Sports
Wally Weightlifter and Me
0 0 Read Time:4 Minute, 55 Second It was just me and Wally Weightlifter two mornings ago at the gym, circa 6:30 a.m. Wally had his barbells stacked in layers and was lying on the bench pumping the bar towards the ceiling,g thinking, I believe, about how much he was going to enjoy looking at […]

It was just me and Wally Weightlifter two mornings ago at the gym, circa 6:30 a.m. Wally had his barbells stacked in layers and was lying on the bench pumping the bar towards the ceiling,g thinking, I believe, about how much he was going to enjoy looking at his biceps in the mirror after the set.
Six feet away I sat leaning back on the bench a bit, doing my daily curls with 5 pound weights.
Two men, alone, working out, in a sort of early morning meditative state, trying to fight back against life by strengthening ourselves, taking one step forward, getting ahead, establishing an edge, tangling with the world before it had a chance to tangle back.
Then a song came on.
For a while, I listened. Usually, the gym plays heavy metal clang music that doesn’t swirl my belly, makes me think of AC/DC and ZZ Top ear damage. But this tune – let me tell you about this tune – started to create a feeling inside my heart, a memory of some wild party I went to half coherently, or maybe some other venue, but I can’t remember really other than to say sometime quite a while ago.
Turning to Wally, and not thinking about whether it would be awkward or unwelcome or well-received, I said:
“This is a really good song.”
He chuckled and I’m still not sure if a) he thought it was odd I would tell a stranger at the weight room that I liked a song, or b) he thought the way I said it with such sincerity that he found it alarming or disarming, or c) he didn’t know how to respond so he laughed nervously, or d) he was just thinking the same thing about the song and even thought about saying so to me but stopped himself because he didn’t want to make me feel uncomfortable.
“It is a good song,” he said.
“What’s the name of it?” I asked.
“Don’t know,” he said.
The song continued to stimulate my mind as if injecting endorphins and serotonin faster than ChatGPT can write a 2,000-word blog about Sammy Sportface.
Having done a swift Google search on his smartphone between a lifting set, Wally said: “Never Any Reason by Head East.”
Clearly he was curious about the song too, but was showing it in more of an “I eat weights” kind of way rather than “I’m a sentimental and emotional guy” way which is and always has been my way.
“Never would have guessed that,” I said. “One hit wonder, I guess.”
But I really didn’t know the band or the veracity of my one-hit-wonder assertion. You see, I have friends who think they know everything about music, so I feel inferior when it comes to musical knowledge. But as time has passed, I’ve come to believe there’s no reason for me to feel this way because my friends actually don’t know more about music than me, they just like to pretend they do because they know it spirals me into bouts of self-conscious inferiority. They’re musical elitist monstrosities.
Listening to that song made me think of how this band – Head Whatever and what’s the name of the song again gosh I’m getting old and can’t remember things like I used to – one day got together and recorded this good song. Where did the idea come from? Whose idea was it? Was there skepticism and resistance? Did they know once recorded it would be a big hit?
Where does magic come from? I don’t know – that’s why it’s magic. You can’t explain magic; you can only experience it.
The interesting thing about recording a song or writing a blog is in the middle of the creation you have doubts about whether it’s any good or will be or whether you’re wasting time and should try something else. This blog is a great example. Maybe I shouldn’t be writing about my bonding with Barbell Wally about this song because nobody cares but on the other hand I do and that’s important me.
The only way I can approach this is through feelings I have and what I feel is this song by Head North or South or East or West or Head Wherever pleased me more than any song I’ve heard in at least few weeks.
It was the surprising discovery of it all that motivated me to write about the experience this morning; it’s still with me. I had heard the song a few times before but many years ago and I wish the Fez had played it at Casino Night but they never play songs I request except “Major Tom” by David Bowie some 15 years ago.
There’s something especially powerful about hearing a song you haven’t heard in many years that takes you back to a different stage of your life. It reminds you that when you heard that song years earlier, you liked it. The familiarity when you suddenly and unexpectedly hear it again sparks excitement and appreciation, and wonderment about how this band put this tantalizing tune together.
