Monday, September 08, 2003

Projecting Linus has reached that age where I have to be careful of what I say around him.  And no, I'm not talking about profanity, though certainly that's a part of it. I'm talking about things like this, which I said to Linus this morning: "Unfortunately, I have to go to work." Jane turned to me and told me I shouldn't project my anti-work attitude onto Linus.  And of course, she's right.  I shouldn't inculcate in Linus the anti-Puritan work ethic I have been both blessed and cursed with in my life.  But what do I do?  Do I jump up and down and sing a happy song so that I can put fool Linus into thinking that going to work is the best thing anybody could ever do with their day?  Is it wrong for me to tell Linus that I wish I could stay home with him all day, every day?  That I have no passion for my job? Clearly, he doesn't need to know those things now.  He does need to understand that work is valuable, and that working hard is a virtue, though not necessarily the most important virtue (at least in my book).  I want my kids to work hard, harder than I have in my life.  And I guess if I have to watch what I say in order to promote work as a value, then I'll just have to watch what I say. It's tough, trying to figure out how and what to say to your kids in a way that will give them a healthy view of the world.  It's hard to seperate your own biases and beliefs that you formed along the path of life from the reasonable baseline beliefs that a child should start out with. Another example of projecting: Linus went to a speech pathologist this morning.  As fate or bad ear infections or genetics or whatever would have it, he has problems pronouncing certain sounds.  We weren't concerned up until recently, and so we thought a visit to a speech pathologist was a good thing, especially since he'll be starting kindergarten in about a year.  As it happens, he will need some work with the pathologist, about two visits a week. Well, last night in bed, as Jane and I discussed his visit, I was all freaked out.  I was very concerned about how Linus would view going to a speech pathologist, whether he would feel self-conscious about needing extra help with talking, whether he would feel stigmatized, all of that stuff.  I wondered if I should go along, but then I wondered if having both parents along would heighten his sense of "What's going on here?  What's wrong with me?", and I decided not to go. And then, long after Jane was asleep, I realized that it probably wouldn't be a big deal to Linus at all.  It's just another doctor.  He's seen doctors before, and he doesn't have any real or perceived reason to be stigmatized by such a visit.  Clearly, it's ME who has the stigma, who's way, way ahead of himself in thinking about a lifelong speech and shyness problem, when in reality he's just a little behind on certain sounds.  But based on my overreaction, my first instinct was to hold his hand the whole way, assure him he was just fine and normal and essentially give him a complex that he doesn't need and probably wouldn't develop on his own. As in all of my other roles, as a father I am still a work in progress. I still reserve the right to project my anti-White Sox feelings onto him, though. 3:21:29 PM    Say what?[]

Well Hung Over Is there anything better for a sports fan than the Sunday night Sportscenter after the opening weekend of the NFL?  You've got all the NFL stories, not to mention several baseball games with pennant race implications.  You've got fallout from the college football games on Saturday, and, oh yeah, Andy Roddick won the US Open.  I don't care about tennis, but the Open is a Grand Slam and all that.  Yet, it couldn't even make onto the first three segments of Sportscenter. Before we recap the NFL games (and check the Seer's vision), I want to pass on a little factoid I heard from the world of college football: Oklahoma, ranked #1, visited the Alabama Crimson Tide this weekend in Tuscaloosa.  Did you know that marked the first time ever that a #1 team visited Tuscaloosa?  Think about that.  'Bama's been playing football a long time, and in the SEC to boot.  How is it that in a conference with Georgia, Tennessee, and several other very good programs over the years, that a #1 team has never been to Tuscaloosa?  Amazing. We'll take the NFL a game at a time, in the order of last week's Prediction Feature... The Redskins beat the Jets.  The Jets managed to under-utilize Curtis Martin, and the 'Skins were able to control the ball throughout the game.  It's going to be a long year for the Jets if this is what their offense is going to look like. The Seer Saw: Redskins (1-0 for the Seer) The Lions beat the Cardinals.  