VARIOUS TOPICS FOR TODAY

Hello everyone:
Today I'm going to jump around a bit, kind of like a kid with ADD, because I wanted to post but didn't have a rant. Here goes. And by the way, if you read this, please leave comments. It's the only way I know you're out there. You ARE out there aren't you?

TOPIC ONE---FLOODING
You read that right, my friends. I bring up flooding, because for the 5th time since 1989, a house I own in Waterford, NY got flooded out. This time the flooding occurred after a few days of HEAVY rain. This affected Upstate NY all the way down through parts of Pennsylvania. This flood could be categorized as "normal" because only the basement got filled. Luckilly, no water got up into the 1st floor. Since the basement was empty, except for the Hot Water tanks and Boilers for heating (this is a 2-family house), there was no considerable damage. We've changed the 2 HW tanks, so the tenants could take showers. Fortunately, there is no need for heat right now, so I can take the time to get a contractor in to service the boilers.

There are a couple of things about flooding that you should know if you've never experienced it first-hand. The number one thing is that you can't stop the water. You can jack your house up, you can try to build a retaining wall, you can put down many, many sandbags. But you can't stop the water from coming in. It's like eating soup with a fork.

In 1996, we experienced the worst flooding ever. The water rose to the top of our chain-link fence and got 2 feet up into the first floor. We had $35,000 worth of damage and were out of the house for 5 full months as the contractors gutted and rebuilt the whole first floor. What a nightmare. When you see flooding on the National news (like along the Mississippi), you don't really understand what happens, and you can't really feel for the people, unless you've actually been through it. It's wet, messy (the water brings a ton of river silt), and destructive.

TOPIC TWO---FANTASY FOOTBALL

Here are my picks for the first Round of players that should be taken in any Fantasy Football draft. The first 3 guys are no-brainers. After that it's hit-and-miss. These picks are for a 12-team league with a Combinational Scoring system. The picks are as follows:

• 1. Shaun Alexander--SEA--RB--Proven commodity. Good team. 15 TD's per yr./5 straight years. Scored 27 last year.
• 2 . Larry Johnson--KC--RB--Great rookie season. Should be able to build on it. A stud.
• 3. LaDanian Tomlinson--SD--RB--Runs, throws, scores. The only drawback and question is his new untested QB. Will Defenses key on LT2?
• 4. Clinton Portis--WAS--RB--The Redskins may be ready to make a serious run. Could this be Portis' year to become the NFL's #1?
• 5. Peyton Manning--IND--QB--Always a first Round pick because of his prolific arm. Great offensive scheme. Experts believe rookie RB will not cause the Colts to lose a step. We'll see.
• 6. Tiki Barber--NYG--RB--Like Curtis Martin of a few years ago, this guy just keeps on getting it done. I have trouble pulling the trigger on any Giant, but until he breaks down, you've got to respect him.
• 7. Carnell "Cadillac" Williams--TB--RB--Should be able to build on great rookie season.
• 8. Rudi Johnson--CIN--RB-- Most experts don't like him this high, but with the Bengal offense, there's always scoring chances. He's a consistent performer.
• 9. LaMont Jordan--OAK--RB--Great runner who can score from anywhere. How many scoring chances will Randy Moss take from him? How will Moss' dangerous talents open up opportunities for Jordan?
• 10. Edggerin James--ARI--RB--Rock-solid talent who moves to a new team that now has, what I believe, to be one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. Should be able to contend for a Wild-Card spot if O-Line holds up and QB stays healthy.
• 11. Sleeper First round pick. Ronnie Brown--MIA--RB--No Ricky Williams lurking on the sideline. This is Ronnie's team now. Alot depends on Culpepper's health.
• 12. Domanick Davis--HOU--RB--Why didn't this team draft Reggie Bush? Because they already had a proven scoring machine in their backfield. Will this team be mature enough to win 8 games? I don't know. This guy can score, that's for sure.

All of the picks are dependent on injury-free seasons. Draft at your own risk and good luck.

TOPIC 3--SUMMER CAMP

My older son is going to Volleyball camp for a week and to a Television Production class for a week. My younger son is doing baseball and soccer. I think week-long camps for kids in the summer are a great idea, if you can afford it. It gets them out of bed and active for a couple of weeks during the summer. And if you don't have a pool, boat, or camp, it keeps them away from the TV. I wish they had had sports camps when I was a kid. They only had regular camps and I wasn't into it as much as straight sports. Today, you can find almost any activity.

TOPIC 4--SHOUT OUTS

1. Hugo Kramm--Happy Birthday

2. Jim Bashford--great to talk with you the other day. It's been too long

3. Congress--Thanks for firing the 3-man Board of Directors for Amtrak. Maybe now we can get some money. People bitch about Amtrak, but how would you like to work at a place that hasn't given a raise to it's employees in over 6 years? Our last contract ran out in December of 1999.

4. The Universal Power--for killing Kenneth Lay. Now we don't have to spend any more money on this robbing bastard. I only wish they had let Islamic fundamentalists kidnap him and torture him. He got off easy.

This post is a shell of what it was supposed to have been. I had a nice post written earlier today, but the Blogger engine wouldn't publish it for some reason and then when I save it, it only saved a 3rd of it for me. I can't remember everything I originally wrote, so you've just read the watered-down version.

Live in Peace people. And of course, remember, LEN IS RIGHT

I am Len Tollerton