Life In The DPC!

I held off writing my recap of the 2006 Arizona Cardinals until I had a vague idea on how they were going rebound from their morbid 5-11 campaign that started with the promise of an opening day win against the 49ers and ended with the dismissal of Head Coach Dennis Green. I assumed the Cards would dominate a weak NFC West and cruise to a 10-6 record and I would like to blame alcohol for my prediction but I was stone cold sober when I wrote it.

The optimism was based upon their talent at the skill positions. Two Pro Bowl caliber wide receivers in Boldin and Fitzgerald. The Edge was supposed to solidify a fomerly weak ground game. Kurt Warner is a two time MVP and would be back in a dome throwing darts every which way and the Valley would have its own version of the Greatest Show On Turf. Alas this never happened. Warner fumbled and tanked. The Edge looked a step slow and was left tap dancing to defeat behind a deplorable defensive line. Boldin and Fitzgerald played at their normal levels but it was to no avail. Honestly this was another disappointing Cardinals team and will only be remebered for Dennis Green’s tirade after the Bears’ game.

But there were signs of hope as they finished the season 4-3. Matt Leinart showed why he led the Trojans to consecutive National Championships (AP and BCS, 2003 & 2004 respectively). The offensive line became somewhat solid as the Edge plowed for three 100-yard games in their last five contests. Considering that they started the season 1-8 this was quite an improvement and most importantly they had their energy back after being deflated by three strange and very close defeats (St. Louis, KC and Chicago by a total of six points).

2007 Arizona Cardinals Football. Smart. Tough. Disciplined. - http://www.azcardinals.com/ 

Coach Green was immediately fired after the 2006 came to a thankful end and was replaced by former Pittsburgh Steelers offensice coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. The new head coach has a Super Bowl ring and Ben Rothleisberger as a protege on his resume. High pedigree for sure and comes in as another offensive minded coach (I wanted Mike Martz but that is another tirade for another time).

“What we learned is that quite a few people used the word ‘innovative,’” said Rod Graves, Arizona’s vice president for football operations. “We wanted to make sure that it was his offense, that he was making the calls. We were confident, having researched that.”

Whisenhunt has brought in many of own people, but retained defensive coordinator Pendergrast. His biggest coup was bringing in Russ Grimm in the dual roles of assistant head coach/offensive line . Grimm was on the Steelers staff with Whisenhunt and was in the running for their head coach vacancy and also interviewed for the Cardinals head coaching position.

The new staff seems hell bent on shoring up the offensive line issue and their new motto seems to hint at their 2006 tendency to blow late leads in creative ways rarely seen by the sporting public. Will it work? Maybe, they need the ‘O’ line help and their is slight possibility that Joe Thomas out of Wisconsin might be available as the Cards select fifth in the 2007 NFL Draft.

In all actuality the Cards need to shore up their DB’s and linebackers just as much as their offensive line and some savy pick ups in the draft and in the free agent market could do this. Their won’t be as much optimism in the Valley next fall and this will likely favor the team. No expectations means no disappointment.

The President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez responded to American intervention in foreign affairs recently by decrying; “Go to hell, gringos! Go home!”  The controversial leader of Venezuela made the remarks during his weekly TV show.

Chavez has been very critical about US policy and action in the Middle East.

“What does the empire want? Condoleezza said it. How are you? You’ve forgotten me, missy … Condoleezza said it clearly, it’s about creating a new geopolitical” map in the Middle East, Chavez said.

Chavez maintains a political ideology based upon Democratic Socialism. His main political ally has been Cuban leader Fidel Castro and many of their social and political ideologies run the same course (Anti Empirialism, Anti Colonialism and Latin America run by Latin Americans).

