Rob Dibble is the worst color commentator in all of baseball. I would venture to guess that he’s the worst color commentator in any sport, on any level, in any media format.

For those of you who don’t know, Rob Dibble is the CC (from here on out “CC” equals “Color Commentator”) for the Washington Nationals, who you likely know as the worst team in baseball. Typically, combining the experience of watching a Nats game and listening to Dibble analyze a Nats game is similar to torture. Errors on the field. Errors in the booth. And yet, I torture myself pretty regularly.

On any given weeknight, you’ll find me in my man cave (living room) screaming at my TV, not because of a play the Nats made, but because of something Dibble said that was completely foolish, wrong, hyperbolic, homeristic, etc. And it doesn’t help that he’s joined by a pretty terrible play-by-play man in Bob Carpenter.

That brings us to this post, because the game is starting. Tonight, I will chronicle everything that Dibble says during tonight’s game, that I find objectionable on any level. Enjoy. I sure won’t.
————————————————————————————————-

We’re live from Philadelphia for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Phillies. Tonight’s pitching matchup would be marquee if the marquee was on the side of a strip club somewhere in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Kyle Kenrick (PHI) vs. Craig Stammen (WAS). This could be a long night. Dibble and Carpenter just set us up by telling us that Pudge Rodriguez is hitting the ball well for the Nats, as is Josh Willingham, but not Ryan Zimmerman, who is out of tonight’s lineup with a nagging hamstring injury. Not a bad start by either. I’m concerned that this could be a clean broadcast. Let’s hope not. Here goes absolutely nothing, folks: (this will not be a running diary, rather an accumulation of Dibble-isms, written in real time and not edited. All quotes will (probably sadly) be actual quotes.)

Top 1st
– On Kyle Kendrick: “He’s like Joe Blanton. But not as good as him. We’re gonna get some hits on him.”
– “Got’em”–Dibble notifying us that Nyjer Morgan was hit by a pitch that clearly hit him in the leg. Dibble has a habit of calling a game like a fan in the stands would comment to his friends.
– “With your 3, 4, 5 guys coming up, you’d like to have at least one of those guys on base.” –Dibble commenting after Willie Harris hits into a 4-6-3 double play. Oh, really? You want runners on base with your best hitters up.
-“We got a great chance here: Rollins is out (of the lineup), Werth is out.”–Dibble forgetting that the Nats are without Ryan Zimmerman tonight.
-Dibble just said JA Happ’s name with disgusted contempt for some reason.
-Dibble just called Joe Blanton a “meat and potatoes guy.” More like a “doughnuts and more doughnuts, please guy.”
-“C’mon Willy!”–Dibble yelling at Josh Willingham as he rounds third on a bases clearing, 3-run double for Adam Kennedy, which Dibble calls, “huge.”
-“This is when we’ve got to pour it on.”–Dibble is now a coach and not a CC. He analyzes nothing and just gives advice. Pudge grounds out to end this very long inning. I might not be able to do this all night.

Bottom 1st
-“Shane Victorino was bouncing around like (pauses, looking for end of simile) a kid on Christmas Day.”–In reference to Victorino not having a set spot in the batting order so far this season.
-Dibble just spent Shane Vicorino’s entire seven pitch at-bat talking about Ryan Howard and the changes to his hitting approach this season.
-“This guy’s something idn’t he?”–Dibble on Placido Polanco. That’s all he said when Polanco stepped to the plate. What the hell does that even mean?
-He just told us that you’ve got to bring your A-game against the Phillies. Hard-hitting analysis.
-Dibble just stated that “even a home run here, I’m only down a run. No big deal.” A home run here would be a no-out grand slam in the bottom of the first by Ryan Howard. Ask Joe Biden what kind of a deal that would be.
-He just compared pitching to hitting the green on your second shot in golf. (I have no idea.)
(Howard hits a two-run single)
-Dibble is concerned that Howard might steal second here, in the first inning, with no outs. He even points out that he was 7/8 last year stealing bases.
(Greg Dobbs hits an RBI-double. This is getting ugly. 3-3 game.)
-“This game is a long way from over. It’s a 1-0 game right now…” No, it’s not, Rob. It’s 4-3. 1 out. In the bottom of the first.
-Dibble just said that a pitcher should be licking his chops looking at the Phillies lineup. *shrug*
-“You’re in a street fight right now and you’ve just got to get to the bell here.” I don’t know how many street fights Dibble’s been in, but I don’t think there are bells.
(This inning mercifully ends. I think this post might do that soon too.)

Top 2nd
-“Atta boy.” Dibble talking over Bob Carpenter as Alberto Gonzalez leads off the inning with a double.
-He just used the pronoun “we.” I hate when he does that.
-He’s now advising Craig Stammen on how to bunt.
-He’s now advising Nyjer Morgan on how to hit.
-He just made some weird noises as Morgan lines the ball to left for a base hit, setting up 1st and 3rd with 1 out.
-“C’mon Willie.” Dibble cheering on Willie Harris.
-He just said “our.”
-He just said “our” again.
-He just sighed, “Man,” for no reason at all. None.
-Willie Harris’s nickname is “hot rod?”
-“C’mon Willie.” Again, cheering on Willie Harris. This is an epic half inning for Dibble. Vintage.
-He just said that Kendrick shouldn’t just be throwing his sinker down and away. He should be “moving it all around.” Yea, hang a sinker up in there.
(Bases loaded, 1 out. This game is horrible)
-“C’mon Nyjer” and “My Man!”–Dibble excited at Cristian Guzman’s two-run single. 5-4 Nats now.
(Side note: Bob Carpenter just called “infield fly rule” on a fly ball to the outfield)
-(laughing) “We’re not even through 1 1/2 innings and this game is an hour old.”–Truer words were never spoken.
-“(laughing. lots of laughing)”–Fan interference on a ground ball down the line is hilarious to Rob Dibble.
(Kyle Kendrick gets booed out of the park after 1 2/3 innings of garbage.)
(Dibble says not a word as Nelson Figueroa gets Adam Kennedy to ground out to end the top of the inning.)

And that’ll be all folks. 1 hour for an inning and a half. I’m going to quit while I’m behind. Please ignore the errors above (by me) and enjoy the errors by Dibble.

