Endings and Beginnings...

As we bring 2007 to a close and embark on yet another promising year in 2008, the sports world continues to spin, bringing us constantly to the edge of unpredictability. For example, as the NFL concluded its regular season (and cost me 2 fantasy championships), teams that didn't make the playoffs began their postseason evaluations, sending some into the new year looking for other forms of employment. For example, the Baltimore Ravens went ahead and fired head coach Brian Billick after he confidently told reporters that he would be back a few weeks ago(http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3150074). He then proceeded to lose to the then-winless Dolphins via poor playcalling the very next week, after which he should've been immediately booted, but oh well- at least he didn't pull a Bobby Petrino (it's amazing how one person can become the butt of so many jokes in such a short period of time).
Speaking of those same Dolphins, I don't think anyone expected new executive VP of football ops Bill Parcells to sit very quietly once the 'Fins lost yesterday to cap a miserable 1-15 season. He began his housecleaning by first firing GM Randy Mueller (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3174839), who, based on his previous track record, shouldn't have been hired in the first place. Next on the firing line- head coach Cam Cameron, who had this to say in the same article: "There's going to be an opportunity in the next few days to sit down and talk with Bill," Cameron said. "We'll treat it as an exchange between two guys who want to see the Miami Dolphins be successful, and what it's going to take to do that." As brilliant an offensive mind as Cameron has been perceived to be, what it's going to take for the Dolphins to get back to any sort of respectability is probably getting rid of him and bringing in someone like Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett or Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and seeing what they can do. Not many people are giving Cameron a chance (including myself), but some of his players seem to be a little more optimistic. "God willing," running back Jesse Chatman said. "Coach Cameron is better than people think he is. He needs a chance to show what a good coach he is." He'll get his chance, but it probably won't be on South Beach. If Parcells does let him go, he'll be back as an offensive coordinator somewhere next season.
Being a Chiefs fan, I have to go homer on this next one. Team president and general manager Carl Peterson has decided to return to the organization for a twentieth season despite the team just finishing a disappointing 4-12 season. I'm always optimistic when rooting for my teams (Braves, Chiefs, Seminoles, Stars), but it was awfully difficult this season with RB Larry Johnson being injured more often than not, the retirements of offensive linemen Willie Roaf and Will Shields before the season, and the lack of a solid QB after Trent Green was traded to the Dolphins. It's reassuring to know that someone who has a put a lot of energy into keeping a franchise performing at a high level year after year can continue to stick by the franchise during years like this one. After team owner (and NFL legend) Lamar Hunt passed away last year, Peterson made it his mission to see it all the way through, so I know that Kansas Citians can rest comfortably going into 2008 knowing that the architect who built past Chiefs teams with players like Okoye, Thomas, Neil Smith, and Willie Davis will continue to mold the franchise and turn it around after an off year.
Finally, I would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. We've witnessed many unpredictable events this past year, which have impacted us in some way, shape or form. Let's resolve to make 2008 a wonderful year, one full of promise, enrichment, and optimism. Until next year...

(Bad) Sign of the Times

So I'm on my computer reading the online edition of the Hartford Courant today (for those of you scoring at home, that's http://www.courant.com) and the following headline catches my eye on my way to the sports section: "Civic's Out: Now It's The XL Center." At first I was puzzled, but when I put it all together a few seconds later, I was hoping it wasn't about one of my favorite hometown landmarks, the Hartford Civic Center, selling out to a corporate bigwig like so many other sports venues across the country. After the first two sentences, however, I was saddened by this unfortunate circumstance: "XL is no longer just a jersey size in Hartford sports.The two letters will anchor a new name for the Hartford Civic Center under an agreement to sell the naming rights of the landmark venue to XL Insurance." The Civic Center, to me, was one of the last regional holdouts of my childhood to not give in to corporate greed, with Giants Stadium, Yankee Stadium, and Fenway Park standing by its side. I can't even fathom walking in there for a Wolf Pack or Huskies game and calling it the "XL Center." I'm too old school, bleeding Whalers green and blue through and through, to sell out and not call it the Civic Center. It's sad that, in this day and age, our major sports have resorted to soliciting high-priced stadium naming deals from corporate America. What happened to the days of Foxboro Stadium, Joe Robbie Stadium, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, and Candlestick Park?? Oh, and I almost forgot the Boston Garden!! Stadium names like these are legendary, names that sports fans around my age and older can appreciate, so if I sound curmudgeonly old school, that's because I am!! Those of you who appreciate old school sports- join me in celebrating the venues of days past- places like the Kingdome, Mile High Stadium, Maple Leaf Gardens, and the ol' Aud in Buffalo. LONG LIVE THE HARTFORD CIVIC CENTER!! Until next time...