I do not personally side with many facets of Chavez and his ideologies. What I do like is any man, powerful or weak, that stands upto the United States government because they believe that our government is not always right (Bin Laden does not fall under this notion because his acts have been cowardly. If you declare war then go after the military not the innocent bystanders) Chavez has many problems with the U.S. and I can assume that many are valid. His most important stance has been against the Bush Regime. He called out Bush after 9/11 and reiteratted the point that the Bush and Bin Laden families are close. He referred to Condoleeza Rice as a “complete illiterate” when it comes to comprehending Latin America. (Which is likely true. Why would a black American women have any understanding of a culture she is not part of. I mean can she even, kind of relate?)

Fidel Castro and Che Guevara have always gotten my love by standing tall when they did not agree with the American government even if it adversely affected their country. Chavz is essentially doing the same thing but unlike Cuba he has a great ally in the vast oil reserves of Venezuela.

After the divisional round of the playoffs last week I made preliminary picks on the conference games. My initial choices were the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots and I stand by them. These picks were made shortly after everything was said and done after the Patriots game and I will follow the ethos of Kerouac, Your first thought is your best thought. 

New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears: I’ve been trying to put my loyalty to the Bears aside in their playoff run when making gambling choices. I try to view them in an impartial light and not fall to the nasty comments made by the meda. It worked in their win over the Seahawks but in reality that wasn’t a hard game to pick. Going into the conference championship game the often maligned Rex Grossman has been cast as the Bears weak link and to a certain degree this is true. If he falters and turns over the ball more than three times I don’t see the Bears winning. But if any of these QB’s give up the ball a lot their respective squads aren’t going to win either.  Grossman played well against Seattle and they won but he is still viewed as a liability and he shouldn’t be. The Bears’ achilles is their defense. If the Bears are going to win they need to shore up the middle in the abscence of Tommie Harris and their offense needs to control the ball with their two headed monster: Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson.

I am taking Chicago for a few reasons. It is a home game and the Saints’ offense is predicated on speed and Soldier Fields’ turf is not built for the slashing and cutting style of the Saints burners.

“Coming from turf to Soldier Field is very big difference.” Bernard Berrian said recently. ”Out here I’m still slipping around and I’m use to it all season so it’s a big advantage for us. We know that we’ve got to keep our feet underneath us and some of the cuts they’re used to making, they’re going to have to slow down and their cuts aren’t going to be as fast or as sharp.”

The Saints’ DB’s aren’t the best and Bears’ receivers should be able to make just enough plays down field to open up the running lanes. And most importantly for playoff football in harsh elements: the Bears are built for this. Their style is predicated on defense and running the ball. Grossman has opened up the air attack but this squad will never be confused with Daryle Lamonica and the Vertical Stretch. The game will be close but the Bears will prevail.

My Pick: Chicago Bears
Reality: The Bears

New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts:

Well it comes back to my gambling ethos again and I will stick by it even though many flaws have come to the surface the last few weeks (Thank you, LaDanian Tomlinson and Ray Lewis). For reasons that are beyond me Peyton Manning can’t beat Tom Brady. Pure and simple. Some dudes have your number in life and this is no exception.

The game will be close because they usually are. It is in Indianapolis but a part of me thinks the Colts will be over confident after two straight wins over their nemesis.  Hopefully I will get my predicted rematch of Super Bowl XX.

My Pick: New England Patriots
Reality: The Colts

Finals Thoughts On The Conference Championship Games: The strategy of the Saints kind of threw me for a loop. They needed to adjust their game to the elements. Use heavy dosages of Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush and try to hammer a succeptible Bears defensive in unforgiving elements and yet they relied on Drew Brees and an air attack. Strange strategy and it likely cost them a trip to the Super Bowl.

Peyton Manning beat Tom Brady, plain and simple. It hurts me to type this but the Bears matchup better against the Colts than the Patriots. That aside, I just don’t think I can handle two weeks of Manning’s redemption angle from all forms of media.

Early Prediction that could likely change between today and Super Bowl Sunday: The Bears

Lindsey Lohan has checked herself rehab recently and has been attending A/A meeting since December. The 20-year old maintained, “”I have made a proactive decision to take care of my personal health.”

