Author Archive
The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. – David Foster Wallace This Day In History Infinite Jest is published (February 1,1996) Wallace wrote about television…
I’m assiduously critical of people who want to start their American Dream and that journey and want to start it the wrong way. I think like this: the United States was created on immigration, it was created on immigration, on diversity. I strongly encourage people who want to come here to do it. But I…
Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it’s done right. – Walt Disney Like all my work, well, maybe, not all, the following is a true story. What amuses me now and struck me then as strange, was the guy who asked the question – he seemed…
History is one long processional of crazy ideas. – Phil Knight Does that make me a historian? I still dream of Nike, almost forty years after I ran away. Dream about working for Nike. Last night, I was trying to wrap a banana box full of high priority fan mail and omniscient instructions for Tinker Hatfield,…
Frank Shorter, Jack Bacheler and myself came to Florida in 1970 from different areas and different careers. All three of us qualified for the 1972 Munich Olympics and competed in dozens of international events. As others joined us we became National Champions and had a lot of great experiences. – Jeff Galloway Knew I was…
Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice. – Bethany Hamilton Cleaning my desk top, I came across these notes. My Mom finally – eventually – died – passed away – [eight] years ago today and I find myself somewhat incredulous. A…
Everything I know about morality and the obligations of men, I owe it to football [soccer]. – Albert Camus Soccer. Futbol (Headball?): A Critique by Tim McGarry The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was recently completed with Argentina defeating France. Pele, recognized as the world’s greatest player, died on December 22, 2022. It is called…
You said I was weak. You said I couldn’t do it. Thank you. You gave me everything I needed to prove you wrong. – Steve Prefontaine Eugene. Rented a car, drove south on I-5 with a retired long-haul trucker who hasn’t talked to me since. He too is a philosopher with multiple personalities and we…
How was I supposed to survive here? These Portlanders were an entirely different breed of white people. – Gabby Rivera Portland? In a sentence?? The homeless here have better sleeping bags than I do. Later I see a panhandler setting up shop outside Ben & Jerry’s, writing a new clever sign why he needs your…
I’ll go through life either first class or third, but never in second. – Noel Coward Love to be places, hate what it takes to get there. Headed to the 2015 Prefontaine Classic. Tried to minimize the torment, upgraded, with hope to expense against a book deal that never came to fruition. Trip cost a…