Biting off more than I can chew?

I think I may have done it this time, I really do.

I have been taking spin classes at the gym for about 4 months now and I have really gotten into it. As I have done it more and more I have had a friend in my ear telling me I need to start doing triathlons. His logic, you can already run the distance (10K) and you can figure out the swim. As far as the bike goes, I figure that riding in the gym has to be like running on the treadmill.

So, in preparation, I decided to sign up for a fundraising bike ride. It makes total sense, get a great ride in the fall, raise money for a great cause (Camp Twin Lakes) and also get comfortable on a bike. Today I got my bike (3 weeks before the event) and I also received my first rude awakening. Riding a high end 10 speed is not like it was when I was in High School and it certainly isn't anything like the nice relaxing rides at the beach with the girls. My first few 'laps' around the parking lot were shaky at best and then I put on my cycling shoes and 'clipped' in. The over under on parking lot falls was two! Fortunately I was able to smoothly clip in and take off and I was able to navigate stopping and unclipping without falling down. This only means I will probably eat it at least three times the first time I hit the road on a training ride. The fear of falling, while huge and potentially embarrassing is not my biggest fear. My biggest fear is the 47 miles I will be riding!! Ummm - what was I thinking? Even at 15 mph I will be in the saddle a little more than three hours --- YIKES!!! If I were not on a plane first thing tomorrow morning I would be finding a nice, flat, long and car less place to ride and hopefully get some of my fears out and I have LEGITIMATE fears. The last time I was on a 10 speed I went head over heels when a branch got caught in a spoke and my left hand got crushed between the bike's 'forks' and its frame. That was over 20 years ago!!! If you know me, then you know my memory and recall, so its very easy for that image to come to the forefront. As I ride in the weeks to come I hope that image gets replaced by the smile on my face and the sheer joy of accomplishing a goal and raising money for a great cause.

To learn more about the camp, go to www.camptwinlakes.org and if you care to make a donation you can go to

http://camptwinlakes.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=312622&lis=1&kntae312622=B6A8E44A31EE4D06B2F08B5FD53C9948.



If you click the Donation button and then search for me, Gil Wolchock, I will get 'credit' for the donation.

Blogging at 35,000 feet --- because I can

It's not my first time using the new Wi-Fi service in the air but I am still pretty enamored with it; aAll except the cost aspect, but I imagine that too will come down over time.

It seems like a 'no brainer' to be online in the clouds when the world of computing is all about the 'cloud' these days.

My favorite part - except for the lack of ability to 'text' my life can go on as usual up here. I am on Facebook, working on an expense report and getting ready to write my weekly article for the FFL Guru (I know you are reading here but do you watch me at www.thefflguru.com as well) all from the comfort of 2A somewhere between San Antonio, TX and Atlanta, GA.

As much as I get frustrated by technology it really is an incredible time we are living in and how much we take it for granted. Just now, it struck me that I forgot to TiVO a show tonight. Do you know what I did? I logged into my Direct TV account here, up in the sky, typed in a few key strokes and voila! when I get home The Biggest Loser will be waiting for me (please no jokes...).

I finished reading the new Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol, last week and it was fairly entertaining but one part that struck me is the concept is 'Man as the CREATOR' as opposed to 'Man being created'. When I think about technology and advances in Science that really is true. We as a species are the only living things that 'create' beyond some basic type structures. For the most part this is good, however, sometimes we create for the bad (even if its not intended that way). No deep philosophical discussion about it now, just an interesting thought.

Those are my thoughts for now, going to turn back to the 'Sports Gil' and go 'create' an article.

Talk to you next on 'terra firma'

Fantasy

Google the word - you get 246,000,000 hits in .15 seconds. Wow, either my MAC is screaming or a lot of people like things with the word 'fantasy' in them. Interestingly enough the first hit I got was for the Wikipedia definition of fantasy. I checked it out. Guess what? It ONLY referred to 'fantasy' in terms of magic and that genre. This really surprised me. From there I went to Webster's online and get the OFFICIAL definition. Low and behold there is more!

Main Entry: 1fan·ta·sy
Variant(s): also phan·ta·sy \ˈfan-tə-sē, -zē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural fan·ta·sies
Etymology: Middle English fantasie — more at fancy
Date: 14th century
1 obsolete : hallucination
2 : fancy; especially : the free play of creative imagination
3 : a creation of the imaginative faculty whether expressed or merely conceived: as a : a fanciful design or invention b : a chimerical or fantastic notion c : fantasia 1 d : imaginative fiction featuring especially strange settings and grotesque characters —called also fantasy fiction
4 : caprice
5 : the power or process of creating especially unrealistic or improbable mental images in response to psychological need ; also : a mental image or a series of mental images (as a daydream) so created
6 : a coin usually not intended for circulation as currency and often issued by a dubious authority (as a government-in-exile)

For the purposes of this post I am definitions 3 and 5, though I am intrigued by #6. As I read the definitions, in particular #5 I get the feeling that the word 'fantasy' is a negative term, or at the least one that has very little reality attached to it. Again, I was surprised.

Lately, when I think about fantasy it is usually in relation to NFL Football and my side pursuit of Fantasy Football. What I love about Fantasy Football is that it allows the 'average man' to be in control of a sports 'franchise'. As a guy and a sports lover this is one of our fundamental desires. Many of us grow up playing the games we love and dream about playing at higher and higher levels. Eventually reality comes crashing down on us. Conversely, as we watch sports and follow our favorite teams we know in our hearts we could do a better job in managing the franchise. Of course, economically, the likelihood of us actually owning a Major sports franchise is far less likely than actually playing for one, so once again our dreams get crushed. In steps Fantasy Sports which may be created in a 'fictional world' clearly exists in REALITY. We use real players and real games. We just manipulate that reality to our own rules.

Personally, this pursuit of my own sports fantasy is leading me further into a pursuit of a dream. Ever since I was a young kid I fell in love with sports. Not only did I love playing sports but I also loved talking about sports. Some of my earliest memories are of debating the Philadelphia sports teams of my youth. I had always thought I would make a pretty good Sports Broadcaster long before I knew what that was. Remember, I was a kid growing up before ESPN. Besides the local games on TV, my view of a Sports Broadcaster was the guy in the tie on the nightly news who got 3-4 minutes to give scores and local updates. As many of you know, this dormant dream has become more and more real over the last 3 years. Three years ago I was part of creating a concept for a Fantasy Football show that would be online and be no longer than 15 minutes long. At the time, even the big guys of Sports Broadcasting were not creating video content specifically for the web and we saw a niche in this growing market. Today, Fantasy Sports is a 3-4 BILLION DOLLAR Industry. We are now in our third year of The Fantasy Football Guru (www.thefflguru.com). With each season we have grown and become more comfortable with our content. We have also grown our audience and distribution channel. We now stand on the precipice of the 'tipping point' I believe. We now are integrated into Atlanta's #1 Sports Radio Station, 790 the Zone, www.790thezone.com. Our production team, The Raw Report (www.rawreport.com) are top notch and they are taking us into new markets as well. More recently, we have signed a deal with Yahoo! Our content is now available as a WIDGET on new Internet Ready TV's as well as a mobile app. What started with about 100 viewers is now available to 3.5 MILLION households. Where we go next I do not know, but what I do know is that something that started as pure FANTASY has become part of my REALITY. I am not just passionate about sports or my fantasy team, I am passionate about the process and the business. I see and feel opportunity around every corner.