Mysterious and marvelous all of this is and was. Life keeps giving us gifts. We need to appreciate them more than we do. This one I treasure. It’s just a song. Two guys were just pumping iron. It wasn’t much of anything.
But it was something. It meant something, and it means something, and meaning is what we all want.
Imagine yourself heading East listening to this tune in your original Mustang convertible on a warm day in June with a touch of a breeze cooling your sun-burned nose.
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Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group’s Facebook page here:
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NCAA Women’s Volleyball Games for May 20
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ABOUT THE SHOW
With the rallying cry “Achieve Greatness Everyday,” Season 98 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) carries on with the league’s tradition of bringing exciting sports action to viewers.
The NCAA is home to student-athletes from 10-member schools, namely, the Arellano University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde, Emilio Aguinaldo College, José Rizal University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Mapúa University, San Beda University, San Sebastian College – Recoletos, and the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA.
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Michigan State Athletics
EUGENE, Ore. – On the final day of the B1G Track & Field Championships, Michigan State Track & Field earned four podium finishes at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday. “I thought we had some really great performances and breakthroughs. We still have people that are learning how to compete at this level and […]

“I thought we had some really great performances and breakthroughs. We still have people that are learning how to compete at this level and learning what it takes not only this week but year round,” Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Lisa Breznau said. “I am super proud of a number of people throughout the week. All of our scorers, I think, did a tremendous job of staying focused and just simply trying to be at their best and not worrying about the outcome. We will continue to build a group that knows how to compete.”
Rachel Forsyth continued her strong freshman campaign finding the podium twice on Sunday. After finishing fifth in the 3000m at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, she earned another fifth-place finish in the 1500m with a time of 4:15.70. She was among the leaders of the pack for the whole race with Washington’s Sophie O’Sullivan pulling away in the final few meters, winning in 4:11.66.
Less than two hours after the final of the 1500m, Forsyth was back at it again in the 5000m final. She stayed in the main pack throughout the race. Oregon’s Silan Ayyildiz pulled away winning the race in a meet record time of 15:37.11. Forsyth ran a confident race, setting a new personal best (15:43.81) to finish fifth. Her previous personal best was 15:47.04 at the Virginia Challenge in April. With her two fifth-place finishes on the day, Forsyth earned eight points for the Spartans.
Riley Hough had a fantastic showing in the men’s 5000m. Running with a group of Oregon and Wisconsin runners for the majority of the race, Hough held his own, crossing the line with a personal-best time of 13:34.19 to finish fourth. Oregon’s Simeon Birnbaum set a new meet record to capture first place in 13:31.87
After running a personal best 2:04.63 to advance to the final on Saturday, Shae Harbaugh earned more points for the Spartans in the 800m final. She finished seventh in the final, crossing in 2:06.61 to earn two points.
In the women’s triple jump, Leila Barmore finished 12th with a season best jump of 12.47m. In the women’s shot put, Jessica Stieb was just shy of reaching the final, taking ninth (16.43m).
The Spartans ended the meet with the 4x400m relays with both teams earning season bests. The women’s squad of Alexys Wilson, Gabrielle Jeffries, Shae Harbaugh, Elizabeth Anderson ran 3:40.41. The men’s team of Henry Shaieb, Timothy Cherry, Drew Novak, Terrence Muex crossed in 3:18.95.
The MSU women finished 12th with 21 points, while men were 16th with 15 points. USC women won its first Big Ten outdoor team title with 121 points. The Oregon won also picked up its first Big Ten outdoor title with 110 points.
Michigan State will next head to Jacksonville, Florida on May 28-May 31 for the NCAA First Round.
