Thoughts of a Common Man

There was a torrential downpour on the day of my wedding. “What God has joined together let no man tear asunder.” Twenty-two years changes people. We’ve stayed pretty consistent in how we treat one another. The one thing I remember about my wedding day was all my best men. I had so many great brothers and friends that I just couldn’t choose. They all stood up with Yankees hats on. Except Jeff Renaldo who put on an Indians hat at the last second. A perfect joke. Family friend, Ward Weiser, officiated the ceremony. “Do you come here freely, and soberly... ...that’s when everyone laughed. (I’d only had three beers). We were in centerfield at the North Collins Town Park. Almost everyone I had ever met was there. And then it rained. But the party was epic. A whole lot of Bruce. Twenty-two years... ...a lot of days. Unspeakable loss. Undeniable worry. Work, work, more work. And a lot of laughs along the way too. “It’s gone by too fast,” Kathy said....

During Memorial Day Weekend we were all sitting around talking when conversations turned to the dogs we had as we were growing up. My Mom told a great story about the day we moved into the big house on Shirley Road. We were all too young to remember it, but the neighbors dog, a huge husky of sorts, stopped by the house to visit our boxer, Ricky #1 who was chained up in the garage. The boxer literally destroyed it. “The neighbors didn’t much care for us right off the bat.” Then John told a story I didn’t remember about Ricky II. “A huge dog was chasing us, and I ran into the garage and shut the door, and you were still out there running for your life.” He pointed to me. “How old was I?” “About five,” John said. “I told you to run to the doghouse, and you did. Ricky was there and you just made it to him, and the huge dog followed you. What a mess Ricky made of that dog.” “We got in trouble for that,” Mom said. “Our dog was tied up, and the cops came to get him! We had t...

In the 1986 World Series the ball rolled through Bill Buckner’s legs. He was playing first base for the Red Sox and they were on the verge of winning that World Series. There are a couple of sad things about the story. 1). I was rooting for the Red Sux. I didn’t like them, mind you. They had Clemens and Boggs and I hated them both (liked them better when they were Yankees). 2). Buckner shouldn’t have been out there. He was on the backside of his career and he was hurting. They were protecting a lead. He should’ve been replaced. 3). He wasn’t the only goat. Bob Stanley and Calvin Schiraldi were the two pitches who butchered that inning. 4). Billy Buckner was a very, very, very good player for the Dodgers and Cubs before that. He also hit well for the Sux that year. But he had to wear the label of the goat. 🐐 And wear it he did. He stood up to all the hate. He signed photos of the scene beside Mookie Wilson who hit the ball. Billy Buckner took a beating. He was the u...

Had a fine weekend. Worked to clean up my yard, had dinner with my family, caught a movie with my beautiful wife where we actually went to a theater, played a round of golf with good friends (hit it well until I got tired and started pulling up early around 16), went to a family outing where I was served about 28 ounces of prime rib, wrote a little, relaxed a bit, and had a couple of tremendous belly laughs. Life should be easy. On my way to my brother Jim’s house, I used the music in my phone to set up a little contest, asking my wife which female voice was the best. I played Natalie Maines, Jewel, Sarah, Whitney and then Barbara Streisand. During the Streisand songs I looked over. “It’s not really all that close, is it?” She asked. Nope. We weren’t trying to tackle the world’s problems. Then I found two songs that I’ve loved for about 30 years. “Bluer than Blue” by Michael Johnson and “I Go Crazy” by Paul Davis. “Perfect lyrics!” I said. Thought about writing ...

We were watching a show the other night and suddenly there was a screaming baby on the screen, and both parents were beside themselves in aggravation. “Remember how great I was with the infant children?” I asked. Kathy laughed. “You remember your excellence as a Dad with babies like you remember your athletic career.” True. I was dominating! The truth of the matter is that I was awful at handling crying kids, and even worse at changing diapers. “Can you change him real fast?” Kathy would ask. “No. I really can’t.” But I would try and would often end up with poop all over both of us, and then I’d proudly hold the child up for inspection. “The diaper is upside down.” I bring this up because the crying kid on the show cut right through me. “Thank God we’re done with that,” I said. “There may be grandchildren,” Kathy reminded me. “I will NOT change a diaper,” I announced. On Friday night, Melky cried until we went up to bed. She’s 13 now. When she wants to go ...

