The Thrill is Gone

So I disappear to work for Uncle Sam and Big Brother, and I return to find that the blogger world has changed. Now, my comment space is being invaded by Blammer, that vile disgusting junk that is overtaking a forum for exchange of sports talk. Posts are cluttered with puny attempts by others to get my 2 loyal readers to click on their links to nowhere.

How will my faithful readers hear about how I accurately recalled the date of the replay of George Brett's famous pine tar game? Or about our fascination with hemorrhoids? We were engaged in a discussion about the 10 biggest blowups in sports, and George Brett's face when he came storming out of the dugout at Yankee Stadium. The gang debated the year of the episode. I initially stated August 18th, 1983, then modified that to be the date of the completion of the game. See this link for more:

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/history/2003/030624.htm

Dates and times have meaning...they provide context for history. Every time I hear the radio replay of Jon Miller calling the Jeffrey Maier stolen HR, it brings tears to my eyes. After all, at that moment, while Tony Tarasco was arguing, and Richie Garcia was making "a terrible call," my wife was 7 cm dilated with what was soon to be our first child! Sports memories are intertwined with life events, as well as history. Who doesn't recall the O.J. chase during Game 3 of the 1994 NBA Finals? Or the 1981 NCAA Championship won by Isiah Thomas and the Indiana Hoosiers on the night President Reagan was shot?

Life goes on, and sports provide moments, much as a map provides rest areas, when we can catch our breath, look at our body of work, and remember who we are, and where we are going. It allows us to celebrate thos who protect us, and be grateful for the lives we lead.