Hanging with Rich

Reunions and the Lessons of Life..... As a rule, I'm usually not a big reunion guy. But I made it to one last night, and I'm happy I did. I had known about this reunion for over a year because my good buddy Mike was on the planning committee. Now Mike is definitely a big reunion guy. He's pretty sharp and is an excellent communicator. But most importantly, he has a photographic memory for names and faces. I think reunions for my particular High School are becoming important. Midpark High School is now defunct. It became a victim of decreasing population, strained budgets, and poor decision making (IMO). It has been merged with the other High School in the district, Berea High School. Combining Midpark and Berea would be sorta like merging Ohio State and Michigan. Well, maybe not that extreme, but you get the picture. So I went to the reunion hopeful, but with modest expectations. I was relieved to run into a friendly face before my wife and I even got in the hall. Lin

A City Explodes With Joy..... Under the cold, darkening skys of December 27, 1964 a very young boy is running around his house in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. "We won, we won!" I was shouting to anyone within earshot. I was celebrating the Cleveland Browns victory in the NFL Championship Game. This was Party like it's 1964. The Browns win a Championship! before the days of the Superbowl. I was just at an age where I was beginning to understand professional sports and followed the Browns very closely. A Championship! This must be easy! Can't wait to celebrate again next year. Little did I realize I wouldn't be able to celebrate again like that until I was a much older man. I don't have to recount here the decades of frustration my city has endured in the world of sports. But it does take a toll on people. You keep waiting for something bad to happen, you expect to be disappointed. The fear is that these feelings creep into your attitude in life. That yo

The Finals..... This is a bittersweet story of exhilaration and frustration. A story of a wave of energy and the wall of reality. But mostly it's a story about hope. The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the NBA Finals - again. Finals time in The Land Regular readers will know that I am a proud member of Wine and Gold United. That is the name the Cavaliers give to the owners of regular season ticket plans for the team. Actually I became a member only because that was the best way to get Finals tickets last year. I have been waiting for a major sports championship to come to my city for what seems like my entire life. I can honestly say I don't know how I would react if it ever happened. I can fantasize that we'd all be spilling out of the arena and dancing in the street. High-fiving and hugging absolute strangers. But we wouldn't be strangers really. We'd be brothers and sisters of Cleveland. There would be a city-wide party for at least a week. I really though

Muhammad Ali: A Primer For Millennials..... People that know me pretty well know that I'm not too thrilled to be the age that I am. But one part I enjoy is to be able to tell younger people about the way things were. Sometimes the stories of history just don't fit in a 90 second TV news piece. That's how it is today with Muhammad Ali. I learned the news of his passing Saturday morning before I went to work. It really surprised me. I had heard the day before he had entered a hospital, and was listed in fair condition. But going from fair condition to no condition surprised me for a person that was larger than life, like Ali. To say Muhammad Ali was an icon is like saying Donald Trump is controversial. A major understatement. During his life Ali was branded a celebrity, then scorned, a champion, then a loser, a traitor, then a patriot. Mostly though he was inspirational. Initially to Black America. then to America, and finally to the world. In the coming days and week