Baseball is the coolest of games! It's fun to play and fun to practice. It's fun to debate and analyze. Bopper and I take BP two or three times (sometimes mor) a week. Tonight, after a full day of yard work (ugh!), we played catch in the yard for about an hour. We pitched and "robbed" hitters of home runs, the remaining pile of cedar mulch serving as the outfield wall. Bopp was running and even diving into the pile, coming out covered with cedar. Grandma wasn't too happy and made him undress in the garage before coming into the house. Those Grandmas!
When my dad was in the hospital dying, we watched ball games many nights and weekends. As often as not, he'd bring up stories of when I played, way back when. I think my recollections of games and plays were frequently a bit different than his, but it was fun to hear anyway.
It's great fun to watch a game with someone like one of my former coaching colleagues. Just little things, a placement of a fielder or watching the flight of a thrown ball to see how the fielder had gripped it, help make this a thinking game. Take a long crossover step to steal a base, but a short open step to fake stealing. Lead off third in foul territory, but return to the bag in fair territory--for reasons! Pick up a stopped or very slowly rolling ball with a bare hand, not a glove. Go to get a ball off of a fence/wall with "the meat hand" leading.
I know they are great athletes, but I watched some guys trying to bunt this week while watching the Tigers with Bopper and Grandma (she turns them on more than I do!). Can't someone tell them it's much easier to successfully bunt with the bat in front of the plate than behind it? The Tigers lost a game, too, when a fielder (in more ways than one) forgot to crow hop when he threw to home--the throw in the dirt and allowing a run.
I know the closers are getting big, big bucks to close. But, if I was a batter coming up in the ninth inning, I'd much, much rather face Papa Taco Bell than Verlander, even if Verlander has thrown 120 pitches. My guess is opposing teams breathe a sigh of relief whenever the Tigers' manager (you know, right now I can't remember his name!) takes out Verlander.
But so much of this is subjective and open to great discussion. Why is defensive play so often overlooked in favor of offensive stats? Who was the best CF ever? How about the best hitter: Cobb? Ruth? Williams? others?
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Whew!
Someone's getting old! I guess I can't do it like I used to. I ran this AM, about 7 miles, and biked this PM, about 9 miles. In between, I threw about 2-3 hours of shredded bark (arf! arf!). OK, with that, the Codester helped me, well, as much as a 3-year old can. (And Bopper was ill today, staying home from school for the 2nd time this year--a bit of stomach flu?) and mowed the front lawn. (Who's complaining? The LaBatts from the freezer is great, since K, Russ, Carrie, et al aren't meeting at Sparkie's this eve.)
I'm not a Democrat and I'm not a Republican--to show so, I have since my first Presidential election, 40 years ago, I've only once voted for a victor. (If I was running for President, I'd find me and ask me to vote for the other guy!) But I find it both hilarious and appalling that a recent New Republic column claimed it is "ideological" and "reprehensible" that fellow conservative Supremes Alito and Roberts voted together 96% of the time, but that it's "admirable" and "principled" that liberal Suprems Sotomayor and Kagan agreed 94% of the time. Who can take such a column seriously??????
I hope everyone takes a minute or two this weekend to consider "Memorial Day." Athough not all of our wars may have been righteous, our soldiers--those who died and those who survived--deserve our respect and gratitude. (We can take up he "righteousness" with our politicians.)
I'm not a Democrat and I'm not a Republican--to show so, I have since my first Presidential election, 40 years ago, I've only once voted for a victor. (If I was running for President, I'd find me and ask me to vote for the other guy!) But I find it both hilarious and appalling that a recent New Republic column claimed it is "ideological" and "reprehensible" that fellow conservative Supremes Alito and Roberts voted together 96% of the time, but that it's "admirable" and "principled" that liberal Suprems Sotomayor and Kagan agreed 94% of the time. Who can take such a column seriously??????
