Westbrook and Tomlinson Released

What does the future hold for LT and Westbrook?

Two high profile running backs were released within two days of each other because of a combination of age and injuries. Brian Westbrook of the Philadelphia Eagles and LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers were both dropped by their respective teams.

Normally the releasing of NFL players is not a big deal, it happens all the team and the shelf life of pro football players is exceedingly low. But Westbrook and LT aren't just any ol' running backs. They're not even good running backs. These guys were studs. Just a few years ago they would be the first players taken in a fantasy football draft. In 2007 Westbrook led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage with 2,104 and 4 years ago Tomlinson had a record setting 31 TDs.

What is the NFL becoming with LT no longer a Charger and Westbrook no longer an Eagle? More importantly, what will the first and second round of fantasy football drafts look like with these guys either out of the league or in an obviously decreased role? It seems like only a few years ago that the top 3 fantasy RBs were LT, Shaun Alexander and Larry Johnson. Now LT was released by the Chargers, Shaun Alexander is slower than molasses and I don't even know what happened to LJ after that homophobic remark he made in the middle of a terrible season. And even more recently Westbrook was a terror in fantasy if you didn't own him. I vividly remember 2 years ago how every game Brain Westbrook had the potential to score 3 TDs with 100 yards rushing and receiving.

The release of these 2 big name RBs tells us a lot about organizations dealing with aging and oft injured players. Teams aren't worried about parting ties with the face of their franchise if they sense that they're on the decline. But look at the Packers and what happened to Brett Favre, maybe they have a couple more good years left in the tank. Another thing to take away is how brief an NFL career is. In the MLB, a great player will play 15-20 years, in the NBA it seems like 10-15. But the brutality of the NFL leads to more injuries which leads to maybe a 10 year career for great RBs. Quarterbacks are different, they are, for the most part, shielded from the violence of the game and can play longer.

What will next year's fantasy draft look like without LT and Westbrook? Ray Rice, Jamaal Charles and Jonathan Stewart at the top of the draft? The years of LT being the fantasy king are now officially over.

Tiger's Apology

Tiger Woods apologizes

Tiger Woods made a public statement of apology following news of his infidelity last Friday. It was his first public statement in months since news first broke that he crashed his car late at night during Thanksgiving break.

I initially thought that Tiger's apology was too scripted. It seemed as if he was emphasizing each word and was worried he would offend any grandparents that were watching that might not understand him if he talked too fast. But then I realized that his whole life is scripted and there was no way he would go up there and wing it. Still, it would have been nice to see a more authentic apology from a man who betrayed our view of him as a disciplined, family man. How can I know that what he is saying is truthful if it comes from such a rehearsed speech. Tiger Woods lied to us before by selling an image of a wholesome and well-behaved guy and I need to be guaranteed some version of his real self.

The main question people had going into Woods's speech was when he would return to golf. Tiger left it up in the air of his return date. All he said was that he didn't rule out returning this year. What does that mean? Does he expect to return this year? Will he likely come back in 2011, but might be able to return this year? Everyone knows golf is more interesting when Tiger is in a tournament and people are anxious to see him back. The PGA tour needs him to generate revenue for their tournaments and he already missed a large chunk of time due to his knee problems.

I liked how Tiger specifically said how he felt entitled to sleep with all those women and how since he was a superstar he felt above the normal rules imposed on people. He came right out and said how he was wrong to think that.

Tiger's wife, Elin, was noticeably absent from his press conference. The tv announcers made a big deal out of her absence and instead the camera was occasionally on his mom. Tiger repeated how Elin never abused him (people thought she attacked him with a golf club, causing him to crash the car) and how there had never been any domestic violence in their household.

One little thing I learned about Tiger. He was an active Buddhist until a few years ago, and will continue with his Buddhist spirituality to help get him through all this. Maybe he's not a true Buddhist, but it's cool to see a huger sports star acknowledging a religion that's not mainstream in the United States.

I'm ready to see Tiger back on the course. Many people, especially women, will never like him again, but they can't deny his appeal when he plays. Tour pros are disappointed that he ruined the image of golf as a gentlemanly sport and some were angry that he made the statement the day of a big tournament. I think American sports fans are a very forgiving group and will accept Tiger back (see Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Michael Vick, Ron Artest etc.). The casual golf fan like myself needs to see Tiger in the hunt on a Sunday afternoon to get excited about golf again. Please come back soon Tiger Woods.

Sports Musings

This is the worst time of year for sports. It's right after the Super Bowl so football has officially ended. March Madness hasn't started yet and baseball is far from starting. Tiger Woods is indefinitely gone from golf so the sport holds zero interest for me. That means the only big pro sport going on is the NBA. Whoopty-do, let's celebrate guys whipping out guns in the locker room and boring games filled with guys trying to go 1 on 5 on offense.

The Winter Olympics are coming up soon. Excitement level so-so. I'm psyched for the snowboard cross and newly added ski cross. They're basically a race between 5 or 6 snowboards or skiers down an icy course filled with jumps. Snowboard cross is sick because normally there's lots of big wipeouts and the idea is so simple.

I've been hearing that the weather has been really warm in Vancouver and it's been giving Olympic officials trouble. Vancouver's had its warmest January ever and snow has been shipped and flew in.

The Warriors won yesterday against the lowly Clippers and rookie Steph Curry was on fire shooting and posted a triple double. But with Monta Ellis out, the future looks bleak. Before last night's win the Warriors had lost 9 straight and I don't see things getting much better after losing their star player for maybe the whole season. But who knows, maybe the Warriors will play more unselfishly and better team basketball as a whole in #8's absence.

