Moving Day in Perspective...

A year ago today, I made the move to Lawrence.

The morning was a mix of last minute cancellations both in terms of packing and moving.  However, it ended up being a non-issue as we had things packed in about an hour's time* and a married couple from my time at K-State were willing to make the trip out to Lawrence and help me unload.

Paul and Haley, the married couple, returned with me to return the U-Haul and I treated them to lunch for their troubles.  The restaurant, a local favorite, was good as always.

And then we parted and returned "home"...

...and there I was.

Something about stepping into a silent structure with mountains of boxes and little organization.  It was eerie in many ways and I felt exposed and was a bit overwhelmed in my isolation.  Case in point, I had shades in one of the spare rooms, but the other rooms were fully exposed to all who passed on by.

The walls are still largely bare and one of the spare rooms is now empty (with everything that was in there no filing the carport storage area).  A year in, I'm beginning to think of it as "home" even if it doesn't fully look the part.

*I think it's worth noting that nearly all who showed up were shocked at how much I had packed.  None of them had experienced someone who had said to show up at "such and such time"and was actually ready to go.

2018 Pro Football HOF Class...

The Pro Football HOF 2018 Finalists list was released earlier today.  As always, there are a number of deserving names although space is limited to no more than 5 Modern-Era selections.  Since I have no strong opinions on this year's other candidates, space will be limited to a discussion of the Modern-Era candidates.

Last year, I wrote about the 3 categories I take into consideration when selecting someone for Canton.  In case you missed it, here it is:

Career*... Ex: Walter Payton, career leader in rushing yards when he retired.

Team Leader... Ex: Jerome Bettis, often thought of as a "locker room leader" for the Steelers.

Game Changer... Ex: Jan Stenerud, credited with introducing the soccer-style kick for field goals.

Also, I feel all positions deserve consideration and give quarterbacks only a slight edge (+.5), and a kickers a slight deduction (-.5), when compared to other positions.

*Career is not just stats for a given position (Bledsoe and Testaverde would both be HOF worthy in that case).  There's a need for a number of "great" seasons over the course of a career.

In general, I normally reserve 2 votes per position for a given decade (realizing most careers overlap decades).  Examples: I have Chuck Noll and Tom Landry as my coaching picks for the 1970s** and Joe Montana and Dan Marino as my QB picks for the 1980s.

I do, however, leave room for a 3rd vote if there is a "Game Changer" up for consideration.  With the above examples, I have Don Coryell for a coaching pick (see my comments on his coaching from a couple of years ago here) and Warren Moon for a QB (9 Pro Bowls selections even though he faced racial dissemination to the degree he did is impressive to say the least).

** Don Shula deserves mentioning for the 1970s, but I have him listed for the 1960s.

Having said that, keep in mind these are not hard-set rules, but rather guidelines.

So without further adieu, here's my breakdown:

CANTON WORTHY (no debate)
ALAN FANECA...This guy went to 9 straight Pro Bowls and was First Team All-Pro 6 times.  I don't care that he played guard and tackle, that's impressive!

STEVE HUTCHINSON...This guy was nearly as impressive: 7 straight Pro Bowls and First Team 5 times.

JOHN LYNCH...A force to be reckoned with during his career with 9 Pro Bowls and 2 All-Pro nods.  Would someone please explain to me how he has not been elected into the HOF?

KEVIN MAWAE...8 Pro Bowls and 3 All-Pro nods.  Even though he played center, I still catch references to his play from time-to-time.  He has my vote.


CANTON WORTH (...or so The Bearded says)
No unusual pics this year.


CANTON "GALE SAYERS WING" WORTHY (...or so The Bearded says)
As I wrote last year: "There needs to be a new wing added to Canton that takes into consideration NFL greats whose careers were cut short because of injuries.  Sayers was healthy in only 6 of his 8 seasons.  He was a great, but those career numbers were cut short."

TONY BOSELLI...A left tackle who was healthy 6 of his 7 years in the league.  Of those 6 seasons, he made 6 Pro Bowls and was selected All-Pro 3 times.


