Okay, true believers...let me see if I can put this all together now:

My long-suffering Celtics pull off a couple of trades and now Paul pierce stands among one of the most experienced and potentially dangerous starting lineups in the NBA...

...my all-time favorite NASCAR driver (tied with David Pearson, anyway) comes out of retirement to help my all-time favorite team, the Wood Brothers.  In the midst of doing this, he surrenders the seat last weekend to Boris Said, thinking that he'd get the best possible finish at Watkins Glen.  Completely selfless, as Bill's a very good road racer himself...

...also in NASCAR, my Roushkateers are stuck in feast or famine mode.  Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards appear to be sure things for the "Chase", while Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray continue to struggle through what must seem a very long season.  New guy David Ragan is improving, but he's likely wishing for that brief time this winter when he can get out of the car and figure out what he and his team are lacking...

...which is probably the case over at Robert Yates Racing as well.  However, the new merger with Newman/Haas and their fabulous technology should reap some benefits soon.  I don't know about this season, but soon...

...and my Vikings drop their first freseason game to St. Louis, but the starters all play well and the drop-prone Troy Williamson caught 3 balls for good gains while Bobby Wade catches a couple for 21 yeards apiece.  In other news, NFL analysts continue to insist that the Vikings have no QB and no receivers.

Folks, I gotta tell ya-there's a massive difference between "bad player" and "unknown quantity".  Many thought last year's pickup of Chester Taylor was extemely optimistic, as he'd not shown a whole lot in Baltimore.  however, Baltimore's run offense in recent years had been built around Jamal Lewis, and Chester had been limited on both snaps and chances to shine.  VOILA!  He turns in a great year for the Vikes with over 1500 total yards!

I can see a pattern in players that Brad Childress likes pursuing: veterans that have had little chance to lead, people limited to scraps of playing time and being forced to live in someone else's shadow.

We have a tight end and at least one receiver that are new here, and will be given their chances to lead the team.  From what I've seen and read thus far, they're barely able to wait for September 9th, when the Vikings host the Falcons.

I'm not much different, regardless how little credit "analysts" give my team.