Wooden's condition

Words of Wisdom by John Wooden

I WAS A LITTLE STUNNED when my wife told me that a newspaper was reporting that former UCLA coach/legend John Wooden had died. I didn't feel much better later when she said that they're reporting now that he's in grave condition.

Wooden, 99, was a big part of my youth, as I followed college basketball. The UCLA Bruins won 10 titles under Wooden, the first man to become a college hall of famer as both a coach and player. Wooden, so calm on the bench and always ready to give advice, seemed special to me.

It's funny, but my biggest memory of Wooden is him sitting quietly on the bench with his legs crossed, holding a folded piece of paper.

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EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com  BLUESKY: PROFILE

MORE BLOG ENTRIES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

ANECDOTES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer OUTTA there!

EDITOR@WORK BLOG ENTRIES

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

ENTRIES FROM THE DOG BLOG

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

BLOG ENTRIES FROM THE AUTO RACING JOURNAL

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing

Simply not perfect

LIKE MOST FANS WHO watched the replay, I was appalled at the safe call that ruined a perfect game Wednesday night. The runner was clearly out, and there's been a backlash. The first-base umpire, Jim Joyce, has taken a lot of grief, and various "experts" have said that Commissioner Bud Selig should decree that the Cleveland Indian baserunner was out.

The pitcher, the Detroit Tigers' Armando Galarraga, has taken it well, though, although I can't help but think that the almost-perfect game will haunt him forever. Whether he says so or no.

The mistake is a good argument for instant replay, and some people have argued that, with existing technology, you don't even need umpires. The problem is that you can't argue with technology; it won't argue back.

><

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com  BLUESKY: PROFILE

MORE BLOG ENTRIES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

ANECDOTES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer OUTTA there!

EDITOR@WORK BLOG ENTRIES

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

ENTRIES FROM THE DOG BLOG

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

BLOG ENTRIES FROM THE AUTO RACING JOURNAL

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing