AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is another column from my Burlington Times-News days, published on May 17, 2015. It starts with some thoughts I had about boxing, a sport I used to love, and wound into a list of the things I once enjoyed or engaged in that I don't seem to do anymore. And in the … Continue reading Things I’ve dropped like a bad habit
Column archive
‘You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone’
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a column I wrote for the Burlington Times-News in 2014, when Tim Sutton attended what was then thought to be his last meeting as an Alamance County commissioner. He was defeated in the 2014 primary after 20 often controversial years on the board. He told me then he was likely through … Continue reading ‘You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone’
A team by any other name, please
This is a column I wrote in 2013 about the nickname of the pro football team in Washington. There have been calls to change the name over the years and now it looks like it just might happen or at least the owner seems closer than ever before. That is a positive thing. Overlook the … Continue reading A team by any other name, please
My old man and Ralphie’s old man shared a common language
This is a column from deep in the archives. It was published on Father's Day --June 19, 1994 -- by the Jacksonville Daily News. At the time my dad was almost two years past a heart transplant and he would live another 14 years before passing away in June of 2008. I doubt he ever … Continue reading My old man and Ralphie’s old man shared a common language
Faded memory: Not just another goat tale
This is a column I wrote for the Jacksonville Daily News in 1996 from a collection compiled by my wife Roselee just before we got married in 1997. In those days I wrote often about growing up in Stokes County, especially during the summer months when childhood memories for me are strongest. And in those … Continue reading Faded memory: Not just another goat tale
A prediction that was eerily accurate
Several years ago, just about a year before we got married, Roselee created a really cool gift for me. It was a bound booklet of nearly two years worth of my columns published in the Jacksonville Daily News when I was managing editor there. It took a lot of work to put it together. She … Continue reading A prediction that was eerily accurate
From the Wayback Machine: Tribute to a true sports writing legend
The other day I wrote about the sad departure of Burlington Times-News sports editor Bob Sutton after 25 years due to corporate layoffs related to the merger of GateHouse Media and Gannett. I noted then that I had worked with the best sports editor in the newspaper's history -- the late Bill Hunter -- and … Continue reading From the Wayback Machine: Tribute to a true sports writing legend
Learning to balance eagerness and caution, a baseball story
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've told this story a few times over the years. It should probably stand as my Father's Day and summertime post for the rest of my days. ---- Probably no little kid wanted to play Little League Baseball more than I did. That might seem like an exaggeration. I don't think so. If … Continue reading Learning to balance eagerness and caution, a baseball story
Still standing by my tips for a successful marriage after five years
Five years ago our friend and former newspaper colleague Molly McGowan married her college sweetheart Jamie Gorsuch. Both are Elon University grads who met as first-year students. At the time I wrote a column with my own tips for success in marriage -- not that I'm an expert or anything, just very fortunate to have … Continue reading Still standing by my tips for a successful marriage after five years
Snow in April? Remembering the Frozen Greater Greensboro Open of 1987
A couple of years ago when sorting through old boxes I happened upon a column from April 4, 1987 during sports writing days that I wrote for the Burlington Times-News. Back then, the Greater Greensboro Open was played the week before the Masters. — which would be this particular week. It was a popular tournament … Continue reading Snow in April? Remembering the Frozen Greater Greensboro Open of 1987
Madison's Avenue 