Bling is Bling...Even if it's on the Inside.

Our dog Tyler has finally suffered his first major injury. It’s debatable exactly when this happened, but he has a complete tear of his Cranial Cruciate Ligament (doggie ACL). He’s had some intermittent problems with that leg since winter, but it was never very serious and nothing that a couple days of rest and NSAIDs completely fixed. So it’s possible that he ruptured it months ago and just did extremely well until recently, or he started a tear before and ruptured it last week at the park. Moo point, since either way he’s going under the knife.
He’ll be getting a procedure known as TTA. Tibial Tuberosity Advancement. It’s not a fun thing to look at the descriptions of, so I’m going to skip that. Suffice to say I’ll no longer be the only one in the house who’s had metal surgically implanted in their body.
His rehab will be much shorter than a person’s, but still not really fun for Hayley and me. From the vet’s brief intro and what I’ve read, it’ll be a couple weeks of minimal walking just to get outside and go to the bathroom. Maybe some short 5-minute walks outside if he seems to be okay. After that, each week he gets to move around more and more until about the 8 week mark when he can start getting back to normal activity levels. By 12 weeks he’s supposedly going to be back to 100%. And technically he should be better than he’s been in the prior months since his knee will be fixed instead of broken. Hopefully that means he can return to the dog park and run like a mad dog with all of his new doggie friends.
One important question we still have is whether or not he’ll really be back to normal afterwards. If you read the description of the surgery you’ll notice that they aren’t really restoring the joint’s full stability. They’re just changing the dynamics of the joint in order to hopefully not require the full stability. The vet and the majority of internet searches do confirm the fix, although I haven’t talked to anyone with 1st-hand experience (except the vet, but she’s got a vested interest in making me feel confident). I have a line on a lab that had this procedure done, so hopefully we’ll have some trusted words on what to expect in the coming years.
And why do they do this instead of just replacing the ligament? Seems that since you can’t get a dog to completely stop using their leg for the 6ish weeks it would require to let a replacement heal, they have to find other solutions. Using suture thread and other materials anchored to the bones to simulate the ligament works in smaller and/or less active dogs, but not for large dogs with high energy levels. Aka, our 70# wrecking ball. If he wasn’t so active he wouldn’t have done this in the first place.
So, now that I’ve calmly done the background on things, I’m going to shelve this for another day and finish up after the surgery. Why am I explaining that now instead of just doing it? If you’re asking that question you clearly don’t read many of these and really don’t know me.

And week 1 is coming to an end. He’s doing shockingly well, which I kinda expected. Yeah, that should make it not shocking, but here we are. The first couple days were pretty tough on all of us. He was all knocked out from the annestesia; we felt pretty bad watching our tough guy hobble around with his freshly shorn leg. But it was but a few days before he was starting to get his energy back and feel well enough to try to sneak onto the couches and play his old games. He’s still got very little energy, which works great for us. He’s got about 30 minutes where he wants to play with his Snoopy (kindly donated by the good people at MetLife) before he goes back to just laying around.
But he’s walking much, much better already and only chewed out 1 stitch. We’re not 100% sure he got 1 out, or when he would have done it, but it sure looks like 1 is missing. And since he sleeps without his cone of shame, he had plenty of opportunity.
He gets his 2 week check-up next week at which point I’ll try to get a copy of his x-rays showing his new inter-bling.
PEACE!

No Other Primate Takes Medicine, But That Doesn't Stop Anyone.

