When I was a kid, my mother was a treasure-trove of folksy sayings. When I failed to make the varsity basketball team, she told me to "stop crying over spilled milk. When I was chomping at the bit for Christmas morning, she told me to "hold my horses." Some of her sayings and colloquialisms came... Continue Reading →
Things we thought made you an adult
After a long day of work, my dad would set his wallet on our kitchen table. I was amazed by both what was in it and how thick it was. The wallet was worn and sweat stained and looked the size of a small brick. He wasn't the only one. My baseball coach would come... Continue Reading →
Be like Mike
In 1991, Gatorade ran an ad featuring Michael Jordan that showed game film of him in midair moving the basketball from his right hand to left to score a difficult layup. The commercial shows him dunking and being, well, classic MJ and then cuts to young men and kids playing on a playground court. They... Continue Reading →
Stretching my limits
I had an idea in my head. We were going to hold off on having kids. I wanted to be further along in my career and making more money. When we finally had kids, I wanted a big house. I wanted a great job where I was in charge and could come and go as... Continue Reading →
The best part of my day
My head fell to my chest. I had a horrible day. My boss liked the proposal that I had spent weeks putting together, but he wanted me to make a sizable addition that was going to take a ton of time. My drive home was extended by an hour because of a heavy downpour and... Continue Reading →
So authentic, the sand feels real
In my dream, the ocean waves crash to the shore, sending the white, wispy surf up to our ankles. The sun has come up in the horizon and made it's grand entrance. Several small sandpipers near us greet the day by lining up up on the sand. They seem to be playing chicken with one... Continue Reading →
An embarrassing day at the lake
(A version of this short story first ran in July 2016.) I had a friend in college who had something like this happen to him in junior high school. I guess it didn't work out too badly for him: He ended up marrying the girl. My short story has its share of sentimental fluff, but... Continue Reading →
Time for others, but not for me
In a June issue of The New Yorker, writer Molly McCloskey wrote about her relationship with her father, Jack McCloskey, the general manager who helped build and guide the Detroit Pistons to nine straight playoff appearances, five consecutive Eastern Conference Finals and NBA championships in 1989 and 1990. Jack McCloskey passed away in 2017, but was absent for large... Continue Reading →
There’s no crying in baseball
When I played Little League Baseball, I was small for my age, but I was quick and fearless out in the field. I mainly played second base and would often get to balls that I shouldn’t have been able to catch. One game in the middle of our season, we were winning and needed just... Continue Reading →

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