As I see it, headline news provokes many emotions.
The
biggest breaking news in sports this past week was all about
New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez — he’s
back! His return to the playing field last Monday was expected
to draw a large number of fans to U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.
The Sox fans did fill the ballpark and were rewarded as their
last place team snapped a 10 game losing streak by whipping
the Yankees 8-1. I’m pretty sure none of them were A-Rod
fans. Boo’s were so loud when he came up to the plate
that the umpire’s calls could hardly be heard. There
certainly were no cheers of support for him.
A-Rod, the highest paid player ever in the game, has made a
mockery of the once great Yankees.
Not only was Monday his first day back, it was his first dose
of what the public thinks of him. I truly believe he expected
the crowd to cheer as he strutted up to the plate. As he approached
the plate, with his cheek puffed out, I wondered what caused
the swelling. Was it a mouth full of tobacco or his foot? How
arrogant can a person be?
He will be playing until he gets his chance to appeal the charges
against him, probably after the season ends. His appeal reinforces
the belief about the fool many think he is. If he had not been
taking the enhancement drugs as charged, how did his name show
up on the list? A-Rod is the only player connected to the BioGenesis
investigation to appeal his suspension.
While
A-Rod cries foul, (it was after all his second offense) other
players named are standing up and facing
their team’s
fans. Tiger shortstop, Jhonny Peralta, made a sincere apology
saying he made a terrible mistake and deeply regretted hurting
his teammates and great fans. In my eyes, Jhonny may not be
the highest paid ball player, but he certainly appears to be
a better man. A-Rod may not have pled to the charges this time,
but he did admit to using performance enhancing drugs before
baseball’s current drug testing policy was
put into place.
Hard
to believe but there was additional news this past week.
The president’s closing of 22 embassies in the Middle
East and North Africa. Depending upon what news venue you listened
to, reasoning for the action was mixed. Some security sources
said information had been intercepted similar to that heard
prior to 911. Others thought the end of the Muslim festival;
Eid al-Adha (“Feast of the Sacrifice) which celebrates
the 27th day of Ramadan, known as the “Night of Destiny” was
the cause for alarms worldwide.
Americans
were advised “not to travel internationally.”
I did not hear that message as I headed out last Friday for
a trip to Buffalo which included international travel via Canada.
It
wasn’t until we were settled in our
motel in Niagara Falls that we heard the
warnings on
a Canadian news station.
They were very serious about the threats,
but we were tucked in for the night and gave little
thought
about
them having
an effect on our travels.
The
next morning, we got an early start and headed for the Rainbow
Bridge crossing after
taking
a drive along
the avenue
that runs next to the falls. The road we
were on by-passed the bridge and we began
following
signs
that said, “Alternate
Route.” We wound up over ten miles
from the bridge, in traffic barely moving
and our
El Camino
began overheating.
I knew hours would pass before we reached
the bridge so I pulled
out of the miles-long traffic. With a little
help from a friend, we made it back to
the bridge and
crossed
in a half-hour.
I
chatted with the officer on the U.S. side, asking if the
delay was due to the
threat
warnings. He
said, “Oh no,
it’s just a Canadian Federal Holiday.” Actually,
I found out it was two holidays; Canada Day and National Watermelon
Day. I’m guessing everyone who
owned a motor vehicle in Canada went
for a ride
on the
holiday.
By
the time we reached our destination, our friend’s
cottage on Lake Ontario, it was time
for dinner. We took a ride along the shoreline
and checked
out a classic
car show
before settling in at a bayside restaurant
for an excellently-prepared meal. The
next day, we
decided
to head back to Michigan
early, wary of a long backup at the border.
Traffic
was normal for a Sunday heading west but the eastbound traffic
headed
into the
U.S. was
backed up
over 50 miles;
stop and go with a lot more stop. I
wouldn’t
be surprised if some of those folks
still were on the road
after I made
it home. After crossing the Blue Water
Bridge, the drive along M-25 was peaceful
and sunset
approached as we neared
Port Hope.
As
the curve brought us into town, we came upon a young buck
at the side
of
the road.
He was
kicking his hoofs
up and
showing off his fuzzy rack. He gave
us a sidelong glance as if to say, “Welcome
Back.” (Yes, I use whistles
and they work well).
Let
me advise everyone: If you plan to visit Canada, make sure
it’s not on one of their holiday weekends. As for the
threat, I suppose the President sat back and said that it’s
better safe than sorry. At least
he let al Qaeda know we are keeping
track
of
their actions.