sprouts were still crisp, and the shrimp was plentiful.

It was quite a trek to get it, what with lanes closed all up and down University. But it was well worth the hassle. Best meal I've had in days.

Headlines (When she's right, she's right; most people aren't aware that he's half Japanese)

Clinton team lunges at Obama for Small-Town America Remarks

"Clinton called Obama’s remarks “elitist,” “demeaning” and “out of touch” Saturday morning.

“I found his remarks undercutting his message of hope … he suggests that somehow the faith of those who live in small towns is superficial,” -- FoxNews.com

I hate to admit it, but Hilary's right.

Over the weekend, Barack Obama accused Midwesterners of being a bitter group of gun-toting, Bible-thumping, xenophobes. And more or less, there's an undeniable shred of truth to that -- many of those who live in our nation's heartland are in fact stodgy, close-minded hicks that like to shoot things in the woods, superstitiously believe that every little occurrence is the direct result of God's will, and generally don't like those whose skin color is darker than theirs. But that's way, way beside the point. Obama shouldn't have said it, and not because it offends those that it applies to (because again, a lot of that sentiment really does ring true), but because it offends those that it doesn't apply to. He's calling out the majority while throwing the minority under the bus. Obama's entire campaign is fueled by the prospect of change; he's supposed to be a candidate that offers the hope of bulldozing the old, stale status quo and transcending long generations of preconceived notions. And yet, here he is, regurgitating lazy stereotypes just because it's so much easier to judge people en masse instead of individually. There really isn't a difference between this stereotype and the stereotype of, for the sake of argument, friend chicken and watermelon. For a man who has been victimized by a great deal of generalizing and profiling throughout his life, he's doing exactly that to a large portion of this country's populace. I don't expect this latest mini-crisis to cost him control of the Democratic party, but Obama is painting with some pretty broad brush strokes here. And that's unfair and disappointing.

FAU loses basketball coach Rex Walters

I'm sorry to see him go. I like Rex. I was like 9 or 10 years old when his Kansas team went to the Final Four (that was the March when Chris Webber called that non-existent timeout). I vaguely remember him getting drafted by New Jersey (the reason why he never panned out in the pros is because he was too small to play his natural SG, but too slow-footed to play PG). And I remember him playing a few seasons in Miami, most of his time spent nailed to the bench.

I had high hopes for Matt Doherty when he first took over FAU's program. But when he left a year later, I was just as excited to see Rex get a shot, because he's played under and learned from two all-world teachers -- Roy Williams and Pat Riley. I thought he was gonna give the school's men's basketball team some direction and start building the foundation for a competitive product. But now he's gone. Ah well.

FAU's bball program needs legitimacy...there needs to be a reason for high school seniors to come play here, for students to attend games, for networks to televise our games. But just as important as notoriety, this program needs stability. So as nice as it would be to make a "name" hire (like, for instance, Mitch Richmond who's from Ft. Lauderdale), we really need to hire someone who's gonna be here for the long haul and will be able to develop this team from start to finish. Whether the choice is someone in-house or out of house, they need to pick someone who is genuinely convinced we can win and wants to make something happen here. The state of Florida is a hotbed for athletics. We're like a sports factory; it's always warm and sunny, so kids are outdoors running and jumping and shooting and throwing all year long. More than most other areas in the country, that produces talented young prospects. This is exactly why I've always felt that all of our "lesser" schools...FAU, UCF, USF, UNF, etc., etc...have a chance to consistently be competitive. There's really no reason not to be. The pool of talent is so deep here, there's so many great graduating high school seniors to choose from. So if you hire the right guy and the school puts everyone involved in a position to be successful, eventually -- almost be default -- you're gonna start winning. Our football program proved it last season with its first Bowl win, and our basketball program can do the same.

Party Shuffle (no skipping, guaranteed)

Here are the first 10 shuffled songs that come up my iTunes:

"Selfless Cold and Composed"
Ben Folds Five
Whatever and Ever Amen

For the most part, I'd say I like the work Ben has done as a solo artist and as a member of a band equally. Neither takes extreme precedence over the other. And I think that stands as a great testament to his musicianship.

