Picked up a free A's jersey as a giveaway (modeled in photo below). I also snagged a batting helmet filled with popcorn (it's $2 more than the bag. If somebody offers you sporting gear filled with food -- aside from say a cup/jock strap -- you take it.)
The jerseys were given away to the first 15,000 fans through the gate. Granted, they were playing the Indians, but the weather at first pitch was 70 degrees with a little breeze and no clouds. A group of three guys came and sat in front of us in the bottom of the third inning with free jerseys in hand. There were still gates that had several large boxes of jerseys. To get an idea of attendance at the game, check out the sections of empty seats behind me -- that was 15 minutes before the first pitch.
Dear Pat Bowlen,
Thanks for the swift kick to the marbles.
Sincerely,
Denver Broncos Fans.
The Donkeys had two first round picks. They desperately needed a wide receiver. When the Broncos picked, Dez Bryant was still on the board. Here's what ESPN had to say about him:
Bryant is a top-10 talent with a rare blend of size, speed, strength and quickness. He brings an immediate and dynamic playmaking presence. While he has some well-documented off-the-field issues, he brings too much value to pass up here No. 24. He should develop into a No. 1 option.
The Broncos opted to take Georgia Tech wide receiver DeMaryius Thomas. Georgia Tech runs a triple option offense. Let's read what ESPN had to say about him:
Thomas brings rare size and speed to the position and will be an immediate deep threat. He comes from a triple-option offense and is a bit raw as a route-runner but his size and ball skills provides him with great upside.
So, to rehash the Broncos left the best wide receiver on the board for a guy with limited route running experience.
Then, two picks later (after Bryant was gladly snatched up by Dallas) the Broncos snapped up the Holy Rollin' Gunslinger Tim Tebow - as the second quarterback picked in the draft. Historically, choosing a quarterback in the first round has been an expensive and seriously risky proposition. The Broncos are already average at quarterback (Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and a third stringer from last year's draft) and can't afford to take the long view when it comes to choosing a QB. Let's see what ESPN says about Tebow:
This is a stretch. Tebow is a long way from developing into a functional NFL quarterback, and he might never become that. We have concerns about his footwork and elongated delivery, and his struggles at the Senior Bowl only magnified those issues. He has re-worked his delivery, but has only had a few weeks to make those changes. However, he brings intangibles that set him apart from almost any other player in this draft, and if he doesn't work out as a quarterback he showed at the combine that he has enough athleticism, determination and toughness to become an H-back and work as a signal-caller in short-yardage and Wildcat situations. Still, this was a surprising pick.
So, to rehash: Denver got an inexperienced wide receiver and a quarterback who seems destined to see the field only when the Broncos need to dive for a yard.
Haven't pulled the trigger on these bad boys, just batting around a few options. I'm not sure if buying these would mean riding a fixed gear bike and drinking Old Style like water, but at least they de-emphasize the beak a bit. 
A's tickets finally came in the mail today. First game is April 5 versus Seattle. I was expecting an envelope, but instead got a catcher's chest protector backpack. Nine-year-old Michael approves.
I usually zone out or flip channels when commercials come on, but this Nike commercial snagged my attention. Nike's ad people are definitely worth every penny.
The long-rumored Arrested Development movie can't possibly come quickly enough.
Arrested Development Chicken Dances - Watch more Funny Videos
I'm a sucker for photo essays, particularly spectacular ones. I ran across this photo essay of kids playing golf in the slums of Mumbai. The black and white really makes the photos pop. Take a look through a few examples at: http://totallycoolpix.com/2010/03/urban-golf-in-india/
Photo credit: Tomasz Gudzowaty/Focus/Hollandse Hoogte
I've been playing around with the camera on my iPod nano the past couple days. Video isn't bad. Audio sounds really good. Not a bad little camera to use in a pinch, though I'm not sure what that pinch might be.
Yep, that's a real military helmet and jacket. Just playing Risk on a weekday night. Seeing these photos on facebook make me miss living in China.
Courtesy of Kevin's tournament-approved iPhone. Gorgeous day, the waves were pounding and John Daly's pants were the closest we got to seeing Tiger today.
This weekend I was going through some old issues of Esquire and re-ran across this profile of Guy Ritchie. In the profile, we learn that Ritchie enjoys Brazilian Jujitsu, disobeying traffic rules and passionately prefers marmalade to jam. The comedic highlight comes when, over a series of pints, Ritchie explains why marmalade is far superior to jam. Through the profile, he also provides two of the three rules he's learned in life:
1. You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable
2. It's okay to have beliefs, just don't believe in them.
As for the third, Ritchie turns off the reporter's recorder before sharing the third. If you get a spare second, it's worth a read -- definitely one of the better profiles I've read recently.
[ Esquire: Please be seated. Guy Ritchie's life will begin shortly ]
Sometimes when I've had a long or hard day, I Google "puppy and dandelion" and one minute and 12 seconds later, everything is infinitely better.
This is eyeopening and depressing. ESPN has a salary calculator where you can see how you compare to professional athletes. According to this, Mark Texiera makes my salary in half an at-bat, and I would need to work 417 years to make the value of his annual contact. At least Jason Bay has to play half a game to even up with me. I'd better get back to work.
ESPN: How do you compare?
On Christmas Even we paused for a few minutes to take a quick family photo. The lighting wasn't great, and I finally decided to break out the tripod. I framed the shot and told everybody to hold still to make sure it looked OK. This is what I got.
Seems that lately this blog has turned into nothing but a photo blog with a paragraph thrown in as window dressing. Hopefully that will change in the coming months. Maybe I'll find a few things to talk about. We spent 10 days in Omaha for the holidays, got snowed in, watched some basketball and caught up with family and friends. Let's do it again next year.
Celebrated the 26th today, and I had already gotten most of my birthday gifts. Courtney wakes me up and tells me to check my e-mail because she got me one more gift. She'd already gotten me a 22-game season ticket pack to the A's. She said she thought I needed something to wear to the games, so she bought me an A's T-shirt jersey. Not just any jersey, but a Rollie Fingers T-shirt jersey. Courtney's not the biggest baseball fan, but she took the time to do a little research. She passed on the cheaper Matt Holliday jersey, since he no longer plays with the A's, but her reason for picking the Fingers jersey showed the way to my heart.
"I didn't know what kind of jersey to get you, but I Googled 'Rollie Fingers' and saw his sweet 'stache and figured that might be something you'd be in to."
Awesome.
