Songwriters Day, A Musical Day Of Reckoning

by Kevin Burton    I grew up mostly at the school for the blind in Ohio. But I had (still have) some partial vision and I played a lot of sandlot baseball in my day.    The school used to hire recreation leaders to work with us restless kids. I think these were students from …

My Shifting Sports Team Allegiances

by Kevin Burton    Time and location, location, location, can change even the most fervent loyalties when it comes to sports fan allegiances.       On ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption, Tony Kornheiser talks about the New York Mets as “the team of my youth” to differentiate it from his current favorite, the Washington Nationals. That is …

Wife Carrying: A New Sport For The Burtons?

by Kevin Burton    Now this one has potential.    On the Dictionary Scoop website I stumbled upon an inspired idea for a new sport my wife Jeannette and I can get involved in. The website called it “weird” and “unique” and it is both.    Wife carrying.    I am psyched!    So fortunate …

Blind Woman Wants To Cycle New Zealand

by Radio New Zealand    An Invercargill woman is on a mission to become the first blind wahine toa to cycle the length of Aotearoa.    Hannah Pascoe came seventh in the tandem women’s road race at the Para Cycling Road World Cup in May.    She told First Up that as she was moving towards retirement, …

Feeding Body, Mind And Spirit On The Road

by Kevin Burton    Got an unexpected comfort on the road last week that filled the stomach and the heart.    There isn’t much I don’t like about being on the road. I can see why so many people have written so many love songs to the road and the road life.    I’ve spent …

Seeking An SOS From Beepball And ABBA

by Kevin Burton    Eureka I say, eureka! I have my beep baseball problems figured out.    In athletics they say, father time is undefeated, and that’s true. But all I need is a great idea, and an SOS, from ABBA.    This is truly exciting!    You’ve probably heard about ABBA Voyage, a virtual …

In Today’s America You Have To Pay Attention

by Kevin Burton    Gonna make myself a sign, and I’ll tell you why.    First, by way of explanation, a bit from my coaching days.    When I began coaching the Wichita Sonics beep baseball team, I adopted the three rules that the late John Madden, the old Oakland Raiders coach, had for his …

Yay, Comma, Football Is Back, Period

by Kevin Burton     Remember the interjection song from Schoolhouse Rock?    The song says interjections are “generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point, or by a comma when the feeling’s not as strong.”    Well I was feeling pretty sheepish about this, but I said the sentence “Yay! Football is back” …

Getaway Day, Above The Old Routine

by Kevin Burton    Tomorrow is Getaway Day and there’s just nothing like it.    It’s World Series week in the land of beep baseball, baseball for blind players. Getaway Day is about heading to the competition site and into another world.    If you’ve never seen beep baseball, check it out on You Tube.  …

NFL Football In June Is Just A Fantasy

by Kevin Burton    I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing with you. Have you ever told that lie?    Also, what happens when your so-called “seasonal obsession” shows up out of season? Can a true obsession ever be limited to one season?    Spoiler alert, I do not have definitive answers to these questions.  …