Michael Jackson and Ruth Myers

A couple of important people died recently.  One was Michael Jackson.  The other was Ruth Myers.

You don’t know Ruth Myers?  Let me introduce her – she was my mother-in-law. 

Ruth was 97 when she passed on June 20th in Pennsylvania.

Mom was not wealthy or a celebrity like Michael.  I want to tell you, though, that her family loved her.  People stood up at the two funeral services for her on June 23rd and extolled her virtues – Godly, family-oriented, and hardworking.

No excuses needed for the way she lived.  No embarrassments for things she may have done.

Michael?  That certainly will not be the case with him. 

I was one of many who liked the high-energy music that Michael produced in the beginning.  The more I learned about his lifestyle, however, the less appealing his music became as a result.  Those hideous attempts at plastic surgery and the sordid details of a creepy lifestyle revealed him to be someone searching for happiness in all the wrong places.

Unlike Michael, Ruth discovered what the truly good life was all about.  Her secret was a relationship with God that opened her to His directing.  She had Someone to guide her along.

Michael, in my opinion, lived a very troubled, misguided life.  He achieved the wealth and fame that so many in our culture mistakenly long for but predictably, neither satisfied him for very long. 

My mother-in-law, Ruth Myers, knew what real happiness was all about.  She did not fear death because she knew she was going to heaven. She died loved to the end by her family. 

I grieve over Michael’s passing because his family has experienced a loss and will miss him. 

I also grieve as part of Ruth’s family because I will miss her too. However, I also rejoice over Ruth’s passing because I know that she has gone to a better place and that I will be with her someday.

( This was sent out as a letter to the editor.  It appeared in The Bridgton News on July 2, 2009 and The Newburyport Daily News on July 6, 2009.)

Ruth Myers (1912-2009)

My mother-in-law (Ruth Myers). Picture was taken on March 14, 2009 the day she had her hair done.

My mother-in-law (Ruth Myers) passed away on June 20th at Rockhill Mennonite Retirement Community in Sellersville, Pennsylvania.  She was 97.

Ruth became part of my life after I started dating her daughter (Julie) back at Gordon College in 1960.  Julie and I were married in 1964.

Ruth and her husband Russell were hard-working.  They had little sit around time as far as I can remember.

They were also active church folks.  Wednesday prayer meetings and several services on Sunday were regular routines for them.  He was a deacon and she was a Sunday School teacher.

Family gatherings we attended in Pennsylvania were seldom small, which was a disadvantage for someone like me who in that day could get lost in a crowd. 

Ruth was a very predictable person in a positive way.  I don’t ever remember thinking, “Why did she do that?” 

Being six hours away (in Hamilton and later Newburyport), we didn’t have very many interactions with her after Russell was gone.  That did not lessen her love for us and Steph/Adam and the grannies.  We sent many pictures and Julie kept up regular conversations via phone to keep the family info up-to-date.

The best thing (in my opinion) about Ruth was that she prayed for us daily.  There have been plenty of “bumps” in the road over the past 49 years but I believe that her intercessory prayers lessened those bumps.  Who will intercede for us now?  Who will be the prayer warriors for us now that Ruth is gone? 

Now that all four of our parents are gone, it is our time to be a Godly example to those trailing us in age.  Ruth was the kind of example I want to follow.  May He bless us with His wisdom in the days ahead!

From Newburyport to the Portland Sea Dogs

Todd Jamison at Hadlock Field

Todd Jamison moved to Newburyport at eleven and by the time he graduated from NHS he had figured out that he wanted a career in sports.

Todd (35) has pursued that career interest and has reached the management level with the Portland Sea Dogs.  I visited him before the Boston Red Sox Class AA affiliate’s noon game with Binghamton on June 4th.

He told me that he had received some memorable advice from his dad Michael (lives in Byfield) when he was young.  “He told me that my job should be something that I enjoy, otherwise I wouldn’t have much of a life,” said Todd.