So there is one story where fantasy is not the improbable that the definition seems to imply. The more I think about it, the more I hate that definition. Why is a fantasy nearly unattainable? Last week I witnessed TWO things I thought were improbable , nearly impossible but they happened. They happened because of hard work, determination and passion. The first is just a video I saw on YouTube. It like many videos on that site is of a 15 year old scoring a touchdown in their High School football game. What was improbable is that the kid has Downs Syndrome! I watched and I cried. I cried for joy and I cried for the human spirit, but mostly I cried as the Uncle of a 9 year old who has Downs. The second story I heard was that of a Make a Wish child. One of my friends has a grown child who was a Make a Wish recipient and now the family gives back through their own Foundation. Last week my friend put together a very personal, last minute Make a Wish for a local child. Within 4 hours of the 'Wish' being fulfilled the young child passed away. I once again found myself crying. At first I wept for the loss of a young child and then for the sadness my friend felt. Within a few minutes though my tears turned to joyful ones. What I realized was that in this child's final hours they were able to smile and feel special. For the briefest of moments there was no illness, no tubes, no fear, just love and happiness. For however short the life was, it went out the right way, with a full heart. Neither of these stories have anything to do with my fantasies or fantasy sports yet they are once again examples of turning a fantasy into reality.

Economically things are bleak, not just locally but globally. We seem to be divided more by politics and race more and more every day. Turn on any of the 'news' channels and you will find pundits trying to push their REALITY on us and stifle our creative energies to turn our fantasies into reality. This week, as a Jew, I am celebrating a New Year as well as paying respect to the year gone by and asking G-d and my family and friends to forgive me for the wrongs that I have done this year. I hope that I will not just be forgiven but also continue to be given the freedom to dream and fight for turning fantasy into reality. We might not always hit the mark but you can't ever get there if you don't try. It's very cliche but the journey of a 1,000 miles begins with the first step.

Here are my first steps in this New Year:

- lose the last 17 pounds to get me to 200 lbs. (I started at 247 in July of 2008 after knee reconstruction)
- complete an Olympic length Triathlon with my friends the 'Tri-Nuts'
- continue to grow my career and current company
- let The FFL Guru take me where it may
- re-engage with the Non Profits that I serve
- continue to be an engaged and active father to two of the most beautiful and precious young ladies I know
- be a better friend, sibling, son and partner to those that need me
- smile everyday and stop to be thankful for all that I am blessed with
- spend more time with YOU, my 'audience' if you will. Those of you that post, send me private emails or just spend time on my page are an inspiration.

Sorry for the long and rambling post, it's late and its been a while since I have blogged :)

The FFL Guru is OFFICIALLY back

Yes -- i have been waiting and holding this exciting news, but as football season kicks off so does another season the The FFL Guru. This year our role with our Radio Partner, 790 The Zone (www.790thezone.com) has expanded and our website will now be housed there as well (www.790thezone.com/fflguru). Additionally, we welcome a new Production Partner, The Raw Report (www.rawreport.com). Our first production was on Tuesday of this week and should be live on the site by Friday (9/4) morning! We are very excited about the new elements the gang brings to the FFL Guru!!!

Also, Jordan and I are finalizing contracts with Yahoo! that will air our show on their new Internet TV Property called Yahoo! Connected (http://connectedtv.yahoo.com/).

Lastly, we will be blogging on our site at least twice a week, so if you are into Fantasy Football make sure you are checking out the site, www.790thezone.com/ffluguru often. As a sample, here is my first blog that went up the other day:


Draft Preparation and Cheat Sheets
Posted 9/2/2009 4:00:00 PM

Go ahead and call this my Fantasy Football Manifesto, my Jerry Maguire moment. if you will.

From this moment forth, I will not purchase another Fantasy Football Magazine!

What purpose do they serve other than taking up space in my bathroom, where two months from now I will peruse them and laugh about their inaccuracies and dart board projections. Look, I understand, Fantasy Sports is a BILLION DOLLAR industry and that magazines were an essential element in the early growth of Fantasy Sports. And from a pure entertainment and basic information standpoint, the content in those magazines is ok. But the thing that kills me in them is the ‘Cheat Sheet’ they all insist on providing. Actually, let me retract that previous statement, what really PISSES ME OFF are the Cheat Sheets, which pretend as if they are supposed to help you in any league regardless of the league’s scoring system.

