First post in a great while....

Hey DC faithful, I know I've been slacking on zee blog the past couple months, but I'll get back into it I promise. Here's my latest exercise in pain and suffering....

"On November 8th, 2008 the American Lung Association of Florida, Inc. - Central Area will host the 2nd Annual "Climbing Heights for Lung Cancer" Event. This Stair Climb is a vertical climb up Orlando's 2nd tallest building, the Bank of America Center. Please support my climb and the American Lung Association by making a donation or participating in the event."

As if racing up 25 floors wasn't enough punishment, I've decided (in typical Dave fashion) to add to my pain, by throwing on my Firefighting gear (airpack, helmet, and full FF turnout gear-at least they let me use running shoes!). My total weight, with all the bells & whistles, is about 300 lbs. Last year's top FF finished in 4:40, or thereabouts. That's a tough time to beat, but if the Browns can beat the Super Bowl Champs on Monday Night Football....?????? Regardless, you all know that I will be giving everything I can to race up those 25 floors.

Seriously though, I know times are a little on the tight side nowadays, but I would appreciate anyone donating whatever you can spare to this worthwhile cause (I'm sure the American Lung Association would appreciate it too). Below is a work/family safe link that will take you to my page, and you can see how I'm doing as a fundraiser. I have to raise at least $100, and for every dollar I am short, the American Lung Assoc. drowns a kitten in milk....just kidding. One hundred bucks is my goal, and I'll be most grateful for whatever I can harass my friends and family into giving.

http://www.mrsnv.com/evt/e01/part.jsp;jsessionid=7230a83e86323018606d?id=2064&acct=5272043355&rid=0


I've already got over the goal of $100, thanks to all who've donated. I'll be sending out a few limited edition emails to only those who've pledged for this event. If that isn't enough to convince someone to pitch in, then I don't know WHAT is. Who knows, if more people throw down I may just go up a second time for fun?!?

Oh here's the sweet pic that's generating lots of internet buzz.....

Sundance's 2008 Olympic Preview

Well, the 2008 Olympics are almost here, and who doesn't love a great Olympic story? A great underdog, a dominant wunderkid, or a great comeback are all instant-interest stories. Luckly for you, ole DC has a little bit of time on his hands (at work), and has scoured the interweb for some of the best things to watch out for this Summer's Games. Hopefully, not things you already know about....so here goes.
(In no particular order)

-Dominating US swimmer: I bet you're thinking about Michael Phelps, right? Wrong. Well, not wrong, because we'll ALL be watching him. I am talking about 19 year-old American Katie Hoff, who will be competing in five different swimming events. This will also be her second Olys, after debuting in 2004 as a 15 year-old. Look for her in the 200m IM, 400m IM, 200m Free, 400m Free, and the 800m Free. I wouldn't be suprised to see her in the next 2-3 Games, as well.

-The World's Fastest Man: Well, second fastest behind yours truly. The US' Tyson Gay will be battling World Record holder, Jamaica's Asafa Powell in the 100m dash. Both guys are coming off hammy and groin injuries suffered this summer; however, Powell has broken the 100m WR twice this year. As much as I'd like to see an American take home the Gold, I think Powell will come out the Victor.

-US Mens Hoops team: I know it's already a huge story, but C'mon...LeBron james is a Cleveland Cavalier! Roll King James, Roll to Gold!

-Swim Cougar: Dara Torres, at age 41, is still a favorite to medal in the 50m Free. She's been under ridiculous scrutiny by the Anti-Doping agencies, and for good reason. 41 year-old women should not be spanking Olympic-level athletes half her age, but she's doing it. BTW Florida Gator swimming is NO JOKE.

-US Triathlon Team: This is my favorite Olympic event, even though I haven't been staying on my tri training. I remember last year, waking up at 3:30AM to watch the Men's triathlon, and loving it. Now we have DVR, so I won't be pulling that stunt this time. One of the US Men's athletes is Orlando, Florida's own Hunter Kemper. This dude can flat-out fly, I think he finished 9th in the 2004 Olympics. I've bumped into him a couple of times, and he's never come off as any other than a well-rounded, nice guy, so I wish him the best of luck.

-Sheila T: I posted about her in my "Who's The Best Athlete?" blog. She will be representing the US in Modern Pentathlon, which will be her third different Olympic sport. IIRC she has/had a place over in the outskirts of Orlando, so yet another Central Florida connection.


-Andrejs Duda: Keep an eye out for this Latvian in the men's 100m butterfly swim event. He trains in Georgia, and is uses CrossFit for his training. He swims less than half the yardage of his competitors, so this will be a good means to gauge how my new favorite workout compares to hours in the pool.

A Heartfelt Tribute...

