Fall Classic!

For better or worse, my mom passed on her love of sports to me.  In fact, some of my fondest memories as a child are going to Vanderbilt basketball games with her.  I've never known a woman who loved sports - all sports, really - more than her.  One of the things I missed the most after her memory began to fade before she died was not being able to call her and talk about the Titans, the Predators, etc.  

It's only natural, I guess, that my boys have inherited my love of sports.  That very same love of sports that I inherited from my mom.  It's like an unbroken circle of which my mom, my boys, and I are all a part.

What means the most to me, though, is that JP's and Joe's hearts bleed Dodger blue, just like mine.  The boys have been blessed, for sure, to grow up in an era when the Dodgers have been competitive and in the mix every year.  12 division titles and five pennants since 2013.  And I've been blessed to be able share my love of the Dodgers with them during a period of sustained success that is almost unprecedented in baseball's modern era.

Of all the Dodgers' baseball games the three of us have watched together, last night's game probably tops them all.  Game seven of the World Series in Toronto.  A World Series in which the Dodgers were heavily favored and appeared poised to win handily after winning a Game three on Freddie Freeman walkout home run in the 18th inning.  a game I finished watching, alone, at 2 a.m. on a night when I had to go to Court the next morning - only to have the Blue Jay win the next two games in Los Angeles to send the Series back to Toronto with the Dodgers down, 3 - 2.

The Dodgers won Game 6 behind another sterling outing from Yoshinobu Yamamoto to force a game seven, the most exciting thing in sports.  

As JP watched upstairs with Martha Grey and I sat with Joe on the couch in the den, all appeared to be lost with one out in the ninth inning, the Dodgers down 4 - 3.  On a full count, Miguel Rojas hit one of the most unlikely - and timely - home runs in World Series history when Jeff Hoffman hung a slider.  Rojas jumped on the pitch and hit it into the left field stands.  What I'll always remember is Joe and jumping around the room while JP screamed and yelled upstairs.  It was an indelible moment that I'll remember forever.

After throwing 96 pitches last night, Yoshi took the ball, again, with the Dodgers in trouble in the bottom of the ninth and miraculous got out of the inning.  Heroically, he stayed on the mound for the next two innings and was the winning pitcher after Will Smith's two out home run in the top of the eleventh inning held up to give the Dodgers a stunning 5 - 4 win and their ninth World Series title.

When Alejandro Kirk grounded into a game-ending doubler play - Mookie Betts stepped on second base on a broken bat ground ball up the middle and threw to Freddie Freeman at first base - it was complete pandemonium at our house.  JP and Martha Grey ran downstairs as Joe and I yelled, hugged, and danced around the den.  It was sheer ecstasy, the kind that only a true sports fan can understand.  Just when all seems lost, your team rallies and give you a moment that you'll never forget.  

It was a moment the Dodgers will never forget either.

Kike Hernandez, the heart and sole of the 2025 Dodgers.

Someday, I know, JP and Joe will tell their children about the 2025 World Series.  I think they'll smile and, hopefully, think of me as they're watching Dodgers baseball games, someday, with their children.

 

The Ghost of Halloween Past

Lately, so much of what I find myself thinking about, and writing about, is the passage of time.  

The boys are growing up so fast.  Earlier this week, Jude and went to Joe's Junior School parent-teacher conference with his advisor, Ritch Gillespie.  Joe's first quarter report card was excellent.  The comments from his teachers were all positive, which made us proud.  Mr. Gillespie had only good and encouraging things to say about Joe, academically and socially.  Thus far, Joe has met every challenge that MBA has put in front of him.  I know the sailing won't always be so smooth but I'm determined to enjoy the calm waters and clear skies while they last.

Halloween, of course, is one of my favorite holidays.  October 1 is the official start for me, as I've decorated the office for Halloween the day before, often with the boys' help.  Zombie heads hanging in the front window of our lobby, zombie babies eating flies, rats, my beloved creepy talking telephone (that may be down for the count), etc.  You get the picture.  It makes my heart soar to mark the official end of another summer - for me, anyway - by decorating the office for Halloween.  Of course, it all comes down on November 1, which makes me a little nostalgic and sad.

