Miller Time!

I keep crossing paths with Andre Miller.

When I worked as an intern at NBA Inside Stuff Magazine (then the official teen magazine of the NBA), I got to interview Andre Miller, then of the University of Utah, for one of the few mini-articles that included my own name.  I spoke to the late Rick Majerus, former Utah head coach, for the blurb.  Majerus spoke glowingly about Andre Miller.

'Dre took the Utes to the finals against a very talented Kentucky team and came up short.  I remember him playing brilliantly and I rooted for his underdog team to shock the world.  It did not hurt that I had interviewed him and found him to be kind and respectful.  Without getting into details, I'll just say that interviewing athletes isn't always like that.

I remember how important it was to coach Majerus that I understand how good a rebounder Miller was.  I remember my editor explaining to me how unimportant it was that I emphasize that when writing about a point guard.  My article was small and simple, but it was my first national publication credit.

I am just short of three months younger than 'Dre and I have followed his career since Utah.  That got easier when he became a Denver Nugget in 2003.  My friends and I shared 10-game Nuggets ticket packages back then and we followed the Nuggets closely.  I have always been impressed with Miller.  I know George Karl has only ever sung his praises.  He sounded exactly like Rick Majerus.

Miller was an alley-oop master and created some vicious dunks by Melo, K-Mart, Camby and J.R. Smith.  Then, in 2006, Miller was traded as part of the deal that brought Allen Iverson to Denver. I still remember George Karl talking about how disappointed he was to lose Miller.  Karl brought that up many times over the years.  I hated losing 'Dre.

In 2008, I came face-to-face with Miller at Mile High Stadium in Denver for the DNC nomination of Barrack Obama.  I remember seeing him, being certain it was him, and deciding not to invade his privacy.  He's such a low-key guy and I didn't want to intrude.

In 2011, Miller re-signed with Denver, only he is now known as "the Professor" and has survived on savvy in a young-man's game at age 37.  As you can see in the highlights, Miller can still throw a long oop, and he can still create with the ball.

Flash to this Saturday.  I took Jacob to see Game 1 of the playoffs.  The team was in a funk.  Miller took over in the fourth when no one else would.  He scored 28 points and made every shot when it was needed.  He did so many "professor" type things and dragged this team to an improbable victory.

I loved it.  That patented flat jumper, the passing, the up-and-under scoop shots...  It was all like it was when he was here from 2003-2006.

The Denver Nuggets cleared out for the final shot of the game for 37-year old Andre Miller to put the team's fate in his hands.  The way he played this game, I could not have felt better about the team's chances even if Melo were still available for late-game heroics.   Miller went left, cut right and went up and under the rim to take the lead with 1.3 seconds left.

I lost my voice at the game and could not have asked for a better experience.  It's nice to have 'Dre back around.

Have you ever had a week?

*NOTE:  I wrote this last night and today the Boston Marathon was bombed.  I am not surprised people would do such a thing because I see people do bad things all the time in my work.  I am sure many would feel like the singers watching the TV as they suffer inside at the scenes in front of them.  I had no idea how apt it would feel when I wrote this last night.  I do not edit it so it will stand as it was.



Have you ever had a week where you just feel bled?

I've had a few such weeks recently, as we all have, but these last few just about take the cake.  Much like the video above, I feel as if I've been slowly bled.  Pristine white turned to crimson as the time goes effortlessly, and yet, the blood flows smooth and quick without notice.

I am looking around at my stained clothes as week-three looms.  Wounded by a thousand paper cuts.  I may have overestimated the shelf-life of specializing in messes.

I love the video because they watch the depressing news on a TV (just sitting there) and just start bleeding.  I've always thought it was a clever performance and idea.

Update... what's going on?

So, what's new?  Here is a brief update and some contemplation.

-- Jacob lost two teeth in two days and now has lost all four of his bottom front teeth.

-- I do not like that too many of my posts have been mirrored to the 25 books site because it shows I am slacking.  I say this even though my goal is to write on my private book blog and not do much here.  So, I guess I'll try to keep it brief.

