TALKIN’ TRASH
TALKIN’ TRASH Football has showman. From Joe Namath to Billy “White Shoes” Johnson; from Deion “Prime Time” Sanders to Terrell Owens and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. Basketball has larger than life figures who operate in a different stratosphere. From Clyde Frazier to Wilt Chamberlain; from Dr. J. to M.J.; from Magic and Larry to LeBron, and…
FOUR DAYS IN JULY
FOUR DAYS IN JULY The following was written at approximately 3pm, on Monday, July 20, 2015: Around 7pm tonight, regardless of what the scoreboard reads, regardless if our boys are racing around the outfield holding yet another banner (that would be eight, by my count) or wiping their eyes in the outfield grass, tears will…
BROADCAST BLUES
BROADCAST BLUES Ryan Seacrest makes $15M per year for “American Idol”. Alex Trebek earns $10M a year for “Jeopardy”. David Letterman was making about $20M per year when he retired from “Late Night”. Katie Couric got paid $15M a year – for 5 years – to host the CBS Evening News. Suffice it to say,…
TWO STRIKES . . . YOU’RE IN
TWO STRIKES . . . YOU’RE IN People ask me all the time why I love baseball so much. And to that question, I have a very simple answer. It’s not the beauty of 60 feet + 6 inches, and the fact that those additional 6 inches make all the difference in the world. It’s…
FANATICS
FANATICS What is your first reaction when you hear the word “fanatic”? Is it positive or negative? With the possible exception of the Phillie Phanatic, who brings joy to patrons, players, and the occasional coach, I would imagine the properly-spelled “fanatic” doesn’t conjure too many kind thoughts. Outside of that oversized, fluffy green doll, I…
THE BLIVET
THE BLIVET As an ode to my mom, who never missed an opportunity to say something whacky or just plain funny, I present to you the “blivet”. Sure, we could go with Webster, and tell you that a “blivet” is also known as a poiuyt, devil’s fork, or widget. I could explain to you that…
BASEBALL GODS
BASEBALL GODS I’m a Red Sox fan. There, I admitted it. And I have no shame in doing so. Of course, that is considerably easier today than it was 12 years ago. Over the past 11 seasons, the Red Sox have won 3 World Series championships. It’s not hard to be a fan. After 86…
WHEN IS A RULE A RULE?
WHEN IS A RULE A RULE? It is often said that lawyers are the people in society who have read the inside of the box. We (ostensibly) know the rules, and we are charged with helping interpret those rules, enforcing those rules, and/or seeking remediation when someone violates those rules. But what happens when a…
HOW MUCH IS TOO LITTLE?
HOW MUCH IS TOO LITTLE? The game is over, the dugout is empty, and the field has been dragged. One team is headed to the snack bar or the parking lot. And the other team is jumping into a dogpile in the outfield. The jubilation of a come-from-behind victory? Possibly the sweet relief of a…
LANGUAGE BARRIER
LANGUAGE BARRIER Within the past week, two people who I love dearly each told me – separately – that they try to read this blog, but can’t always follow it. That didn’t bother me in the least, because, as I wrote in my very first entry, this ain’t for everyone. I was just happy that…