Today is Friday, October 31.  Halloween.  I've had a tremendously busy month at work, on the heels of multiple busy months at work.  It's a lot.  It's always a lot.  Clients depending on me.  Clients that need to talk to me.  Staff at work, and attorneys, that depend on me.  So it goes, month after month, year after year.  

I'm thinking this morning, though, that this is the first Halloween with neither of the boys trick-or-treating.  MBA plays Ensworth in football tonight, at Ensworth.  It's always the biggest football game of the season.  This year is no different.  JP is going to take Joe to the game, the leave a little early to attend a USN event with a friend.  Joe, I suppose, will be hanging out with other seventh graders at the game, cheering for the Big Red.

Joe won't be in costume and he won't her trick-or-treating.  For the first time in probably a decade, we won't be going to Derek and Shanna Hughey's house on Oakland Avenue for their annual Halloween party.  I'll give out candy, then Jude or I will go to pick up Joe after the MBA football game at Ensworth.

That's the thing about children and the passage of time.  Once you leave a particular stage of life, you don't ever get to go back.  I desperately miss the stroller day, particularly when I see a young father or mother walking through the neighborhood pushing a baby or toddler in a stroller.  Those days are not returning for me.  It's the same with Halloween, of course.  Once trick-or-treating ends, it ends.  

So, I'm feeling a little melancholy this morning.  A little nostalgic.  Halloween as we're experienced it with our boys has left us.  Halloween - for this year - will be leaving after tonight.  

It's such a beautiful life.  I just wish it didn't go by so quickly. 

Spaghetti Supper

There was a time, before the boys were born, when I used to cook a lot.  More than Jude, even.  And I loved cooking.  

As busy as we are these days, too often we resort to takeout.  Burger Up.  International Market.  12th South Taproom.  Taco Mama.  And on and on.  

Last night, a Sunday, I cooked spaghetti for Jude and Joe.  JP was gone to the Predators' game with a friend.  I picked up the groceries mid-afternoon while I was out running errands and getting a 3 mile run in on the treadmill at the Green Hills Y.  I enjoy grocery shopping even more when I know I'm shopping for things I'm going to use to make dinner that evening. 

While Joe was upstairs studying and Jude was catching upon on some work, I chopped up a green pepper, red pepper, and sweet onion.  I sautéed some three cloves of minced garlic in olive oil, then added the green/red peppers and onions, along with a pinch of pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.  Next, I added the ground beef, browned it, drained off the grease, and placed it back in my trusty, large skillet.  In with the tomato sauce and fresh tomatoes, let it simmer for 35 or 40 minutes, and all that was left was the pasta.  15 minutes to al dente and voila, dinner was ready.

It's a simple thing, cooking dinner for my family.  But as is the case so often, the simple things are the best, most meaningful things.  Cooking for my family centers me, and I say that as someone who is very, very far away from an expert.  I have my go-to's - spaghetti, chili, white chili, Santa Fe bean soup, stir fry.  Nothing spectacular or complicated.  Still, somehow, it's the act of preparing the ingredients, cooking them, and watching my family eat that is inherently gratifying to me.  

I like it that when I cook dinner, Jude can relax, even if it's just for a few minutes.  Or, perhaps, she can do some work.  JP and Joe, usually, are studying upstairs.  Sometimes, I listen to a podcast on my AirPods.  Other times, I listen to Alexa playing me music, anything from John Hiatt to Drive By Truckers, depending on my mood.  Maybe even some John Coltrane.  Last night, Jude and I talked intermittently as I cooked and she worked.  

I think I'm going to try to cook once a week, even if it's something I make in the slow cooker.  It's doable, I think, if I plan and prepare ahead of time. 