The other night I went to sleep at the normal time and was awakened by emergency lights flashing through my window. I texted the boys and one didn’t answer... ...so I walked down the street to make sure they were safe. Being a parent is a lifetime job. They’re always going to be that kid who you watched get the first little league hit, or sing in the 6th grade play, or lose their mind because the Bills lost. “Matthew is 26 tomorrow,” Kathy said on Saturday. “That’s old.” It’s weird is what it is! He couldn’t read when he was beating me in a Sega basketball game. The games weren’t very high-tech then but I noticed that he was scoring with the same guy every time. “How do you know who to shoot with?” I asked. “His name is there.” “But you can’t read!” I said. That little exchange seemed like it happened two weeks ago, but it was more than 21 years ago! And Matt works with me now... ...and what’s funny is that he has my personality more so than Kathy’s and definite...

The speaker of the house hopes that the family of the president has an intervention. That turned the president into a 9-year-old. Calling people names, making threats, one lie after another. If he was an employee of any company in the country there would be an intervention. The tweets are embarrassing. He retweeted a slowed down video of Pelosi that made her appear to be drunk. That video was shared millions of times. The meltdown appears imminent because there are about twenty investigations into the criminal past and the suspect finances, and the connections to other nations. The Mueller report was mischaracterized by the attorney general and now the attorney general is going to declassify everything in an attempt to... ...get this... ...investigate Hillary! She’s been baking pies for two years!! What an absolute embarrassment. On Thursday there was a meeting scheduled to discuss infrastructure. Trump came in and had what some are calling a temper tantrum. He ...

We made it! Well, almost. Just have to get through get-away-day, but we have arrived at Memorial Day. Doesn’t it seem like Fridays take a month to get here now? The speaker of the house is asking for the family of the president to stage an intervention and the president is stumped because he hasn’t yet come up with a nickname for the speaker of the house. What can you do? Crooked, Little, Sleepy, Lying, Crying and Crazy have all been used. I bring that up because I honestly think that all this crap is making the weeks just drag. Well, that and the work! By the end of the day on Thursday I had been on the clock for 57 hours. Five states. A couple of lobster rolls, my first look at Cape Cod, two bumpy plane rides, and the First-Place Yankees on an absolute tear! The weather is turning too! And next week is my wedding anniversary and we are going to actually do something. So, things are looking up. Don’t you think that he should go with Nasty Nancy? I mean,...

I watched the live presentation of the two iconic Norman Lear shows that I watched just about every episode of back in the 1970’s. It was really well done and I enjoyed the way some of the fine actors like Jamie Foxx and Will Ferrell and one of my personal favorites, Woody Harrelson, imitated the mannerisms of the great characters. And during the shows they kept playing clips of Farrah Fawcett and the old game show Press Your Luck. I felt like I was back in high school. As I was watching I thought about how life used to be; On Sunday nights we were all in one room. One show after another. Dad controlled the remote. What was funny was that it was family time, and as I watched The Jefferson’s on Wednesday night, I thought of a phone call I got in the middle of one of the episodes. “I’ll go to the prom with you.” It was a scene that I can recall from early 1982. We were watching the show and the phone rang. Dad answered it. “He can’t talk right now.” I grabbed th...

I made my first ever trip to Cape Cod on Tuesday. It’s pretty nice up there, and despite the fact that I was beat (plane, long drive from Boston and a couple of jobs mixed in), I enjoyed the drive. The sun was shining, classic rock on the radio, and I looked around at the nice homes. I thought about the possibilities of having ever lived in the area. I did the same thing when I was taking in the beauty of Sedona, Arizona and I remembered asking a young girl who was born and raised there how it felt to live in such a place. “I can’t wait to get out of this shithole town,” she said. I laughed. As I drove, I grew a little sad. It’s not possible for me to move to a new area, or search for a new home, or even think about going to the boys baseball games, or change their diapers (I did it twice!) Because all those things are in the rear view mirror. The blank pages where the story of my life would be written are full of words! I miss the blank pages of unlimited possibilities. Now...

