One Shot at Forever

Reading my new book “One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season” by Sports Illustrated writer Chris Ballard, about the tiny Macon Illinois High baseball team in the early 70’s. The young hippie English teacher was coerced into coaching the team, despite having never coached anything before. He was the third coach in three years. The rightfielder was a good hit / no field bispeckled, slow-footed freshman named Brian Snitker. He batted .379 for the season but in one regional playoff game, on a hunch the coach replaced him in the late innings with a speedier upperclassman. Like in Hoosiers, back then all teams large and small competed against each other for just one state championship.

Had a dream we lived in a house with animals roaming around. The kids were young. Will and Anna had run around to the back of the house. An elephant lumbered around from the front yard, toward the far side of the house. Behind it pounced what I finally figured out was the black dragon from the How to Train Your Dragon movie. The dragon hopped the fence and wanted to play with me and Matthew, who was very young. M had his tiny toys spread all over the place. Ceil reminded me that M had a report to present in school, one that sounded far beyond his age range. The dragon snuck inside my convertible and snuggled up to us. We came upon a wreck, and had to take a detour through an old lady’s carport. The lady was hosing off her driveway, and the dragon hopped out and played in the water, cooling off.

The poor voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Their job just keeps getting tougher. This articles says Jimmy Johnson and Bill Cowher got elected years earlier than they should have – because them being on TV helped create a great TV moment. Several other more deserving coaches and players have waited longer.    

https://fansided.com/2021/02/19/pro-football-hall-of-fame-voting-2022-class/

An old article about Dean Gardens, built by a computer zillionaire, sold to Usher – now torn down. Near the corner of Peachtree Parkway and Old Alabama, on the river not far from the Atlanta Athletic Club.

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/us/22house.html?fbclid=IwAR09VAt5S_wJBWSPwsu9QBI91oHdg8qX0iFVUuaQVlgpmRxlG0-LhE7bPug

Denison: Satan offered to give Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” in exchange for his worship (Matthew 4:8–9). Jesus chose instead to make his Father his King through the suffering of the cross. Jesus’ temptation is ours. Rather than serving God through the way of suffering, we want God to eliminate all suffering. When he does not, we reject him in anger for what he will not do, rather than serving him in gratitude for all he has done.