2009 NFL Draft... AKA... How did YOUR team do???

OK, let's just get to it...This is what MY team was up to this weekend...




Round 1, Pick 6 (6) Andre Smith OT 6'4" 332 Alabama



DISCLAIMER...I didn't write any of the "Pick Analysis"...just the comments in the brackets. The credit goes to the NFL site:

Pick Analysis:Marvin Lewis has stated that he wants to get back to running the football, and Smith gives the Bengals a dominating offensive tackle to run behind. Though he had a series of mishaps in the run up to the draft { uh oh...another potential jailbird??? No, for some reason, he just left the combine early. At least I HOPE that is all it was! OUCH! }, there is no denying that Smith is one of the best tackle prospects in the draft.

{PAUSE MY PLAYLIST OVER ON THE RIGHT FIRST}



Round 2, Pick 6 (38) Rey Maualuga ILB 6'2" 249 Southern Cal


Pick Analysis:After surprisingly dropping out of the first round, Maualuga lands with the Bengals at No. 38. The high-motor playmaker from USC gives Marvin Lewis a heavy hitter at middle linebacker. With last year's top pick (Keith Rivers) coming back from an injury, the Bengals have a pair of young and athletic linebackers to anchor the middle of the defense. {Our version of Troy Polamalu. LOL Hope he is a fraction as good! I just found out he injured his hamstring at this year's combine. WHAT?? Surely nothing serious...}



Round 3, Pick 6 (70) Michael Johnson DE 6'7" 266 Georgia Tech



Pick Analysis:The Bengals pick up an edge rusher with first-round talent with their selection of Johnson. A tall, rangy athlete with explosive quickness, Johnson has the ability to run down quarterbacks from the backside. Though he doesn't play with great effort at all times, he has the potential to be an impact player as a situational pass rusher.



Round 3, Pick 34 (98) (Compensatory selection) Chase Coffman TE 6'6" 244 Missouri




Pick Analysis:A foot injury prevented him from probably being drafted higher. He's an excellent receiving tight end, but he'll have to learn how to block. He has outstanding hands and will be one of those move-type tight ends. His father was an All-Pro tight end with the Packers. His coach at Missouri said Coffman is the one guy who will go to the NFL and be good right away. {one can only hope...}



Round 4, Pick 6 (106) Jonathan Luigs C 6'4" 301 Arkansas




Pick Analysis:Cincy needed a center and looked at all of them. The Bengals staff coached at the Senior Bowl and saw Luigs quite a bit. He was a four-year starter and the center of the year in 2007. Some people feel he tailed off. The question is, how is he going to handle the power nose tackles? He may have to hit the weights a bit to handle the Ravens and Steelers defenses.



Round 5, Pick 6 (142) Kevin Huber P 6'1" 220 Cincinnati




Pick Analysis:The first punter off the board is an outstanding weapon as a directional punter. Huber has the ability to flip the field with his booming punts, and he will emerge as a viable weapon in the kicking game. {EXCELLENT!}

Round 6, Pick 6 (179) Morgan Trent CB 6'1" 193 Michigan




Pick Analysis:Trent had a lot of starts in college and he runs pretty well. He's fast in workouts but does not play to his timed speed. He's not a good tackler. There have been questions about his backpedal and he struggles in route recognition, but his athleticism gives him a chance. {We shall see...}



Round 6, Pick 36 (209) (Compensatory selection) Bernard Scott RB 5'10" 200 Abilene Christian




Pick Analysis:Scott is an ideal third-down back. He's the type of player you want to get out in space isolated on a linebacker after catching the ball. The Bengals can use him as a potential replacement for Kenny Watson. Many red flags, including his age (25), being kicked off two teams (one in high school, one in college) and several run-ins with police. {Oh boy...should fit right in!!! And he went to Abilene Christian???}

{Do you think he is worth the risk?}



Round 7, Pick 6 (215) Fui Vakapuna RB 5'11" 244 BYU



Pick Analysis:Vakapuna is a big, strong running back. He does not have as much quickness or change-of-direction skill, but he's a situational running back that can be productive at the goal line. The Bengals locked in on Vakapuna at the BYU Pro Day and then followed through with the pick.