That, and I've always had a fondness for the piano. Elton John, Billy Joel, Andrew McMahon...I just really like piano-fronted music.

And I like the percussion on this track (especially at the very opening) because it sounds so jazzy and smokey.

"Lovers Need Lawyers"
The Good Life
Lovers Need Lawyers

I respect Tim Kasher for 1)being a prolific songwriter and, more importantly, 2)majoring in English.




"The No Seatbelt Song"
Brand New
Your Favorite Weapon

Lyrically, technically, and sonically, this album is clearly below the level of Deja Entendu (and for that matter, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me). But aesthetically, and as far as pure enjoyment value, I think I actually prefer Your Favorite Weapon. This album came out sophomore, and listening to it now, it still sounds like 10th grade. I can appreciate the emphasis this band (which is one of my all-time favorite) has put on growing up, maturing, and improving as musicians. But this is the most fun they've ever been.

"Going Away to College"
Blink-182
Enema of the State

Every few months or so, I'll set aside a half hour and play this album straight through.






"World Town"
M.I.A.
Kala

Every once and a while, you'll see a truly special band or artist release a phenomenal 1st album and then follow it up with an equally phenomenal 2nd album. If she can pull off a 3rd album of this caliber, things are gonna get nuts.

As usual, the beats on this track are entirely infectious.

"Holy Roman"
The Get Up Kids
Guilt Show

Four Minute Mile was an essential album growing up, but I think the inherent problem with the Get Up Kids and a lot of those other similar bands that came out of the Drive-Thru/Vagrant/Victory/etc. record label boom (which, incidentally, make up a lot of my favorite bands) is that beyond a certain age, singing about the things they sing about are no longer relevant. This stuff can be life-changing as a teenager, but completely trivial as a full-grown adult. And I think this is what happened with the Get Up Kids. They eventually outgrew themselves. Just take a look at Guilt Show; aside from "The One You Want," this isn't a good album. And it makes sense, because this was their last studio album before breaking up.

With that being said, I love this band and was bummed big time that they didn't come down to South Florida for their farewell tour.

"Dawn on a Funeral Day"
Tsunami Bomb
The Definitive Act

Haha, there aren't many other bands that remind me more of Warped Tour. And she doesn't get enough credit for having a great set of pipes.





"Sunday Morning"
No Doubt
Tragic Kingdom

I don't have my nose so high in the air to say that I don't like their later work and her solo work, but I really miss the fun, carefree ska/reggae/calypso stuff this band used to do. They should get back together and make something that sounds like Southern California circa mid-1990s again.

I remember them having a food fight at a picnic table for the music video.

"Help!"
The Beatles
Anthology 2 [Disc 1]

One of the problems I have with the Anthology series is the level of audio quality of some of the live tracks. Needless to say, Beatlemania was very noisy. Most of the time, you can only hear a flood of screaming from the audience. I can definitely appreciate the youthful energy (after all, I absolutely adore the early albums like With the Beatles and Please Please Me), but you obviously lose out on an all the technical nuances here.

"Jazz (We've Got)"
A Tribe Called Quest
The Low End Theory

Tribe is one of the things my iPod never seems to play when I put it on shuffle. This is like the first time in months this song has actually come up. And it's too bad, because this is one of my favorite hip-hop albums ever. Between the overtly jazzy influences and Q-Tip's soothing flow, it's so smooth and funky and chill. You can play it in the background and just relax and enjoy.

"And yet it's so loud that it stands in the crowd / When the guy takes the beat, they bowed."

"So pay attention, it's not hard to decipher / And after the horns, you can check out the Phifer."

Everything flows from Q-Tip so effortlessly.

