(478 words)Charlie Appleton, the extraordinary newsman, would have frowned at all the adulatory words being used to mourn the passing of Charlie Appleton, the ordinary family man. And just the sight of the word “adulatory” in a scrappy newspaper would have set him off.He came from the man-bites-dog school of news gathering, but then raised the […]
• Legendary escape artist Harry Houdini could extricate himself from a straight jacket in just 4 minutes and 9 seconds. I have to imagine escaping from an LBGTQIA jacket would be much more time consuming.• Restitution is the act of restoring ownership of something that was illegally taken. The act of restoring something that was […]
(849 words)The Pittsburgh Pirates made a bold move when they signed veteran superstar and beloved former Bucco Andrew McCutchen.I love Cutch. Besides being an outstanding Pirate centerfielder from 2009-’17 and league MVP in ‘13, McCutchen plays the game like a kid. He laughs, he jokes, he cheers his teammates and generally cavorts like he can’t […]
(932 words) I turn 60 today. That’s what my driver’s license says so it must be true. The number is vintage enough to provoke friends into telling me I’m only as old as I feel. It’s a charming concept, but I’m old school. In fact, I’m so old school I’m willing to concede that any […]
(757 words)I hadn’t been on a blind date in more than 30 years. I wasn’t seeking companionship. I wasn’t needy or desperate. My life was fulfilling. And then there was this:I was married. Had a couple of kids. A dog. The whole nine yards (and, no, none of the nine yards was mowed, raked nor […]
• In my on-going efforts to test the boundaries of the so-called “No Judgement Zone,” I’ll today show up to exercise at the Planet Fitness wearing just my Speedo. • For better or worse, I fear the way we become acquainted continues to coarsen. We used to withhold judgement. Now we scour the internet for […]
Pittsburgh Magazine in 2004 asked to write a cover story about Joe Hardy, founder of 84 Lumber and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Flawed and controversial, I remember him as one of my favorite interviews ever. He died yesterday, his 100th birthday.Joe Hardy: The Billionaire Who’s Bound to Die BrokePittsburgh MagazineBy Chris RodellIt’s become fashionable for cheeky […]
(792 words)Our daughters’ reactions to my provocation were so visceral, so instantaneous, and so homicidal I remember being glad the girls don’t pack heat.We’d just finished watching some pleasant-looking young lady, a talent show contestant, belt […]
The picture above depicts exactly how I imagine these being consumed/read by you and your loved ones, You take turns reading all 161 outloud with the rest of the listening family roars with laughter.It’s really presumptuous of me thinking anyone would want to read ANY of them.But if you want to browse, I put my […]
• There oughta be a litmus test for the number of times a lazy reporter can declare a non-scientific judgement a litmus test• Our daughter is studying ancient times in the hopes of becoming a future historian, an aspiration that I believe must involve some sort of time travel. I imagine we’ll one day be […]
