[disclaimer: what you are about to read comes from the same person who stated, during february of 2001, that the elton brand- and ron mercer-led chicago bulls would be in the postseason--as high as a fourth seed--the following season. needless to say, this person is a ridiculous optimist.]

as i watched my beloved bulls tonight (an OT loss at philadelphia...i couldn't see the end because the fox sports affiliate on my cable provider switched to national programming---i believe because chicago viewers were scheduled to see depaul at the conclusion of the bulls game, and the bulls had run long), i couldn't help but think that tyson chandler will be an all-star as early as next year. he's not a particularly talented basketball player--his defensive positioning is awwwww-ful (quoting bill walton), and he's really got no actual set of offensive skills. but he can jump 'out the gym,' and has a nose for the offensive glass.

quite frankly, even if he doesn't become an all-star (which he will), jerry krause will have made the right decision by dealing elton brand to get him. witness elton's mighty l.a. clippers, who are probably worse than the bulls.

tyson chandler is one of the league's most exciting players. now if they could just deal jay williams and settle on a crawford-rose-robinson-chandler-curry lineup...a boy can dream.


and in other news...

after an ironing disaster last night (forgetting that i own one of those mini-boards, i used the iron-on-towel-on-table method), my coffee/dining room table is now strangely psychalic---half mahogany and half pink. as such, after work today i purchased $18 worth of wood furnishing supplies--minwax pre-stain, minwax mahogany 605 gel stain, a wooster 2" bristle brush (dubbed 'The Brush for Wood Finishes') and something called a 'stain marker' from minwax. i'm hoping to use the marker only, and return the rest. less disaster potential, that way. however, i anticipate the marker won't suffice, and then we'll let the experimentation begin. i'll keep you posted.

the moral of the story: don't be stupid, stupid.