Todd knew what he enjoyed (sports) and set out in pursuit of a career in that area.  The idea of being a sports broadcaster started early.  “I always admired announcers Jack Buck and Bob Costas and wanted to be like them,” said Todd.  “When I was in high school I worked for WNBP.  I would bring my tape recorder to legion baseball games and do play-by-play of the games.  Then I would bring the recordings to the station and they would play them.”

Todd chose to go to Syracuse University because it was one of the best sports broadcasting and journalism schools in the country and he earned early acceptance.  “While I was at Syracuse I immersed myself in sports,” he said.  “I worked on the school newspaper and with the university radio and TV stations.  I also interned at local radio and TV stations.”

All that involvement paid off as Todd won the Bob Costas scholarship for sports journalism at Syracuse and met the well-known graduate. 

Employment in sports followed in all sorts of places.  “I have had the chance to travel the country,” he told me.  “I’ve been in 45 of the 50 states strictly through broadcasting.” 

He covered the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 for the Canadian Broadcasting Company (“I was on the field when Michael Johnson set the world record”) and he also broadcast a Final Four. 

Todd did full-time minor league radio work in places such as Sioux City (Iowa), Louisville (Kentucky), and Sioux Falls (South Dakota) with a goal to get to the majors. 

“I lived in the Midwest for four years and came to realize that I missed the New England area,” he said. 

He interned at Portland in 1997 and was glad to get back to New England in 2002.  “When the long-time radio guy here (Andy Young) retired to go into teaching I became the radio voice for the Portland Sea Dogs,” he explained.

In 2005, things changed for Todd.  “My wife was very sick (She is doing well now) and I couldn’t justify being away half the year broadcasting,” he recalled.  Todd decided to move into other aspects of the baseball operations at Portland. 

During the season, some of the things he does include managing the content on the video board at Hadlock Field, gathering sponsors, working on the website, and overseeing their radio network and the games themselves.  He also does sports talk show hosting in Portland. 

“My job is year round,” he said.  “The off season is very sales driven.”

Portland may be Double A but their connection to the current Red Sox team is significant, according to Todd.  “There are 18 guys on this year’s Red Sox team who have played at Portland including Papelbon, Pedroia, Lester, Youkilis, and Beckett.” 

Taking in a Sea Dogs’ game this summer makes perfect sense to Todd.  “We have the #1 first base prospect (Lars Anderson) in all of baseball and several other top Red Sox prospects too,” he said. 

And then there’s the price of tickets.  Top ticket at Hadlock – $9.  Would that cover parking for a Boston game?

Todd helped put together this year’s Boston Red Sox media guide and he is looking forward to a Sea Dogs game that will be played at Fenway Park on August 8th.

Having learned of Todd’s background, education, experience, versatility, talent, and energy, I suspect that Todd’s trip to Fenway Park in August might not be his last one. 

( This story appeared in The Town Common on June 16, 2009. )

Georgetown Wins Division 3 North Baseball Title vs Newburyport

The scoreboard after the game

(Lowell)  I was at sunny LeLacheur Park in Lowell and watched Georgetown hang on to defeat Newburyport, 4-3, to gain the North Sectional Championship in Division 3 on Saturday afternoon on June 6th.

This game was tense from beginning to end.  Newburyport ended the game with runners on second and third just a hit or an error away from winning the game.

It somehow made sense that pitcher Andrew Sinkewicz fielded the last grounder and tossed to first baseman Marco Luisi for the final out.  Andrew and Marco were the two difference makers in my opinion.  Andrew pitched a complete game in the biggest game of his life and also drove in what turned out to be the game winning run in the top of the 7th with an infield grounder.  Marco launched two homers (2nd & 6th innings) over the left field fence that were the only runs on the board until the final inning.

The Clippers put plenty of pressure on the Royals with baserunners aplenty.  Only in the fifth did they go quietly.

Ryan O’Connor started for Newburyport and was relieved by Tommy Morris in the 7th.  Except for the two bombs by Marco Luisi, Ryan pitched very well.  He had the misfortune of making the last out of the game which necessitates reminding folks that no one person ever loses a team game. 

