Night Owl Cards

If you're a dad, like me, you probably don't want to be bothered today. That's my No. 1 request for today. Don't bother me. If you want to get me gifts, fine. If you want to tell me I'm great or that you love me, fine. If you want to do all the chores I usually do, fine. But, really, all I want is -- and don't take this personally -- is not to be bothered. Today, I plan to eat. I plan to sleep. I plan to watch baseball. I would like to get through the day without doing anything else. That would be a terrific Father's Day. Because, you see, dads spend just about every other day of the year being bothered. I know I do. Here are just some of the things that bother me: My job, my health, my folks, my neighbors, my boss, my computer, my computer at work, my taxes, my house, my car, my other car, my driveway, my garage, my dog, my inability to get anything done no matter how hard I try A few other things that bother me: The 48 million passwords I m...

I am trying to rid myself of the habit of referring to certain major league ballplayers as "nobodies." I know it's a common phrase used by baseball fans. It refers to players who are on the fringe of the major leagues. They could be rookies, and others not so hopeful, who are called to the bigs. They could be pinch-hitters, mid-inning relievers, and late-inning substitutions. But the phrase has gotten myself into trouble a few times. In this hyper-sensitive world, some people have objected to reading my reference of a player as a "nobody." The protests usually come from those connected to the player -- family members, etc. -- or those connected to the team, fans proud of their knowledge of their squad and eager to share it with the less informed. I'm not trying to rid myself of the term because of those people. Those are their hang-ups, not mine. I'm trying to do so because calling players "nobodies" is in direct opposition to my colle...