Reflections by Jim of different sorts—on music, nature, books, and sports
In the last few weeks I have attended two excellent concerts. On September 12 I saw U2 in Chicago, as they commenced their 360° tour—a predictably fine show by the beloved Irish foursome. This was my fifth time to see them live, and while falling short of the magic of the Joshua Tree tour (what could live up to that?), they remain the greatest live band on the planet. Also, last week I attended my first Kings of Leon show—at the Verizon Center in Noblesville, Indiana. Lead singer Caleb Followill said it was the biggest crowd they’d ever played for. Indeed, it was a sprawling sea of humanity, half of us slip-sliding in the muddy lawn area. K.O.L. played a strong 20-song set, living up to their reputation as the heir-apparent to U2’s throne. We’ll see about that.
Last week Amy and I were back in Chicago, this time for her best friend’s wedding. We stayed high atop the downtown Holiday Inn overlooking the Chicago River. Just outside our 17th story window an Orb Weaver spider (Araneidae family) was perched in the middle of a giant web, which we measured at 3 x 2.5 feet. Judging by the spider’s bulky appearance, s/he had managed to catch plenty of bugs way up there. Early the next morning I marveled at the massive buildings in downtown Chicago. In doing so, I looked through that Orb Weaver’s giant web, and then it struck me. Both were magnificent feats of engineering, and they shared some of the same structural features: footings, girders, and symmetrical design. And both ultimately testify to the genius of our common Creator.
I recently posted a review on David Kinnaman’s book unChristian, which has generated a lot of conversation in the last year or so. Among the authors responding to this book is Russell Rathbun, who has recently authored unChristian: Finding Faith in a New Generation. (Judson Press). I have been invited to participate in Rathbun’s blog tour, so I will comment on the book and interact with him the week of October 12. Rathbun is an emergent church pastor and author, so I’m very curious to see his response to unChristian. Stay tuned.
Finally, the major league baseball season is drawing to a close, and as I write this my Detroit Tigers’ lead in the American League central division has dwindled to one game, with two games left in the season for both the Tigers and the Minnesota Twins, who have been hotly pursuing them the last three weeks. Having had my baseball heart twice broken by the Twins—in ’87 when they drubbed Detroit in the ALCS and in ’91 when they squeaked by the Braves (also a rooting interest of mine)—I am quite keen on seeing the Tigers return the favor, if just for this season. Will they do it? Time, as they say, will tell.
This past Memorial Day I was just as disinterested when somehow the topic of Danica Patrick came up in a conversation with Jim. I innocently raised the question of whether she was really that good and how much her looks had to do with her status in the racing community. It seemed fairly self-evident to me that her appearance (and her willingness to exploit her “assets”) had to have played a part in her prominence. I was rather surprised when Jim quickly came to her defense, touting statistics regarding her accomplishments, etc. After making a mental note to suggest he cut back a bit on his ESPN talk radio (stats about football, hockey, baseball—all acceptable, but what will come next? Men’s water polo?), I retorted that though I didn’t doubt Patrick’s talent, I just couldn’t buy that there weren’t plenty of other women out there just as talented who would never be given a chance simply because they looked better with the helmet on than off. Surely she had been given opportunities and advantages that others had been denied. Perhaps this is unfair of me, both to Patrick who is obviously skilled (though I would feel less sorry for her if she would wear that driving suit all the time rather than some of the other less modest apparel I have seen her wearing) and unfair to those who are as talented if not as attractive. But as the saying goes, “life’s not fair.”
As a woman, and now especially as my daughter’s mom, I often wrestle with the issue of appearance and the role it plays in our crooked and crazy world. When Maggie was born, I was shocked at how instinctive it was to praise her appearance. I find Jim and I both struggle to balance our compliments, following up on a “You look so pretty!” with a quick “And you are so smart!” Why is it that we can praise the Grand Canyon but blushingly we praise our daughter’s outward form which comes from the same source, the eternal outpouring of God’s own beauty? Should I feel pangs of guilt when I mull over which outfit choice to make in front of my ever-impressionable girl? 
As you watch the video, note the horse lagging at the rear for the first half of the race, some twenty lengths behind the leader. Well, that’s Mine that Bird, mounted by jockey Calvin Borel. His strategy was to lay back, hug the rail, and push hard at the end. By hugging the rail, of course, the horse has a shorter distance to run overall. But the challenge is finding a path through the tangle of horses in the homestretch. Well, Borel brilliantly guided his diminutive colt through the equine mass and finished first. Not only that, but he won handily—by almost seven lengths, the largest margin of victory in the Kentucky Derby in over sixty years!