It isn't often when someone makes their dreams a reality. Think about it for a minute.

What were your dreams growing up? What did you want to accomplish with your life? After my hopes of being a pro basketball player flamed out -- there aren't too many 5-foot-11 guys with no speed and a broken jump shot in the NBA -- I thought I was going to be Michael Jordan's accountant. So much for that.

We tell our kids to dare to dream. We tell them they can be anything they want as long as they put their mind to it and work hard.

Kids around here have two excellent examples to follow, people who have made their dreams a reality.

As a youngster growing up in Mendon, Josh Rabe was like a lot of other kids around the world.

"Growing up everyone wants to be a big leaguer," Rabe said. "That sounds so cliche, but it's true."

Unlike millions of others who try, Rabe worked his way to the major leagues. The key word there is "worked." Yes, Rabe was blessed with some unbelievable physical skills, but he worked hard to bring that talent out. You just aren't handed a spot in a big-league lineup.

"I reached my goal," he said. "I was a big leaguer."

Rabe retired last week at the tender age of 29. A bad back did him in, but he'll have memories that will last a lifetime.

Around the same time Rabe was starting his trek to the big leagues, there was a little girl in Quincy learning a lot about golf. She idolized Annika Sorenstam during her formative years.

"It was always one of my goals to play in a tournament with Annika," Emily Powers said earlier this month. "She's retiring after this season, so I've met that goal."

Again, Powers didn't win a lottery for her spot in the U.S. Women's Open. Like Rabe earning the Minnesota Twins pin-stripped No. 11 jersey he wore during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Powers earned the right to be in the same locker room as Sorenstam over the weekend. Powers battled her way through two stages of qualifying to be one of the 155 players in the field over the weekend at Interlachen Country Club.

The end result could have been better. Powers opened with an 8-over 44 through her first nine holes, which put her in catch-up mode the entire weekend. She bounced back with an even-par back nine on Thursday before shooting an 11-over 84 during the second round and missed the cut.

It was weird Minneapolis will forever be linked to both of our area stars. Less than two years after Rabe made his big-league debut up Interstate 35W at the Metrodome, Powers played in her first LPGA event, a major no less, in suburban Edina, Minn. And a day before Powers' big day, Rabe announced his time in the spotlight was over.

This isn't the end for Powers, who will play in many more big tournaments in her career. She has dreams of one day being a touring professional after she's done with her college career at the University of Kansas. Hopefully, she realized this week that she's not too far away from achieving that goal.

It's not the end for Rabe either, who is looking forward to transitioning to another phase of his life.

Both Rabe and Powers dared to dream and made those dreams a reality.

We should all be so lucky.

Rose in bloom

The Chicago Bulls did the right thing on Thursday night by selecting Derrick Rose with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. All one has to do is look around the league and see how valuable a good point guard is.

New Orleans made a gigantic leap in Chris Paul's second season. Former Illini Deron Williams helped keep Utah among the elite teams in the Western Conference. Old-timers like Phoenix's Steve Nash and New Jersey's Jason Kidd have been doing their thing for years.

It isn't too often that a game-changing point guard comes along and the Bulls were able to snag one, with the added of bonus of Rose being a hometown kid who led Simeon to two state titles.

Now, it's a big jump from playing Peoria to playing in the NBA playoffs, but Rose is capable. He was the best player for Memphis during its run to the national championship game.

This should be the first of several moves for the team this off-season. They're not heavy in the backcourt, meaning either Kirk Hinrich or Ben Gordon has to go via trade.

I'd like to see Gordon go in a sign-and-trade for a low-post scorer. Gordon has tremendous scoring ability, but is a major defensive liability. Hinrich has the ability to play a back-up point guard for Rose and form a combination at the off-guard with Thabo Sefolosha.

Two years ago, the Bulls won 49 games and swept the defending NBA champion Miami Heat out of the playoffs. With the addition of Rose, the team's made the first step back to getting back to those heights.

-- dobrien@whig.com/221-3365