The Bible: a newcomer’s perspective…an introduction

Four years ago I began to read the Torah in English translation. My intent was to read both the Torah and the Christian Bible in an effort to possess a base understanding of texts that so many people in our country and our world hold sacred. For reasons I’ve forgotten, I did not get much past Noah.

Beginning today, I will be restarting that project, posting my initial yellow pad notes, thoughts, and questions here at the readjack.com blog. I will start with just the transcribed notes from my handwritten responses, and will proceed to fuller essays and commentaries as appropriate.

Bear Down and Get Some Runs, best-of: January 1, 2005

As college football continues to strive towards a system that produces one true national champion (yeah right), even the grand tradition of the Rose Bowl has been subverted. In 2002, the game abandoned its traditional Big Ten-Pac 10 matchup when it hosted Miami and Nebraska for the national championship…on January 3rd. In January ’03, the game featured Pac-10 champ Washington State against at-large bid Oklahoma. We got lucky last year with Michigan-USC, but today it’s back to the modern sports world with a Michigan-Texas matchup. Still, the Rose Bowl is the Rose Bowl, a game I do not miss.

From October 3, 2001: Making the right decision

On the John

Making the right decision

Originally published in the Indiana Daily Student on October 3, 2001

George Bush freaks out.

I am not going to war. I cannot kill anyone, and I don’t wish to try. If we do go to war, I am not going. This is about the only certainty I have been able to decide on since the attack. That is my reaction to war. However, no one seems to know what is right when it comes to our country’s reaction to the attacks. Some think we should bomb the hell out of Afghanistan, killing Osama bin Laden and anyone else who happens to be there. Others think that we should try to better understand why the terrorists did what they did, and try to then work out our differences peacefully. 

Bear Down and Get Some Runs, best-of: Prologue

What hurts most is that I started counting outs after the sixth. I’d never done it before, but I just couldn’t help myself. Florida went 1-2-3 in the top half, the Cubs scored once to push their lead to two-zip in the bottom half, and when we entered the seventh, I quietly announced to myself and a few others in the bar that we were nine outs away. The top of the seventh ended with no damage done, and after each out recorded I grew more and more confident, my countdown growing louder and louder, until I was practically screaming in a relax-Jack-we’re-not-there-yet-but-GODDAMN-is-this-exciting! kind of a way. The Cubs scored once in their half of the seventh to take a 3-0 lead, and so we headed into the eighth, six outs away from the World Series.

From September 25, 2001: One Team, One Field

On the John

One team, one field

Originally published in the Indiana Daily Student on September 25, 2001

Mike Piazza and his NYPD helmet.

Placed 13th for the opinion-writing portion of the Hearst Journalism Award

A funny thing happened this week at sports arenas across America. One team showed up at each game, and that team had one set of fans. Jersey colors were incidental. In fact, no one even noticed them.

The jersey colors that were important were the red, white, and blue stitched in and stamped on. The New York Mets wore hats and helmets on the field that said “FDNY” and “NYPD,” and embraced the Atlanta Braves on the field, the team that they were chasing in a now inconsequential pennant race.

AND NOW…an introduction

Here at the readjack.com blog, I will be doing a few things. In no specific order:

1. Since 2001, I have written an opinion column called “On the John.” This column focuses primarily on social issues, be they in politics, religion, sports, or anything else of particular relevance. I will be running all new OTJs here, as well as at readjack.com.

Welcome to the readjack.com blog

I do not like blogs. Even the word bothers me. Like “yeast” and “malady,” I have a natural aversion to it. Then there is the blog itself. The thing, itself. A crusty bit of eye sleep, I always said. Journalism’s hang nail. No editing necessary, no need for spell check, just a vomitorium of half-baked ideas spewed upon us by anyone with means and aim.