-- I just finished reading The Hobbit to Jacob tonight.  He wanted to start Fellowship of the Ring right away, but that will be tomorrow.  Jacob has listened to me read all seven of the Harry Potter books and has now sat through the first of Tolkien's four-part saga.  I predict he will sit through this one as well. We discussed the differences between movies and books.  The kid is sharp and asks very intelligent questions.

-- I continue to struggle with nuances that I described in the previous posts (about revenge and other basics posted about below).  I am going to try to focus my energies on flushing those thoughts out in the book.  I have been bad about writing lately for a few reasons.  My big-book mania has gotten in the way, work has been insanely busy and various other life changes have also led to some halting.  However, the story never leaves my mind and I find myself contemplating it often.

-- Much is changing for our family and the adjustments, both immediate and anticipated, are starting to be felt.  It is welcome and necessary, but that does not preclude discomfort.

-- I think the newer concepts to my mind that I most want to work through in the book are the burdens of logic and the mind-withering materialism of our world.  I have seen examples of these recently and really want to create scenes that hit those concepts.

-- For the first time I can remember, I did not fill out a March Madness bracket and did not even watch a single game.  I am starting to drift further and further from sports.  I am even starting to go back on my initial intention to involve Jacob in sports.  Even though I enjoyed sports growing up, I do not see the same fire in Jacob for that form of competition (he is INTENSELY competitive, but not for sport) and I am starting to look down my nose at it a bit.  The boy has brains and I don't want him to use his head to advance a football.  That said, I actually have begun to almost fear for his future based on his intellectual maturity.  I fear the gleam of wonder will be too quickly removed and will more quickly be invaded by the cynicism that follows advanced logical thought.  Wow, there is no way to express that concern without sounding elitist.  Yet, it remains my fear.  There is always some fear, whether extreme or small. I consider this one small in the immediate sense, but it does concern me long-term.  Cynicism injected too early can bring a deep melancholy.  I know, first-world problems, but still.  I'm a parent.

-- I should really be working on the project I promised to work on.  It will come. Although I have not written, it continues to simmer and move.

Count of Monte Cristo II: This time, It's Revenge!

March 23 met with a snowstorm, meaning we braved the elements to get Jacob to his promised Laser Tag Birthday celebration.  It also meant cancellation of last week's book discussion about the first 1/3 of the Count of Monte Cristo.  It was rescheduled for Saturday, March 30, and I got to go.

As always it was a good discussion and enlightening.  And, as with all discussions, I revisited it many times in my mind.  However, what I thought was an understood and widely-accepted maxim turned into the crux of the debate. It turns out that revenge has more sympathy as a motive than I ever expected.  I always believed (and still do) that revenge, although a very tempting motive, is ultimately a bad motive.  In my mind, the discussion got turned on its logical head and I've been trying to set it right in my own mind these last few days.

Two concepts raised in the discussion gave me pause.  First was the assertion that "forgive and forget" is selfish and that revenge (as opposed to justice) should be used as a protection for others.  The second was the assumption that anyone's feelings of "forgive and forget" should understandably fall aside once an "extreme" (undefined) injustice happens to a loved one.

I disagree with these points and feel more comfortable giving thorough reasons after reflection.  Forgiveness is gracious, but revenge is selfish, and this should hold true in the face of any injustice suffered.  But, as I will try to explain, I think the confusion resulted from a mixing of revenge and justice (two very different things).  I think we are tempted to fill in the gaps of our always-imperfect system of justice.  Some seem to allow or at least tolerate that those gaps may (or even should) be filled with revenge.  I just cannot go there.

The clip below from Les Miserable is one of my favorite.  The act of kindness and forgiveness from the bishop allowed Jean Valjean a level of self-reflection that inspired actual change and removed a criminal from the lives of others in a way temporary imprisonment never could.  It is also an example of the benefits of grace over revenge.