So it's my final day of The Summer of Jarod. And as such I'm spending my afternoon watching the first half of the 2nd season of How I Met Your Mother. Granted I did some crunches and push-ups, but that doesn't count for much. The only other exercise I'll likely get today was Tyler and my walk down to Wissahickon Creek this morning.
Anyways...recently a couple friends watched a movie touting the benefits of living a vegan lifestyle. The movie even presents a few freak cases of people that can live normal non-protein-deficient life given the correct mix of expensive and exotic supplements and powders. And I have no problem with that decision. If that's how they want to spend their time and money, that's their call. I like expensive craft beer; they like expensive rice protein powders. Tomato; tomato.
However, one point that got made stuck with me. The remark that humans are the only adult animal that not only drinks milk, but also the milk of another animal. And that furthermore it's wrong. So because we're the only animal on the planet that does something it's wrong. Naturally that leads into all the other things that humans are either the only ones to do or not do.
Medical Sciences. What other animal on the planet can manufacture drugs like antibiotics, NSAIDs, antivirals, etc. What animal can perform life-saving surgeries? I don't think I've ever seen an ape performing a triple bypass, so we should probably give those up.
Cultivation of Crops. As much damage to the environment as we're doing with excessive fertilizer and proprietary seeds, it's still the foundation for our society. Without our ability to cultivate crops to feed our populations, we'd be down millions of people.
Written Language. Even see a jungle cat writing in their diary? Possibly a grizzly bear opening up a newspaper to catch up on current events? And while I have seen birds poop on a crossword puzzle in seemingly methodical fashion, that certainly doesn't count.
Cooking and Food Preservation. I'll admit that all other animals seem to be doing okay without cooking. However, since they have no means of preserving food or changing the nutritional content of their food to a more digestible form, they have to just accept what they can get when they can get it. It's partly tied to medical science, which is what you need when you eat old raw meat. Our expansion across the continent was fueled by our cultivation of crops and means of preservation and cooking of perishable meats and cheeses.
Not Resorting to Cannibalism. I'd wager a guess that most animals on the planet will readily resort to cannibalism given the chance. Monkeys and bears are well documented to do it. The great cats? Yup. Bugs? Constantly. Humans? It's really something we frown upon. There are remote tribes rumored to do it, and evidence that former colonies of humans have done it, but it's not something we accept. Clearly, that's a poor decision on our part as humans.

Alright, I think I've made my point. And I'm really running out of steam and need to refocus on my stories. Doesn't count as the Summer of Jarod if I'm putting in a non-trivial amount of work. And I need to go find some snacks.
The real point is that just because no other animal on earth has figured out a way to collect a nutrient and calorie packed food source does not mean it's wrong. I joked about it on facebook before, but I really do believe that if a monkey could figure out a way to collect milk from another animal they'd do it. Rock-hard starchy unripe fruit vs a delicious glass of lemur milk? That's a rhetorical question.
Mmmmm...lemur milk.
PEACE!!

New Town, Same Me

So the move to Philadelphia is complete. It's been just over 2 weeks and we're already settling in nicely and learning the area. Helps that we're in a lively neighborhood with plenty of bars, restaurants, shops, etc within walking distance. And I already managed to find myself a job. 6-month contract gig at a medical company. Hopefully it goes well for both parties and we can make it permanent in '12.
Another upside is that this is an extremely dog-friendly area. There always seems to be people walking their dogs everywhere. Anyone with outdoor seating has no problem with dogs chillin' under the table while you eat/drink. In fact, most shops have bowls of water on the sidewalk and treats at the counters. It's great. Now we just need to get Tyler to realize he's a 70lb monster and can't act like a puppy when we're in public.
Now then, the bad side. Seems that every major city in the north-east and mid-atlantic has to have some terrible city planning thing going on. Boston had that maze of twisting 1-way streets combined with an apparent fear of signs. Our little neighborhood of Manayunk has an even better problem. For whatever reason, they decided that streets should maintain their names even if the street ends for 3 blocks before picking up again. Let me give you great example (Dexter St in 19128 if the link fails):
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=dexter+st+19128&hl=en&ll=40.026037,-75.215642&spn=0.005529,0.011362&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=46.543597,93.076172&z=17
Dexter street starts nearby at Green Lane, goes for 1 block to Lyceum, takes a heathly jog, continues to Monastery and takes another jog, then goes for 3 blocks before ending at Roxborough Ave. But wait, that's not the end. It resumes 5 blocks later at Shurs Lane. And that's not an isolated case. Most streets in this area seem to just stop and start randomly at some point. So combined with the frequent 1-way streets it makes navigating by car a bit of a challenge. And since it's built on a pretty steep hill, I get lots of clutch work.
And naturally there are annoying blue laws. Beer can only be purchased from authorized distributors and only by the case. Except that some bars can sell 6-packs at horribly inflated prices. Wine and liquor? Those have their own special stores. So not only do I have to abandon my habit of buying 6-packs of lots of things to try, if we're having a party we'll have to hit 3 different stores to get the required adult beverages.
Car titling and registering? That was outsourced to the private sector. So you go to the DMV to get your license, then head over to a private business in order to get your plates and PA title.
All in all it's been a great couple weeks. The bars here have an incredible array of microbrews from around the country and globe. (An especially great one is roughly 100 paces from my front door. And we're on a first-name basis with the manager already.) We met a great group of people that bring their dogs to the park every day for some off-leash play time. The array of trails along Wissahickon Creek is a short 5-minute drive from our place. That includes some serious mountain bike trails as well as some more tame cruising trails along with miles of walking trails.
So here's to hoping that my job goes well, that Hayley settles into her new hospital well, and that this is more than just a 3-year bump in the road for us.
Also, if anyone is in or from the Philly area feel free to pass on any tips on favorite places to visit, eat, drink, etc. There's only so much we can figure out on our own.
PEACE!!

