Happy Birthday Barb!!!

It is my lovely wife's birthday. I don't think she'll mind me telling you all that she turns 39 today. She is the love of my life and my end-all, be-all. If not for her coming into my life, I am not sure what sort of sad shape I would be in. She rescued me from a life of meaninglessness.

God bless you Honey. You are the absolute best!

All my love forever,
Jim

Draft update

The Rams played it safe and took OT Jason Smith from Baylor with the #2 overall pick. The upside is that Smith really seems to love playing football, wants to be in St. Louis, appears to be a hard worker and a really good guy and fills a huge hole on the team. The downside is that being the #2 overall pick he is going to command a TON of money, he is not a can't-miss prospect (though to be fair, very few players are) and we passed on the best player available, ILB Aaron Curry. To make matters worse, division rival Seattle took Curry at #4. Ugh.

Another division rival got stronger too, as San Francisco saw WR Michael Crabtree fall right into their laps. If coach Mike Singletary manages to stay sane, the 49ers could be on the verge of becoming relevant again. Of course there is still the issus of just who in the hell is actually going to throw the ball to Crabtree...

With the Rams second pick, we did manage to get the ILB that we desparately needed. James Laurinaitis fell to the 2nd round and the Rams scooped him up. He is a bit slow, but he plays with great intensity. I am not sure if he will be able to stay on the field on 3rd down, but he should be very solid against the run. I give the Rams a solid B for their first day of the draft.

The NFL Draft is here!

It's one of my favorite events of the year. The suspense is high here in St. Louis because no one knows for sure what the Rams will do with the #2 overall pick. Conventional wisdom says that they should take 1 of the 2 top rated offensive tackles (either Eugene Monroe of Virginia or Jason Smith of Baylor) because they have a gaping hole there since Orlando Pace was released. But many people (including me) think that linebacker Aaron Curry out of Wake Forest is the best player in the entire draft and think the Rams ought to go that route. And some out there are pulling hard for the Rams to make a shocking move and select USC QB Mark Sanchez.

While I am pulling hard for Curry, I realize that either Monroe or Smith are the more likely pick. I just think that you have to draft not only for next year but for the long term future of the team. And if you are convinced that Curry is the best player available, then you take him. The Rams 2nd round pick is a high selection as well, so they should be able to help the O-line there. Whoever they pick, it should be someone that can help the team immediately. I'll understand if they go with one of the tackles. The Sanchez option, which I think is more of a smokescreen to try to entice other teams to trade up with the Rams, would definitely be a long-term pick. He would not help the Rams this season as they have Marc Bulger at QB and it would cost too much to dump Bulger this year. But the Rams have very legitimate concerns as to whether Bulger can ever perform at a high level again and eventually they are going to need a replacement for the 33 year old QB.

It should be a very intriguing weekend. We may see some wheeling and dealing as several teams are said to be interested in moving up to get Sanchez. Whether such a deal would involve the Rams remains to be seen.

Season 2 of The Wire

I finished season 2 of the The Wire last night. Barb watched the last 3 episodes with me. She came in completely cold and I explained things as the story moved along. She seemed to like it.

Season 2 had a bigger scope than the 1st season. It still deals with the Barksdale drug gang but the main focus is on the dockworkers' union and the smugglers with whom they get mixed up. I am a union guy and it was nice to see both the good and bad sides of unions portrayed in a fairly accurate manner. As with the first season, that acting was stellar all the way around. I could point out all kinds of great characters and performances but for time's sake I'll mention Chris Bauer's work as union leader Frank Sobotka. At times subtle, at other times raging, Bauer's Sobotka is a man that is trying to do good things through corrupt means. It's a complicated character and Bauer absolutely nails it. He should have won an Emmy award for his work here.

I would say that overall I probably enjoyed season 1 a little more than season 2, merely because it was more focused (the scope of the story was smaller) and we were introduced to the characters. But make no mistake, season 2 was terrific as well. I am gonna start season 3 tonight (Barb swears I am obsessed, but she's gonna watch with me from the get-go this time) so I'll have more impressions soon.

Finished Season 1 of The Wire

Great stuff. I can't wait to get into season 2. Some really stellar acting, especially among the gang members. The character of D'Angelo Barksdale, who is sort of the conscience of the gang, was brilliantly played by Larry Gilliard Jr. And the characters of Omar, a rival gang banger, and Bubbles, a junkie police informant, were also terrifically drawn out and played wonderfully by the actors. Everyone in the cast did a tremedous job. I highly recommend checking this series out.

Enjoying The Wire

Stayed up way too late last night and watched the first 6 episodes of season 1 of The Wire. Really compelling stuff, showing things from both sides of the law. I can't wait to dive back in. And I have seasons 2-5 to look forward to as well! Looks like my wife hit a HR with this B-day present.

The Wire

After hearing all of the hype for the HBO series series "The Wire" I decided I needed to see what all the fuss was about. At various times in the past I have checked out the DVD prices and been aghast at what I saw: usually $65 for a single season. I checked out Best Buy a couple of days ago and saw that the whole series (5 seasons) was available for $180. That wasn't too bad in comparison to the single season prices, but I decided to check out Amazon.com when I got home. Imagine my delight when I saw the entire series available for $122! My wife ordered it for me as my birthday present and it arrived today. I have no idea when I will get around to watching it, but I am quite eager to get into it.

Thanks, Honey!!!

Going retro?

