Wait....wait and more waiting

Wait, wait and more waiting. I do more waiting for doctor appointments than anything else. And you know what, haven't heard a thing what the heck's wrong with me. All I know is that I am being poked and prodded do enzyme tests, MS, MD and anything other muscular and nerve diseas there is. Maybe, one more day. Two at the most. I have a paper to write. I miss school. It's the only thing I have in my life going for me. Forty-six years old. My first career is awashed because of illness. Geez. Here I go, feeling sorry for myself when there are people who have a lot more wrong than I do. It's just that one gets tired of being in a clinical atmosphere. Too steril. Too impersonal. Too much psychological turmoil. Lots of quetsions. No answers. My patience is melting like an ice cube on the desert. Slowly, the mind turns to mush. Turns into every direction and becomes entwined with turmoil. I hate waiting.

A season for meditation

The week before Thanksgiving, I spent three days at the Mayo Clinic. They thought they found what my problems were and I was happy. There was good and bad news. I could handle it. It seemed fair and balanced. Nothing to complain about. I received the written report a week later. Still, the news seemed a bit harsher than what the consultation provided me, but still I remained calm and upbeat. A week later, I received a box in the mail (Tuesday morning). I was to take it to St. Mary's and have the test tubes enclosed filled and sent off. Did what I was told. It seemed like an awful amount of blood, 26 tubes. But the nurse said it equaled about six tablespoons. Still, it seemed like a lot but nothing to worry about. Then, I get a call. More tests are needed. So, I am off at the beginning of next week. For just a couple of tests they said. I should be home quickly. Don't worry they stressed. At least these can be done in Duluth and will be networked with the Mayo. Nothing to worry about. That's easy for them to say.

Hail to the Vikings

What a 27-16 win over the Jaguars Sunday for the Vikings. The best part of the game was watching the big-guy, Williams, pick up the fumble and run like Hell toward the goal line.

Risky communication

Talk about dangerous. That's what could happen if you use a cell phone.

Some thoughts on embedding reporters

I can't believe the Pentagon ever allowed embedded reporters to tag along with our military in the first place. To me, this showed stunningly bad judgment. It's hard to imagine a more anti-American, anti-military group of people anywhere on earth — outside of the United Nations building, anyway. How can anyone be surprised that they are producing what they know to be biased reports, which will only help the terrorists? Also, I don't recall NBC, ABC or CBS — all of whom seem to be playing that Marine video around the clock — playing any of the videos showing these monsters chopping off heads and shooting prisoners.

Embedding reporters with active combat units is a recipe for disaster. Not only do they put soldiers' lives at risk, but their lack of military education and judgment mislead viewers and readers. They often end up helping the enemy. This experiment in political correctness should end.

Commissioner went too far

NBA Commissioner David Stearn has a right to be tough. A right to put the hammer down on people who abuse their place in their sport. But the Commissioner also must deal with issues fairly and what he dealt to the Indiana Pacers was a far cry from fairness. His judgement was clouded by the previous rebel, Ron Artest. His punishment was based on the past and not the present. he gave Artest a 73-game suspension, while giving a Piston, who helped instigate the riot, a six-game suspension.In an interview the Commissioner said he was the one who made the decision for the proper justice. But what the Commissioner did was too swift as he listened to all the sports zealots and experts thats aid throughout the last couple of days, "The Commissioner" has to show some balls and do something. The Commissioner played with the crowd and made the decision to punish with his heart and not he head. Everyone was at fault for the riot. veryone. The Pistons, the Pacers, the fans, the officials, the law enforcement and crowd control people, the beer industry...everyone. But the Commissioner seems satisfied to blam Artest. He did that with a 73-game suspension. I thought the Commissioner was supposed to be fair and deal with issues on an individual basis, noit all together. Artest got a raw deal. And Commissioner Stearn used blinders by too quickly acting and quick to judge that it was the fault of one man. Ben Wallace got away with murder Friday night and David Stearn was an accomplice to the fact.

