Different Kind Of Hug

I’ll keep this one short.

I had a great walk yesterday with Tut The Dog. He’s a legend on the streets of Redondo Beach, either drawing the “Oohs and Aaahs” and attempts to pet him or folks cross the street. Come to think of it - probably more me than the dog, but let’s face it, we have our good days and some that are less than.

Some days it’s an operational efficiency thing - get the walk in, dog gets the job done and then off to work or finishing meal prep. So, the head stays down and the dog gets irked with me fast. There’s no time for meandering and smelling/marking every last tree or shrubbery. 

Others, it’s a longer, leisurely pace and more tunes, slower gait and the dog gets his fill. And those are where the conversations and petting (before he gets agitated) come in. 

Nothing that a dog owner doesn’t experience every day. Belly scratches and all. 

But the end of walks has been a little different for me the last couple days. Taking a seat at the end - normally Tut hops on the lap and chills for a few minutes before sauntering off. No, recently he’s paused and just leaned in and put his head on my quad while looking up at me. It’s as if he’s saying “You needed a hug.” Or maybe he did. Maybe both.

Quiet Saturdays - Alone With My Head

The Boomtown Rats famously released the tune “I Don’t Like Mondays” all the way back in 1979. 

It’s opening is unmistakable. Skip to the end of this post and reacquaint yourself, as necessary. I’ll wait.

Saturdays drag when there’s nothing formally on the schedule. It’s the lone day of the week without a show to perform, the enhanced version of self gets a pause. So, what do you do?

When your head is normally wrapped up in everyday household concerns, errands, appointments and constant refreshing of social media, blogs and websites as part of show prep, the hustle from pre-sun to 11pm, the silence is loud. I try to nap - but that’s usually a futile, miserable experience that leaves me pondering all of the things undone. I’ve been a terrible sleeper forever - can’t find the quiet and peace. 

I ponder the “Hamilton” experience of “writing like I’m running out of time” and the myriad pursuits for the second half of this existence. Being “better” in countless ways. 

So, Saturday the 19th was a long-ass day. I awoke early, as normal, even with no alarm set. Boo.

Went for a walk around the neighborhood with my ever-expanding playlist blaring. 

Returned to get to a beautiful split-screen experience while enjoying the first sips of morning coffee. College basketball and the NCAA Tournament earned the big screen (North Carolina and Baylor was one of the worst officiated games in history), but I also returned to Netflix for more of a show I discovered late Friday night. “Is It Cake?” That’s it - bakers put together elaborate cakes in the shape of a handbag or a satchel of cash. The cake version and real version of objects are placed on pedestals. Contestants then have to determine, from a distance in the studio, which is the real deal and … which is cake. 

Add some “Saved By The Bell” in marathon form, the first episodes of “Minx,” more music and we’ve landed into the mid-afternoon. 

Eff it. I had to try napping. I surrendered and passed out quite quickly, managing to find 75 minutes of slumber. Success. Predictably, it took 15 minutes before I began to lament the loss of that time. How dumb is that? 

More college basketball brought me into the evening and the start of my grid-building for my Sunday morning FOX Sports Radio show. The storylines surrounding the NFL are plentiful this time of year, so that didn’t require much time to create the list. But once on the page — the stories play in the Dome for the rest of the evening hours, constant revisions to what I call the “spidering effect.” You take the base story and see the interconnected web reveal itself. 

I laid out several ongoing projects and ambitions, trying to build the parallel “To-Do” lists. 

And I wandered into “Gilded Age” on HBOMax for a spell and sipped my 2021 Glogg. 

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The annual 1-900-LUZ-MY-AZZ process begins Monday. This time, I hope to make it last. Channel the stressors and angst to propel forward. I’ll chronicle what that project entails on Monday. 

Gotta get the mind to pause again. Stop a moment to give thanks and appreciate the good. The alarm for Sunday’s early performance awaits. 

And now — The Boomtown Rats. 

Being Better - Define It

Somehow I lost a chunk of this after publishing —- now pissed. I’ll try to recreate.

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It’s been too long. I have countless drafts and starts and stops to Blog entries commemorating a number of events, stressors and triumphs from the past several months. Many pages have torn from notebooks to start the next “journal,” “diary,” monologue, or whatever you’d call it. 

