Shaquille O’Neal is no longer a member of the Miami Heat. He’s been traded to the Phoenix Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. I haven’t been following this NBA season too closely, in part because the Heat have been terrible and in part because my schedule hasn’t allowed to me watch a single game this season. But I’m a Heat fan and have been one since I was in elementary school. I know Shaq’s one of the greatest to ever play the game, but I’m certainly not sad to see him go. He’s lost a step or two, he’s out of shape, and he has a monster contact that was going to prevent the team from signing any sort of free agent for the next two seasons. I know he helped make the Heat relevant again, and I know he played a part in the 2006 title, but you can’t make today’s decisions based on yesterday’s winning formula.
Tag Archive for 'basketball'
Leading Off - Today starts one of the best weeks of the year. Think about it. You’re only at work for three days. If you’re still in school you may only have two days of school. Then you sit around and eat all weekend, watch football or your favorite movies, and catch up with family. Not too shabby. Sadly, I’m still on the front side of those three days of work.
Introducing McKenzie Grace Pohl - This past Saturday (I think it was Saturday) my old friend Alisse Pohl gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Congratulations Alisse!
Dream Sequence - Sometimes I think it’s funny how God works. On Friday night after alumni team I was sitting around in Camp Special listen to people describe strange dreams they’ve had. They debated over what they could mean, if anything, and the whole concept of dreams in general. Unfortunately, not only do I not sleep all that well but I also don’t hardly ever remember my dreams.
Leading Off - I really like this topical blog entry style that I’ve stumbled upon. I’m not the type of blogger who posts a lot of small entries, and I’m not the type of blogger who consistently writes long essays on a single topic. This helps me be somewhere in the middle. Expect more of this to come.
The “Eric W. Schwartz” Part of the Program - Congratulations are in order for my longtime friend Eric, who as of this past Saturday is engaged to be married. I have known Eric since I was six years old and going to St. Mark’s Elementary School back in south Florida. He was my closest friend all the way through middle school and remains a man I highly respect and admire. I couldn’t be happier for him.
Once again there’s been a long hiatus. Once again I have no excuse. Inspiration comes at a premium these days I suppose. Here’s what’s been going on in my world.
Job Situation - If no news is good news, inversely that would mean that news is bad news, right? Well, that seems to be the case when it comes to my job search. I am still very unemployed. I was turned down for the position at AHCA that I interviewed for before I left Tallahassee. I have to admit, I was pretty surprised. I thought that job would have been a gimme. But I wasn’t what they were looking for. On all other fronts I’ve heard no news, despite all my efforts. I hope patience really is a virtue, because when this is all said and done I’m going to be mighty virtuous. Or broke in a gutter somewhere.
I have no excuse for why I haven’t been posting anything recently. I’ve had the available time. I guess I just haven’t really been inspired. But there has been a lot that has happened since my last real update, so I suppose I could fill you in on a thing or two.
Connecticut - I have been in Connecticut for about three and a half weeks now. Socially speaking I have not done all that much. I’ve been out to dinner with some old high school friends once, went to a Memorial Day cookout and went hiking with a buddy from FSU who now works at ESPN. But beyond that I’ve been antisocial. I have done very little to try to make contact with my old friends up here. Of course, the other way of looking at it is that my old friends have done very little to make contact with me. I’ll be honest with you: I really don’t like having old friends. It’s not the people that I don’t like, it’s the concept. Let me explain. I am not good at keeping in contact with my friends while geographically distant from them. So each time we reunite it’s like a reboot of our friendship. We tell each other the headlines from what has happened over the past four to six months, maybe do something once or twice during that break, and then we part. Once again we do a poor job of keeping in touch and the process repeats itself upon our next reunion. That isn’t satisfying at all. It’s not friendship; it’s diplomacy. I maintain relations with such people rather than cultivate a real friendship. And I guess this time, with all that’s on my mind about my future, I’m just not up for it. If Johnny McHighschool calls tomorrow and wants to hang out I’ll hang out, but I just don’t have the necessary emotional resolve to be the initiator this time.
It has been one crazy week. This job is tough! Especially when you’re working it alone. Most of the mornings so far I’ve been the only one working conference services in the whole Glen. So from 6:30 AM to 8:00 AM I’m in charge. It has been especially difficult when dealing with a group here for a Larry Crab conference. Now don’t misunderstand. I like the guy (I got to meet him); I have no problem with him. But some of his staff can be jerks when they don’t get exactly what they want exactly when they want it. They’ve been here since last Friday and don’t leave until tomorrow. One of the many demands (sorry, requests) they’ve made this past week was to adjust the spotlights to be shining on the speaker. Doesn’t sound hard, I know. But these lights are about 15 feet in the air without any remote control. So Tim and I got the tallest ladder we could find. Still didn’t reach. So I gave Tim a mop and he wiggled the lights into place. Yeah, we’re going to be on next year’s safety video. The wedding didn’t go as bad as I thought it would. No bride-zilla. No mom-zilla. We pulled it off. I directed traffic for the majority of the festivities. (No, I didn’t have to wear an orange vest.) Tim will be gone through Sunday because he’s the best man in a wedding, so I’ll be working alone for the next few days. I’m not looking forward to it.
Today is my last full day here in Connecticut for almost two months. Tomorrow morning I’ll be flying off to Colorado for the Navs National Collegiate Program. I found out a couple of days that I’ll be working at conference services. What’s that? I don’t know, but it sounds good. I’ve spent the last few days gathering the last few items I’ll be needing and today I’ve been packing. I can’t believe I’m bringing so much junk with me.
Quote of the Day: “Well I got at least one person to nod. And they’re still awake.” - Pastor Tom Vencuss, after asking what was thought to have been the rhetorical question “Are we a spirit-filled church?” to his congregation
First of all, a belated happy birthday to Liz Sprayberry who is 21 as of yesterday.
Oh my goodness has anyone else seen Dwayne Wade lately? He’s incredible, unstoppable, and clearly the Heat’s MVP. Is he the next Jordan? No. There is no “next Jordan.” Get over it. But he is one of the most mature second-year players I have ever seen, and I say this because of his shot selection. The guy doesn’t take 3s. Why? Because he can take long 2s that he can hit more consistently and his defender usually won’t play him closely until he comes in past the foul line. And he knows this and exploits it.
Continue reading ‘This Just In: Milky Way Bars Might Be Healthy’
First and foremost, Happy Mothers’ Day to all mothers, especially mine. 
Anyone watching the NBA playoffs? I am, and being a big Miami Heat fan I have to say that I’m getting pretty excited. They’ve won five straight playoff games. They’ve never done that before. In fact they’ve never won more than eight playoff games in any one single postseason (1997). They have scored 100+ points in all five playoff games. Before this postseason they had only scored 100+ points in four of the 64 playoff games they’ve been apart of (they were 3-1 in such games).
Quote of the Day: “Can God actually call you to two different things that are both good?” — Inese Radzins, my Christian Tradition professor, throwing out a rhetorical question based on a woman being called to both motherhood and to being a preacher, and essentially having to choose one
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” –Isaiah 30:21
It’s sad but true: the Lady Seminoles lost to the UConn Huskies last night 70-52. We were doing so well through the first 10 minutes of the game. We even outscored them in the second half. We were up 14-12 and then ended the first half being outscored 28-7. They just fell apart. Oh well. They had a good season. Better luck next year.