As you may or may not know, I hound internet message boards. The subject matter is mainly sports-based: triathlon, football, crossfit, NBA, topix.com, not to mention the small handful of blogs I check in on (after I hit my three cousins' blogs, of course). Anyways, I was on my CrossFit site, checking in on my Workout Of the Day, aka WOD, when I found a video tribute to a California Firefighter. He was a young man who had just returned after being deployed in the California wildfires, he had a brain hemmhorage the next day, and suddenly died.

One thing about CrossFit is that it is very popular among the military, and is gaining popularity with police and FFs (including yours truly). Anyways, there have been a couple of "WODs" named after Veterans that have died in Irag/Afghanistan, guys that were big into CrossFit, and they are exceptionally tough. Here is an example of one:

Murph In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. This workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it 'Body Armor.' From here on it will be referred to as 'Murph' in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.
1 mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run
For time. Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

This WOD took me 62 minutes to do. These workouts are really awesome, because when I started to get tired/wanting to quit, I just recall reading the story of "Murph" before I started. I envision how this guy I'll never meet literally made the ultamite sacrifice for his brothers, in one of the worst places on this Earth. It makes gutting out the last mile, or squeezing out those last 50 pushups, pale in comparison.

Here is the tale of Murph, direct from the US Navy site:
http://www.navy.mil/moh/mpmurphy/soa.html




But I digress....here is the video of a WOD that was dedicated to Kevin Patrick Prior, the CA FF that I alluded to earlier, before I tangented out.
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitByOverload_KevinFirefighterTribute.wmv

If you made it through this video without feeling somethign, then I don't even know what to say...

The first time I saw this video, I was really moved. The second time I watched it, I realized how many similarities I had with this guy. We are both about the same age, both have about three years on the job, both have a beautiful wife and daughter, we both crossfit, and we both really have a passion about our job. That's what got me, this guy my age and in pretty good shape, died suddenly. Sometimes it takes something like that to snap me back into reality.

Anywas, thanks to this CrossFit stuff, which is basically intense cross-training on steroids, I have gotten to touch base and communicate with guys all over the world. I truly understand the brotherhood that police, fire, and the military all have with each other, and there are Orange County FRD T-shirts in select parts of the SandBox because of it. I found this thread on an online tribute to Kevin Prior:

"To all of you who in risky jobs, military, law enforcement, firefighters, etc, you all have my deepest respect. Continue doing great things in this world. Your efforts show everywhere!!! Look around, we would not be staring at highrises if it were not for studs who challenge those heights to create them. We would not walk confidently within those walls if it were not for our military protecting the country they stand in, if it were not for the law enforcers doing just that, and the fire fighters ensuring the over-all safety of them, as well as the countless others who challenge danger on a regular basis!! You all kick ass!!!!!!"

First Triathlon in 18 months, or hardly any training....

6/29/08
Baldwin Park Sprint Triathlon
.75K Swim
13.4 mile Bike
2.5 mile Run
S 0:23:22.514
T1 0:01:46.204
B 0:42:16.374
T2 0:01:07.306
R 0:23:19.335 Total 1:32:17.095

Totally bad idea; actually, it would be a good idea to do some training first. Hardly any biking, 2-3 swims, and some running (no LSD runs) for my base. I get up around 5:30am with my stuff pack (or so I thought-read on), and throw on my tri suit, shorts, T-shirt, and sandals to head over to the race. About ten minutes into my 15 minute ride, I realize my racing goggles are in my other bag. No problem, I useby tri pack for IMFL, and I pulled over to make sure they were still in there....check. I kept going. Check-in went smoothly, I did a littleCrossFit WarmUp to get going, some short runs, and then I headed out to the water to get a little wet. As I start to zip up my singlet, I realize that I initially put the tri-suit on backwards! The portOjons' lines are super-long, so I head out to the water. As I strip down, and tun my suit inside out in the water, I lose my balance on a reed or somehtin on the lake floor. My goggles are lost! I finish putting on my suit, and run back up to tranisition area, thinking there's no way I've got another set of goggles in there. The Goggle Gods smile upon me this morning, as I find an old set of goggles in the bottom of my bag. I realize at this time that I forgot my towel at home, though. Anyways, the race went OK. No issues on the swim, bike, or run for me. It was hot as balls, I saw a few drafters on the bike, but me not swimming that much really cost me. My swim split was about 5 minutes slower than what I usually swim for 750m.
Still, I can't complain about 3rd place. Thanks to the Race Director for having the Super Clydesdale division this year, although the guy that won my division didn't look over 225 lbs.

Even worse is that I somehow got into a message board smackdown that ended up with me being challenged to an Olympic Distance Triathlon in exactly three months! I don't know how that happened, but it did. BTW an Olympic distance triathlon is 1500m swim, 24.8 mile bike, and a 10k (6.2 mile) run. I've always wanted to break three hours for this distance; however, I've never been able to do it. Hopefully, I can sneak in a couple decent rides to build up my aerobic base...

