Hedge for the hills

Has anyone else peeped ESPN's "Next" issue? They are getting extravagantly safe in their picks. Adrian Peterson, Heismann runner-up? Carlos Beltran, post-season hero and free agency treasure? Dwyane Wade?

It was only a few years ago that I remember sitting on an airplane, reading about a 15 year-old option quarterback, a second-grade golf prodigy, and the country of Ethipoia writ large. Last year, they went with Freddy Adu, already an international celebrity, Dwight Howard, Larry Fitzgerald, and Jennie Finch. . . isn't that conservative enough? Will next year's crop include T-Mac and Ladainian Tomlinson?

If anyone wants a reading tip, I've been checking out this up-and-coming author called Jonathan Franzen. . .