I hope everyone takes a minute or two this weekend to consider "Memorial Day." Athough not all of our wars may have been righteous, our soldiers--those who died and those who survived--deserve our respect and gratitude. (We can take up he "righteousness" with our politicians.)
Friday, May 18, 2012
Fri Musings
Boy, the last three or four days have been just gorgeous! I suppose some might want it a bit warmer, but once the wind died down....
Is it true that Williams College, the dread Purple Cows, invited a porn star to campus for a guest lecture? You must be kidding me! C'mon--is that true? Here's the kicker, one student purportedly remarked, "Every feature on the cultural landscape, including porn, it entitled to critical analysis." "Accept and Respect" is alive and well in the US--much to our detriment. Thanks to an AC classmate for this tidbit.
Speaking of "every feature...critical analysis," I wonder what this student or even Williams College and all other colleges think of opening a legitimate discourse on race and racism. Race and racism, unless approached in the proper way (that is, in the politically correct way), are taboo for discussion. Note the barbs on campus, in the media, among politicians in this regard. See how Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, even Clarence Thomas are ignored or vilified. Are we so frightened of being labeled "racist" that we refuse to confront some realities?
One of those realities occurred in Detroit the other day. A prominent black minister, a member of a nationally-known gospel-singing family, was mugged, beaten, and carjacked--in Detroit, at a self-serve gas station, on a busy street, in broad daylight. And, according to witnesses and local residents, this isn't a rare incident--it happens all of the time! Ironically, the same front page that carried this story had another detailing the flight of middle-class black families to nearby Macomb County. One emigre said, "It [Macomb] is much better. When we call the police, they come." I have few doubts that the police in Detroit themselves are handcuffed, prevented from doing their jobs. Sheer volumes of crime, staffing cutbacks, political correctness, silence from the community (those who know the criminals/perpetrators) all weigh in on this. Is this the kind of place to live? This is the great Detroit I knew growing up, where I could take my bike to any part of the city at any time of day or night, in my early teens, and not feel at all threatened. Gee, we have lots of National Guardsmen on duty (at least those back from Iraq and Afghanistan--why are they there again?) who might be put to use in Detroit. Does anyone have any other ideas on how to get rid of crime? No, the old "poor education," unemployment, etc. stuff won't work. There's no excuse, none, for beating a 54-year old minister or any other innocent citizen for that matter.
Is it true that the University of North Carolina, in a self-investigation, uncovered 54 cases of academic fraud in a single department? I don't know if other departments are being investigated, too, or if this is the only one with such a discovery. But the department is African and African-American Studies. I might suggest many universities' schools of education also be investigated, if not for academic fraud, but at least for not engaging in educational rigor and quality.
No time to review it here and now, but have you noted the new book out, The Amateur, by Ed Klein? It's findings are devastating, if anyone is paying attention. They obviously aren't since I've heard the finals of DWTS and Am Idol are coming soon. But if anyone has any doubts about the rotten Presidency of Barak Obama, this book will be convincing--that is, the one fits the adage, "There is none so blind as he who will not see." What is it people say about "drinking the Kool-Aid?" Why isn't the media all over this one?
Out to enjoy a bike ride outside with the Codester.
Is it true that Williams College, the dread Purple Cows, invited a porn star to campus for a guest lecture? You must be kidding me! C'mon--is that true? Here's the kicker, one student purportedly remarked, "Every feature on the cultural landscape, including porn, it entitled to critical analysis." "Accept and Respect" is alive and well in the US--much to our detriment. Thanks to an AC classmate for this tidbit.
Speaking of "every feature...critical analysis," I wonder what this student or even Williams College and all other colleges think of opening a legitimate discourse on race and racism. Race and racism, unless approached in the proper way (that is, in the politically correct way), are taboo for discussion. Note the barbs on campus, in the media, among politicians in this regard. See how Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, even Clarence Thomas are ignored or vilified. Are we so frightened of being labeled "racist" that we refuse to confront some realities?
