March 3, 2021
Baseball Heroes of My Youth Are Gone: Remembering Henry Aaron
As a child—I don’t recall how or why—I developed and nurtured a love of sports. Sports stars became my heroes, mostly baseball players, starting with Henry Aaron.
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July 10, 2020
Sports Played Important Role in Both 1970 and 2020
Social unrest and turmoil dominated the national and campus landscapes in 1970; however, sports remain a positive memory on the 50th anniversary of my graduation from the University of Minnesota. As sports editor of the Minnesota Daily, I was able to interact with several great coaches and outstanding teams and to follow the state’s professional teams. Today, I regularly and enthusiastically watch and read about a wide array of college and professional sports.
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April 29, 2020
Not Missing TV Sports
I am a TV-sports addict, but I don’t miss the games. I can live without them—at least for now. Sports are an integral part of society’s fabric and serve many purposes, but they are not life or death (except maybe for a Vikings’ playoff game or a Lakers-Celtics’ championship series). The coronavirus, however, is life or death.
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February 23, 2020
Reflections on Running
In
early afternoon, on Sunday, October 6, a bright, glorious autumn day, my
youngest daughter jogged down John Ireland Boulevard toward the State Capitol
in St. Paul, approaching the finish of her first marathon—about three hours
longer than Eliud Kipchoge would run six days later, but a special achievement
for her nonetheless.
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December 4, 2018
World Series Memories
Watching the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers in this fall’s World Series rekindled memories of my childhood as an avid baseball fan and my experience viewing the Minnesota Twins participate in the Series three times. The Fall Classic was also a good time for me to reevaluate my love for America’s pastime, a passion that I started and nurtured as a childhood fan of the Milwaukee Braves.• • •
May 22, 2018
Female Sports Journalists Have Overcome Obstacles But Gaps Remain
Last week, Jenny Cavnar became the first woman since 1993 to do televised play-by-play on a Major League Baseball telecast of the game between the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres. Her usual role was pre-and postgame TV shows.• • •
April 25, 2018
Story of Former Sports Photographer Friend Illuminates Big Picture of Life
Last fall, viewing professional football games, I watched a commercial for Modelo Especial featuring Tony Gonzalez, one of the greatest receivers in the history of the National Football League. In the ad, Gonzalez, now a national TV analyst, celebrates 40 years of family dinners with his mother, who worked two jobs to raise and support the family.• • •
February 26, 2018
Whalen Defines Greatness With Skills and Character
Jim Petersen, TV analyst for the Minnesota Timberwolves, sometimes references the Minnesota Lynx during broadcasts. He refers to Lynx point guard Lindsay Whalen as “greatness.” Petersen should know because he was an assistant Lynx coach for nine years after his college and NBA careers. He states that Whalen is one of Minnesota’s all-time great athletes.• • •
November 6, 2017
Finding Golf Balls Is Not a Compulsion But I Sure Enjoy the Sport
Monday, October 16, was a glorious fall day in the Twin Cities with temperatures in the high 60s. As I walked on the sidewalk parallel to Ramsey County Highway 96 in Vadnais Heights, I was in awe of the radiant colors—yellow, red, orange, green—highlighted by the late-afternoon sun. But I enjoyed more than fall beauty. I found four golf balls, pushing my season total to 62, possibly a record.• • •
September 2, 2017
Hall-of-Fame Coach Fleming Models Respect, Earns Respect
Twelve years ago, I posed the possibility to my son, Ian, that he try running as a fall sport as he started his high-school career at Mounds View High School. I brought him to Mounds View on an August day in 2005; we entered the school, not knowing where to go. A short, non-descript man came by and said, “Wrestling gym.” Even though my oldest daughter knew some of the athletes on his championship track teams, I didn’t have a clue about this man…little did I know.• • •