When we moved from New York to California last year, I debated whether Mr. Mullins’ bowl should make the trip. Mr. Mullins had been our up-the-block neighbor in New Rochelle. He was a man in his 90s who was suffering from dementia. Sometimes, on a hot Wednesday afternoon, he’d be
I have to thank a cool reader, Gregory Hardy, for bringing this beauty to my attention … It seems, in anticipation of Rocky Balboa being released nine years ago, the film company produced a series of action figures from the various Rocky movie. There was, of course, a Rocky figurine,
Late last night, when I was supposed to be writing, I found myself sucked into the Rocky IV final fight scene. It was, my memory told me, gripping stuff: Rocky v. Drago. Capitalism v. Communism. West v. East. Old v. New. Rocky, small but strong, avenging the death of his
If you watch enough Fox News, or listen to enough conservative talk radio, you know that Christianity is under attack in this nation. From the war on Christmas to Passover and Easter being given equal gravitas to Santa existing with an unidentifiable racial status, there’s little doubt fewer and fewer
He’s a kid from Bayonne who can’t skate for shit. But the Wayne Gretzky of hockey writers is one of the elite sports storytellers of our time. Just don’t subject him to the music of Sade.
Tonight I had the kids watch Jerry Maguire. My daughter left after three minutes, my son was engaged. It was, on the surface, a tricky on, because the boy is 8 and the movie is rated R. Really, though, it’s a language issue, and one sorta steamy scene with Jerry
The above photograph is the wife’s pocketbook, drying out upside down on the picnic table behind our house. It’s, perhaps, her all-time favorite bag. Lots of little pockets. Deep purple. Brings it everywhere. Today, for example, the wife brought to to a street fair we attended in Orange, California. Fun
The last time I covered a high school football game was the fall of 1996. I was wrapping up my days as a sports writer at The Tennessean, the newspaper I called home since graduating from the University of Delaware. A few months earlier Sports Illustrated had hired me to
Woke up this morning in a dark mood. Lazy, tired, lumpy and dumpy and crumpy. Came to Starbucks to write. Still lazy, tired, lumpy and dumpy and crumpy. Sat down. Opened up today’s New York Times. Noticed a story on page B11 (yes, I still get the damn thing
As you know by now, Kim Davis is in jail, probably wondering how God and Jesus and Moises Alou let her wind up in a small room with a toilet, a shelf and a soon-to-be-served dinner of rubber chicken and week-old carrots. Rowan County’s very own clerk refused to issue