Oh, Kyle.

This from an Associated Press story:

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The way Kyle Orton has been giving away the ball lately, it's hard to believe the Chicago Bears quarterback was so stingy not too long ago.

He threw a club-record 205 passes without an interception, but that is a distant memory.
Well, with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, the Bears hope to see some of Orton's old mistake-free ways at Houston on Sunday.

"I try to play that way,'' Orton said. "I haven't been able to do it the last few weeks. We haven't been very efficient in the passing game the last few weeks, and that starts with me. I take it upon myself to do whatever we have to do to get it done.''

Maybe it's because Orton is trying too hard. In athletics, things usually go the best when you can just let things happen. It sounds too easy to be true, but often times it is the truth.

Orton didn't have to think about throwing the pick earlier, because he wasn't. He was playing within himself. He didn't have that elephant hanging above his head.

Then came the Minnesota game, when he threw three interceptions in seven attempts. Including those three picks, he's thrown seven interceptions in four games.

Now, it's in his head. The fear of losing the game because of his mistake. The tension that creates causes him to act quickly and not see the field clearly. He's spooked.

He needs to just calm down, take a few deep breaths and let the game come to him. The Bears defense and special teams are good enough to win games on their own; add in fantastic rookie running back Matt Forte, and Orton doesn't have to win the games. He just can't lose them.

A little Saturday morning whine

I've been working in the newspaper business for over a decade. First at The Dispatch, then Wapakoneta, St. Marys and now Lima. I feel I'm pretty good at what I do, and I have plenty of examples to back that up.

I've been doing this radio show on Saturday mornings for maybe 8 or 9 months now. It requires very little talent. Just talk ... be interesting and don't cuss. I guess I'm pretty good at that as well, cause they keep having me come on and guest host in a pinch.

Why is it, though, that people think I'm famous or special now because I'm on the radio? What, working at one of the largest newspapers in the state (and the nation for that matter) wasn't good enough?

This radio thing doesn't pay the bills, and I don't take it too seriously. The newspaper pays the bills (or some of them) and requires real talent and skill.

That didn't take long

I really hope I get an iPod for Christmas. I will take it to work, plug it in, and be completely insulated from some of my "favorite" co-workers. I will call them the Gaggle of Prattlers. Or Douche Bags. Not sure which one fits better.

You know, if you have a problem with me, or anything I say or do, just come to me and tell me. Don't gossip. I hate gossip. Gossip is for those who have nothing better to do with their lives than talk about other people. You won't find me gossiping. I'm too busy. And important.

(OK, maybe not important. But still.)

Now, on to something non-bitching related.

The New York Yankees paid $161 million to CC Sabathia. Then another $80 mill to A.J. Burnett. Now they want to sign Manny "Man-Ram" Ramirez to a reported 3-year, 25 mill. contract? Where do they get this money?

Honestly, couldn't that money be better spent elsewhere? I'm not trying to go all bleeding heart on ya here. It just makes me wonder how bad is our economy if the Yankees can spend over $310 mill. on three baseball players.

Hey, stranger

To quote Jim Anchower, Hola, amigos. It's been a long time since I rapped at ya. (If you don't know who Jim Anchower is, may I suggest you scurry over to The Onion and check him out.)

As you can see, this blog used to be work-related. Since Freedom Communications required us to start blogging on their site, Without A Paddle has sat dormant. Until now.

No, I don't know why. And I'm not sure who I'm talking to, or even who will be reading this. Perhaps I'll be talking into the cloud. But that doesn't matter. I like to write and talk, and this blog will serve that purpose.

Anything goes here. Well, maybe not anything ... I mean, postings could be about sports, current events, pop culture, random thoughts. They may be novel length or they could be a couple short sentences.

So, there you have it. The return of Without A Paddle. Let the celebrations begin.

Tough-luck Tony Anderson

Ah, Tony Anderson. One of my favorite drivers at Limaland, but not because of his driving. I have to remain unbiased when covering the races.

No, Tony is one of my favorites because of his willingness to talk and his great quotes. Read my feature in Saturday's The Lima News to see the latest examples.

But Tony has been in some tough luck this year. Three weeks ago in Indiana, he blew his Stock car engine in Indiana. Before that, he really hadn't done much because he kept breaking his car.

Two weeks ago at Limaland, his engine was smoking during the McDonald's Dash for Cash. And again during the Heat race. Tony's Mod was parked because of it's own troubles, so he switched out a valve cover onto his Stock ... and almost won. With an $1,800 engine.

He got the new engine in Monday, and plans on dropping it in the car this week.

How he gets to the track is a different story. He blew a gasket in his 3- or 4-year old hauler coming back from Indiana. His dually is out of action as well. So, Tony Anderson, 4-time Stock track champ at Limaland, is borrowing a hauler to make it out Friday night.

This info had nothing to do with the story I was contacting Tony about. Yet, he gave it up.

And that's why I love Tony Anderson. He makes my job easy.