Something To Think About...

I happened to come across a link to an editorial on the Baltimore Sun website (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-sp.steele09dec09,0,7135582.column) after reading a baseball blog on ESPN.com, and it definitely opened my eyes a little. David Steele posed a good point in the wake of the recent Sean Taylor slaying and the court cases of Barry Bonds and Michael Vick, among others. "Strange how a certain worldwide-leading sports network brings out its "legal analysts" when an athlete (Barry Bonds, Michael Vick, Adam "Pacman" Jones, Tank Johnson) is accused of a crime but not when an athlete (Sean Taylor) is the victim," he said. Before I read that, I never really paid attention to when the "legal analysts" showed up on said network programs, but now that he mentioned it, it's actually fairly true. Unless an athlete is somehow involved in some type of criminal activity, those "legal analysts" probably continue doing their real jobs, even when an athlete is the unfortunate victim. If I remember correctly, when Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was gunned down last New Year's Eve, said network sent reporters out to the Denver area to cover the story, but those "legal analysts" seemed to be nowhere to be found. It's amazing what a network will or won't do for ratings, even if they're branded as the "worldwide leader." This point won't stop me from watching said network, but it did persuade me to watch it a little bit differently now. Until next time...

Long Time No See...

It's been a while since I've blogged here, so I thought I'd drop by and spill my guts on a few things:
It's such a travesty what our society has come to with the recent murder of Redskins DB Sean Taylor this week. The sad part is that he was at home with his fiance' and baby daughter when a bunch of teenagers (at least that's what's been reported) decided they wanted to make a point and ended up taking a life. This story hits home to me in two ways: 1) He was only 24 years old- the same age as my lil sister Stephanie, and 2) He was a father to an 18-month-old daughter that will now have to grow up without a significant male presence in her life. Being a father myself, I can't even stomach the notion of my son having to grow up without me being alive to see him follow in my footsteps. This is yet another sad chapter to a story that seems to be rewritten more often than not, taking away not only a gifted athlete respected by his peers and coaches, but also a father, son, fiance', and friend. I wish I could say that there's a solution to this growing problem, but I'm not God, so all I can do is continue living my life and raising my son to have a better quality of life than me.
As the calendar gets set to turn to December, it amazes me how fast 2007 has flown by. I won't start reflecting back on the year right now because we've still got a month left, but so much has happened that I can't even to begin putting it into words. Because I'm fighting a cold that my wife may passed on to me, I'm going to sip my hot lemonade, watch the news on channel 3 (WFSB for you out-of-staters), and turn in early since I have to go pick up a sofa and love seat tomorrow morning. Until next time...

Wastes of Space

So I'm coming back from Misquamicut last night with the fam when we decide to stop at a Chinese restaurant to order dinner. There was a really old Chevy Impala sitting in a parking spot near the entrance. I didn't think to glance at it when I first went in, but when I came out, I had to do a double take because I had never seen such a disturbing image in my life. It was filled with nothing but absolute garbage.

When I came back to pick up our dinner, it was an opportunity to grab the digital camera and snap a pic so that I could write a blog about it. My question is: Who in their right mind would use a car to fill it up with that much garbage? Given, I'll throw a few things on my floor here and there when I'm in a rush, but I'd never let it get to this point!! The fact that it's even parked there amazes me.

I'm just glad the windows were up so that the undeniable stench didn't seep its way into the air. The only suitable destination for something like this is a landfill!! A junkyard won't do this piece of crap justice!! Let me know what you think (trust me, I'll spare you the location!!). Until next time...

Looking Back...

So I was sitting on the front porch downstairs this morning talking to Gram Rose while the exterminator was making his way through the house, and we were talking about the history of our street while one of our neighbors was working on his yard. It just amazed me how much simpler life was around here back in the day when my mom was my son's age. Back then you were able to have bread and milk dropped off and not have to worry about anyone coming and stealing it off your doorstep. Even was I was younger- say, 20 years ago- it was safe enough for us to go outside in front of our house and not have to worry about the environment around us because we had our neighbors looking out for us little ones. Now that I'm a parent, and currently raising my son in the same house I was raised in, it pains me to see the state in which my street has become. The comfort zone we had to about halfway down our street no longer exists, as I keep my son inside watching "Wonder Pets" or another one of his cartoons. The more that I see him grow, the more I need to get him and Karla out of here and into a better situation. I love my childhood home, and I love my grandparents and greatgrandma dearly, but as long as I'm still breathing on this earth, I can't afford to have my son waste his education here. The environment is completely different, the interaction around the neighborhood is minimal to damn near nonexistent, and I don't want to see my family's potential wasted staying in the house or having to travel somewhere just to have a good time. The harder Karla and I work, the sooner I know I won't have to worry anymore. If life as we know it today was as simple as it was 50 years ago...