Retired Players I Loved To Watch #5 (He had the worst nickname ever: "Tricky")

Steve Smith

He was kinda overlooked for the majority of his career. There were so many other flashier and high-flying players at his position -- Jordan, Kobe, Iverson, Latrell Sprewell, Eddie Jones, Jerry Stackhoue, etc., etc. -- that people tended to forget about him. But Steve Smith was a smooth ball player. His game was really understated, really low key. He wasn't the fastest player from end court to end court, didn't possess blistering athleticism (this probably had to do with the knee injury he sustained his rookie season), and he spent more time playing below the basket instead of above it. But despite all that, everything else about him was so calm, cool, and effortless. Basketball looked easy for him. Because of his height, he was hyped up as the next Magic Johnson coming out of MSU. But once he quit with trying to be a point guard (he was never that great at it anyway) and settled into his more natural position of shooting guard, he took off. Whenever anyone thinks of the best shooters of the past 15 or so years, the typical names that come up are always Glen Rice, Dell Curry, Dale Ellis, Mark Price, and Ray Allen. But Steve's marksmanship was nearly as good as all of theirs. He had textbook form, from the bending of the knees, to the lift, to the follow-through.

And Steve's patented go-to move is one that I still use at the playground today: pin your defender on your back, receive the ball on either low block, hold onto the ball and let defenders clear, head-fake as if you're going one way, spin-move the other way, then go up for uncontested layup (Note: I'm right-handed and my left-handed layup is a little weak, so I prefer to head-fake right and then spin-move left.) It's a good move because it relies mostly on guile. It takes a limited amount of athleticism and explosion, with just a rudimentary grasp of ball-handling skills. You can usually count on it working at least once in a pick-up game. After that, defenders will wise up, backing up and cutting off your driving lanes.

What I Had For Breakfast 4/13/08

Waffles.

Syrup warmed up in the microwave.

Slices of bananas on top.

Back to School! (Good news for people who love great news)

I was accepted to Florida Atlantic University's English graduate program! I'm sincerely pumped about this. After getting turned down by my two top choices -- Illinois and Indiana -- and then receiving the other rejection letters in the mail, I was getting kinda worried. There was a slight possibility that things weren't gonna go as planned for me. It was a burden that was weighing heavy on me, like Robert "Tractor" Traylor sitting on my shoulders. But all of those concerns have been alleviated because I'm in. I'm officially a grad student. I'm so happy about that. There's no other place I'd rather be than in school. In the Fall, I'll be taking two courses and teaching two courses. I still can't get over the idea of having my own classroom full of students that I'll be responsible for. I'm excited. And check it out, as a part of the package deal they're offering me, FAU's gonna cover 80% of my tuition and they're giving me a yearly $12,000 stipend. I'm still waiting to hear back from Purdue and the University of Florida. So if they accept me, I'll have a decision to make. But whatever happens, now I know that I'll be working towards my Master's degree somewhere.

And as if things could get any better, the newest issue of SLAM magazine also came in the mail; it has Dwight Howard on the cover doing a Superman pose. The post office did me right today.

What I Had For Dinner 4/12/08

My Cuban sandwich was the jam.

It was perfectly grilled and I added extra slices of cheese so it would all be extra melted.

And then a pile of wavy Lays potato chips on the side.

It's past midnight, so I'm gonna let my meal get settled a little while longer and then go to sleep happy.

I bought a Roomba (it's currently in the kitchen, but it might not be there for long).

Yeah, a Roomba. One of those robot vacuum cleaners. I bought one. And I love it already. It's like a new puppy, scooting along the floor, getting accustomed to its new surroundings, and occasionally nipping at your heels. The best is when it goes underneath the couch -- it's surprisingly adorable. I wouldn't say I could sit and watch it all day, as that would be a egregious overstatement. But I could honestly say I could sit and watch it for a whole hour straight, absolutely. It plays a little tune (it actually sounds kinda like a Simon, which makes perfect sense because it looks like a Simon) when you start it up, and then again when it's finished.

I'm gonna leave a trail of Cheetos for it, like some modern day Hansel & Gretel.

What I Had For Lunch 4/12/08

Just roast chicken. Good, but no biggie.

And then some Famous Amos cookies for dessert -- chocolate chip with pecans.

Headlines (Pirates spent a lot of man hours digging; Awful People; He's the Juggernaut!)

Lawmaker: State's treasure could ease budget mess

''In a tough budget year,'' Zapata said, ``we have some interesting goodies in the closet. Why not have an interesting garage sale, put them out there and see what we can get for them? The question now is, what's the value?'' -- the Sun-Sentinel

I think this is a great idea. If some rich idiot wants to pay us top dollar for the shiny junk we find at the bottom of the ocean off our coastlines, let him have it. We've got plenty of that stuff to spare, so the rest of the pirate treasure and sunken artifacts we decide to keep can continue to collect dust in our local museums. Sounds like win-win. There are so many budgetary needs, and we as taxpayers -- even with the luxury of having no actual state tax -- can only be bled so dry through public funding. Money will always be an issue, so our local government needs to capitalize on forward-thinking, outside-the-box strategies like this one.

And my favorite part of the articles is the mention of "doubloons."

Beaten cheerleader's mom says video was hard to watch

"Nichols [mother of one of the charged teenagers] described Mercades as 'really a loving, caring kid.'" -- the Sun-Sentinel

Things like this always amaze me. Whenever a malicious and degenerate crime is committed -- like, for example, a group of teens ganging up on a girl and brutally beating her brains in -- there always someone related to the accused...be it friend, family, lover, or otherwise...that always tries to make the case that so-and-so is really a "loving" and "caring" person.

That's bullshit.

I can understand a mother standing behind her daughter and offering her moral support in a difficult situation, but get real. Someone who bludgeons a poor, defenseless girl (who, judging by the video, couldn't weight more than 85 lbs.) while videotaping the beating for YouTube is NOT a good person. Unless we're making up new definitions for words now, I don't buy it. Your daughter is a scumbag. Doesn't mean you can't still love her, but it's important to face the facts.

Dolphins fullback facing battery charge

"Mauia allegedly asked Gianatassio ''what the [expletive] he was looking at,'' to which Gianatassio responded that he ''wasn't looking at anyone,'' according to Braun.

Mauia allegedly became upset and said, ''you should know'' as he approached the victim. ''All of a sudden Mauia punched Gianatassio in the face with a closed fist,'' the police report stated. ``The punch caused the victim to pass out and fall to the ground.''

Mauia then allegedly fled in a black Cadillac Escalade." -- the Miami Herald

If that's true, sucks to be Reagan Mauia. It doesn't bode well for his playing career, because getting arrested isn't the best way to endear yourself to a brand new coach, general manager, and VP of football operations. And more importantly, it doesn't bode well for his manhood, because I never support people who pick on those who are smaller than them. And with Mauia listed at 270 lbs., I'm betting this guy was half his size.

Ah well, if he sticks around (which I'm assuming will be the case), he seemed to be a decent lead blocker. And if he gets cut (which I doubt), he's just a FB. Unless you're Lorenzo Neal, you can be replaced easily.

And I think most people will remember Mauia for that YouTube video of his best Juggernaut impression, running full speed through a wall. Incidentally, it's not that impressive. It's not like it was a load-bearing wall or anything.

What I Had For Breakfast 4/12/08

I warmed up some instant oatmeal. The variety pack has three flavors -- apple cinnamon, cinnamon spice, and maple & brown sugar. I chose the latter.

I wanted to mix some sliced up bananas in there, but I was running late this morning. Those chunks of bananas would've only slowed me down.

Retired Players I Loved To Watch #4 (Wu-Tang knew what's up.)

Rod Strickland

Strickland was one of the most underrated players at his position of the 1990s. People didn't want to give him credit because he was a criminal and was always getting in trouble (which, in all fairness, was absolutely true), but he was talented. He was such an effective point guard -- had keen court vision; was a willing passer; always conscious of where all the other nine players were on the court at any given time; distributed shots for everyone evenly; and was so crafty and precise with the basketball, threading the needle through defenders and finding non-existent passing lanes. No lie, some of the things he did with the ball were downright Jason Kidd-like. And even though he didn't have much range (or much arc) on his jumpshot, he made up for that by being such an unstoppable penetrator and acrobatic finisher. A lot of people forget that Rod led the league in assists one year. It's just too bad he had a chronic (pun intended) habit of underachieving. Oh, and he also played college ball at DePaul, with Kevin Edwards as his backcourt mate.

And even if you don't care about basketball, these are two funny things you should know about him: one time, Rod got into a fistfight with teammate Tracy Murray (he showed up to the next game with a nasty black eye) over a stripper they were both sleeping with; and another time, he pounded down a bunch of hot dogs minutes before tip off and then puked them up while sitting on the bench.

