D=Dirty

Good morning! I am still having heat problems on the first floor. My heating guy "George" has been to the house on a number of occasions. This means two things. First, he did not fix it on the first, second or third attempts. Second, he has no idea how to fix it. Yet, he keeps trying...I am keeping my fingers, eyes, and toes crossed that this is a 'warranty issue' and not something that I have to scrape together change from the sofa cushions and old pocketbooks to fund.



On to the big kid in the mountains. As I write this note, I have little tear balls in my eyes....yep, tears...not of sorrow but of joy for the leftie.....here is the story....fade to black.....

Last night, after a quick bowl of soup for dinner, Tink, dad and I retired quickly to the bedroom since the ground floor's temperature was 55 degrees. As we watched yet another Pawn Stars show (I really do not get what they see in Chumly, but I was reading a nice book), the kid called. Here is his story:


"I was on the mound after Tonto pitched. I struggled during the first inning a bit but gained my control and threw 87 (which means 90 outside on a real mound). My ball was zigging and zagging and found its target.

The coach called me out in the post game huddle and gave me a compliment. Psycho texted me after the game and said 'good job'."

"But the huge thing that happened was there was a scout at practice talking with the coach. Tonto threw 5 flawless innings but when he saw me on the mound, he left his spot and ran behind the catcher. He asked Big Red who was pitching. Then the scout said: "he's dirty...." "

What does "he's dirty..." mean? Well, it is a phrase that means....yeah, this kid is great. Not just great...nasty great....meaning....I will be watching him.

Can anyone say "yahoooooo!!!" I can. Yep, I had tears in my eyes as I thought of the last three years of surgery, rehab, lost confidence, rehab, pt, agony, and self doubt. It is coming full circle and he is emerges his old self. But not 'old self'...new...improved...more confident....prepared.

It has been a labor both physically and emotionally, as I have changed too. For example, Tink and I went to the Flyers game yesterday and my mind shifted from the actual game to individual players and what they have had to do to get to where they were yesterday. In other words, the training and sacrifices were well worth it.

Can you imagine a young hockey player's face when he sees a goal that he has scored on the big score board? He must be in awe, yet he worked extremely hard for this success and he is not finished yet. After the game, he has to settle down, stretch, ice, rehab, and so on. Perhaps he will get home late tonight after the game since he has to care for his body. He won't have a beer, because beer is empty calories and he has to feed his body with protein and nutrients. No boxed wine!

I have sat through games before but have never fully appreciated the players until yesterday when I compared their struggles with my son's. It does not just happen. Yes, a guy can be a 'freak' physically, but he has to put in long hours of weight lifting, running, stretching, practice, scrimmages, head therapy, and so on to make it.

And so, I guess that my advice is...the next time that you watch college or professional sports, take time to consider the sacrifices of the athletes. There are many such as forgoing sleep, hours of meetings, mental imagery, and lost youth. Not only are these the sacrifices of the players, but of the families as well. It is a team sport....but also a family sport.

With that said, it's time for me to work on a few projects.

Have a great day!