Due date

It's here...this is the day Cambra is supposed to give birth. Even though it seems like some progress is being made (the baby appears to be significantly lower in her belly- who knows what that means), it is pretty apparent that the kiddo ain't coming out for a while. First births are notoriously late births. So, we wait and wait.

With that out of the way, three important events are about to happen in the sporting world. One, the Cowboys will be playing the last regular season game of this season on Sunday evening. If the Redskins lose or tie, or the Panthers lose, or the Giants and Buccanears lose and the Cowboys beat the Rams, the Cowboys slip into the playoffs with the NFCs sixth, and last, seed. If they Cowboys win and do not make the plkayoffs, it will be the first time in like 18 years that a ten win team did not get in.

Second, I am going against my arch rivals, the Malibu Hucklebuckers in the Fantasy Football Championship game this weekend. It's a good thing that the Bengals (Carson Palmer is my starting QB), Giants (I start Tiki Barber at RB and Shockey at TE), Cowboys (I start Keyshawn at WR and Julius Jones at the WR/RB slot) and the Redskins (I am starting their defense this week in a shrewd waiver wire pick up for the championship game) are all playing in particularly meaningful games. As well, Shaun Alexander of the Seahawks (who I start at my other RB spot) is going for the TD record this week, so he should plau just enough to get me 10-12 points. Who knows who will win.....the funny thing about this is that I did not even draft this team.....I missed the draft and the auto draft did its thing. And here I am after a 11-3-1 run through the regular season (first place) and in the championship game.

Third, my beloved Buckeyes take on the Irish in the Fiesta Bowl on Monday 1/2 at 2 pm PST. I think that ND and OSU are pretty much even, but I think OSU pulls one out. Here's why:

1) ND offense versus the OSU defense is the match up of this game. ND will score points, but will have to execute flawlessly do to so. OSU should be able to shut down the run. If the refs will actually call offense pass interference (ND runs a pleathora of illegal picks and screens in their pass combinations and their lanky and tall WR's both shove around defenders), our defense holds ND to around 20-24 points. We have the potential to have the figure be around 10 points if we get a few turnovers.

2) The OSU offense (I can't even believe I am saying this) should have a significant advantage against the ND defense, whose corners are quite suspect. I think the key here will the running of Troy Smith and Antonio Pittman because ND will not be able to load up in the box to stop the run because of Ted Ginn Jr. and Santonio Holmes. Running against a front seven that is strong but not dominant will take some patience, but should lead to our ability to have the play action pass and control the clock. Turnovers would be the only way we don't put up 35 points.

3) OSU special teams are significantly stronger than NDs across the board.

The only thing that can make this an ND win would be OSU turnovers or some out of their minds and body play by Brady Quinn and the ND defense. Charlie Weis is a great coach who will have his team prepared to play well (particularly with six weeks to prepare) but Tressel is 3-1 in bowl games and an OSU win sends out this senior class with three wins over Michigan and 4-0 in bowl games. I think OSU wins something like 38-17.

Now, if the kid will come out sometime soon, maybe I will get to actually watch the game live. (Thank goodness for DVRs.....)

For the record, I think that Texas beats USC in a shocker for the National Championship. I simply can't believe that ESPN is doing this ranking USC against the other great college teams when they have not even won the championship game. If this game was played any place else besides the USC home field, Texas wins in a walk. This game will not be as close as people think....Texas wins 38-24.

My Wife and Sports

I think it must be something to do with the fact that a male is now fully entrenched inside her body. My dear wife, who has worked hard to both get to know and enjoy sports like football (she even comes to high school football games to watch me officiate) since our marriage actually used a current sports issue to make a point in a conversation. Honestly, I forget exactly what we were even talking about....all I remember is that she said "It's just like the fact that the fans in Green Bay have turned on Brett Farve."

I was stunned.

But mostly, I was proud.

In essence, she exhibited the type of integrated thinking around a subject that shows a level of mastery on a topic that we shoot for as educators. In essence, she was saying: how could you not know that Brett Favre IS the Green Bay Packers.

So, to all of those men out there who have wives who love them enough to learn all about the things they we men really love, even if it seems to take a long time, hold out hope. My wife is living proof that the dream is possible.

She is living the dream (my dream anyway!).

Cambra at 38 weeks 

Almost There

Wow, we are almost here. T-minus fourteen days until the due date for our son. Of course, the due date is really only a mid point in a 21 day range of time where 99% of babies are born. So, instead of saying our due date is December 28, we should really be saying that our due date is December 28 +/- 10 days. But I'm not a math freak or anything.

Everything seems ready to go. All of our classes are completed (we finished our child birth class Tuesday), we have everything bought, our car seat and our travel bags are being prepared, and the house is clean. We need to do some laundry and buy a few minor things, but everyting is pretty much a green light. Well, except we have yet to agree on a complete name. Stay tuned to Dad was Right for an official announcement/release of our son's name.

I tell people I am not afraid or fearful of the upcoming child. I am apprehensive. I don't know how I can do all of the things I want to do. How can I be fully present at work (where I will be working only half time the upcoming quarter-SCU paternity leave policies rock), fully present as a Dad with a baby needing diapers changed and fed 12-14 times a day, and fully present as a husband to my poor wife who will be starving for adult contact and conversation while she goes through the biggest transition of her life right in the middle of the worst tsunami of hormonal changes she will ever face. Yea right. On top of that, I will be expected to be chef and custodian extraordinare. And, it's not like I am mister present at work, at home, and with my wife all of the time right now. How is this all possible? It's not. How can all of this work? It won't.


And I am ok with that.

It's not like we'll be totally alone. We will have visits from Cambra's mom, aunt, and brother. My mom and dad are coming out. We have friends and neighbors. Things we'll be fine. Things will be different, but things will work out. Sure, the house might be a little dirty and we might eat a lot of takeout, but we'll make it through just fine.

On a more important note (the nature of which brings to light my ability to be fully "present" at all times) Go Bucks! Kick the crap out of those dome heads from Notre Dame!