Thoughts of a Common Man

Saw a baseball player hit a homer. The camera stayed on him after he rounded the bases and he was literally screaming, ‘Let’s Go ‘ with a scowl. Didn’t look happy to me. Yet, he might have been. Seems to me that people are generally angry out in public. A split-second hesitation at a light and people blast their horn. There are hundreds of videos of people going absolutely crazy when a fast food worker gets their order wrong, and I’m wondering if we were always on edge, or if it has just become more noticeable. One thing I’m not wondering about is how inconsiderate people seem to be these days. I waved a guy in front of my car as he waited to cross. I had the light so I didn’t have to, and after I waved him forward, he broke it down. Instead of hustling to the other side, he proceeded to walk slower than I’d ever seen someone walk. Carts are all over the grocery store parking lot. You can’t walk ten yards and put it away? And when I truly get irritated… …when the group ahead of you lea...

Ran into a guy today who ‘couldn’t believe it’s October.’ “What did you expect would come after September?” I asked. “I know!” He said. “But life flies on by.” Don’t I know it. October 1, 1997 was a day I’ll never forget because a steel erector company I worked for tipped a crane over that day. Thankfully no one was injured - which was an absolute miracle - but it was a very bad accident. I spent about a week at the site, dealing with OSHA and a whole bunch of men who remain friends to this day. And with memories it’s insane how much can be recalled about nearly every minute of the day. I was 32 years old. Had been married for just about 5 months! I blinked. And all those years passed on by. As I thought about it this October 1st I had a desire to call the company safety guy… …I would frequently call him and say, ‘Happy Anniversary’ and he would laugh. He passed away a couple of years ago… …and I missed being able to make the call this year. And with memories, it seems that it couldn’t...

We have so much data at our fingertips. Information overload, actually, and, of course it has entered the baseball conversation. Years ago, the Oakland Athletics used all that information to battle the all-mighty New York Yankees. They lost, but it made a nice little story staring Brad Pitt (it is a great movie). Yet, the movie never mentioned that the A’s had three of the best pitchers in the sport. I mention it because Boston removed their pitcher in the 5th inning of Game 1. “Why are they taking him out?” Sam asked. “They want the lefty to face Rice.” Rice promptly homered. None of the analytics worked and the Yankees hammered them 9-0. So, onto Game 2. It was 1-0 in the 5th inning. Here comes Boston’s manager. “They aren’t doing it again, are they?” Sam asked. “They think they need a lefty.” The pitcher, Sonny Gray, wasn’t tired. He is a good pitcher. Didn’t matter. They made the move and ten minutes later the game was over. They don’t watch the game in front of them. Now, of cours...