I can’t even watch anymore…but I will.

My love scale used to be simple. It was Mary, kids, pizza, everything else. My undying love for someone other than my Mary has reached an obsession. This love is for the Toronto Blue Jays and they are effectively running around on me, nightly.

jays-logo-1They sucked me back in. From my adolescence in the 80’s to last season, I have had this urge to will them to win. I’m not greedy and demanding a World Series Championship. I would settle for a playoff berth and a run into the later rounds. Watching them implode the past 10 days has been ferociously painful for me. I won’t quit on them and frankly believe they will right the ship but I’m convinced I can’t watch the moment unfold anymore.

They are the kind of team that you want to root for. A bunch of looney dudes with bad hair and puffed out egos traipsing around the field with the ability to hit a ball further than a man should. Other times, you just can’t watch the train wreck of strikeouts with men on base and blown bullpen outings where the game seems in hand. I know that for 20 years, I didn’t care about baseball in September and I should be enjoying every nail biting moment of the season. In reality, it sucks to sweat this out nightly. I pray for a blowout for the Jays and I white knuckle the tight ones. I am elated when the Jays take a lead and the lows are so low when the opposition punches back.

I know i have a few more weeks of this sweating and it will either be over or I will sigh relief. Then the sweating will continue until its over. I’m a Jays fan and I can’t stop watching.

Marco

Not just any other day…

It was 15 years ago today that the world changed. September 11, 2001 has become synonymous with the terror that we now know exists in the world. I cannot express the sorrow I feel every year as this day comes around. Everything that has become the new normal in security, travel etc, has come from this event.

I have made several trips to NYC over the years and always make a point to stop at the site of the twin towers to see what progress has been made. I marvel at the resiliency of that city and the commitment it took from their people to rebuild. The last visit I made was a year ago and I witnessed the creation of the new WTC site. If you have never been, you need to make a point to visit to comprehend the thousands of names that surround the dual fountains and the humanity that was lost that day.

As we launch this site, we must take time to recognize the freedoms that we all hold from those who protect us daily. Without their commitment to our safety, this site and our luxuries may not exist.

Not just any other day.