The Greatest Athlete in the World....

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121392004594090355.html?mod=sports

I stumble on to a pretty fun little Wall Street Journal article about how to figure out the greatest athlete in the world. Being the WSJ, they are very right-brained, thorough, and scientific about the process. The difference between what their editors said, and what you might say in a local drafthouse over this same subject matter? They based it on six categories, and then each person came up with their own top 10 list. Below are their results, as well as the criteria for their selection.

1. Roman Sebrle: First decathlete to reach 9000 points in a competition
2. LeBron James: We all know about him on a court, but he was also an All-State WR his junior year, at 6'8" 225 lbs!
3. Floyd Mayweather, boxing: 39-0 in what is probably the most physically demanding sport
4. Ladanian tomlinson, San Diego Chargers: I think he got points for his uncanny start-stop-restart abilities. Plus he's a badazz RB
5. Roger Federer, tennis dominator: Combines sprinter's speed with an acrobats reflexes/coordination
6. Sindey crosby, NHL Pittsburgh Penguins: arguably hockey's best athlete
7. Lui Xiang, 110m hurdler: dude RAN 19.5 mph while jumping over 3.5 foot hurdles to set the 110m world record!
8. Jeremy Wariner, 400m gold medal sprinter: 400m and 800m runners are crazy
9. Ronaldo de Assis Moreiera, FC barcelona: Don't know much about soccer, but I don't doubt his place on the list. Any soccer guys with input?
10. Alex Rodriguez, NY Yankees:ARoid is 6'3" 225 lbs, and is considered one of the top athletes in baseball.

The list was comprised using these criteria, and I'll list the top performer for each:
-Vision and Reflex: Lewis hamilton, Formula One racing
-Stamina and Recovery: Alberto Contidar, cycling
-Power, Strength, and size: Vladimir Klistchko, boxing
-Speed: Asafa Powell, Jamaican 100m WR holder (at the time)
-Success and Competitiveness of Sport: Tiger Woods
-Coordination and Flexibility: Yang Wei, gymnast



Although I don't doubt the validity of the list, I would like to make a few changes. You can keep pretty much everyone on the list except for Crosby, ARoid, and drop LdT a couple spots. I have to think that there is a better athlete in the NHL besides the waify Penguin; although I don't watch hockey, so I don't know of anyone. Maybe even the soccer guy, with the same reasoning. It is my own personal bias that an IronMan triathlete woud be on the list; however, they would be lascking in other areas of the criteria (speed, sucess, and power strength & size). I would also have to bring up crossover pro athletes into the mix. I know that there are TONS of NFL players that could probably make an NBA team, although they would probably ride the pine-but that's not the type of crossover type that I'm talking about. I'm thinking lesser-knowns, like Brock Lesnar, Sheila Taormina, and Eva Twardokens to name a few. Brock Lesnar is a former NFL defensive lineman, who had a stint in pro wrestling (not a sport, but still a demanding profession), before beoming a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) stud. MMA is known for being intensely grueling, and those how do it claim it to be the toughest athletic endeavour around. Sheila T just recently qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympic games in the Modern Pentathlon event (shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian, and running). The remarkable thing about this is that she has also competed in two other Olympic events: a gold medal winner on the 1996 US 4x200m relay team, and triathlon competitor in 2000 (6th place) and 2004 (23rd). I think that's pretty remarkable. Eva T (no relation) is a 2x Olympic skier, who is one of the strongest people in the world, pound-for-pound. Another athlete that nearly mmissed the list was myself. Many people forget that I have experience in gymnastics, wrestling, running, triathlon, and football. Another lesser-known fact about yours truly is that I was twice named All-Blesser team in Avon Lake pickup basketball, one of my proudest achievements.

Anyways, it's a pretty cool take on a conversation sports fans have been having for years. Beats watching baseball....bring on the NBA draft!

Sheila T story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/02/AR2008060200814.html

Rudy Ruttiger. Vincent Papale. Hopefully, Todd DeLamielleure....

The NFL Draft is something I get very excited about, and this year was no exception. I spent pretty much the entire weekend glued to either a TV or my web-enable phone, eagerly awaiting my belvoed Browns first pick in the late part of the fourth round. After the draft is finished up, NFL teams then offer smaller contracts to undrafted players (undrafted free agents, or UDFAs). Drafted and undrafted players then attend a rookie minicamp, and they are accompanied with several other UDFAs that are offered a tryout with the team. Tryouts are longshots to make the team, but somethimes they might stick with a practice squad or another team. Enter Todd DeLamielleure (#68 in the photo; sorry-couldn't find any other pics).