We at DavidPatrickCastro.com have supported Lohan before and  now we feel the need to send our love as one of our favorite debutantes deals with the horrors of chemical dependency. We assumed it was other chemicals but we have been wrong before and wish her all the best as she attempts to slay a demanding demon of the soul. Get well soon.But we’re wondering what Tara Reid will do without a partner in crime…

In a recent a statement issued on her behlaf by her publicist she maintained that she doesn’t need booze to have fun and feels better when sober.

“I haven’t had a drink in seven days. Or anything,” Lohan said. “I’m not even legal to, so why would I? I don’t drink when I go to clubs. I drink with my friends at home, but there’s no need to. I feel better not drinking. It’s more fun. I have Red Bull.”

From my experience that’s pretty much a load of jive. I’ve been drinking since I was in high school and it can act as an anti depressant during the bad times. A magic elixir to squelch your inhibitions and my only means of surving the last half of the 90’s and the first five years of the new milenium. Was life more fun when  I was loaded? In hindsight, yes and this is likely due to the simple fact I lead a very boring life and getting drunk was a menas to a little more excitement. After I graduated from college and left Reno to my current abode Phoenix I swore off alcohol except for the imporant gatherings as opposed to when I was thirsty and playing Madden and yes Life In The DPC! has been really boring the last year or so. I guess my inherent tendency to say and/or do dumb things whilst loaded is gone and because of that there are less hijinks in my days. I can not tell Lohan to continue to booze and in all likelyhood have a better time. That is an unjust act by a website but I will say that  if she truly does have a problem and she is getting the help she needs, well DPC.com sends nothing but our love. Yet, if this a PR stunt to clean up her decadent image, well for shame. Hell either way we still adore you because we don’t know if you are the Madonna or Evil-Lyn.

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens: I didn’t watch this game. I had the Yahoo! game cast on because I was at work. It is rarely noted that a claims adjuster’s work is never done. Truthfully I’m kinda glad I was chained to my cubicle because the game seemed boring. This is the norm with the Ravens. They grind you to death and I assumed they would use this MO and force Peyton Manning into mistakes and alow scoring victory. The game was a grinder but Steve McNair turned it over and Adam Vinateri showed why he is going to Canton when everything is said and done.

My pick: Baltimore Ravens
Reality: Indianapolis Colts

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints: I got home from work in plenty of time to catch this one. Truthfully this was the Saturday match up I wanted to see and it was fairly entertaining. Jeff Garcia’s Cinderella run ended to a Saints squad that are rightfully America’s team in this playoff run. Deuce McAllister was the MVP and overshadowed Reggie Bush and proved that the Saints can play ground control football, which is neccesary for a championship. Of course they have a tendency to give up big plays and this might be the Achilles of this talented squad. (Note: The Saints turn around from last year’s 3-13 season has been attributed to  the additions of head coach Sean Payton, Dree Brees, Reggie Bush and Marcus Colston but I give all the credit to Aaron Brooks. He was dumped and ended up in Oakland  with a 2-14 record. If the Raiders go with Andrew Walter or grab Brady Quinn or JaMarcus Russell I predict an Oakland renaissance.)

My pick: New Orleans Saints
Reality: Ditto

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears: I’m not going to lie this was a hard game to pick due to my allegiance to the Bears but I’m trying to be more logical as opposed to emotional. I now realize that putting money on Nevada, with no spread, on the road against Arizona State is dumb. With that said, I took the Bears in this one but a part of me has no faith in Rex Grossman and never will. In my lifetime the Bears have had one good QB but Jim McMahon was never healthy so I guess they never had one over a long stretch. The Bears had the chance to take Byron Leftwich but dumped the pick and took Michael Haynes and Rex Grossman. Leftwich isn’t the gretatest QB in the league but he is more consistent than Grossman and he is also my prototype QB in Madden so I might be a bit biased. Anyway Grossman played well and made no mistakes and the Bears won but their defense looked very vulnerable.