Joey Harrington and Charles Rogers wasted no time in hooking up during the game (and presumably after the game as well).  Arizona put points on the board, though, which makes one wonder how bad the Lions' D must be.  Still in a weak division, if the Lions can win the games they are supposed to win, and Charles Rogers does prove to be a consistent force, this team could surprise people.  Probably still best to look to next season, though. The Seer Saw: Lions (2-0 for the Seer) The Ravens got smacked around by the Steelers.  Brian Billick, you got what you asked for: A rookie QB.  This Steelers team doesn't seem all that special to me.  Maybe I'm wrong.  Or maybe Baltimore has just fallen that much. The Seer Saw: Steelers (3-0 for the Seer) The Broncos beat the Bengals, 30-10.  The Bengals are starting to assemble talent, but it's going to take time.  Still, with a competent head coach, a star RB and a(nother) hope at QB, there is at least optimism in Cincy. The Seer Saw: Broncos (4-0 for the Seer) The Texans beat the Dolphins, 21-20.  This was a monumental upset, as large an upset as the NFL has probably seen in a few years.  Miami had won 11 straight openers, which doesn't really mean a damn thing.  What does mean something is that Miami had Ricky Williams, a solid passing game and defense, while the Texans had Very Little.  Houston even had to come from behind in this one.  I choose to read nothing into this game.  Houston's not any better than we thought they were, and Miami's probably no worse.  On Any Given Sunday... The Seer Saw: Dolphins (4-1 for the Seer) The Colts beat the Browns, 9-6.  God, what an awful game to have to pay to see.  I would be so pissed if I had paid money to see that.  I'm telling you, the Browns should start both QB's.  The best part of this game is that clearly, the Colts offense was inept.  If you recall, Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt was very open on a Canadian talk show this summer, saying Manning didn't have fire, he wasn't a vocal leader, and that he wasn't sure the Colts could win with him at the helm.  Manning, in response, said that Vanderjagt was an idiot kicker who got liquored up before going in for the interview.  I think they're both right, for what it's worth, but you have to wonder how that lockerroom dynamic was after such an inept performance where only the idiot kicker was able to score. The Seer Saw: Browns (4-2 for the Seer) The Panthers came from behind late to beat the Jaguars.  I can't think of a single thing anybody else would care to know about this game. The Seer Saw: Jaguars (4-3 for the Seer) The Vikings beat the Packers.  Man, how sad was it to watch Brett Favre yesterday?  The Packers have precious few playmakers on offense for Favre to throw the ball to.  Yeah, he threw some dumb balls into crowds yesterday, but if he had a premier talent to throw to (as he used to) a lot of those balls have a much better chance of being caught.  The Packers have no linebackers to speak of.  You have to wonder if this isn't the beginning of the end for a proud team.  As for the Vikings, their secondary looked much improved, as they blanketed the Packer receivers most of the day, despite the lack of a heavy pass rush.  The Vikings did well enough against the run, but that's probably because the Packers were down most of the game.  Most impressive was the fact that the offensive line is so good, it doesn't seem to matter who the RB is.  Or maybe Moe Williams is just better than we all think he is. The Seer Saw: Packers (4-4 for the Seer) The Bills humiliated the Patriots, 31-0.  Not much else to say.  Huge statement game against a rival.  The Bills have added a lot of defensive talent, include Pat expat Lawyer Milloy and ex-Bengal Takeo Spikes.  Watch them. The Seer Saw: Patriots (4-5 for the Seer) The Chiefs beat the Chargers.  Priest Holmes appears to be healthy.  The Chiefs will be a fun team to watch offensively, but you wonder if they can beat a physical team like Tennessee in the playoffs.  The Seer Saw: Chiefs (5-5 for the Seer) The Giants beat the Rams.  Strange game, and a disturbing story line in the wake of the game.  Rams QB Kurt Warner had six fumbles, and was generally playing like a man confused.  Turns out he was.  Warner suffered a concussion early in the game, and although team doctors cleared Warner to play, he was clearly not all there.  Coach Mike Martz said as much after the game, that Warner just wasn't all there, that he was confused about play calls, etc.  Martz conceded: "I regret playing him".  Warner stayed in the hospital overnight for observation.  