Antonio Smith, Kurt Warner, the Arizona Cardinals and the Year of Achieving the Impossible Dream

It’s not my intention to write a sports blog, but once again I’m compelled to talk about the Arizona Cardinals. It’s pretty much official, they really are very good, unquestionably the best team the Arizona Cardinals have ever fielded. Last night they did what everyone said they couldn’t do. They beat the Carolina Panthers. Congratulations, Cardinals. Congratulations, Arizona football fans. As for the team owners, I still don’t like you people very much - but I am going to buy a Cardinals hat.

It’s come to my attention that Antonio Smith has changed up his ritualistic big play flexing celebration. Apparently, he’s taken to flexing only the right arm instead of both arms (as I taught him). He’s calling the move “Strong Right Arm” because he plays on the right side. Just one question big fella, where are my props? It’s true, I’m just the guy that that lives down the street, but I think “Bill Snyder Strong Right Arm” would be more appropriate. Better yet Antonio, you could call it the “B.S. Strong Right Arm.”

It’s uplifting to see Antonio Smith knocking the snot out of opposing quarterbacks on his path to success and fame. He moved into my modest suburban neighborhood four years ago. If memory serves me correctly, he had just been promoted from the practice squad to the official roster. Antonio is one of the good guys. He doesn’t run around town with an entourage and you won’t read about him brandishing guns and driving drunk - you can count on that. It’s not unusual to find the six-four, two hundred and eighty pound giant playing football in the street with fifteen or twenty neighborhood kids. Yeah, Antonio Smith is a genuine role model - for his fellow professional athletes and celebrities.

A little over a year ago I was having a beer at a local establishment, half watching the Sunday afternoon game. Matt Leinart, the young People Magazine quarterback went down with an injury, forcing the coach to send in the grizzled old veteran, Kurt Warner. Just seconds before halftime, Warner, standing three quarters of the field away from the end zone, heaved up a Hail Mary. Larry Fitzgerald leapt into the air, dreadlocks everywhere, and pulled down a seemingly impossible, gravity defying reception. Chalk one up for the old guys. I don’t remember whether or not the Cardinals won the game. I do remember being soothed by the understanding that sometimes talent, hard work, and perseverance coincides with opportunity and the result can be miraculous.

Prior to the start of this season, Coach Whisenhunt made it clear that the People Magazine kid was his starting quarterback. The old warrior is no stranger to adversity; ten years ago he was bagging groceries to supplement his arena football income. But it looked like the grizzled vet was on the tail end of his career. Of course things aren’t always what they seem. Leinart had a sub par preseason and old Kurt was named the starting Q.B. Warner has gone on to lead the team through the greatest season in Arizona Cardinals history.

On New Year’s Eve I posted a blog entitled The Spirit Guide Bar and the Year of the Impossible Dream. The impossible dream is taking place for a grizzled old Arizona quarterback. And maybe, just maybe, a little bit of talent, some hard work and perseverance will line up with opportunity for a grizzled old Arizona teacher writer by the name of WZ Snyder.


AGENT SEARCH RESULTS

Here is an interesting response to a query.

First, let me apologize for the delay in contacting you. I would like to let you know that your manuscript is currently under consideration for representation. We will be in contact with you as soon as possible.

For starters, this is a positive response in that it ain’t a rejection. Even if this is a form response, the agent does say my manuscript is under consideration for representation and I’ll take this as another positive aspect. With all of this positive mojo going on, I’ve decided to try to establish a line of communication with this agent by sending her a second query email, this time for The Eight Fingered Criminal’s Son. It’s been over a year since I sent out query emails for the short story collection. This is because an agent told me it’s nearly impossible for an unknown writer to sell a short story collection. It’s time to switch things up a little. After all, this is the year of achieving the seemingly impossible dream.