My Pick: Chicago Bears
Reality: Ditto

New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers: One of my gambling tenets is to never bet against Tom Brady and today was no exception. Despite the fact that the Chargers are a tip top squad and the game was in The Murph they had two things going against them that no squad could overcome. One is the fact that Marty Schottenheimer is at the helm and two is Tom Bady’s mere presence. The Chargers are loaded with LT, Merriman and Philip Rivers but they were in over their heads and even though the Pats were behind most of the game I was sure that the Bolts would blow it and they did. I feel bad for Tomlinson because he will never win a big game because of Martyball. He could be this generations Gale Sayers in both performance and championships.

My PicK New England Pattriots
Reality: Ditto

Super Bowl Pick (An early one that will likely change before the conference championships are played): Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots in a rematch of Super XX and Brady becomes the new milleniums Joe Montana after garnering his fourth Super Bowl ring.

In my 2006 NBA Draft analysis I made a few assertions and unlike most journalists I will admit when I am wrong but I also like to keep tabs on some of my predictions.

I said it before (http://davidpatrickcastro.com/nba.html), and I will reiterate Adam Morrison is the future of the Association. He will likely have the best career of anyone involved in this recent draft.  -July 1st, 2006 Life In The DPC

Adam Morrison is second amongst rookies in scoring , 13.7 ppg, and based upon NBA.com Rookie Rankings he is second behind Jorge Garbajosa of the Toronto Raptors. My statement was quote bold but I stand by it because there is a derth of pure shooters in the league and the 6′8″ variety are rarer. Also keep in mind that the core of the Bobcats is young with lots of NCAA Tournament experience and that they are substantially under the salary cap after this season. As goes the Bobcats so will Morrison.

Paul Millsap was a steal…The guy has a nose for the ball and seems to be driven in the same vein as Ben Wallace or Dennis Rodman. The Utah Jazz lucked out. - July 1st, 2006 Life In The DPC

Paul Millsap is averaging 6.4 ppg and 4.2 rpg in only 15 minutes a night. The 47th pick in the draft has been a consistent rebounder in limited minutes. Millsap was the only player in the WAC that could shut down Nick Fazekas and keep in mind he is the only player in NCAA history to lead the nation in rebounding three straight years.

Hopefully as the years go by I will be vindicated by these predications. Or as Fidel Castro would be apt to say;”History will absolve me.”

I’m on a good gambling run these days. I picked the Arizona Cardinals over the 49ers and in the BCS I had Florida over Ohio State but since I just wrote these words I will likely doom myself on this NFL playoff weekend. In an earlier prose I put forth the ethos to bet like DPC and hopefully I can use my own logic to  keep this run alive.

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens: Ray Lewis is on my list of aforementioned of players I will never bet against and Peyton Manning is on my list of players I will never bet on. Pretty cut and dry. Ray Ray and the Ravens beat the crap out of a very soft Colts squad.

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints: The Eagles are riding a strange wave of good fortune with reserve QB Jeff Garcia at the helm. I don’t puch much stock in a Philly squad that squeeked a three point win against a NY Giants team in perpetual turmoil. The Saints are the feel good story of the year and the game is in the Bayou so I must say the Saints win this one running away.

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears: I realize one of my rules is to never bet on Rex Grossman but as I stated when I wrote the rules; It hurts me to write this as a Bears fan but the guy is young, erratic and inconsistent and as soon as I publish this he’ll probably play like an MVP just to spite me and my gambling system.  So I’m sticking with the Bears because their defense, though beat up, can contain the Seahawks but it will be a close one.

New Patriots at San Diego Chargers aka The Game of the Week:  This one is a toughie. On my list I have LaDanian Tomlinson ahead of Tom Brady but I noted that the list of rules was in no particular order. I fear Tom Brady the same way I feared Joe Montana and it is because of that simple idea that pushes the Pats over the Bolts. Also I have absolutely no faith in Marty and his inability to win a meaningful game. He is the Peyton Manning of coaches.