Robert Smith is a billionaire. He made news over the weekend by promising to pay off the student loans for the 2019 graduating class at Moorehouse College. There’s a good story! Sure beats stories of money laundering and obstructing justice and congress, doesn’t it? I paid off my student loans in 1995. Just nine short years after graduating college. I wish I could say it was painless, but I hated writing that check every month because I wasn’t making a ton of money at the time and it seemed like I wasn’t getting anything for it. Thing is... ...college was affordable back then compared to now. I went to Gannon University and it was certainly an expensive college then... ...$3,000 a semester. $24,000 for 4 years. I took out a $2,500 loan each year. (Books and beers were more expensive than you’d think!) Yet, between my freshman and sophomore year, I worked construction every free minute and I paid for more than a full year. Easy enough! Mom and Dad certain...

The new Springsteen song begins with: “Had enough of heartbreak and pain. I had a little sweet spot for the rain. For the rain and skies of grey. Hello, sunshine, won’t you stay?” A very universal type appeal because we’ve all been there. Sometimes it’s as easy as saying, “I’m going to be happy today.” Sometimes that doesn’t work. The sunshine does help, but there have been days when I wished it were raining. I know a few guys who are always happy and smiling. One of my good friends lifts me up every time I see him because he smiles, makes me laugh, and is genuinely upbeat. All the time! I’ll call your text him just to get that sunshine. Unfortunately, I also know a lot of people who have a sweet spot for the rain. “Dude, you’re like Eyore,” I told one guy. “Live it up!” I’m certainly somewhere in the middle. I set an ambitious plan for each day, and my happiness is contingent on accomplishing what I need to do. “We have to get the carpet out of the garage, ge...

Saturday was a nice day. I could head out in shorts and had plenty to do, running errands and the such. Every time I left the driveway I glanced at the weeds in the flower beds. Yanked a few here and there. Way too many to make a difference. The neighbors were out, actually using a weed whacker. We lost ours. No one has any idea where it is. I used the mower to clean up around the edges. Had to open the garage to get the mower. Bah! We still have chunks of the old carpet in there because we’re waiting in big garbage day, which is Monday. Did what I could... ...called my Mom. “Poor John is out here mowing. The lawn was so high.” “He didn’t call me,” I said. “I would’ve helped.” Up and down the street... ...all around. I need to buy a weed whacker. Had enough... ...back was barking. Went in and put on the baseball game. The weeds ain’t going nowhere!

My family watched the series, ‘Friday Night Lights’ a long time ago. I wasn’t interested, but we like to keep a series on hand for the nights when there’s nothing going on, and because the weather still sucks. “We’re watching it,” I was told. “It’s good. It’s a football show.” Well, we’ve watched about half of season 1 and it’s not really a football show. (Every game ends on a last second play. I’ve seen that happen about 3 times in watching 50 years of football). “It’s a soap opera,” I said. Yet, there’s Minka Kelly, and she’s an unbelievably pretty woman. “That’s your entire review?” Kathy asked. “That and every high school kid is about 36 years old.” Yet, there’s no doubt that football is a way of life in Texas, and there’s a whole lot of emphasis on high school football. And the story keeps going. The writing is decent, the characters are like able and Minka Kelly is pretty. They certainly touch on all the issues as well: Racism, teenage sex, football inju...

There’s a whole lot of rage in play right now, and the women in this country should be royally pissed on how they’re being treated like secondhand citizens. Abortion is one of those words that invites absolute hatred, rage and despair. The Alabama state government brought about all of this division, and from this point of view the law is being jammed down our throats without discussion. I’ve always shied away from discussing abortion because it isn’t my decision! I have attended two baby deliveries. The first pregnancy was a complete surprise. There was birth control involved, but there was an anti-biotic in play as well. It neutralized the birth control. I was shocked beyond belief by the reality of it all. “What happens now?” Was the question of the day. Abortion never entered my mind. Kathy never mentioned it, either, and I have no idea what I would have said had she brought it up. I certainly wouldn’t have been happy had that been her decision and she would not ...

We lost two legends from my childhood this week. Doris Day just always reminded me of sunshine. When I was a kid she seemed to be the prettiest woman I’d ever seen. I remember watching her movies with Mom mostly, and then as we both aged, I read a lot about her being an animal-rights advocate. She kinda’ stepped out of the limelight, but she never really lost that luster, right? As for Tim Conway, I watched him every week on the Carol Burnett Show, and he was, by far and away, the funniest guy on television. Everyone talks about the scenes where he made Harvey Korman laugh until he cried... ...and I watched a couple of those clips tonight, and they were still really funny. Just straight up, clean, physical comedy. He also did Dorf on Golf and I remember laughing hard at that too. Those old time stars really were different than the stars of today. The third death this week was a rabid Bills fan. Poncho, Ezra... ...he had a couple of different names and a few differ...

