Boys Night

Last night I found myself with a group of men who due to weather cancelled their annual camping trip to an island of Harpswell, ME. Weather changed their plans and they all found themselves still needing to gather and commensurate what has transpired since their last outing.

I was included in the evening due to the fact my girlfriend was visiting her mother in NYC and my friend Charlie is apart of the crew. I figure the camping trip has gone on for some ten years and it enabled these men to bond for two days uninterrupted. We ended up barbecuing various treats and mixing stories with cocktails. An excellent pork skewer appetizer led to previous previous tales of the annual trip. I felt apart of this crew from the start due to the fact I was looking to somehow relive their experiences with them.

As the evening progressed the voices got louder and the stories got grander. Intermixed in the whole evening was ramblings on about what has transpired since the last outing. Some of the men were struggling to find themselves at 40 and some were content in their progression of life. We had a lawyer, a men who grew chickens, a network consultant, a previous network consultant gone house flipper, a writer, and myself a salesmen.

What I found interesting is not once did we speak of the women in our lives. All the men mentioned their children at some point during the evening but no talk of their relationship with their wives.

Hoops

Just play the game! Sitting with my eight year old daughter and watching the start of game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals was an embarrassment. I sat thru the pregame which appeared to look more like a July 4th Rap concert. The fireworks....the lights .... the DJ to introduce the players! I understand the need to give the paying public a show, but is that not the players responsibility?

Give me a high school game any day. Those boys and girls give it their all night in and night out. Why is it do we have to wait until the playoffs to watch the the professionals play defense? The professional sports of the modern era has lost me. I will continue to support the local high school games in my area due to the hard work and effort the youngsters dedicate to the game.