Footprints

by Budd Glassberg

Reprinted with permission from the Zionsville Times Sentinel on July 11, 2007

What Does This Column Have to Do With Sports?

“Why don’t you go back to whining about your Cubs?” – Irate “Good Sports” reader

This column begins my fifth year writing for the weekly Zionsville Times Sentinel newspaper. During that time, I have written most of my columns about sports. My emphasis has been on long distance running, a subject for which I have a passion. All of the columns appeared under the heading Good Sports. The columns I have written tend to be slanted in the direction of my interests which include running, rowing, physical fitness, the Chicago Cubs and stories of human interest. Lately, I have ventured into areas involving nature, national political interests and global topics. These clearly do not fit under the column heading, Good Sports. The new column title, Footprints, more aptly describes the opinions, observations, anecdotes, intentions, urges and digestive purges of its author.

No longer will unsuspecting readers be subjected to my political tirades, thinking they were about to read something about sports. Readers take note. Don’t say you have not been warned. I have received a great number of emails and letters concerning my columns, some were full of praise, while others were quite critical. I have always welcomed this feedback. The email I enjoyed most was from an irate reader who wrote, “What does this column have to do with sports? Why don’t you go back to whining about your Cubs?” There have been several letters from readers who have taken issue with my grammar and punctuation. They are quite right about my misuse of the English language. While it is the only language I am familiar with, I readily admit to not paying much attention to it while a youth in school and thus barely received passing grades in that subject. This is something I deeply regret. In addition, I am not a trained journalist or writer. My formal training is as a numbers person, not a word person.

Alright, you may be thinking, so you had to dispose of the Good Sports heading, but why Footprints? Well, if you have been following this column for some time, you may have noticed that I have a proclivity for barefoot living. Footprints are something I leave behind on the pavement after walking through a puddle. Like these columns, they are temporary impressions that I have made, which fade and then disappear. Footprints also are something all runners make and should be the only things they leave behind when running in the woods. Long after I am gone, perhaps a few columns will survive in my daughter’s memory, leaving a footprint to show that I was here.

Looking back at some of the material I have written about over the past four years, much of it is dated and irrelevant. At the time I was writing them, the columns seemed timely and important. That is the nature of news and comment. There are a few columns that I have really enjoyed writing which, I believe, also have held up over time. I wish they were more frequent. I guess it is similar to baseball in that you cannot expect to hit a home run every time you come to the plate. I am hoping that I have hit more singles than outs.

Now that I am beginning my fifth year with the newspaper, I would like to thank each of my editors with whom I have worked over the past four years. I appreciate their support and tolerance of some of my quirky subject matter. I have to also thank my wife, Maureen, whom I believe, reads my column each week with a fair amount of trepidation. She does not know what new subjects I may have broached that might be an embarrassment to her. As she so often reminds me, “I used to have a good reputation in this town before we got married.” (She is the former Miss Cain, an excellent teacher in the Zionsville School system for over two decades.) I must also thank my two daughters, both unwittingly subjects of my columns. They are both good sports (pun intended) about it. I’d like to thank the many subjects of my human interest columns who graciously allowed me to share their stories. Finally, I wish to thank you, my readers, for taking a few minutes to read that which I write. Without you, these footprints would fade far too quickly.

Budd Glassberg is a 23 year resident of Zionsville who resides and works in the community. Visit www.runz.com for reprints of all his columns. You can reach him by email at budd@runz.com.