The fact is magazine Cheat Sheets don’t help you because they can’t help you. How could anything written in May, i.e. pre-Memorial Day, possibly help you pick players at the end of August or beginning of September? Today’s NFL is a fluid, ever changing league where a team or player may be highly thought of in May, but considered a bum in August. Those Cheat Sheets are worse than putting up Christmas lights in July or wearing white in October!

So, why the rant? Clearly I’m not shilling my own online site that sells information. And I’m not a tree hugger frustrated with the number of trees being cut down for these magazines. No, I’m ranting because I’m just another frustrated Owner with three drafts in five days with three different scoring systems and three completely different sets of rules.

It is impossible for a magazine or any static mechanisms completely help you prepare you for YOUR draft. If you rely on nothing but projections, cheat sheets and someone else’s rankings you are doomed to fail.

Remember back in College and High School? How did we get by when studying was too difficult or reading took time away from a party? We bought Cliff Notes and other study aids that assisted you in bypassing the actual learning involved in studying. In fact, with minimal effort, many a drunken and lazy Undergrad was able to make it through.

But did the Cliff Notes’ users excel? Were they top of the class? Of course not.. Doing the minimum might be fine for college. Heck, it might be fine at your job. But in Fantasy Football if you do the minimum, i.e. printing out cheats sheets and rankings, you can expect the same average result in every league you play in-- a 5th-7th place finish, notable for it lack of glory and embarrassment.

Sound like fun in the FFL world? Not to me. I’d rather go for it, on my own, with some knowledge in hand and my own system and notes relied on. Sink or swim, it will have been my choices and I won’t spend the offseason blaming some stupid magazine or online site for my playoff-less finish

Ok, so what’s important in crafting your own personalized pre-draft strategy ? (FWIW – make sure you utilize available websites for updated player information and comparisons of players based on your particular league’s scoring system and number of teams)

1. Draft order – duh, right? Well, in one of my leagues we don’t use a snake system. We actually draft randomly through the entire draft in an order that was picked ONE week prior to the draft. Mock if you want, and many do, but it is fun and unique and eventually things even themselves out over the years and it is actually pretty rewarding finishing ‘in the money’ when saddled with a poor draft position. The point here is where you pick is not the only important thing. Where you pick relative to those around you is just as important in analyzing your draft order, which leads me to strategy #2.


2. Know thy Competition – the longer you play with the same people the easier it will be for you to pick up their tendencies and behaviors. In poker we call this a ‘tell’. In Fantasy Football you should be aware if an owner likes to draft QB’s early or another owner has to have a player from a certain NFL team. Be sure to gather as much of this subtle information as you can. It will help you determine where to grab certain players and when to pass on certain players that you can be believe you’ll be able to get later in the draft.


3. Have a Flexible Plan – in general I know I want to come out of Round 3 with a stud RB and 2 top flight WR’s or flip flop that. What I can’t predict is who they may be OR what ‘reach’ another Owner may make that could throw my strategy out of whack. For instance, my plan is to wait on drafting a QB (like many others do). But if there is a top-tier QB (think round 1 or round 2 quality) available when it’s my turn to select in round 3, then I need to be mentally prepared to shift gears. Don’t get stuck on certain positions in the top rounds just because of the 27 mock drafts you created. Odds are they are all wrong!


4. Let the ‘run’ on a position happen without your involvement -- Drafts are moving, living organisms. Invariably human nature takes over and panic steps in. Often it happens around Tight Ends (no jokes please). There are very few high quality TE’s (again, I am open for humor or a nice picture of Jessica Alba), so when one goes it often starts a run on the remaining TEs in the top tier. But if all of the players you consider to be top tier in a position are gone, then pass on participating in the draft run, especially in the early rounds when there is still a ton of value on the board. On the flip side, if you pay attention to knowing your competition and being flexible (as discussed above), then you very well could create one of these runs and take advantage of some undervalued talent in the very next round.

I hope these four ideas are helpful as you prepare this week. Good luck in your drafts and I would love to hear your thoughts, feel free to send them (or Jessica Alba photos) to gwolchock@gmail.com.

Don’t forget to catch us on the air every Friday Morning and Sunday before kickoff on 790 on the AM dial in Atlanta or streamed live on www.790thezone.com.