I'M not welcome at YOUR party?!

Let’s say you’re a group of people (a demographic, if you will) that have a history of being repressed and are looking for acceptance into the general public as equals. You decide to rent out some space at a popular bar and have a little celebration where people in your demographic can get together and support each other. With the support of your employer, you then hang up posters for the event on the bulletin boards around work to share the event with others. What’s something you probably shouldn’t do if you want other people/groups/demographics to accept you as equals? State that only members of your demographic are welcome to attend. So much for equality and acceptance.
That’s exactly what the LGBT group here at work has done. On multiple occasions, no less. Every time they have a meeting, party, gathering, etc, they state in no uncertain terms that only other LGBT people are welcome to attend. Straight folks? Sorry, you’re not one of them and can’t join in their reindeer games. But wait, if any other group organized a party and told the LGBT crowd that they weren’t invited there would be protests and lawsuits.
{picks up dictionary}


hyp•o•crite noun \ˈhi-pə-ˌkrit\: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.


When they had their pride event here at work, in a conference room in the building, and stated that only LGBT people could attend, I was annoyed but was somewhat understanding. Maybe some of them didn’t want their straight coworkers knowing they were gay and it was the only way for them to make that first step. Even with that in mind, it’s still not really kosher to have an exclusive event for a group that’s asking for inclusion. The Asian pride event wasn’t exclusive. African American event? All were welcome. Every other pride event was open except for the LGBT event. (Insert closet jokes here)
And when you think about it, what other demographic can really have their own event at a local bar without it causing some problems? I haven’t seen the Chinese people here organizing a night out for their families. Black night at Tommy Doyle's? Guess what would happen if I put up posters for a straight white guy night at CBC? I can pretty much bet that HR would be giving me a call within minutes of staples hitting cork. And I’m sure the more vocal members of the LGBT group would have some choice words for me. Even though that would be well within my rights and exactly the same thing they did. It’s unfair, I tell ya.
I fully support repressed groups moving to organize and fight for their rights to be considered equal. But part of being an equal is letting everyone else play in your sandbox. It’s a tough step to take, going from your tightly-knit community with your personal identity to just being anonymous people among the masses, but that’s what you have to be if you want to be equal. If you don’t want me to act like it’s a big deal that you’re gay, then you have to act like it’s no big deal.
And to me, it isn’t a big deal. Do I necessarily want to see gay guys making out at a bar? Not really, but I also don’t want to see a lot of straight people making out either. Not ideal, but you need to be happy with what you get from me sometimes.
PEACE!! (and inclusion for all races, creeds, colors, and preferences)

Blackhawks Woes and Tyler Too

The Blackhawks have dropped to first 2 games in their series against the Canucks. And it kills me to say that I'm not too surprised. The Canucks have watched the Hawks end their season the last 2 years and really really want to get that monkey off their backs. They're the top team in hockey (record-wise) while the Hawks snuck in the playoffs on the final day. But those issues aren't the key factor in the 2 losses. In my opinion things have been very close in all aspects of the game. The teams are well matched in terms of raw skill, experience, and goaltending. The Canucks, however, have something that the Hawks lack this year. A player or 2 that makes the game uncomfortable for the other team. For all their skill, the Hawks just don't have that pest this year that gets under peoples' skin as well as forcing them to always look over their shoulder. Last year we had guys like Versteeg, Byfuglien, Bolland, Eager, Burish, Ladd. They all...most of them...had good skill and were threats to score key goals, but most importantly they knew how to take the ice and get teams out of their game. Crushing hits, poking, proding, yapping, tough physical play, they just wore you out physically and mentally until you just didn't want to play any more. You couldn't focus on what you wanted to do in the game because you had to spend so much time and effort worrying about them. That not only keeps teams from getting into a groove against you but also frees up your top skill guys to get their work done.
This year it's the Canucks that have those guys. Guys like Elder that just keep coming at you all game long. That really strong forecheck that throws your break-outs off by just enough. That presence in front of the net to distract the goalie and get some cheap rebound goals. The Hawks don't have anyone that can get down low and piss off Luongo this year. Guys try, but it's too easy to move them out and they just don't have that instinct to piss people off.
Game 2 was much better than game 1 and we finally had some things working. Luckily Corey Crawford is proving to be the real deal and has made several monster saves. Newbie Ben Smith has really come on and is playing incredible hockey (for a rookie in the playoffs) right now. Hopefully a trip home is what they need to get the energy back and right the ship. This team has the skill to go as far as their heart wants to take them. Here's to hoping that's at least to the second round, sending the f'n Canucks home to clean their panties for a third straight year.