Scoring Breakdown
MSU Men, 16th, 15 points
Saturday, May 17
Decathlon – Dylan Terryberry, 7th, 2 points
High Jump – Brady Schultz, 7th, 2 points
Shot Put – Dillon Morlock, 8th, 1 point
3,000m Steeplechase – Andrew Nolan, 4th, 5 points
Sunday, May 18
5000m – Riley Hough, 4th, 5 points
MSU Women, 12th, 21 points
Friday, May 16
Hammer Throw – Elle Adrian, 8th, 1 point
Saturday, May 17
3000m Steeplechase – Kate Stewart-Barnett, 1st, 10 points
Sunday, May 18
1500m – Rachel Forsyth, 5th, 4 points
800m – Shae Harbaugh, 7th, 2 points
5000m – Rachel Forsyth, 5th, 4 points
Sports
Men’s Track and Field Wins Third-Straight IC4A Title; Women Place Sixth in ECAC Championship
Story Links FAIRFAX, Va. – The Navy men’s track and field team won its third-consecutive IC4A Championship on Sunday at George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Va. The Mids won four events and scored 128 total points to better second-place UMBC’s tally by 21 points. The Navy women’s squad finished in […]
FAIRFAX, Va. – The Navy men’s track and field team won its third-consecutive IC4A Championship on Sunday at George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Va. The Mids won four events and scored 128 total points to better second-place UMBC’s tally by 21 points. The Navy women’s squad finished in sixth place in the ECAC Championship, which was held at the same venue, with 53.5 points. Jia Anderson’s victory in the 100m hurdles headlined the efforts for the women’s team.
“I thought it was a really good weekend. We went in there with the intention of trying to hit certain marks and give some younger kids another opportunity to compete,” said director of track & field Jamie Cook. “The younger athletes were impressive from Cooper [Wakley], Wyatt [Shaw] and Zoie [Tesi]. Everyone had a lot of fun this weekend and it was exciting on our part as coaches to see them having fun. We had a lot of guys who performed well who don’t normally get a lot of opportunities.”
Men’s Recap
The Mids won a pair of relay events during the championship.
The 4x100m relay team of Marcel Jackson, Nathan Kent, Jonah Johnson and Tyler Yurich ran a winning time of 39.68, the third-fastest time in program history. The quartet now owns the five fastest times in Navy history, all of which were set this season.
“These guys have been amazing this year and to win today’s race by over a second is impressive. The chemistry is strong and that’s what makes this group great,” said Cook.
The Mids won their second relay event when the 4x400m relay team of David Walker, Cooper Wakley, Conor McFadden and Pete deJonge ran a time of 3:11.42.
In the field events, Wyatt Shaw and Benjemen Schneider each cleared 2.08 meters (6′ 9.75″) in the high jump to place first and second, respectively. Then three Mids finished in the top five in the pole vault led by Wakley’s first-place mark of 5.09m (16′ 8.25″). Brian Schloeder cleared 4.99m (16′ 4.5″) to take second, while Gavin Anderson was fifth with a vault of 4.89m (16′ 0.5″).
Navy had five more second-place showings during the meet. Jackson competed in the 100m sprint where he finished second in a time of 10.67. Yurich tied his season-best placement in the 200m with a second-place time of 21.09. Walker battled to a second-place finish (by nine-hundredths of a second) in the 400m hurdles as clocked a 52.43. Logan Flament took second place in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:33.53. It marked the second time this season he has placed second or better in the event. Rounding out the list was Malachi Cummings, who finished in second place in the javelin with a career-best throw of 64.84m (212-8).
Sean Miller recorded his second-fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase time of the season to finish third in 9:17.02. Shaw continued his strong weekend with a third-place finish in the long jump as he recorded a leap of 7.17m (23′ 6.25″). Colby Fahrney placed fifth in the event with a jump of 6.98m (22′ 10.75″). Reilly Payne and Adam Szatanek both finished in the top seven in the discus. Payne threw 48.06m (157-8) to place fourth, while Szatanek placed seventh with a mark of 46.27m (151-9). Also, deJonge clocked a sixth-place time in the 400m of 47.81 seconds and Gary Choice placed seventh in the triple jump with a leap of 14.08m (46-4.25).
Women’s Recap
Anderson edged Sacred Heart’s Magdalena Brogioli by two-tenths of a second to win the 100m hurdles title with a time of 14.03.
The Mids had two silver medalists at the meet. First, Zoie Tesi placed second in the high jump with a leap of 1.69m (5′ 6.5″). Tesi has had an impressive rookie campaign as she finished first or second in every meet she competed in. Then Taylor Woodworth had a strong 400m as she clocked the seventh-best time in program history at 54.29 to place second in the field.
Nalina Smith had a standout weekend with career-best marks in both the discus (45.02 meters / 147′ 8″) and the hammer throw (51.23m / 168′, 1″) to place third in each event.
