Ode To Richard Butt

Because I couldn't title it, "How crazy is it that the Miami Dolphins are actually GOOD this year?!!?!?!"  I decided to get a little creative and title this article, "Ode To Richard Butt."

I had the privilege of meeting Richard Butt the other day and I was so mad that he was nice and polite.  I thought for sure he would have been an asshole.  They say that when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade, but when life names you Dick Butt you should probably change your name.  Or at least hate your parents.

Seriously, who wants to marry into the Butt family?  The Butt family has a strong, proud history of helping form the seat of America.  If it weren't for the Butts we would all be out on our asses.

I should stop.

But the Butt is just a name.  What's in a name?  Is it really that precious to preserve a name?  If a man has nothing but daughters that marry other men of different names, is a legacy all of a sudden wiped off the face of the planet?

I don't think so.  Hell, most of our names come from religious backgrounds and people trying not to sound so foreign.  Why is that so sacred?

Names mean little in the grand scheme.  Richard Butt should hold his head high and be proud of his rich, Butt heritage.  It's a firm tradition in the Butt household to never surrender one's backside.

Seriously, I should stop.

Lets talk sports, Dick Buttheads: Miami is awesome.  Okay, maybe I'm riding off the high that the Miami Dolphins just waxed the New Jersey Jets in their own stadium (that the Giants gave to them) but I don't think I am totally off base here when I declare that the Miami Dolphins might be a sleeper for the AFC wild card in 2012.

I don't want to be one of those fans that wins a game and all of sudden becomes "We're gonna win the Super Bowl!".  And I'm not.  I'm talking Wild Card and I'm talking that it's still a long, long shot.

But what's in a name?  The Miami Dolphins have never done anything bold on special teams since I have seen stock footage of Garo Yepremian almost throwing away our "Perfect Season". (That gets italics and caps until someone else does it)

Basically, the Miami Dolphins as a franchise is a conservative group.  We do what is needed and never go outside the box.

Well today, we burnt the box to ashes.  We blocked a punt for a touchdown, blocked a field goal, and recovered an onside kick.  That all happened today for the first time in 20 years, not just for us, but for everybody.

Names only symbolize what you are until you do something different.  Richard Butt was a nice guy and had no reason to be because his name is Dick Butt.  You wouldn't be mad?  I would do my best to live up to the namesake and I just wrote that joke and even I have no idea what that means.

Of course, there is a choking, drowning necessity to make our names proud.  It's pressure.  It's legacy.  And for three families in the world, that's important.  If you are like me, which if you are reading this--you are--sorry, you are not defined by labels.  I love my family and I will love my children and I know that names are not as strong as the human spirit.

I believe in the untapped resources that every person has.

Next time you think a name matters, just watch 'Billy Madison'.  It's a fantastic Adam Sandler film in which the O'Doyle family rules...and then meets their grisly end.

I'm not suggesting you forsake where you came from, I just want you to know that we no longer define people by that measurement.  I'm getting too preachy.  This is a sports blog.  Go Dolphins.