Rod Strickland's career statistics





Here's a video of Wu-Tang's "Triumph." Peep Raekwon's line at the very end of the song: "Max mostly, undivided, then slide in, sickenin' / Guaranteed, made 'em jump like Rod Strickland."

What I Had For Dinner (I'm a Caregiver) 4/11/08

I went with my Mom to the "Relay for Life" event at Coral Springs High, honoring cancer survivors. It was rewarding, because I got to support my Mom for her accomplishment; and it was also delicious, because they served us a dinner catered by Outback Steakhouse. I had medium rare steak, barbecued chicken breast, dinner rolls with butter, Asian salad with crunchy fried noodles, onion souffle, mushroom gravy, steamed string beans, and a slice of cheesecake.

As a survivor, my Mom got to wear a white sash. And since I took care of her, I got to wear a purple sash. Haha.

(Disclaimer: they did not actually serve bloomin' onions.)

I'm Glad My TiVo Records 80 hours (TV shows that I watch regularly)

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern

Children have terrible taste. All they ever want to eat is hot dogs with potato chips, or meat loaf with mashed potatoes, or hamburgers with french fries, or pizza. That's it. I believe kids should include more offal in their diets.


30 Rock

"I love this cornbread so much I wanna take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant."

"Affirmative action was designed to keep women and minorities in competition with each other to distract us while white dudes inject AIDS into our chicken nuggets."

"I'm gonna make you a mix tape. You like Phil Collins?"

"Ken, I'll be gone soon, but I just wanted you to know that I've loved being your mentor, and it's been an honor having you be my manatee."

"You can't ask a bird not to fly. You can't ask a fish not to swim. You can't ask a tiger not to turn back into a Chinese person at midnight!"

"Werewolf bar mitzvah, spooky scary / Boys becoming men, men becoming wolves."

"I like to walk around my house naked, to remind my oldest son who's still got the biggest ding-dong."

I'm glad it's finally back.

Ace of Cakes

I'd never pay that much money for a stupid cake (check out their website -- the cheapest are $500) but there are two cute cake decorators..the white brunette girl and the Asian girl. They look like the the types that studied a lot of Neoclassical artwork in school, care (or pretend to care) about the environment, don't eat meat, play NPR in the background to seem overtly intelligent, and take music way too seriously. That's exactly how I like 'em.

King of the Hill

It may not be as iconic as the Simpsons; as politically savvy and socially aware as South Park; or as unapologetically outrageous as Family Guy, but King of the Hill really is one of the greatest animated shows of all time. The quality of their voice-over work is incredible.


Jon & Kate Plus 8

Growing up with seven other siblings (all of whom are the same age) will do one of two things to those kids: make them an extremely loving, close-knit family, or make them really, really weird and maladjusted.

For the record, my Mom is 1 of 6 and my Dad is 1 of 7. They should've had a reality TV show.



The Riches

Sometimes the storyline can move a little slow, but watching it always puts me in the mood to commit a crime.






What Not To Wear

Haha, all of these contestants are so full of it -- ratty, tattered, oversized clothing is NOT "comfortable."









Top Chef

I was really happy with last Wednesday's episode. The right person got voted off...whats-her-face, the chick who was 1/2 of that lesbian couple. The two of them went on and on about how hard it was to compete against each other, how they didn't have the heart to see the other go home, how uncomfortable it was to crush the career aspirations of their partner, blah blah blah. I hate that stuff. That's a sign of weakness. After she got voted off, she even said something along the lines of, "I'm not here to compete. I'm here to cook," or something equally as spineless. That's a loser's attitude and exactly why she got kicked off. Life is a competition. I wanna beat everyone at everything all the time, even loved ones. Some people just don't have any guts.

Headlines (The Clintons have a history of doing this; Me fail English? That's unpossible!; The Detroit Tigers having only 1 win makes me feel better.)

Bill Clinton addresses Bosnia flap

"Bill Clinton went out of his way to stick up for his wife in the flap over her trip to Bosnia in 1996. Clinton had told the audiences that his wife “misstated” the circumstances of the trip just once, chalking it up to exhaustion.