I had a number of different title options here. “Perfecting the Imperfect” was my other favorite. But I digress…

I’ve been trying my best and doing a fairly good job of being a fan of the Washington Nationals. I am doing this because, well, why not? They’re my local team. I’m certainly not jumping on any bandwagon (and if so, it’s a pretty lousy bandwagon). And frankly, they need the support. There are a lot of people who live here in the DC area who are Nationals fans in theory, but not in practice. They like the idea of having a Major League team because it gives them something to do and someplace to go to hang out and drink beer outside, but they don’t quite love the whole, “bad baseball” thing. I’m different. I watch the games on TV. I follow the team daily. I stress out about roster moves. You could say that I’m a fan.

Up until recently, I would not call myself a Nats fan. It’s like saying you’re a fan of not sleeping or a fan of traffic. I have a lot of issues with the Nationals, but issues aside, I want nothing more (in terms of baseball) than for them to succeed. Not because this city “needs it” (it doesn’t deserve it, frankly). Not because they’re due (Paging the Pittsburgh Pirates…Paging the Pittsburgh Pirates). No, I want this team to succeed because, well, I’m actually not sure. The players deserve it. Ryan Zimmerman especially. And frankly, the dedicated fan base (and there is one…every team has dedicated fans) deserves to see a winning product. I have a lot of respect for the people who go to Nationals Park and root for the worst team in baseball every night. Baseball isn’t like the other sports. You really get no respite from the failure.

If you travel up Route 295 from Nationals Park for about 45 minutes, you end up staring at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles. It wasn’t until roughly 20 hours ago that I realized that the Orioles are kind of my home team too. All of their games are broadcast on local television here. In fact, they own the network that airs Nationals games.

The similarities end there between the two teams though. The Nats are the new team who came in and stole some fans from the Orioles fan base. There were lots of people who live between Washington and Baltimore who are closer to the DC end and weren’t terribly loyal to Baltimore because they had grown disillusioned with the ownership. And so the Orioles lost some fans when the Expos moved here in 2005. Orioles owner Peter Angelos tried hard to keep the Expos out of DC for many years, ultimately to no avail. There’s not a lot of love lost between the two organizations, but frankly there’s also not a whole lot of real hatred either. They might be geographical rivals and they might be cross-League rivals, but really, neither team is very good right now. So watching the two teams play against each other is kind of like watching the two weakest kids in school get into a fistfight. Initially it sounds entertaining because the word fight (in this case “rivalry”) is tossed around, but really, it’s just a lot of weak, futile fists flailing about. And no matter who wins, no one really wins.

And then last night, a great idea occurred to me. What if the two teams combined into one “super” team? Would that team be “super?” You be the judge. Here I present to you my melding of the two teams’ current 40 man rosters into one 25-man roster. For posterity’s sake, lets place them in the AL East (and move the Pirates to the NL East). Where would this team finish?

Catcher: Matt Wieters (Baltimore). This is a no contest between Wieters and Pudge Rodriguez. Wieters is a power hitting catcher in his early 20’s with tremendous upside. Pudge Rodriguez is a useless stopgap until Derek Norris is ready to move to catcher for Washington (If he ever gets there. There are many who don’t think he projects out to be a ML catcher. We’ll see)

First Baseman: Adam Dunn (Washington). Also a no contest. Baltimore’s 1B is Garrett Atkins, a serviceable option, but nowhere near the power hitter that Dunn is.

Second Baseman: Brian Roberts (Baltimore). Again, not even close between Roberts and Adam Kennedy.

Third Baseman: Ryan Zimmerman (Washington). The easiest no-brainer so far. Miguel Tejada couldn’t carry Zimm’s glove at this point in his career.

Shortstop: Ian Desmond (Washington). Not a lot of talent (yet) on either roster at SS. I take the younger Desmond and his potential over whatever it is that Cesar Izturis or Julio Lugo provide.

Left Field: Nyjer Morgan (Washington). I’m cheating by moving Morgan to LF, but there isn’t enough speed on this team and while Nolan Reimold (Baltimore) would be my choice over Josh Willingham (Washington), Morgan provides an element that every team needs: A man named Nyjer. Also, speed.

Center Field: Adam Jones (Baltimore). Moving on…

Right Field: Nick Markakis (Baltimore). Ditto. I mean, sorry Willie Harris, but you had no chance.

DH (remember, AL): Josh Willingham (Washington). Really, a very underrated hitter. He’s hit 20+ HR 3 times in his 4 full Major League seasons. And has a career OPS of .840. Not bad from a guy many people disregard.

Bench: Nolan Reimold, Ivan Rodriguez, Garrett Atkins and Julio Lugo

Starting Pitchers: Jason Marquis, John Lannan, Stephen Strasburg…remember 40 man rosters..(Washington), Kevin Millwood and Brian Matusz (Baltimore)

Relief Pitchers: Matt Capps, Brian Bruney, Jason Bergmann (Washington), Will Ohman, Mike Gonzalez, Cla Meredith, Jim Johnson (Baltimore)

Batting Order:

LF Nyjer Morgan
2B Brian Roberts
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam Dunn
CF Adam Jones

An MLB Preview in fewer than 1,000 words. Possible? Like Kevin Garnett, anything is possible.

Predicted Order of Finish

AL East:

1. Boston
2. Tampa Bay (AL Wild Card)
3. New York
4. Baltimore
5. Toronto

Breakdown: I don’t think the fire will be there with the Yankees this year after winning last year. The Red Sox have the deepest rotation in the division, a lineup that, if it’s not the best, is 1a, and the best manager in the American League, no matter what Matt Minton says. Tampa Bay will score a ton of runs and I think their pitching is just good enough to get them the AL Wild Card. Baltimore will be a much better club, behind young pitcher Brian Matusz and a solid offensive nucleus, including Adam Jones and Nick Markakis (in that order). And Toronto might be the worst team in the league, featuring a pitching rotation with a surplus of questions and a dearth of answers.

I tend to write a lot about a few things. One of them is driving. Another is travel. And usually, it’s about traveling by car.

Sunday, I went for an aimless, “lonely” drive. The concept of the aimless, “lonely” drive is not new to me. It’s a treasured, historic one. I don’t remember the first time I thought it would be a good idea to just waste fuel. It goes against my viewpoint that the environment should not be treated like a toilet bowl. But whenever it was, it would have to stem from the first drive I ever took by myself.

