Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. It is funny, but generally when I sit down to write a blog, I have no idea what I am going to write about. Of course, sometimes I go with the big story in the sports news, but often I just start going and see what happens. This week, I think I will be veering down a different alley. Most of you know that I have been a mortgage banker for many years. For the most part, I have really enjoyed being a loan officer. I learned long ago that working with people was the best part of my gig. Today, I spent 5 hours disclosing and re-disclosing on a loan that I am trying to get closed. The system is so screwed up that I just laugh. The funny part about the disclosures is that only one has to be signed by my customer. As I talk to folks, I have discovered that the mortgage world is not the only industry that has been afflicted by the compliance crunch. Doctors, insurance guys, high tech sales guys and restaurant managers have recently told me that their jobs suck now too. It is not the work that has changed but the petty details that big brother requires. Of course, I understand that changes were needed, but the sad thing is that all of the disclosures do not even do what they were intended to do; inform the public. I bet if I asked you if your job sucks more now than it did 5 years ago, you would say yes. If your answer is no, please tell me what you do! I suppose the trick is to have your own business, but of course that has it own issues, right Sully?

B.O.B, made the comment on Tuesday that Stern is being pushed around by the players because he is a lame duck commish. I don’t know if I don’t care much about the NBA or have not been paying attention, but the fact that Stern is leaving did not register with me. It got me to thinking about a replacement. Who could the NBA get to replace David Stern? What are the qualities that would make a good NBA commish? This person must be tough but fair. Directness is a must. Of course, a sense of humor would be helpful, right? Last but not least, the player should understand the game. But, on second thought…what is the game? Is the game the contest on the hardwood? Is it the corporate world of advertising? Or, is it the show for the cameras? I suppose today, it is all of the above. Like my job, the sports world has become complicated and needs a person of diverse talent. My suggestion for this job is Charles Barkley. Okay, go ahead and laugh. I initially thought about Shaq, but after careful consideration, realized that Charles combination of humor and directness would be a perfect mix. Can you imagine Rondo sitting down with Charles the Commish? Come on in Rajon, you knucklehead. What are you doing bumping a ref? That is just turrible. You knucklehead, don’t you know that is a recipe for disaster? You are suspended and have to go work with Kenny and Ernie for the rest of the season…well, it beats 7 games.

I read a sad statement today. Vince Young is headed to Buffalo to back up Ryan Fitzpatrick. It seems like only yesterday that the Texans were being abused by the media for not drafting Vince Young instead of Mario Williams. I said at the time that it is impossible to determine a good draft until years later. It was true then, just as it is today. Last year, VY’s stats were not great: 66 completions out of 114 attempts with 9 TDs and 4 interceptions. It is a shame to see how far Vince has fallen. Buffalo looks to be a good fit for Vince, but who would have thought that he would be backing up Ryan Fitzpatrick? I got a kick reading some of the comments to this article. There were actually a few clever thoughts, rather than the normal trolls…here are a few: 

• Is it sad I read this to make sure he wasn't coming to the Jags? And we have Gabbert...
• Get this.....the Eagles cut Young and who do they sign as a backup or 3rd string.....Trent Edwards!!
  GO Figure!!
• I never put my faith in Fitzpatrick. I honestly think Young will be an upgrade if he makes the team. Lord knows we need a change up here
• buffalo could not fill the QB depth ? what a joke ! kellen moore goes undrafted one of ncaa best and they waste time on a head case ! and then the raiders sign matt ? seems some of these general managers need to be replaced !
• Wouldn't those stats put him ahead of Tebow in passing?
• Vince Young is going to be Vince Old soon.
• bring him to the niners

While I am on football, I got a good laugh at the phone call of the Steelers new addition David DeCastro and his new QB. DeCastro got a congratulatory call from Big Ben, but did not realize it was Roethlisberger on the phone. David thought that it was the team’s traveling coordinator on the phone and began to ask, “did you get those flight plans?” Ben got a good chuckle, but promised that the topic would be revisited again. I suspect that camp will be a barrel of laughs for DeCastro!