The coaches involved,  Bill Pettingell(Newburyport) and Mark Rowe(Georgetown),  have known each other for years.  Bill coached Mark and later Mark was on Bill’s coaching staff.  Those facts probably made the victory a little bittersweet for Mark Rowe. 

I took quite a few pictures.  Clicking on anything underlined will bring up a picture. 

The teams wait for the North Andover/Reading game to end.

Mark Rowe and Bill Pettingell meet with the umpires before the game.

Tyler Stotz, Kyle LeBlanc, Joe Clancy, Matt Mottola, and Kyle McElroy line up during introductions.

Ryan O’Connor pitches for Newburyport and Andrew Sinkewicz pitches for Georgetown.

Marco Luisi mobbed in the second inning and the sixth inning after hitting homers.

Joe Clancy scores Newburyport’s first run in the sixth inning on Tommy Morris’s sacrifice fly.

Mike Ruh scores Georgetown’s 3rd run coming home on Anthony Conte’s triple in the top of the 7th. 

Anthony Conte scores the eventual game-winner after Andrew Sinkewicz’s grounder to first in the 7th.

Coach Pettingell gathers his team together before their last at-bats in the bottom of the seventh.

Georgetown celebrates after recording the final out.

Joe Clancy leaves the field unable to score the tying run.

Georgetown celebrates the championship trophy.

The two coaches shake hands afterwards.

Boston Red Sox Players Sign at Wilmington

I went to a sportscard show at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington on Saturday afternoon. 

The big draw was that Boston Red Sox players would be there signing.  The last thing I would do is get an athlete to sign something – too pricey.

What I usually do is bring my small Canon digital camera and maneuver in for a picture.  Here are the Red Sox players I picked up on Saturday:

Mike Lowell

Jason Bay

Kevin Youkilis

My Visit to the Portland Sea Dogs

Boston Red Sox #1 prospect Lars Anderson

I have been coming to Maine (from Massachusetts) in the summer for many years.  I knew about the Portland Sea Dogs but never got to see a game until June 4th.  They are the Red Sox’s AA team.

I was there to do an interview with Todd Jamison for The Town Common. Todd fills numerous management roles with the Sea Dogs and his hometown is Newburyport.

The Sea Dogs media director, Chris Cameron, was extremely helpful.  He found for me the connection that Todd had with The Town Common readership and set up the interview.  He also gave me a press pass that enabled me to be out on Hadlock Field before the noon game with the Binghamton Mets and get some pictures. 

I suspect that I could have talked with players before and/or after the game but I wasn’t really prepared to do that.  Maybe another time.

In interviewing Todd I got tuned in to some of the prospects on the Portland roster and when I had my time on the field – I walked around the exterior of the park a couple of times – I took some pictures.

One player who had recently moved up to the Sea Dogs from Salem (A) was Ryan Kalish.  He’s a 21-year-old outfielder who is listed as the #8 Red Sox prospect.  Before the game it was announced that he would be sitting at a table signing autographs under the bleachers so, as I had done at Wilmington, I went and got his picture.

One player I watched work out a lot was Junichi Tazawa.  He is a 23-year-old starting pitcher who is Boston’s #5 prospect.  He has won seven games so far with a nice 2.67 ERA.  He isn’t that big – 5’11” – 180 pounds. 

The team trainer, also Japanese, translates for Junichi.  I asked the trainer how Junichi was doing with English and he said, “He is learning it very slowly.”

I was keenest on picturing #1 prospect, Lars Anderson.  Todd told me that he was the #1 first base prospect in the minors.  Lars is a 21-year-old first baseman.  He’s 6’4” – 215 pounds. 

I wasn’t sure which one he was before the game because the team had red shirts on with no names.  When they came out just before the game they wore whites with names on the back.  It was then that I figured out which one was Lars Anderson.  After that, I took a number of pictures of him. In one he’s hitting the ball.  In the other he’s wearing sunglasses.

