Scattershot thoughts: Hayden Fry, Andy Fales is a god, and Meeting Alex Gordon.

• Nice to see what a forward-thinking pioneer Hayden Fry was. HBO's excellent documentary, "Breaking the Huddle", shows interviews with Fry on his highly controversial decision to recruit an African-American football player at SMU. Jerry LeVias proved Fry's faith right in every way, but LeVias remains bitter and angry about the racism he faced on the football field.
• Fascinating to learn in that documentary that Bear Bryant wanted to integrate Alabama's football team long before most would accept it. Bryant eventually scheduled USC, with several black stars, to play in Tuscaloosa. The Bear knew what he was doing. USC routed the Crimson Tide in their own backyard, and black players soon arrived at Alabama.
• Any baseball writers who didn't vote Rickey Henderson into the Hall of Fame should lose their privilege. There are always a few voters who think they're bigger than the game. Imagine the knuckleheads who didn't vote for Hank Aaron or Stan Musial---to name two.
• Good to see the "Andy Fales is a god" Facebook group has tripled its membership since a mention on SoundOff. Andy is embarrassed by the attention, and I suppose being called a god would make anyone this side of Rickey Henderson a little apprehensive. Meantime, the Facebook group, "Keith Murphy brushes his teeth daily" remains at only one member. (Thank you, Mom.)
• Anyone else suspect that at least a few companies are laying people off because they know they can get rid of people they want to right now without taking a PR hit?
• Carl Weathers just turned 61! How can Apollo Creed be in his 60's? "That was cool".
• Jenny and I went shopping for Cade's 8th birthday at the Jordan Creek Mall (sorry, "Town Center") during a blizzard Monday. Except for the life-endangering drive, I highly recommend it. It was empty. We walked into Scheel's and 27 different employees offered us help.
• Now that I have a reliable DVR, and HD, I'm attempting to watch "24" on a weekly basis. Not sure I can do it. I've watched all the previous seasons the way they were intended: late at night when the kids are in bed during one sleepless week. It's better that way.
• "Friday Night Lights" returns! Can't wait. Ratings show at least 1,000 other Americans feel the same way.
• I'm back watching "American Idol". My wife isn't interested until they get through the painful audition phase. It does get repetitive, but it's fascinating to see so many people who think they can sing, who absolutely cannot. We all know people like that. Some of our friends even take the mike on Karaoke night and go Celine Dion or George Michael on us. They just don't hear what we hear.
• Isn't it amazing the way music can jolt you to a time and place faster than anything. I was getting out of the shower this morning listening to 95KGGO and the Cars "Just What I Needed" came on. Suddenly I was back in 8th grade wondering if any girl would ever kiss me while I had braces. If you're out there Kristi Brandt, thank you!
• I'm on a roll for seeing good movies. I took Andy to see "Frost/Nixon" for Andy's 38th birthday. It's a great movie. Michael Sheen is perfect as David Frost, and Frank Langella transforms into Richard Nixon. Props to Ron Howard for making a riveting movie about a television interview. A
• We took the kids to see "Marley & Me", though I learned it's really not a movie for young children. It's rated PG but most of the story is about the adults' relationship. It's the kind of movie where the actors never age and their hairstyles stay the same over a 15 year period. I liked it more than I expected, but Jenny (Murphy, not Aniston) is still upset. She loves dogs and cried her face off. To quote Jenny upon exiting, "I thought we were seeing Air Bud, not Old Yeller". The kids instantly forgot the movie. They weren't engaged. B
• One more: "Gran Torino". If you love Clint Eastwood, as I do, it's a must see. I found it highly entertaining, though Eastwood's decision to use non-actors in some key roles threatens to make the movie feel like a high school play at times. It's Eastwood's show, and he's at his cranky, intimidating best. Erin Kiernan also saw Gran Torino and Erin said, "I feel like I already saw the movie when I watched the preview." Excellent observation. You know what you're getting going in (except the ending). My dad will love this, though unfortunately he'll struggle to hear Clint's grunting dialogue. B+
• When you're a little boy (or girl) who loves sports, sometimes you pick out a favorite baseball player for reasons you can't explain. For me, it was Johnny Bench. I was in awe of the Reds' catcher. I only answered to "Johnny Bench" for an entire summer, and my parents still kept me around. My son Cade met his favorite player at the Jordan Creek Hy-Vee Thursday. The Royals Caravan came through town, and Cade's mom took him to meet Alex Gordon. Now when I met Bench at spring training, I couldn't speak, smile, or blink. It appears Cade has more composure than his old man.
  

• This is a Podolak free post. If you're interested, my thoughts on Ed can be found below.

As always, thank you for your time.
Keith