Soon enough, cooking for four will be cooking for three, which is hard to believe.    

The Pavia Mafia

ESPN College Game Day is at Vanderbilt University today for the game between #10 Vanderbilt and #15 Missouri.  

Let that sink in for a minute.

Which part?  Vanderbilt ranked #10?  Game Day in Nashville?  All of it, I guess.  Oh, man, where to begin?

What a ride it's been for JP, Joe, and so many other Vanderbilt fans last season and, especially this season, as part of the Pavia Mafia.  Former Dodger, Cooper Allen, got up at 4:30 a.m. today and drove to campus.  He's on the front row for College Game Day.  JP and Joe left the house around 5:30 a.m. or so and from video's they're sending me, appear to be up pretty close, too.  There's a huge crowd there already, which is amazing.

Vanderbilt's college football resurgence has been a bit surreal.  To see them ranked in the top 10 is almost unfathomable.  For so many long suffering fans, though, it's beyond overdue and so rewarding.  I was one of those fans, once upon a time, so in many ways I can relate to how happy they are this morning.  As I've written before, before my mom could stop me, I stormed the field in 1982 to tear down the goal posts when Vanderbilt beat Tennessee, 28-21.  Thanks to my mom, I was a die hard Vanderbilt fan as a boy and, really, until I went to college. 

And, thanks to my mom, JP and Joe are diehard Vanderbilt fans to this day.  Although I've never told them this, it makes me feel closer to my mom when I see them pulling for the 'Dores the way she did.  Football, basketball, and baseball.  They're black and gold through and through, just like I was at their age.  

As I well know, being a Vanderbilt fan is not an easy road.  It's not unlike being a Chicago Cubs fan.  A whole lot of heartache.  Still, as I've told the boys, that's what makes a season like this one for Vanderbilt fans so special.  The losses.  The tough times.  The disappointments.  It all leads to this season and a day like today which, for a sports fan, is a memory that endures.  

How did this happen?  It's a lot of things, really.  NIL.  The transfer portal.  A head coach, Clark Lea, with local ties (MBA and Vanderbilt graduate).  And, of course, quarterback Diego Pavia, a transfer from New Mexico State two seasons ago.  

To say Diego Pavia has reinvigorated the Vanderbilt football program is an understatement.  He is the Vanderbilt football program under Clark Lea.   Last season, he engineered an upset over #1 Alabama at Dudley Field.  Last week, he led Vanderbilt to a win over #10 ranked LSU, also at Dudley field.  The team is an extension of him.  Tough.  Hard-nosed.  No quit.  Chip on their shoulders.  A little bit arrogant in an underdog kind of way.  All of it.  

Diego Pavia's No. 2 Jersey should be retired at the first home game next season.  That's how big of an impact he has had on Vanderbilt football.

As a former Vanderbilt fan, I know there's an Indian summer aspect to all of this.  It's not sustainable.  Diego Pavia will be out of eligibility after this season.  A bigger school will throw a bunch of money at Clark Lea and hire him away from Vanderbilt.  By next season, things will return to normal.  Still, I'm so glad the boys have this season and this morning to experience what it's like when your team is on top.

Anchor down, indeed.  

That's what Jude and I will be doing this afternoon when we take Joe to the Vanderbilt - Missouri game.  

Anchor down.

A Clean Sheet and Metro Champion!

Monday and Tuesday, I was neck deep preparing for a three day divorce trial on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  It was a lot.  

Because I had been preparing for a while, I was able to leave work a little early on Tuesday - to watch Joe and his MBA junior school team beat CPA (8-0) - and Wednesday - to watch JP run in the Metro Nashville Cross Country Championship Race.  

Joe's soccer team is really, really talented.  He's one a few seventh graders on a team that's at least half eighth graders.  Although Joe is the backup goalie, he's gotten playing time in the second half of every game so far.  He hasn't gotten a lot of action because MBA's defense is so sound that the ball rarely is on his end of the field.  I don't remember JP's junior school soccer teams at MBA being this skilled, top to bottom.  I am far from a soccer expert but I think this group will win a couple of high school state titles in the coming years. 

