Our local All-Stars go national
A crew of hard-working Flathead Valley baseball players is bound for the Babe Ruth World Series starting this weekend in Virginia.
The Glacier 13U All-Stars, organized from the best players from youth leagues in Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Bigfork, is representing the Pacific Northwest at the elite national tournament after winning the regional in Helena earlier this month.
The opening game is Sunday for our local diamond heroes and we’re all rooting for them as they compete among the top 10 teams from around the United States.
The Glacier team’s World Series trip is history-making. The team is just the second team from Montana to qualify for the World Series.
That other World Series qualifier 31 years ago also was a Glacier team competing in the 13- to 15-year-old category.
Our Glacier boys are on a roll, winning three straight tournaments including the state and regional titles.
Let’s root for them to keep up their success on the biggest stage at their level in youth baseball.
Williams’ legacy and lesson
The world was saddened this week to learn that actor-comedian Robin Williams had taken his own life.
His legacy is secure, with brilliant comic performances in films like “Mrs. Doubtfire” and in his early TV series “Mork and Mindy,” plus a number of subtly modulated dramatic performances in films like “Good Will Hunting,” “Dead Poets Society” and “Good Morning Vietnam.”
It would be nice if that brilliant resume were enough to secure happiness and contentment for Williams, but as with many other talented people, Williams had battled demons for his entire adult life, and ended up losing that battle.
Addictions to alcohol and cocaine on top of clinical depression and most recently the discovery that he was entering the early stages of Parkinson’s disease took a toll on his spirit. After many years of sobriety, Williams just gave up. His death is a valuable lesson for everyone who has thought they could survive that one drink, one pill, or one needle. Eventually, you can’t.
Alcoholics Anonymous has a familiar slogan, “One day at a time,” which dovetails with the motto of the inspirational teacher portrayed by Williams in “Dead Poets Society” — “Carpe diem.” Seize the day.
For those of us left to the hard work of living, with all its vicissitudes, it would be wise to grab ahold of the laughter that Williams specialized in and put away the temptation of surrender. Seize the day, every day, and don’t ever think there is an easier, softer way. Do your best.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.