Round 7, Pick 40 (249) (Compensatory selection) Clinton McDonald DE 6'2" 289 Memphis




Pick Analysis:McDonald shot up draft boards and into draft consideration after an outstanding workout at Memphis' pro day. His athleticism gives Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer something to work with.



Round 7, Pick 43 (252) (Compensatory selection) Freddie Brown WR 6'4" 215 Utah




Pick Analysis:Brown lacks experience but has some upside going into Cincinnati with the unstable wide receiver situation there. He is a tall possession receiver who's not afraid to go over the middle. He can go up and get it, but he doesn't have top-flight speed. He really broke out and became the go-to guy in his senior season.




I realize there are a lot more nuances to all these newbies, but for now, WELCOME TO CINCINNATI, GUYS! Wear your stripes proudly and show us what you got!!!

So Derek and Greg...how did the Colts and Bears fare in the draft this year?

***heads off to read all about the draft on the Bengals forums where THOSE guys really understand what happened this weekend and how it will affect us next year***

American Idol...Past due update

I just can't seem to really get into it this year...However, my friend Tonya informed me this morning that she, her daughter and I ARE going to the concert in Indy this summer. It will be fun with Brooklyn. She is 11 and a huge Adam and Allison fan...

OK, so here's the update. The one to go 2 weeks ago was 23 year old Scott MacIntyre, from Scottsdale, Arizona. {The following is from Wikipedia because I felt it was so interesting I wanted to tell you all about him.}

"While not completely blind, he suffers from tunnel vision and has only a two-percent field of vision. He started playing the piano by ear when he was three years old. He was taught by a neighborhood piano teacher near their home in Redondo Beach, California. At six years of age, he began training in classical music. When Scott turned 10, the family moved to Toronto, Canada. They lived there for four years, and in that time Scott studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music. The MacIntyre family then relocated to Arizona and Scott studied under Walter Cosand, a university professor of Arizona State University. He was home-schooled until the age of 14, when he was admitted into Arizona State University's Barrett Honors College and Herberger College of the Arts. Scott won the 2004 Arizona Young Artists Competition at Herberger Theater in the vocal division. In 2005, USA Today named him one of its twenty College Academic All-Stars. In 2005, MacIntyre performed as a guest soloist with the Phoenix Symphony. The same year, MacIntyre was diagnosed with kidney disease and in November of 2006, he had to spend ten months undergoing dialysis, severely hampering his capacity to perform and travel. In 2007 on August 22, Walter Cosand's wife Patricia donated her kidney to MacIntyre, which saved his life. He graduated from ASU in 2005, and he was received in the White House by Laura Bush as one of the RFB&D (Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic) scholarship winners in 2006. He obtained his masters degree at Royal Holloway, University of London and the Royal College of Music, where he studied on a Marshall Scholarship, one of the most competitive scholarships in the United States, awarded to only 40 American students each year."}

Paula told Scott she was more proud of his accomplishments than anybody else who had ever graced the AI stage. He has a very good voice and was a real sweetheart.



Last week, the judges used their one and only save of the season to rescue Matt Giraud from elimination. Matt has a "jazzy" type of voice and played in a piano bar before AI. (He reminds me of Elliot Yamin from 2 years ago whom I liked very much.)






So that brings us to tonight. Because Matt got the "save" last week, that means 2 are eliminated this week...and it is disco week!

First one to get the boot tonight was a 23 year old mother of 3 from Memphis, TN...Lil Rounds



The judges have been BRUTAL to Lil the last few weeks. They all claimed that even though she does have a great voice, she just can't seem to "make the songs her own"...

Last year's American Idol runner-up, David Archuleta, performed along with disco icons Harry Wayne "KC" Casey (of KC and the Sunshine Band), Thelma Houston, and Freda Payne who performed a disco medley. (Thelma STILL has it, BTW!)

The final elimination of the night was a real bummer for me. It was between Anoop Desai and Allison Iraheta, both of whom I really enjoy listening to. The last one to go tonight was 21 year old Anoop. He is from Chapel Hill, NC and was really starting to show what a great voice he has. Seemingly a VERY sweet kid...

Here is one of his performances...unfortunately, it cuts off at the end! GRRRRRR






Goodbye, "Noopdawg". I WILL MISS YOU!!!


So that leaves us now with the Final Five...My boy Danny Gokey is still in the running along with Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, Matt Giraud, and Allison Iraheta.