Gilly Gator

All things Tiger and Vick

First let me apologize to those of you that are not totally enamored with my sports posts, I realize this is three in a row and I owe you something more insightful soon :).

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger I am so glad you lost. Unlike the scores of people who were saying that yesterday and this morning for a myriad of ignorant and socially incorrect reasons I was glad to see that you were HUMAN! As you may know, I am a HUGE Tiger fan and of course I want him to win and make history, but yesterday there was something poetic in watching him be human and at the same time watching a relative unknown step up and perform under pressure. Today I have read about Tiger choking and even that his career is over. Journalism today has become so full of hyperbole and nonsense. It is what it is. Tiger is human, he suffers from the same frailties as us, how refreshing. Why go off the deep end and suggest his career is over? Phil Mickleson blows leads and tournaments on a regular basis, I have never heard word one that his career was over let along on the decline. I look forward to the day Tiger wins his 19th Major along with his 87th overall tournament (I think that's the record) but yesterday was a refreshing departure from the script.

Speaking of departing from the script, you have the Michael Vick 60 Minutes interview last night. I want so badly to still hate Mike. What he did was deplorable and the extent of the lying makes it even worse, but watching last night I believed him. I know I very well be naive and as one of my closest friends asked me, "Would you feel the same way if he wasn't going to play for your team?". I can't answer that question because he is. Someone also wanted me to compare it to Terrell Owens leaving Philly for Dallas and the fact that I despise T.O. to this day. I thought about the difference. I have no idea who either of these guys are as people though they have given us more than glimpses. What I can say is I think someone can learn from errors in judgement and poor societal moral choices. I don't think someone can change their internal make up and how they view others as human beings. Mike Vick committed atrocious acts, no doubt, but if is no longer doing those things and recognizes he can't isn't it over once he paid his penalty? Owens on the other hand continues in his selfish ways from city to city. He holds himself accountable to no one. Me personally, I'd rather go to battle with Mike, who has shown he can be a teammate, than T.O. who doesn't know what that word means.

America is a place built on second chances. I hope Vick not only gets his second chance but that he fulfills the promise of what a second chance means. If he does he might change the way we look at athletes. If he doesn't then he goes into the pile with the rest of the liars.

How much reality do you want to see?

Watching a public figures life played out in front of you on TV, in print and on the Internet has become an American pastime all to its own. For me it is uncomfortable and strange, but like a huge wreck on the highway it is nearly impossible to not look over and draw your own conclusions.

Last night I got that same feeling when hearing the initial story of Rick Pitino, the Head Basketball Coach at the University of Louisville. I also had a similar feeling after the pictures of Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers Outfielder, but for his plight I feel much more empathy.

The Pitino story, if you haven't heard, is just breaking and details are VERY vague, which helps allowing your mind to wander. What we do know. Pitino had consensual sex with a woman, not his wife, in 2003. At some point the woman began to attempt to extort money from Pitino and now she is on trial and Pitino is a witness. Other interesting tidbits; Pitino gave the woman $3,000 for an abortion. Does that mean Pitino knew he was the father of an unborn child after ONE encounter? Did he feel sorry for her and feel like this would 'sweep the issue under the rug' regardless of who the father is? The last really interesting thing I noticed is the woman's last name, now that she is married --- Sypher. What's in a name? Oh, 6 months after this incident happened she MARRIED one of the coaches on Pitino's STAFF!!!! Hello? Isn't that a little bizarre? So, she has an affair with the head coach, gets pregnant by 'someone', begins extortion on said coach and then DATES AND MARRIES one of his employees and friends...There has got to be a lot more here and no one is really talking. So when no one talks, people will make shit up. That's what is running around in my head --- inventing all of the really juicy stuff that 'could' have happened. I'm not going to type them here, I'll let you use your own imagination, but needless to say, if someone needed a payday, it would make for a great hour on Jerry Springer.

