Archive for July, 2010
Dan Quisenberry, Remembered
July 2nd, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in » In the News...
So… recent news in Kansas City is that the Dan Quisenberry memorial tree was destroyed by mistake. Apparently, MODOT crews working in the area simply removed the tree, unaware of its significance. Sad, sure… but there’s a silver lining… the memory of Quiz is resurrected once again (as Joe Posnaski so eloquently shares).
As a Royals fan growing up, Quiz was one of my favorite players. Back in those years, we had George Brett, Frank White, Bret Saberhagen, Willie Wilson, Amos Otis, Kevin Seitzer, and a whole host of other solid players… but there was always something special about Quiz.
Maybe it’s because I was a pitcher, and I learned much of what I knew about pitching growing up by watching the Royals and emulating them. And Quiz… with that memorable submarine sidearm delivery… one of the best relievers in baseball… well, he was one I emulated most as a young ballplayer. I’m sure my Little League coaches hated it, but I’m pretty sure opposing batters did too. After all, it was hard enough to hit a pitched ball at nine years old, but when it’s coming from that impossible angle? That’s right. Strikeout city, baby. 
To be completely honest though? In my post-1994-strike MLB baseball abandonment, I somehow missed the news of Dan Quisenberry’s passing in September ’98. And from Joe’s article, it sounds like the world lost an incredible person back then.
I’m glad the world is getting another chance to remember Quiz. And I sure hope the Royals get it right this time and honor him appropriately. There’s gotta be an appropriate place at the “K” for a REAL memorial… not just a tree that will be long forgotten in another ten years.
See the Morning…
July 1st, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in » My Life / Family, Pictures
Let me ask you a quick question… when is the last time you actually took time to see the morning? No… I’m not talking about just being awake near dawn, going about your normal routine, and happening to glance around a bit as you rush off to work, school, or wherever it is your daily tasks take you.
No… I’m talking about really “seeing” the morning.
You see, I’ve been having a bit of trouble sleeping recently, and have found myself up at or before dawn pretty frequently. So I’ve been doing a bit of early morning bike riding… just me, my mountain bike, some great worship music on the iPod, and God.
I can’t help but be amazed by morning. By all that God has created. By the beauty of the rising sun, and the way the colors of dawn splash across the sky. By the crisp, bright nature of the colors at this time of day… even of ordinary things. By the scent of the morning breeze. By the crispness of the air. By the stillness and the way sound penetrates it.
It’s truly something special, and all too often we allow ourselves to miss it all in the rush of life.