Hear me now: Concussion issues for QB's have a tendency to not go away.  I see a very Troy Aikman ending for Kurt Warner.  A shame, too.  He was only great for the two years, and then injuries and hubris took over the team.  And, despite all that, the Giants still only won 23-16, on a day that Marshall Faulk couldn't do a damn thing.  That's odd, and it bears watching--The Rams are probably not as bad as they looked, and the Giants probably aren't as good. The Seer Saw: Giants (6-5 for the Seer) The Falcons beat the Cowboys.  This was as it should be.  A strange limbo period for Dallas.  Parcells is in place, yet you probably can bet that Quincy Carter won't be the QB of the next good Cowboys team.  A team in transition, but one that will probably be a lot more dangerous by the end of the year than they are right now.  Atlanta did what they had to do. The Seer Saw: Falcons (7-5 for the Seer) The 49ers mauled the Bears, 49-7.  How's that for a good omen?  You are called the 49ers, and you score 49 points.  A sure recipe for success.  That, and playing the Bears.  Kordell Stewart will get a chance to be vilified in a whole new city.  If thought Steelers fans were tough... The Seer Saw: 49ers (8-5 for the Seer) The Seahawks beat the Saints.  I was surprised by this score.  Maybe this is the year the Seahawks start to put it together; we know Shaun Alexander is the real deal.  Still, the Saints should have made this game more competitive than it was.  Is it just me, or are the Saints the team that is just going to kill wagerers this year, because they are so up and down, yet the talent is so there on paper? The Seer Saw: Saints (8-6 for the Seer) In the late-night matchup (and the real source of my football-induced hangover), the Titans gutted one out over the Raiders.  It's hard to watch Eddie George, a once-marvelous back who is now just average.  Still, Tennessee has McNair, a tough D, and a smart coach.  I think the Raiders peaked last year.  Who among their key offensive players can you expect to improve this year?  Jerry Porter is one, but who else?  Not a recipe for a successful AFC Championship defense. The Seer Saw: Titans (9-6 for the Seer) Well, there you have it.  A pretty average week for the Seer, placing me in 9,465th place out of 30,763 players nationally, with tonight's Tampa/Philly tilt still to go (and I got Philly in that one).  Of course, the first week is always the toughest to measure. And now, our weekly feature: Three Up, and Three Down Yeah, that's a baseball term.  So what?  You get what you pay for. Three Up 1.  Houston Texans-For their HUGE win at Miami.  A team one year removed from expansion, any win is a signature win.  To beat a legit AFC contender on the road, and not give up any sacks in the process, the bugaboo for this team last year, is monumental.  It gives hope, and football fans and teams can go a long way on hope. 2.  Minnesota Vikings-As big a win as this team has had since they beat New Orleans in the playoffs a couple years ago.  First, they validate that they have improved defensively.  Second, Moss and Culpepper have big games and click.  Third, they showed that the loss of Michael Bennett need not cripple this team for the season.  And fourth, they showed a coverage ability and team speed on defense that has been missing since...damn, I can't even remember.  But forget the moral victories.  In what promises to be a two-team division race, the Vikings just went into the Packers' house and went one up on them.  Huge. 3.  Buffalo Bills-The took the Patriots' best defensive player, a salary-cap victim, and signed him days before he would be playing his old team.  What an emotional victory.  And a complete victory, at 31-0.  Huge game. Three Down 1.  Miami Dolphins-For obvious reasons, but what hurts most is that this is a game they were in control of.  Still, maybe it will serve as a wake-up call.  2.  Green Bay Packers-Just one statement: Who ever thought in a newly-renovated Lambeau that you would hear the Packers booed off the field at halftime.  A second-half surge aided by stupid Viking playcalling aided the comeback, but that booing and sense of frustration had an eery feel to it...like, not deja vu, but that other thing, where you think you are experiencing something that you will be seeing a lot more of in the future.  It has a name, but whatever it is, that's how that felt. 3.  Cleveland Browns-Couldn't even score a touchdown at home against the Colts, a team ripe for the picking.  A tough way to start.  But at least they're better than the Ravens... 12:56:09 PM    Say what?[]

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