I meant to mention this last week, but ran out of time. On April 20^th an 8 foot bronze statue of Willie Nelson was dedicated in Austin. I happened to catch the end of the presentation on TV. It was you typical ceremony…several city suits thanking Willie, blah, blah, blah…a few laughed at the coincidence of the dedication being at 4:20 on April 20^th. I really did not get the joke until my son reminded me that it was Bob Marley’s birth day. I guess that would explain the puffs of smoke that occasionally drifted in front of the camera. At first, I thought it was a smoke machine, but now I wonder? Willie did sing a few tunes. He sang the old favorite Whiskey River and then sang a song I did not know. The name of the tune was: When I die, roll me up and smoke me. That is funny and totally appropriate for Willie. A true original!

If you follow baseball, you know that April brings great starts for some players and teams. The early success usually does not last however and reality eventually sets in. May is the beginning of the time when the pretenders begin to transform back to the level of the talent. I saw two teams that have underperformed that may have turned the corner. The Angels took a game tonight 4 to 0 over the Twins and I suspect that we can look back to this week and see that this was the beginning of a winning trend. Torii Hunter led the Angels offense and 5^th starter Jerome Williams pitched a complete game shut out to dominate the Twins. The Angels seem to have been waiting for Pujols to lead the charge, but finally Hunter has stepped up to take charge. Torii is suddenly red hot and is just the jolt that the Angels have been waiting for. This is a talented team filled with experienced players that I suspect will begin their climb as May progresses. It is interesting how adding a talent like Albert Pujols has disrupted the team chemistry. There has been a reshuffling of roles in this clubhouse, but once this group settles in, the game will become fun again. Of course Albert is pressing now. Watch what happens when Pujols quits thinking at the plate and rediscovers his plate discipline. He will quit chasing pitchers pitches and begin to dictate the pitches he hits.

The Washington Nationals started the year on a tear. They are team full of young talent, but I suspected that they were playing above their heads. With Zimmerman on the DL, the Nationals have struggled of late, losing their last 5 games. If there was any doubt about what the Washington brass thought, it should have been made clear when they called up Bryce Harper. I have no doubt that Harper will be a stud, but not yet. Major league pitchers are much better than what Bryce has seen. He will have to make adjustments to succeed. As I expected, fantasy owners scrambled to add Harper to their lineup, and with good reason. This kid is the real deal and so are the Nationals…just not yet. My guess is that when Zimmerman and Morse get healthy, this team will have a nice run and it will prepare Harper for next year and the years to come. This team is very close, but don’t be surprised if they struggle this month. And don’t be surprised if the Marlins start winning a few games. Stanton and Reyes have been very quiet, but this won’t last. The cream always rises to the top and this team has too much talent to stay quiet for long. Of course, it would help if their manager had not put himself in Miami’s dog house. Stanton went yard Tuesday night and most of my fantasy teams have been impatiently waiting for him to erupt…

Congrats to Buck Showalter for winning game 1000 Tuesday. This is quite an accomplishment for a guy that loves the game. I have always respected Showalter’s acumen and wonder if he is not the guy that would have been the perfect fit in Boston? Buck does not seek publicity. He is a no nonsense guy that simply loves baseball and demands his players play hard. He is a very capable manager and it is a tribute to him that the Orioles have been near the top of their division this year. The O’s probably do not have the talent to compete for the entire year, but they will play hard to the last game…because that is how you should play the game. Ask Buck, if you don’t believe me.

I have a friend in the title business that loves music and is very active in the Austin music scene. He has been after me to come see a group called Trombone Shorty. In fact, he is in New Orleans this week at a festival to see Trombone Shorty. I happened to find a bit of the group on You Tube and wanted to share. The video was filmed at Austin City Limits and although a bit long, I hope you check it out. It is difficult to describe…sort of a funky, jazz blues sound. Maybe Carlos Santana meets Blood Sweat and Tears and James Brown?

 I am a big fan of Swamp People. My son and I rarely miss the show and when I found this video, I knew it had to go in my blog. Here’s to you Chubbs!

That is all I have today, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey:

"Frank knew that no man had ever crossed the desert on foot and lived to tell about it. So, he decided to get back in his car and keep driving."

"If I was being executed by injection, I'd clean up my cell real neat. Then, when they came to get me, I'd say, 'Injection? I thought you said `inspection'.' They'd probably feel real bad, and maybe I could get out of it."

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own...