Sad clowns. That’s the term used to describe me and my peers. It’s not flattering. As far as I know, it was coined in a Boston Globe article a few years ago about middle-aged male loneliness. A sad clown is a man of a certain age whose default agreeableness and readymade dad jokes mask his […]
Peloton vs. Sufferfest, Optimism vs. Reality
Peloton and COVID-19 have combined to lead an explosion in your in-home fitness experience. Yuppies around America now know the terms “FTP,” “Power-to-Weight ratio,” and “VO2 max,” schooled by the greatest fitness instructors in the country. It used to be that getting on a bike trainer was the equivalent of torture. You were only supposed […]
Announcing! The Sports Issue!
It’s here, people! The Sports Issue has arrived to the printers and will be hitting mail trucks next week! If you’re not a subscriber yet, you do that here. Or feel free to buy single copies for your entire church volleyball league, here.
Until then, sports fans, step up to the on-deck circle with Ethan’s Opener and the Table of Contents: (more…)
Bottom of the Ninth: Baseball and the Eternity of God’s Love
I Suspect that the “Never-Too-Lateness” of Baseball is One of its Chief Draws
Torn Ligaments, Broken Dreams, and Abundant Grace
On Getting Older, Knee Replacements, and Identity beyond Basketball
When Is a Baseball Card More Than Just a Baseball Card?
Escapism via Time Traveling, and a Story of Baseball Card Grace
A Tennis-Ball-Shaped Anvil (and Other Things That Weigh on Us)
“It’s no accident, I think, that tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love, the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature.” – Andre Agassi Stumbling across Andre Agassi’s autobiography Open was like overhearing a parishioner’s confession to a priest. It doesn’t […]
Super Bowl Psychology: What This Year’s Commercials Tell Us About Ourselves
Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of Super Bowl XIV. Congratulations to everyone who got up for work today after a fun football game. As the old adage goes, the real reason for the parties we attended last night was not the sport itself, though I really enjoyed a competitive game between two great […]