A win is a win

The good thing is the Vikings snapped their losing skid. The bad thing is they have to improve their defense and intestinal fortitude. Theyw ere very fortunate to come away from the Detroit game with a win. It had to take a team effort, because individually they all stunk up the place. Culpepper may have deserved the gameball but even he made some bonehead plays as did the rest of the offense. And it took the defense almost an entire game to wake up and play an unyielding style of defense to stop the Lions.

Sports are stressful

Go ahead, Ron. Take a good, long time off. You earned it.


Last week Ron Artest asked for a month off to rest up from a grueling schedule that included producing a rap album, providing the most outrageous basketball quote of the year that was not spoken by Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O'Neal: "I've been doing a little bit too much music, just needed the rest. I've still got my album coming out Nov. 23. After the album comes out I'm going to make sure all of my time is focused on winning a championship.''


Artest received a two-game suspension instead and he deserves another far, far longer suspension for his behavior Friday night when he charged into the stands after fans and later punched one on the court. Teammates Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson likewise slugged fans.


The whole melee began when Detroit's Ben Wallace gave Artest a hard, two-handed shove in the chest and face after being fouled with 45.9 seconds left in the game. That started a scuffle between the two teams that ended with referees calling an end to the game. Everything seemed to be calming down when someone threw a full cup on Artest, who was inexplicably lying on the scorer's table, and that's when everything went to hell. Artest and Jackson went into the stands swinging for fans and fans spilled onto the court trolling for lawsuits.


Why everyone should get so upset, especially about an NBA game in mid-November, is unclear. Evidently, Detroit fans are going through withdrawal because of the NHL lockout. The only thing they didn't throw at the Pacers was an octopus.


How ugly was this fight? So ugly that Rick Mahorn and Rasheed Wallace were the peacemakers.


The fans in Detroit are equally at fault here. They crossed the line further than if they had Pittsburgh Steelers blocking for them. They inflamed a situation that was about to end peacefully. What we can see them doing is bad enough; what we can't hear them shouting at the players can only be imagined.


Without question, the fans deserve severe punishment. But other than taking away their season tickets and banning them from games, there isn't much the NBA can do about those morons. Their punishment must be handed out by the justice system, which should not only charge each one involved with assault but also reject any possible lawsuit directed at a player's checkbook.


The NBA, however, does have jurisdiction over its players and should throw the book at the three Pacers who fought with fans.


Artest went charging into the stands, looking wildly for the fan who threw the cup. It isn't clear whether he knew who actually did it, but he did shove down one fan he suspected. Then Jackson came up and drilled another fan who threw another beer at Artest.


After that settled down and security and teammates separated everyone, two fans came strutting onto the court toward Artest, essentially asking to be clobbered. Artest obliged them, as did an unidentified assistant coach and O'Neal, who all threw some very violent punches.


While the fans clearly asked for it, that in no way gives the players permission to give it to them. The players must be mature enough to let security and police officers handle such situations, if only to protect their bank accounts. Fan behavior can be ugly. It always gets much, much uglier when players respond.


As NBA commissioner David Stern said when announcing the indefinite suspensions, "This demonstrates why our players must not enter the stands, whatever the provocation or poisonous behavior of people attending the games."


There have been a lot of a distressing number of such incidents recently -- the father-son morons attacking a first base coach in Chicago, Frank Francisco tossing a chair in Oakland -- and the only way to end it is to get tough. Prosecute the fans and suspend the players without pay long enough that they have to take notice.


The NBA is already dealing with falling popularity and a perception that it has lost control of its players. To rescue its image, it has to come down hard -- the minimum suspensions should be 20 games. And Artest, whose record demonstrates a profound lack of control, should face a season-long suspension.


If Artest wants to record an album, fine. But the NBA can't tolerate him fighting everyone as if he's in the audience of the Vibe magazine awards.