Saturday, August 23, 2014

LLWS and Other Stuff

My announcing schedule has not allowed me to watch as much of the Little League World Series as I would like.  Not having cable or satellite makes it a little more difficult, but one is able to locate ways to watch the games if you're motivated.

I have a couple of observations on the eve of the World Championship Game.  The level of athleticism has always been high, but I believe these are the most athletic teams I have ever seen in Williamsport.  The straight line speed, the lateral movement, and the hand-eye coordination is astounding.  It seems to me the teams with the best athletes all the way through the lineup are playing for the title.

That said, the best team is not there.  Las Vegas looked like the best baseball team to me, and was let down today by undiagnosed injury and an inability to rise to the occasion.  Japan was the most sound fundamentally, but couldn't execute today.

Having said that leads me to my second point: the baseball IQ of every team in Williamsport, with maybe the exception of the Middle Eastern and European team is off the charts.  These teams are playing a lot more baseball than the two months and change of a regular Little League Season allows.  On the American side, I'd say there's a lot of travel baseball going on outside the LL season.  Internationally, I'd say they have committed to much more practice than play.  The style of play bears the point out: Americans look like they are playing game number 100, the overseas teams seem much more mechanical.

Should be a great final.  I would like to see the boys from Chicago pull it out, but I'm not sure who's going to pitch.  Korea has sound fundamentals, but we'll see if the way the pitch, from the outside in, is a little too predictable for the Americans.  The American might be able to small ball their way to a World Title.

-My bride of twenty-three summers and a lot more winters called on me to take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  I took it without flinching, and challenged two college coaches with over 700 wins in their career: Drew Peterson and Mike Lightfoot.  I also challenged ECA's previous athletic director, Craig Coffman and Jeff Scheck, the Little League President I enjoyed serving with a couple of years ago.

It gives me the opportunity to speak about something dear to my heart.  Ella Hunt just turned three years old.  She lives with a condition known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  It is in the same family of conditions as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and is just as fatal.  This condition is often undiagnosed and the Type I victims, like Ella, rarely survive past age two.

We have carpooled with the Hunt family to ECA for several years, and were at the reveal party when Ella's parents, Dan and Erica, found out they were having a girl.  They were given a diagnosis and told to go home and plan a funeral.

They refused, citing the fact that they were all still alive.  Gotta live before you die, and they decided to live.  What they have done has touched people who have no idea they existed before Ella was born.  A local TV station has followed their story.  They have been introduced to Dr. Mary Schroth, who advocates for SMA interests and provides treatment that has even lead for a couple of these little ones to reach their teens, even without the support of the entire medical profession.  Some see treating these little ones as a waste of resources.  Dr. Schroth sees it as a labor of love.

The Hunts have moved from our neighborhood, but the relationship goes on.  I can't wait to see where the train will go next.

So...am I off base?

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Random Thoughts-August 17

Some random thoughts while waiting for Monday morning to get here.  Had to type it on top my pug because she refused to leave my lap.

-I know I am a long time Seahawks fan, but they have a legitimate opportunity to repeat.   I know it is preseason, but the defense has looked good so far.  The offense has been very efficient, all you need with a dominant defense.  They are legitimate contenders again.

-On paper, the Colts look attractive to me.  They had a great season last year, with a young quarterback wise beyond his years.  They also have a very experience backup in Matt Hasselbeck.  If the defense steps up to the next level, they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

In both of the above, games are played on the field and not paper.  Anything can happen, especially in today's NFL.

-I am intrigued by the pennant races in Major League Baseball.  The AL Central is interesting, primarily because of the rise of the Royals and the struggles of the Tigers.  I still favor the Angels in the West, primarily because the A's great moves haven't looked so good so far.  The East is the only race seemingly settled, the Orioles comfortably ahead of the Yankees.

-The National League looks pretty set right now.  Washington, Milwaukee and Los Angeles all have at least three game leads.  The Wild Card race will be extremely interesting.  Bet the best pitching wins.

-I would like to see Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays play in a bigger market.  Joey Bats has power, patience, and is a solid defensive outfielder.  He is on pace for 30 homers and around 100 RBI, with a team definitely in the race for the second Wild Card spot.  The Jays have good starting pitching, and need something to put it together.  Bautista would have big numbers with more around him.

-Notre Dame is investigating academic dishonesty in the athletic department.  Academic dishonesty has been around as long as college has had athletics.  It is rampant now, where winning trumps academics, just underreported or unreported.  It is just part of the big business that is college sports.  Wait until the O'Bannon ruling reaches it logical conclusion, it will get even worse.

So...am I off base?

Monday, August 11, 2014

I Will Miss Him

It may sound weird for a Christian to say, but a drugged out, out of his mind, improv comedian was one of my heroes growing up.

Robin Williams introduced me to improvisation, something I never quite grasped as a child, even as an adolescent.  By the time I finished college, it was finally becoming engrained.  Eventually, as an adult, I use improvisation every day.  Not to make people laugh, but make decisions quickly in the medical field.  Robin Williams is responsible for that.  Remember that if I ever have to do CPR on you.

I saw Mork and Mindy, and thought it was entertaining.  It doesn't surprise me that the best stuff never made it on the air.  When I first heard  "Reality...What A Concept!",  I was hooked.  I wore that cassette tape out, figuring out what he said and why, memorizing to the point where I actually performed a G-rated version of his Mr. Rogers routine in High School.

Most comedians told you jokes and made you laugh.  Robin Williams made funny an every day thing.  My best friend growing up, David Relue, did it better than I did, much more organic.  I never stopped learning, stole some of my best stuff, and eventually could write my own.  It taught me a style of thinking that was slightly in the box, slightly out of the box.