The 2007 MLB Hall of Fame came out today and Mark McGwire fell quite short of the neccesary 75% of the baseball writer’s votes neccesary to gain enshrinement. McGwire received 128 votes out of the 545 ballots cast for a 23.8% approval rating from a very skeptical community of baseball writers that likely associate McGwire as a steroid induced slugger no better than his former partner in crime Jose Canseco. Canseco received six votes or 1.1% this year. Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. were the only players elected in the first Hall of Fame vote with many members of the steroid era.  In the last week or so , besides the BCS, this ballot had come upon often on the airwaves and printed press. The main crutch seemed to be the validity of McGwire’s career in this juiced era. Innuendo has destroyed his credibility,  since he only admitted to taking Andro, and despite no tangible evidence of other performance enhancing drugs I, like many, believe McGwire is a cheat and should be denied entrance into Cooperstown. I will openly admit that I have an abnormal amount of disdain for the man but this is predicated on the simple notion that he became a modern Paul Bunyan and cheated his way to do it. Canseco took the same route and has been villified. Honestly it was McGwire’s squeeky clean image that continues to rub me the wrong way and will continue to do so until he admits that he is a cheat.

“Asking me or any other player to answer questions about who took steroids in front of television cameras will not solve the problem. If a player answers ‘No,’ he simply will not be believed; if he answers ‘Yes,’ he risks public scorn and endless government investigations,” McGwire said at the House Government Reform Committee on March 17, 2005. “I’m not here to talk about the past. I’m here to be positive about this subject.”

McGwire dug his own hole during his infamous speech and to this day he should be garnering the repercussions for be a coward. America will forgive, just ask Paul Hornung, and he had his opportunity. Canseco is a hero at DavidPatrickCastro.com where his charismatic mug is plastered on many walls at our international headquarters in North Phoenix. Canseco garnered our favor by the simple fact that he was forthcoming, this may have been to sell books but regardless, and as I ittereated before, he is the Deep Throat of the Steroid Era. Canseco and Ken Caminiti have contributed more to baseball than McGwire ever will. Honesty, valor and true character are the hallmarks of Caminiti and Canseco. Yes, both men are flawed but unlike McGwire they have shown that man can redeem himself by self admonishment for one’s mistakes.

The 2007 Hall of Fame voting results came out today and only two men made it in. McGwire might have been a bigger story by being shut out but the voters messed up on many of their ballots so DPC.com has to submit its own.

Tony Gwynn: Dominate hitter, talented point guard.
2. Goose Gossage: Nearly killed Ron Cey.
3. Andre Dawson: A dominate hitter whose numbers lag behind many of the players from the (steroid) era after him.
4. Jim Rice: See above.
5.Jose Canseco: The last honest man.
6. Ken Caminiti: As honest and forthcoming as Canseco but not as popular (but still idolized at DPC.com) openly admitted steroid use during his career and became a modern tragedy.
7.Jack Morris: Pitched the greatest clinching game ever and became an icon after uttering to a female journalist; “I don’t talk to women unless they’re on top of me or I’m on top of them”.
8. Don Mattingly: The only Yankee that mattered for over a decade unfortunately played when the Bronx Bombers sucked in the 1980’s and early 90’s.

The Baseball Writers Association of America made the right choice by keeping McGwire out of Cooperstown. Caminit and Canseco are flawed, this will never be denied, but they opened up our eyes to many harsh realities that we ignored. Players like Dawson, Mattingly and Rice are also victims because their numbers are dwarfed by the Steroid Era.

“To all who come to this happy place – welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, dreams and the hard facts that have created America… with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.” Disney, July 17, 1955

I spent the last weekend at Disneyland. It was my fourth trip to Magic Kingdom, or Tragic Kingdom for all No Doubt fans, and I think Disney was on to something as he made his initial address at Disneyland’s grand opening. The park is the epitome of the American dream but it is the bi product of hegemony and dark intentions from robber barons. I can assume that Walt did want a place for families to go and feel safe while spending quality time together in a wholesome atmosphere but along the way things became jumbled. wherein he wanted a sanctuary for the Nuclear family in the former orange groves of Anaheim Disney created a false reality and unobtainable goals for many young folks reared on Disney.In its simplest terms Disneyland is a version of America that neither existed or exists. Main Street is always a bit dirty except at the Magic Kingdom.

