What Dave Ramsey Won't Tell You

So I'm reading a story this morning about former Miami Dolphins' WR Irving Fryar and his mortgage loan scandal.  You probably don't know or care who Irving Fryar is, and that's ok.  I happen to like the guy a lot.  I will never forget 4th and short back in 1994, when Marino bombed it to him in Dan's first game back after the Achilles injury . . . ah, good timez.

Anywho, here is the story.  Go ahead and read it.  I'll wait.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-10-16/sports/sfl-irving-fryar-miami-dolphins-arrested-20131016_1_home-loan-scheme-miami-dolphins-mother

Ok, so let's continue.  This makes me sad, because first of all, Fryar is now a pastor at a church he founded.  And I know that Fryar has come a long way from his playing days when he discusses being so coked out during a game (when he played with New England and they were terrible) that he left at halftime and ran into a tree leaving the stadium.  He was known to be a party guy and a gun "enthusiast."  He was a rough guy, and he's come so far.  To see him mess up like this, well, it's sad.

But the part of the story that really gets to me is that he had made only a few payments on the loans and, as a result, the banks "eventually wrote the loans off as losses."

Wait a second.  I don't much . . . ok, ANYTHING about banking and financial matters of stock market liquidity ratio capitalism, but I can read.  And, unless someone tells me differently, it appears to me that the bank (stay with me here) realized they were duped and couldn't collect on the loans so they merely "wrote them off."  Almost $700,000 in loans.  That's what we're talking about.  Let me see if I can make this make sense in my own head.

Tom: "Hey, Ron.  It appears that Irving Fryar fellow duped us.  I don't think he's going to pay the loan."
Ron: "Oh well, guess we have to write that one off.  Let's be more careful next time we decide to loan hundreds of thousands of dollars."
(Tom and Ron laugh manically)
Tom: "So who covers the loan?"
Ron: "Don't worry, Tom.  We're doing fine.  See?  (picking up a stack of loan papers)  Look at this one.  This Petty family.  By the time they're finished paying off their house, they'll more than cover what we're losing on this Foreman deal."
Tom: "You just called him Foreman."
Ron: "Did I?  That's priceless."
(Tom and Ron laugh hysterically and . . . fade to black)

Honestly, I don't know how this works.  I am sure it happens every day.  But they could have left this part out of the article and my day would have been so much brighter.  I wasn't aware this was an option to banks, but I guess they have people default on loans all the time and have to do something to keep the doors open.  I'm not blaming the banks.  I'm blaming the world for not giving me this option.

Me: "Yeah, that credit card I jacked up when we took that trip we couldn't afford?  I'm going to write that off."
Alec Baldwin: "Good for you.  Don't eat meat."

Actually, I don't know that Alec Baldwin is a vegetarian.  Doesn't look like he's skipping any carbs, that's for sure.  Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked (SURPRISE!).

I'm just sitting here wondering how I sign up for this program and what you have to do to be considered a "bank."

Aaaahhhhhhhhh!  Distractions!  Where was I?  Oh yes, sorry you're sick, Irving.  Get well soon.  And congrats on going back and getting your degree or whatever was going on earlier.  Watch out for trees.

Pick Six(teen)

I tried to keep my mouth shut, but I've been pushed to my limit.  So here goes.

Dear Texans fans,

Jay Fiedler

Damon Huard

Ray Lucas (yes, THE Ray Lucas)

Brian Griese

AJ Feeley 

Sage Rosenfels

Gus Frerotte

Joey Harrington

Daunte Culpepper

Cleo Lemon (THE Cleo Lemon)

Trent Green

John Beck

Chad Pennington

Chad Henne

Tyler Thigpen

Matt Moore

Now . . . SHUT UP ABOUT YOUR QUARTERBACK!

Seriously, I know many sane Texans fans and consider many of you good friends.  So I'm going to talk to the other 99.9999999% who may be reading this.  I realize none are, but I have to get this off my chest.

A guy reportedly buys a Schaub jersey in the team store after the game on Sunday just so he can take it to the parking lot and set it on fire.  Are you kidding me?  Have the Texans somehow reached a level of success that I've missed?  I guess I could understand this behavior on some level if the Texans had Lombardi trophies coming out their ears, but so far, all I'm seeing is two playoff appearances and not yet even a conference championship game.  Am I off on this?  

Two seasons ago, everyone here was just happy to see the playoffs.  And now there seems to be this overwhelming attitude that if Houston doesn't win every game, it's a colossal failure.  I get made fun of all the time for being a Dolphins fan, because we (yep . . . I say "we") have been the laughing stock of the NFL for most of the last decade or so.  You know what I did after the Fins got embarrassed on national TV Monday?  I shrugged, winced and reminded myself that we're 3-1 and just lost to a really good home team with a HOF quarterback who shreds defenses in his sleep.  You see, losing builds character, and I've got plenty of it.  And moreover, losing reveals a person's true character.  Anyone can win graciously.  It takes maturity to be able to handle losing.  And losing is supposed to help you appreciate winning.  I don't know what is going on here with the Texans, but you've lost to two really good teams.  Seattle is on track to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and Baltimore just won it.  So there's no shame in your record.  You should just be thankful you're not 0-4.  Heck, Schaub won the Chargers game for you.  And for that matter, did you see him perform in crunch time against the Titans (another game you would have lost if not for him)?  Nope . . . you only remember that he was induced into a bad decision by an elite defense.  

So for the sake of me taking you seriously as fans, please stop acting like a bunch of spoiled brats who are so used to winning you just don't know how to take this .500 record right now.  Stop turning on your quarterback, because, as I've listed, it could be much worse.  Be happy you have a team that is at least in the discussion instead of the punchline of every joke.

I'm done.  At least until next Sunday.