OK, let’s be clear: we all love baseball. We’re Americans; it’s our sport. But we all know that baseball has problems. Here are my suggestions for ways to make it better. Will any of these be implemented in our lifetimes? Not a chance, particularly the further down the list you go. 5) Dump The...
Half A Year With The iPad
Six months ago today, Jean gave me an iPad for Christmas. It’s barely been out of my sight since. (And yes, that means that today marks the halfway point to NEXT Christmas, meaning we’ll start seeing those holiday ads in just a few weeks. Almost time to put those lights up on the house!)...
List: Top 5ive Albums Of The 1980s
Everyone loves lists, right? Well then, here comes a list: the best albums of the 1980s. Any such “Top” list having to do with music is going to be controversial, of course. But this one may be less so than others, at least for me. These five albums simply stand out from all the...
Playoff Season
It’s nearing mid-June and the temperature is well up into the mid-90s, which means it’s about time to wrap up the seasons for our “winter” sports. This year, I think I’ve heard more talk about the NBA playoffs than ever before. I faithfully listen to “Mike and Mike” on my way to work, and...
Open-Wheeled On Memorial Day
For years, when the second weekend of May would roll around, I would go with my dad to Indianapolis for the first day of qualifying for the Indy 500. In those days, there were four days of qualifying over two weekends. The cars would go out one at a time and do four laps,...
Public Speaking
A few weeks ago, I got a call from Bob P., the director of the Port of Tulsa (yes, Tulsa, Okla., has a thriving port). They were having a navigation conference, he said. I was getting ready to say “Sure, we’ll have someone there to cover it,” when he continued, “…and I wonder if...
That One Was Just “Spiritual”
What a relief. Turns out we still have five months to go before the end of the world. Harold Camping, who got us all excited thinking last Saturday would be the end, now says May 21 was just a “spiritual” Judgment Day, and the real apocalypse will come October 21. Camping relied on some...
The Great Escape
So often, it turns out so badly for these guys: You see them running on the field, and you know they’re about to be swarmed by several oversized security guys, slammed to the ground, and paraded off the field for the entertainment of the jeering crowd. This guy, though, had some different ideas....
Back To Physical Therapy
Well, my back hasn’t gotten any better since February. OK, it got better, but then on Easter Sunday I went for a run and, halfway through, I suddenly felt the same lower-back seizing that laid me out initially. I was able to finish the run, but it was enough to convince me to get...
Good Old Boys
With all the talk about blasting levees lately, I just had to listen to Randy Newman’s classic album Good Old Boys, with the song Louisiana 1927 today. I first heard this song in 1977, when he came and played at Jesse Hall at Mizzou. None of my friends wanted to go, so I went...