Until next time...

Long Time Comin'...

So I haven't exactly been doing so well in holding up to my promise of blogging more here than I do on MySpace. Oh well- shows how busy I really am!! Anyway, a lot has happened since my last blog:
- Finally made to the end of a challenging school year
- Visited my family in Orlando
- Finished a 10-day intensive grad school course in 7 days, not to mention getting a brief experience of college life again minus the dorm drama (and I'm quite satisfied with my final project I might add!)
- Successfully launched my summer volleyball league (not without a 2-day delay due to a state-mandated air test)
While I'm proud of all those things, I'm proudest of the last 2 because not only am I finally getting my Master's work started, but I was finally able to see something that I spent months planning come to bloom. It wasn't without a lot of help from a lot of people, so many thanks go out to all those who helped make this summer league happen.
I've been putting off this blog about probably my biggest pet peeve for years, and now I've motivated myself to finally put into cyberspace. Ever since I became a licensed driver, I've despised many facets of the world of driving, from the lack of skills to the equivalent of hell on wheels- the minivan. In terms of the lack of skills, the things that bother me most are people who drive slow in the high-speed lane (that's what the slow vehicle lane is for!!), people who don't signal (I've had to avoid many accidents because idiots can't take the 0.5 seconds to put a blinker on), and (forgive me for saying this) older drivers who don't belong behind the steering wheel of a car.
I'll admit that I like driving at a good speed on the highway- it's in my blood- but nothing irritates me more that getting settled into my groove (most likely in cruise control) only to be interrupted by a Sunday driver who takes their time taking in the sights in the wrong lane. There are certain places for people like this- A PARK!! Take in the sights and smells of roses doing 15 mph around Elizabeth Park, not doing 55 in a 65.
People who don't signal irritate me more than that. If I'm waiting at a light and the car in front of me doesn't have its signal on, I'm assuming they're going the same direction as me. To my dismay (more like fury), they wait until the very last second before entering the intersection to turn on their blinker as if they forgot to do it in the first place. Of course this happens as the steady flow of traffic whizzes past us in the opposite direction, and before you know it, the red light is back on, and that idiot in front of me is just taking their turn. Lucky me...
Don't get me wrong- if you have the ability to drive deep into your adulthood- God bless you. But if the times seem to have passed you by (not to mention the dozen of SUVs and sedans blowing their horns at you), then maybe it's time you passed that set of wheels onto a new generation and hitched a ride with someone. Not only will it be safer, but you'll spend less time being disoriented and not having to figure out which pedal you have to use.
Lastly, the concept known as a minivan seemed to be pretty cool when I was growing up (our family didn't go that route, opting instead for the Silver Bullet known as the Chevy Eurosport station wagon), but now I'm driving on my own they seem to just get in the way no matter where you go. Nine times out of 10 they're driven by soccer moms who just can't seem to find their way to little Johnny's soccer practice. I say that we do away with minivans and keep the SUV/minivan hybrids they're making these days. At least then they'll look like something that civilized people drive around in rather than mini school buses not painted yellow with motorized stop signs on the side.
Enough blogging for now-anvils have secretly attached themselves to my eyelids. Until next time...

GO WHALERS!!

Knowing Your Priorities

We had some severe storms fly through our area this afternoon and early evening, and as I was washing some clothes in the basement, I just found it fascinating to see everything happening from below ground level. I even opened one of the tiny windows by our dryer just to get a clear look at the raindrops falling to the ground. Sometimes it's just interesting watching nature do its thing from a different angle.
However, this isn't the basis for my title today. A situation came up today where I had to make a choice: attend to a family situation or ignore it to go to practice. Where I come from, no matter what the situation, family comes first...PERIOD. The fact that I explained my situation should've been enough, but there are some people in this world who don't exactly remember what their priorities are, and I thank God everyday that I'm not one of them. I told my mom what happened as I was attending to my family situation, and just hearing her calm me down in her soothing voice just reminded me that I would be making the right decision in a couple days regarding my future. She said it was the final sign I needed to validate my decision, and now it was just time to just follow through with it calmly and professionally so I can move on. The hardest part now is getting to that point and making it happen. I'm sure once I have, the monkey I feel is on my back will emphatically jump off and run away. Until next time...

Hello!!

Hi all... I was directed to this site by my grad school professor. Seeing as how this is my intro post, I'll keep it short and sweet. My name's Pat Douglas. I'm 27, married with a 20-month-old son, live in Hartford, CT, and work as a middle school math teacher and high school volleyball coach. Hopefully I'll do a better job posting to this site than I do to my MySpace blog. Feel free to share comments, complaints, or just about anything. Until next time...