Browns fans may recognize the last name DeLamielleure from the Cardiac Kids era in the early 80s. Todd's father, Joe D, is a Hall of Fame offensive guard whoplayed for the Browns from 1980-84; previously, he blocked for OJ Simpson in Buffalo. Even though Joe D went to a Pro Bowl as a Brown, he is most remembered as a Bill. I then googled 'Todd DeLamielleure', to find a truly epic story about his journey to the NFL....

Todd DeLamielleure was a standout three-yeara starter at Duke in the late 90s, and then finished his NCAA career with a year at Hofstra in 2001. He was signed as an UDFA to the Colts; however, he hurt his shoulder before the season began. He was then sent to NFL Europe the next spring, but his shoulder wasn't quite football-ready. Another injury followed, and he then surgically reparied the shoulder. Tryouts with the Panthers and his father's Bills squad yielded nothing, so he decided to try another career.

In 2004, he became a firefighter in Charleston, South Carolina. He never stopped working out, and kept himself in football shape during his firefighting career. Three years later, on June 18, 2007, four of Todd's closest friends died in a fire at a furniture store blaze. It was a national news story, and my FD actually sent about 10-15 guys up to S.C. for the funerals. A total of nine firefighters were lost that day, and I can only imagine how he must still feel. Charleston is a department of about 250 guys, spread out over three shifts. Realizing how fleeting life can be, DeLamielleure decided to give pro football one more try.

A fledgling pro football league formed in 2007, the now-defunct All-American Football League. It was a second-chance football league that would only allow players with college degrees. Todd D ended up making the Arkansas team; howver, the league folded due to $$$$ problems (I was pumped up for the Florida team, too). DeLamielleure then sent out DVDs and letters to NFL, AFL, and AF2 franchises. Luckily, the Browns' defensive assistant coach Bob Trott coached him at Duke, and now the 29 yea-rold DeLamielleure is among 22 year-olds here at the Browns' rookie minicamp.

Athletically, this guy is tough. He ran the 40 in 4.6, and recently pushed out 37 reps of 225 lbs on the bench press. I guess that shoulder is healed. The question is, can he still play? If this guy gets a spot on the Browns', he will INSTANTLY become a team favorite-right up there with Joe J. I have been scouring the web, sirius radio, and the NFL Network for mincamp news on him. Realistically speaking, the guy has a ghost of a chance of making the Browns. I can only hope that he fights through the decked stacked against him, and triumphs, FireFighter-Style.

Todd D!

How did DC do?

....in his new competitive ventures? Not too bad, I guess; probably better than I expected. Here's a quick recap.

Firefighter Combat Challenge Gainesville, FL
We packed up the family, and headed over to GatorLand early in the AM for my very first FfCC event. There wasn't too big of a turnout (about 60 people in my division); however, I just wanted to finish around three minutes and not fall on my ass IFO people. The guy I went up against was a 6'4" Adonis, that looked like an NFL TE. He said that it was his first event, as well. I also ended up in the stairwell opposite the layout that I have been training on; instead of carrying the 50 lb hose pack on my left shoulder, and having my right hand on the stairwell....I had to flip hands. My start was a little slower, due to that fact. After I made it up the four flights up stairs, I then had to bend over the top of the tower and hoist a 40 lb. roll of hose with a rope. The guy I was up against was finished by the time I made my second pull-that was the last I saw of him. I kept a solid pace, got the hose roll up, and headed down the stairs. Next was the Kaiser Sled, in which you straddle a steel railroad tie and strike it several times with a sledge hammer. My arms were full of lactate after the hoisting just prior; nevertheless, I finished and jogged 200 feet to the next part. I had to pick up a charged fire hose, and advance it 100 feet, and spray water. I've got pretty strong legs, so this was no problem. The final event is the victim rescue-a 175 lb. dummy drag, in which you have to drag the dummy from behind, walking backwards the whole time. The guy I was up against had just finished at this time, but I maintained my own race. I picked up the dummy, and backpedaled as hard as I could. I crossed teh finish line in 2:36, 25 seconds better than my goal. I also had the second-fastest time among first-timers at the event. The fastest? The guy I went up against. Unfortunatley, I finished 41st out fo 60 guys. I wish these weren't so far away, because I could really get into this stuff. Big shout-outs to my girls, Shannon Elise and Katherine Grace, for getting up at 5am and hanging with me for the day.

Corporate 5K Downtown Orlando

I did this 5K run in turnout pants and coat, in the upper 80s/lower 90s temps. I kept 9:10-9:20 miles throughout, and finsihed in 29:20, about 20-30 seconds faster than last year. Next 5K, I'll probably do it with an airpack on.

Angie, you really hurt me.....

Don't worry, I haven't strayed. I'd like to introduce "Angie", the name of a crossfit workout I attempted yesterday morning.