Hayley has officially begun her Jamaican vacation with her mom today. So far it just feels odd to have the house to myself for this long. I don't remember the last time that happened. I'm also realizing that talking to Tyler is actually more rewarding than talking to Hayley most nights. On most nights she's too buys and exhausted to even hear what I'm saying, let alone act like she cares. Quite often she doesn't even realize I'm talking to her. Tyler, on the other hand, acts like I'm unraveling the mysteries of the universe. Ears perk up, stops whatever he's doing, listens intently. So even though the comprehension is roughly the same, it just feels better. And if I'm talking details/strategy for hockey or baseball the comprehension is really about equal. Actually, Tyler might win this round. Anything new things Hayley does learn probably pushes something else out. Most of what's left in her head has to do with doctoring. So if she is able to absorb something hockey-related that I'm talking about she's probably walking away with a net drop in IQ. Since Tyler's head is only full of strategies on how to make the insides of all his toys end up on the outside and which of the dozen holes in the yard his good kong ball is currently in, he's not losing anything.
Okay, time to get back to my full night of Cubs and playoff hockey. Tyler is in his usual spot on the couch inches away from me. Apparently he can't nap unless he can touch me. I think he's trying to soak up my wealth of knowledge through doggie osmosis. That, or he knows that's a great place to lie in wait for food scraps.
PEACE!

Don't beat up the Ignorant

So I've been watching alot of Californication recently. Really great show. I've been pleasantly surprised by the writing. Definitely not something I'd want my parents watching. Or something I'd watch with them if they did decide to watch. Or even something I want to think about them watching. But that's all besides the point.
A few times the main character, Hank Moody (David Duchovny), who is quite the ladies man, has found himself in more than his share of infidelity situations. Usually through no fault of his own. That naturally doesn't stop the scorned man from trying to take out his anger/frustration on Hank. This, I feel, is completely inappropriate. Especially in real-life situations. I know you're pissed and need some outlet, but before you throw down with some stranger for defiling your betroved, make sure he's done something wrong. If your girl picked him up at some bar without mentioning her boyfriend he's not wrong and doesn't deserve a beating.
I've actually been on the first half of this situation. Luckily not the 2nd half. Before I continue I'd like to mention that this all happens prior to any more-than-friends conversation with Hayley. Many years ago I was attending the fall party at a local brewery. Big outdoor event with good beer, bands, food, extra. As the night wore on our small band of merry makers ended up mingling with a group of female merry makers. Things between myself and a young lady started to head in a non-friendly direction. Flirting and...what not. A gentleman never kisses and tells. That seems like a safe policy so I will also adopt it. However, once the party was over and we were all exiting, things seemed to change. Didn't seem so eager to continue hang out, not really interested in getting together later, nothing. After consulting with her friend as to what was going on, it turned out she actually has a boyfriend. Obviously with some issues, but a boyfriend none the less. And while nothing really happened, had he showed up in the middle of the night and saw some of the events, he would have been none too pleased. And naturally I would have likely been the target of his displeasure. All's well that ends well and no one was hurt.
Obviously no one ever wants to discover that their one and only doesn't feel the same. And doesn't act the same. But take 30 seconds and find out what the real story is before you do something unjust. One of the very few morals I try to live by is never punishing the innocent. I've been punished as an innocent and it just sucks.
And now it's time to put this week, and myself, to bed. Tyler successfully stayed home all day by himself, with a lunchtime walk courtesy of Tail Waggerz, and didn't wreck the house. Encouraging sign for the next week when he needs to do this every day until his face gash heals up completely. He just walked himself upstairs for bed time and I shall follow.
PEACE!!

