Dead Zone

There was an interesting debate over at Music City Miracles about whether the Titans should re-sign Albert Haynesworth. I'm still on the fence. He has been dominant the past two years, but injuries have cost him. Unlike in 2007, the defense wasn't terrible when he was out due to injury this year. The $13 million annual salary that the story references is daunting. I dunno.

Since the football season is for all intents and purposes over, what's next? I can't get excited about the Senior Bowl, East-West Shrine Game, and other such nonsense. I know the Titans will certainly draft a "football player" with the 30th pick in April's draft. That's about it.

So what do I do during this dark time? I suppose I could write about non-sports related items.

We could do Zach on Literature. I just finished reading Steve Martin's book, Born Standing Up. I can take the lessons learned from Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, the short version being that most "geniuses" in any field have amassed 10,000 hours of practice. Martin spent more than a decade perfecting his craft, and eventually was the top stand-up comic. I can't defend his career choices of late, like the Pink Panther sequel that no one wants to see yet will probably gross $50 million. Hey, the man's got to eat. It's a good lesson about sticking to what you think works even though it may take a while to sow the seeds of success.

I'm currently reading Larry Felser's The Birth of the New NFL. The book focuses on the years when the AFL and NFL decided to merge. It's interesting to read that while Al Davis was commissioner of the AFL, Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt went behind Davis's back to ensure that the merger went through. Until the first common draft in 1967, NFL and AFL teams would draft the same players and bid on them.

I could do Zach on Beer. That's an overdue subject. My current favorite is Trader Joe's 2008 Vintage Ale. It reminds me of the Belgian Ale Cosendonk. Now, it's not quite as good, but the TJ's is $4.99 and Cosendonk goes for $7.99. I like the dark, sweet but not too sweet ales. Of course this beer is high gravity (not sure of the exact alcohol content), so it's better to sip. Naturally, the more affordable Trader Joes alcohol choices like the Two Buck Chuck leads one to consume them slightly faster than is prudent.

My Wii Fit is calling me. I've almost unlocked all of the exercises. I'm even enjoying the hula hoop challenge.