One of those realities occurred in Detroit the other day. A prominent black minister, a member of a nationally-known gospel-singing family, was mugged, beaten, and carjacked--in Detroit, at a self-serve gas station, on a busy street, in broad daylight. And, according to witnesses and local residents, this isn't a rare incident--it happens all of the time! Ironically, the same front page that carried this story had another detailing the flight of middle-class black families to nearby Macomb County. One emigre said, "It [Macomb] is much better. When we call the police, they come." I have few doubts that the police in Detroit themselves are handcuffed, prevented from doing their jobs. Sheer volumes of crime, staffing cutbacks, political correctness, silence from the community (those who know the criminals/perpetrators) all weigh in on this. Is this the kind of place to live? This is the great Detroit I knew growing up, where I could take my bike to any part of the city at any time of day or night, in my early teens, and not feel at all threatened. Gee, we have lots of National Guardsmen on duty (at least those back from Iraq and Afghanistan--why are they there again?) who might be put to use in Detroit. Does anyone have any other ideas on how to get rid of crime? No, the old "poor education," unemployment, etc. stuff won't work. There's no excuse, none, for beating a 54-year old minister or any other innocent citizen for that matter.
Is it true that the University of North Carolina, in a self-investigation, uncovered 54 cases of academic fraud in a single department? I don't know if other departments are being investigated, too, or if this is the only one with such a discovery. But the department is African and African-American Studies. I might suggest many universities' schools of education also be investigated, if not for academic fraud, but at least for not engaging in educational rigor and quality.
No time to review it here and now, but have you noted the new book out, The Amateur, by Ed Klein? It's findings are devastating, if anyone is paying attention. They obviously aren't since I've heard the finals of DWTS and Am Idol are coming soon. But if anyone has any doubts about the rotten Presidency of Barak Obama, this book will be convincing--that is, the one fits the adage, "There is none so blind as he who will not see." What is it people say about "drinking the Kool-Aid?" Why isn't the media all over this one?
Out to enjoy a bike ride outside with the Codester.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Random Thoughts on a Wed AM
I was just reviewing some material and came across Alistair Cooke's 1970's reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire, perhaps likening those to what was/is going on in the US. One of the reasons was "freakishness in the arts." I thought of today's "music," even the music of the past few decades. OK, I admit that I enjoy some of it--it's good to listen to, to dance to, to sing. But doesn't everyone have to admit a lot of it is "freakish?" Of course, if we define "music" as something "melodious," then much of it doesn't qualify as "music," does it?
Has an athlete today an idea, or at least an original idea, in his head? Listen to the interviews with athletes, professional or collegiate. Why doesn't some TV or radio station, to save money, just record one of the interviews and change faces, using the same words from the first interview? The same old trite cliches, which mean little, are repeated.
I love the coaches who win championships and then cite some slogan, usually on a tee shirt, as the basis for winning that championship. What about the other 99% of the teams who also had slogans, on tee shirts, that didn't win?
I hope the anti-"pink slime" crusaders are even happier. There's something in the newspaper again today about more layoffs at one of the "pink slime" producers. When will all of the producers shut down permanently?
Gouverneur Morris (his actually first game was "Gouverneur") was a wealthy American from New York of the Revolutionary Days. What if his daughter married into the Grosvenor (pronounced "grow ven err") family of New England? It's likely the first-born son would have been named after the maternal grandfather. Now, what if this son had been elected chief executive of Massachusetts? Would have have then been "Governor Gouverneur Grosvenor?" Regardless, Morris was quite the ladies' man, finally marrying a much younger woman when he was in his late 50s. They had a happy 9-year marriage and, to show his content, in his will he left his widow a very hefty annual income--if she didn't remarry. If she did remarry, the will stipulated that the annuity should double! What a guy!
Why aren't the "99%ers" picketing Obama? He lives in a house that still has a mortgage of "between $500 and $1,000,000." (In other words, his house is worth more than I've earned in 45 years!) And, according to recently released records, his net worth is nearly $10 million! Or doesn't that put him in the "1%?" Gee, I wonder if he voluntarily paid extra income taxes. Nah, I don't wonder at all.
