Sunday, February 17, 2008

Rainy Sunday Thoughts

RANDOM, RANDOM..!

Stay out of the kitchen ..! Just because you SHOULD know how to cook, doesn’t mean that you do! Arrggh!

… back to regularly scheduled programming …

TOMMIE FRAZIER

State lost again, this time at Indiana. You would think with all the turmoil surrounding their program, they’d be distracted. But they showed up the other day against Wisconsin, and they took State's initial rush and took ‘em out back to the shed.

I was sleepy and didn’t finish the game. But midway through the first half, the graffiti writers had headed to the wall. To me, State’s problem isn’t the talent or the coaching. It is that precious intagible thing called ‘leadership’.

Drew Nietzel is State’s best player, and he has been for the past two years. But he doesn’t ‘play’ big all the time. He is too deferential and team oriented to do the things that you HAVE to do as the team’s best player.

Even if he ISN’T (and he may not be) State’s best player, he IS Coach Izzo’s SENIOR. Tom Izzo’s program places a premium on seniors stepping up, and that is what Drew Nietzel seems to shy away from.

My football allegiances are all over the place. I know why I liked Nebraska growing up, and if you can, imagine Keith Jackson describing Mike Rozier following in behind a Dean Steinkhuler block for a touchdown. Their home whites reminded me of an unfrosted strawberry pastery, and their style was as physical as anything we had in the Big Ten.

For my money, Tommie Frazier was the best quarterback I saw play for the big red. He was tough as nails, and more importantly, he was a leader. It was said that players who missed their assignment on a play, were more worried about what TOMMIE would say than the coaches.

Liked? I don’t think that he was. But everyone played hard when he was on the field, including the defense. He was known to stop a cat on his way out or on the bench after a change of possession and chew them out.

Leadership isn’t always about being the biggest or the best. Sometimes it just has to be that you are willing to step up and take the damn wheel.

State can do well in the NCAA’s, but Drew Nietzel has to play like he is the team leader.

Cats and Dogs…

Living together, what a world, what a world. The little story on ‘Weekend Edition’ this morning got the squirrel in my head up and running on the treadmill … trying to think what disturbed me about that story.

The first thing that jumped out at me, was that Sojourner Truth sided with her gender over her race. I had wondered when it became obvious that Hillary was going to run, how could a woman justify not giving her their vote (generalization, I know but work with me people!). The thinking there goes that women issues would become more important in the discussion on National Politics, and we might actually get better child care and support for women’s right.

Then there was the split that had occurred between women and minority rights. If I heard correctly, they were once locked together. I never have looked into the ‘why’s’ of it, but I am aware of it. It flashes in my mind because I never could grasp at how the sexes found themselves comfortable with their stereotypes. Mookie doesn’t know how to cook and I think that I do. That’s cool. Pecan Sandie knows her way around a car and can effect repairs on them. Me? I risk life and limb adding oil to one!

To me, if a couple have a united cause that they are determined to reach in spite of all obstacles, then together they will. Good leadership isn’t about ‘I did it’, but ‘WE did it’. Gonna go out on a limb and say one of the missing elements in relationships is the ability to step back and clap while the other takes the bows. As long as they come back stage and share the flowers with you, it should be cool, should it not?

THE BIG FINISH

Okay, Me and Mookie has some issues. But the biggest problem I have is the common thread in all of this --ME! I mean it just CAN’T be everyone else?

My first marriage has lingered over me for awhile in my life. But that isn’t the problem, that I am sure. I really have thought that I just can’t finish the darned deal! Guess there are some things in me that I need to get together … which is another reason that I am determined to smile my way through this. It won’t get any better if I don’t, but it may help me out if I do.

The cake I baked is a yellow cake with chocolate icing. Now check the presentation! I like to try to dress stuff up … looking good is as important as tasting good. I put a little pool of strawberry syrup on the plate, cut a square piece of cake set it on top of the syrup. Then a dollop of Cool Whip on top with a drizzle of syrup ..!

Now THAT’S what I am talking about!! Later!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Its all in the presentation...whether its a piece of cake, or yourself!  
xoxo ~Myra

Anonymous said...

okay, I think you are missing your calling; I think there is a hidden chef in you; at least a pastry chef! the cake and presentation of it sounds yummy!


I liked your thoughts on the "I did it" versus "we did it"; something good for me to think about when walking the dog this afternoon

betty

Anonymous said...

Yellow cake with chocolate icing is artistic enough!  Well done.

R