Greg Nilsen

Just when you thought they couldn't mess it up again, let alone so soon, the NFL has announced that next year's draft will start on Thursday night in “prime time”, with the remainder to follow over the next two days.  This after pushing this past year's draft back to not start until Saturday evening, only covering two rounds on day one, and then rushing through the rest on Sunday.

While I realize that all sports are targeting the “prime time” slots (yes, more for the advertising dollars than viewership), they're also alienating their fans at the same time.  Sure, there are plenty of over-the-top die-hards that will still be watching, but I don't think I'll waste my time on a weeknight when there's a good chance my team trades out of the first round all together (like the Patriots did this past draft).

Yes, I'm getting older, spending more time working on the house and spending time with my family and less on football, but shouldn't the league be making it easier to follow these things, not more difficult.  The Saturday at noon draft start time that I always remember were always great because you could spend a lazy afternoon just watching the draft coverage.  And then you'd know the key draftees before going out to dinner, a movie or whatever that evening.  Now they want to dominate my Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday?  No thanks!  I'll just find something better to do and then check it on the internet before I go to bed…assuming it's over by then!

Sorry you had to make this decision, NFL.  The logic behind it is nearly as flawed as the BCS.

I'm not sure I understand this at all…so we're supposed to ignore the major character flaws of an athlete because he was a warrior on the field and was a major contributor to his community?  I'm sorry, but that just doesn't fly with me.  Here was a married man with four children running around with a woman nearly half his age, which appears to have ultimately gotten him killed.  If this were a politician or CEO, the word going around with this story in the media would be “scandal”, not “tragedy”.

For some reason, athletes get a lot more latitude with their personal lives than most people do.  If you knew a 36-year-old who was dating a 20-year-old on the side of their marriage, there would almost certainly be tons of gossip at the water cooler and over the backyard fences.  And if they were killed, even if they were a pillar of the community, more people would be saying “they got what was coming to them” than “oh, that's such a shame”.

Now, I'm not saying that Steve McNair is the devil and should rot in hell, but that we should hold him (and every other celebrity, for that matter) to the same standards that we do for everyone else in our lives.  For me, I'm sorry to say that means that McNair's extracurriculars are a major black mark on an athlete who played the game the right way and was respected on the field.  And to simply ignore that mark is an injustice to our children, who view these athletes as role models.

One of my favorite restaurants is BD's Mongolian BBQ because you can grab whatever you're in the mood for, and mix and match different tastes and combos throughout your meal.  Plus, it's fun to watch them cook your meal with sticks on the flat top.

Well, oftentimes I cook very similarly when I'm at home.  I start with a base meat, and start adding in what sounds good.  Tonight was one of those nights, and it turned out great!  I can give you the ingredients, but not much more.  Didn't get a chance to grab any pictures (went too fast) and I didn't measure out anything…

• Chicken Breast
• Butter
• Mushrooms
• Red Bell Pepper
• Salt
• Pepper
• Onion Soup Mix
• Emeril's Essence
• Dried Thyme
• Soy Sauce
• Worchestershire Sauce

All that cooked together served on a bed of biryani rice.  Nothing gourmet, but it hit the spot!

Oh, and it was a one skillet meal as well (thanks to Uncle Ben's microwave rice), making cleanup even easier.

Like many others, the passing of the King of Pop has caused me to once again delve into his music and remember just how good he was at what he did.  Despite all the personal craziness, no one reached the masses like Michael did, an no one may ever again.

One of Michael's true gifts as an artist was to take songs, whether he wrote them or not, and really own them.  Whether it was a love song, a message to the next generation, a story or self-aggrandizing, he was able to pour himself into the song and convince the public to buy it.  Whereas many pop acts have come since Michael's heyday, and many have had the talent and supporting music to make good music, but often end up with a manufactured feel.  However, Michael lived in the music, and almost always managed to come across as authentic.

Will there ever be another like Michael?  Probably not.  But at least we'll always have his music to remind us that “pop music” doesn't have to be a dirty word…