Keep It

"Rejection never felt this good
Everything unclear, now so well understood
At first I didn't see it as kind
But you did me a favor when you left me behind"
--Rejection, Rollins Band

A quick tribute to Kobe's ridiculous blocked shot last night, a two-handed stuff job on Michael Redd's attempted dunk with less than a minute to play in a close game. Please watch SportsCenter re-runs (or our Salley Oop feature on Friday) Say what you will about his character (and there's no doubt he's a shady dude), but he's an incredible basketball player, as good as there is on both ends of the court. LeBron is having a tremendous second season, but I put Kobe, Duncan and KG in a class head and shoulders above everyone else right now, because they do play offense and defense.
Okay, so now onto the coolest thing that's happened to me since I started working. Wow. I'm still in awe. Yesterday was the much-anticipated Charger show, featuring Antonio Gates and Keenan McCardell--the first two Bolts on the show since I've been employed (though I can't blame the bookers for overlooking my boys until now). Not only did I get to cut a sweet music video--all NFL films, great stuff--but I got to cover both of their segments, making those boys look as great as they've been playing all season long. I even uncovered some basketball highlights for Gates from his days at Kent State, showcasing a MAC Championship game that matched him up with Central Michigan's Chris Kaman (who really looked like the most uncoordinated man on the planet Thanksgiving night). Here's where it gets cool, though: I got to hang out in our green room with the two of them, initially discussing the merits of Marty Schottenheimer with Keenan (who compared his current coach to former Jags boss Tom Coughlin, now with the Giants) and then standing with Antonio for like fifteen minutes on the set, chatting about everything from basketball (he was a huge Fab 5 fan growing up) to the huge showdown on Sunday with the Broncos. I was in heaven. Not literally. He was the coolest guy, though, incredibly humble for someone who's rapidly become the best tight end in the game. At the end of our conversation, as their segments were about to start, I got to take a picture with the two of them, which will be prominently displayed everywhere possible. We shook hands, they headed to the set and I headed to the control room to watch the two segments, which were both quite entertaining. I'm still a little giddy, frankly. Gates is one of only three or four guests that would get me this excited (T-Gwynn and LT--not Lawrence Taylor--come to mind), so it's forgiveable, I hope.
Here's a random thing that I find funny: I saw something on SportsCenter this morning about the Butch Davis resignation (sure he resigned, sure he did) and they interviewed a second-year linebacker by the name of Chaun Thompson, the existence of whom I was heretofore unaware.
I think his name means there are now like sixty-three different spellings of the name Sean (Salisbury, Taylor). Or should I say Shaun (Alexander, Williams). Maybe Shawn (Kemp)? Shon (Tarver)? Shawon (Dunston)? Chone (Figgins)? Chaun (our new friend Thompson)? We're not even getting into the De-varieties (DeShaun, DeShawn, etc.) Let's just pick one and go with it.
I don't mind that Scott exists with one t or two; that sort of a subtle difference isn't too awful. My brothers' names are similarly limited in their variety: Michael only varies internationally (Miguel, Mikhail, Mikael, etc.) and Jeffrey goes British (Geoffrey, like that Toys R Us giraffe) but nowhere else.
I get Marv Levy today--not nearly as exciting as those Lightning Bolts--so it's off to find some footage of Super Bowl losses. Good times.