A lot can happen in 18 days. For instance, 18 days ago, April 7, that lovable loser Phil Mickelson still was searching for his first golf major.
In all walks of life, 18 days is a hefty chunk of time. All except the NBA, where 18 days is the length of first round of the playoffs (April 17 to May 4).
One measly round is allotted 18 days. Does it really take 432 hours, more than 21/2 weeks, for Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojakovic to settle their differences?
Somewhere on the planet, something has been born, lived a full and complete life cycle, and died of natural causes in a span of 18 days. How much has Phil Jackson gotten done in that time?
You could go to sleep after watching a few Game 1's on April 17, take a two-week nap, wake up and catch a few Game 6's and 7's, after which the playoffs will be only 25 percent complete with three more rounds to play.
Bears might be on to something; please wake me and Winnie the Pooh from our hibernation at about, say, Game 4 of the conference finals.
Yes, NBA playoff games are taxing for the 40-minute-a-night guys such as Nowitzki and Stojakovic, but not that taxing. Spacing things out exploits the heightened interest in cities with participating teams, but for the rest of us, we just don't have the time.
Wake us up for the conference finals.
Tillman's sacrifices were reminders of the past
The end came, apparently, in a firefight in a highly dangerous part of Afghanistan for U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman.
What the former Arizona Cardinals safety was doing in one of the more volatile spots on Earth when he could have been enjoying the gilded life of a multimillionaire pro athlete is a source of wonder and inspiration. Back in the day, when Ted Williams flew fighter jets, pro athletes routinely performed military service. Those days are long gone, with the glowing exception of Tillman.
Tillman lived with a conviction and purpose we all wish we could summon. An afterthought when he arrived at Arizona State, he became Pac-10 defensive player of the year. A seventh-round pick, he set a Cardinals single-season record with 224 tackles. With amultimillion dollar contract in 2002, he joined the military.
Wealth and fame left him unfulfilled, yet Tillman's noble pursuit was belittled by the cynical and clueless, whose contaminated minds can't fathom such pure intentions.
Tillman shunned all media and embraced his much more valuable occupation. His death evoked widespread emotional outpouring because so many are able to apply a name, face and story to the tragedy.
Hopefully this extraordinary individual found the fulfillment he sought. May Tillman's selfless, unwavering commitment serve as a model to all.
