From the category archives:

SPORTS

TAKE A KNEE: a public gesture of bowing in prayer

January 11, 2012

The story rage in NFL football over the past several weeks has not been brutal defeats of reigning teams or even scandalous reports of inappropriate behavior by coaches.  To the contrary, the media has been focused on one man, Tim Tebow, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos.  And it’s not even his playing that has [...]

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OVER-REACTION: pushing a rule too far

December 8, 2011

A Massachusetts state championship football game was the scene this week of one of the most flagrant examples of over-reaction I’ve seen in a long time.   A player ran the ball for a touchdown which gave the victory to his team.   Before he reached the end zone, clear that his was home free, the player [...]

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FAN: a consistent supporter of a team, project, or person

November 12, 2011

Not every fan of NCAA sports goes as far as Greg Fishel, the Syracuse University football fan shown here.  He’s pretty over the top.  But you only have to attend a game at the Syracuse Dome to realize that there are a good number of fans who take  it pretty seriously and spend a lot [...]

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EXPECTORATE: to spit

November 9, 2011

In many ways I will miss seeing Terry Francona, who has been fired as Manager of the Boston Red Sox.   He is personable, entertaining, and competent in many ways.   But one thing I won’t miss is the frequency of television coverage of his chewing habit and the need to expectorate multiple times a minute.  Terry [...]

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NUTS!: an expression demonstrating surprise and displeasure

September 29, 2011

I’m disappointed, discouraged, and crestfallen (see yesterday’s blog.)  The Red Sox came sooooo close to pulling off a victory over the Orioles last night and working their way into the playoffs.  It came down to one pitch in the bottom of the 12th inning.  Unfortunately (for the Red Sox and their fans) it didn’t go [...]

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HIRSUTE: to be covered with hair

September 2, 2011

Beards, mustaches, and other facial hair manifestations have been in and out of fashion for as long as I can remember.  I would have said that it was the current fashion, but I read in the news the other day that the facial hair phenomenon is fading.  I haven’t seen signs of it myself. The [...]

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TOMMY JOHN: a surgical procedure related to an athletic injury to the elbow

June 13, 2011

It has taken me several years to admit that I didn’t know what Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy were talking about when they broadcast the Red Sox baseball games.  As the play-by-play and color announcers they were regularly speaking about the fact that a particular baseball player was scheduled to have Tommy John. The gist [...]

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TENTPEGGING: an equestrian game requiring skill with a sword or long pole

March 27, 2011

Tentpegging is an ancient sport in which a rider on a game horse uses a sword or long pole to attempt to split or lift a small object placed on or in the ground while charging down a field. However, one of its origins is Asian, in which a rider attempts to place the sharp [...]

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RUGBY: organized mayhem

March 26, 2011

We’ve just returned from a collegiate rugby match at Providence College, where a young cousin, John, puts his body in jeopardy as a member of the Providence College Rugby Club.   We saw some rugby in Australia and New Zealand, and I can remember being taught the game when I was a junior in High School.   [...]

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LENTEN JOY: an oxymoron

March 13, 2011

Lent, the period of weeks preceding Easter,  is normally characterized as a time of introspection, sacrifice, and engaging in solemn practices of devotion.  Christians are encouraged to remove the frills  from their lives and to practice a more “stripped down” period of life during which they can focus on their spiritual lives without distraction.   It’s [...]

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