Your Correspondent Signing Off: The Meaning of Two Words

By: Jeff | April 18th, 2008

A photo I found today.

My online dictionary offers two definitions for the word “bastard”:

1) noun (archaic or derogatory): a person born of parents not married to each other.
2) noun (informal): an unpleasant or despicable person.

I’ll leave it to you to decide which applies. That will make more sense if you keep reading.

It has barely been a couple months since I started on the Colorado Rapids Offside and, already, it’s time to move on. That brings me to a second word: focus. Here’s a definition for that word, in this case, its meaning as a verb:

2) verb [trans.]: pay particular attention to
- concentrate.

The reality is I have too many balls in the air, both online and off. Since nothing out there is going to give, something in here - e.g. online - kinda has to. Due to the way these various things stack up, it’s the Colorado Offside that has to give. Because I struggled with filling the space, I can’t say I missed it - not exactly. But I can at least applaud the Rapids for getting off to their typical start: half-puzzling, half-promising…and yet, all Rapids fans know there’s always something new coming…the question is what it will be.

So, let’s combine the words we learned today and see if we can’t pull this post together: Jeff wants to move on so he can focus on one online project, along with the rest of his life; does this make him a bastard?

Before you answer that, let the record show his parents were, indeed married at the time of his birth, thereby ruling out the first definition provided above. The second one…well, I guess that’s open.

Now, the good news. I found a replacement and, better still, he’s a local and the Rapids are his first love (in MLS, I mean). I’ll leave it to him to introduce himself, which he should be doing shortly.

Well, good luck this year to both the Rapids and their long-suffering fans.