The NFL draft has always proven to be an adventure in guesswork, to say the least. The “next big thing” ends up on the first train out of town. Or perhaps the low-rounder steps up and proves that he was well worth his weight in ticket prices.
If there is any position in which this can be an utter crap shoot, it is at quarterback. Step right up, roll the dice and take your chances.
If you look at the history of the NFL draft, you’ll find a lot of first round quarterback draft picks currently or formerly residing on the “where are they now” list. It is actually quite fascinating when you consider that this more often than not reflects “conventional wisdom” for the NFL. You know how it is - “he’s got all the skills, the body type, the college resume, blah blah blah”. Talk is cheap, and there is lots of it.
Then, after he’s been selected as a first rounder, he suddenly looks no better than the janitor throwing paper into the trash bin. Well, maybe not as bad as the janitor – but you get my point. Actually, the janitor might throw a tighter spiral and fumble fewer times, but I digress.
The discussion gets even better when you look at quarterbacks that were number one overall draft picks.
How about this stunning list from yesteryear. In hindsight, would you pick any of them for your fantasy football team?
At this point in time, I think this needs to be said.
Can we all just let this whole Tiger Woods thing go? Please? Can we just let the guy play golf again, and let him get on with repairing his world and his relationship?
Or do people really feel like they need to play bad parent and just keep scolding him?
I understand that he’s a high-profile persona in our society. And I understand that he’s become a role model to many. I follow all of that.
But first and foremost, the guy is human.
What makes it infinitely worse is that there are plenty of hypocrites in our society out there pointing fingers at him.
And imagine this – news just in. Masters chairman Billy Payne had some harsh words for Woods. We’ll get into those in a bit. But hey, Payne should be happy that Woods’ first tournament in 5 months was the Masters, with all of that media attention on Augusta. I’ll bet the sponsors loved that.
Remember though, that Augusta National is the home of the all-male membership club rules so eloquently defended by Hootie Johnson in 2002. Remember that Augusta is the home of the club that did not accept a black member until 1990, and has yet to accept a female.
Ah let the finger pointing begin.
I am admittedly a little bit old-“school”. Though I have fully embraced technology, I do still appreciate the simplicity and peace of reading the morning newspaper and having a cup of freshly-brewed java along with it. I might be one of the 10 or so people left on the planet that are still reading the paper the old-fashioned way.
When you read the news, and ponder what you’re actually reading, you’re oftentimes left wondering. Did someone really say that? Really? Seriously? Surely you jest. Truth can, at times, be stranger than fiction.
Some of these “newsworthy" items (and I use that phrase loosely) make you want to laugh. Or throw up. Or something in between the two. They may not deserve a full blog post to themselves, but do deserve the light of day.
Today, I am starting a new feature called “Rhubarb Ruminations”. You’ve seen the occasional “Playlist Pondering” as I have reflected on music. Similar concept, different topic. A rhubarb is a “quarrel, fight or heated discussion”, and I think that there are some things that merit a little bit of discussion in our world. Rhubarb is also a plant that is also known for it’s medicinal qualities – as a laxative, among other things. Rumination is simply the act of pondering, or perhaps even more appropriate, the “act or process of chewing cud”. This, of course, is stimulated by the presence of roughage, something that rhubarb would certainly provide. Suffice it to say that “Rhubarb Ruminations” will provide some hot and tasty news briefs, regurgitated Rhubarb-style, to keep you thinking, discussing, and maybe even laughing.
So today I bring to you a few classic items from the last 24 hours. And they just happen to revolve around, imagine this, the Party Of No.
We are faced with our own mortality on a regular basis. We may build a bucket list - a list of things you want to do before you die – because of this sense of “holy crap, I need to do some things while I have time remaining on this planet”. The phrase became more widely used after the release of the movie of the same name starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
In principle, the bucket list makes good sense. I understand that people may have a list of items that they want to experience prior to departing this world. Or things they want to see or do. And I get that. Hell, I probably have a few of my own.
But it's the modern-day interpretation of it that loses me. You complete the bucket list item, say “I did that”, scratch it off the list, and move on to the next item. It’s done. It’s so 21st century.
In my humble opinion, there is so much more to life than just knocking a bunch of items off a to-do list. And therein lies the incongruity for me. Is the bucket list about “the journey” or “the destination”? Is the bucket list about “doing things”? Or is it about the journey of self-actualization, context and growth? Is it about our “instant gratification” mentality, our drive to achieve and to accomplish, our need for a defining moment that gives us meaning? Or is it about leaving a legacy for the world to enjoy when we are gone?
Friendship. It’s a word that used to have a fairly consistent meaning amongst people. There are certain things you would do – and wouldn’t do – to your friends. There was a certain responsibility to the process of friendship because you had a great deal of accountability and very little anonymity.
But that was back when our friendships were defined by our face-to-face interactions.
In the present day world of social networking, it has come to mean something, well, completely different. It’s a strange new world out there now that social media is a part of our daily lives.
There was a time when your friendships evolved from time spent together in each others’ presence, snail mail, and maybe even a phone call or two. You certainly didn’t have a digital existence. It was all so – analog. And simple.
But then there was email, followed shortly thereafter by Prodigy, America Online, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter … the list goes on. Now, you have a digital filter. Now, you have a degree of anonymity behind the monitor. Now, you have LOL and LMAO and emoticons. Now, we’re faced with the context of a digital existence dovetailing with your life. The journey that is friendship shows some tricky new twists and turns. Or does it?
You know it’s a sad day when this headline actually becomes a reality.
There was a time in January 2010 when the University of Texas men’s basketball team was 17 – 0 and atop the national rankings. Number one. They were typically going 10-deep on the roster without any loss of quality or production.
They were a “can’t miss” Final Four team if ever I’ve seen one.
And now? After staggering into the NCAA tournament, this same team was eliminated in the first round by a Wake Forest team that subsequently had it’s proverbial backside handed to it by Kentucky one day later.
Texas is one of only five teams in NCAA history to have been #1 and then unranked. That’s not a statistic of which we should be proud. But there are plenty of reasons for their demise this season, and they start from the top.
Call it what you will. I just know, from my time on the third stone from the sun, that the universe will provide if we open our awareness to the world around us. The universe has a way of reminding us, of guiding us, of teaching us a few things if we simply pay attention.
Sometimes, common themes emerge. Apparently, there are times when the universe really wants you to understand something, really wants you to take note and learn something. And with that in mind, the theme that hath come full circle repeatedly of late is one of serenity.
Caballo Blanco spoke the words to me a few months ago. His words were direct, soft-spoken, and heartfelt. He spoke of serenity in the context of running, and specifically, running with the Tarahumara of northern Mexico. But the essence of his words was more than just a tale of running. It went far deeper than that. The universe was speaking through him, and I felt obliged to listen.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.