I was 16 and had a pair of concert tickets I wanted to pick up in Providence that I had won from the radio. My father, in his infinite wisdom, having a son who had just got his license, thought it was perfectly fine to hand me the keys to his 1986 Volvo 240 and drive it into Providence during rush hour. As I write that sentence now, I sense the immaturity. I mean, it’s just Providence. How bad could it be? Well, anyone who remembers that car, which would soon become mine thanks to my father’s kindness, remembers that it had the rather novel issue of “running.” For no reason, that car would just stall, whether it was on highway, driveway, parkway, or just a plain old way. It stalled twice within a 1/2 mile of my leaving my house, and even though I thought it wise to turn back, I was just tasting my first moment of real freedom. And that’s probably where my love of driving began: That first “lonesome” journey.

The term “lonesome” finds itself in quotes in this space because I acknowledge that to most people, the idea of being in a car by yourself, with no ultimate destination, seems counterproductive to the ultimate goal of enjoying being alive. I get this. But it’s never been me. There is a, I don’t know, “oneness” that I feel when I’m driving that I don’t normally feel in my everyday life. I’m typically much more relaxed, more focused, and almost more hopeful when I’m driving alone. The idea of having no destination is exciting, if not a false idea, because really, my destination will always be “home.” I’m leaving home to get there. Just in a completely different mindset than when I left.

Sunday’s drive took me to the eastern portion of the Beltway, between College Park and the Wilson Bridge, the portion that I had no reason to ever drive before. Most of what lies in that area is, well, not nice. Lots of “Heights.” Capitol Heights. District Heights. Congress Heights. None of these are places I need to go.

After passing over the Wilson Bridge, I found myself driving through beautiful Old Town Alexandria, VA. My previous idea of “Old Town” was restricted to King St. from the Masonic Temple to the waterfront. What I didn’t know was that there is an array of beauty in the areas off of King St. Areas that reminded me a lot of Newport, RI and Cape Cod. As I headed out of Old Town, I got onto the G(eorge) W(ashington) Parkway, and drove it south, along the water, to Mount Vernon, another place I have never been. The drive is beautiful. 8 miles through the woods. Winding street. 45 MPH. Perfection by my standards.

All told, I probably drove about 85 miles on Sunday and while many people would argue that I went nowhere and ultimately furthered our country’s dependency on foreign oil, I would argue that while the latter is true, I went further than 85 miles.

For two hours, I got to free my mind from its confined space and experience the openness of the road. And while that might sound a little too “Dave Matthews-y” for yours and my own liking, it’s true. With some music and some fresh air, all of the weight and clutter of my head became free for a few hours. And that’s why the aimless “lonesome” drive is such a false statement. There’s more purpose in it for me than the trip to the grocery store. The aim is enjoyment and relaxation, both of which I take for granted most of the time. And as far as I can tell, I’m never lonesome when I have the road at my car’s feet, and the wheel at my own hands.

There was a time as recently as 4 years ago where movies didn’t excite me. At all. I could have cared less to take 2 hours of my time and sit still watching something. And then I was jobless and going to the movies became a fun experience for me because it took me away from my joblessness and took me to a suspenseful place, or a funny place, or a smarter place, sometimes even a dumber place.

In 2008, I decided to see every “Best Picture” nominee, because it was a reasonable, reachable goal. And I achieved that goal. The joy of seeing all of the movies was that I could bitch about how “Juno” didn’t belong in the same category as “No Country for Old Men,” “There Will be Blood,” “Michael Clayton,” and “Atonement.” And thankfully, “Juno” didn’t win “Best Picture.

This year, Oscar decided to mess with my wallet, by nominating 10 movies. However, I’ve outsmarted Oscar because now I have a job and thus money that I can choose to spend on movies, as opposed to food or housing. With that, I give you my picks for the 82nd Academy Awards (I’m only going with the main awards, not the visual, audio editing, etc.):

Best Foreign Language Film
“The White Ribbon”
“The Milk of Sorrow”
“Un Prophete”
“El Secreto de Sus Ojos”
“Ajami”

The Winner: “The White Ribbon.” Running away. I saw none of these and never will because lately, I find that reading subtitles distracts me, which is troublesome. But this isn’t about my neurosis, so we’ll move on.

Best Animated Feature
“Up”
“Coraline”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“The Secret of Kells”
“The Princess and the Frog”

The Winner: “Up.” If it’s nominated for Best Picture and none of the others are, it would stand to reason that it would be the winner. Its only other contender is “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” but I think “Up” is a fairly solid pick here.

Best Adapted Screenplay
“District 9”
“An Education”
“Up in the Air”
“In the Loop “
“Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire”

The Winner: “Up in the Air.” This is an easy pick on the surface, but harder when you start to think about it. “Up in the Air” has lost a lot of steam in terms of hype and I think that “Precious” is a contender, but for my money, “Up in the Air’s” screenplay was miles better than its competition here.

Best Original Screenplay
“Avatar”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Up”
“A Serious Man”
“The Messenger”

The Winner: “The Hurt Locker.” I’ve changed this pick 3 times now. Originally, I went with “Up.” Then I decided on “Avatar.” Finally, I went with “The Hurt Locker.” I picked “Up” because I think it’s a dark horse with some legs, but I’m not sure that this is such a dark horse year for the Oscars, in terms of award distribution. The dark horses came in the nomination process. I’m going with “The Hurt Locker” over “Avatar” because comparing the two screenplays, I thought “The Hurt Locker’s” was better, but still not necessarily the best in this category.

(In some sort of idiotic recalling of nominees, I included “Avatar” (which is not actually nominated) in this category and excluded “Inglourious Basterds” (which is). This was an obscenely gross error, as far as I’m concerned. I’m still going with “The Hurt Locker,” though. I apologize for me stupidity.)

