I had been planning for months to go to the August 9 Dodgers game. Ever since we finalized plans to be in Southern California the second week of August. Duke Snider Bobblehead Doll night. A classy former Dodgers great and Hall of Famer. The Phillies, who have three former MVPs (Rollins, Utley, Howard) in the […]

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I decided to jogwalk through the old neighborhood today, at East Highlands Ranch, in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains. Early August, close to the zenith of a long, warm summer in this part of the world. Temperature pushing 90. Decided I needed to get moving by 10 a.m. so as not to fry. […]

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Never been to a big wedding that wasn’t great fun. But, then, not sure I’ve been to a small wedding that wasn’t great fun, either. A primary reason for coming back to the U.S. from the UAE for this three-and-a-half weeks was to attend the wedding of my nephew, which took place tonight in the […]

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Twenty-one months ago we got on a plane at LAX and headed for Abu Dhabi in the UAE. From that time till today we had not set foot in the U.S. Longest such stretch in my life. Leah’s, too. We might have come back for a visit sooner, but flying from the UAE, on the […]

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I don’t know how much attention Mohamed bin Hammam got in the United States. His run against Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency was a big deal in much of the soccer world, and particularly here in the Gulf, where the idea of a Qatari as boss of Fifa planet was a major news story. […]

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To put a positive spin on this, I went more than 21 months in the UAE without getting a moving violation in an automobile. To be a bit more candid about it … I hadn’t been behind the wheel of a car more than 30, 35 days since we got here, and I already have […]

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I love World Cup qualifying matches. It’s a lot like the World Cup, except everybody participates in qualifying. Even India. At least for another five days. The UAE played India tonight in the first half of a home-and-away pair of games to determine who moves ahead to the final 20 in the Asian Football Confederation. […]

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Just went outside for the oxymoronic concept of a post-exercise “cool down” here in Abu Dhabi in July. And what did I espy? New dumpsters!

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Lots of weirdnesses in UAE soccer. A handful of foreigners are counted on to score most of the goals. Players are paid well despite tiny crowds. No one in the UAE pays much attention to the league except for Emiratis, yet every game is nationally televised. No admission is charged to see games, you can’t […]

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I don’t remember if I commented on this a year ago. Probably did. It certainly is strange to get up one day and realize … a bunch of people have left Abu Dhabi and the UAE. Just … gone.

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