It was good enough to let me play college golf at Purdue, and realize a dream of being a golf professional.  Eventually, it worked it's way into my coaching style, and has affected how I coach and the way I teach things.  It could have an effect of resonating through the kids I have touched.  If that doesn't scare you, I'm not sure what else would.

Robin Williams' work came into my life at a time of great pain.  Most of my athletic dreams went up in smoke with the diagnosis of Perthes Disease at age 10.  The three years in leg braces and the corresponding physical changes ended any opportunity of reaching those baseball or football related dreams.  Humor became my defense against the anguish of knowing I could never do what I really dreamed of doing.  I could scarcely open my mouth without trying to say something funny.   I'm not going to share the specifics here.  Some pain never goes away.

Robin Williams helped me find some new dreams because the road just changed course a little and you had to adjust to where it was going.  I never quite fulfilled those dreams either, but I did better than I ever should have.  It seems an odd tribute to Robin Williams, but who else would have appreciated it more?

Robin's hero growing up was Jonathan Winters.  Winters and Williams eventually became great friends.  Winters dealt with the pain of a difficult childhood through humor.  Williams, as far as I know, never publicly shared his pain.  He eventually took his own life in response to that pain.  Some pain never goes away.

In "Reality...What A Concept!", Williams introduced the character named Grandpa Funk.  He had been at Woodstock and had seen the best brains of his time turn to mud then.  He closed the act with these words, "Keep the spirit of madness in you, just a little touch of it.  How much?  Just enough so you don't become stupid.  My love goes with you."

Mine too, Robin.  Thanks.


Sunday, August 10, 2014

Rory and Everyone Else

It was a day I remember fondly.  It happened more than once on that nine hole, par 32 layout I grew up playing.  I remember racing the darkness trying to squeeze in one more hole, and if we got to the ninth, it was for the U.S. Open.  I loved those nights when they continued in college at Purdue University.  I got to dream for a long time after I started working as a professional, staying until the last dreamer came in.

Rory McIlroy lived my dream tonight.  He played until all you could line up by was the clubhouse lights.  He even got to take home the trophy.  He did it in the best PGA Championship, maybe the best major I have ever seen.

Rory won today with less than his "A" game.  He won it on the part of the golf course everyone else struggled with: holes 12-18.  Today, he played them five under par, impressive for holes 66-72 of a major championship.  He did the same thing on Thursday.  He won a second major, and third tournament consecutively including a World Golf Championship Event at Firestone last week.  Three wins against the best fields in the world.  And Rickie Fowler chasing him to the wire in both majors.

Rickie deserves at least a Green Shirt for his play in majors this year: Fifth at Augusta, Third in the National Open, Runner up at The Open Championship and the PGA.  It won't be long until he gets over the hump and gets both hands on a trophy.  He had one hand on a trophy twice this year.

Phil Mickelson is still a force, and proved it with his last five rounds being 62-69-67-67-66.  All it got him was a nice finish.  He has served as a mentor to Rickie Fowler, who is facing the questions Phil did for a while.  It is good to see nice guys finish well.  He will be the first player over age 50 to win a Major.  He will break Julius Boros' record, who was 48 when he won the PGA in 1968., incredible that the record has lasted that long.

Henrik Stenson looked like a deer in the headlights from the thirteenth hole on today.  Fourth in the world, it was as though he had been replaced by yours truly down the stretch.  He is well loved on the European Tour, and will see better finishes in a major.   At age 38, however, you better not waste too many more opportunities.

Another dozen guys could have lived the dream today.  Any serious player or one in serious love with the game has played until you hit the ball and played by sound.  You loved the full moon, because it could help after a while.  Play in rain, in snow, in sleet, in wind so fierce that birds can't fly in it.  Sleet is the most preferable: you stay dry, even if you're cold, and that feels better than rain, snow or wind.

I miss those days, almost as much as I miss baseball/softball.  The dream would still be alive.

So...am I off base?

Friday, August 8, 2014

Deep Thoughts

I haven't written in a couple of weeks.  I could have sat down and manufactured something that looked like a column.  I want to do better than that.  I want to bring something of value and worthwhile.  I may not always succeed in those goals, but I'm trying.

It brings me to some deep thoughts.  I try to think simple things around a ballfield and think deep everywhere else.  Critical thinking has made me good at my job, and we have some activities fine tuned well.  Still has a long way to go to be world class, but we're trying.

Locally, we had a tragedy in our area.  The Assistant Chief of one of our Fire Departments was killed fighting a fire at a factory Tuesday night.  Jamie Middlebrook was respected and well loved in the community of New Carlisle.  I do not know Jamie, and I offer my condolences to his family, friends, co-workers and the community.

NCFD is a volunteer department, so he obviously loved the job.  He knew the risks, and did the job anyway.  My friends, that is the definition of courage.  Courage will offer the hand of assistance when  it may get slapped.  Courage chooses to help even when the help is not deserved.  Courage gives of self when others are likely to take and not care that you gave everything.

We see it in Firefighters, Police Officers, Military and other first responders.

I find myself thinking about Jamie's last day.  If he knew it was his last day, did he do everything he would have chosen to do with that day?  Do we know which day would be our last?  Have we really given our best?  What will we be remembered for?  Did we make others better, or just use them to our advantage?  Did we love people and use things, not the other way around?

Do I like all my answers to these questions?  No.  Hopefully, you answer more of them affirmatively that I did.

In person, I tend to leave people laughing.  Not today.  I'm thinking deep.

So...am I off base?
 

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