Scattershot thoughts from June 29th

• Parkersburg has provided us with endless examples of how this town represents the best of us, but none better than the support of the Becker family.
• I've thought this before, but now it really hits home. Tiny Aplington-Parkersburg has four players in the NFL. That's unbelievable. Thomas must have been some coach. Word is, he was an even better man.
• I still can't believe the 24/7 coverage of Michael Jackson's death on CNN, Fox, MSNBC and other networks---days later. I guess it's the perfect storm of worldwide famous entertainer with a stunning body of work and long history of creepy weirdness dying before his time under mysterious circumstances.
• Back before all the plastic surgery, molestation accusations, and prescription drug addiction, I saw MJ in concert. It was the best live performance I've ever seen.
• Farrah Fawcett got a raw deal even after the end. She went from headline to footnote. I had her iconic poster on my wall way back when. It seemed racy at the time. Tame now.
• I found myself following USA soccer this week, and like many bandwagon jumpers, I actually thought we might be having the long promised breakthrough moment with the win over Brazil. No way to lose a 2-0 lead in soccer! Never mind.
• Albert Pujols is not human.
• Manny Ramirez is.
• Could anything upset Cubs fans more than Mark DeRosa going to the Cardinals?!
• The Cubs don't have what it takes to win a championship. They may not even have what it takes to win a mediocre division. Too many headcases, too few leaders.
• A reminder, it's WimbleDon, not WimbleTon.
• Chris Evert is right: too much grunting in the women's game. On "Murph & Andy", we played a clip of Williams vs Sharapova. One listener said he thought he was listening to Cinemax.
• I really thought Shawn Johnson would return for her Senior year at Valley. I think there's next to no chance we see her competing in London.
• I hope all Lolo's bad luck and misfortune is used up long before London. That woman deserves gold.
• The girls "sport" with the most disabling injuries---by far---is cheerleading.
• Josh Hamilton is a guy I'd pay to see, especially batting practice. It will be a bargain if Hamilton swings at Principal Park to start the fireworks early.
• I'm proud of Chris Hassel for completing his Hy-Vee Duathlon.
• I love vacation with extended family and friends. It's fun, but not exactly relaxing. The only reason I enjoy seeing a vacation end is so I can catch up on my rest.
• Disney World in June has a lot of happy faces---and they're all 8 and under. The parents look miserable.
• Another NASCAR Sprint Cup race decided by fuel conservation strategy. It's like having a lead in the 6th inning and hoping for rain.
• Shawn Terrell will watch the Coke Zero 400 just to show support for the sponsor.
• Henrick Motorsports moved into our Daytona rental as we moved out. They jokingly complained about us leaving them "crappy beer". It was Bud Light Lime.
• Kids say Transformers 2 is better than the first. Adults say it's too long and too loud. I haven't seen it. I did see "Pelham 123" with my dad. Pleasant surprised. We liked it.
• I hope Ricky Rubio somehow plays for the T-Wolves. We need a reason to remember Minnesota has an NBA team.