U2 and The Perfect Game

The U2 concert defies explanation. It was both a bombastic display of talent as well as transcendent truth that was bigger than even U2, which they seem to realize. In one moment you have arguably one of the most successful and influential rock groups of all time soaking in the praise of 30,000 people. And in the next moment no-one knows they are on the stage because their songs have taken us to a place beyond the arena, behind the stage lights, and into the center of our souls. The NY-Times reviewed last nights show and Jon Pareles hits the nail on the head in his review:

"Its concert made virtue seem not just dutiful, but joyful...Larry Mullen on drums supplied an unswerving beat and cross-rhythms, while Adam Clayton's pulsating bass lines and the Edge's dive-bombing riffs and shimmering tremolos added up to drones that can fill the largest rooms and still swell from within...Bono sang about war and peace, faith and family, gesturing skyward or strutting or kneeling...Of course, Bono had plenty to say when he wasn't singing. He dedicated a song to people serving in the military, and he spoke about faith without fundamentalism [and the shared father of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Abraham]. "The people of God should not be afraid of the people of science; we need each other," he declared before singing "Miracle Drug." Singing or speaking, he projects as much humility as presumption, one voice within the music's grand spaces. He sang "Hallelujah" as the video screen showed the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the crowd applauded the provision against torture. For much of the concert, U2 was in anthem mode, until a listener began to long for its earthier side. And then, for encores, that's exactly what U2 supplied, getting funky with songs like "The Fly" and "Mysterious Ways" as Bono put on his "Achtung, Baby" cap."

The visuals were amazing, the songs were electric, and I wanted to explode with joy, weep with sorrow, and lift my hands to Praise (God). It was an experience I will never forget. Even if you don't get to go to a concert, the DVD that is coming out at the end of the tour will capture the experience adequately enough, provided the volume is turned up as high as it can go.

Ok, so onto a totally different topic. Check out this article about 11-year-old Katie Brownell who pitched a perfect game for her Little League team named the Dodgers. By perfect game I mean "perfect game" she struck out all 18 batters in six innings throwing only two balls...the rest were all strikes. Here are some quotes from the article that stuck out to me.

"I can't imagine being a boy that has to face her at the plate," said Eric Klotzbach, an engineer and the president of Katie's seven-team league in Genesee County. "It has got be a shot to the ego."

"It is still, after all, the Little League, where players at widely varying stages of physical development are sometimes poorly matched. Katie, at 5-foot-8, is taller than any boy on her team."

"He said players on other teams in the league might find it unnerving to be overpowered by a girl on the pitcher's mound, but that Katie's teammates "think it is great that she's on our side."

Hey you know what, girls are tough, can throw like boys, and enjoy a good game of hardball. The perfect game is unique in that it's a history making event for Little League and shows how great gender-inclusion in sports can be. I guess playing catch with your daughter or sister CAN be a good thing...right Jeremy and Chris :)