Walter the Giant

Writer, storyteller and beloved librarian Walter "The Giant" Mayes

On Tuesday "Walter the Giant" came to Menlo to talk about his experiences as a storyteller and professional writer. Walter was a big fellow to say the least, 6'7" or 6'8", Walter was built like a mountain man. While he was physically imposing, his personality exuded friendliness and almost childlike silliness. Walter was a great public speaker and the crowd warmed to his gregariousness by the end of his speech.

Not only were Walter the Giant's stories amusing, but he offered many good writing tips:

1. Write every day

All the great writers find a way to devote an hour each day to their writing. That could be waking up at 5 in the morning to write, but constant writing will only make you better and it will help you find your voice.

2. Write for yourself

This piece of advice is hard for high schoolers to apply because it seems as if we only write for our teachers. We tailor our writing style and format to the whims of our teachers in the hopes of a better grade. Walter said that not letting the expectations of others impose on your writing will help your true voice to shine through.

Walter emphasized "finding your voice." His voice was apparent because of his outgoing personality, but he admitted how hard it was for him to translate that voice onto paper.

3. Don't let writing psych you out

Walter used a great example involving his nephew and "a skinny, awkward kid from Baltimore." Walter's nephew was swimming in the Olympic tryouts for the Sydney Olympics and saw a 15-year old Michael Phelps swim so well that he lost his edge.

There are many great writers out there, but don't worry about writing as well as they do when you write.

Also, don't let the loneliness and the weight of expectations prevent you from writing. Sitting down at a computer is intimidating, all you have is a blank screen telling you how your writing isn't good enough.

4. Bring it all back when editing

Walter described the editing process as being incredibly demanding, time consuming and grueling. There basically is no writing, just rewriting.

It is important that when you are editing you think back on what you originally set out to do. It is easy to get caught up in something else, like in his case, the folklore and mythology of giants, but come back to what you are supposed to do and address the changes.

Walter kind of slammed the writing I do at the end of his speech. As a published author of multiple books, Walter expressed a natural disdain for writers who don't edit their work. He talked constantly about how brutal the editing process was and doesn't respect people who don't edit their writing. Specifically, bloggers. He even referenced how his son reads sports websites/sports blogs and how Walter the Giant hates that sort of writing.

Bummer.

That kind of made me think a little bit. It definitely made me realize I need to focus more on editing because editing is so important to the writing process. But a part of me also says that writing a book and writing on a blog are two very different types of writing. Blogging shouldn't be discriminated against just because it's different. Sure, it's easier, but that doesn't make it bad.

But I still should be editing more. Another problem I have with this is the work it requires. I like writing in this blog, but I'm hesitant to increase my writing workload. I'm busy and lazy and don't really want to pound away on 1 entry and put it through multiple drafts. By the time I finally got around to publishing the post, it would be way out of date.

Kind of an unresolved issue. Shit

Who Dat?!

Brees led New Orleans to its first Super Bowl victory ever and won MVP.

Tracy Porter returns Manning's interception for a touchdown late in the game.

Megan Fox's Motorola phone commercial

Click here to watch!

This year's big game did not disappoint as the New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl in franchise history with a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints got a pick-6 off of Peyton Manning in the final minutes to seal the victory.

Let's give some long-deserved cred to New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees. He flat out outplayed Peyton Manning on the NFL's biggest stage. He tied the Super Bowl record with 32 completions, and only had 7 incompletions. He threw for 2 touchdowns and was ruthlessly efficient in the second half, leading the Saints to 25 second half points. (They were down 10-6 at halftime.)

In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl it had been Peyton this and Manning that. It was all about how great of a quarterback Peyton was and if he should be considered one of the all time greats. All the NFL analysts said the key to a Saints victory would be if they could keep Manning off balance with their confusing blitz packages. And, in a way, the game was won by Tracy Porter's interception return for a touchdown. The Saints brought an all out blitz on Manning's right side, Peyton looked to Reggie Wayne over the middle and Porter jumped the route. But it should not be forgotten that it was Drew Brees who won the game, and not that Peyton Manning lost the game.

Everyone knows the commercials are an integral part to the Super Bowl. And for a bunch of guys who take football very seriously, at the super bowl party we probably paid more attention to the commercials than the game itself. And in the spirit of teenage boys, the collective winner of this year's funniest Super Bowl commercial was the Motorola phone commercial starring Megan Fox in a bathtub. It wasn't just good because it had Megan Fox, the hottest woman alive. It was hilarious to my friends and I because of the implied actions of "Timmy," the boy that locked himself in his room with the picture of Megan Fox in a bathtub that she had distributed using her phone. (about 15 seconds into the commercial) Our humor is incredibly vulgar, but to us there was nothing funnier. We actually rewinded the commercial and watched it 5 times so everyone got the joke.

Now on to the other big entertainment portion of the Super Bowl: the halftime show. This year's Super Bowl continued with the tradition of having geezer rock bands perform at halftime (think Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen) because of the scarring Janet Jackson Justin Timberlake wardrobe malfunction in a past one. The Who performed with Pete Townshend still showing a knack for multiple guitar windmills. The stage set-up and visual effects were awesome and I liked how they didn't waste time in between songs talking to the crowd. But The Who performing during halftime embarrassingly shows the generational gap between them and the average NFL fan. My sister hadn't even heard of The Who before, and my nanny who's a big fan, said they were being made fun of for their possibility of having Alzheimer's. "Whoooooo are we? Who, who? Who, who? I just really wanna know whereeeeeeeee are we?"

Lastly, the Saints tied the Super Bowl record for biggest deficit overcome to win. The Saints trailed 10-0 early in the game.

The onside kick to start the 3rd quarter was the first onside kick in a Super Bowl attempted in a quarter other than the 4th. The successful onside kick by the Saints was a huge momentum boost for them.

And finally, the Super Bowl become the most watched tv program in US history and surpassed the 1983 MASH finale with over 106 million viewers.