Clinton, S.C., Tuesday, June 10, 2014, 9:51 a.m. In many years of watching NASCAR and writing about it, I knew saints and sinners, workaholics and con artists, contenders and pretenders, but I only knew one leprechaun. I never saw Junie Donlavey dance, and I doubt he thought Lucky Charms were “magically delicious,” but he …
Category: Sports
On the Road Again
For 20 years, I flew an average of 50,000 miles, but I haven’t been on an airplane since November 2012. That may change this summer. I spent six nights in motels in 2013. For 20 years, it was 100-plus. I’m a bit rusty, but so far, so good. I think all I needed that I …
Diamond R & R
Baseball is relaxing. It’s not relaxing when the Red Sox are playing the Yankees. It’s not relaxing in extra innings or when there’s a no-hitter in the late ones. Most of the time, watching it is relaxing, though. This cannot be said of football or basketball or hockey. On Monday, the Red Sox were …
Where Masters Walk the Earth
The Masters always has its Blixts. It’s international, full of Olazabals, Jimenezes and de Vicenzos. Augusta National was always slow on African Americans and women. Even Americans have names like Spieth and Kuchar, but America is a land of great diversity. Augusta National has just historically limited it a bit. So do I have profoundly …
It’s A Happy Crazy
Many years ago, it was my job to produce interviews with the members of a championship high school football team. I talked to every member of the team, and the interviews ran as fillers on the local station during the week leading up to the state championship game. When I asked one player what he …
Talking Baseball, Yastrzemski, Petrocelli …
I love baseball. Tomorrow the local college is playing at home. I think I shall go. Right now the Los Angeles Angels, who also just happen to be of Anaheim, are playing the Seattle Mariners of Cano. This is from the MLB Network in the living room, but the actual game is apparently being …
Continue reading Talking Baseball, Yastrzemski, Petrocelli …
Guard the Kryptonite
I remember my first reaction to watching Tiger Woods play golf. What a rip! Watching Woods swing a golf club was like watching Ted Williams swing a bat, John Elway throw a football and Karl Malone snag a rebound. How does he do that? Another observation was that a man’s body could only take so …
The Stupor Bowl
God. I’m glad I’ve got stuff to do. It’s Super Bowl Sunday. The game doesn’t begin till sometime long after 6:30, which is when it allegedly starts on TV, which isn’t the same as when the game starts. The game will take an abnormally long time, but it’s a drag race compared to the pregame …
A Bit More Olympian About Football
The Winter Olympics are about to begin. I don’t know why it’s a plural since no one ever mentions any individual Olympic. Olympics is one of those words where you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.Grammatically.I’m embarrassingly uninformed. The only person I know who seems to be in the Olympics is Vladimir …
The Power of the Dunk
Previous generations of African-American athletes were politically active. By and large, they aren’t anymore, and when they are, as in the case of Dennis Rodman, it tends to be maniacally weird. Today’s athletes stay clear of politics, seemingly unmindful and unappreciative of the benefits they enjoy due to the controversial efforts of Jackie Robinson, Muhammad …
