A fitting farewell
Friends, as you read this - provided it's before your lunch - I will be tooling around Smyrna, Ga., saying silent prayers and spreading my father's remains in places that were special for him.
For both of us.
The choices were clear of where his ashes should go, and I wonder how many of us live our lives with the kind of clarity that my dad did.
My life was forever shaped by his. Which is how it should be I believe.
My love of sports was planted, crafted and cultivated by my father. He had it from an early age and the first stop on the SS Ash drop is the dirt around the first base bag he played for a high school state championship baseball team in the late 1950s.
I wish I was more like him. He built the house I grew up in; my construction skills stop with building a deli-worthy sandwich. I will leave some of his remains in the front of the home he made - with his hands and his heart. He would approve of that.
He gave of his time - be it at the ballpark when I was young or with Big Brothers and Big Sisters when I was older - and he should be part of those places because they were a part of him. He would approve of that too, but he would eschew the praise.
I share this conversation for a couple of reasons.
I loved my dad. More than I realized. Maybe we all do or did, whether they deserve it or not. Thankfully my dad was worthy.
But I also wonder about the individualization of our remains. The Bible is clear - ashes to ashes, dust to dust. But the location matters, don't you think?
Where will your ashes be? Where will my kids put mine?
I hope you have an answer, and I hope my kids are as clear on their choices as I am today.
Rest easy Pop. I love you.
Rules, schmules
So the whispers about pitchers doctoring the baseball became discussions. And those discussions became outrage.
And now baseball has announced that come Monday - we'll be alright - and pitchers who put substances on the ball will be suspended 10 days with pay.
OK, the questions are multiple.
> Who can tell me which rule breaking is the most offensive to baseball again? PEDs. Baseball doctoring. Sign stealing. Bat corking. Give us an idea of which rules are rules and which rules are suggestions please.
> Tyler Glasnow, the Rays hard-throwing ace, blames his arm ailment on baseball enforcing the rules because the lack of illegal substances made Glasnow adjust his grips on pitches which hurt his elbow. Hmmmmmmmm, so 'the everyone is doing it' chatter is back in play. And as the cheater blames the enforcement of rules on his bad situation, it's clear that if pitching does not work for Glasnow, he has the mentality of a college basketball recruiter.
> Why did baseball act only when the media reported on this? Does Rob Manfred owe Mark Emmertt a poker debt and is trying to make a push for the worst bigwig of an American sports realm?
> While we are here, is getting suspended for 10 days with pay really a punishment? Discuss.
> One more: Are we going to view the pitchers of this generation the way we view the hitters of the late 1990s and early 2000s? Because Jacob deGrom - who is throwing historically hard at 32, way harder than he did five-plus years ago - is every bit as eye-poppingly awesome right now as Barry Bonds was in the early 2000s.
Take that
So, the NBA conversations hit a crossroad Tuesday night.
I have been a longstanding LeBron James fan, I have made it known that I am now on team Luka.
But partisan stances or (anything-but-Lenny) bias aside, the point for me is clear:
Kevin Durant is the best basketball player in shorts right now.
Anyone doubt that? Yes, it seems a little knee jerk from this jerk with two knees. But did you see last night?
OK, maybe you didn't, but consider the following.
Durant played every minute in a must-win Game 5.
Durant scored 49 points on 16-of-23 shooting.
Durant had 17 rebounds (all of them defensive) with 10 assists, which means he messed around and got a triple double. (Yeah, it was a good day.)
Durant dominated a game with his other superstars in dress clothes (Kyrie Irving, who missed Game 5 with an ankle injury) or in dress rehearsal mode (James Harden was 1-of-10 and scored 5 in 46 minutes).
Durant did all of this in a must-have moment of a 2-2 series that will shape the entire NBA playoffs.
And he did it with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the other side.
This and that
- Where are we in terms of perspective? Yes, this is a pretty easy question depending on the subject matter or the discourse. But what about this: Russell Westbrook was not All-NBA this year despite averaging a triple-double. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. OK.
- I don't care how many commercials they throw out during the playoffs, I'm out for LeBron's reboot of Space Jam. How 'bout you? (Side question: In most cases the ' in front of words is used to replace and better yet, cut down on letters. So why do we go with "how 'bout you?" since it does not really save any keys or space? Discuss.)
- Braves played. Braves lost. Side question: While we all agree that the Braves pitching staff is a worse collection of junk than what's in Fred Sanford's front yard, are we ready to be concerned about Freddie Freeman being a .235 hitter? Discuss.
- Apparently TNT has told Chuck Barkley that he can't be Chuck Barkley anymore because some folks in San Antonio complained about Chuck's banter. That's sad. Cancel Culture 231, Normalcy 2.
Today's questions
Which way Wednesday starts this way:
Which player are you rooting for this weekend, Bryson or Brooks?
Which is a bigger concern, the Braves pitching or Freddie Freeman's struggles?
If every NBA player was standing there and you were the captain at the Y with first pick for a pick-up game, which player would you pick first? (Because I think the answer is KD.)
In preparation for Space Jam 2.0, which Hollywood remake is the best?
Not to be too macabre, but feel free to offer answers or ideas on where you would want your ashes.
Play nice friends. I will check back late in the afternoon.
As for today, June 16, well let's review.
Tupac Shakur would have been 50 today.
Phil Mickelson is 51 today.
Rushmore of Phil, and be creative and have your fill.