"The change was made uptown, and the Big Man joined the band." - Springsteen
*********
OK, your intrepid scribe has a confession to make. I was not an early acolyte of The Boss. In my infinite wisdom and musical maturity, and to the extreme perplexion of my three younger brothers, I found his music limiting, terming it something like, "girls, cars, and the night."
I consider it a testament to my character that I have since softened my stance somewhat, to the point where I am now willing to admit that if this kid stays with it, he may have a future in the music business.
It took me a few years, but the simple beauty, depth, and breadth of the E Street catalogue is such that it cannot be denied. While Bruce's ability as musician and songwriter stand second to no one, I believe he is at his very best when he hits the stage with his E Street family.
That family took quite a hit this past weekend. The Big Man himself, 69-year-old Clarence Clemons, who with Max Weinberg has driven the E Street rhythm section for forty years, suffered a stroke at his Florida home. Early reports of his recovery seem promising, and your intrepid scribe just wanted to take a moment to add his prayers for a speedy return. The E Street band, and music in general, are so much the better for his powerful sax, his towering presence, and his kind demeanor.
God speed, Big Man.
Until next time,
Excelsior!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
On Fatherly Pride
I write often about Sons #1 & #2 in this space, and with good reason; I am inordinately proud of them. They are bright, well-spoken, and polite. They are 14 and 12 years old, respectively, and are therefore prone to the many hormonal, cultural, and technological influences common to the modern American teenaged male. They are experiencing new things every day, but it's the reintroduction and advancement of the familiar I want to talk about for a moment.
Enter baseball. (Cue groaning; your intrepid scribe is on this topic again?) We are well into our current odyssey of daily baseball, to the point where we're hitting a bit of a wall, right about the time we usually do each year.
This year seems a little different, and I'm not quite certain whether it's just my perception, but it seems to me my guys are growing fairly rapidly as ballplayers as well as young men. Two immediate cases in point come to mind, one for each of the boys:
1) Son #1's development as a team leader. On both his modified and house league teams, #1 has turned into a de facto leader, on and off the field. He is not the best player on either team, but is clearly one of the top two or three, and his willingness to assume a role of leadership is making a real difference. He's a personable kid, and gets along well with his teammates. He's not a "clique" kind of guy, and because of that, he's seen as accessible by everyone.
He's also finally growing confident in his ability on the field. His primary positions have evolved from behind the plate to the mound, and to third base. He's always had a strong throwing arm, and has utilized that skill to grow confident that when the heat is on, he can make the play. This confidence is also manifesting itself at the plate; he's hitting well over .450 on the year, and just last night, he threw a three-hitter, did not give up an earned run, and went 2-4, with 5 RBI.
Our school district, as a result of budget cuts, just eliminated freshman sports for the coming school year. #1 will be a freshman in September; his response when told of this? "Guess I'll just have to make the JV, then, Dad."
It was the fact that he said this without a trace of arrogance that blew me away. He was one of just three returning players on his current modified team, and his attitude throughout the tryout process for that team was one of desperate concern to just make the club. Once he did, his drive to make the club quickly morphed into a leadership role on it.
2) Son #2 is rapidly developing similar characteristics. He's the catcher on his Little League team, and his team is enjoying quite a bit of success this year. Again, he's not the most talented player on the team, but he's closing that gap with effort, a bit of leadership, and growing confidence in his own game. He did not possess #1's throwing ability, yet he threw out basestealers in his first four games this season, and word got around that running on him may not be such a good idea. As the catcher for this team, he runs the defense on a good ballclub, and that defense has made the difference in at least three of their wins so far this year.
He's also discovering a knack for getting on base, and for driving in runs at big moments. He's clearly playing his way into being an All-Star-caliber player, and I was not sure he'd get there as well as he has done.
There had been a considerable gap over the years between the two of them, and I think that gap has bugged #2 for some time. I think it caused him some frustration, and caused him to be unnecessarily hard on himself on occasion.
I also think that gap is closing, and rapidly.
What's the point of all of this? Fatherly pride can manifest itself in many, many ways. It also knows no bounds, if you do it right.
Until next time,
Excelsior!
Enter baseball. (Cue groaning; your intrepid scribe is on this topic again?) We are well into our current odyssey of daily baseball, to the point where we're hitting a bit of a wall, right about the time we usually do each year.
This year seems a little different, and I'm not quite certain whether it's just my perception, but it seems to me my guys are growing fairly rapidly as ballplayers as well as young men. Two immediate cases in point come to mind, one for each of the boys:
1) Son #1's development as a team leader. On both his modified and house league teams, #1 has turned into a de facto leader, on and off the field. He is not the best player on either team, but is clearly one of the top two or three, and his willingness to assume a role of leadership is making a real difference. He's a personable kid, and gets along well with his teammates. He's not a "clique" kind of guy, and because of that, he's seen as accessible by everyone.
He's also finally growing confident in his ability on the field. His primary positions have evolved from behind the plate to the mound, and to third base. He's always had a strong throwing arm, and has utilized that skill to grow confident that when the heat is on, he can make the play. This confidence is also manifesting itself at the plate; he's hitting well over .450 on the year, and just last night, he threw a three-hitter, did not give up an earned run, and went 2-4, with 5 RBI.
Our school district, as a result of budget cuts, just eliminated freshman sports for the coming school year. #1 will be a freshman in September; his response when told of this? "Guess I'll just have to make the JV, then, Dad."
It was the fact that he said this without a trace of arrogance that blew me away. He was one of just three returning players on his current modified team, and his attitude throughout the tryout process for that team was one of desperate concern to just make the club. Once he did, his drive to make the club quickly morphed into a leadership role on it.
2) Son #2 is rapidly developing similar characteristics. He's the catcher on his Little League team, and his team is enjoying quite a bit of success this year. Again, he's not the most talented player on the team, but he's closing that gap with effort, a bit of leadership, and growing confidence in his own game. He did not possess #1's throwing ability, yet he threw out basestealers in his first four games this season, and word got around that running on him may not be such a good idea. As the catcher for this team, he runs the defense on a good ballclub, and that defense has made the difference in at least three of their wins so far this year.
He's also discovering a knack for getting on base, and for driving in runs at big moments. He's clearly playing his way into being an All-Star-caliber player, and I was not sure he'd get there as well as he has done.
There had been a considerable gap over the years between the two of them, and I think that gap has bugged #2 for some time. I think it caused him some frustration, and caused him to be unnecessarily hard on himself on occasion.
I also think that gap is closing, and rapidly.
What's the point of all of this? Fatherly pride can manifest itself in many, many ways. It also knows no bounds, if you do it right.
Until next time,
Excelsior!
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