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon (“Invictus”)
Woody Harrleson (“The Messenger”)
Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds”)
Stanley Tucci (“The Lovely Bones”)
Christopher Plummer (“The Last Station”)

The Winner: Christoph Waltz. Someone tell me how Stanley Tucci and Matt Damon got nominated for “The Lovely Bones” and “Invictus.” Please. Who saw “The Lovely Bones?” Moving on…

Best Supporting Actress
Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air”)
Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air”)
Mo’Nique (“Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire”)
Penelope Cruz (“Nine”)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Crazy Heart”)

The Winner: Mo’Nique. If you had told me two years ago that Mo’Nique would be winning an Academy Award, I would have asked you who Tyler Perry paid and how much. She was stunningly good in “Precious.” All of these performances (I haven’t seen “Nine”) were phenomenally good and I’d be happy if any of them won. I’m looking forward to this category as much as any other, short of “Best Picture.”

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges (“Crazy Heart”)
George Clooney (“Up in the Air”)
Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”)
Colin Firth (“A Single Man”)
Morgan Freeman (“Invictus”)

The Winner: Jeff Bridges. Easy. He makes the Bad Blake character a beautiful man, even when he’s throwing up on himself outside of a bowling alley in Santa Fe. He’s just great. As much as I loved Clooney, this deserves to be Jeff Bridges award.

Best Actress
Meryl Streep (“Julie and Julia”)
Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”)
Carey Mulligan (“An Education”)
Gabourey Sidibe (“Precious: Based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire”)
Helen Mirren (“The Movie That She Was in During This Film Cycle, No Matter What It Was About or Who Saw It”)

The Winner: Sandra Bullock. Hard. The opposite of its “Best Actor” counterpart. Streep and Sidibe are contenders and Sidibe would fit the bill as a “great story” if she won. Sidibe was great in her role as Preciouis. And Streep (though I haven’t seen “Julie and Julia”) is Meryl Streep. She can win any time she’s nominated. And of course, don’t forget Mirren, who I don’t care the least bit about, but people fawn over even though she seems to play the same character in her movies. And just because she should be mentioned, I loved Carey Mulligan in the very underrated “An Education.” But for me, surprisingly as it was to me, Bullock was terrific in “The Blind Side.” Just the right amount of sass. And charm. And presence. You really can’t take your eyes off of Bullock in her scenes. She’s just great. I can’t believe I’m typing this. She was also in “All About Steve” this year. Let’s try to forget that and move on.

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”)
James Cameron (“Avatar”)
Quentin Tarantino (“Inglourious Basterds”)
Lee Daniels (“Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire)
Jason Reitman (“Up in the Air”)

The Winner: Kathryn Bigelow. This is massively awkward because of Cameron and Bigelow’s previous marriage and the fact that their vehicles here are so different (more on that soon). I give the nod to Bigelow, very tentatively over Cameron, because of the suspense she built in “The Hurt Locker.” Tarantino is considered “due” by Academy standards, but he’s not the kind of director that mainstream America roots for, like Scorsese is/was before he won his “Best Director” award for “The Departed.” I don’t know that Bigelow has the body of work to push her past Cameron if this is a head-to-head, but “The Hurt Locker” is an Academy movie and “Avatar” is not, or at least shouldn’t be. Which reminds me:

Best Picture
“Up”
“Up in the Air”
“An Education”
“Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire”
“Avatar”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“The Hurt Locker”
“District 9”
“The Blind Side”
“A Serious Man”

Before I get to the my pick for winner, I’m going to place odds on each of these movies to win “Best Picture” in terms of my own personal opinion. I’d like to take wagers from folks, but I’m not sure if I’d ever pay out if someone won. Here’s how I think they stand:

“Avatar”: 3 to 2
“The Hurt Locker”: 2 to 1
“Inglourious Basterds”: 5 to 1
“Precious” Based on the…”: 8 to 1
“Up in the Air”: 10 to 1
“Up”: 15 to 1
“The Blind Side”: 25 to 1
“An Education”: 50 to 1
“A Serious Man”: 100 to 1
“District 9”: 150 to 1

The Winner: “The Hurt Locker.” “Basterds” is right on its heels and you cannot count out “Avatar” because you never know with the Academy. If Cameron had not won for “Titanic” I would be pretty sure that “Avatar” would win this year, but “The Hurt Locker” comes out, despite its lack of an audience, in a time when the War on Something (Iraq) is really unpopular and it showcases the realistic human element of that life and is incredibly suspenseful. “Basterds” is a realistic dark horse, but I don’t think there’s enough Tarantino support. I’ll take my own 2 to 1 odds on “The Hurt Locker.

And now, I let you know how I really feel about movies. Here are the “Best Picture” nominees, ranked in reverse order of how much I enjoyed them.

10. “Avatar”: Just a giant, expensive piece of crap. The writing and acting are deplorable in this movie. For as pretty as it is, I don’t really care. I don’t like when a director/writer relies on art direction to make a movie. To me, a script will always make a movie. And “Avatar” ain’t got that, baby.

9. “District 9”: I waited to see it until the last moment and I can see why. I’ll never know if this movie wanted to be an action movie or a black comedy, because it didn’t really work on either front. An interesting enough story, I guess. It wins out over “Avatar” here because it didn’t take too much of my time, whereas James Cameron owes me 150 minutes.

8. “A Serious Man”: Forgettable performances, forgettable writing, predictable ending, because it was done by the Coen brothers. Time has not favored this movie in my head.

7. “The Blind Side”: There’s a huge gap between “Avatar” and “The Blind Side.” This was an enjoyable movie. It was not groundbreaking cinema, but I never looked at my watch once and found it a passable way to spend 130 minutes of my life.

6. “Up”: The opening 15 minutes were great, but from there the movie slipped a little for me. I didn’t love this. It was an okay effort. I found myself hopelessly annoyed with Russell.

5. “Precious: Based on, eh whatever”: Great performances by Mo’Nique and Sidibe make this movie very good, but not great. The writing seriously could have used some work.

4. “An Education”: We now enter the great category. This was a terrific movie that could have very easily been in my Top 2 with a different ending. But before the ending, I loved every bit of it. Equal parts somber, weird, cute, and interesting, its greatness was due in large part to wonderful performances by Carey Mulligan and the always great Peter Sarsgaard.

3. “The Hurt Locker”: I did not leave the theatre raving about how good of a time I had, but I can acknowledge certainly that this is a great movie. As I’ve mentioned already and everyone else has, you won’t find a more suspenseful movie. The acting is pretty good, though I don’t believe Renner deserved a nomination for “Best Actor.” It finds itself ahead of “An Education” because of the movie that it wants to be and succeeds in being. Bigelow took a risk making this movie and pulled off a great piece of film.

