Guest P.O.V.-Brad Wharton

I’m watching my 8 month old son sit contently at the back patio’s sliding glass door, staring off into the yard watching the birds pick at my grass. Occasionally he opens his mouth wide open and up to the window in an attempt to eat the glass, just like he eats everything in sight. Life is simple for my little man.

After watching the innocence of my son, I reflect on my own youth and the adventures as a kid and journeys that transformed me into the Man I am today. Do you ever take a minute and think about your past? Dive deep into your memory bank and remember those early memories. Why do you remember them? What did you learn from that moment?

My earliest memory of a life lesson came when I was in kindergarten. I was the student of the month and it was customary to bring in a snack and beverage for all the students. Unfortunately we were one Capri Sun short for the class. My mom taught me that day to make sure everyone had a snack before I fed myself. It was my first memory of putting others before me.

I’ve often wondered if that lesson may have in some ways kept me from excelling in certain aspects of life. I can recall high school football practices where I would let my teammates jump in and get the extra reps. As a result missing those extra reps didn’t make me any better of a football player. On another hand, I know that unselfish acts have gained respect among my junior Marines, for instance when they see me pass out MRE’s (meal ready to eat) during chow to make sure they get fed first.

If I had to choose the values my parent’s have instilled in me, I’m glad they taught me that lesson. I believe it has made me a better man.

I think I just might intentionally come up one snack short for my sons some day just so they may learn a valuable life lesson.

My name is Brad. I am a Husband to a gorgeous wife, a Father to a beautiful boy, and a patriot to this great nation.

Contact: bradleywharton82@gmail.com

Dog days of summer

The worst part of the year for sports fans everywhere is always the end of June thru July as we await the opening of NFL training camps across the country. Having just concluded the NBA Finals & Stanley Cup Finals within days of one another, broadcasters and sportscasters alike often complain of the lack of newsworthy material on a daily basis. Yes we are in the middle of baseball season, but as my old high school coach used to say “ol’ stand-ball ain’t too exciting in June.” They play an absurd 162 regular season games, often stretching into two different basketball seasons. Shoot, the D-Backs just played two games in one last week, and all they did was TIE a franchise record for longest game played. Note: check out some interesting, yet useless info from ESPN baseball writer Jayson Stark regarding that game against the Padres. If I didn’t watch a single baseball game all summer, but picked it up again around my birthday, I’d see all I needed and then some, almost assuredly with AZ further from the playoff race than we currently are. After a fairly exciting NBA playoffs (all things considered-Suns) there is that void to fill every night without basketball. The Cardinals open training camp on July 31. If the Redbirds can get Karlos Dansby re-signed, and resolve the Anquan Boldin saqa before training camp, then our chances of winning the NFC West again should be fairly high. Until then though we must resort to all stand-ball, all the time. Wake me up when it’s time for Bradley’s fantasy draft, and not a moment sooner. Unless of course Steve Kerr is fired or Robert Sarver is made an offer he can't refuse between now and then.