"I've been watching the NFL draft," someone might say, and then tell you what they think of the top picks. Or who their team picked. And you might nod as if you know who they are talking about, just to keep the conversation going. You lope back to the bar for a beer, because this always helps distract from conversations that don't really matter much to you.

"Is this primary ever going to end?" another might ask. And at least you know this: they are thinking of voting Democrat, but for who? Which one? Are we destroying ourselves to be impartial about the whole thing--when we are anything but impartial? There are rules and there are procedures and there are votes that count, votes that don't and votes that count more than others.

And this might be interesting if we hadn't heard the arguments over and over and over for the last two months. Remember four years ago when we got all up in arms about the quick nomination of Kerry because he took a primary when no one thought he would and suddenly looked presidential? Looked presidential. It was the hair, I think.

That and Howard Dean did his Howard the Duck impersonation (which still cracks me up), rolled up his sleeves and then found his shovel had been taken away. Interestingly, he's the ref this year.

And you know what? The Republicans were so concerned about looking like a broken party, they did the same thing this year. Fell into lockstep after a couple of contests.

I just know I need a rest from all of this. I didn't draft any of these people. They will not help my fantasy political team.

We need a quarterback, a cornerback, a wide receiver and a really strong lines--defensive and offensive because they're going to come at us from all sides. We're rebuilding, we haven't taken the prize for so long, and a few people on that last championship team are dead.

But how do we know if we picked the right one?

We won't for months. Not until the fields clear and the pomp circumstances and the fireworks go off. And then the real contest begins. This is all appetizers. And I could use a reprieve before taking on the main meat.

But the talking heads keep yapping, repeating whatever was said at the beginning of the day and putting their two cents in. By the end of the day (and this is a literal interpretation of the phrase), we get ten cents on a totally free idea.

Next day we get another free idea to discuss and trample.

It doesn't matter if we are or are not in a recession this week. It only matters that the checks are coming a week earlier than they told us a month ago.

It doesn't matter if gas gets up to $4 a gallon this summer. It only matters whether or not we'll still buy the expensive coffee.

It doesn't matter who wins in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The teams that lost (mostly got swept) shouldn't have made the playoffs in the first place.

And it doesn't really matter who wins in Indiana or North Carolina. The decision was made a long time ago, it just hasn't been announced yet.

It might matter if you leave an extra buck or two tip for your waitress or waiter.

It might matter if you don't drive the car today.

It might matter if you improperly store linseed oil soaked rags.

And it might matter if put on a little sunscreen when you sit out on the patio with a cold beer.

Matt Worley is all about mattering today.