Fish Counts as Meat

So recently I was sent into another of my cycles of anger at people who calls themselves vegetarian or vegan yet still eat things like fish and shellfish. Hell, some 'vegetarians' eat chicken from time to time.
I'm not a big fan of labels. I've never really fit any typical labels and never tried to. (No, sarcastic prick does not count as a label.) And I really don't care what other people decide to label themselves if they so choose. If you to make a life decision and put a label on it, that's your call. I will however get miffed if you don't actually live up to that label. The only thing worse that giving yourself a label is giving yourself a label that you're not. Do you see me walking around telling people I'm half black?
Back to my earlier beef (pun intended), fish and shellfish count as meat. There is no moral difference between a tilapia filet and a filet mignon. They are both the muscle tissue of something that used to have a brain and feelings. If the only meat you can bring yourself to eat is clams and mussels I have no problem with that. You just can't call yourself a vegetarian.
This time I did give it real thought and softened my stance a bit. Turns out pretty much everyone does this at least occasionally. Raise your hand if you call yourself Catholic and actually follow every letter of the laws set by the bible and Pope. Anyone? Thought so. Not even priests can claim that they do this. However, without getting into a discussion regarding my stance on the Catholic church and their slowly changing bible interpretations, I will say that it is different to bend the laws of one's religion than the details that determine a semi-arbitrary label. There is no central dogma of being a vegetarian. It's not ethical or no vegetarians would wear leather and suede. It's not about responsibility to the planet, since they don't make any concessions for locally and responsibly raised livestock. And it's definitely not because meat is icky, as you can turn most 'vegetarians' back to the good side with just a couple strips of delicious thick-cut smoked bacon. Mmmm...bacon.
And now that I'm thinking of some delicious grass-fed pasture-raised ribeye steaks from my meat guy I need to go. It's pretty much impossible to put together an intelligent thought when all I can think about is grilling a locally raised cow.
I will take a second to recommend that everyone take some time and check out www.epicmealtime.com It's absolutely incredible.
PEACE!

Friday Night Party!!

So here it is; Friday night! Time to rip it up! Unless your wife is a doctor and you own a furry wrecking ball of a dog. Then you have to stay home alone managing this 70lb monster while the wife pulls a 24-hour shift. Yes, your Friday nights take on a whole new meaning.
Funny thing is, I revert back to college Jarod as soon as Hayley leaves me home alone on a Friday/Saturday night. Almost. In college we'd be over at the 406 spiking beers (whole 'nother story), throwing parking cones into a ceiling fan, and probably roaming campus looking for couches we can rip apart and throw into trees. But since I didn't want to come home to a ruined house, I was home around 7:30pm to start entertaining the monster. If it wasn't for Tyler I'd still be out enjoying our post-work wobbly pops instead of home doing this. But that's when the downsides started.
Dinner tonight was essentially a child's dinner. I had a hot dog sandwich and tater tots. That means 3 kosher beef hot dogs, a handful of shredded sharp cheddar, 2 slices of bread, and a toaster oven tray of tots. Yeah, that'll seem like a great idea tomorrow morning. How old am I again?
I do get to enjoy some truly bad action movies that I otherwise wouldn't be able to watch in peace. Hayley requires silly things like plots and acting skills in her movies. I'm plenty happy with good special effects, car chases, fight scenes, and scantily clothed actresses. Tonight's selection was Death Race. A quality flick that even gave me a topic for a future blog. Puppy wasn't as much of a fan as all the explosions and gun fire seemed to interrupt his sleeping. It was 2 hours of everything I love and Hayley hates.
And now it's only 10:45pm and I'm running out of energy and bad TV to watch. It's a little disturbing how little watchable TV is on for a Friday night. You'd think there would be some reasonably garbage on right now. And you'd think I'd be able to put something a bit more interesting/coherent together. But I guess that's what happens you drink delicious craft beer while watching bad movies and wrestling with a now snoring loudly dog.
PEACE!!