2. “Inglourious Basterds”: I don’t think I had more fun at a movie than I did the first time I saw “Basterds” in theatres. The end sequence is phenomenal, but not my favorite. I could watch the first scene of this movie every day and never, ever get tired of it. I would go so far as to say that it is the best written scene I have ever seen in a film. “Au Revoir Shoshanna!”

1. “Up in the Air”: This will eventually go down as one of my favorite movies ever. It’s kind of like “Garden State” for intelligent 20 and 30 somethings. Except the ending is perfect. And the acting is perfect. And the writing is perfect. And…Look, this is not groundbreaking cinema. Every year, there is/are one or two or three movies that resemble “Up in the Air” in some way. None are this good though. This is a movie that can easily have its viewers changed by the time they leave the theatre. It sticks with you long after you see it. Not enough can be said for how good Clooney, Farmiga, and Kendrick are both together and separately. Their performances are completely spot on. I saw it twice in theatres and I could easily go again and again and again and, you know what, it would affect me the same each time. And I love that in movies. And that’s why “Up in the Air” is my favorite movie from this cycle of films. And the one I’ll be rooting for the most this Sunday.

For the past two weeks, I’ve been kind of in love. You’d think that this was some sort of “me trying to be cute and funny” line, but it’s true. With sports, it’s a different love than personal love, but for me, it’s still love. I fall in love with players because of how they play (Barry Sanders, Alexander Ovechkin, Barry Bonds), their attitude towards playing, i.e. their “fire” (Kevin Garnett, Tim Tebow), and I fall in love with teams because of a collective being that captivates me (2008 Boston Celtics, 2005 West Virginia Men’s basketball).

I’m sad right now because we’re at the end of a two week love affair that is over and is never going to come back. From the first game they played against Switzerland, I was in love with the U.S. Men’s hockey team in the 2010 Winter Olympics. I fell in love with players and I fell in love with the collective team.

For players, at the top of my list is Dustin Brown. Brown’s impact is not seen in stat sheets, but he’s the kind of player who rarely makes a poor decision and always plays hard. I would give up nearly anything for him to be on the Caps so I could watch him 82 times a season. I fell in love with the grit of David Backes and Jack Johnson. I fell in love with the elite defense of Erik Johnson. I fell in love with the never-give-in attitude of Ryan Kesler, who was never the best player on the ice, but was always in on important plays. And of course, like the rest of the U.S. hockey world, I fell in love with Ryan Miller, who might not be a top 5 goalie in the NHL, but played like it for two weeks in February 2010.

But really, I fell in love with the team. I love underdogs and no matter what the old timers who remember 1980 will tell you, this was my generation’s underdog U.S. hockey team. Was this Olympics as important as 1980? I don’t care. It was important to me and to a load of American hockey fans who longed for success and progress and frankly, that’s all that matters. For two weeks we got to bear witness to a scrappy group of American hockey players, most under 27 years of age, battling for the gold medal at the Olympics. 12 years ago, we watched an over-the-hill group of privilege NHL stars trash hotel rooms in Nagano and embarrass our nation. 8 years ago, a boring group of Americans with no identity, but a fair amount of star power, won the silver medal in Salt Lake City and no one noticed. And 4 years ago in Turin, we finished 8th with an inferior team with limited skill. What happened in the last four years was that we were able to develop and then blend great, young talents. There is, in my opinion, no future Hockey Hall of Famer on this team. Maybe Erik Johnson if he can keep away from the injury bug. Perhaps Patrick Kane, if he matures more quickly than he has so far, both as a person and a player. But really, compared to our Northern rivals, on paper, we couldn’t compare. They had sure-fire future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedemeyer, and Chris Pronger. And not to mention a group of other elite talents (Eric Staal, Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton). And then we beat them in the preliminary round. And the hockey world took notice.

Today’s overtime loss left me feeling, obviously, disappointed. But not necessarily because of the loss to Canada. Or that Sidney Crosby (who I prefer to call Crosbaby) scored the game-winning goal. No, as I said to Jim, who you’ll remember as the 2009 Mid Atlantic Bias Football Picks Champion, after the game, never before have I really been this drawn to an all-star team or a national team. Rarely do I find myself cheering on the Americans in basketball or soccer like I did with this men’s hockey team. Watching the scrappy Americans left me with a genuine feeling of national pride as they beat the Swiss, Norwegians, Canadians, Swiss again, and the Fins. And you know, as Crosbaby’s overtime goal shot through the legs of Ryan Miller, none of the pride disappeared. Not to sound like a parent, but I was proud of our guys. And I was disappointed when I realized that I would never again get to see this group play hockey together again.

Time will tell if American hockey will remain a powerhouse on the world stage. The Russians, Fins, Czechs, Swedes, and Slovaks have long been better at the sport than the U.S. because our youth focus more on basketball and football, which we excel at, at an unparalleled world level. However, after watching our Men’s team these past two weeks, I truly believe that hockey can very well be a third notch in our belt on the world stage. With such a young roster and the continued development of home grown talent, we will be expected to, at the very least, medal in Sochi, Russia in four years. If not win the gold.

Four years is a very long time to wait to savor the fruits of one’s labor. But in my opinion, American hockey fans don’t have to wait that long. Now is the perfect time. Yes, we came up a goal short of the Canadians, a roster full of future hall-of-fame players. But we proved that we’re here and here to stay, not like in 1980 or 2002, when we, frankly, got lucky. Our silver medal was more than deserved in Vancouver. We earned it. And I’ll always cherish my two week love affair with the 2010 U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey squad.

It goes without me saying, or typing, that I am longing for springtime. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems to me that blue skies are bluer when the weather is warmer. I miss that. Green grass, the smell of charcoal grills, and lawnmowers. It just seems perfect.

In recent days, Major League Baseball teams have been kicking off their ticket sales campaigns. I bought two tickets to Opening Day here in Washington and this has really peaked my excitement for baseball. I’m really optimistic that the Nationals can be at least 15 wins better this year than last, which might not seem great when you consider that they won only 59 games, but is a sign that times are a changin’ in the District when it comes to the baseball team. The Nats are very slowly starting to develop an actual team, with players who can do things that are good, and success isn’t too far away. 3-4 seasons.

