I can’t decide what I love more: his humor or his messages. Oh, right. Both.
Entries from February 2009
February 27, 2009
Atta boy, Grules!
My friend Bryan Gruley is the Chicago bureau chief for the Wall St. Journal. He’s about to release his first novel, a murder mystery called Starvation Lake that combines his three passions: newspapers, hockey and small towns. It hits shelves March 3… and Don Cherry apparently loves it.
(From the Small World Department: I met Grules [...]
February 27, 2009
Please Don’t Stop My Music
I was 12 years-old when I realized the power music has on sports.
My anchorman dad and his co-workers from the TV station had a traveling “celebrity” basketball team called Air 3. The squad — consisting of reporters, photojournalists, editors and, of course, on-the-payroll referee Tony Koshar, who would occasionally pull up for threes — barnstormed [...]
February 26, 2009
Be Always at War With Your Vices
A talented writer named Sacha Scoblic offers this terrific essay on the New York Times’ booze blog.
“No thanks, I don’t drink,” I said apologetically, certain I had just irrevocably denounced the possibility of a good time, rebuffed her sweet attempt at inclusion, and declared myself a Mormon, all in one fell swoop. Which is why [...]
February 24, 2009
THREE STARS OF THE NIGHT: PREZ STYLE
So begins a feature on this blog called “Three Stars of the Night,” a concept inspired by the greatest game on earth. It’ll be topical and will appear, coincidentally, on nights I don’t have a date.
So, without further ado…
TONIGHT’S NUMBER 3 STAR: NBC’s David Gregory
In detailing how a New York congressman arrived at House chambers [...]
February 24, 2009
BOOOOOOOOOOO
Just realized A-Rod will likely be A-Gone when Buck Chop and I head down to Tampa next month.
Why?
The World Baseball Classic. He’s on Team Dominican Republic, which I hope gets bounced in the opening round so The Fraud can make it from San Juan to Florida in time for us to heckle him in Tampa [...]
February 24, 2009
Time to Get Real
Maxine Waters (D-Cali.): The one thing is this — we are socialized on wanting to own that home. That is the American dream. You are not a good American if you don’t want a home. If you don’t want to save your money and have that little house and that picket [...]
February 23, 2009
Why my mom rocks
It was my mom’s idea to go to Tampa for spring training in early March. Being that today kicks off the two-week countdown, I sent her an email to stoke the fire of anticipation.
Her reply: “I’m counting the hours until I can feel sunshine on my face. I got me some new sunglasses — prescription [...]
February 23, 2009
The Buck Chop Factor
I have an email from the Corporate Director of Global Communications at a major company sitting in my Inbox.
One of my Horan Hockey League buddies, who’s in marketing there, made the “virtual” connection for me after I asked him if his company uses freelance writers. The email from the communications director says thanks, that the [...]
February 22, 2009
FLASHBACK: On his way back up
This article was originally published in the Kalamazoo Gazette on January 27, 2008
BY RICK SHANLEY
Special to the Gazette
KALAMAZOO — You look at the curls sprouting through the top of his cut-off Flint Generals stocking cap, the number 25 stitched into the side of it.
You see his unshaven face.
You watch his gap-toothed grin, which comes [...]