False notions of reality are fine in small dosages. I enjoy James Bond movies because they get me out of the drudgery of my working life and a trip to Disneyland affords the same comforts but 007 ends when I leave the theatre and Disney can permeate almost all facets of one’s day. Think about it  from a day in Life of DPC! Wake a drink java from a Mickey Mouse coffee cup. Donald Duck tooth brush to clean the teeth. Shave and shower. Tigger polo shirt and khakis for my business casual environment. Lunch in a Disney souvenier lunch box. Come home and flip the stations and the Disney channel is offered in most areas and there movie library is readily available on DVD. Quite frankly one could consume themselves in a Walt E. Disney life very easily.

Random Tangent: I have always heard the rumors that Disney himself is a Nazi or at the very least an Anti-Semite. There is no proof floating out there to prove either of these two accusations. I believe he was a fascist and Disneyland is the child of that. Hell, he may have been a racist. I mean, come on, did you ever see a minority involved in his early cartoons and movies?

What I find more interesting are the rumors that Disney was cryogenically frozen after his death and currently resides somewhere below Pirates of the Caribbean awaiting the the time when science can bring him back to life. Likely it is an urban legend but keep in mind that a month after Disney died  Dr. James Bedford of Glendale, Ca became the first person to be frozen into cryogenic suspension.

The Fiesta Bowl and the MPC Computers Bowl has shown the chasm between WAC rivals the Boise State Broncos and my beloved University of Nevada Wolf Pack. Wherin, as I write this, the Broncos are the national representatives of all under dogs as they head to overtime against the Sooners. The Pack will be rebuliding as opposed to reloading after their loss against The U on New Year’s Eve. Head coach Chris Ault seems to believe that 8-4 seasons are progress, and to a certain degree it is, but they aren’t building a foundation for a better tomorrow. Boise State has been as dominant as any team in D1 going 85-16 with seven conference titles and bowl appearances over the last seven years. There progam never skips a beat as players graduate or when their coach jumps to a bigger program.The Wolf Pack were once dominate but this was in the NCAA-1AA and quite frankly life has not been as good since they made the jump to the big boys in 1A where they have had six winning seasons since they moved up in 1992.With that said, the Fiesta Bowl just ended and Boise State proved that they belong with the big boys in the BCS. I realize their strength of schedule is a joke but this victory over the Oklahoma Sooners speaks voulmes on how you can’t judge a team by its competition. Of course their head coach had the cojones to run a hook and lateral and a Statue of Liberty in the same game, proving you need to outsmart Goliath. *Side Note: For me, this might be the best bowl game I’ve seen. You had the story line of David vs. Goliath. The razzle dazzle of the aforementioned trick plays by Boise. The changes in the lead in the last quarter. A game tyin play with 7 seconds on the clock and Boise State’s Ian Johnson proposing to his girlfriend on TV after it endeed. The 2006 Rose Bowl is running neck and neck with this one. Also I am starting to believe that the University of Phoenix Stadium is cursed or is a vortex where normal games are tranformed into odd ones. The stadium has hosted 11 games and three of them have had odd finishes (2007 Fiesta Bowl, the Devin Hester game against the Cardinals and that strange St. Louis Rams game). One can only imagine what may happen in the BCS Championship game.

The WAC is a mid major and the Broncos are the power house of it and this will never be disputed but eventually the smaller conferences need to get some respect from the Pac 10’s and Big 10’s of the world. Nevada’s mens basketball team is slowly doing that as they ranked 15th in the latest USA Today/ESPN poll but when they initially broke out and made it to the Sweet 16 in 2004 they were viewed as Cinderella, much like Boise State tonight, and even though they have been to three straight NCAA Tournaments and were a pre-season Top 25 school they never garner respect and our viewed as an underdog. Tonights win for Boise State directly aids the WAC and many other Mid Major that are relegated to also ran status by the public.