A recent article in a running mag suggested that runners should embrace track, watch as spectators, not because meets are excited (I don't think they are), but because the athletes "love what they are doing" and "they work hard." Perhaps we should also embrace algebra, watch as spectators, because math prodigies "love what they are doing" and "work hard."
I'm really glad The Oakland Press still runs Walter Williams' columns on the same day as E.J. Dionne's columns. Politics aside, they are constant reminders of good and bad opinions, that is, reasoned thought and sloppy thinking.
Is the study of history important? Of course it isn't. We certainly don't learn anything from it. The French last week elected a socialst government. Apparently they don't remember Leon Blum and the Popular Front. I wonder if they remember the Nazis?????? Aren't the examples staring them in the face from Greece, Spain, Ireland, etc. reminders? How much farther behind can we be? I guess the key word is "austerity." I fear that's the problem. After decades of the policies of FDR, LBJ, etc., how can people now be persuaded to give up what they have been given for free? Who is willing to sacrifice? Right, nobody is willing to sacrifice for the good of the US, and, more specifically, our kids' and grandkids' futures. And yet people have the nerve to call others "greedy!" One of my favorite words, although I don't like it (huh?), is "hypocrite." There are so many of them around.
OK, out to finish my housework and then get out on the bikes with the Codester.
Has an athlete today an idea, or at least an original idea, in his head? Listen to the interviews with athletes, professional or collegiate. Why doesn't some TV or radio station, to save money, just record one of the interviews and change faces, using the same words from the first interview? The same old trite cliches, which mean little, are repeated.
I love the coaches who win championships and then cite some slogan, usually on a tee shirt, as the basis for winning that championship. What about the other 99% of the teams who also had slogans, on tee shirts, that didn't win?
I hope the anti-"pink slime" crusaders are even happier. There's something in the newspaper again today about more layoffs at one of the "pink slime" producers. When will all of the producers shut down permanently?
Gouverneur Morris (his actually first game was "Gouverneur") was a wealthy American from New York of the Revolutionary Days. What if his daughter married into the Grosvenor (pronounced "grow ven err") family of New England? It's likely the first-born son would have been named after the maternal grandfather. Now, what if this son had been elected chief executive of Massachusetts? Would have have then been "Governor Gouverneur Grosvenor?" Regardless, Morris was quite the ladies' man, finally marrying a much younger woman when he was in his late 50s. They had a happy 9-year marriage and, to show his content, in his will he left his widow a very hefty annual income--if she didn't remarry. If she did remarry, the will stipulated that the annuity should double! What a guy!
Why aren't the "99%ers" picketing Obama? He lives in a house that still has a mortgage of "between $500 and $1,000,000." (In other words, his house is worth more than I've earned in 45 years!) And, according to recently released records, his net worth is nearly $10 million! Or doesn't that put him in the "1%?" Gee, I wonder if he voluntarily paid extra income taxes. Nah, I don't wonder at all.
A recent article in a running mag suggested that runners should embrace track, watch as spectators, not because meets are excited (I don't think they are), but because the athletes "love what they are doing" and "they work hard." Perhaps we should also embrace algebra, watch as spectators, because math prodigies "love what they are doing" and "work hard."
I'm really glad The Oakland Press still runs Walter Williams' columns on the same day as E.J. Dionne's columns. Politics aside, they are constant reminders of good and bad opinions, that is, reasoned thought and sloppy thinking.
Is the study of history important? Of course it isn't. We certainly don't learn anything from it. The French last week elected a socialst government. Apparently they don't remember Leon Blum and the Popular Front. I wonder if they remember the Nazis?????? Aren't the examples staring them in the face from Greece, Spain, Ireland, etc. reminders? How much farther behind can we be? I guess the key word is "austerity." I fear that's the problem. After decades of the policies of FDR, LBJ, etc., how can people now be persuaded to give up what they have been given for free? Who is willing to sacrifice? Right, nobody is willing to sacrifice for the good of the US, and, more specifically, our kids' and grandkids' futures. And yet people have the nerve to call others "greedy!" One of my favorite words, although I don't like it (huh?), is "hypocrite." There are so many of them around.
