Three Beautiful Things 06/30/08: Tigers, Rays, Dogs Playing Poker

Today was a prone position day. I spent the day still recovering from my sweltering drive on Saturday from Pendleton to Eugene. But while not sleeping and while lying awake, these three beautiful things took place:

1. The Tampa Bay Rays hung on to beat the Red Sox and I listened to it on XM Radio.

2. Then I switched over to the Twins/Tigers game and listened as the Tigers came from behind and beat the Twins. I just wish the White Sox had lost, but I sure like the direction the Tigers are moving: I think they've won 18 of their last 22.

3. Stumbling around on the World Wide Web, I enjoyed coming across Dogs Playing Poker. Here's one of them:

Father's Day Sports Gift

This morning on ESPN radio, host Freddie Coleman asked for listeners to write or call him with what sports gift, in a perfect world, they would like to give their fathers.

My dad passed away twelve years ago on June 1. Our primary connection with each other was the world of sports, whether we played golf, he was coaching my Little League team, he was coming to watch me play basketball or baseball, or we were watching games on television.

Dad loved the Boston Celtics. When George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees and when the days of Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and Yogi Berra were over, he had a conversion experience and became a Red Sox fan.

Dad loved the parquet floor and the cavernous decay of the Boston Garden. Even more, he loved the Green Monster and the classic lack of symmetry of Fenway Park.

If I could have given my dad the perfect sports gift, I would have taken him to Boston in the spring time and we would have attended a Red Sox game at Fenway one day and watched the Celtics on another.

To make the gift more perfect, I would have given it to him with the added bonus of time travel. We would have watched the 1967 Impossible Dream Red Sox, with Carl Yastrzemski in his prime and we would have watched the 1968-69 Celtics, with Bill Russell making his last stand and John Havlicek emerging as one of the NBA's most tireless and reliable players.

Three Beautiful Things 10/28/07: Dad, World Series, Shelby

1. Were he alive, my dad would be seventy-seven years old today. I thought about how he coached our Little League team. He was devoted to the fundamentals: hitting the cut off man, having good footwork around second base on a double play, moving a runner from first to second with a sacrifice bunt. He was the only Little League coach I knew of in Kellogg who had chalk talks. He lectured on these fundamental indoors, at a chalkboard. It worked. We had a damn good team.

2. I wanted to see the Colorado Rockies win the World Series. I rooted for them. But, I can't imagine ever feeling ill will toward the Boston Red Sox. I deeply admire this year's champion Red Sox. They have solid hitters up and down their lineup, came up with timely hits, featured excellent starting pitching supported by a gritty bullpen. I don't think the Rockies had a prayer.

3. InlandEmpireGirl reported that her dog Shelby is recovering heartily from having to have a gash sewn up. She went on a road trip today and, although she wasn't her usual lively self, she seemed to enjoy the outing and it might have given her spirits a boost.