WDRB Sports Journalist. Writer. Photographer.
The commercials used to try to sell us products. Lately, as the nation settles into its second month under a coronavirus cloud, they are trying to sell us hope. Maybe I’m falling prey to the frustration that everyone else seems to be feeling, but lately, I’m not buying. JP Morgan Chase offers the message that,…
Every once in a while, this needs to be said. Today seems like a good time to do it: We need to keep our eyes on the ball. COVID-19 cases in New York, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called the “canary in the coal mine” in the U.S. battle against the novel coronavirus, appear to…
As Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has rolled out more information on the modeling the state is using to plan for what it sees as a peak in the COVID-19 pandemic in the state somewhere around early May (sooner in some projections), several have written to me wondering about the math. I’m not a statistician. I’m…
I grew up in a rural part of Kentucky. A distinct aspect of life in such places: When a funeral procession passes by, you pull to the side of the road and stop. You show some respect. You acknowledge the passing of a life, the grieving of a family. Maybe you’re in a rush to…
It was another grim news day. Today, the United States surpassed 3,700 dead from the fast-moving coronavirus COVID-19, more than the number killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, more than were killed at Pearl Harbor. Today, Americans were told for the first time by the Trump administration that the number of dead from…
Years ago there was a board game based on a book titled, “The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook.” The popular book, which then became a series of books, provided tips for handling various catastrophes. It was entertaining, because most of the things in the book were things most of us would never encounter. And it brought…
For 25 years, at least, I’ve been hearing about disruption. The internet was a disruptive technology. Streaming video disrupted the entertainment industry. Wikipedia was disruptive. Anybody use encyclopedias anymore? In 2016, Donald Trump ran for president as the candidate of disruption. He drew support from people fed up with Washington, promised to “drain the swamp,”…
A coronavirus party? Really? Reluctantly, a quick word about ignoring the threat. We don’t know the identity of the new coronavirus patient in Kentucky who Gov. Andy Beshear scolded Tuesday for having taken part in a coronavirus party, a gathering held specifically to flaunt the request of public officials not to gather in large groups…
Ten days ago, former University of Kentucky All-American and current Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns announced that he would give a $100,000 to the Mayo Clinic to support COVID-19 testing. Shortly after, he found out his mother, Jacqueline Cruz, was ill. Both of his parents were not feeling well, and both went to a physician….
A personal observation. When you’re a sportswriter and you begin writing on a news topic, such as COVID-19, you know it is a fundamentally different enterprise from writing sports. And yet, and maybe because my audience is primarily a sports audience, many readers I encounter still treat it as a sport – which is understandable…