As a child I was a comic book junkie. In particular, I read most of the Marvel titles: X-Men, Spider-Man, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Thor, Hulk… The list was long. Much to my wife’s chagrin, I’ve continued to keep boxes of my old comics, and still store them in our basement.

Now comes the news that Disney is buying Marvel for a reported $4 billion. Wow! That’s big news. And a concern for Marvel fans everywhere. Do we really want Wolverine hanging out with Mickey? We can only hope they keep their distance.

And don’t tell my wife. She might try to sell Disney the boxes of comics in our basement.

I’ve been a political junkie for years. I enjoy reading about politics, and trying to understand why things happen the way they do. I’m a registered independent with no love for either party, so watching the Republicans and Democrats go at it for me is almost as much fun as a good football game between two teams that aren’t my hometown team. I’m not talking about issues here. Just the posturing of the two parties, and how each chooses to push their agendas.

Two quick things to cover in this post.

One, I enjoy reading the site PolitiFact. They take comments made by politicians, media and activists, and break them down with their Truth-o-Meter. They are fairly unbiased, and put good thought and research into their comments. I don’t always agree with their conclusions, but I’ve gotten to the point that I trust their intent.

And secondly, while I don’t intend to jump into the middle of the great healthcare debate right now, there is a PolitiFact post that is relevant and meaningful to claims made by the administration. One ongoing discussion I’ve had with people for years is preventative medicine. Many have made the case that if our insurance companies encouraged preventative medicine, that it would drive down costs, and lead to better healthcare for the insured. My primary disagreement with this assertion has always been, do you not think that the insurance companies have already studied this? Insurance companies are in business to make money. If they thought that pushing preventative medicine would reduce their costs, they’d do it. PolitiFact, citing studies from the Congressional Budget Office,  American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society, agrees that preventative medicine would not necessarily reduce costs. Read more here.

I’m not typically an emotional guy. And I don’t tend to idolize musicians, actors or athletes. But there was Derrick Thomas.

I grew up an NFL fan, but wasn’t much of a Chiefs’ fan until Marty Schottenheimer started coaching the team in the late ’80s. I became a Chiefs’ Junkie. Arrowhead had become the most electrifying place in the country to watch a professional football game. The defense just had this swagger every time they took the field. Great players making great plays. Dale Carter. James Hasty. Neil Smith. Dan Saleaumua. Donnie Edwards. Mark Collins. Bill Maas. But at the center of it all was Derrick Thomas. Bigger than life. Chasing down quarterbacks. Swatting away the football with his tomahawk chop. Creating havoc at every turn. He was Superman in red and gold with an arrowhead on his helmet.

I remember very clearly when I heard about the car accident. It was January 23, 2000. Derrick had rolled his Suburban on the way to the airport. The roads were icy. And he hadn’t been wearing a seat belt. Thomas was driving. And reportedly driving recklessly. Another passenger was without a seat belt, was thrown from the car, and died instantly. The third passenger was wearing his seat belt, and walked away from the scene uninjured.

Superman was alive, but not well. He spent two weeks in a Miami hospital paralyzed from the chest down. I thought he’d pull through. I think everyone, including Derrick, thought he’d pull through. Reports were that he was in good spirits, and already planning his new future.

He died two weeks later from a pulmonary embolism. I cried.

I think I was as surprised at my reaction as I was about his death. Maybe it was because we were roughly the same age. Maybe it was because of that smile. Maybe it was because he genuinely seemed like such a great guy. Or maybe it’s because Superman isn’t supposed to die. Lex Luther may have the Kryptonite and have Superman on the verge of defeat. But somehow, Superman is always supposed to win. On February 8, 2000, Lex Luther and his handful of Kryptonite had finally defeated Superman. But worst of all, it was Superman’s mistake that lead to his undoing.

Much has been made since about Derrick’s personal life. He had seven children from multiple mothers. He certainly hadn’t been the model of responsibility. And many began to doubt whether he’d ever get into the Hall of Fame. I never doubted. All you had to do was watch the film. Derrick was among the best of the best, and I’ll be proud to watch him inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Welcome to my blog. Writing has always been a release for me. I’ve contributed to other blogs and have always had a hand in copywriting at my job. But as my duties have evolved over the years, I’ve found myself with fewer opportunities to write.

And I miss it.

So here I am. Starting a blog few will read. But will enjoy myself nonetheless.

I will spend some time on several of my favorite subjects. Music. Business. Sports. And marketing. I hope you’ll join me. Your comments and opinions will be appreciated.