Ice Is Workin’ It, vol. 6 (16 January 2007).
Icicles shimmer, shine so bright in the sun in Chelsea after the weekend’s ice storm. Sixth in a series. (Thanks to Crowder for the lyrical phrase.)
Monthly Archives: January 2007
Photo of the Variable Time Period, vol. 62
Ice Is Workin’ It, vol. 5 (16 January 2007).
Buds on a tree relax in their transparent cocoon. Fifth in a series.
Photo of the Variable Time Period, vol. 61
Ice Is Workin’ It, vol. 4 (16 January 2007).
An electric fence gate plans to stay closed for the near future. Fourth in a series.
The terrible ‘tudes, again
Not long ago, as I was waiting for a local high school hockey game to begin, I was listening to a conversation among three hockey dads. Much of the conversation was centered around one dad’s actions following his son’s team’s previous game.
During the game, a referee called a penalty, apparently because of the language of one of the players. This dad took such exception to the call that he made a point to catch up to the referee after the game to tell him exactly what he thought of that call. Judging from his tone and attitude in recounting the incident, it is unlikely that his comments to the referee were calm and constructive.
Based on the dad’s narrative, he told the referee that he shouldn’t react so strongly to such language, that he should “grow some skin” (a phrase he used more than once as he recalled the encounter), that it wasn’t directed at him, that these are 16-, 17- and 18-year-old boys, and that they’re just going to use those kinds of words. The referee, probably irked by his confrontational attitude, told the dad that he could referee these games for $40 a game; the dad retorted, “For $40 a game, you could grow some skin.”
All the while, just across the room, a poster from USA Hockey was begging to be noticed:
Photo of the Variable Time Period, vol. 60
Ice Is Workin’ It, vol. 3 (16 January 2007).
The sun sets on an ice-covered back yard near Chelsea. Third in a series.
Photo of the Variable Time Period, vol. 59
Ice Is Workin’ It, vol. 2 (16 January 2007).
Tree branches enjoy their day in the sun after an ice storm blanketed Chelsea. Second in a series.
Stylish, cutting-edge, user-friendly hygiene
iThink this is an amazing iDea: as part of his bathroom remodeling project, a man transformed a normal, run-of-the-mill shower into the iShower. Apple should look iNto marketing it iMmediately.
(Assuming Cisco doesn’t own that iProduct, that is.)
News
Last week, Tuesday Morning Quarterback dealt with Nick Saban’s departure from the Miami Dolphins; he noted that Saban called his coaches and emailed his players with the news. I emailed him with Lloyd Carr’s story of Bo Schembechler’s refusing a lucrative offer from Texas A&M because he didn’t want to have to tell the players he was leaving; TMQ used it in this week’s reader feedback column.
Speaking of Little Nicky, Burrill Strong of Chelsea, Mich. writes, “Concerning Saban’s using e-mail to inform his players that he was leaving, I thought of a story Lloyd Carr told at the memorial service for Bo Schembechler. Carr was talking about the time Bo received a lucrative offer from Texas A&M, and asked his assistants what they thought. His staff’s response was divided; some believed he should take the money. With a tear in his eye and with his voice cracking, Bo said, ‘Yes, but you don’t have to tell those players that you’re leaving.’ That, I think, is an example of great character in a coach.” Little Nicky solved the problem by refusing to look his players in the eye and tell them. Miami Dolphins: You just unloaded a coach who lacks character, and eventually this will be seen as a huge break for the Dolphins franchise. Replace the weasel with the genuine article — a Shula.
And, so there will be a free reference after the ESPN.com link requires payment, I’ve captured a screenshot.
Photo of the Variable Time Period, vol. 58
Ice Is Workin’ It, vol. 1 (16 January 2007).
A clothesline just chills after an icy weekend in Chelsea. An ice storm Sunday night and Monday morning brought down trees and power lines, leaving thousands without power. First of a series.
Oh my Lloyd
Ronald Bellamy’s Underachieving All-Stars is an eloquent blog focused on Michigan football. It is not the typical litany of game analyses and recruiting rumors; it is, primarily, the innermost emotions and thoughts of a passionate fan.
Yesterday — appropriately, a Sunday — he posted an intriguing entry pondering the religion of sports. I don’t know that he and I share beliefs, but his comments are thought-provoking and thus worth reading.
I had never taken much time to consider something like this before. Too many communion wafers, too much Sunday school, too many prayers, maybe. But something happened after the Title Game that made me wonder. The game had been over for a few hours, and someone on an Ohio State fan forum had written, “please god, let Ginn and Gonzalez come back.†That is precisely the way it was written – the names of the two players appropriately capitalized, while the man who he pleaded with was irreverently lumped together with other gods, gods as if by profession, whose duty it is to right the wrongs in our sacred pastime. In this case, in the case of college football, it was Ginn and Gonzalez who were divine; the anonymous god was simply the man handing out rosary beads from a kiosk.