And now, in a few hours, I have the wondrous “opportunity” to purchase Boston Red Sox tickets for games against the Yankees or Dodgers this season. I’m going for the Dodgers, because Manny and Joe Torre are coming back to Boston for the first time since they were the Yankees manager and the Red Sox left fielder/cancer and I anticipate exciting things from my drunken homeland that June weekend. At the very least, I can expect it to be a lot warmer than it is now.

Yes, you read that right. The second blizzard in 5 days is pounding Washington D.C. right now and I’m sitting at home on a Wednesday, hoping to all that is just that our power does not go out again (for the 4th time in 5 days). I’ve been pining for a mock draft for a few weeks now and while I know that most of the people who read this don’t care for things like this, perhaps you can share it with those who don’t read my blog often, but take delight in forecasting an event 9 weeks before it happens.

Before I get to the picks, understand that this is what I think these teams should do, not what I think they will do. I mean, do you want to forecast what Oakland is going to do with the 8th pick? Is Darius Heyward-Bey available? For the slots that are TBD, based on a coin flip, I will actually flip a coin to determine my order. Finally, I will not shy away from using other mocks to influence my thinking. Those of us who live for this stuff soak up any mock draft and I’ve soaked up a few, so I have an idea going in what my order is going to look like. But bear in mind, I am biased after all. There are some players who I love as NFL prospects more than other people do (Jimmy Clausen) and others that I don’t. I will be measured. While I might like Colt McCoy more than Sam Bradford, I’m also realistic. I hope that makes some sense or that you just skipped my explanation. Here goes:

1. St. Louis Rams
Set at: RB, LT, ILB
Needs: More help than you can imagine. Their roster is a sea of guys you’ve never heard of. There’s no doubt, this is the worst roster in the league. They need a QB for their future, they need depth at WR, a TE, a beefed up O-Line, a solid cornerback, safeties. It’s just a mess. What they need to do here is trade out of the top spot and acquire more picks in the 2nd and 3rd round. But I don’t do trades here.
The Pick: Ndamukong Suh (DT/Nebraska). My thinking is that a defensive tackle is not going to solve the woes of a team this bad. I lean heavily towards Jimmy Clausen here (more on him soon). A quarterback can change the face of your franchise (See: Atlanta Falcons (Matt Ryan)). Can a defensive tackle? I’m fairly confident we’ll find out soon.

2. Detroit Lions
Set At: QB, RB, WR, OLB
Needs: The Lions are a pretty good second worst team (in terms of record). They’re set at the top of the skill positions for a while with Matt Stafford, Kevin Smith (who I like more than most), and Calvin Johnson. Defensively is where head coach Jim Schwartz wants to build the Lions and that’s where the team needs the most work.
The Pick: Eric Berry (S/Tennessee). Almost every mock I’ve seen has Detroit taking a DT (Suh, if St. Louis goes QB, or Gerald McCoy). And trust me, they need work on the D-Line. But Eric Berry is a game changing safety. It’s rare that a safety would be taken so high in the NFL Draft, but there is such a focus on the position today with the rise of Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Bob Sanders (when he’s not on IR), etc. A great safety can make mediocre CBs better. Can a great DT have the same impact? I don’t think so. That’s why I love Berry.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Set At: QB, RB, CB
Needs: Eric Berry
The Pick: Gerald McCoy (DT/Oklahoma). If Detroit picks Berry like I think they should (I truly doubt they will in actuality) Tampa is left in no-man’s land when it comes to this selection. McCoy is the best player on the board. They would also be smart to draft Russell Okung, but they’d be passing on a guy who is a huge upgrade over Ryan Sims and 59 year old Chris Hovan.

4. Washington Redskins
Set At: Brian Orakpo
Needs: An offensive line
The Pick: Russell Okung (OT/Oklahoma State). A no brainer. Perhaps the biggest no brainer so far. I like to out think myself from time-to-time, but it’s this simple for Washington: You need an anchor on your O-Line. Okung will be an anchor for many years to come and replace Chris Samuels. Quarterback is a thought here I’m sure, but it shouldn’t be a thought for very long.

5. Kansas City Chiefs
Set At: QB, RB, WR
Needs: Offensive line help. Defensive help everywhere.
The Pick: Bruce Campbell (OT/Maryland). They’d love to draft Okung, but Campbell to me is a good replacement. He’s 2 inches taller than Okung and has quick feet. Anthony Davis from Rutgers is another OT solution, but he has some questions about work ethic. Campbell could help keep Matt Cassell on his feet and let him throw the ball like he is capable of. Kansas City will take a turn soon. There’s a solid foundation in place.

6. Seattle Seahawks
Set At: I’ll get back to you on that.
Needs: QB, RB, WR, DL, DS
The Pick: Jimmy Clausen (QB/Notre Dame). Seattle needs to take a quarterback here and could be a good place for Clausen to move to. He’s been in the spotlight since he was 14 years old. In the Pacific Northwest, he’ll be away from that. I like Clausen more than Sam Bradford because of his confidence and because he played in a pro system in college, while Sam Bradford played in the Oklahoma version of the run and shoot. Clausen also has a swagger that I love. He reminds me of Mark Sanchez. Oh, and his coach would be Pete Carroll, a guy who could mesh with Clausen and knows him fairly well. I like this fit. A lot.

7. Cleveland Browns
Set At: OT, KR
Needs: CB, WR, RB, LB
The Pick: Joe Haden (CB/Florida). Name me a Brown corner and you win $100. Haden is the top shut-down corner in this draft and will be ready on Day 1. Any thought to take Sam Bradford needs to be tempered. This team can win on defense. Haden is a great start.

8. Oakland Raiders
Set At: QB (Bruce Gradkowski), RB, WR, TE, CB, DL
Needs: OL, LB, To cut JaMarcus Russell
The Pick: Anthony Davis (OT/Rutgers). The Raiders’ OL in 2009 was the human equivalent of paper-mache. I loved everything I saw from Bruce Gradkowski and think he could be the quarterback of the future for Oakland, as silly as that sounds. He’s just what they need: a gritty, tough customer and a leader. Not a fat slob. He deserves to have a line in front of him that can help what I think is a very good unit get better.

