Tuesday, March 20, 2007
"Baby Madness?"
(h/t Deadspin)
Monday, March 19, 2007
Gilbert Arenas Joins Varsity Dads
Alijah Amani Arenas.
"Alijah Arenas" is an awesome name.
Here's Gil's complete report, from his latest blog entry:
"I was talking a little trash to him already. I told him hopefully he darkens up a little bit, because he was a little light in the skin. Then I told him he needs to watch the movie 300, because he needs to be a Spartan type of man. I gave him the name Triple-A: Alijah Amani Arenas. We’re trying to get him sponsored by AAA now and get his diapers paid for."Man, I knew I missed out with "Gabe." (I have GOT to start working on that sponsorship!)
I know it's your second kid, Agent Zero, but welcome to the Varsity Dad club.
-- D.S.
Is Your Kid the Next Kevin Durant?
If he decides to turn pro, he will be one of the Top 2 picks of the upcoming NBA Draft. It's a lock. Given his status, he'd be crazy NOT to go pro.
(Of course, Florida's three star players -- coming off a national title -- were all expected to be high NBA draft picks, too. Joakim Noah would have been number 1 overall. But all three decided to return to school to defend their title. But it's not like Durant has a similar incentive; what's he going to defend: His team's single NCAA Tournament win?)
Anyway, here's the question: If your kid showed a professional-level aptitude in something like engineering or finance or journalism and they had the opportunity to leave college early and make a TON of money -- and in industries where the value of the actual degree is dubious -- would you support them?
After all: Can't they always go back and get their degree later on? What, precisely, is the value of a college degree when one substantial end-goal of college -- getting a job and building a career -- doesn't necessarily require one, particularly in the cases of extreme talent?
-- D.S.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
How a Future Fan Grows Up Confused
Monday, March 12, 2007
NCAA Tournament Picks?
On the strength of picking Florida all the way (naturally), Gabe's entry came in 30th out of 10,000. Not bad at all. (I think I ended up ranked in the 5000's...)
So: Do you go through NCAA bracket-picking with your kids? Any funny stories or techniques to share? Do any of your kids end up with crazy, eerie success rates or upsets picked?
By the way, feel free to enter this year's edition of my pool. Just go to ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge and find the group name "Daily Quickie Readers."
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Tom Brady: Varsity Dad Poster Guy?
You know about Brady getting ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynihan pregnant before they broke up late last year. Now comes news that his current girlfriend Gisele Bundschen is pregnant, too!
Brady: From All-Pro to All-Preg.
So who should be Varsity Dad's Poster Dad: Tiger? Tom (2x)? Carmelo? Gilbert Arenas (any day now!)
AK-47 Adds Another; Melo's La-La Births Wah-Wah
Kirilenko's baby came Tuesday; Carmelo's baby came Wednesday
Melo's baby's name is Kiyan. I like how it has the same phoenetics as the first syllable of his dad's name. (However, I don't expect to see it in the Social Security baby-name database Top 1000.)
AOL's NBA Fanhouse has a post that sums it up. Here's the link.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Carmelo About to Join Varsity Dads
Hmm: How was I spending the final hours before Gabe's birth? There was this, the Friday before. (OK: The link to my final Quickie column before he was born -- the actual day before -- seems to not be working. This happens from time to time, usually with the few old columns I'm specifically trying to get to.)
I actually wrote one of my favorite Lead Items ever that day. Here it is:
Two Words for You:
What kind of moronic fans boo any national anthem, let alone the wonderfully benign anthem of our wonderfully benign neighbors to the North?
Apparently, Sharks fans do.
It's not just disrespectful; it makes all sports fans in the
Sing along to the tune of "O! Canada!" with these updated lyrics below:
"Boo
Boo
So hated by Sharks fans!
But it's no patriot love...
...to rip another's land!
Fans show no heart...
...But they get a rise
From Oilers vi-si-ting!
But an act so snide,
Shark fans are so dumb:
It's only motivating!
God keep our ice...
...Jingoism-free!
Boo
It backfires miserably...
Boo
Your team's now down 2-3!
So: Did YOU spend the final days/hours before your kids' births immersed in anything memorably sports-related?
-- D.S.Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Bedtime Reading: Baseball Prospectus 2007
"I saw on DanShanoff.com that you had mentioned getting Baseball Prospectus 2007, well in 2004 I did my summer internship at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in their library. Myself and one of the other interns once talked about how cool it would be when we have kids that instead of reading them bed time stories we could read them baseball statistics from Total Baseball. Just curious, what is the varsity dad's take on putting lil ones to sleep with stats."
Keep the questions coming! I want them to become a regular feature on the site.
-- D.S.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Championship Week Rooting Interest
Is that wrong, to create a rooting interest based on similar first name? (I mean, it's not like I feel compelled to root for athletes named "Dan" or "Daniel." But with Gabe, it just feels appropriate to root for him.
(For the record, I'm a fan of Gabe Kapler, who retired this offseason from the Red Sox. No, we didn't name our son Gabe after Kapler; however, if our Gabe wants to be the rare Jewish MLB player like the other Gabe, I'm not complaining.)