The Hamilton story is much sadder. Again, for the less sports baptized amongst you. Hamilton was a major stud coming out of High School and a #1 pick. In a long and sordid start to his career he got messed up with alcohol and drugs, including all of the 'hard stuff'. Through years of dedication and faith he has turned his life around. Not only has he rejoined the Majors and become an icon, but he has a beautiful young family. Apparently, in January he slipped and drank. Thanks to camera phones and his celebrity status, his fall off the wagon was captured and has now become public more than 6 months later. Unlike Pitino above though, Hamilton didn't wait for the 'smoking gun' to become public to deal with things. The day after the incident Hamilton opened up to his wife, his sponsor and his employer. He held nothing back so that when the 'story' eventually broke it was a non-story. It is what it is, Hamilton will live his life battling his disease and his demons. There are no guarantees he won't slip again, but it does seem that he has learned the most important lesson and that is when you make a mistake, own up to it, ask for forgiveness and realize that only through your positive actions can you truly be forgiven.

Two public stories, handled two different ways makes me think of a line from my favorite Robert Frost poem - "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference".

The Case to make Michael Vick an EAGLE

Yep, I typed it. I can't believe I did it, but I figured if it should happen I wanted to have it in writing so I can say 'I told you so' to the world.

If you are a long time reader, and why would you be since it's been so long since I posted, you will know I am no Mike Vick fan. I find, not just the act that he committed, but the lies he perpetuated and the image he has portrayed as reprehensible. However, I am not looking at this as Mike Vick the man alone, I am looking at it objectively. Where could he fit in as a player and a system.

So, I am looking at my beloved Eagles and thinking why not?

First, as an Owner of a Football Team, my first concern might be community outcry. Philly is NOT Seattle or San Francisco. Sure PETA will protest and there will be rumblings but Philly is at its heart a blue collar town that embraces the underdog (no pun intended); real or not (see Rocky and the fact that he has a statue...). Second, this team is considered a front runner in the NFC and I am not exactly sure why. I love McNabb, but can Westbrook stay healthy, actually is he even healthy to begin with and who are we throwing the ball to again? Third, Vick can be utilized in the West Coast Offense that Andy Reid subscribes to. In fact, where McNabb has lost a step, Vick could be used as a playmaker. Fourth, Mcnabb. One, he is NOT getting any younger and with Kolb getting hurt yesterday, do we have a back up? Also, McNabb has been through the wars and can relate to Mike on just about every level.

The more I think about it, the more I like it, for the FOOTBALL TEAM. Would I run out to buy a Vick jersey? No. I would also explain to my children what he did, how I feel about it and what second, and sometimes third chances are all about.

Who in fact couldn't use a chance to 'rehabilitate' his/her image with a fresh start? Sometimes I wish I could!!!

So I suck at getting back to posts...

though I promise I will, I really do promise, but this is related, it really is.

Last night, while trying NOT to sleep, because why would I sleep when the next morning I am taking a 5:45 SPIN class and then have to hustle home to make the girls' lunches, wake them up, make their breakfast, get myself showered, etc...I mean really why even sleep.

So I am watching Jon Stewart, a re-run no less, but at least it wasn't Sports Center as alas Brad Lidge blew another save and I didn't want to see the lowlights, and Jon mentions one of the GREATEST 80's gadgets of ALL TIME that I can't believe I forgot...

The CASIO CALCULATOR WATCH! Who amongst us did not have this gem and act like we were getting away with some amazing tool in the 7th grade? Looking back, was multiplication and division really that difficult to do by hand?

Anyway, just thought I'd share, plus it reminds me I haven't finished the last post...or one from a little further back...when did I become King Procrastinator????

Happy Birthday to the Walkman!

Can you believe it? This most amazing gadget, well at least to those of us that were pre-teens and teens back then, came out 30 years ago!!

So it got me thinking, while I type on my laptop with its wireless connection and my MAC laptop is next to me 'ripping' custom ringtones as my iPhones recharges off the USB connection about all the gadgets we had back then and how 'most awesome' they were in the words of either Bill or Ted and now how they pale in comparison.