9. Buffalo Bills
Set At: RB, LB, DS
Needs: OT, QB, WR
The Pick: Bryan Bulaga (OT/Iowa). This was the hardest choice so far, because nothing is going to be perfect for Buffalo here. Bulaga is a slight reach, but with Okung, Campbell, and Davis off the board at OT, it comes down to fixing the OL or replacing Trent Edwards. I think Edwards should get one more year to prove he’s an NFL QB. I don’t like him. At all. But Buffalo needs to shore up their OL before they throw a rookie QB to the wolves. Drafting Bradford sets them back more than reaching for Bulaga or another tackle.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars
Set At: RB, WR, QB, OT
Needs: Not Tim Tebow. Also, a defensive lineman who isn’t a bust.
The Pick: Derrick Morgan (DE/Georgia Tech). Quentin Groves. Derrick Harvey. Both early picks. Both DEs. Both epic busts thus far. Should the Jags go back to the well for a third time? Absolutely. Eventually, you have to get it right.

(Now that we’re out of the Top 10, I’m going to stop highlighting needs and set positions)
11. Denver Broncos
The Pick: Sam Bradford (QB/Oklahoma). This has to be a dream scenario for Josh McDaniels. He gets his QB of the future and doesn’t have to trade up to get him. And he does it with the first round pick he got for Jay Cutler. Time will tell if Bradford lives up to his college numbers, but this is an easy pick for Denver.

12. Miami Dolphins
The Pick: Rolando McClain (ILB/Alabama). Outside of Eric Berry, McClain is the surest thing in this draft and shores up a gaping hole defensively for the Dolphins.

13. San Francisco 49ers
The Pick: Trent Williams (OT/Oklahoma). A bit of a reach, but OTs, and I can’t stress this enough, are so important to an offense’s success. If Bradford is on the board, perhaps the 49ers think about replacing Alex Smith at QB. But with Bradford gone, this is a good spot for a pretty solid football team, to fix a problem they’ve had for a few years.

14. Seattle Seahawks
The Pick: CJ Spiller (RB/Clemson). With Trent Williams off the board, the Seahawks have to hope to fix their O-Line later on in the draft. They have issues at the skill positions, so Spiller or Dez Bryant is an option, as is Carlos Dunlap or Everson Griffen on the D-Line. Seattle’s draft isn’t ruined by losing out on a tackle. Spiller provides them with a QB/RB foundation for years to come. That’s something.

15. New York Giants
The Pick: Carlos Dunlap (DE/Florida). Dunlap is a top-10 talent with some questionable character issues. And perhaps the Plaxico Burress saga may make the G-men lean towards Everson Griffen, but Dunlap’s talent should not be turned away from. Remember Michael Strahan? Yea, Dunlap has all that potential and more. Well worth the risk.

16. San Francisco 49ers
The Pick: Earl Thomas (S/Texas). The 49ers could go with a skill position player like Dez Bryant here (can you tell I’m not that high on him?), or they could improve a hole on defense with a young playmaker. San Francisco, having two picks in this range, can do some scary things to improve themselves. If I’m the Cardinals, I’m nervous about the division title next year. Very nervous.

17. Tennessee Titans
The Pick: Dan Williams (DT/Tennessee). The loss of Albert Haynesworth clearly made a difference to this defense last year. The line is very thin, as is their linebacking corp. Williams is a big, run stuffing tackle.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pick: Brian Price (DT/UCLA). With Casey Hampton an unrestricted free agent, I have the Steelers replacing him with Price. It’s possible that Pittsburgh would prefer the Hampton clone Dan Williams, but they could just feed Price some delicious Primanti Bros. sandwiches.

19. Houston Texans
The Pick: Kyle Wilson (CB/Boise State). Wilson is a draft board shooter-upper. He had a stellar (perhaps the best) Senior Bowl week. Dunta Robinson is a UFA and his loss, if it happens, creates a glaring and gaping hole at CB for the Texans. I love Wilson’s playmaking ability (football cliche!) and poise at CB, which I think is fairly underrated at the position.

20. Atlanta Falcons
The Pick: Mike Iupati (OG/Idaho). Iupati is a run-blocker extraodinaire, which is a necessity for Atlanta up front. Michael Turner’s numbers fell off last year in part because of the line’s inability to block for him. Iupati is a problem solver. He might get destroyed in pass blocking, but it’s something that some coaching can help with.

21. Cincinnati Bengals
The Pick: Jermaine Gresham (TE/Oklahoma). Cincinnati is an interesting team. Their defense is great. They could stand to pick up some depth on the D-Line, certainly. But their offense, which was the strong point a few years ago, is anemic. I have real questions about Carson Palmer, but not enough to consider Colt McCoy or Tim Tebow here. A RB like Jahvid Best could be a great compliment to Cedric Benson, but I have concerns about how Benson behaved when he had to share carries in Chicago with Thomas Jones. They could go with Dez Bryant, but that’s two potential diva WRs and with the Terrell Owens talk, maybe 3. I like Gresham here, as a mile reach, because of his potential and skill set. Great hands. Big, fast. He’s Antonio Gates, really. So long as he’s healthy.

22. New England Patriots
The Pick: Jerry Hughes (3-4 OLB/TCU). Brandon Graham is more liked at this position by most, but not me. I love Hughes’ motor and toughness and that he played on one of the country’s best defenses with a great coach. Hughes is the type of player the Patriots need and like: Versatile, tough, hungry. One of my favorite players in this draft.

23. Green Bay Packers
The Pick: Brandon Graham (3-4 OLB/Michigan). Graham doesn’t have far to fall. Add him to a linebacker corp with Nick Barnett, Clay Matthews, and AJ Hawk and you’re set for quite some time in Green Bay and it provides them with flexibility in terms of whether they want to resign Aaron Kampman.

24. Philadelphia Eagles
The Pick: Sergio Kindle (OLB/Texas). We’re in the OLB portion of the draft. Positionally, this is an easy one. The Eagles were so desperate for a linebacker last year, they signed Jeremiah Trotter. Kindle is super fast off the edge. Philly would be fine with Hughes or Graham here as well. Anyone who can play linebacker will do.

