GAME OF THE NAME

Kyle Thompson and Dawn Carpenter had a son on Feb. 4, 2004, a couple of months after the UPN science fiction show 'Jake 2.0' was canceled after less than four months on the air. They liked the name of the series and so they named their baby boy Jake Matthew Thompson 2.0.

"He's like an upgrade of us, the better version," Thompson said. The state birth certificate, however, reads "Jake Matthew Thompson Two Point Zero".

Carpenter, a housekeeper at a convalescent home and an aspiring actress, said some co-workers have told her that when her son reaches school age, classmates will make fun of his name, "but I don't worry about it. They made fun of me because my nose is small. They make fun of you no matter what you do."

This seems to be a growing trend. Over the last year, a handful of couples have been naming their children after the sports network ESPN... usually as a middle name. And there have been a few baby girls who've been named after the networks award - the Espy.

Well, this is nothing new. And my second cousin would tell Mrs. Puny Nose not to worry about what they call her son in the playground. He says that the kid will weather it just fine.

And if anybody can vouch for that, it's Meat-head Dabkowski.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby