Hoarders and The Purple Hoard

Hoarding can be a disgusting disease. While many of us are pack rats and save lots of stuff that really don’t need, Hoarders actually have a disease and don’t recognize what they are doing until it’s usually too late. A&E networks has decided to pick up a series that features these hoarders as they go through an intervention (clean up this place or else you’ll be kicked out/loose your kids/go to Santa Rose Mental Institution).

I think this is a very interesting topic but I’m not sure I agree with the way the producers of the show are handling it. For instance, in the last show there were two “cases” featured. In each a professional organizational crew and trash haulers came to each house and helped get rid of what didn’t belong or had to go (rotting food...a detached deck) but in only one case did a Doctor go along to assess the mental well being of the horder(s). It would seem if you’re trying to get people to who are sick to get better, then every “crew” would have a doctor attached.

Furthermore at the end of the episode, only a brief 2-3 line follow up was shown on the screen. When you go to the website (see link above) there is no further information to see if the people featured are currently enrolled in some sort of program or therapy to address their condition. If not then they are more likely to go back to their hoarding ways. It seems to me that if you’ve invested time in the show as a viewer then we deserve some more wrap up that either Bob has gone to therapy and now lives hoard free or Bob has slipped back into his ways and is now throwing cats at neighborhood children if they get too close to his property.

The Purple Hoard (aka the Minnesota Vikings) have seen fit to sign older then dirt quarterback Brett Favre to a 2 year contract. The thing here is not that Favre can’t still play, because if the first half of last year was any indication with my Jets he can still wing that pigskin around the field. The problem that has formed is that his “word” is no longer bond. For all the greatness and success he has enjoyed over his storied NFL career, perhaps the thing he is becoming most known for is being a lying sack of dog excrement. He has “retired” and “unretired” so much in the past few years you’d think that he actually needed the money. What, are those guys at Wrangler not paying you enough to wear their jeans? The best thing that can happen is that Favre gets trampled during his upcoming preseason game this Friday and is knocked out for the season. Now that would be funny!

Ben Stiller Wasn’t Available?

Ok I guess Brett Favre is an ok substitute (as a quarterback not as an actor). So if you don’t know or don’t care, the immortal Mississippi gun-slinging quarterback is now a member of the New York Jets.

I heard of the announced trade this morning on the four-letter’s two-word show (rhymes with “Dorts Renter”) and I have to say that I was very surprised as I thought that we weren’t even in the running.

I’m still trying to take this all in but I have some thoughts on the matter, at least initially:

1) Chad is Out: Farve’s arrival means that the Chad Pennington era is over. Chad is a consummate professional and a great leader. His arm might not have been strong enough to chuck the ball 70 yards downfield but it was always accurate and he could anticipate a receiver coming open 5 yards before the receiver even thinks about it. Pennington will either be released or traded by 4pm ET today and I wish him all the luck in the world and would welcome him back into the Jets family as a heck of a coach when his playing days are over.

2) Favre has not had the best of years recently: Take this last year off the books and look at his previous two years in the league. 32 games played, 38 touchdowns, and 47 interceptions. His passer rating in those two years (70.9 and 72.7) were the lowest two years of his entire career with the exception of his first year in the league with Atlanta when he only attempted four passes.

3) How long will he stay: Favre is 38 and already has retired once. Let’s just say he decides after this year to hang it up again. Then we’ve invested somewhere between a 2^nd and 3^rd round draft pick (see the article on the terms of the trade) for one year of Favre.

Even with all that I think it’s really exciting to see him as a Jet and we’ll have to see where this year takes us. Maybe Mrs. Bloggerman and I will take a pilgrimage up to the Swamps of Jersey to see Gang Green play.