Season's Ending

The soccer season has ended. The Scorpions lost in the tournament quarterfinals today, 4-1. The team that beat them is a great soccer team, from here in the Mission. As one of our coaches told the boys afterward, "the best team won today."



It was a beautiful day way down south in Morgan Hill, with clear blue skies, bright sunshine, and crisp air.



The boys were down 2-0 late in the first half when they started intensifying their effort and closed the gap to 2-1 by halftime.



But in the second half the game got away from them although they fought on to the end.



Afterward, there was nothing to do but leave that place and drive the long straight road home.

Plus to look at a winter tree in the sunlight...



...and a jet's trail in the brilliant sky.

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Listening

(Update)

I am altering my position on Obama's decision to ask Rick Warren to offer a prayer at his Inauguration.

How can a person in 2008 actually equate the millions of same-sex couples who are raising kids, working hard, and holding our communities together with "pedophiles" and "deviants?" Yet that is what Rick Warren has done.

How can a minister, a man of God, tolerate a program that tries to "cure" people of their sexual preference? Is he utterly oblivious of science?

I'm sorry, but all of the positive aspects of including an evangelical minister on the big stage of Obama's Inauguration pale in comparison to the hurt this choice will inflict on gay and lesbian couples.

The saddest thing I heard today, from a dear friend and colleague, was that his band, the first gay/lesbian band ever invited to participate in an Inaugural ceremony, was thinking of withdrawing from the event, because Warren is such an insensitive choice for Obama to have made.

Sorry, my realpolitik friends, but I agree. In every important historical moment, matters of principle must trump pragmatism, if the leader in question hopes to achieve the status of a transformative figure.

Dear Mr. Obama: Dis-invite Warren.

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Let Us All Praise Good Men

Tonight, one of the big "controversies" playing on Cable TV, is Barack Obama's choice of evangelical minister Rick Warren to offer a prayer at the Inauguration.

Gay rights groups say they are outraged. After all, Warren has opposed not only basic civil rights for gay couples, he actively opposed Proposition 8 here in California, which retracted the rights of same-sex couples to marry.

To be clear, I stand solidly with the supporters of same-sex marriage. This is not an ideological issue for me, but one based on personal experience and obervation.

Many of the families I know here in San Francisco consist of two Dads or two Moms. I have not seen any evidence whatsoever that these families are any less stable, loving, or effective in raising good children than the conventional nuclear family model.

In fact, given the high divorce rate we endure, I would have to say that gay parents appear to be somewhat more stable over the long term than straight couples. I myself am a single straight man, after two divorces, with six children.

You could easily say that I am a complete failure, as a parent, according to conventional standards. Even though the pressures between men and women in our time almost guarantee stresses that can easily lead to divorce, I will never claim that excuse.

I did my best to be a loving husband of the two women who bore my children. In the end, for whatever reasons, I failed.

From my POV, being a family person in America in this era is not a matter of ideology. It's time we stopped judging each other and looked deeply into our own personal mirrors.

But, none of this should confuse us politically. Remember that politics is a game of perception, and any President, if (s)he is going to do the right things on behalf of all of us, needs to be very smart in engaging those who otherwise would ignore him.

Gay activists should realize that Obama is on your side, but he also needs to invite the Warrens of this country to the table if he has any chance to heal the polarized divides that have so weakened the U.S polity all of this decade.

Personally, I welcome Rick Warren to the celebration of the inauguration of a man who I increasingly believe will be one of the greatest Presidents in our history, even as he inherits a country at one of its lowest moments since 1932.

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More diversions

It's a time of year when there are so many commitments -- an office party, a birthday, a school concert, this poor blog is suffering from neglect. But soon, I'll have my first period of free time in well over seven months, so I promise to write, write, write!



Tonight, my 14-year-old basketball star led all scorers with 11 points, when he left the game to huge applause midway through the third quarter, with his team ahead 24-2. His team eventually prevailed, 34-7. Now, they are 1-1 with the remaining games all next year.

Beyond that, all I can tell you is tonight I was proud watching my ten-year-old sing in her school choir's holiday party, which featured a mixture of Chanukah & Christmas songs. I was way in the back of the auditorium but she spotted me and waved happily.

All of this, I know is prosaic stuff. No big ideas; no opinions, no politics, no contnt of much interest to anyone but my family. But that's where I'm at, right now. There will be other days, soon enough.

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Diversions for Hard Times

Often during a recession, they say, people turn to sports and entertainment to take their minds off what is happening. Maybe that's what I am doing. Why post about all the depressing news like the Blagoyevich and Madoff scandals. The baseness of the rich and would-be powerful never ceases to amaze me. Comparatively, the working poor and middle class working people I've known are paragons of virture by comparison.

Enough of that. Sports!



Particularly 8th-grade varsity basketball. Tonight was the first game of the school's season, a rainy, cold night for a game against Kipp at St. Mary's, which is Synergy's "home" court. Aidan was a perimeter player last year, but now he has grown to 5'11" in height and 11.5 size shoes, he's the "big" man inside -- the guy who takes the jump balls, plays the boards, and battles for the ball.



His line tonight? Eleven (!) rebounds, six steals, 3 blocks, one assist. He scored 1 of 5 from the field, mostly short shots, got fouled twice and hit two of three free throws for a total of five points. He played 29 minutes of the 31 minute game, which went into overtime before his team lost, 26-24. He committed no fouls and had two turnovers. He won one of two jump balls.



Afterwards, he said "That was a good game." I love that about him. He's competitive but not in an emotional way. Win or lose, he just loves to play.

Weekend at Morgan Hill

My 14-year-old athlete and I spent the weekend in a place I'd never visited before, Morgan Hill. I'm not sure, but I think I saw Mt. Morgan, the most impressive among an unimpressive series of foothills ringing the place.

It was, rather cute, as hills go here in coastal California.



We had a grade-A weekend. Last night, at a local Mexican restaurant in Morganville, around 25 of us players and parents partied. My friend Ken brought the house down, with his Bruce Springsteen imitation at the Karaoke microphone, singing "My hometown."



This morning, I took the boys to a local diner where a hen and rooster were running around outside.



I inquired about what they were doing last night, when a large group of girls across the way had started calling to them. They all grabbed tangerines and went running around the hotel complex.



I kept the best watch I could, but it was so cold outside, I was quite sure nothing untoward would occur. Sure enough, after running for an hour or two, the boys showed back up at our room, where they watched a movie until bedtime.



Ah yes, the games. Our guys played brilliantly, winning 2-0, 2-1, and 4-1, thereby moving to the quarterfinals next weekend. So, we will once again be migrating south to the Hill of Morgan, one more time. The kids would have to win three more games to be the champions here in Northern California.

None of us expect that, but all of us may be forgiven for hoping for it...This is the fun part of being a parent...

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