NFL Draft Preview: I Drafted a Bugaboo Frog

Will you (or have you) watched the NFL Draft with your kid? Do they have a favorite part?

The NBA Draft showcases more of this, but I always like it when the draftees in attendance hear their name called and hug their moms, who are inevitably bawling. (Are they proud? Are they happy? Are they thinking about the new car/house/lifestyle?)

When we were getting ready for the arrival of Gabe, my wife and I were shopping for strollers, and I found myself viewing our research and "test-drives" through the lens of the NFL Draft Scouting Combine.

In the end, we picked the Bugaboo Frog.

Upside: Great for walking (which in NYC is huge), looks good, sturdy, less of a "cap hit" than the Bug Chameleon.

Downside: The judgment from other parents. (Although in Brooklyn, particularly over the last year, all you see are Bugs, so that has eased up a bit.)

There were others: Maclaren (great value pick), Peg Perego (too bulky), RockStar Baby (ArenaLeague material, naturally) and others.

Was it ludicrously expensive? Yes. But the thing is a tank. I love it. I was sold from the get-go. My wife needed convincing, but ultimately was won over by my enthusiasm, which was the cover she needed. (She could always claim that I forced her to get it, even though she loves it, too.)

OK, I've gone off on a distant tangent here, but the point is this: The NFL Draft is a wonderful metaphor for all sorts of baby/kid-related purchases where there is more than one option out there.

I would borrow something from the genius bloggers at Kissing Suzy Kolber and do a mock draft of all-time greatest baby characters, but I think it begins and ends with Stewie from "Family Guy." (Also receiving votes: Maggie Simpson. Not receiving votes: Anyone from "Look Who's Talking.")

-- D.S.

Take Your Kid to Work Day

Um...OK. So what does that mean: That I carry Gabe the 10 feet from the living room floor to the dining room table where I do my blogging? Maybe I can ask him who he thinks the Raiders should take with the first pick of the NFL Draft? (And he better say: "Best Player Available." I'll settle for a babbling approximation.)

More Pollack (and Son) on the Lakers

Here's the link. I think we need a Pollack-Shanoff West Coast/East Coast Showdown. He can have his Lakers, and I'll back my Wiz (with Gabe playing his usual role of Agent Zero-Point-Nine.)

(H/T: TrueHoop, again.)

D-Train Set to Join Varsity Dads

Dontrelle Willis pulled off a nifty trick: He pitched his way to his 4th win of the month (AND hit a stand-up triple), then rushed off to the hospital to be with his wife, who was giving birth.

(That makes Willis slightly more of an interested father than, say, American Idol's Phil Stacey, whose claim to fame was missing the birth of his kid to audition for Idol.)

Tracking...

Alternadad on the Suns-Lakers

Neal Pollack makes an excellent Varsity Dad. And his son sounds like a future blog commenter.

(h/t TrueHoop)

If I WAS to Raise an Athlete...

Here's the template. Great read. The money Varsity Dad-ish line:

"He is the reason you tie your 2-year-old son's right hand behind his back when your wife isn't around."

It's a beautiful day outside. Read it, then get going.

-- D.S.

Late to This, But...: "Tressel Hayes?!"

I'm late to this story, but about that Ohio State couple that named their kid "Tressel Hayes..."

Now, back when my wife was pregnant, Florida was making its (first) run through the NCAA Tournament, and my Morning Quickie chat audience thought it would be really funny if we named the kid "Joakim." Some of the more realistic participants put the far more reasonable (but no less fanatically driven) "Noah."

Now, "Noah" would have been a great name. "Noah Shanoff": Terrific name. If "N" was one of the first-name first-letters we were considering, I'm positive that "Noah" would have been a serious contender. And, yes, everyone would have thought that I named my kid after Joakim Noah, even though it's just a great name (and a huge -- huuuuge -- coincidence).

