Completely irrelevant

This post has nothing to do with Howard County (aside from the fact that it is being written in said location). For that matter, it doesn't have much to do with anything. Instead, I'm just feeding the desire to post something. And this is it.

First, because my league commish advised that writing/venting is rather cathartic, I'd like to thank the Fantasy Football gods for once again screwing me out of another handsome monetary prize. Long have I played this cursed game, and long have I been subjected to one-point losses and strange tiebreakers that keep me from my ultimate goal of total virtual football domination. While every season has been filled with discontent, this was surely the worst, capped off with a loss by a single point in the playoffs to a league rookie with a bunch of whodats on his roster. Shameful. I have been smited again and will hand in my ante next year only to be smited again.

Aside from that, I'd like to be the first person in the state to publicly hope for a continuance of the Kyle Boller era. Despite most of my acquaintances wishing for the team to cut their losses with the young lad, I want to see him brought back next year as the starter. I know the Ravens squandered an opportunity to be a good team this year, but letting Boller go after investing as much time and energy as they have would probably be a bigger opportunity squandered. After all, he's only 24. Think about what you were like 24; you would have nervously pranced around the pocket too if 300-pound defensive players were given free admission to Sackville by your offensive line. However, if next year he plays like the Boller of old (and not the Boller of the past two weeks), I'll personally drive him to the local airport--whatever it's name is then--and send him on his way.

Finally, my lack of a substantive post on Howard County is not so much the result of a lack of something to write about--I've got a back log of drafts waiting in the hopper. Rather, I've got over 2000 pages of American history sitting on my night-stand that simply won't read themselves--Santa apparently knows that I am a nerd. Anyway, the three books will be read in reverse chronological order--starting with the one covering the most recent topic, which is actually not that even recent. I just started book #1, which is Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin about Abraham Lincoln and his diverse cabinet.

The goal of bringing this up is not to make myself sound intelligent--anyone reading this blog knows that would be a futile task--but instead to quote something from the introduction worthy of attention and consideration in the upcoming election year, when races to the bottom seem inevitable.

"...(I)n the hands of a truly great politician the qualities we generally associate with decency and morality--kindness, sensitivity, compassion, honesty, and empathy--can also be impressive political resources."

If only our current crop of politicians--on all levels, from all parties--sought greatness with such poise and principle, perhaps greatness would not be so elusive.