I don't have time right now, but tonight after I take the girls to see the Phils' and Braves and before I get on a plane for 5 days of much needed relaxation and self examination I am going to explore the gadgets that made up my youth and maybe even look at their counterparts today.

I know I won't get them all so if you want to add to my list feel free:

The aforementioned SONY Walkman
8 tracks
two turntables and vinyl
real cable boxes and their long cords connected to the TV
the original 'mobile phone'
How about wall mounted phones and the curly cords that always got knotted and twisted and you had to let them dangle to unknot?
The VCR and Betamax
Word Processors
The Apple IIe or Commodore 64
Nintendo, Intellivision or Atari gaming systems

Processing the loss of Michael Jackson

Quite frankly I am a little surprised by the outpouring of emotion that has been the last 15 or so hours.

Sure, the music of Michael Jackson spans generations and so many people have been touched by his 'gift' from early childhood through many great solo albums and performances well into adulthood. But let's be realistic on the 'musical front', Jackson has not produced a 'relevant' album let alone a single in at least a decade if not closer to two. For me, 'Remember the Time' might be the last thing I recall of Jackson, at least musically that is.

Sticking to his 'pop' legacy, he was truly groundbreaking AND in the right place at the right time. I was talking to a friend last night, who was not yet alive yet when Jackson released Thriller (yikes I think was the quote)! The album and what Jackson did with it visually truly changed the way we think and WATCH music today. I remember rushing home, in my Freshman year in High School, with a group of friends so we could be in front of the TV set for the World Premiere of the Thriller Movie. If I am correct, it ran close to 15 minutes and MTV played it at least 3 times in a row. We sat there mesmerized. Music Television had been out for a couple of years now but Thriller changed it all. There are so many tremendous songs in the Jackson library and it would do me disservice to start naming favorites but there are ones that I can still listen to today and even put them into context of things I can relate to now.

So, I just spent a paragraph and a half glorifying the musical genius of Michael Jackson. You would think I was mourning in the streets or at least on my Facebook status but I am not. But before I get into that, I'd like to explore a thought I had in the middle of the night...

Jackson was Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and even Miley Cyrus well before we even thought of things like that. Jackson and his family grew up in an age without mass media coverage, no cameras in the face, no TMZ snapping shots of them coming out of seedy hotel rooms. Let's be honest, we've seen enough evidence to realize the Jackson kids did not grow up in an ideal household and given the stereotypes of the early 70's lets just assume there was a little bit of recreational drug use and promiscuity around them...Can you inagine the FIELD DAY that all the tabloids and daily trash TV shows would be having if they were around then? Is the transformation that Michael has gone through any less horrific than Lohan? Ummm, she's got drug problems, apparently steals shit and who knows how many sexual partners but is she a pedophile? Have we seen her dangling babies from windows, etc...

So that leads me to my final thought. How can we GLORIFY a man, as gifted as he was, for only one side of his life? If OJ dies tomorrow there will be no candle lighting vigils on the campus of USC or in Buffalo where he is lauded for his football talents. At the end of the day, Jackson was a recluse and a creep at a minimum and a pedophile/child rapist at the worst who preyed on innocent and often sick children for his own satisfaction. Forget the mutilation he did to his own body in modifications and changes, he was NOT a good guy.

Certainly it's a tragic tale and one that the entertainment world and we as consumers should pay attention to. We, as a society, LOVE child stars. We go nuts for them, have pageants and contests to discover them and for what? Our own glory and riches?

To their parents, the Jacksons' were a way out, a means to an end. Look up and down the line of those kids and who amongst them have become well adjusted adults?

There has to be a place for children in 'show business' there always has, but at some point someone must educate the parents and make sure they keep their kids best interest at heart. Ok, I took a strange tangent there, but its related right?

To sum it up - I hope that you find peace Michael. I have and always will enjoy your musical gifts. I will explain to my children, as they have already asked why I think the person on the Thriller video is the same person in the Bad video, that sometimes people change and that pressure can be a very difficult thing to deal with, and also never to talk to strangers no matter how appealing that offer may be...