A Post by Jim...AKA remembering the "good ol' days"

Today is such a BEAUTIFUL day that it started Jim reminiscing about his childhood. He remembers when children weren't allowed to stay in the house on a beautiful spring afternoon. Children didn't just sit in the house reading, watching TV or playing video games. (well, there certainly weren't any video games...maybe no TV either!) Sometimes they had to go get supper:





JUST KIDDING, PEOPLE!


He said he remembers his mother saying, "You boys get outside and play!!!"


Jim says he thinks THIS is what she was talking about...


{PAUSE PLAYLIST FIRST}



Pretty good, huh? Jim DOES love his bluegrass! (So do I...) BOTH kinds!




and




Have a BLESSED Spring Weekend!

Something's Brewing...AKA...How do you prefer your tea...Parties?

When you think of tea parties, in your mind's eye do you see something like this?





Perhaps, this image springs to mind...








Or maybe, THIS is what you envision:







If you only get your news from your local newscasts and the evening network news, chances are you may not have heard much about the numerous Tea Parties that are going to be held around the country (and abroad) tomorrow. (But you will have heard lots of other INFORMATIVE tidbits such as everything there is to know about the new puppy in the White House. "Bo" (for Bo Diddley), is plastered all over the news right now.)

Fox News (especially Glen Beck...who is rapidly gaining "Lou Dobbs" stature in my eyes) has been covering the REAL news pretty well and the internet is rife with news about the tea parties. Tomorrow, April 15th, will be the official "Tax Day TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party Day". The following is taken from their website:

Are you fed up with a Congress and a president who:

vote for a $500 billion tax bill without even reading it?

are spending trillions of borrowed dollars, leaving a debt our great-grandchildren will be paying?

consistently give special interest groups billions of dollars in earmarks to help get themselves re-elected?

want to take your wealth and redistribute it to others?

punish those who practice responsible financial behavior and reward those who do not?

admit to using the financial hurt of millions as an opportunity to push their political agenda?

run up trillions of dollars of debt and then sell that debt to countries such as China?

want government controlled health care?

want to take away the right to vote with a secret ballot in union elections?

refuse to stop the flow of millions of illegal immigrants into our country?

appoint a defender of child pornography to the Number 2 position in the Justice Department?

want to force doctors and other medical workers to perform abortions against their will?

want to impose a carbon tax on your electricity, gas and home heating fuels?

want to reduce your tax deductibility for charitable gifts?

take money from your family budget to pay for their federal budget?

WOW! Pretty strong words. I happen to agree with every one of them. But you know, as adamant as I feel about how screwed up our government is right now, I wasn't going to even blog about the tea parties...until I read this.


"Tea Party Protesters Gird for Possible Liberal Backlash

Tea Party organizers are poised for a possible backlash during their nationwide demonstrations on Tax Day, April 15.

What would a party be without party poopers?

As anti-tax protesters organize tea parties across the country on April 15, rumors are swirling that a backlash is brewing.

Some believe ACORN, which has been under scrutiny for accusations of voter fraud, is preparing to crash some of the tea parties. But ACORN says it is only helping to organize dozens of rallies on the same day in support of President Obama's first budget.

"This is the first we've heard of these so-called 'tea parties.' And, frankly, a bunch of small get-togethers by fringe conservative activists dedicated to simply saying 'no' is of little interest to us," said ACORN spokesman Brian Kettenring.

He did not say where the pro-Obama rallies would take place, leaving open the possibility that they may clash with some tea parties.

Tea party organizers, meanwhile, say they're not worried at all about possible disruption.

"If ACORN wants to send some of their paid, pretend activists to show up, that's fine," John O'Hara, who is holding a tea party in Chicago, told FOX News. "They don't have a message that resonates with the American people or resonates with this broad coalition that's upset with the spending that's going on in Washington."

"We don't take them seriously," said Mark Mekler, who is organizing a tea party in Sacramento. "We expect people to attempt to infiltrate, we expect people to attempt to disturb what we're doing.

"But the reality is this is a very broad-based grassroots movement," he told FOX News. "There is no leader at the top. There is no individual event that they can disturb that would cause us a problem nationwide."

