We had our coffee at Letezia’s before the rain came. Good rain. The garden in the back can use a good soaking.
A lot has been shitty in the world this week. Still, this morning I feel good.
My colleague, the PE teacher, ran the Sunburst Marathon in South Bend this morning. The 4th grade teacher who went with him (who also runs, but decided he would do the half marathon today) just posted on Facebook that the PE teacher did well enough to qualify for the Boston marathon.
Plus, the school year is winding down. Three kid days left. Then a records/planning day. Then the kids come in on Friday to pick up their report cards. 30 minutes later they are out the door. The fifth graders gone for good, which is (most years and this year for sure) bittersweet.
John Wooden.
Growing up in L.A. in the sixties, there was no shortage of sports heroes. The Dodgers boasted Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Duke Snyder among others. The Lakers had the great Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and later, Wilt Chamberlain. UCLA basketball featured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Gail Goodrich and Henry Bibby.
But perhaps the dominant sports figure was not a player, but a teacher and a coach. Coach John Wooden died yesterday at the age of 99.
The perfect game.
A lot of people are rethinking the lesson of the missed call at first.
I like this one from Dave Zirin.
The incredible class and calm Galarraga has shown is an ideal of a word that has become something of a punchline: sportsmanship. He said, “I say many times: Nobody’s perfect. Everybody makes a mistake. I’m sure he don’t want to make that call. You see that guy last night, he feels really bad. He don’t even change. The other umpires shower, eat. He was sitting in the seat (and saying), ‘I’m so sorry.’” Reading this and then seeing the Detroit fans actually applaud Joyce the next day has been remarkable. Even the guy who immediately started firejimjoyce.com posted, “You know, after hearing all the talk from both the pitcher and umpire Jim Joyce today, I have only one thought: They are both classier than I am.”
Rachel Corrie.
The Irish ship named after the American activist Rachel Corrie was seized by Israeli forces today as it tried to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
Rachel Corrie was killed, run over by a bulldozer, as she protested Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.
Fred Klonsky 