But at least "Noah" is a real first name. "Tressel," while an homage, is not a first name; it's a parental indulgence. I try to be "live and let live" when it comes to parents' fandom -- including baby names -- but that seems a bit much of a tribute.

There is an incredibly wide range of names out there for kids. This one seems like it was inflicted, rather than given. I'm not sure how I feel about the athlete tribute. After all, how do you think the guy in Buffalo named "Orenthal James" has felt the last 10 years?

Baby names should be important to the parents -- Gabe is named for his maternal grandmother, whose name started with a "G" -- and I'm not disputing that sports names can be significant enough to a parent to qualify. But this is a tough one.

What happens when the kid wants to upgrade for college and go to Michigan over Ohio State? (Actually, that would be a pretty good gimmick for admission to Michigan: "Help!") But, somehow, I think his parents won't let him even THINK about applying to Michigan.

I guess the good news is that as long as he wants to stay in Columbus the rest of his life, drinks are on the house.

More Swag For My Kid

The only question is: How can I NOT buy this for my kid (along with my wife, my in-laws, myself...)

Want to buy this for yourself? (Or the rival shirt featuring the 1992 Duke lineup?)

Click here.

True Fan Confessions?

Based on the new site True Mom Confessions, I think I might need to launch "True Fan Confessions."

(h/t Eat the Press' Rachel Sklar)

So Much for Tiger:New Parent Curse?

Yikes: Is there a New Parent Curse?

My entire logic behind picking Tiger Woods to win the Masters was that his pending parenthood would inspire him to victory.

Instead, it's totally reasonable to suggest that pending parenthood was perhaps the smidgen of distraction that caused him to JUST miss out.

And consider this: Recent add to Varsity Dad Gilbert Arenas will miss the rest of the season after a knee injury last week.

(If there is good news, it's that he'll get more time to spend with his new baby boy, "Triple-A.")

Carmelo Anthony, you've been alerted!

Name Tiger's Baby?

That's the premise of a clever piece of content by USAToday.com. Here's the link. I'm going with "Earl," for his father, but the popular nickname "Cub."

Masters Preview: Tiger or the Field?

The annual Masters question is "Tiger or the Field?" and I reliably take "The Field" (no offense to Tiger).

This year, though, I'm picking Tiger -- if for no other reason than his pending fatherhood as inspiration for crushing the field.

As I've mentioned before, Tiger's new-parent status is sizing up as the Varsity Dad event of the year.

(Speaking of new-parent status, belated congratulations to the Washington Post Sports Bog's Dan Steinberg on the birth of his girl.)

NCAA Tournament Results:Son Crushes Dad

Amazingly, Gabe finished in 18th place -- out of more than 1,200 -- in my Daily Quickie Readers pool of ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge. I was hundreds of places behind. (Gabe's mom was the real star: Not only was she responsible for "guiding" Gabe's wildly successful picks, but she won her own pool, too.)

Combine that with Gabe's in utero performance a year ago (tied for 30th out of more than 10,000 -- yes, ten-THOUSAND -- entries), and he obviously has some serious NCAA Tournament bracket-picking mojo. As far as fan skills go, that's not a bad one to have.

NCAA Tournament Title Game Madness

The nuclear family bracket pool is a rout:

10-month-old son: In 49th place out of more than 1,200 entries in my "Daily Quickie Readers" Tournament Challenge office pool. That's the 96th percentile. And he predicted Florida over Ohio State in the title.

(That's on top of Gabe's in utero performance a year ago, when he finished in 30th place overall out of more than 10,000 -- yes, that's ten THOUSAND -- entries.)

34-year-old dad: The quote-unquote "expert" is in the 68th percentile, hundreds and hundreds of spots behind.

So: Who's the real expert in the family? (Trick question. The correct answer is: Mom, who picked Gabe's brackets both last year and this year and is a Florida victory away from winning her girlfriends' pool.)

Anyone else getting absolutely obliterated in their brackets by their young children (and spouses)?