Econo Lodge at Augusta
byIn 2015, my father and I rented a Nissan Juke from the Atlanta Airport and drove the two hours to Aiken, South Carolina. Aiken is a town bordering Augusta, Georgia,…
Sports
Falling Back in Love
byI HAVE THIS SACRED RITUAL. Every now and again, I travel to Big Island and visit Pololu Valley, always the morning after I arrive. I’m up at 4AM with jet…
Baseball Cards, New and Old
byTHE OTHER DAY MY SIX-YEAR OLD GRANDSON PHIN ASKED ME to sit next to him so he could show me his binder of trading cards. He turned the pages, pointing…
Injury and Resilience: On the Virtues of Physical Consequence
byAnd if California slides into the ocean Like the mystics and statistics say it will I predict this motel will be standing Until I pay my bill. —Warren Zevon …
Never Break Kayfabe
byI GREW UP A HULKAMANIAC. I would get my dad to buy me his cereal from the dollar store, and I did my best to follow the four demandments—I trained,…
I’ll Meet You There
byLIKE MOST THIRTY-SOMETHINGS WORKING AT HOME, ALONE, DURING THE PANDEMIC, I frequently found myself scanning dog adoption websites. Among the most common names I’d see in Massachusetts shelters: Mookie. Among…
The Field
byJUST AHEAD IS THE FAMILIAR FIELD, A DIAMOND WITH ROUNDED CORNERS. I walk up with head down, anticipating that time will drag its feet while I sit and wish I…