I was pleasantly surprised on Friday afternoon when a publication previewing over 200 high school and college football teams came to my desk.
The first mention of the coming football season is something I’m never quite ready for, no matter how early or late in the year it happens. It always takes me a moment to adjust to my new surroundings.
It’s like walking into a really dark hallway, or one of those over-anxious retail stores that dials up Christmas music 12 seconds after the last box of Halloween decorations skids to a stop in the center of the storage room.
The only difference is that sooner or later, the eyes finally figure out how to cut through the darkness and the ears let the ambient electronic rendition of Jingle Bells fade into the background, whereas football moves continually closer to the center of attention.
Frank Thomas hit his 500th home run last week. I saw a headline for one of Rob Neyer’s columns on ESPN.com that read “500 is the new 400.” I didn’t read the whole thing, partly because I’m sick and tired of the idea that hitting a home run today matters less than hitting a home run 80 years ago did.
In 1921, Babe Ruth hit 59 homers, but all of six other guys topped 20 that season.
In contrast, Thomas plays in an era when the number of players who smack 20 home runs a year is huge. But I don’t think the era he played in should count against him when it comes time to decide if he should be admitted to the baseball hall of fame.
Ever heard news that hit you like you just saw someone kick your dog? Fans of the Boston Celtics know exactly what I’m talking about.
Aftershocks of Boston slipping to third in NBA draft lottery are still rippling through the national sports media.
If you haven’t heard, Portland and Seattle now hold the top spots, and Lady Luck left the Celts in perfect position to draft some Chinese guy named Yi Jianlian.
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I’m calling a time-out for a quick golf take. Before I go any farther, I should remind everyone that I don’t actually know anything about golfing.
One of my favorite things about being a sportswriter is the road trips. I’m still new enough at following the various teams I try to keep up with that I’ve been to a whole lot of places I’ve never been before.