NBA drops the ball

The NBA, and many fans (including me), got what they wanted -- a Los Angeles-Boston finals. Talking to Crestview athletic director Dave Bowen, a highlight of Magic-Bird had already surfaced on ESPN by Saturday morning. Didn't waste much time.

Now, all we have to do is wait until Thursday. (I guess it's a good thing there are so many highlights to show) Which makes absolutely no sense. The latest these series were going to be done was Sunday, still giving teams three full days of rest. And, more importantly, giving fans and casual observers three full days to cool on the experience.

Why not strike while the iron is hot? After quite a few years in the dumper, I believe the NBA is on its way back. The interest is back. People are appreciating the improved product on the floor. And we have to twidle our thumbs and find other things to take away our interest.

The league would have been better off starting the shindig Tuesday ... even Wednesday would have been better. But not Thursday. Too much time.

Spiderman, spiderman ...

What a big night for Andy Bibler. The Modified driver from Continental made it two Memorial Cup features wins in a row with a strong performance in Friday's feature at Limaland Motorsports Park. After his win, Bibler scaled the fence along the front stretch (Spiderman, get it?) Behind Bibler, Casey Luedeke took second and Doug St. Myers third.

Dustin Daggett beat out a star-studded field in the first NRA Sprint Invaders feature of the year. Daggett held off Greg Wilson, Darren Long and Mike Dussel. Long made up some serious ground after starting in 15th position.

Barney Craig finally broke through for the big win at Limaland. Craig overcame a scrape late in the feature to take his first Limaland win in two years. Behind him were Tony Anderson and Tony Siferd.

Read more about Friday night's racing action in Sunday's The Lima News.

Selling ice cream to Alaskans

Actually, selling ice creams and assorted frozen treats to Alaskans isn't as hard as it might sound. Just ask Pete Ischi, the sprint car driver and focus of my feature in Saturday's The Lima News.

Ischi has owned a Dairy Queen in Kenai, Alaska, for 23 years. In fact, it was the only DQ in the state for 15 years. Families took leisurely Sunday drives from Anchorage to his store for a DQ fix and to get pictures with the sign. Doesn't sound too bad, until you realize Anchorage is at least a 3 hour drive to Kenai.

Now, there a few other DQ's in Alaska. In fact, when the one in Anchorage opened, the wait to get inside was at least one hour. The DQ in Anchorage is the top-grossing store in the United States.

"When they opened, the line went all the way to the street," fellow Alaskan Tyler McDonald said. "You couldn't get in there."

Ischi has been in Lima for a few weeks and leaves for home Tuesday. He has combined the pleasure trip -- he is racing his sprint car at local tracks, including Limaland Motorsports Park and Waynesfield Motor Sports Park -- with business. He drove to Alabama to pick up equipment for the store.

The trip to Alabama, combined with the purchase of a trailer to bring home his sprint car and all DQ-related merchandise, is actually cheaper than shipping it to Alaska. Ischi was quoted around $15,000 to have someone else deliver the equipment.

Ischi's return won't be a moment too soon for the Ischi family left behind in Alaska, notably 19 year-old daughter Whitney.

"My family is making huge sacrifice for me to be here," Ischi said. "They're running (the store) while I'm down here being the play-kid. May is a big month for us. It kind of kicks everything off for us.
"The other day, I called (Whitney) and she said, 'Dad, it's time to come home. The money is going to stop flowing out there.' I said, 'Whitney, you sound like a wife, not my daughter.' She's taking a lot of the stress I deal with up there."

The Ischi family is Dairy Queen through and through. Whitney has been working in her dad's DQ for seven years. In fact, the DQ mark is noticable.

"When we were driving around town, my daughter was just learning her colors. We pulled up to a stop light, and she said, 'Dad, I understand what the green light means. That means go. And I know what the red light means. That means stop,'" Ischi said. "'But what does the butterscotch light mean?'
"That is a Dairy Queen kid."

Cavs-Celtics postmortem

How could you not love Game 7, even as a Cavaliers fan? There were two of the best players in the NBA, going toe-to-toe, daring the other one to blink first. And despite Cleveland's loss, neither LeBron or Paul Pierce looked away.

LeBron and Pierce did everything they could to lead their respective teams to a win. But in the end, it was the play of the supporting casts which really told the tale. It was Eddie House diving on the floor for a loose ball and P.J. Brown nailing a 19-foot jumper with under two minutes remaining. Sure, Pierce's 41 points gives everyone something to talk about and is a nice intro to the Celtics win, but the meat belongs to the role players.

Conversely, it was Wally's World going 0-fer-Game 7, Big Z spotting up for 20-foot j's, and everyone in the wine and gold (save Delonte West) bailing on James when he needed them the most. Unfortunately, James' 45 points will be lost to history because of the loss.

I've said it before and I'll continue to say it until someone listens -- the Cavs need to get James help, and now. Jordan had Pippen. James needs someone. (Maybe Antwan Jameson? He's a free agent.)