The win was the second shutout of the row.  Another clean sheet, as the soccer aficionados say.   

There had been some confusion around the location of the Metro Championship.  Initially, the Exchange, a runner store in East Nashville was going to host the race at Shelby Park.  At some point, though, the realization sunk in that staging three cross country races for a couple hundred high school athletes is quite an undertaking.  At the last minute, plans changed and the races were moved back to Vaughn's Gap, where they've been for several years.  JP was pleased because if MBA has a home course, Vaughn's Gap is it.

I arrived early, as I typically do.  For some reason, the varsity boys drove themselves to the race.  Traffic was terrible, so most of them straggled in less than an hour before the varsity boys' race.  I was concerned that JP might not be in a good place, pre-race, with the disruption of his normal routine.  As it turns out, he was fine.  I, of course, was nervous enough for both of us.  That will never change, I guess.

The field for the Metro Championship isn't nearly as fast as what the boys see in other, out of town races.  I expected JP to do well and I expected the team to do well.  Still, you never know.

As the varsity boys runners were warming up, I saw Coach Russ bring the boys together well out in front of the starting line.  I crept up and listened to him talk to them.  Next, in my favorite moment of any cross country race of JP's, the runners circled up tight and locked arms.  I crept closer.

Close enough to hear JP, Co-Captain, address the other runners.  His message was succinct and understated.

"Like Coach Russ said, every runner do his job."  

Next, in a moment I always will remember, Co-Captain Jack McDaniel ("McDavid," as the boys call him for reasons unknown to me), led the boys in prayer.  As I listened in and basked in what was simply a gorgeous fall late afternoon, my eyes welled with tears.  JP and Jack, friends at age 3, 4, and 5 at Children's House, leading the cross country team and preparing to run one of their last races together. 

On top of that, Jack is the best of the best.  Kind.  Intelligent.  A devout Catholic.  Humble.  Funny.  Earnest.  I'll miss seeing him terribly next year, after he leaves for college.   

Comically - and I missed this - JP was in the box, jumping up and down as part of his warmup, when the starter, without much warning, suddenly started the race.  After the race, JP and a couple of his teammates were still laughing about it.  Watch enough cross country races and you will see it all.

JP and Gabe quickly surged into the lead and it was clear that no one in the field was going to challenge them for the first two spots the race.  Gabe settled in slightly behind JP, on his shoulder, which is how they were running when they passed by me at the one mile mark.  Between miles one and two, JP started to put a little distance between him and Gabe.  The gap widened a bit on the third mile, as JP won comfortably and Gabe finished in second place. 

 

An FRA runner challenged Wynn Humphrey for third place.  However, Wynn sprinted to the end with a strong finish the last 100 yards and nabbed the third spot.  I loved to see how much effort Wynn put into finishing the race.  

MBA won the team titles for Junior Varsity and Varsity, as expected.  Roll Red!  

I can't believe it's my second to last Metro Championship.  One more next year and it's all over.  It's all going by so fast.

Serenbe

I've never been one that believes we need to go out of town for fall break, particularly since the boys only get Thursday and Friday out of school.  That being said, we have had a couple of nice trips to Santa Rosa Beach in October.  The beach is gorgeous this time of year.  

This year, though, I had a three day trial set the week after fall break, so it didn't make much sense - for me, anyway - to leave town.  Still, it's JP's second to last fall break (gulp!), so I looked for a middle ground.  I booked a house in Serenbe, the wellness community outside of Atlanta, Wednesday - Sunday.  My thought, having stayed here a few years ago when JP and I came down with the Allen's, was that booking a house would give me room to prepare for my trial while Jude and the boys hiked, ran, played tennis, and explored the property.  