Got a text the other morning: “I forgot to charge my phone and didn’t bring my charger. I’m at 1%.” The day before I was lounging around. “Did you see the DVD remote?” “I wouldn’t know what it is if I did see it,” I said. “Where are my car keys?” Day after day. Hour after hour. My beautiful wife is on an eternal Easter egg hunt. What she doesn’t know is that I stopped looking years ago. “I can’t find my phone,” brings zero reaction from me. I put things in the same place, every time. That way, when I’m looking for it, I know where to look. But lately, one of Jake & Sam’s buddies is giving Kathy a run for her money. Ben lost his wallet last summer. “I had a lot of money in it,” he said. “It has to be here.” He wanted me to get off the couch so he could look underneath. I finally got up. “How much money?” I asked. “Like $25,” he said. (He’s 18). “My credit card and ID are in there!” It became a running joke. He ended up canceling his cards and ge...

So, the guy who lost $1.2 billion in 10 years is in charge of the economy. The stock market is in the tank. The trade war is necessary even though there is tariff money  “pouring in from China” (even though that’s not how tariffs work)... ...but we have to do it because all the other presidents were stupid and even though we now have  “the greatest economy, that we’ve ever seen, in maybe the last, maybe ever.” None of it makes any sense, and even the economist for the administration is saying: “Yeah. That’s not how tariffs work.” The soybeans are rotting in the bins. The farmers are saying that they’re losing 50% of their earning power. “We gotta’ do it. We’ll see what happens!” The thing about the trade deficit is that we aren’t “losing $500 million or $600 million or $700 million (whatever he pulls out of his ear). We actually get goods and services for that money. Now, I’m no economist, but I listen to what people who know that sort of stuff actually s...

Due to some state laws regarding abortion in Georgia and elsewhere there is a movement afoot for women to withhold sex from their husbands or boyfriends. Not sure how much of an impact this will have on my life at this point. I first saw the suggested abstinence being discussed by Alyssa Milano who is a pro-woman’s rights advocate and I find her to be reasonable and intelligent in most matters. She might be off-base here. I mean, how does it work? I’m sure that there are a lot of men who find the Georgia law that threatens jail for a woman who may  miscarry as a tad crazy. I haven’t read the specific law, but there is chatter about questioning the woman to see if she may have somehow been responsible for the miscarriage. I can’t imagine a more cruel law! I know of some who have suffered a miscarriage and I understand that their first question is: “Did I somehow cause this?” Imagine, in the moment after it happens, if they are suddenly being grilled by someone to s...

I was in an airport store in Chicago just to check out the books and see if there was anything I was missing... ...and I nearly missed it! ‘Neon Prey’ by John Sandford. I’ve been reading the Sandford ‘Prey’ books for a long, long time and have probably 30 of his books on my shelf. I was excited for the latest for 2 reasons: 1). I really wanted to read it 2). I was excited because I knew Mom would be fired up because she loves them too. I considered plucking down $45 for 2 copies but then realized that it was only Tuesday and I’d most likely finish it by Sunday. I just had to be careful to not drop mustard on the pages. (I’m always covered in mustard). I read more than half of it before even getting home and finished it by Saturday afternoon (it’s great), and then I handed it to Mom. She was as fired up as me. My Mom is the reason I write. She introduced me to reading and my love of reading made me a writer, and those two presents from her were the greatest gifts I...

On Wednesday afternoon CNN played an interview with a relieved Dad and a 12-year-old boy who was in the classroom when the shooting started. He had a baseball bat. In his childhood voice he said: “If I was going to go down, I was going to go down fighting.” I’d been writing a work report and was only half listening, but when he said it, I turned and looked at him. He’s just a little boy! Fighting for his life!! In his 6th grade classroom. What an absolute mess. 20 years after Columbine and the best we can do is show kids the ‘Run, Hide, Fight’ video??? They were scrambling for the best hiding places when the shooting started. On Twitter, I follow the poor Dad who lost his daughter in the Parkland shooting. When that massacre happened there was momentum to make change. Universal background checks. Common sense laws. Something. Anything. But what happened was exactly zilch. I watched the twitter feeds of all the big shots. “We’re praying for the famili...