I am very grateful to the Portland Sea Dogs for making things work for me.  I had a memorable time.

Amesbury Student/Athletes

Jackie Webber and Jeff Larnard

Two of Amesbury High School’s senior athletes are Jackie Webber and Jeff Larnard.  They each envision careers in medicine some day. 

Jeff will be attending UMass (Amherst) in the fall.  “I am going for a pre-med/biology major,” he told me in an interview at AHS.  “The financial advantage of choosing a college in-state is pretty significant because I want to go on to medical school after college.”

An AP class at AHS opened Jeff’s eyes to the medical field.  “Last year I took Advanced Placement Biology,” he recalled.  “It was one of the hardest classes I’ve ever taken but I found myself being really, really interested in the subject material.”

Jackie is set to go to UConn this fall.  “I definitely want to get into the field of health science in a hospital setting,” she explained, “and eventually be a nurse practitioner.”  Jackie’s mother and grandmother were involved in nursing. 

One of the biggest adjustments that both will face in college will concern athletics.  After four years of competing at the varsity level at AHS, they will have to make the switch to less competitive activities.

Neither seemed too concerned about the apparent downgrade.  “I need to concentrate on academics so that I will have the grades to get into the nursing program,” said Jackie.  “There will be plenty of major sporting events to attend and once I’m settled in academically I’ll do some intramurals.  I love using the gym so I expect to work out regularly.”

Jeff’s primary athletic activity at AHS was long distance running.  “I expect to continue training at UMass,” he said.  “I want to do road races and eventually work up to a marathon.”

Jackie has been a year round athlete (soccer/basketball/softball) since third grade.  “My parents were both athletes,” she said, “but I was never forced into anything.  There wasn’t much time off but I loved athletics and didn’t mind.”

Jackie said that AHS coach Chris Perry had been an inspiration.  “He was offering encouragement in softball as far back as third grade,” she recalled.  Jackie was recently named to the 2009 Cape Ann League All-League team at shortstop.

Both student/athletes are very organized.  Jeff, second in his class academically, credits his mother.  “She has her own calendar and planner that she uses,” he said.  “She bought them for me as well and helped me set up a system.”

Jackie and Jeff noted the benefits of high school athletics. 

“Sports have given me a place to learn dedication, teamwork, and leadership,” said Jackie.  “They helped me develop a strong work ethic which has carried over into academics.  The whole athletic experience has been amazing and I’ve loved every minute of it.”

Jeff reflected on the social value of sports.  “It is a great way to meet people,” he said.  “I have made many friends in sports.  Other benefits are the connections to coaches and the feeling of fitness and well-being. Not to mention the fun.”

Jeff has coached youth soccer and would like to coach in the future.  “I coached as part of community service but I would do it anyway,” he added.  “I enjoy statistics and strategy.  It’s an approach to sport that is more mental than physical.”

Jeff said that Dr. Shawn Talbott (1985 AHS graduate) is his role model.  “He actually went to school for something similar to what I’m doing,” he said.  “He studied nutrition.  He’s written books on sports medicine and he’s run marathons and triathlons.  I went to a workshop he put on and was impressed with his passion for what he’s doing and how happy he was.  I’d like to be where he is in 15-20 years.”

Jackie and Jeff have learned valuable life lessons at Amesbury High School competing in sports and succeeding in the classroom.  Those ingredients should enable them to do very well in college.

( This story appeared in The Town Common on June 3, 2009. )

Does a Smart Car Make You Smarter?

The official car of the Democrat Party?

Is it true that the Smart car is the official car of the Democrat Party in this area and the Invisible car is the official car of the Republican Party?

A Smart car with an Obama/Biden bumper sticker would surely indicate the most gifted among us.  These extra smart folks are still in the love-is-blind stage with Barack Obama.  If you offer them anything negative, they call out the previous president.  How can they go wrong with such a smart strategy?