Taxdayteaparty.com, which is helping to organize the protests, said more than 250 locations in all 50 states will hold rallies on April 15. Some believe ACORN will try to make the tea parties look like fringe group efforts at best, and racist undertakings at worst.

Mekler said he is not concerned with how outsiders may try to portray their efforts.

"The people who are involved understand they're not racist, they're not fringe, they're not even partisan," he said.

"I mean, these are events where we have across-the-board Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals, libertarians. The people who are going to be there know what's going on. We're not worried about these folks polluting the event."

ACORN said if there are protesters, it won't be from its ranks.

"The idea that ACORN is out to disrupt these meet-ups of fringe activists is yet another conservative fantasy," Kettenring said.

"At this point, it would not surprise us to wake up tomorrow and see conservative media fingering ACORN's 500,000 member families as the principle cause of global climate change," he said in a written statement."

Here is the original link:




My friend Milah, over at From My Back Porch told me about a movie that I HAD to see. The movie is an HBO movie entitled, "John Adams". It is very lengthy and I haven't finished it yet, but I am LOVING it. It tells the story of how and why our country was founded. The people of that time could no longer live under tyrany rule. I don't know how you feel about it, but to me, a so called "2 party system" in this country is leading us along the same path! (But hey, as I mentioned in a previous post, in Missouri, the fact that I voted for Ron Paul alone makes me considered as part of a new modern militia! so what do I know???)

PAUSE PLAYLIST FIRST











Let me leave you with this song. Country music isn't really my cup of "TEA", but this is appropriate for this post. Make sure my playlist over on the right is paused...




HAPPY TAX DAY!

2000 years ago today...give or take a few years...

In keeping with the theme of the title of my last post, I have chosen to talk about something MUCH MORE important. Today is Good Friday...a day that has significant meaning to a multitude of people.

I asked for the day off because I really don't like to work on Good Friday. I remember (back in the day) when everybody got this day off from work. Schools were closed. No mail was delivered. My, how times have changed.

Thank you, Jesus, for what you suffered for our sake, so many years ago. Because you died and rose again, we will forever live.




Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.




Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.



How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.



Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.



And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.




Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!

~ William and Gloria Gaither ~



But before we get to the Glory of the Resurrection, we have to go through Calvary...








PAUSE PLAYLIST FIRST


Nobody knows if Jesus was crucified on a Friday or not, but this is the day that Christians around the world choose to remember what He did for all of us. Good Friday shouldn't be just a day off from work...



As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then ” ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ‘For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”

The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Luke 23:26-49 (New International Version)

30 years ago tonight...give or take a couple days...

30 years ago tonight, I was preparing to watch the NCAA men's (I don't think women's games were televised back then. If they were, right or wrong, nobody cared... ) basketball championship between the Indiana State Sycamores and the Michigan State Spartans.

Starring in the event were Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson. I attended ISU from 71-75, but Larry Bird wasn't there yet. That year, ISU had not lost a game when they entered the tournament and ended that season with a 33-1 record. Needless to say, at the end of the evening, I was heartbroken and have hated Michigan State ever since. Later, after Bird and Johnson went to Boston and LA, respectively, when Boston and Bird won his first NBA championship, Larry said, "This one's for Terre Haute".

From Wikipedia: "Bird led the Sycamores to the NCAA championship game in 1979, his senior season, only to lose to the Michigan State University Spartans, who were led by his future NBA rival, Earvin "Magic" Johnson. The Sycamores finished the season 33–1. That year, Bird won the USBWA College Player of the Year, Naismith and Wooden Awards, given to the year's top male college basketball player. After his three seasons at Indiana State, he left as the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history. Bird finished his collegiate career with an average of 30.3 points per game. He is on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Century Team. The Boston Celtics selected the 6'9", 220-pound Bird 6th overall in the 1978 NBA Draft, even though they were uncertain whether he would enter the NBA or remain at Indiana State to play his senior season. Bird ultimately decided to play his final college season, but the Celtics retained their exclusive right to sign him until the 1979 NBA Draft, because of the NBA's "junior eligible" rule that existed at that time (allowing a collegiate player to be drafted when the player's original "entering" class was graduating and giving them one calendar year to sign them, even if they went back to college). Shortly before that deadline, Bird agreed to sign with the Celtics for a US $650,000 a year contract, making him at the time the highest-paid rookie in the history of the NBA. Shortly afterwards, the NBA draft eligibility rules were changed to prevent teams from drafting players before they were ready to sign. The rule is called the Bird Collegiate Rule.

