Author: whodeanny

Indiana Summer

 

It’s summer in Indiana

And my little boy is eight

We’ve spent all morning together

Since there’s nothing in the gym

Except his future and my past

 

 

Running and shooting

Learning some basics

Only stopping to drink some water

And prop the doors open

Then back to the hard work of fun

 

 

More shooting of course,

Free throws when tired

That’s always the way

Then just after soreness

We’re finally done

 

 

There’s nothing in the gym

Except silence and the floor

And it’s summer in Indiana

 

© Gayle Force Press 2008

Is Joey Votto the National League MVP? Part 2.1

Late Update: Howard is now on the DL. Extra legitimacy to this post I believe.

An unfortunate addendum is that Votto’s NL MVP candidacy was indirectly strengthened this weekend. Ryan Howard, one of the slugging first basemen with legitimate MVP aspirations hurt his ankle and may miss some games. Howard was struggling a bit anyway and an ankle injury will make it even harder for him to excel down the stretch.

 

Even without injury, Howard would almost certainly have finished behind Votto in the key batting categories but the Phillies’ trade deadline moves seem to have put them in a great position to make the playoffs which would have raised Howard’s already outsized profile. Howard also has the credibility of being Rookie of the Year, MVP and a World Series champion. While some would shake their heads at a Votto MVP (as happened with Justin Morneau a couple seasons back), Howard and Albert Pujols would be safe choices this year. Votto may soon become the best choice.

 

FDO

Is Joey Votto the National League MVP? Part 2

 

An unfortunate addendum is that Votto’s NL MVP candidacy was indirectly strengthened this weekend. Ryan Howard, one of the slugging first basemen with legitimate MVP aspirations hurt his ankle and may miss some games. Howard was struggling a bit anyway and an ankle injury will make it even harder for him to excel down the stretch.

 

Even without injury, Howard would almost certainly have finished behind Votto in the key batting categories but the Phillies’ trade deadline moves seem to have put them in a great position to make the playoffs which would have raised Howard’s already outsized profile. Howard also has the credibility of being Rookie of the Year, MVP and a World Series champion. While some would shake their heads at a Votto MVP (as happened with Justin Morneau a couple seasons back), Howard and Albert Pujols would be safe choices this year. Votto may soon become the best choice.

 

FDO

 

Amaré the Jew

 

I am very excited to read that Amaré Stoudemire is making efforts to connect to what he perceives as his Jewish roots. Honestly, I assume that this is part of a Black American religious subculture that attempts to connect with ancient Israel as an offshoot of the metaphorical relationship between Blacks during slavery and Jews in Egyptian bondage from the Hebrew Bible.  

 

Whether Stoudemire has a religious, ethnical, cultural or familial root in Judaism doesn’t matter to me. What matters to me is that he is willing to explore himself and the world. In a time when many of us try desperately to follow the footprints on the floor, watching a pampered young millionaire (with a very troubled background) work to expand himself this way brings a smile to my face.

 

FDO

I Need Some ‘splainin’

Thursday, I saw two kids skateboarding in the parking lot of a funeral home. There was pretty clearly a funeral happening at the time and who knows, maybe skateboarding is great grief therapy. To my crotchety eyes, the sight was disgustingly disrespectful. Maybe I should spend some dedicated time and attention to American funeral practices before feeling so bothered. Maybe this is part of a long standing ritual. Right?

Right?

 

FDO

Be Very Very Quiet, It’s a Police Car

On the way to the store I was stopped at the one traffic light on my route. At the front of the line, 2 cars ahead of me, was a police cruiser. When the light changed to green, nothing happened. Really nothing happened. Nothing happened for so long that a car opposite us at the light turned left.  It was several, maybe 10 seconds. I honked the horn and the police car began moving. I live in a part of town that has grown dramatically in the last few years. People are consistently impatient drivers and I often hear honking within the first half second of a changed light. Sometimes, folks honk simply because the lead car is not going fast enough out of the chute. I began wondering if the fact that it was a police car is what kept everyone (else) from using their horn. Do people fear the police enough that they believe they will have a negative consequence from blowing a horn at a police car?

 

 

FDO

Obama Talks Education Reform

 

I don’t see much good coming out of these conversations unfortunately. There’s not any buy-in from the left (fear and loathing) and strong antipathy from the right. The money schools need to participate in innovative programs is gone. Teachers are much more worried about their jobs and the daily trials of the classroom than creating educational reforms. Teachers are not rewarded for improved student performance but are easy targets when performance drops.

It’s great to talk about these issues but until education is legitimately valued in the way President Obama suggests it should be teachers will continue to fight against any efforts to hold them accountable for student outcomes.

 

FDO

 

 

Is Joey Votto the National League MVP?

I know that he was the last guy added to the National League All-Star team and I know the Cincinnati Reds are ahead of schedule but I've started wondering: Does the combination of team and player performance mean that Joey Votto should be the MVP of the league this year?

 

At the moment, Votto is first in the league in batting, home runs, tied for (a distant) third in RBI and has substantial leads in OPS and each of the component elements. Even though the Reds are technically out of the playoffs, by percentage, they are fundamentally tied with St. Louis for first place in the NL Central. Most casual baseball fans know Joey Votto primarily for the anxiety issues that put him on the DL for emotional distress last year. He’s put that sadness behind him and has made himself into one of the 10 best players in his sport. And right now, Votto has great individual stats for a team in the pennant race. It’s way too early for this to be definitive but so far, Votto sounds like the MVP to me.  

FDO

Obama’s View

I think it will be intriguing to see how much of a boost President Obama receives from his appearance on “The View”. This seems like a perfect opportunity for Obama to seem less distant law professor and more charming leader. The drone of politics will be replaced, at least for many folks, by soundbites and cute anecdotes. Isn’t that what every politician wants?

 

 

FDO

Kitchen

I'm re-posting this poem because my grandfather gave me a load of vegetables from his garden and I plan to start cooking with them today. "Kitchen" seems appropriate to share.

FDO

 

 

 

Kitchen

 

 

 

I walked from the kitchen

Slowly stopped and turned around

The gentle bubble of pots on the stove

Sounded warm and beautiful

Inviting, so I went back in

 

Watching the lid dance over my soup

I noticed the dry, hot smell

Of cumin drowning in the sweet

Black juice of the beans

 

I felt the smile on my face

And wondered how many times

My granddad stood smiling in his kitchen

With the cornbread beginning to brown

 

 

 

© Gayle Force Press 2004