It's Been A Long Two Weeks

I wrote no post last week.  Not that I don't have anything to say.  Sometimes I don't have the time to put the Blog into action.  After all, I work full time in the medical field, trying to be a God honoring husband and father, plus do a little umpiring and announcing.  It's a pretty full schedule.

Did that sound like an excuse?  No, I'm not buying it either.

I've written on busier weeks.  Sometimes, you have to have the heart to say something.  Sometimes, I just have nothing.

-I umpired a couple of games.  Wasn't outstanding, but didn't get run out of town.  It's getting harder as I get older.  Depth perception is going.  My knees and back can't always get down to where I can see the top of the zone for small hitters.  At 45 or 50 feet, the ball gets there quick.  I'll get better, if I live that long.  One confirmed thing is that I still love the game.

-I still love announcing, but may have to give it up.  If we continue to home school, it will take more of my time.  It has to come from somewhere.  It will be a great disappointment to me.  Maybe I can pick it up again in a few years.  Not ready to make a decision yet.  Either that or golf will actually come back to my life.

-Why is respect a dying value?  I point to the fact that guns used to be in schools all the time.  Boys brought them along so they could hunt after school.  The guns haven't changed, but the boys carrying them have.  Respect for life is less, respect for authority is less, and guns are used for power or protection, not provision.  Respect changes how a gun is used, and the value has almost disappeared.

-I have set a goal to watch each Indianapolis 500 from my lifetime on YouTube.  I'm currently in 1989, and I have a few observations.  First, how much the cars have changed, almost all of it for the better.  Guys driving in the 60's, 70's and early 80's had little to protect them.  In fact, it was almost guaranteed that there would be two fatalities every year.  Second, Gordon Johncock was underrated.  He won two 500's and should have won two more: If he hadn't dropped out of the 1981 race, Bobby Unser's penalty would have handed the win to Johncock; Mario Andretti's penalty would have been pointless.  He was also competetive in 1984, and could have won three in four years.  Finally, Rick Mears was almost overrated.  Mears was hugely talented, but Roger Penske, though he said he didn't, favored Mears, even when he had Al Unser, Sr. and Danny Sullivan driving for him.  Penske had incredible resources and drive, who couldn't win with that backing?  Mears might have won one 500 on talent alone, but four, with six pole positions?  One does not win at Indy without a great car, so, to quote Mars Blackman, "It's gotta be the shoes."

So...am I off base?