It’s hard to know what to expect when you revisit the past. Back in 1982, I saw the WHO at Ralph Wilson Stadium. I was 17 years old. The night before the concert, we had a great plan to stay up all night. I had a shot of Jack Daniels in the parking lot that day, but saw the show with my brother, John and our buddy Tom (among others - like Larry). When the news broke that the band was coming to Buffalo...Tom called. “Let’s go!” “I’m in,” John immediately answered. A few years back I saw the Stones again (and they were great) so I was game. I got ahold of my college buddy, Terry, and we laid out big money. I spent the weeks leading up to the show, wondering if Roger & Pete would mail it in, or sound awful. They did neither of those things. The show started with obscure songs and a full orchestra. There were people around us grumbling for the hits. I was good because I know most of their songs. I kept thinking, “They played Woodstock, and they’re still standing.”...

We are playing with different rules. A couple of years ago, I received a letter from the IRS saying that they needed for me to document everywhere I went to prove the mileage I’d deducted for a job that is spent on the road. They literally wanted my log books. I have them, of course. I write everything down! But it irritated me. Made me feel like a criminal. Now we see some of Fat Nixon’s tax returns from the late 80’s early 90’s. He lost a billion dollars! Didn’t pay a nickel in income tax for 8 of those 10 years! He was a private citizen, claiming losses that any other American would go to jail for claiming. Couple a things: 1). How did he still get loans? 2). Isn’t he a perfect mark for all sorts of fraud? 3). Who didn’t see through him? (Oh yeah, 63 million of you. Your bad). 4). How can we allow rich people (or fake rich people in this case) continue to milk the taxpayer teet while claiming people who work 40 + hours don’t deserve a living wage? These a...

When I first started coming out to the Midwest I was a tad irritated. What is there to do in Iowa, Nebraska or Kansas? Aren’t they all a bunch of hayseeds? Well, the answer to those questions are: Not much and Yes. And I like it! Kansas City is a lot like Buffalo. It’s easy to get around and the people are friendly. I once wore my Yankees ball boy outfit to a Yankees-Royals game in the years when the Royals were one of the best teams in baseball, and the Yankees were up 9-1 in the game... ...and people were still friendly! I talked for a bunch of innings with a whole group about Yankees-Royals in the late 70’s and we laughed a lot. The other thing that I enjoy is that I can walk on a site here and a whole bunch of hardworking guys know me. “Oh geez! Look who’s here!” One guy yelled when I walked in. “Still snowing in Buffalo? How much are you going to eat today?” We all went to lunch. They enjoy watching me eat, but one of my favorite things about midwestern fol...

Haven’t had to travel to the Midwest in a few months. Their weather was actually worse than ours as tornadoes and heavy rains set the jobs way back. I didn’t miss the plane travel. I was up by 4:00 and by 5:20 in the morning I was feeling anxious cause I was running late. All went well. Got to Chicago Midway by 7:00 and needed something to eat. I waited in line, looking at polish sausage on the sign. It was offered Chicago style. Looked great. Polish sausage sandwich at 7 a.m.? The clerk would think I’m nuts. I ordered a sausage, egg and cheese for 7 bucks. The guy behind me ordered the loaded polish sausage. We got our sandwiches at the same time. Damn! His looked way better!! The cafeteria was packed. We ended up sharing a small table. I watched him eat it as I suffered through my dry egg sandwich. I didn’t even converse with the guy. I was pissed at him! What’s even funnier? It aggravated me all the way to Kansas City. Should’ve got the polish...

The tee box for the first hole was comical. “I can’t even find a place to take a practice swing,” Scott said. There were standing mud puddles in some places. We were all dressed in long pants and hoodies. We were all smiling. “Seven and a half months,” I said. “I haven’t hit a golf ball in more than 200 days.” I took two swings to loosen up. My back ached, and I grimaced. Then I set the ball on the tee, took one more practice swing, and then hit it. Straight down the middle, on a high arc. I heard Pops laugh behind me. “Do you actually need something to be fractured to not be able to do that?” It didn’t all go perfectly. I bogied a lot of holes that should’ve been pars. Pops and Mike hit some true bombs that made me realize that I need to stay straight down the middle if I want to beat them. I beat them on the front 9. Spent a few holes in the tank on the backside. Pops win this one. By the end of the round I was covered in mud and I’d lost a couple of balls...

