Dolphins placekicker Dan Carpenter has been named a replacement starter in this weekend's Pro Bowl. Carpenter will replace Elvin kicker/Jet ally Nate Kaeding, who has pulled out of the game. I'm taking a leap of faith here in assuming that A) you give a shit about the Pro Bowl at all and B) you care that one of the better players from our 2009 season was given the 'honor' of participating in this sleep-inducing event. It's starting to become clear to me - after Yeremiah was named and maybe Automatic Polite ends up in it - that Dolphins players will be asked to participate with greater frequency during any and all years the Pro Bowl is hosted in soon-to-be-named FinsNation Stadium.
I don't know about you, but with the game not in Hawaii anymore and the allure of bringing families, teammates and mistresses on a bonafide 'vacation', it feels like we're going to see a lot more dropouts and a lot more Dolphins involved in the game. It's just geographically sound logic that will be available to Dolphins players should they be interested. You can fly to Miami from pretty much anywhere in the country for under $300 and there's a few motels along SW 8th St that I would recommend as options in case you wanted to save a few bucks and/or enjoy a night where you may or may not hear someone being murdered in the next room. This is not so much the case with Hawaii. Hawaii is a real vacation that these players would use as a means of showing gratitude to their ever-extending families and sweet roadbeef they've assimilated. Check out Memorial Day weekend on South Beach and you tell me how much easier/cheaper it is to walk the street of Collins Ave than it is to enjoy the scene in Waikīkī. It's a bigger, badder trip that players figure is worth loosely sacrificing their bodies for.
So if come Sunday, you see Gibril Wilson trot out there with the starting defense, don't say I didn't warn you.