Mission accomplished!  Our house has a huge front porch, a big screened in porch upstairs, a large back patio, and plenty of room to spread out.  Plus, there are tons of trails to hike, which I knew Jude would love.  It's a beautiful property, especially this time of year.  Plus, plus, the Black-Eyed Daisy (a coffee shop) is right across the street.  Perfect.

Right now, after an exhausting 3 miles run on the trials (the hills killed me), I'm relaxing on a couch on the front porch, listening to John Hiatt and sipping an ice cold Diet Pepsi.  The ceiling fan, spinning above me, is generating a nice breeze.  The sun is reflecting off the tops of the trees across the street as evening approaches.  Jude and the boys are at the tennis courts probably playing pickle ball.  Not me.  I'm comfortable on the front porch couch, surrounded by Halloween decorations.  Later, we'll walk up a trail to have a late dinner at the Farm.  

Ah, Serenbe.  

The Lousiville Cross Country Classic

On a hot Louisville afternoon, JP finished 2nd and Gave 3rd in the 24th Annual Louisville Cross Country Classic.  MBA's varsity and junior varsity teams finished 2nd, too, in their races, right behind St. X, a Louisville cross country powerhouse.  

Running at 1 p.m. was different, to be sure.  As I mentioned, it was quite hot for a cross country race.  It was a large field, mostly with school from Kentucky, I think, and a perhaps a few from Ohio.  There were a ton of college kids there when we arrived just ahead of the MBA bus, and it was pretty cool to see them milling about E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.  The college kids ran in the coveted morning slots, which left the hotter afternoon for the high school runners.  

The setup of the course was nice, similar to the Southern Showcase course in Huntsville.  The court was tight with a few switchbacks, as a result of which I was able to watch the runners at multiple vantage points and still get to the finish line.  It's a bucolic park, too, which was a plus.  The course itself was fairly flat - again, like Huntsville - which means it's reasonably fast.  

It was cool before the race started to hear the announcer talking about the teams and runners over the loudspeaker.  He mentioned that MBA, from Nashville, was racing and should do well.  He also identified JP and Gabe, from MBA, as two runners who likely be running up front.

And that's exactly what happened, as JP took the lead early and held it for the first two miles or so.  There was a lead pack of five or six runners, and Gabe was in it, as well.  He settled in right behind JP, in fact.  It was cool, to be honest, to see JP and Gabe running so close together for the first two-thirds of the race.  

At about the 2 1/2 mile mark, a kid from St. X in the lead pack had pulled away from JP just a bit, maybe 10 yards.  I could see that JP was staying with him, though, and I thought there might be an interesting are to the finish line the last 400 or 500 yards.  As it turned out, JP did pull even with the St. X kid on the home stretch, which is downhill.  JP couldn't quite match his finishing kick, though, and finished in 2nd place by two or three seconds, at 15:30.90.  

Gabe finished in 3rd place, about five seconds behind JP.  It was a good race for both of them, although I know JP would have liked to have won the race.  The MBA team got a Louisville Slugger bat for finishing second overall, probably the best and most interesting trophy they have received since JP's been on the Hill.  After the race, there already was talk about whether the bat would be displayed in the school's trophy case or in the cross country/track and field's trophy case in the locker room.

It was a quick trip but a good one.  I'm glad I was there to see JP run on one of his favorite courses.

JP and Gabe ran into former teammate, Mitchell Chaffin, who raced for Centre College earlier in the day.  It was good to see him.

JP, pre-race.

Tarah and Gabe checking out the map of the course I found.

Co-Captain, Jack McDaniel (a.k.a. "McDavid")

I think this is my favorite photo of JP running I've ever taken.

Post-race.

Gabe, JP, and Wynn.  Strong junior class.  MBA's top three finishers.

JP and Oliver, from Science Hill High School.  I met his parents before the race.  

Co-Captains, Jack and JP.  Friends since they were three years old at Children's House. 

Second place trophy.  Pretty cool.

Gabe and JP with the second place trophy.

The Seven.

Wynn, Gabe, and JP.