The "other" number 12 in New England

I am not a patient man. At all.

I suppose it's a combination of being 1) a man, 2) Portuguese, 3) Irish, and 4)stubborn. I liked Dark Knight until that part where Harvey Dent becomes Two-Face. It should have ended right there. Cue the credits, check out the sequel in two years. Instead, it dragged on another hour, and by the time all those people were trapped on the ferries, I just wished both of 'em blew up simultaneously and ended it right there.

So, with that out of the way, I admire people who are not as sociopathically impatient as me. People who skillfully wait for their turn, revel each minute of a three-hour movie, or pull up a lawn chair in the line at the DMV. God bless 'em.

As a former little league all-star, I can't imagine riding the bench for longer than an hour. There was a rule back around the close of the Cold War that outlined that each kid play at least half of each game. Needless to say, there were times when Lil' Bri* was a little upset in the middle of a 1-1 game where he was yanked out of his centerfield station in the fourth inning.

(*Lil' Bri, or "Baby-B" were my nicknames back in the day. Yes, I was that kid - that token small kid - that seemed to have to prove his worth by hustling, sliding headfirst, and catching pop-ups behind his back just to get a second glance from the coaches.)

Patience is something I sorely lack, so I am impressed by others that do not suffer from this disposition. This is why I can appreciate the plight of Revolution goalkeeper Doug Warren. I mean, the guy bides his time by becoming a training and reserve league star while the guy ahead of him becomes all-MLS. Three years in between starts without a single public complaint? Luckily, he's no Ronaldinho** when it comes to being dropped. For everyone's best interests, the last thing we need is a pro soccer player making more appearances on RIatnite.com than in between the pipes.

(**In terms of pure attitude, of course. The dude can still crack a nasty shot and could probably elude many MLS defenders on one leg. I'd take Ronaldinho in a Revolution jersey faster than you can say, "Obrigado, Jose Mourinho.")

Warren is a class act. Bar none. He's humble, honest, and answers the media's questions patiently and concisely. According to teammates, he's a great guy in the locker room. Taylor Twellman called him "awesome" after last week's DC United match. Steve Ralston said something to that effect as well, except without sounding like Junior Seau. In short, Warren is the embodiement of a great teammate.

Which is why I'm glad to see him get some time off the pine. Not that I'm happy about Matt Reis being hurt (or anyone being injured, for that matter). It's just fun to see a player get a shot once in awhile, you know, to prove that he's still capable of manning an MLS net. That he shouldn't be an afterthought on a successful team. It reinforces the belief that everyone has a role, no matter how great or small.

And that, much to my chagrin, sometimes it really is worth the wait.