Selling our House

So the process of selling our house is officially underway. 1 open house has been completed, we're listed on MLS as of last week, and our boy Phil Smith (Prudential Realty) is working his magic to get this thing sold.
I know it's clique-ic, but it's very true that your house never looks as good as it does right before you leave. In our case that's mostly due to laziness and scheduling. Hayley's schedule didn't leave her much time to paint and decorate and the like; my laziness did the same. I also don't really have the urge for decorating. I'm more of a fix-it and project guy. Painting rooms, hanging pictures, that's just not my thing. I personalize through things I build and the messes I make. And of course my TV rig and my butt-dent in the couch. Watching countless hours of college football and Cubs games teach you nothing if not how to properly set up your couch, tables, and remotes.
The other downside to selling is putting the glaring light on all of your house's flaws. What seem like quirks to you are issues that need fixing to someone else. The little patch of bad carpet in the landing from where I built that linen closet and moved the attic stairs? Hayley and I know exactly how awesome the new setup is and gladly overlook that spot. But not these strangers that are wandering around my house poking at everything. It's just another thing on their "this will have to get fixed" list. If they only knew what it used to be. Same with the yard. It's rough, I know it. But 4 years ago it was mostly crab grass with a touch of real grass mixed in. I've worked awfully hard to get it to where there is very little crab grass left.
But I'm not entirely sad about all these things. I'm proud of the jobs I did and I will miss finishing a few and not doing some others. But I'm glad to have had the experience. This being our first home I learned quite a bit. It's one thing to grow up helping your dad do all these projects. But once you're the big man with the tool belt and power saw it's a whole different ball game. Suddenly the phrase 'measure twice cut once' takes on a whole new meaning. Pads of graph paper left over from college once again have a use. The fine folks at Lowe's become your favorite people in the world. And the next time I get to do these things I'll be that much better at it.
Speaking of which, 1 big bummer is going back to renting for 3 years. While we initially wanted to buy in Philly, it's just not going to be cost effective. We'd have to close June 1st and hope the market doesn't drop just to break even. And then hope we like our new sight-unseen neighborhood. So no more ambitious house projects. No more randomly tearing things apart just because I can. And while we will still have a yard, it won't be as rewarding to spend all those hours working on it. I guess I'll just have to befriend people with homes I can work on when I'm bored.
In the interim, wish us luck in our selling efforts and our ability to find a nice house to rent in Philly. And of course keep your eyes and ears peeled for notice of our going-away party. Hayley will cry alot; I'll drink alot; all will be as it always was.
PEACE!

Tackling Drills

Maybe it's just me, but it seems as if NFL defenders get worse and worse at tackling every year. I'd like to think that it's just the offensive players getting more and more elusive, but from the look of the terrible technique that isn't very likely. Everyone seems to be going for the giant highlight-reel hit instead of breaking down and making a solid form tackle.
I just watched Michael Turner run through 3 or 4 Packers defenders en route to a touchdown. And most of those guys were just throwing shoulders and arms trying to bring down a big powerful running back. That's just not going to happen. Does it look glamorous to have a guy bowl you over while making a tackle? No. But it's better than whiffing on the hit and watching him run down the field for big yards.
In high school you work on form tackling starting on day 1 and continuing until the very last day of the season. Every practice involves some type of tackling drill. You get trained on how to come in under control, get you head across their body, shoulder into the midsection, wrap up, and drive with your legs. You don't tuck in your arms and try to knock them down. You don't throw your body at their knees. You don't sprint in out of control so they only have to move by 12" to make you go flying by.
I remember my senior year playing on kick-off coverage. We were playing Palatine HS who had their stud (who was voted Mr. Illinois at the end of the year) returning kicks. The guy was a beast. 6-4 240lbs. And sure enough me, all of 5-9 180, had a shot at him on the opening kick. I'd love to say that I came in there and blew him up. Quite the opposite. Tackling him was like tackling a telephone pole. But it was a perfect form tackle. Shoulder to the gut, wrapped him up, and even though he ran through me, he only got a couple more yards before I had him on the ground. (And not for nothing, the coaches did single the play out in our video session on Monday.)
I'd love to see a return to some quality tackling in the NFL and college ranks. I love to see big crushing hits as much as anyone. But I only really respect the guys that did it with good technique. With the renewed focus on limiting shots to the head and dangerous hits, I think we may see a return of proper form. Players will finally be rewarded for tackling the correct way instead of glorifying the guys that don't.