Mad Tom KiddThis is exactly how I would describe myself...if I was a pirate! aaaaarg! Check your Pirate Name?
Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!"
Pink: soothes, acquiesces, affability and affection
Yellow: expands, cheers, increases energy
White: purifies, energizes, unifies
Black: disciplines, authorizes, strengthens
Orange: cheers, commands, stimulates appetites
Red: empowers, stimulates, drama, passionate
Green: balances, normalizes, refreshes
Purple: comforts, spiritualizes, draws intuition
Blue: relaxes, refreshes, cools, gives tranquility
Labels: Design
October 1, 2004 will be a big day in the history of lacrosse in Hampton Roads. We will be hosts to two great college lacrosse teams and we will be helping the family of one of our own former players. The Midshipmen of The U.S.Naval Academy will play an exhibition game with the Cavaliers of the University of Virginia. The game will benefit the children of Kevin Bianchi and Peter Ober, Navy helicopter pilots who died last summer.Live each day like it is your last. Tell the people you love how much you love them, everyday.
An Interview With Mike Davidson of ESPN
by Eric A. Meyer, Netscape Communications
ESPN.com, the online sister of the ESPN cable networks, serves up more than half a billion page views every month, so when the home page of the site dropped all layout tables in favor of structural markup and CSS-driven layout, the Web design community took notice. To add to the intrigue, the site's design is (as of this writing) being adjusted over time, so that the site is in effect making the latter stages of its redesign process public. For a personal site to do such a thing is rare enough; for a major commercial site to do it would have been almost unimaginable. >>read more
By Darren Sabedra, Mercury News
On the day Tim Brown decided to leave the Raiders, he turned to Jerry Porter before the receivers huddled on a Napa practice field and said, "It's all yours, baby, go do it."
It was an emotional time for Porter.
While Brown's departure last month opened the door for the fifth-year player to finally become a No. 1 receiver, Porter also knew he was losing a mentor.
"It's kind of like he's releasing us into the wild," Porter now says. "It's time to go show what we learned."
Porter will get an opportunity when the Raiders open the season Sunday in Pittsburgh.
After a forgettable 2003 season, one in which he missed seven games because of injuries and was far from 100 percent when he played, Porter foresees a breakthrough year, one that would dwarf the numbers he produced when the Raiders reached the Super Bowl two seasons ago.
Porter is aiming for 2,000 receiving yards. That's more than a lofty goal -- it has never been done.
Never mind that he has yet to sniff 1,000 yards. Never mind that he has only 99 career receptions and that his 10 career touchdown catches are 89 fewer than the number Brown recorded in 16 seasons with the team.
Porter anticipates big things in Coach Norv Turner's stretch-the-field, simplified offense.
"I love to show that I've got more than one card in my deck," Porter said. "I can be a route runner or a deep threat or whatever."
Turner calls the versatile and athletic Porter a perfect fit.
"Based on what he's done in camp, I think he's going to have a big-time year," Turner said Wednesday. "The thing I like about him is he's doing all the little things. He's blocked extremely well. He's playing hard on every play."
Porter was more of a possession receiver, a la Brown, during exhibition games, finishing with seven catches for 100 yards, but he expects that to change now that the games count.
"I think because of the tapered-down game plans in the preseason, we don't want to tip our hand to everybody and show what we do," Porter said. "I think I'll get a chance to get up the field."
Last season, Porter didn't get a chance to do much of anything.
Injured during the 2002 regular-season finale when he landed awkwardly on a muddy Network Associates Coliseum field against Kansas City, Porter gutted it out through the Raiders' run to the Super Bowl, but the problem persisted during the off-season.
It didn't get better in training camp, despite efforts to lighten Porter's load.
"I really had some damage done," he said.
Porter played in the season opener at Tennessee but pulled himself out after making one catch for 6 yards. Five days later, he had surgery and didn't return until mid-October.
In his first game back, Porter caught four passes for 69 yards against Kansas City and finished the season with 28 receptions for 361 yards and one touchdown. The previous year, when he seemed on the path to stardom, he caught 51 passes for 688 yards and nine touchdowns.
After the Raiders' 4-12 season ended, Porter sought the advice of a Philadelphia specialist, whose client list included professional hockey and football players. The specialist handed Porter a questionnaire and told him that if he checked "yes" on five questions on any of the pages, he would recommend another procedure.
"I said `yes' to damn near 80 percent of them," Porter said.
Porter underwent surgery in late January to repair his lower-abdominal wall (the original diagnosis was a hernia) and spent the entire off-season rehabilitating.
"I was here every day," he said.
His body healed, it wasn't until Brown was released and signed with Tampa Bay that Porter's role came into focus.
"Jerry Porter is a talented guy, a guy that has played," Brown said. "The only question about him, in my mind, is can he play every down? He hasn't played the whole game as a starter before. So can he play the amount of plays that he's going to have to play?
"Physically and talent-wise, he's obviously as good as they come and can be one of the best in the league if he dedicates himself to the game."
Porter can start proving it Sunday.
Contact Darren Sabedra at dsabedra@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5815.