OK, out to finish my housework and then get out on the bikes with the Codester.
Friday, May 11, 2012
May?
Someone told me it's May?????? Is that true? Already? What happened to April?
An odd thing happened yesterday. I was reading my weekly Amherst E-Mail Update and I just sort of broke down, with tears. It wasn't any specific article, just a mention of graduation. I had to compose myself and then go to the lav and splash my face with water before class. I'm not sure I liked that.
I saw a couple of cool things last week while running. First, last Sunday running down an old country road (!), I noted a red fox running himself alongside a red barn. He was scurrying away, but was surely a fox. And, including Karen, I saw two "foxes" that day. Second, I've never seen a Canadian goose land on a rooftop before, never. But I did last week. Two were flying overhead, honking away (are those "honks" utterly aggravating!). One flew on and one took a break on the peak of the roof. Is that normal, gooses/geese on rooftops? If so, why haven't I seen that before given all the gooses/geese around here?
With that in mind, K was watching some show about being smarter than a fifth grader. I laughed at one of the questions I heard from the other room. "How do you spell the plural of the word 'goose?'" That, I noted to myself, depends on if "goose" is a noun or a verb!!!!!!
Which of us haven't, likely back in our immature, unthinking youths, uttered slurs of some sorts at some undeserving person? C'mon, never? That doesn't make it right or OK, but it does make us human. What is all right or OK is for us to grow up, to grow as people. Can there be any better example than A. Lincoln? Remember what W.E.B. DuBois, one of the founders of the NAACP in 1909 (or was it '08?), wrote about him. "...I love him not because he was perfect, but because he was not and yet triumphed.... The world is full of folk whose taste was educated in the gutter. The world is full of people born hating and despising their fellos. To these I love to say: See this man. He was one of you and yet he became Abraham Lincoln." Tell me that one doesn't raise goose bumps on you!
OK, tell me throwing BP to a grandson isn't the coolest thing ever? I usually toss to Bopper three or more times each week. Oh, he's not Ted Williams, yet...but if we keep practicing. What is so darn cool is how he seems to enjoy the game, all parts of it. He strikes out his share of the time (and he's 11 in an 11-12 year-old league), but he runs bases well when he's on. He backs up plays, even the pitcher on throws from the catcher when he plays 2B! He pitched for the first time this year the other nights. He gave up five or six runs in one inning, but strike out one and gave up only one hit and one walk. Yep, you guessed it--errors. In fact, of the first six batters, there were seven errors, on balls that were hardly tough plays, in fact, pretty easy plays. But, like the ball he slammed over the right fielder's head last Sat, the smile on his face after pitching makes the time I spend with him more than worthwhile. What is it the commercial says? "Priceless!"
I was reminded of this yesterday, seeing the smile on a friend who became a grandmother last week. When I remarked, "Isn't holding her the greatest thing?," she took on the biggest grin, eyes sparkling, and said, "It's the best!" Yep....
The Codester and I walked over at Proud Lake last week, for about an hour and a half or so. He likes to run on the trails, stopping to pick up sticks, which he plans to toss in the Huron River. He'll hide on me, too, behind trees and bushes. What he might like most, though, is running through the mud.
I'm reading a history book now (don't tell anyone!), which cited Gore Vidal. The sentiment expressed was that "academics" are ruining history. I'd agree. Far too many of them are arrogant, elitist. History, whether they like it or not, is best told and taught as "stories." Prof Rozwenc, on of my history teachers at Amherst, used to tell such riveting "stories" and anecdotes I often wondered if he lived with the likes of Washington, Jefferson, et al. I recall a college colleague of mine, arguing that David McCulloch's history was real history (whatever "real history" is) because McCulloch "isn't a trained historian." What poppycock! How typical of the "academics" cited by Vidal. No wonder it's hard to get students engaged in history.
An e-mail last week noted an AC classmate was laid off, at age 62 or 63. That bad news aside, I was irked by three or four replies of sympathy that included, "Maybe you could teach?" Wait a minute! The implication is that "Anyone can teach." I resent that, a great deal. Now, I fully admit that with many in the schools today, it is true that anyone can be a teacher--or at least draw a paycheck for being a supposed teacher. But that doesn't mean "Anyone can teach." In fact, I'd posit far fewer can "teach" than most people suspect.
A stunning report last week predicted 42% of all Americans will be "obese" within two decades. What is startling, too, is that 1/3 of all Americans current are, not merely overweight, but "obese." Fully 11% are "morbidly obese." Hey, I thought we were in tough times!?!?!? Oh, it's only "fast food" the downtrodden can afford? Poppycock! That's ridiculous. First, it's not "fast food" that makes a person fat--it's too much fast food. Second, serious planning and couponing as well as shopping the sales makes food more affordable than McD's, etc. I'd guess feeding a family of four at a fast food place would run at least $10, at least. C'mon, making a meal at home can be much less expensive than that. But, we hear it from the "anointed" and they are never wrong.
Gee, I hope the "pink slime" opponents are happy. Now, without any evidence that I've read, "pink slime" isn't unhealthy to eat. It passes FDA muster. It is actually leaner (that is, with less fat) than "normal" cuts of beef. OK, it is cleansed with ammonia to remove bacteria, but apparently the FDA doesn't find that at all harmful. And, I 've read nothing of anyone getting ill from the "pink slime" and its ammonia. So, what do I hear this week? 6,000 people at "pink slime" plants are losing their jobs. Maybe the anti-"pink slimers" could toss in some bucks to pay these now unemployed workers? Yeah, that's going to happen. That reminds me of the liberal who saw a man drowning off a pier. He rushed to the drowning man's aid, tossing him a lifebuoy to which a rope was attached. "Grab the lifebuoy! Grab the lifebuoy!" the liberal yelled. The floundering man did and held on for dear life. Seeing that, the liberal let go of the rope and moved on to do another "good deed."
I ran a 5K last week. I did fine, considering my Achilles problem, about 10 lbs too heavy, and not a speck of fast training. I was a minute or so slower than last year, but the temperatures were 20 degrees warmer than last year, too. But I checked out the age-graded tables and my time, age-graded, was 17:33. Hey, in my fastest years (a relative term, of course) I never ran that fast, about 20 seconds slower. Maybe I like these age-graded tables! It was a cool race, with 7 of the top 9 finishers older than 40. In fact, the only two top finishers to break the masters' stranglehold were the first woman and a 16-year old. Cool race! And, I enjoyed talking to old running friends I hadn't seen since last fall's races. Oh, and a former student, Jill Mattson (now Peck) came up to say hello. She ran the race, too, and ran it pretty fast! We had a nice chat.
What is our fascination with the likes of Judy Garland, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, etc.? With their deviant behaviors--drugs, alchohol, and lifestyles--weren't they the miscreants of society? Why do we sing paeans to them? Why do we find their stories "powerful?" Beats me. And that goes for those still alive. Talk to some folks about Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and others. It's as if these folks are having organisms just talking about them. Listen to these so-called "singers." They can't sing! Well, they can't if "singing" is still defined with the term "melodious" in the definition. Oh, well....
And are we in the midst of government by solipsism? It sure seems like it. The President's reality is only in his own mind. Only his own existence seems to be real to him. It's scary, at least to me, but, of course, I'm paranoid. Equally frightening was talking to a retired teacher last week and listening to him sing the praises of Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and the Democrats. The Republicans might also be incompetents, but that doesn't make the Democrats praiseworthy. By the way, as I've expressed to a few Republicans, the financial messes in this country and state are not the fault of me, my union, or my pension. They should perhaps review some of their Shakespeare, "The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves."
That's enough for now. Lots to do, but I leave with this thought, "He was one of you and yet he became Abraham Lincoln."
An odd thing happened yesterday. I was reading my weekly Amherst E-Mail Update and I just sort of broke down, with tears. It wasn't any specific article, just a mention of graduation. I had to compose myself and then go to the lav and splash my face with water before class. I'm not sure I liked that.
I saw a couple of cool things last week while running. First, last Sunday running down an old country road (!), I noted a red fox running himself alongside a red barn. He was scurrying away, but was surely a fox. And, including Karen, I saw two "foxes" that day. Second, I've never seen a Canadian goose land on a rooftop before, never. But I did last week. Two were flying overhead, honking away (are those "honks" utterly aggravating!). One flew on and one took a break on the peak of the roof. Is that normal, gooses/geese on rooftops? If so, why haven't I seen that before given all the gooses/geese around here?
With that in mind, K was watching some show about being smarter than a fifth grader. I laughed at one of the questions I heard from the other room. "How do you spell the plural of the word 'goose?'" That, I noted to myself, depends on if "goose" is a noun or a verb!!!!!!
Which of us haven't, likely back in our immature, unthinking youths, uttered slurs of some sorts at some undeserving person? C'mon, never? That doesn't make it right or OK, but it does make us human. What is all right or OK is for us to grow up, to grow as people. Can there be any better example than A. Lincoln? Remember what W.E.B. DuBois, one of the founders of the NAACP in 1909 (or was it '08?), wrote about him. "...I love him not because he was perfect, but because he was not and yet triumphed.... The world is full of folk whose taste was educated in the gutter. The world is full of people born hating and despising their fellos. To these I love to say: See this man. He was one of you and yet he became Abraham Lincoln." Tell me that one doesn't raise goose bumps on you!
OK, tell me throwing BP to a grandson isn't the coolest thing ever? I usually toss to Bopper three or more times each week. Oh, he's not Ted Williams, yet...but if we keep practicing. What is so darn cool is how he seems to enjoy the game, all parts of it. He strikes out his share of the time (and he's 11 in an 11-12 year-old league), but he runs bases well when he's on. He backs up plays, even the pitcher on throws from the catcher when he plays 2B! He pitched for the first time this year the other nights. He gave up five or six runs in one inning, but strike out one and gave up only one hit and one walk. Yep, you guessed it--errors. In fact, of the first six batters, there were seven errors, on balls that were hardly tough plays, in fact, pretty easy plays. But, like the ball he slammed over the right fielder's head last Sat, the smile on his face after pitching makes the time I spend with him more than worthwhile. What is it the commercial says? "Priceless!"
I was reminded of this yesterday, seeing the smile on a friend who became a grandmother last week. When I remarked, "Isn't holding her the greatest thing?," she took on the biggest grin, eyes sparkling, and said, "It's the best!" Yep....
The Codester and I walked over at Proud Lake last week, for about an hour and a half or so. He likes to run on the trails, stopping to pick up sticks, which he plans to toss in the Huron River. He'll hide on me, too, behind trees and bushes. What he might like most, though, is running through the mud.
I'm reading a history book now (don't tell anyone!), which cited Gore Vidal. The sentiment expressed was that "academics" are ruining history. I'd agree. Far too many of them are arrogant, elitist. History, whether they like it or not, is best told and taught as "stories." Prof Rozwenc, on of my history teachers at Amherst, used to tell such riveting "stories" and anecdotes I often wondered if he lived with the likes of Washington, Jefferson, et al. I recall a college colleague of mine, arguing that David McCulloch's history was real history (whatever "real history" is) because McCulloch "isn't a trained historian." What poppycock! How typical of the "academics" cited by Vidal. No wonder it's hard to get students engaged in history.
An e-mail last week noted an AC classmate was laid off, at age 62 or 63. That bad news aside, I was irked by three or four replies of sympathy that included, "Maybe you could teach?" Wait a minute! The implication is that "Anyone can teach." I resent that, a great deal. Now, I fully admit that with many in the schools today, it is true that anyone can be a teacher--or at least draw a paycheck for being a supposed teacher. But that doesn't mean "Anyone can teach." In fact, I'd posit far fewer can "teach" than most people suspect.
A stunning report last week predicted 42% of all Americans will be "obese" within two decades. What is startling, too, is that 1/3 of all Americans current are, not merely overweight, but "obese." Fully 11% are "morbidly obese." Hey, I thought we were in tough times!?!?!? Oh, it's only "fast food" the downtrodden can afford? Poppycock! That's ridiculous. First, it's not "fast food" that makes a person fat--it's too much fast food. Second, serious planning and couponing as well as shopping the sales makes food more affordable than McD's, etc. I'd guess feeding a family of four at a fast food place would run at least $10, at least. C'mon, making a meal at home can be much less expensive than that. But, we hear it from the "anointed" and they are never wrong.
Gee, I hope the "pink slime" opponents are happy. Now, without any evidence that I've read, "pink slime" isn't unhealthy to eat. It passes FDA muster. It is actually leaner (that is, with less fat) than "normal" cuts of beef. OK, it is cleansed with ammonia to remove bacteria, but apparently the FDA doesn't find that at all harmful. And, I 've read nothing of anyone getting ill from the "pink slime" and its ammonia. So, what do I hear this week? 6,000 people at "pink slime" plants are losing their jobs. Maybe the anti-"pink slimers" could toss in some bucks to pay these now unemployed workers? Yeah, that's going to happen. That reminds me of the liberal who saw a man drowning off a pier. He rushed to the drowning man's aid, tossing him a lifebuoy to which a rope was attached. "Grab the lifebuoy! Grab the lifebuoy!" the liberal yelled. The floundering man did and held on for dear life. Seeing that, the liberal let go of the rope and moved on to do another "good deed."
I ran a 5K last week. I did fine, considering my Achilles problem, about 10 lbs too heavy, and not a speck of fast training. I was a minute or so slower than last year, but the temperatures were 20 degrees warmer than last year, too. But I checked out the age-graded tables and my time, age-graded, was 17:33. Hey, in my fastest years (a relative term, of course) I never ran that fast, about 20 seconds slower. Maybe I like these age-graded tables! It was a cool race, with 7 of the top 9 finishers older than 40. In fact, the only two top finishers to break the masters' stranglehold were the first woman and a 16-year old. Cool race! And, I enjoyed talking to old running friends I hadn't seen since last fall's races. Oh, and a former student, Jill Mattson (now Peck) came up to say hello. She ran the race, too, and ran it pretty fast! We had a nice chat.
What is our fascination with the likes of Judy Garland, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, etc.? With their deviant behaviors--drugs, alchohol, and lifestyles--weren't they the miscreants of society? Why do we sing paeans to them? Why do we find their stories "powerful?" Beats me. And that goes for those still alive. Talk to some folks about Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and others. It's as if these folks are having organisms just talking about them. Listen to these so-called "singers." They can't sing! Well, they can't if "singing" is still defined with the term "melodious" in the definition. Oh, well....
And are we in the midst of government by solipsism? It sure seems like it. The President's reality is only in his own mind. Only his own existence seems to be real to him. It's scary, at least to me, but, of course, I'm paranoid. Equally frightening was talking to a retired teacher last week and listening to him sing the praises of Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and the Democrats. The Republicans might also be incompetents, but that doesn't make the Democrats praiseworthy. By the way, as I've expressed to a few Republicans, the financial messes in this country and state are not the fault of me, my union, or my pension. They should perhaps review some of their Shakespeare, "The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves."
That's enough for now. Lots to do, but I leave with this thought, "He was one of you and yet he became Abraham Lincoln."
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