Hey Jesse

I have no quarrel with LeBron James going to Miami even though the disappointment that he did not come to Chicago is almost like the first round when we lost the Olympic bid in the first round - I'm glad we're not getting the Olympics, either. And although I think Jesse Jackson's assessment that the Cavalier's owner has a slave owner mentality, I see how he got there. I just don't think it fits. I can't believe such a big deal was made over where a player wanted to play. On the one hand, sports shouldn't be that big. On the other hand, there are better stories to be found in sports.
In every professional ballpark in the country the number 42 can be found. In every one. Jackie Robinson's number flies in every ballpark because it is retired in Major League baseball. No player will ever be assigned that number. Ever. Once a year every player wears the number 42. It was the idea of Ken Griffey, Jr. who has the idea that one player should wear the number of Jackie Robinson Day but soon it was decided that every player should wear it.

Every player in the National League celebrating when Major League baseball became integrated. Every player on that day is one player. How wonderful is that? In Miller Park it is especially sweet because the 42 is hanging right next to 44 - Hank Aaron's number.

I imagine every game at Miller Park there is a kid who is attending their first game and they see the numbers hanging there and asks the grown up with them why they are there and they get an explanation about Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron. For my generation, when we were kids getting that explanation, we knew it was a big deal. For my nieces' and nephews' children, I see them wondering why it is a big deal at all that a black player is in the major leagues. Then they will learn about the history of their country and the strives we've made. We aren't even half way to where we need to be - but though the explanation of the generations are basically the same - the impact is different. And that has to be counted as progress.

What does this look like to you? Does this look like part of an afghan? It doesn't. And do you know why? Because it isn't. Last night, I was looking at the progress on the crochet afghan and I went stash shopping and didn't find a lot of white yarn - which I kind of expected, I don't often buy white yarn as a rule - when all of a sudden the urge to work on something else swept over me. Just like that. The afghan mojo was gone. It will come back when I go to the craft store and get more yarn to finish the afghan but at the moment I decided to use some of my 'better' yarn and do a quick little project. So this Misty Alpaca skein is turning into a set of fingerless gloves. They look like stockinette on one side and a 3x1 rib on the other side and if I do the stitching right, they will be reversible. I like this little distraction because I can finish off this set in a day and is a nice little respite from the bigger project.

Sometimes you have to take a breather from the bigger picture to appreciate the smaller, finer things!!