25. Baltimore Ravens
The Pick: Dez Bryant (WR/Oklahoma State). Bryant fills perhaps the biggest need any team has heading into free agency in this portion of the draft. Current WRs on Baltimore’s roster who are signed through next year: Chris Hannon, Eron Riley, Maurice Price, and Marcus Smith. Bryant is a speedster who can also return punts. In real life, he’ll likely be gone well before here.

26. Arizona Cardinals
The Pick: Jared Odrick (DT/Penn State). I don’t have any analysis for this pick because it’s boring.

27. Dallas Cowboys
The Pick: Jason Pierre-Paul (DE/South Florida). Pierre-Paul has a tremendous amount of upside. Time will tell if his stats at South Florida were induced by playing opposite George Selvie or not, but his measurables are off the charts and the Cowboys are thin on D-line (and not a lot of other places, besides their offensive line).

28. San Diego Chargers
The Pick: Jonathan Dwyer (RB/Georgia Tech). He’s like Michael Turner, who used to play for the Chargers and who San Diego would really like to have back.

29. New York Jets
The Pick: Brandon LaFell (WR/LSU). I like LaFell over Damian Williams (USC) here because of LaFell’s size and because of the lack of success of USC wide receivers, beyond Steve Smith, in recent years. LaFell’s size is important also because he’ll be playing along quicker, smaller WR Jerricho Cotchery.

30. Minnesota Vikings
The Pick: Sean Witherspoon (OLB/Missouri). What do you get the team with no holes? More depth. Quarterback is a place to think about, depending on Favre’s career choice. But Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow are not first rounders. I also wouldn’t be shocked to see a wide receiver here either, like Damian Williams. But Witherspoon is a quick linebacker who just makes them better than they already are.

31. Indianapolis Colts
The Pick: Taylor Mays (S/USC). The exact opposite kind of guy you’d expect here, but doesn’t Indy need a hard-hitting guy in their secondary that receivers fear? Mays would be that guy. His pass coverage needs work, but he is a Ronnie Lott type of defender and an upgrade over whomever else is going to replace Bob Sanders when he gets hurt next year.

32. New Orleans Saints
The Pick: Eric Norwood (OLB/South Carolina). New Orleans is not in good shape heading into the draft and free agency. Darren Sharper is a UFA, as is Scott Fujita, and Roman Harper. Pierre Thomas, Jermon Bushrod, Jamaal Brown, and Anthony Hargrove are all RFAs. I’m going with Norwood here assuming they resign Pierre Thomas, which they need to do.

And there you have it. Share this and feel free to comment about how you feel. Also, if you find a glaring mistake, please let me know. Because I am not about to proofread this monster right now.

Yesterday, I ordered a sandwich from the market near my office. When I was a quarter of the way through my sandwich, I realized that there was a hair in it. Most people, when they see a strange hair in their food, freak out. My thought was, “Oh, the guy who works at the grill seems like a nice enough person,” and I continued eating the sandwich happily (I did remove the hair however). And I think to myself a day later, “What is wrong with me?”

I just wanted to share this story. It has little to nothing to do with why I’m typing right now. What does have to do with why I’m typing right now is that I am bored. Just so you know, I write emails to myself at work that sometimes get posted onto my blog when I get home thus I am not blogging at work. So it’s 12:40 and nothing is happening except more snow is on the way. If you read this, you know that D.C. received 24” (roughly) of snow this weekend. And it sucked. A lot. We had no power for most of Saturday and part of Sunday and no internet/cable for all of Saturday and even more of Sunday. And again, it sucked. There are a few things that stress me out (a few means a lot). One of them is feeling trapped.

Ever since my longing for the open road last week, I’ve felt trapped. This winter has been so long. January and now the first week of February has dragged. I’m in the midst of the winter doldrums and I want out. Fast. This time though, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, well, it just ain’t enough. I want South Florida. I want San Diego . I want Phoenix. I want warmth. I want palm trees. I want sunshine.

What I’m instead getting is another foot of snow tonight. That’s more Metrorail closures. More power outages. More using cell phones as flashlights. More storing food in a cooler on the roof of my building.

There’s really only one relief from both this depressing scene and this depressing post: Pictures. Thank you Google. And if you’re sitting inside, waiting for spring and summer to return to wherever you are, find comfort in these: Fort Lauderdale, Ocean Beach, CA, Oahu.

Or, you know, you could always just run away…

One time, long ago (junior year of college) I wrote a (terrible) screenplay. I’ve been really wanting to write another screenplay for a while now, until I remember just how much work went into writing my first. It would be easy to just sit and write, except that it’s not. You need to have scenes laid out (treatment…mine was about 35 pages long, single spaced), characters shaped (arc), an assortment of other short bits, and then the screenplay itself. 1 page of text is equal to one-minute of film. So you’re looking at about 90 pages of writing there. It’s the kind of thing that is perfect for a college student with a day off from work whose classes end at noon. Not quite the kind of perfection for a 25 year old with a real job, who doesn’t get home until 6:30, then cooks dinner, or cleans, or does laundries, and also really enjoys sports, while also living with their significant other (Hi Amanda!). So, somewhere in my brain sits a hard drive with ideas for screenplays in it. And every so often, I accidentally erase an idea from that hard drive and eventually replace it with a new one. It’s almost cyclical.

I really enjoy sitting at my desk and rocking out briefly. It usually only lasts for a few seconds of the chorus of some wondrous pop-punk song, but it always brings a smile to my face. I tend to not listen to music at my desk because listening to music, for me, lends itself to dance, facial expressions, and occasional lip syncing. I save that for the train. But at my desk, I’m sort of out in the open. My cubicle is not entirely enclosed, so moments where it’s okay to start nodding my head, tapping my feet, and bouncing in my chair are strictly limited to when no one is around, which isn’t all that often. But when it happens, as it did today, I really try to make the most of it.

Speaking of my desk, one of my coworkers said the other day that it looks like a grandmother’s attic. On the shelf above my cube, I have: Two long, green plants, a lamp that isn’t plugged in, an empty shopping bag, three serving trays, and a bottle to water plants with.

I’m not sure when, but I will have a NFL mock draft before April. I’ve really been looking forward to doing that. Also, I’m predicting the Colts to beat the Saints 35-24 in Super Bowl Whatever Number This Is.