Me and Lance
Me and Lance Armstrong, we were buds. OK, that’s not quite true. Me and Lance, we hung out together all the time. Maybe I exaggerate somewhat. The fact is, I had one fleeting encounter with him. Armstrong sponsored a 5K race in...
Dr. Choi performs another meniscectomy
On the afternoon of Sunday, October 7, 2012, I took a short taxi ride to Gangnam Severance Hospital. And yet the path to treatment of my right knee had been rather long. Nearly seven months had passed since I felt an ominous pain there. A...
Jangchung Gymnasium
Since I am both a sports guy and a history guy, I tend to be fascinated by old athletic facilities. I have looked closely at most of the sites of the 1988 Olympics here in Seoul, Dongdaemun Stadium, Mokdong Stadium, World Cup Stadium and...
A few words about Mao Zedong
During the first day of my 2010 trip to Beijing, I was escorted by Li Kai, the Chinese friend of a Korean friend. We went to the heart of the matter—to the balcony atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace, looking out over Tiananmen Square. From...
Four heroes of the Korean War
Countless times I have heard the Korean War described as “the forgotten war.” But forgotten by whom? That term certainly derives from outside sources, not from my adopted homeland. Let me assure you, it is not forgotten here. A...
Nacogdoches, SFA and Dr. McDonald
While I am a proud University of Texas alumnus, I spent my final semester (Fall 1975) at Stephen F. Austin State University. The strange reason for my move from Austin to Nacogdoches is best left unsaid. UT was bigger, richer and more...
Winners and losers from the Beatles
In one of my previous jobs, I worked alongside a guy named Al. A hopeless know-it-all, he tended to opine in an ex cathedra manner; his was to speak, and yours was to listen. He brooked no disagreement on any subject. As a result, we tangled a...
The green and gold’s sports renaissance
I used to get an annual checkup from Dr. Michael Williams at Brackenridge Hospital in Austin. After scanning the various diplomas and certificates on his wall, I realized that he was a graduate of Baylor University. That was enough to spark a...
Reggie Jackson speaks before thinking
Nowadays, most jocks and ex-jocks give only the blandest of quotes, knowing that if they reveal their honest thoughts then problems will ensue. Thus, I and undoubtedly many others were intrigued to read what Reggie Jackson told a Sports...
My third trip back to the USA, July 14-22, 2012
As the title indicates, I spent nine days traveling to, visiting and returning from the country of my birth. I thought it might be of some value—if not comic relief—to compose a summary, and now I will proceed to do just that...
What I see—and hear—outside my window
In early 2009, when I moved into my apartment in Seoul’s Gangnam District, I had a bit of self-directed advice: “Don’t let this drive you crazy.” The environment is quite different from that where I had lived (in two...
Sandusky
I remember Jerry Sandusky when he was famous for coaching football. There seemed to be a consensus that Penn State’s defensive coordinator was a fine coach. Surely it was just a matter of time before he took over for Joe Paterno or got a...