it is totally and completely crunch time for me. opening day is less than 24 hours away. it's 9:30, and i'm pulling my second consecutive post 9 (going on post-11) day at work, and i have to be up at 6:30 tomorrow so that i can get to the printer at 7:00 a.m. and to the bus by 8:30.

that said, i am completely running on fumes but completely excited and ready to go. it seems like we've got a really good group of kids - perhaps not top prospects, but they all seem to be good guys. i don't want to judge people because i learned early on in my 'career' that any high school kid tossed into pro ball has to be pretty on top of things to succeed and that most high school draft picks are just that, but it is nice that most of these players (all but four, i believe, plus the three venezuelans) are college prospects. (of the high school kids, one was drafted in 1998 [!], one in 2000, one in 2002 and one in 2003...not a single teenager on the roster, which is not so rare for the cardinals at this point in time.)

today was our media day, and the coverage was strong. three of the four tv stations (the fourth, the one that never comes out, didn't) and we had to take the players upstairs to do their on-video-board head shots, and that process was incredibly smooth. (last year: 4-plus hours, this year: 1:10) our coaching staff, particularly the manager, comes in with a reputation of being a generally difficult person to deal with. at this point, outside of the fact that he's a chain smoker, it seems that he's an okay person. and i think he respects my attitude and my knowledge and that fact that, on the outside, at least, i've made a point to look professional and, more importantly, knowledgable about my responsibilities.

unseen fringe benefit: i apparently ruined a tv guy's shot. (actually, i was just in the background at various points of an interview) my grandparents (who, i'll have you know, watch all four local affiliates' newscasts at some point or another each night) happened to see this. so they gave me their traditional "good luck and have a fun season" call (is four years a tradition?) and my grandma pointed out that she saw me on tv and then she said "you look skinny."

so the answer is that, in just over three months, i'm down 31.5 pounds. this is a healthy, but likely unsustainable, pace. i am still significantly above my target weight, but perhaps less than obese at this point in time. and, of course, now the fun - if fun includes 'macho nachos' and 'the swimmin' pig' and 'deep fried twinkies' and 'i'll have the philly cheesesteak' and 'a brat and a stuffed pizza pretzel and a super rope' and 'how about those chicken fingers' and 'yeah, i'll have the fries, too' and - is trying to at least maintain my weight through the season. it'll be a challenge, but with discipline, a bit of exercise (the 10-minute walk to and from work, a 45-minute walk when i'm on the road), and smart decisions, i should manage. however, i *will* allow myself at least one deep fried twinkie this year. sweet jesus!