Each time that Clinton brought up Bosnia, he tweaked the press for overreacting to Hillary’s indiscretion." -- MSN.com

I'm as fond of Bill Clinton as the next guy, but let's be real here -- Hilary lied. She is a liar. She fabricated a phony story, manipulating the truth of what actually happened overseas, deluding citizens into believing she's some kind of war hero. And even if we assumed the intentions behind her misappropriations were not malicious -- which I don't buy -- and actually were caused by what Bill called "exhaustion," that still doesn't make things much better. The Presidency is a tiring job. It can be pretty demanding. Either Hilary finally drops out of the running, or she eats some high-energy trail mix.


South Florida schools prepare for cuts

"South Florida schools can expect less money for textbooks, minimal raises for teachers and some jobs frozen as school districts absorb more than $100 million in budget cuts that will likely be ordered by the Florida Legislature.

Nevertheless, Broward School Board member Eleanor Sobel said she doesn't see how the cuts can avoid being felt in the classroom.

''They're cutting everything to the bone,'' she said. ``We're going to be in trouble in the future.'' -- the Miami Herald

It's funny how our state can manage to continue cutting public school funding. You'd think it were mathematically impossible. I mean, how do you subtract $100 million from nothing? That's a negative number. At this rate, public schools might as well start paying the state. At least that way, we'll eliminate the pretense of our politicians and legislators actually caring one bit about education.

Sweeping up turns into group effort for Marlins

This doesn't make up for the team's front office spending less on the entire roster than the Yankees are spending on Alex Rodriguez alone. Or, for that matter, shipping of D-Train and Miguel Cabrera. But it's still nice to see them start off the season so strongly.

What I Had For Breakfast 4/11/08

After trimming the stupid hedges in the lawn, I was tired and wanted something substantial. So I cooked a big pile of hashbrowns with a fried egg (I broke the yolk, but didn't cook it to the point where it was completely set inside).

Ketchup was then administered.

Retired Players I Loved To Watch #3 (KVH)

Keith Van Horn

Haha, yeah, I know. He sucked. But I think that was the point.

I remember him always looking so frazzled and over-matched on the court. He never seemed comfortable with his frame -- which, at 6'10" 240 lbs. and an endless wingspan, was actually tailor-made for basketball -- or his skill set, so he always came across as really clumsy, awkward, and gangly.

For SF, he was too unathletic and slow-footed; too anchored to the floor and slow to react. Coupled with poor ball-handling skills, he could never blow by anyone on the perimeter or take advantage of an ISO. He lacked fluidity and seamlessness.

For PF, he was too weak and soft and timid. He looked like a waif out there. He wasn't strong enough to push anyone off the low block or hold his ground when boxing out for rebounds. He was tall enough, just not wide enough. He had no upper body strength to speak of. Opposing power forwards bullied and pushed him around routinely.

Basically, he was a 'tweener. He had no position. And since you knew inevitably, invariably, he was gonna mess up -- traveling, dribbling the ball off his foot, someone swatting his shot, getting dunked on -- it was so much fun to watch him play. You were in a state of constant euphoric anticipation.

About the only thing he could do was shoot, which he could actually do really well -- he had unlimited range, a smooth follow-through, and pin-point accuracy. But even that didn't serve him too well, because his shooting motion was so robotic, his wind up so slow, that it was hard to get shots off against opposing defenses. Even at his height with his long arms, he struggled to shoot over defenders.

It's a wonder he was ever able to average 21/8.



But in his defense, he was actually really good in college when he played at Utah, along with Andre Miller, Michael Doleac, and Hanno Mottola. I had high expectations for him. He seemed like a well-rounded player that could do a little bit of everything. And, after all, he was the 2nd player chosen after Tim Duncan in the 1997 NBA draft.

Keith Van Horn's career statistics

What I Had For Dinner 4/10/08

I wish I had something exciting to report, but I don't. Just leftovers -- lasagna and chicken tenders.

To redeem both myself and this blog, I'm gonna scrounge around the kitchen right now and look for something good. If you don't hear back from me, I've gone hungry.