We’ve got a real problem here. The grass is high. Poor Paris is getting lost in it, but not much we can do about it. ‘Cause it keeps raining. “Where are the dogs?” Sam asked on Friday afternoon. “Prancing through the meadow,” I said. “I know! I’m gonna’ power through it,” he said. I heard the door close as he headed out. It immediately opened again. Sam was back in the living room. “It’s pouring.” No chance on getting it on Saturday either. More rain. The first mow of the year is a real mess. The grass gums up the mower and it takes a long time. “I’m not worried about it,” I said. “Because it’s your job. Someday the sun will shine and you’ll be out there all day.” Sam thought about that a minute. “I’ll take my chances,” he said. “I haven’t had to mow the lawn since the end of September. It’s gonna’ be at least the middle of May before I have to get it done. I haven’t done it for 7 and a half months.” 225 days since we had to mow the freaking lawn! ...

Yesterday I received the notification to complete my harassment training. It’s an on-line session that takes a couple of hours. I have a month to get it done. Also yesterday, I had to do a 6 a.m. safety meeting for a client that I’ve worked with for 20 years. I got there a few minutes early and there were thirty guys out by the dumpster. “Morning dipshit,” one of them yelled. “Yankees lose last night?” “They didn’t play, you dumb bastard,” I called back and there was a healthy laugh. I went straight to the guy. “I apologize if I hurt your feelings.” He laughed. “I had the sensitivity training too,” he said. I took a few steps into the room and headed for the coffee. “Have a donut, fat f**k,” another guy said.  We both laughed. “Is that politically incorrect?” He asked. “Not sure, but a little hypocritical since that’s your fourth one.” That’s a little how my day goes... ...every day. I take shots for being old, sloppy, a Yankee...

I have a distinct memory of getting chicken pox. I didn’t have them, but a couple of my siblings did, and they were suffering mightily. “Aren’t they catchy?” I remember asking. “Yeah, we want you to get them now,” My Dad said. I might have said “WTF” before I knew what “WTF” meant. And so, I got ‘em. The entire lot of us suffered through it. But try as I might, and I remember a lot, I don’t recall ever having the measles... ...well, good news! We seem to be smack dab in the middle of the Nixon years. Measles are back on the menu!!! Because some dopey bastards weren’t happy about the fact that it had been cured. Now I know what “WTF” means. And who says that God doesn’t have a sense of humor? There’s a cruise ship filled with Scientology’s finest all measled up out there. Don’t we have enough problems without bringing back some of the greatest hits? I swear, if after fifty-four-freaking years I get the damn measles I’m gonna’ be pissed. Yesterday was na...

They had ‘Honorable’ in front of William Barr’s name during the hearing to get to the truth. That actually made me cringe. I can’t believe we are here. Half of the people asking questions are attacking him. The other half are kissing his ass. I’ve always had a rough time with lawyers because even though they know what is true they frame an argument around the flimsiest of lies. And I hate liars. Barr should be ashamed of himself as a man. He took the report and mischaracterized it. Now he’s lying about the lie. I’m truly finding it all hard to believe. They open the hearing by saying that no crime was committed when the information is straight forward. Mueller explains the collusion and the obstruction and the reasons why and why not... ...and Barr paints it in a totally different light. Then tries to explain it away in a series of “I’m not sure...I don’t recall...I didn’t mean it that way” .... ...and on and on and on. And we pay them all, with our tax doll...

When I was growing up my Dad and I would have long, drawn-out arguments about the athletes I was watching and the ones he grew up watching. Dad loved Reggie and Thurman and Mattingly... ...but they weren’t Mantle or Maris or Yogi. Ron Guidry wasn’t as great as Whitey Ford. And on and on and on. No way to actually compare or win the argument. My boys are intent on proving to me that Wilt Chamberlain would be ‘just another big guy’ these days. “He wasn’t even as good as Shaq!” They yell. Thing is, I saw Wilt and Shaq both play, and it wasn’t close. “Wilt played against little, white accountants,” they scream. “Like Jabbar? The all-time leading scorer?” Yesterday, Jake asked: “Who was better A-Rod or Jeter?” “Jeter,” I said, without hesitation. “So dumb,” Jake said. Then he started reading off the stats. “A-Rod got more homers, drove in more runs, more gold gloves.” “But Jeter was just a better player,” I said. “It’s hard to describe.” Jake hit me with more...