AM OPEN TO DISCUSSION
ISAAC BRUCE...He was a solid player through his career.  My argument against him is that he was "great" for 3 seasons and "good" or "ok" most of the others.  For comparison, Rod Smith had as many "great" seasons (possibly 4) even if his career numbers aren't as strong.

BRIAN DAWKINS...Last year, I had him on my "Canton" list, but this year he drops a notch due to the quality of some of the other candidates and that I have Lynch slightly above him in terms of impact (no pun intended).  I think he eventually gets in.

JOE JACOBY...His resume doesn't seem to stack up (4 Pro Bowls; 2 All-Pro), but he was a member of the fabled Hogs and I still hear references to his career on a regular basis.

EDGERRIN JAMES...He has over 12,000+ rushing yards and 15,000+ all-purpose yards over his career, but was only Pro Bowl material 4 times and All-Pro 1 time.  I see this as a solid career, but not a dominating one.

BRIAN URLACHER...With 8 Pro Bowls and 4 All-Pro selections, this may come as surprise.  However, the one (and only) knock I have against him is that he was regularly voted as one of the most over-rated players by his peers.  Even so, I'd likely vote for him at some point, just not this year.


CANTON "WHITE BRONCO WING" WORTHY
This special wing is reserved for players who statistically speaking should be a slam-dunk for the HOF, but there on-field and/or off-field antics keep them from receiving my vote.

RAY LEWIS...13 Pro Bowls, 7 All-Pro selections, and this (even if he has had a change of heart).

RANDY MOSS...ROY, 6 Pro Bowls, 4 All-Pro, 4th all-time for receiving yards as well as this and this.

TERRELL OWENS (T.O.)...T.O.'s career numbers suggest he should be in Canton: 6 Pro Bowls, 5 All-Pro, and 2nd all-time for receiving yards.  However, when one considers his antics and how he sunk several good teams, I leave him out.


NOPE: "W.T.H. WING!" WORTHY
Experience has taught me that emotions often play a role in the voting for the HOF.  Case in point, there are at least 3 QBs in Canton I would have never voted for: Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman, and Kurt Warner.  Of these, Aikman has the strongest argument for induction ranking 37th all-time for career passing yards (Note: he'll likely be passed by Alex Smith next year).  My counter argument is no one speaks of a QB being the "next Troy Aikman" or "plays like Troy Aikman".

TY LAW...Good, just not HOF good.

EVERSON WALLS...Not to take away from a solid career, but I'm not sure how he made it to the Finalists list.

A year living on New York...

It's been nearly a year since I moved into my humble abode located on New York St. in Lawrence.  To celebrate this milestone, I decided it was about time to share some photos.

Home...

Three major outdoor projects were undertaken in 2017: trees, rain garden, and carport.

TREES...this past spring, I had two large trees removed form my property.  One had a very large branch that loomed precariously over my home--not sure how I missed this in buying the house, but I did.  The second was removed in order to make room for a large carport.

Tree removed because I didn't want it in my living room

Tree removed to make room for a carport

RAIN GARDEN...the property has proved to be prone to flooding.  Being proactive, I installed a new sump pump (the old one was DOA) and had a French drain and rain garden installed.  For those of you unfamiliar with these items, a French drain is an underground perforated pipe that redirects water to another area while a rain garden is a space where water intensive plants are planted to alleviate excess water.

The rain garden is not quite complete as I will be planting a birch tree in the middle and ringing the garden with flagstone this coming spring.

Side yard before rain...

Side yard after rain...

French drain (scaring) and rain garden installed with firepit in the foreground

CARPORT...this one proved to be rather expensive as the initial estimate ended up being $10-15K short of the final cost.  However, it also ended up being one of the most rewarding since the contractor I ultimately ended up using is a childhood friend.  Normally, I am hesitant to use a close friend in a major business transaction, but this one was a treat as we went out nearly every night for BBQ.

Referring to this structure as a carport really doesn't do it justice.  It's more of an open garage.  By "open garage" I mean that there is a covered parking area ("carport") as well as a large enclosed workspace ("garage").  The enclosed area will be used for storing items such as the lawn mower, tools, bike, etc. as well as a future print shop that I hope to have up and running later this year.

A few minor additions to the open garage will be added this spring, but for all practical purposes this is it!

Before...

And after: carport area...

enclosed workspace