Category Archives: Sports

Little League Opening Day. A Play-by-Play

Baseball cards

<Please read in your best Vin Scully voice.>

Thank you for joining us out here today. I know we’ve all been eagerly looking forward to Little League 2015 opening day! Continue reading

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Play Ball (Kinda)   

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The one constant through all the years, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.

And through it all, the foundation has been built on the utter chaos that is t-ball. Search and Destroy are heralding in the spring of 2015 with their first season of Little League. Continue reading

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Bumps and Bruises To Be Expected

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The forecast called for rain. And the California morning had proven rather gloomy. But muppets were going stir crazy. It was mission critical to get them out of the house to expend some of the pent up energy boiling over.

Destroy had knocked all the couch cushions to the floor and was leaping from pillow to pillow in an effort to wreak as much chaos as possible. Continue reading

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The NFL and Domestic Violence

Yahoo

We’ve long heard the arguments that our kids will be scarred and forever altered by violence in video games or movies, despite parents educating our impressionable youths that it’s merely make-believe.

So what do we say when it’s real-life role models (for better or worse) demonstrating violence?

Domestic violence attorney Nicki Ford is speaking out on the subject. She recently chatted with Yahoo Sports’ Eric Adelson about the NFL’s problems and she has graciously written the below. Continue reading

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Fun with Fishing

Caden fishing

Search and Destroy received fishing rods for their birthday. So this past weekend, we headed to a local pond where a friend had assured us fish were practically leaping out of the water to eat bait.

“That was the thing about nature: make one lousy rule to describe it and it’ll contradict you even if it has to transmogrify and metamorphosize and bust its ass to do it.”
– The River Why, David James Duncan
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The Bucket List

Sports Bucket

The seasons of sports are upon us. Search and Destroy are reaching the age where they are eligible for the local sports leagues.

We’ve always been of the mindset to sign the boys up for all the sports. Then they can decide if they have any interest. Continue reading

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Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

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(Do you want to build a snowman?)

Despite the growing consternation about the water desperation in California, we decided to bundle up the boys and head for the hills – Tahoe. (If the drought got too bad, we’d just hit the state line and cross right over. Nevada’s got plenty of water, right?)

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Bike Ride Boondoggle

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It was a gorgeous sunny Sunday morning. The blue skies called for us to get out of the house. What a perfect day for a bike ride through the nearby open space preserve to visit the local working farm – the animals would surely be out soaking up the winter warmth and socializing with their human admirers. A picture perfect idyllic family moment.

We loaded up the bikes and clamored into the car – Destroy already donning his helmet in preparation.

Apparently a good number of others had the same idea. The tiny parking lots were packed. We circled. So Jon dropped me and the boys off at the trail head and set off to procure parking. This is where our stories diverge. Continue reading

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Rink Rats

Ice Skating copy

With thoughts of solidarity for fellow Americans blanketed beneath snow dumped by the polar vortex whirling around much of our nation, I toyed with idea of taking the boys ice skating. (It’s 70 degrees and sunny bordering on dangerous drought conditions here.)

Ok, fine. The public skating session coincided with the San Francisco Forty-Niners playoff football game and I thought we’d have the rink to ourselves. Continue reading

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Bullying in Sports

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Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito (left) and tackle Jonathan Martin (right) earlier this year. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Bullying is back in the news this week. Miami Dolphin offensive lineman Richie Incognito has been accused of bullying another offensive lineman on his own team, Jonathan Martin. And a cable news show panelist was blathering on about how “bullying” is something that happens in grade school.

Not so.

Then I read Hochman: It’s not being a man defending bullying in NFL, which quoted Broncos offensive lineman Winston Justice: “I’ll be honest with you, I think Martin totally overdramatized the whole thing. I mean, come on. Bullying is bad, but when you’re a 25-year-old man, it’s not bullying. Get over it.” Continue reading

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