Random Thoughts

If Thomas Sowell can title articles occasionally as a collection of random thoughts then so can I.

How accurate are those expiration dates on medicine? I don't get sick very often, but that last few days I've been fighting a bug. Well, I decided to try some Alka Seltzer and as I'm opening the packet and dropping the tablets in the water I notice they expired in October 2001. However, they still seemed to work as I woke up without a runny nose this morning.

Glad to see Rutgers coach Greg Schiano has stated he will stay with Rutgers. Too often schools like Rutgers get used as a stepping stone to get a job with a higher profile school. An athlete is required to sit out a year when switching schools why are coaches allowed to leave in the middle of a contract with no waiting period?

Congratulations to Ohio State middle linebacker James Laurinaitis who won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the best college defensive player. Bobby Carpenter's injury late in last season which gave Laurinaitis playing time (and practice time with the first team defense) help him show up ready to dominate this season. He is the first sophomore to be selected for this award. This should be just the first of several individual awards garnered by the Buckeyes this season. Personally, I would like to see the various awards presented after the bowl games. These guys should be practicing not going to banquets. In Laurinaitis defense, he didn't stay to receive the award. He left early to return to Columbus for final exams and a coach accepted the award on his behalf.

I'm in the minority in this opinion, but I actually think Joe Theismann does a good job on Monday Night Football. For example, last night in the 4th quarter he made a comment about how he would try set up a match up of running back Brian Westbrook being covered by a linebacker. Very next play, Westbrook is out in the flat covered by a linebacker who couldn't keep up with him and he catches the ball for a 30 yard gain. Tony Kornheiser on the other hand is miscast doing live broadcasts. Kornheiser talks too much and often it has nothing to do with the game. Last night he made some lame joke about his baldness using a player's name that sounded like toupee.

Baseball Winter meetings are taking place in Orlando Florida this week. Talk is centering on whether the Red Sox will move Manny Ramirez. Secondary stories concern where will the big name free agents (Zito, Bonds, Schmidt) wind up. Twins blogger Aaron Gleeman has been hired to report on baseball for NBCSports.com and is providing updates from Orlando of all the action. Okay, so far there hasn't been any action, but his commentary is still pretty funny. Unlike some old wizened baseball reporter you can tell that Aaron is still in awe of his surroundings. Here is a paragraph from yesterday.

It didn't take long for my first "celebrity" sighting. As I was checking into my hotel Sunday night, I heard a pair of familiar, booming voices a few feet away. Glancing to my left, I saw Fox's Kevin Kennedy and XM radio's Charley Steiner (who's most famous for his days at ESPN). It's odd enough seeing random recognizable faces-although that's basically what I'm expecting this entire week-but what made it particularly weird was hearing familiar voices saying non-familiar things. As difficult as it was-and I had one of those "devil on one shoulder, angel on the other" internal dialogues going on-I somehow managed to avoid asking if Steiner ever got that whooping that Evander Holyfield promised him in an old ESPN commercial.

Think you're having a bad day? Think of the day our puppy Grady had yesterday. Wakes up everything is good to go, he's all happy-go-lucky then I ask him "Wanna go for a ride" and he gets all excited and runs to the van. He sits up front the whole ride enjoying the view. Then all that happiness comes crashing down as we pull up to the veterinarian's office. While waiting to sign him in the dog was shaking like a leaf. He must have known something was up. Well, after I left he was neutered. So remember no matter how bad your day is it probably is better than yesterday was for Grady.