"Angie"

For time:
100 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Squats

Straight-forward enough-don't move on to the next exercise until you've completed 100 reps. After about my 50th pullup, I had to use a stool to pull myself up, and just do negative reps. Today my biceps are the more sore they have ever been. EVER.

I stumbled on to some crossfit workouts a couple weeks ago, and now I'm hooked. The website posts workouts daily, mesage boards, video demos, and other fun stuff that helps one guide their way through this newfound method. It's all about "Functional Fitness", which is right up my alley considering my jobs/interests. The workouts are never the same; they revolve around basic exercises (pullups, pushups, squats, situps), weightlifting (squats, cleans, deadlifts, and presses), gymnastics, plyometrics, and relevant cardio.
From the Crossfit website, "What Is Crossfit?"
" CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.
Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.
The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. We’ve used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs.
The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind. Our terrorist hunters, skiers, mountain bike riders and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen. "

Whatever. Check it out for yourself.

www.crossfit.com

NFL Mock Draft, Version 2.0

Alright fan(s), here it is. DC's first "published" NFL mock draft. The differences between myself and Mel Kiper?
1) Kiper's a pu$y
2) I'm a frikkin' 225 lb IronMan
3) I am also quite a handsome devil
4) Kiper uses more hair product than me
5) Kiper does this for a living, whereas I do this for my cousin Jon, and so that Uncle Frank can print this out and share with my Dad and Grandpa (Kate says hi guys! Dad, send me an email!)

I'll try to explain a little bit the reasoning of my selections-chances are your arguments will be futile against me. As a free bonus to everyone that survives my First Round mock, I will have a link to my FULL seven round mock at the end.....just kidding, I will have a best-guess at who my Browns will be taking in Rounds 4, 5, 6, and 7. This also takes into consideration the trades involving Pac Man Jones and Jerrod Allen.
Enjoy.



1) Miami-Jake Long, OT UM: Already signed, moving on...

2) St. Louis-Chris Long DE UVA: see above. Great kid, great bloodlines, all-around great guy from what I've read/heard.
alternate: Glenn Dorsey

3) Atlanta- Glenn Dorsey DT LSU: Feel free to flip-flop the guys at 2 and 3 ATL has a ton of picks in this draft, and can really improve if they don't blow the draft. They also might reach with Matt Ryan, in order to distance themselves from Vick; however, ATL has several early picks in order to select a QB in the 2/3 rds.
alternate: Matt Ryan, Long

4) Oakland-Vernon Gholston OLB/DE tOSU: McFadden is the popular pick, but this guy's a Rick James-Superfreak athlete. DC Rob Ryan can really showcase Gholston's many talent in his 3-4/4-3/4-6 packages. Oakland has spent a lot of money on the DL the past two years, so it might not make sense to pick VG; however, Al Davis is a space alien.
alternate: Darren McFadden

5) Kansas City-Sedrick Ellis DT USC: After the Jerrod Allen trade, the Chiefs can now go for best available lineman. They could go with the Boise State OT Clady, but there is OL depth throughout the draft. Plus, HC Herm Edwards is an old defensive guy, and I just heard on NFL radio that Ellis had a great workout with the Chiefs.
alternate: Brandon Albert, Ryan Clady

6) New York Jets-Darren McFadden RB Arkansas: This pick will be delivered to the podium in record time, if the speedy RB is still there.
alternate: Gholston

7) New England-Brandon Albert, OL UVA: The Pats are all over this versatile, high-character OL. UVA HC Al Groh is a friend of Beilicheck, so I'm sure there have been some B-Albert conversations the past few weeks.
alternate: Leodis McKelvin

8) Baltimore-Matt Ryan, QB BC: ATL might snag this guy, and then look for the Ravens to go C, OT, or trade-down. Warrior Steve McNair ust retired, with tOSU QB Troy Smith perhaps being cut, the Ravens need a young QB to take over.
alternate: Ryan Clady, Leodis Mckelvin

9) Cincy- Keith Rivers, OLB USC: This is the thinking of the Bengals' strategy for their first round pick: DL, Rivers, CB.
alternate: McKelvin, Ellis

10) New Orleans- Leodis McKelvin, CB Troy:

11) Buffalo- Dominick Rogers-Cromartie, CB Tenn State: Look for a tradedown by the Bills, so they can get MSU WR Devin Thomas. Thomas at 11 is a bit of a reach, so a top corner will really help fill the void left by Nate Clements.
alternates: Thomas, Rivers

12) Denver- Ryan Clady, OT Boise State:


13) Carolina- Jeff Otah, OT Pittsburgh:

14) Chicago- Rashard Mendenhall, RB Illinois: This is the smart pick for the Bears; hopefully they realize the Cedric Benson experiement is a wash.

15) Detroit- Derrick Harvey, DE UF

16) Arizona- Michael Jenkins, CB USF

17) Kansas City- Chris Williams, OT Vandy

18) Houston- Felix Jones, RB Arkansas: They need help at DB, but not as much as they do at RB. Might go cason, and then try their luck with the deep RB class later.