I am jonesing for something new to play. I am still enjoying MLB: The Show very much and I am waiting for the latest DLC before starting back in on Fallout 3. I almost bought Resident Evil 5 last night, but there are a couple of other games coming out in May that I am interested in, so I decided to wait until then.

I have really been thinking about revisiting some Playstation 2 classics. God Of War, God Of War II (which I never finished), Shadow Of The Colossus (never finished) and Champions Of Norrath (which I started with my son but again, I didn't finish) are all sounding good right about now. I hope I can get past the PS2 graphics and give these games a whirl again. I am no graphics whore by any means, but it is hard to go back to last generation graphics when you are so thoroughly entrenched in the latest technology. At the very least, I'd love to finish GoW2. And re-teaming with my son in CoN sounds like a good time as well.

Games in May that I am curious about: Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, Battlestations: Pacific and Fuel.

Saying goodbye to my cousin

Yesterday was the service for my cousin Mark. It was a chance for the family to get together and mourn our great loss. Respects were paid and many tears were shed. Afterward, some the family went out to lunch where we were able to take some time to celebrate Mark's life and raise a glass to him. It was all incredibly touching and cathartic. The final chapter on Mark may not be written yet, but we were able to get some semblance of closure yesterday.

My cousin Kathy, Mark's sister, read my blog about losing Mark and made me a copy of the exact same picture of Mark playing baseball that I had referred to in the blog. Kathy is so amazing and strong. She and her husband (also named Mark) are a remarkable couple and I really admire them. I wish them all the best this world has to offer.

Anyway, here is the picture of Mark's swing. I am guessing that he was between 8-10 years old when this was taken. Look at that swing; I told you it was beautiful.

We love you and miss you, Mark.

Losing Mark

My cousin Mark finally lost his long battle with a terrible, devastating illness. I knew this was probably coming one day but in a way it is still quite a shock. He was about my age and we did a lot together when were were both little. I reconnected with him years later and we talked quite a bit by phone back then. He was an avid sports fan and I can still remember how disappointed we both were when St. Louis was bypassed for an NFL expansion franchise in the early 90's. A couple of years later we celebrated like hell when the Rams decided to move to St. Louis.

I'll remember a lot about him. He was one heck of a baseball player when he was young. Just a lights-out hitter and a fine fielder as well. For a little guy he had some surprising pop in his bat. I remember my grandpa taking pictures of him during his games. When I saw one years later, of him following through on a base hit, I was struck by how beautiful his swing was. Just picture perfect. Everything was right: his head position, the placement of his hands, his legs. It was a thing of beauty. I wonder if I can get a copy of that picture to remember him by.

We also had many, many long and involved conversations. He was a solid, logical thinker and once he took a position, he rarely changed his mind. He was passionate about whatever we talked about. Later, his illness wouldn't allow such conversations to be possible. But I'll always remember him being a great guy to talk to.

And so he is gone now, and I feel empty but also a bit relieved, for him. He suffered a great deal and of course those around him suffered and hurt so much too. Trying to capture my feelings right now is difficult; it's still raw, as I only learned of his passing a couple of hours ago. But if you'll allow me to make a silly analogy, I'll try to explain. In the movie "Saving Private Ryan," Tom Hanks plays a brave army captain who leads his men with great valor. But during the quiet times, his hand shakes uncontrollably. He never lets his men see this for fear that they will lose faith in him, but it bothers him greatly. After succeeding in his last mission, he is killed by a German rifleman. And the camera pans down to show his hand, steady at last.

I know my cousin Mark is steady at last. Rest in peace, Mark. I love you.

Oops! Agents: Raji did not fail drug test

Since I ripped on Raji for failing a drug test at the NFL Combine, I must apologize sincerely as it appears that it didn't happen:

NEW YORK (AP) -- The agents representing one of the NFL draft's top prospects, defensive tackle B.J. Raji, strongly disputed a report that the former Boston College player failed a drug test at the league's scouting combine in February.

In an e-mail sent to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Brian Murphy and Mark Humenik referred to the reports as "cowardly" and "malicious," noting their client has not been notified by the NFL of any failed test.

"The media reports accusing B.J. of a failed drug test at the Combine are false," Murphy and Humenik wrote. "Given the cowardly attacks and damage to B.J.'s character as a result of these vicious rumors, we sincerely hope the responsible parties are discovered and held accountable for their actions."

Murphy and Humenik, based in Irvine, Calif., also noted that the NFL has issued a statement challenging the report initially posted on SI.com on Thursday.

The SI.com report, which did not identify the drug, was attributed to unidentified NFL team sources. The Web site reported that Raji's name will be on a list of players who tested positive.

In a statement released by the NFL last week, the league said neither its 32 teams nor the league office know the results of drug or steroid tests taken at the combine. Instead, players who test positive are notified in writing by the independent medical advisers who perform the testing.

As a result of this new information, I am taking down my original post about Raji. I only mean to post accurate information and I apologize if it all turns out to be a fabrication. Mea culpa.

Opening Day

Well the Cardinals opened their season today much as they ended 2008: by blowing a save. A 4-2 lead in the 9th inning wound up a 6-4 loss as new closer Jason Motte failed to hold the lead. Last year the Cards led the league in blown saves. I hope this is not an omen of things to come...

Fallout 3 - more on The Pitt

Since your character cannot raise his experience levels in The Pitt but will be able to with the 3rd DLC, Broken Steel, I think I am gonna wait for BS to come out, then I can gain experience for what I do in The Pitt. Heck, I might even do Operation: Anchorage over just to help me level up more. So I am gonna leave Fallout 3 alone for a while.