Sunday Morning Coming Down

 I took up jogging in my early 30's, met a lot of nice folks.  Honestly, I became a little compulsive about miles per week and my times in the races I entered.  My Saturdays were booked and paid for and at one time I had a lot of t-shirts as momentos of races I ran in. This morning I read an article about how popular running in cross country as a high school sport.  It doesn't take a lot of gear and it is a gut check of sorts.  You are running against yourself almost as much as in a race. I'd question some of the assertions of the writer about cross country runners and their academic achievements, but most are kind of serious and quirky. "Cross country is simple, but it isn’t easy. All those miles add up. It’s also brutally honest.  It could have added another popular slogan: “No half times, no time outs, no substitutions. It must be the only true sport.” Mock these supposed clichés all you want. Cross-country athletes know they’re true as surely as they kn...

I really doubt that the go remedy for boys these days is more football. According to Ben Sasse whose last job was as President of the University of Florida and prior to that a United State Senator from Nebraska and now a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, I object. According to Sasse: "Football is a character-forming institution that channels strength. In a world of instant gratification, it teaches perseverance through early practices and aching muscles. In an era of isolation, football creates community. It forms brotherhood through both misery and joy. In a culture of passivity, football privileges action. In times of peace, football prepares us for war. Unfortunately, work has also faded as a formative experience. When I was growing up in Nebraska, detasseling corn was a rite of passage. We woke at 4:30 a.m. to slog through fields from cold morning dew through to blazing midday heat. Today, that Cornhusker tradition has been rendered all but extinct by new technologies. Fa...