19) Philly- Devin Thomas, MSU WR: I also like Phil Merling here.

20) Tampa Bay- Philip Merling, Clemson DE: I got blasted for taking this guy as the Tampa GM for a scout.com mock draft. Ask the Giants how stockpiling DL worked out for them. This guy is tough against the run, and is big enough to move inside on 3rd down. Plus he's Gaines Adams' old teammate. I'd hate for the Steelers to get this guy. Bucs go WR and CB later.
alternate: Antoine Cason

21) Washington- Calais Campbell, DE The U: Very inconsistent in college; however, the DL coach he had during his best year (soph I think) is now on the Redskins staff. This guys HUGE.

22) Dallas- Limas Sweed, WR Texas: Now that Dallas has PacMan, and Felix Jones was already taken, they look for the top WR on the board. DeSean Jackson might do OK here at 22, but Sweed has size and speed teams covet.

23) Pittsburgh- Antoine Cason, CB Arizona: There CBs are terrible, but so is the Steeler O-line. Cherilus from BC is doable here, as well. Cason is a Cover 2 CB that can tackle.


24) Tennessee- Jerod May, LB Tenn


25) Seattle- Fred Davis, TE USC

26) Jacksonville- Kentwan Balmer, DL UNC

27) San Diego- Jonathon Stewart, RB Oregon

28) Dallas- Chris Johnson, RB East Carolina

29) San Fransisco- James Hardy, WR Indiana


30) Green Bay- Brian Brohm, QB Louisville

31) New York Giants- Tyrell Johnson, S Ark State









Browns picks

Rd 4 Antuan Molden, CB Eastern Kentucky

Rd 5 JoLonn Dunbarr, ILB, BC

Rd 6 Vincent Redd, DE/OLB Liberty (6'6" 260, 4.6 40)

Rd 7 Xavier Omon, RB Northwest Missouri State (5'11, 228#, 4.52 40)



UDFAs

Andy Studebacker OLB Wheaton
Marcus Dixon DE Hampton
Devone Bess, WR Hawaii
Cory Boyd, RB South Carolina

Mandatoried......

It about two weeks, I'll be moving to a new station, shift, and crew-all thanks to the powers-that-be. Since I was such a go-getter in my first two years at the F.D., I was able to get qualified to ride on a Ladder Truck quicker than most. As a result, I became the least senior Truck Guy. Now I am transferred to an Aerial in the outermost section of the County, whereas my current assignment is about a 15 minute drive away. Thankfully, I know have a Ford Expedition as my personal vehicle, so I'm pretty stoked about the additional gas I'll be buying.
My new station averages enough calls/day so that it is consistently in the top five LEAST busiest stations in the County; however, my current station is always one of the busiest. Less calls means: less fires, less entrapments, less good calls, less driving the engine, and less opportunities for me to maintain my work-related skills. Not to mention that there isn't any workout equipment at my new station.
The worst part of the whole thing is that I'll be leaving my crew, which is basically of my closest, best friends, and family combined into one (still a distant second to my girls though). Plus they will be on a different shift than I, so getting together will always be a major obstacle for me. This is something that I will definitely need to work on....
After a few weeks of going through all the phases of grieving, I have been on acceptance for a few days now. I could go one of two directions with this transfer: (1) Piss, moan, mope, and not do anything to better myself, or (2) Use it as an opportunity to make myself better. I've chosen Option #2. I plan on hitting the books pretty hard for the upcoming promotional exam in the fall, taking 1-2 classes online at UCF, and will try to learn everything I can about my new truck. I also plan on bringing my bike trainer out of retirement, and will use my new idle time to get back into triathlon shape.

DC's mock draft-version 1.0

No comments on my end for V1, I'll put some in with comments right before the draft-prolly week of. Discuss. (no I am not an OSU homer, I am just thinking that the Phins will be able to get this guy signed quicker). I hope I don't miss a guy with all my cut & paste...



1. Miami - Vernon Gholston, DE, The Ohio State University
2. St. Louis - Jake Long, OT, Michigan
3. Atlanta - Chris Long, DE, Virginia
4. Oakland - Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
5. Kansas City - Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
6. New York Jets - Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
7. New England - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tenn. St.
8. Baltimore - Ryan Clady OT Boise St
9. Cincinnati - Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
10. New Orleans - Leodis McKelvin, CB,Troy
11. Buffalo- James Hardy, WR, Indiana
12. Denver - Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma
13. Carlolina- Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
14. Chicago - Chris Williams, OT, Vandy
15. Detroit - Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
16. Arizona - Keith Rivers, LB USC
17. Minnesota - Philip Merling, DE, Clemson
18. Houston - Kenny Phillips, S, The University of Miami
19. Philadelphia - Limas Sweed WR Texas
20. Tampa Bay - DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal
21. Washington - Calais Campbell, DE, The University of Miami
22. Dallas - Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas
23. Pittsburgh - Jeff Otah, OT, Pitt
24. Tennessee - Aquib Talib, CB, Kansas
25. Seattle - Brandon Albert, OG Virginia
26. Jacksonville - Kentwan Balmer, DL, UNC
27. San Deigo -Jonathon Stewart, RB, Oregon
28. Dallas - Mike Jenkins, CB, USF
29. San Francisco Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State
30. Green Bay - Brandon Flowers, CB, Virginia Tech
31. New York Giants - Dan Connor, LB, Penn State

What should I take on next???

I try to stay pretty active both at work, and in my off-time. I was pretty hard into triathlons about two years ago, and have finished three half Ironman distance and one IronMan distance events. My training fell off pretty hard after 9/15/2007, shortly after this one made her arrival. I love my new life with my girls, and I am in no way lamenting my new lifestyle. As fulfilling as finishing those longer races is, they in no way compare to how awesome my life is now. But I am a person who enjoys competing in sports, and I am fairly bullheaded in acknowledging my decaying body.

I have been able to run on a fairly consistent basis, some inconsistent weight training, as well as trying to keep up with guys ten years my junior playing 4-on-4 flag football every Sunday. Unfortunately, I am eating like someone with a tapeworm training for the IronMan. So the gut aka "The Shed"(as you always build a shed over your best tool), continues to grow. Nutrition is another matter; anyways, triathlon season has just begun, and I am in now way ready for it. So I plan on looking in to some other different ways to train, compete, have fun, and (most important) get back home in a reasonable fashion. So here are some options:

April 18 Florida Firefighter Combat Challenge-Gainesville, FL: This is the FF race that you've probably seen on ESPN a few times. I've only done it twice for time, and I've done pretty well. Mind you, it wasn't in this type of setting; however, it was a competitive one. It's an event that plays into my strengths: racing up stairs, hitting things, carrying dummies, all in FF turnout gear/airpack, and breathing airpack air. BTW I weight over 300 lbs. in all my gear.

http://www.firefighter-challenge.com/index.htm

April 12 300 Challenge-Longwood, FL: The 300 workout is a pretty intense series of exercises performed non-stop, that was used for testing the fitness of all the extras in the Sparta Blockbuster 300. A local tri/cycling race director is trying to put together a "300 Challenge" competition, where you would perform the exercises for time. And with perfect form.

25x Pull-up +
50x Deadlift @ 135# +
50x Push-up +
50x Box Jump @ 24” box +
50x Floor Wiper @ 135# (one-count) +
50x KettleBall Clean and Press @ 36# (KB must touch floor between reps) +
25x Pull-up

That is the actual workout that the extras used, and it is tough! The below version is what I would do; however, it is still tough in its own right. I did this workout on Wednesday night, and I woke up more sore than I was the day after IMFL!

25 pushups +
50 lunges +
50 box jumps (16″) +
50 sit ups +
50-push press (2×15) +
50 air squats +
25 pushups

4/24 IOA Corporate 5K-Downtown Orlando: I've done this race 2-3 times before. It's a five minute drive from Castle Coughlin, free (depending on which of my employers I enter under), and there is a big block party inside the Citrus Bowl afterwards. What really sucks about this race is the 5,000 other participants-many of which don't really have much road race etiquette. Last year, I did the race along with a couple other FFs that finished the 5K all while wearing full turnout gear-no airpack(with running shoes, of course). The race was hot as balls, I must have lost 5 pounds during the 3.1 mile run. I managed to maintain a manageble pace, without stopping to walk, and finished just under 30:00. I think there was one guy in FF gear that finished faster than me, but no one really cared or noticed. This year should have almost 50 FFs running in gear, so I will probably thrown my hat into the ring for this one.







EDIT by Dave 4/3/2008
Well cousins, I've taken your opinions under advisement, and I do believe that I will give each of these events a try. All three events three weekends in a row, and if my schedule permits I'll try 'em all. I'll post my results.....

Quite Impressive, cousins

Now that I've got a couple weeks of blog-hopping under my belt, I have become quite impressed with the blogs that my two younger cousins, Jon and Shea, have been putting together. I have always thought that blogs were kinda foolish, as my prior knowledge of "blogging" was that jackbag (yes I'm going to try to trademark that word as a DC original; feel free to use it, but don't forget to credit me) Perez Hilton. I have a blog set up through myspace, and there is a bunch of wedding, triathlon, and other random pictures. This blog is primarily set up so that my relatives and friends outside Central Florida can keep up on the goings-on of our family down here.....mainly for Katherine Grace updates. Anyways, back to blogging relatives.