I’d like to see Obama gift wrap a couple of those Smart cars and send them to the leaders of Iran and North Korea.  Those two need to smarten up.  Only dummies would threaten their neighborhoods with missiles and rockets the way they do. 

Some supporters of Obama probably believe that a drive or two in a Smart car, while listening to one of Obama’s “follow-me-wherever-it-is-I’m-going” speeches, would cause those temporarily bad leaders to realize how “unsmartly” they have been acting and lead them to change for the better. 

Dare I suggest that the President’s words may not change the threatening behavior of Iran and North Korea?  Does he have a Plan B in him?  I’m not sure.  So far we’ve heard words and watched our money past/present/future used as solutions.  Even a person who doesn’t have a Smart car realizes that both of those approaches have serious limitations.

Every President inherits problems from the previous administration.  Part of the reason they are elected is because they convince us that they can make things better. 

I beg the Obama apologists in our midst to detail how he has made this country, or this world, a better place because of what he’s done so far.  Maybe one of the 100-days, sign-holding, Obama lovers could enlighten me.

Obviously owning a Smart car doesn’t make you smart and maybe, just maybe, sporting an Obama/Biden bumper sticker will carry the same stigma in the months ahead.

( Sent out as a letter-to-the-editor on May 29, 2009.  Appeared in the Newburyport Daily News on June 4, 2009.  )

Newburyport High School Senior Athletes

Lindsay Cullen and Thayer Adsit - Newburyport High seniors

Seniors Lindsay Cullen and Taylor Adsit have had active sports careers at Newburyport High School.

Lindsay has run track year round since she was a sophomore.  “I started doing track as a fun thing,” she explained to me.  “I started out sprinting because that was what my friends were doing.  When I switched to running distance I found I liked it a lot.”

For Thayer the constant was soccer.  “I started playing soccer when I was five and have played ever since all through high school,” he said. “I had older brothers already playing soccer.  I got into track in middle school and through Hershey’s Track and Field program.”

Thayer was very positive about participating in high school athletics.  “I like sports because they really clear my mind,” he said.  “Academics and sports work well together for me.”

Lindsay explained that in order to run competitively for Newburyport High she had to make some tough choices.  “I started dancing when I was three and ski racing (at Bretton Woods) when I was six.  There just wasn’t time to continue with them and run track in high school and keep up with the academics, so I gave up dancing and ski racing.”

Lindsay informed me that the school schedule helps her to stay organized academically.  “Classes are every other day so planning is easier.”

Both have excelled in the classroom with a minimum of parental involvement.  “I tend to push myself quite hard to get things done,” said Lindsay.  “My mom knows I can do the work and if I need help she’s there.”

“My parents are very hands off,” said Thayer.  “They don’t put pressure on me. 

Neither student admitted to using any sort of planner.  “My plans are all in my head,” Thayer laughed, “but it is important not to procrastinate.  That keeps everything fresh and things don’t pile up because you’ve forgotten something.”

The weekends were important for Lindsay.  “That’s when I think about the week ahead.  If there is a track meet coming up I know that I will have to get more schoolwork done the night before the meet.  It’s just planning ahead and making choices.”

Both have made college choices.  “I will be attending Bates (note the sweatshirt in the picture) because of my interest in liberal arts,” said Lindsay.  “It is a Division 3 school and I expect to continue running cross country and track and field.  I have already met the coach.”

Thayer is going to go to Cornell.  “I’m really into engineering,” he said, “and Cornell is one of the top engineering schools in the country. 

Thayer is realistic about his chances of competing athletically at a Division 1 school. “Soccer is out and it will be very hard to get on their track team.  I plan to run year round and try intramural soccer and maybe some new sport.”

Both turned down the idea of becoming sports officials but coaching was a different story.  “I have thought about coaching track although I haven’t been in it that long, “said Lindsay.  “I will be helping in the Hershey program this summer and that involves some assistant coaching.  That should give me a better idea about whether I would like it or not.”

“I think that coaching soccer would be really cool,” said Thayer.  “I have been too busy to actually do it yet but it is a great way to extend playing soccer.  All of the soccer coaches I’ve had, played with us and had a great time.”

Both students have an idea of what they will be doing when their college schooling is over.  “I think that I will be doing mechanical engineering,” said Thayer.  “

“I think that I’ll be doing something connected to education,” said Lindsay.  “I want to be a teacher.”

Lindsay and Thayer figured out how to succeed in the classroom and in athletics at Newburyport High School.  That “figuring out” ability should enable them to do very well in college as a result.

( This article appeared in The Town Common on May 27, 2009. )

Ipswich/Essex Summer Bus Shuttle Is a Bargain

Pricey place to visit on summer weekends - bus shuttle is a financial alternative.

Crane Beach is no secret in the summer.  Pick a hot weekend day from June 20th – September 7th  to visit that beach and you’ll join a vehicle caravan on Argilla Road in Ipswich.

$22 later you have a parking place, if there are any available. 

The high price and the possibility of not even being able to get on the beach would suggest that other ways to get to Crane’s should be considered by non-residents (Ipswich residents get in on a sticker.).

One of the under-known alternatives is the Ipswich/Essex Explorer.  This is a weekend/holiday bus shuttle that ties in with the commuter rail service from Boston. 

I spoke with Bill Nelson (manager of the Visitor’s Center in Ipswich) about the bus service.  “It is one of those things that not too many people know about but should,” he said.

There is no question that the price is right – $5.  The way it works is that when the train from Boston arrives in Ipswich during weekends and holidays between June 20th and September 7th, a Cape Ann Transportation Bus is there waiting.

The 35-seat bus, with room for beach paraphernalia, has a schedule that not only includes Crane Beach, but also Russell Orchard, and sites in Essex such as Woodman’s, just to mention some of its stops. 

The bus doesn’t stay at these sites.  It drops off passengers at the site of their choice.  Obviously, it is important to know when the bus is scheduled to return.

The Crane Beach part of the trip is especially attractive.  The $5 paid at the Ipswich train station gets you onto Crane Beach.  But what if the parking lot is full and cars are being detoured back at Northgate Road?  Not a problem. The shuttle bus is still allowed to drive in and discharge passengers.

There are first-time visitors who arrive in Ipswich via train and think that they will walk to Crane Beach the same way they walk from the Manchester train station to Singing Beach.  “Crane Beach is six miles from the train station,” explained Bill Nelson, “and a taxi will cost close to $25.  This all makes the bus shuttle very appealing.”

The Ipswich/Essex Explorer bus shuttle is in its fourth year.  “It came about as part of a CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) grant,” Bob Ryan recalled.  “The idea was to promote less car use by providing travel alternatives for groups of people, many coming out from Boston.” 

Bob added that, “We’ve been running a similar service in Rockport since 1994.”

Bill Nelson explained that some people drive their cars to the Ipswich station and wait for the bus.  “There is no fee to park in the Ipswich lot because the town owns it.  Other people drive toward Crane Beach, find out it is full, and then come back to the station and wait for the bus.”

A check of the MBTA website shows when the commuter trains arrive in Ipswich from Boston from June 20th – September 7th on holidays and weekends.  Whenever that train arrives in Ipswich from Boston, the bus shuttle will be there. 

Bill told me that any questions about the shuttle service can be answered at the Ipswich Visitor’s Center.  “After Memorial Day we are open seven days a week from 9-5.”  Their phone number is (978-356-8540).

Bob Ryan was very positive about Ipswich/Essex shuttle.  He did, however, mention one very significant concern.  “We don’t know what the state will do about the transportation deficit,” he said.  “One of the suggestions is to eliminate the commuter rail on the weekends.  Obviously, if that happens the Ipswich/Essex Explorer bus shuttle won’t be operating.”

The next fiscal year starts on July 1st so decisions about the commuter rail service will be made soon.  Many potential summertime Ipswich/Essex tourists are hoping that a bargain like the bus shuttle continues to operate when state budget matters are settled.

( Appeared in The Town Common on May 20th )