Point Made

If it were possible to define heroism in sports, you have to give a nod to sports that are played as individuals. You are on center court, the final hole or the last lap. The goal and the outcome are in your hands. You are pursued or maybe even behind other competitors who want to win as badly as you do. All eyes are on you. Television sets around the world bring your effort to millions more onlookers. There is no Hail Mary in your play book unless you can throw and catch the ball yourself. It’s just suck it up and put it out there for better or worse. Last weekend, at the most prestigious Open Championship, a young American Golfer showed what courage, grit, and determination can yield. After spraying a tee shot over the crowd and into the utility area of the course, Jordan Spieth hit an acceptable shot to get back in play. He followed that with an excellent approach and nasty little putt. And for his efforts, he surrendered the lead for the first time in the tournament. Improba...

I once remarked to friend of mine that I often wondered how I got through those years of thoughtless drinking and yet never got a DWI. He, another alcoholic in remission, told me that he often wondered himself. And then to capitalize our good fortune, we told tales where, if there was justice in the world, we would have been charged and spent at least a night in jail. I know that for at least fifty per cent of my drinking life, (I quit drinking for at least the fourth time when I was forty, I've been sober since.) I was fairly safe because I was white, male and wore a suit and tie. Thanks to Mothers Against Drunk Driving MADD, and other organizations things changed. A tightening and an insistence on enforcement of the laws is the norm in many communties. We read of men, and it is usually men, who receive multiple DWI's and still drive. It's a great news story, but a rare event. Alcoholism is a terrible disease. Because for so many years, we looked on alcohol abuse as a ...

It's cool in the upstairs bedroom. A cool front has crept in over night and with the windows open it's almost cold. but that is not what wakes me up. I have mild but persistent pain in the lower left quadrant of my stomach. I've had this before. It's gas or maybe early signs of some problems in my bowel, either constipation or diarrhea. Normally the pain will abate and I can continue to function. I can't sleep an I don't want to wake up Maria, so I get up, make my coffee and start my day. As I sit reading the columns from Urban Milwaukee, The Guardian, Bloomberg, and Slate, I m getting more pain and concern. I gut it out until 8:30 and then ask Maria to take me to the ER at Thedacare. I'm laying on the exam table in room 10, gowned and in far more pain then my previous episodes exhibited. Nurse Wendy is going over some basic questions given my symptoms. Doctor McCloy comes in and does in indepth exam and postulates it's probably diverticulitis. The...