I love sports. I love theatre. Here are my top 5 in both.

Theatre and sports are similar.  They are live.  They unfold before an audience.  They are dramatic. You are not ALWAYS sure what is going to happen next.  Now, some of you may say but plays and musicals have scripts and scores with music. Trust me, you don't always know what is going to happen next.

These are my top 5 sporting and theatre experiences.

5. 1979 Supersonics
I've said it before and I'll say it again, being a kid in the 70's was awesome and different. To remind you, there were no cell-phones or computers and the TV had maybe 5 channels.  We were encouraged to get outside, ride a bike, build a fort, stomp through streams and play make-believe and it was pretty close to pure.  Sometimes when I ponder those times I hear Daniel Stern's voice in my head, other times I think about Gus Williams...The Wizard.

Video of some Gus Williams Game 5 hi-lights

It was the first time in my life I saw grown-up people lose their minds; cheering, whooping, honking their horns.  I recall the profound effect that collective group of adults celebrating had on me. I felt joy and a sense of community.

5. Ragtime @ Papermill Playhouse 2005

First of all, we rehearsed in 42nd Street Studios...if you ever get the opportunity to rehearse there I suggest you consider it greatly. It's a little like musical theatre heaven. You have to wear a name-tag for security.
Here is a picture of  42nd Street studios. Casey Marino is making a deal with his agent in the foreground. Scott Sussman is having a moment. I am in the distance looking off-picture right.There is a spider child on the floor.

The show was special. Stafford Arima cast me as Willy Conklin, the racist fireman. It was a challenge.The score moves me still.

Greg Stone and Matt Scott

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I think it's things that you do in the in-between moments that say who you are

When no one is watching
When nothing is on the line
How you act
Is who you are

THE THREE THRILLING THINGS IN MY BASEMENT IN 1979 AND THE GREATEST 45 RECORD EVER

In 1979 in the basement of our house we had a rec-room. In that room three things stood out as the divine trinity of preteen entertainment.
1. A Foosball Table

This social game is a blast and will make a comeback. Just so you know though, spinning the rods is illegal.  Here are the OFFICIAL RULES if you must.
While searching through images of foosball tables looking for one similar to ours I came across this!  Holy what?

Can you imagine how fun a game of six on six foosball would be? Outrageous!

2. A Pachinko machine: 

Pachinko is a Japanese gambling machine.  Imagine playing a verticle pinball machine where the flippers are broken and the only thing you can do is determine how much force you can apply to the course of the ball and there are multiple places it can go that possibly reward you with a cha-ching noise and more balls to play with. Wouldn't everyone like to play with more balls?  Ummm well anyway it's kind of addicting and you must remember there was NO INTERNET and only two people I knew had cable TV.

3. A Jukebox
The Spotify of the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's...wait did we still use jukboxes in the 90's?  Yes, but then they held CDs.
There is a kind of art form to playing records...well heck it exists today in the form of DJs, I suppose.  What I mean is just getting that needle gently down on the vinyl takes a little concentration. Records were relatively expensive, so were the needles and you didn't want your drunk uncle putting the next record on.
But with a jukebox ALL you had to do was push two buttons, one letter and one number and then watch it do it's magic. I loved watching it.  It was part of the ritual.  The really cool thing for us though, was that Lisa, my sister and I could buy our own 45s for the jukebox and they were much less expensive than an LP.  
Far and away the best 45 I ever bought was by Queen.  
The B side was WE WILL ROCK YOU

The B side!

In that basement in 1979 we had foosball tournaments...obviously! Whoever won had the privilege to run over to the jukebox and press J5.
The A side of that 45.

And that is why this is the greatest 45 ever.

It's time we think about shunning

It seems apparent that there are an increasing number of people killing others for some sort of recognition.  They want to be famous...known...remembered...talked about.  Why do we give them that?  We splash their photos and their "manifestos" all over the place from every local and cable news network to the internet and we wonder why it keeps happening.  We need to shun those that do these things.  Never mention their names.  Never show their pictures.  Never publish their "manifestos."
News networks won't name victims of certain crimes nor show their pictures for good reason!  That kind of news is salacious and potentially harmful.
I think constantly promoting the atrocious acts of an evil narcissist can fuel these delusional and destructive types and it needs to stop.