Guided Epistles

I suppose these folks are also members of the vast, left-wing conspiracy seeking to remove Bush for office in order to pursue their rodent-brained socialist schemes.

Might as well enjoy that semi-freedom of the press while we can, in case the coming year reinforces the message that, yes, it can happen here.

Do you think the guy installing our new dishwasher will insist on listening to Limbaugh like the last Sears representative did?

Ralph Wiley

"It's always sad when a President dies," Skylar said to me last week. I replied that a life cut short is a lot sadder than a life that's long and full, contrasting JFK with Reagan. Of course, there's sadness when anyone passes away. I do believe, though, that there are gradations of unfairness. One of my favorite sportswriters, Ralph Wiley, died suddenly yesterday at 52. He didn't have a lengthy illness, with months and months of excruciating pain. But, still, 52 is too young for a healthy person to die.

I'm going to miss his consistently thoughtful columns for ESPN's Page 2. I looked forward to them. And I often found, when I started reading something absent-mindedly and really liked it, that the byline was Ralph's. My favorite column, for self-interested reasons, is the one on Barry Bonds that I linked to earlier this year. I'll draw your attention to another one that impressed me, on former Minnesota Twins star Kirby Puckett, because it does such a great job of reflecting on the contradictions that define all of us, even our heroes. Goodbye, Ralph. Thanks for keeping it deep.