Dear Memorial Day Weekend/Summer OB Dog Beach Visitors:
I'm so happy about your decision to include Fido in your holiday weekend fun. I think it's great - really, I do. However, in an effort to keep myself, my dogs and the streets of Ocean Beach safe, I must alert you to some unspoken OB Dog Beach rules that you are expected to comply with fully:
There's No Need to Bring Food
Picnics at a dog beach are a bad idea. I should not have to tell you that. When my dogs begin sniffing around the elaborate Subway spread you've laid out on your beach towel, I'm going to keep on walking and pretend I don't know them. Because you obviously need to learn the hard way.
If you insist on bringing food to a dog beach, please refrain from burying charcoal, chicken bones and any other food or BBQ remnants in the sand. I can assure you that in the 15 seconds it took you just to decide that disposing of your garbage in the trashcan (located a mere 10 feet away) would require too much effort, my beagles can sniff out, dig up and devour those toxic and potentially fatal items that you've lazily kicked sand upon and left behind.
There is a Need to Control Your Dog
If your dog is obsessively attacking my Chuck It, backpack (which contains only dog leashes, flip flops and house keys...no food) or face, please do not tell me that he's "just playing." In addition to his sharp teeth, long nails and clear lack of discipline, your dog is heavier, taller and stronger than I am.
I'm also fairly certain that when I show up to work on Tuesday, "Don't worry, it was playful" is not going to fly as an acceptable explanation for the scratches and bite marks covering my arms and face.
When Exiting OB...
Please pay attention to the road. While I'm sure the in-depth conversation you're having with your dog is both hilarious and intellectually stimulating, it does not excuse your driving 2 mph, then speeding up, then stopping short for absolutely no reason - other than maybe Fido telling a joke so funny that you just HAD to stop your car in the middle of an intersection.
Driving on the wrong side of the road is also unacceptable behavior, as is putting your left blinker on, beginning to turn right and then darting back out into traffic again while you and your dog have a hearty chuckle about the fact that you have no clue where you're going and nearly just caused a 3 car/4 bike/2 skateboard collision.
Most of OB's residents have no idea what's going on around them, so it's imperative that you do.
I realize that this is a lot to ask, but promise that your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated by regular OBDB patrons as well as all of OB's residents...Not only this weekend, but also throughout the summer.
Thanks so much!
Kellie
I'm not sure who I feel worse for: Peyton Manning...or Colts fans.
In an ESPN SportsNation poll taken last week (and pictured to the right), 37 percent of Indiana participants voted that Peyton should play for another team rather than stay with the Colts.
Assuming the Indiana voters who participated in this poll are Colts fans, this means that more than a third of Indy's fans are willing to let one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history walk away from their franchise; almost 40 percent of Colts fans are accepting - perhaps even hoping - that this is the end of the Peyton Manning era in Indy.
What they likely don't realize is that there just might not be much to look forward to once Peyton is gone. That quarterbacks of his stature don't come along every day. That they shouldn't rest all of their hopes and aspirations for the franchise on the shoulders of an unproven rookie.
There's a reason why 37 percent of Indy fans are unable to see these realities. And I think we all know who's to blame.
Aaron. Rodgers.
There’s a lot to like about Aaron Rodgers, and there's no questioning how enjoyable he is to watch – on the field, on the sideline, on stage with Justin Timberlake at the ESPYs. I can't wait for him to host SNL (and apparently, 19,508 people on Facebook agree).
His striking resemblance to BJ Novak (who plays Ryan Howard on The Office) certainly doesn't hurt his likeability factor too much either.
Most importantly, Aaron Rodgers gives Patriots fans like myself hope that there can be life after Brady, which is particularly important at a time like this, when it's virtually impossible for us to escape those torturous "Bradying" images.
However, there haven’t been two Hall of Fame-caliber quarterbacks to play for the same team in the same era like this since Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco – and to a much lesser extent, Bob Griese and Dan Marino in Miami (a city that, oddly enough, seems to understand and appreciate the rarity of truly outstanding QBs).
Since this sort of scenario happens so infrequently (perhaps only once a generation), is the tremendously successful emergence of Aaron Rodgers as Brett Favre’s replacement simply setting Pats and Colts fans up for disappointment? What are the chances that either New England or Indy can bring in a quarterback who is just as - if not more - likeable and talented as Brady and Manning?
Has the precedent set by Aaron Rodgers put guys like Andrew Luck at a great disadvantage (in terms of making it impossible for them to live up to such high expectations)?
And with that in mind...
I find the 49ers/Packers quarterback parallels to be remarkable. The charmingly handsome men involved, the dynamic athleticism and team leadership skills, the pass vs. run playing styles, the accomplishments achieved over similar periods of time, etc., etc.
But there is one major difference: the Montana vs. Young debate still exists. Fans remain split over who was the better QB.
Yet, despite the fact that Aaron Rodgers has started only a fraction of the number of games as Favre did, it seems that everyone has already appointed him the clear winner in the debate over which of the two is the better QB.
Why is this? Is #12 more fun to watch than #4? Is it because Rodgers has accomplished more in his first 62 NFL starts than Favre did? Or is it because we cringe every time we hear that Favre is back in the news? Have Brett’s off-field antics and ostensible personality flaws given Aaron the likeability advantage by default?
I understand that – as we saw with the Tiger Woods scandal – American sports fans are willing to forgive the extramarital/sexual transgressions of their beloved sports figures. But will they forgive Favre for the childish way he left the team, for turning his back on the Packers faithful, for traitorously returning to Lambeau in a Vikings uniform? Boston never did forgive Roger Clemens for displaying similarly disloyal behavior.
More importantly, would Favre have been a team player in Week 17 and sat out the game, sacrificing his notable consecutive start streak to rest up for the playoffs? If history is any indication, then...probably not.
Perhaps Aaron Rodgers really is the better QB...But I have to wonder if Favre has just become so unlikeable that we're unfairly judging his on-field accomplishments based on his off-field actions.
If you insist on bringing food to a dog beach, please refrain from burying charcoal, chicken bones and any other food or BBQ remnants in the sand. I can assure you that in the 15 seconds it took you just to decide that disposing of your garbage in the trashcan (located a mere 10 feet away) would require too much effort, my beagles can sniff out, dig up and devour those toxic and potentially fatal items that you've lazily kicked sand upon and left behind.