Eventually, I'll put links up to their websites-sorry, my computer knowledge is fairly limited outside the realms of gambling or porn (j/k). I am very impressed at how these folks can fill pages and pages on a daily basis. When I finished that entry on the Cavs, I took a four-hour nap. Shea is got pictures in every entry, and Jon's recruiting REAL journalists for his....man I though I was doing something when I included that fire pic last week.

I'll keep looking to my younger relatives for ideas on improving this thing; keep your expectations low, and you won't be disappointed. I guess that;s why I shoulda finished college....

Talking Cavs fans off the ledges, post-trade

Chicago gets: Larry Hughes
Drew Gooden

Seattle gets: Shannon Brown
Donyell Marshall
Ira Newble
Cedric Simmons

Cleveland gets: Ben Wallace
Wally Szcerbiak
Delonte West
Joe Smith
Second round draft pick in 2009




The normally low-key Cavs made quite a splash as the 2008 NBA trading deadline arrived, trading away over half their team with two swift moves. This makes the Cavs a much better playoff team; however, they will look worse rather than better in the impending games. As of last night, the Cavs area 1-2 after this trade: beating down a cellar-dweller, a last-second loss, and a flat display last night against the Celtics. I figured that there would be some Cavs fans ready to throw it all away, at this point. So let's take a breath, and re-examine the trade. Here are the main players in the two trades.

Hughes: HomeSkillet came in as a big-$$ FA a few years back to play Robin to LBJ's Batman, only because we couldn't get local boy Michael Redd from the Buck's death grip. Our loss. Hughes has missed A TON of games, and has really fallen flat on being the #2 scorer we needed/still need. He can still D it up, and did so last year in the playoffs for us; however, he just isn't a consistent enough performer. Plus, that contract....

Gooden: A legit scorer in the paint, pretty good rebounder, and a huge talent coming out of Kansas. I got to see him quite often when he was in Orlando, before the trade to Cleveland. Great guy, he does a lot of stuff to help out underprivelged kids in the towns that he plays in. Hopefully he will continue his work in Chicago, as it will be needed. As you can tell, I really like Drew, I hope he doesn't get lost in the sea of unproven big men in Chicago. He is very often prone to brain farts, and not only on the defensive side of the floor. Terrible lapses in judgement, which make one project objects into the TV. He probably won't get better, will probably never be an all-star, and probably shouldn't be a starter on a Championship-level team. But I still like the guy, his contract.

Marshall: Every once in a while, he could give some hard minutes at the 4 spot. Lately his 3-point shooting has gone the way of the drummer from Def Leppard. I liked him as an end-of-the-bench type player, and not much more.

Newble: A Miami U guy, and another good guy at the end of a bench. I was really impressed how he was playing right before the All-star break, starting at the shooting guard, and playing tough on both sides of the court. Mainly traded for his salary, and I'd love to see him back with us next year.

Brown: Yet another Cavs draft pick that didn't pan out-this is my shocked face. I don't know why he didn't play out, and I knew he was gone after the season. Let's hope he doesn't come back to lead the Sonics to the Promised Land...

Simmons: filler

Wallace: People in Cleveland are asking themselves "how did we get rid of Hughes' contract?" People in Chicago are asking "how did we get rid of Wallace's contract?" If Big Ben can find motivation, and start owning the defensive side of the court, then the Cavs will be happy. So far, he has been rebounding better, and playing within the team's D will come.

Wally: An Ohio legend comes home. Seriously, without me taking Wally completely into my mouth, this move makes sense. He is the long-range shooter that we've needed since Jason Kapono left, even though we never played him. He will be a liability on D, hopefully coach Mike Brown will be able to hide him amongst our other players. In his second game, he had more minutes than LBJ. He has been shooting quite poorly, but that should work itself out.

West: I haven't heard much about this guy, but every article about this trade has raved about this guy. I saw him play last night against Boston, and I really liked what I saw from this kid. No he is not Jason Kidd or Mike Bibby; however, he is a smart young kid. Someone that won't go 2-19, and someone that WILL move over and play more 2 when LBJ is in the zone. Bonus points if he can shoot the three.

Smith: What's not to like about this guy? Points in the paint, smart, tries on D, plays within himself. Good pickup as the fourth guy in a trade.

Try to picture this lineup in the playoffs. Smith, Z, Varajeo, Wallace. That's 24 fouls that can be spent punishing Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, or any other Eastern conference big. This move was clearly made by GM Danny Ferry for our run in the playoffs, and is a win-now trade that might give us our PG of the future. So come off that ledge, fellow Cavs fans, and let's watch this team gel together. If we lose to the Magic in the first round, I'll be the one leading the ledge party.....

First Blog

Hooray, I'm viral.....er, something like that.

I am going to be flipping between this and my myspace blog, but I'll put better stuff over on this one.