I just received my Canon Rebel XT as a gift which included the 18-55mm kit lens. I've read a lot of very mediocre/bad reviews of that lens and am trying to determine what lenses would make sense to acquire over time (and in what order). Unfortunately, trying to sort through the maze of Canon/Sigma/Tamron/etc. lenses and quality of lenses is extremely tough for an amateur like myself.

I envision taking a lot outdoor sports pictures of my kids (baseball, skiing, etc.), some wildlife shots, and a fair amount of inside family pictures and portraits - most or all with a flash. As a result, I originally considered a Tamron 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 that seemed to cover most of my needs (and a comparable Sigma). But the more I read, the more it seems that I might not be happy with the quality of a lens like this for what I'm interested in and I'd end up buying overlapping lenses anyway. I really don't want to have a different lens for every situation though, so keeping it to 2 lenses would be ideal if I could get good quality.

So there are some of the lenses that seem to make some sense to me given my total price target (< $1000 absolute max total - would prefer less) and the information I have been able to gather. I've either read way too much or way too little. Or maybe I'm just overanalyzing the heck out of it.

* Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 or Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 or Canon 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM - certainly the Canon is the cheapest alternative in the first group.

* Canon 70-200mm f/4 L - this just seems to be a great lens at a great price, but I'm open to others for less $ if they are decent.

* Canon 50mm F/1.8 (ok, for $80 I might go 3 lenses, and this apparently the discount lens to have for non-flash photo ops)

Are there any obvious choices I am missing in any of these categories? I know I am leaving out the lower range if I get the 28-105, but I'm not sure I'd use it much. Older, high quality lenses would be fine - as long as I take the smaller frame into account and accept that I'm leaving out the lower range. I also still have the 18-55mm kit lens, but I doubt I would do anything with it at this point. Yet another option would be to really buy an 18-200 type all-purpose lens, use it for a year or two and then resell it as I start to upgrade. There are obvious drawbacks to that as well.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Randal