Why did I write The Intangibles? The first motivation was that I wanted to communicate what it was really like in the South when schools were integrated. In the midst of problems we face as a society today, I wanted to provide some perspective into the times that molded the parents – and even the …
Tag: football
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 …
A Comedy of Errors
In a small town, it’s impossible to avoid people you don’t want to see. There may be many more annoying people in cities, but this decreases the intensity of annoyance in each individual. Here in the sticks, there are people you really don’t want to see. You hear the voice echoing down the supermarket …
Life by the Numbers
I’m 56. What does the number mean to me? It was the number associated with the race-car driver Jim Hurtubise, who, in addition to his occasional brilliance, was the Don Quixote of the Indianapolis 500 because, for a number of years, “Herk” tried to qualify a front-engined roadster after low-slung, rear-engined designs had come to …
Practical Rules of Writing
These are not practical tips in terms of serious. Lots of readers might be pissed because they clicked on this expecting something that really helps their writing. This is meant to be practically funny. Of course, whether it succeeds or not depends on the reaction of each reader. Some who are humorless will read this …
Useless What I Know
Some things I know. For instance, I know who framed Roger Rabbit. I know how to spell “Mississippi.” And “Ueberroth,” even after, lo, these many years. I don’t know how to spell “al-Qaeda” and “Qadhafi.” Neither does anyone else, though there are various and sundry opinions. My sad fate is to be a whiz at …
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 …
Cool When I’m Not
It just doesn’t matter. In so many ways. That, and nothing ever works. Nothing. Ever. Works. My optimism is sorely tested, as you may have gathered by the opening salvo of shibboleth. The level of bullshit daily assaulting my senses is oppressive. For instance, I just saw a clip of John Boehner say, “We’re really …
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 …
Nightrider's Lament 