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Alyssa Lee of El Camino Real has achieved something few volleyball coaches can claim.
With El Camino Real’s boys team winning the City Section Open Division championship on Saturday after an upset over No. 1-seeded Venice, Lee has won City titles coaching El Camino Real’s boys, girls and beach volleyball teams, the Triple Crown of volleyball coaching.
“That’s very impressive,” said Granada Hills coach Tom Harp, who had Lee on his girls’ team when she graduated in 2009.
Harp, a future Hall of Fame coach in the City Section, said Lee is calm and comfortable on the bench and knows strategy well.
El Camino Real opens the state playoffs on Tuesday in Division 2 with a home game against Escondido Classical Academy.
Mira Costa is seeded No. 1 in Division 1…
The CIF Southern California tennis championships will be held Friday and Saturday at Claremont Club. Here’s the bracket…
Southern Section golf team championships are set for Monday and Tuesday. The individual championship will be Thursday. The City Section championships are Wednesday at Harding Golf Course.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Mike Krukow declares ‘Oaklamento Athletics’ official name
How, exactly, should the wandering Athletics be referred to? That MLB team, currently playing in Sacramento following a relocation from Oakland and ahead of a planned move to Las Vegas, wants no city name attached. But many broadcasters aren’t willing to abide by that, with long-time San Francisco Giants’ voice Mike Krukow offering a new […]

How, exactly, should the wandering Athletics be referred to? That MLB team, currently playing in Sacramento following a relocation from Oakland and ahead of a planned move to Las Vegas, wants no city name attached. But many broadcasters aren’t willing to abide by that, with long-time San Francisco Giants’ voice Mike Krukow offering a new “Oaklamento” label Sunday on the NBC Sports Bay Area Giants’ broadcast:
Mike Krukow: We are going to the bottom half of the fourth inning and Oaklamento leads San Francisco 2-1.
Jon Miller: Oaklamento. That’s a good one. https://t.co/qAZ8r3bQio pic.twitter.com/upFRbzJ3u3
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 18, 2025
That comment drove plenty of discussion on social media.
Boy, the #SFGiants broadcast crews really feeling what many loyal A’s fans feel where they well & truly belong & it’s not Sacramento nor Las Vegas. #Athletics #SellTheTeam #ATHvsSF #OAKvsSF https://t.co/ZLCy81RsuT
— NYAZSporty (@NYAZsporty) May 18, 2025
Like. #Oaklamento https://t.co/6iRGwxa0ZL
— Suzanne_Cummins (@suzanne_cummins) May 18, 2025
The entire baseball world could give two shits what the AAA’s wanna be called.
No one takes them serious. #FJF
— Last Dive Bar
(@LastDiveBar) May 18, 2025
Miller repeatedly called that team “Oakland” on the same broadcast Friday alongside Krukow:
Never change Jon Miller…never change!
Oakland Forever! #FJF pic.twitter.com/xMd6s8bvJr
— Last Dive Bar
(@LastDiveBar) May 17, 2025
There are many questionable things with this current version of the Athletics. The team has deserted their long-time home for a minor-league park (with significant facilities questions) ahead of a projected move many think may not happen. And their insistence on avoiding “Sacramento” certainly presents a way for broadcasters to take shots at them. The Miller and Krukow comments this weekend look like an example of that.
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Fairfax, Va. – The George Mason Women’s Track and Field team closed out their 2025 home season in spectacular fashion, claiming the title of ECAC Champions at the final home meet of the year. Freshman Cameron Portis got the day started with a strong showing in the discus, placing fifth with a mark of 46.77 […]

Fairfax, Va. – The George Mason Women’s Track and Field team closed out their 2025 home season in spectacular fashion, claiming the title of ECAC Champions at the final home meet of the year.
Freshman Cameron Portis got the day started with a strong showing in the discus, placing fifth with a mark of 46.77 meters. Fellow freshman Morgan Ryerson reached the podium in the 100m hurdles, securing third place with a time of 14.47 seconds.
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Next Up:
George Mason heads to Jacksonville, Florida, for the NCAA First Round, aiming to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
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