Larry Bird's impact on the Celtics was immediate. The Celtics were 29–53 during the 1978–79 season, but with Bird the team improved to 61–21 in the 1979–80 season, posting the league's best regular season record. Bird's collegiate rival, Magic Johnson, also had entered the NBA in 1979, joining the Los Angeles Lakers. In 1980, despite a strong rookie season from Johnson, Bird was named the league's Rookie of the Year and was voted onto the Eastern Conference All-Star team (an honor he would receive for each of his 12 full seasons in the NBA). For the 1980 season, Bird led the Celtics in scoring (21.3 points/game), rebounding (10.4 rebounds/game), steals (143), and minutes played (2,955) and was second in assists (4.5 assists/game) and three-pointers (58). Though Boston was beaten by the more athletic Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference finals that year, Bird's addition to the team had renewed the promise of Celtic glory."


PAUSE PLAYLIST FIRST...
Here is a you tube clip which has this documentation: "In the highest rated game in the history of televised college basketball, Michigan State gave Indiana State their only loss of the season as the Spartans won the 1979 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship by a score of 75-64. The game was a showdown between two future NBA Hall of Famers, Magic Johnson of Michigan State and Larry Bird of Indiana State. Johnson was named the Most Outstanding Player.

The whole game was on TV last night. I couldn't watch it. Even after 30 years, the ending is just too painful!!!

I have NO IDEA what was up with this pose!



What a GREAT Boston Celtics team this was!!! Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish. They were so much fun to watch...





Here is Sports Illustrated's take on the 30th anniversary...For me, it is wonderfully well written. Here is an excerpt: "The 1979 NCAA championship by itself didn't create the world we live in today. We would have gotten here from there eventually. But as we celebrate the 30-year anniversary, we can look back and wistfully recall that this was the moment when March Madness began, when the basketball world was transformed by two of the most-gifted performers any sport has ever produced.

"The college game was already on the launching pad," the late Al McGuire once said. "Then Bird and Magic came along and pushed the button."

Because they did, we're still watching."


The only other championship game that thrilled me this much (believe me, there have been other memorable championship games) was when the North Carolina State Wolfpack UPSET Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde "the Glide" Drexler, and the "Phi Slama Jama" Houston team with a SLAM DUNK at the end. But that could be a whole 'nuther post. (That is the game that CBS always showed the late coach Jim Valvano going crazy at the end as they started each "March Madness" game.)

Enjoy tonight's game...I'll be sitting this one out. Michigan state...Nah. North Carolina...give somebody else a chance for a change...

My 100th Post

I am surprised I even remembered I was gettting close to my 100th blog post!!! A lot has happened since my first blog post on Saturday May 24, 2008. Thank you to Pastor Kris and Mindy Pfohl for welcoming me to "Blogland" way back then!

We have discussed politics, religion, football, parenting, celebrated birthdays and passed tests. We have shared prayer requests, flea market finds, recipes, movie reviews and even the weather. I thought a long time about what to share for my 100th post. This is what I feel I wanted to share most...A tribute to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, via the Christian rock group "Third Day"...(Believe me, a few years back, the words "Christian Rock Group" used in the same sentence would NOT have worked...LOL)

First of all here is Third Day's (and Caedmon's Call's) rendition of "God of Wonders". {AS ALWAYS, REMEMBER TO PAUSE MY PLAYLIST OVER ON THE RIGHT FIRST!} (Sorry about the inconvience of that, but my whole life's journey in music is pretty much on that playlist...)




That video reminds me of the series Pastor Kris preached on about just how really HUGE our God is...


Next up is a personal favorite entitled, "Mountain of God"







And last but not least, for all you "rockers" out there...here is Third Day's LIVE version of "Creed" by the late Rich Mullins (who was from a neighboring county here in Indiana, BTW, for any out of state readers.) For this one...CRANK IT!!! lol






I have enjoyed visiting "Blogland" for the past few months and meeting like minded people...and even those not so like minded. I hope to be able to share, as well as learn from others, in the future.

Thanks and love to all my "blogging buddies"...GOD BLESS!!!