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Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. I know that March is known for being windy, but I am ready for this month to segue to the lamb part. After a week of cloudy windy weather, we finally had a calm day. Of course, some of this is because of a late night filled with thunderstorms Monday night. After going months without rain, Texas has begun 2012 with plenty of rain. The storm we had dumped another 3 inches on Austin, but from what I have heard the hill country got perhaps twice that much. The last report I heard was that Lake Travis was rising about 6 inches an hour. Since the lake is only 46 percent full, we have much room to go. I remember an old guy told me years ago that water was one of our most valuable resources and that one day I would realize just how important it was. If you know your US history, you will probably remember that most range wars were fought over water or at least the rights to the water. If we are indeed headed for a warming trend, water may become an expensive necessity. What a depressing thought...time to talk sports.
Of course any sports discussion of late has to start in Denver. I am not sure why Peyton chose Denver, but I think it will be a good fit. I could not envision Manning in Miami, but I really thought he might consider San Francisco. One thing that I do like is that Manning made his brief tour and made a quick decision. I really don't get the animosity toward John Elway and John Fox for courting Peyton Manning. Elway and Fox did not draft Tim Tebow, but they played the hand that they were dealt last year. So here's the deal. Life is not fair. Sometimes you get screwed over and you move on. As an owner, John Elway has every right to choose to upgrade any position, even if it means sending Tim Tebow down the road. Any objective fan must admit that Tim Tebow will never be what Peyton Manning is...a HOF QB. There may be some disgruntled Denver fans now, but I suspect a Super Bowl trophy will quickly quiet any discussion regarding Tim Tebow.
I have always admired John Elway and I think that this is one reason that Manning chose Denver. John Elway is Bronco football and wants nothing more than to bring winning football back to Denver. For those that weep for Tim Tebow, stop it. Tim Tebow is a professional football player and will land on his feet. The best thing that could happen to Tebow is that he is cut loose and allowed to cut a deal with the team of his choice. Tim Tebow is unorthodox and is a very raw QB, but one thing he has going for him is that he can play football. In the right situation, Tebow can be successful under center or perhaps another position. It is rather funny to think that if Tebow had not rallied Denver to the playoffs last year that the Broncos might not have been able to lure Manning to Denver.
Why not keep Tebow and allow him to "season" under Manning's tutelage? There are several potential reasons, but I suspect the main thing is that Fox and Elway did not see Tebow as the long term answer at QB. Another likely thought is that with Tebow in camp, the controversy would linger and provide a distraction. By putting all of the cards on the table, Elway allows Tebow a fresh start somewhere else and the Broncos can more quickly become Manning's team. For those that assume that Denver will coast to a playoff spot next year, the schedule looks daunting: Texans, Patriots, Ravens Bengals. Saints, Patriots and Steelers await the Broncos next year. Oh and by the way Peyton, the Broncos play all of their home games outdoors...
The Houston Astros announced today that they have acquired LHP Kevin Chapman from KC for Jason Borgeouis and Humberto Quintero. Borgeouis showed promise last year, which is surely why the Astros decided to send him to KC. Maybe Chapman will turn out to be great pitcher, but I am not holding my breath. But I am still looking forward to the MLB season!
Last week I mentioned that I was heading to the southern Texas coast with my son for a few days for fishing. I have to say, that this trip far exceeded my expectations. Fishing trips do not always involve "catching"...but this one certainly did. We took a 30 minute boat ride last Friday to a remote island south of Baffin Bay. The wind blew the entire time, but the fish did not seem to mind. Saturday night, I easily caught 100 trout by myself off the dock. I kept 10 and released the rest as we literally ran out of room in the ice chests. It so happened that our trip coincided with the black drum run. They loved the shrimp we offered.
This was the largest drum that we caught this day, it was 35 inches long and was too big to keep. It sure was good to see my son smiling. I was smiling, but that fish was biting the hell out of my thumb.
This was back in Corpus Christi we weighed in 300 lbs of fish.
This is the cabin we stayed in. It was "rustic" but did have direct TV so we could watch March Madness. They also have fresh water that is piped in
This was an incredible smoker. It was a stainless steel storage bin before it was converted to a supreme smoker. We enjoyed smoked chicken and tenderloin. They had a shrimper tote the cooker to the island for them.
The cooker has fire bricks inside the box and two racks to place meat on...really cool!
Packing up to go home. Notice that Blake has his suitcase in a plastic bag. It was a pretty bumpy, wet ride.
Here is a shot from the dock. The Gulf of Mexico is 20 miles or so across the bay.
I love to dive. I have been on numerous dives to Cozumel and would go tomorrow. But, damn if I would dive with Tiger sharks...
I had high hopes for the Westwood Baseball season. Blake began the season on a tear, but the team struggled to close out games. We have lost in every manner possible. We have lost pitcher's duels, slug fests and everything in between. It is sad to see the season slowly slip away and to see the players begin accept losing. All I can do is watch. After years of coaching, watching is the hardest thing I have ever done. So many things I would love to say. Words of encouragement formulate in my head, but I am a spectator now. I have an idea for shoring up the rotation, but it is quickly dismissed...a dad has no voice in rotations. My son hates to lose, and all I can do is watch...
Thank goodness there is summer baseball.
That is all I have today, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey:
"If you ever go temporarily insane, don't shoot somebody, like a lot of people do. Instead, try to get some weeding done, because you'd really be surprised."
"Marta said I don't seem to like to read fiction very much. 'I guess you're not an `afictionado',' she said. Poor Marta. For all her reading, she doesn't even know the right word."
Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own...
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