Entering the Void

With the NFL draft behind us and the Mavericks having gone out with a whimper in the first round, we have entered the time of year in DFW that could be called the "sports desert". It is that period that begins when the Mavs are done and ends with Cowboys training camp. There just isn't much to be excited about between now and then.

But wait, you say, what about baseball? What about the Rangers? Please. Baseball died locally and nationally long ago. There was a bit of a blip on the radar in the late 90's when the Rangers were going to the playoffs (and doing very little), but things have not been good since then. Let's see... The Rangers have been awful. Ticket prices at the ballpark are inversely proportional to the Rangers' performance. The ballpark is one of the single hottest places in DFW to spend a summer evening. It costs more to park than it used to cost to get in to the games. This is a confluence of events that should result in a nightly attendance of zero for every game in Arlington.

So, we are left with plenty of time to ponder other things. What happened to Dirk and the Mavs? How do you win 67 games and then flame out in six games to the eighth seeded Warriors? Is Tony Romo's head right? Will Wade Phillips be able to take the Cowboys to the next level? Is Anthony Spencer as good as the Cowboys and the draft experts think? Luckily, this is only the beginning of the fodder that will keep the local sports world occupied until late July in San Antonio. Here's another one. What was Jerry thinking? He traded Southern California for the Sewer Walk in San Antonio? Did he not see Mark Cuban's shirt during the playoffs last year?

Until next time...
PH

Cell Phone Rat Race

I love technical gadgets, and I recently got a new phone from lg. My previous phone was also from lg, but much to my dismay, the phone charger has a different connection. Christy and I had made good use of this because in the past both of our lg phones (although different models) used the same charger. In addition, my new phone has a new version of bluetooth (1.2 vs. 1.1), and my headset does not work very well - after having worked flawlessly in the past. I'm sure there are valid reasons for these things, but it seems like the goal is to make you replace everything (headset, charger, car charger, et.c) when you get a new phone. (OK, I know you are going to say, "Quit whining and stick with your perfectly good working phone and its accessories. Point taken.)

I feel better now.

Until next time...
PH

Spiderman 3 Review

As I mentioned yesterday, Christy and I went to see Spiderman 3 last night. Having seen the other two, I would put this one second behind the first one. There is a fair amount of fluff in the movie that could easily be trimmed without losing anything from the story, and this would trim from the 2 h 20 m running time.

Here are some of my thoughts without giving too much away. There are too many villains, and this keeps the movie kind of busy. Thomas Hayden Church is perfect as the Sandman. Topher Grace was an interesting choice for Eddie Brock since the Brock of the cartoon and comic books is a fair amount bigger than Spiderman. He also seemed to be a bit more of a sociopath that what I recall from my comic book days. The soap opera between Peter and Mary Jane is a bit overdone. The appearance and behavior of some characters will seem odd to those familiar with the comic book. Gwen Stacey was killed before Peter and Mary Jane ever got serious. You will also be puzzled by Harry Osborn's behavior as well.

Visually, the movie is great. The effects for the Sandman are top notch, and the "black suit" really takes on a life of its own.

Overall, I give the movie a B-. You will definitely be entertained by it, but you may feel a bit over served by the time you are done. Moderation is a lost art these days.

Until next time...
PH

Five Year Anniversary

Today, Christy and I are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary. It seems like only yesterday that we were having our rehearsal dinner at Faith Lutheran Church in Plano, TX...

I remember the fine meal that Jan Sloan and Co. prepared for us - it is still one of my favorites of all time!

I remember a very laid back bachelor party at Ben's house afterward.

I remember going and getting dressed at the church and greeting our guests as they arrived.

I remember the ceremony - thanks, Pastor Hill!

I remember getting pelted with bird seed by Martha as we left the reception.

I remember going to Lawry's for dinner that evening.

It is hard to do it justice with words, but it was the most special day of my life.

Many things have happened over the last five years, and we've seen both sides of many of the items from our vows. However, I am as sure today as I was then that I am the luckiest man in the world.

We are not having our "official" celebration until tomorrow. Tonight we are going for dinner and seeing Spiderman 3 - really, it was Christy's idea. Tomorrow we are going for a nice dinner at Al Biernat's in Dallas.

Until next time...
PH

Amazing Longevity

Today is my Grandmother's (on my Dad's side) 94th birthday! (Happy Birthday, Grandma!) My other Grandmother will turn 97 in October. I am amazed that I have been blessed to have both of them with me as long as I have. Both are still in fairly good health too.

We will be having a family get together this evening in Arlington with my Dad, Stepmother, Grandma, my Stepbrother and his family, and Christy and Damon. We have been doing this for a few years now, and it is nice to have everyone together to celebrate. What makes it even more special is that Grandma is still able to come down from her home in Indiana. While she does not do the driving anymore, it speaks to how good her overall condition is that she can make the 12-13 hour car trip.

Here's to you, Grandma!

Until next time...
PH

Mavericks Show Some Life

Well, wasn't that a fun game last night. Who needs Six Flags? From 21 points up in the second quarter to down nine with about three and half minutes to go to winning by six. If that doesn't fit the roller coaster definition, I'm not sure what does.

The good news for the Mavs is that Dirk woke up and realized that he actually need to take and make some shots for his team to win. What we saw over the last three and a half minutes is what it is going to take over the next two games for their playoff run to continue.

We also saw the Warriors meltdown again. In the last minute, two guys fouled out and one got ejected. They are a team of thugs, and it would be very painful to see them advance at all - much less at our expense.

So, what do we know after five games? Not much. Expect the Mavs to come out swinging tomorrow, but fasten your seatbelt. It promises to be a bumpy ride regardless.

Until next time...
PH

Mavericks in a Hole

This could well be it for your Dallas Mavericks this evening. They face Golden State at 8:30 tonight down 3-1. While it was said of the previous game, this is truly a must win. I have to admit, I really don't know what to expect when they take the court. It seems that Don Nelson has a pocket full of Mavericks Kryptonite. It is really hard to believe that the ding dong Warriors are on the verge of bouncing the team that had one of the best regular seasons in NBA history.

The sad thing is that it didn't have to be this way. Back on April 17, the Mavs had the chance to all but eliminate the Warriors from playoff contention. However, we the #1 overall seed wrapped up, Avery Johnson decided to sit his star players and essentially gift wrapped a spot in the playoffs for his mentor in the process. If the real Mavs had shown up to that game, we are probably talking about a sweep of the L.A. Clippers and whether the Mavs would be playing Utah or Houston in round two. No such luck, though. It seems that the Mavs are being paid back from wronging the Clippers.

Perhaps you could say that they really aren't a championship caliber team. If they were really the mighty Mavs, it shouldn't have mattered who their first round opponent was. As Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over 'til it's over." You do have to ask the question: "Is it over?"

Until next time...
PH