But, like everyone (or most, I guess), an alarm rings, an email or text comes in that warrants attention, or you’re off and pacing to any number of chores/responsibilities that make up your existence.

Each year, we hammer out a robust list of resolutions designed to make us “Better.” Whether it’s a nod to health, money, mental well-being or learning a skill, we all have something (or many) in our lives that we want to make “Better.”

I do it weekly. I put together the exhaustive list of “To-do” items. And I get overwhelmed and salty, knowing that it’s a Sisyphus situation. I’m gonna through a bunch of things. I’m gonna check some boxes, but the Sharpie’s not gonna touch each of those lines. 

Damned it all. The point of this blog is to find a little peace in the day, highlight finding the Lighter Thoughts. Jack Handey of SNL had his “Deep Thoughts,” and we’ll have some of those here. But it’s more about seeing/doing the things on your list, celebrating those triumphs and moving forward.

Friend of the show and colleague Jay Glazer talks about “fighting the grey.” In his appearances with us and his book “Unbreakable,” he speaks of rough mornings, and I can relate, to be sure. So, each day, I’m going to work - dare I say “Resolve” - to add at least one post. Short, in-depth expository or whatever - check in here. The goal is Community and talking … and embracing the positivity amid the chaos. 

So, with that in mind — What are my 3 victories today?

1. Great show on FOX Sports Radio this morning with Bucky Brooks. We absolutely destroyed a number of narratives and created some new while dissecting the NFL Division Games from Saturday and previewing Sunday’s tilts. 

(I’ll include game-watching on a larger scale here. We had all the drama we wanted, and then some.)

2. Long-ass nap. Sleep and I have been enemies since I broke my leg my sophomore year of High School (long story for another time). So, I’m learning to pause and listen to my body and foggy mind. I know it’s caused major issues in my past and still impact others, and contributes to physical and mental health. 

Nas said in NY State of Mind: “I don’t sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death.” The line was later cited by Greg Dulli in “Omertà.” 

3. I communicated with a great number of friends, colleagues and my brothers during the Sunday games. Text messages, calls and some Twitter back and forth. Add some of the 2021 Glogg and a hearty soup. And that’s a winner.

Community. Communication. Pathos. 

——

How do you define “Better?”

From The Edge: Drew Robinson Returns To The Diamond

Every day, I take to the airwaves on the grand FOX Sports Radio stage for four hours of laughs, information, insights and distractions from the real world. That doesn’t minimize the impacts of the highs and lows for the athletes, coaches and staff by any stretch. But for us, on-air or viewer/listener, we’re looking for levity, entertainment, debates and, as Billy Joel sang, “To forget about life for a while.”

And like our teams, we’re constantly scouring news across the sports landscape and our world at large to Find Our Wins.

With a nod to the efforts being made to seek help, understanding and empathy during this Mental Health Awareness Month, I wanted to highlight a baseball comeback story. 

Last year, Drew Robinson attempted suicide. 

The 29-year-old Robinson had been playing minor league baseball since 2010 (4th-round selection of the Rangers) with a couple of call-ups by the Rangers and the Cardinals. He’d battled suicidal thoughts and depression for years and had sought support. Those efforts didn’t quell those thoughts or provide relief. In April of 2020, the pandemic began to wreak havoc, decimating numerous lives and complete industries, including minor league baseball. Robinson wrote a note explaining everything to his family and attempted to take his life. He lost his right eye in the process. 

But he survived. And he called 911 before making a second attempt. 

Robinson Talked To 8 News Now

The long road back has begun, trying to heal both physically and mentally, and Robinson’s telling his story to try and support those harboring similar thoughts and impulses. 

And he’s gotten back on the diamond. Robinson signed with the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. On Tuesday, May 11th, Robinson returned home to Las Vegas with the River Cats and launched his first home run of the season. That makes for quite a homecoming, and another step in his recovery. 

Check out Robinson’s First HR

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The long road back begins with the first step, and for Robinson, a trot around the bases helped to bring his story to a larger audience. As I’ve written for a long while here, and have certainly said it with great regularity from my seat on FOX Sports Radio, check in on your people. Let them vent. Let them know that they have a safe space. 

Be well, all.