Friendship in the cards

My guys were very creative in getting me gifts for my college graduation.

There was the gift of … let’s say dubious origin, so the less said about that, the better.

There was the teal Florida Marlins baseball cap, back before they were the Miami Marlins and at least the teal was somewhat fashionable.

And there was the Doug Gilmour trading card.

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The shortest day

I had to get out. Right then.

There was no time to wait … literally.

It was 4 o’clock. It was going to be dark soon.

Dreams, but whose dreams?

Updated Nov. 1

I saw an article on parents obsessed with getting their children into an Ivy League school that had me wondering when children’s desires stop being their own and start being their parents’ … and what that means.

I did a whole podcast on it, but the article was retracted because of numerous issues. Therefore, I deleted the podcast.

Here we go … baseball season

Well, it’s finally going to happen.

Barring any unforeseen problems in the next 24 hours or so, Opening Day is tomorrow.

Sure, the season is only 60 games and for all we know, the Blue Jays could be playing in the park down the street from my house if it weren’t all torn up (or, failing that, maybe Pittsburgh), but Opening Day is tomorrow.

Finally.

Great baseball, poor service

The Boston Globe asked its baseball writers to share their favorite and least-favorite ballparks. On Sept. 25, 2016, I wrote about Dodger Stadium, which would rank higher on my list if the customer service wasn’t so bad.

Dodger Stadium is still a beautiful ballpark. Yes, it’s more than 50 years old, but it’s not a relic. Instead, thanks to a little work, it’s still an amazing sight.

And it’s all the better when it has a game to match, like today, when Charlie Culberson hit a 10th-inning division-winning homer, giving Vin Scully one last great Dodger Stadium call.

But …

Let’s go to some games

C’mon in, there’s no social distancing here.

I know it looks like the sports room in my house, but once I close that door, it’s going to be something else.

After all, if someone is suggesting escaping … you know … by sleeping in the guest room and imagining it’s a trip, we can turn a room full of sports books, pictures and other memorabilia into a portal to where sports haven’t changed.

Just ignore the scratching. Our cat Sasha hates when I shut the door.

Anything is possible, until it isn’t

First the was the flight — overnight, over water, over-tired me at the end because I didn’t sleep.

Then there was the train from the airport to the hotel, keeping an eye on our luggage so it didn’t roll away.

Then, before everything else, there was this view out the hotel room window.

Treasures in the basement

Time has not yet begun, not without Opening Day, and we don’t know when it will.

And with the exception of those praying for more time for themselves or their loved ones and the heroes racing to save the lives of others, most of us seem to be losing all sense of time in a month that feels like it may never end.

But even if baseball is way down the list of what’s important, it’s still the (hopefully temporary) loss of a constant companion.

Updates from everywhere

The Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh wants us to know that the well-being of their guests and teams is their “absolute priority.”

The hotel will “adhere to the strictest possible terms of all advice issues by (the World Health Organization), as well as the protocols advised by local and international authorities.”

Furthermore, any employee returning from a country affected by COVID-19, or has been in close proximity with someone from one of those areas, has been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The volleyball game that showed I’m getting old

Originally posted March 28, 2012 (and the volleyball court was not the one pictured).

My wife, father-in-law and I were walking out of the Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island Tuesday night at about 9:30 p.m. after watching Connecticut win the NCAA East Regional Final — by the way, the Ryan Center is a splendid little place to watch a basketball game or three — when we saw people playing volleyball in a gym.