How does Outliers connect to MY life?

I find the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell to be an extremely entertaining and thought-provoking book. The way it is written is very compatible with the way my brain works. In this book, Malcolm Gladwell first explains what an Outlier is, then continues to go into more detail and explain certain Outliers. This book connects to my life in many ways. The three most important of these ways being opportunity, parenting, and hard work. 

Malcolm Gladwell uses the whole first half of the book to talk about opportunity. I'm going to be slightly more specific and talk only about a few aspects of opportunity. In his first chapter he discusses the Matthew Effect (pgs. 15-34). The Matthew Effect can be explained as such, a first statement is made and is false, a process occurs with the result being that the prior statement has become true. "In the beginning, his advantage isn't so much that he is inherently better but only that he is a little older. But by the age of thirteen or fourteen, with the benefit of better coaching and all that extra practice under his belt, he really is better." (Pg.25) In this chapter he talks a lot about timing, specifically the month of year in which you were born. Based upon when you were born, you could be eligible for certain opportunities that other people, born at different times, are not. Malcolm talks about this idea again later in the book while referring to the technology revolution. "The perfect age to be in 1975, in other words, is old enough to be a part of the coming revolution but not so old that you missed it." (Pg. 65) My life has been full of opportunities which have put me in the place I'm in currently, and where I will be in the future. I was born June 30th, 1996. My opportunities haven't so much come from the month, or even the year, I was born in. However, my location has. Being born in the United States, I am a citizen and have rights. Some people can't say that. Also, being born in Guilderland has blessed me with opportunity. The education I receive at Guilderland is better than most. I have the opportunity to choose my own classes, which will directly lead to the opportunity of choosing where I want to go career wise in my life. The fact that I am a middle child has also given me opportunity. I have developed certain traits due to the fact that I am a middle child. Another opportunity was given to me when my parents split. I could either choose to live with my mom or my dad. Since they are both different people, they have different parenting styles. These different parenting styles have and will affect me in many ways because the parent forms the child.

This takes me to my next connection, parenting. Later in the book Malcolm discusses Annette Lareau's finding on studies of 3rd graders from different economic classes. In regards to lower-class parents, Malcolm writes, "They see as their responsibility to care for their children but to let them grow and develop on their own." (Pg. 104) When referring to middle-class parenting styles, Malcolm wrote, "It's an attempt to actively foster and assess a child's talents, opinions and skills." (Pg. 104) My dad has, what Malcolm defines as, a lower-class parenting style. He guides me in the right direction but allows me to make my own choices and learn from my own mistakes. My mom on the other hand parents with a style that Malcolm would refer to as middle-class parenting. She went ahead for me and attempted to expand on my talents. She did the work and set up appointments and meetings or what not. There are many by-products from these different parenting styles. "The middle-class children learn a sense of entitlement." (Pg. 105) I can say that this much is true. I can see how I have a sense of entitlement that I obtained from my Mom. I am comfortable speaking with adults and in my opinion am well mannered. I sometimes have trouble asking questions in front of a class though. Throughout the course of the book, Malcolm repeatedly brings up certain points. One of which is that upper-class children are more likely to succeed then middle and lower class children.  When my parents split I chose to live with my dad. Although he has a lower-class parenting style I'd like to think I'm doing pretty well. He has always been quick to anger which is definitely a trait he has passed on. Having siblings definitely affected me and also who my parents are has also affected me. Through siblings, many opportunities were given to me. I always knew what I was getting into before I got into it, thanks to my older brother. He basically did everything I did but 2 years before me so I always had at least a general idea of what was going to happen. This helped especially during school. Since I had been socializing with my brother and sister before I went to school I had a social advantage over some of the kids in my class that were only child's'. The praying before meals and church on Sundays and religious aspect of my life was an opportunity given to me through the parents I have. Also the fact that both my parents are bilingual gave me an opportunity to learn another language, Spanish. Now that I know Spanish I can be later blessed with opportunities that my peers cannot. I can travel to Spanish speaking countries and meet people that only speak Spanish. Most people I know can only search for employment in English speaking countries but I can search for employment in both English and Spanish speaking countries. Employment shouldn't be a problem as long as I work hard.

My next and last connection is that of hard work. The hard work of Asians on rice paddies and their language has directly caused them to be better at math and more hard working, according to the words of Malcolm Gladwell. Since a majority of Asian culture is dependent on hard work and concentration, they are naturally more hard working and concentrating. Hard work definitely has a direct relationship to success. "Virtually every success story we've seen in this book so far involves someone or some group working harder than their peers." (Pg. 239) Erling Boe, an educational researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, discovered that there is a relationship between being able to concentrate/focus and being good at math. "Countries whose students are willing to concentrate and sit still long enough to focus on answering every single question in an endless questionnaire are the same countries whose students do the best job of solving math problems." (Pg. 247-48) Despite all the things I haven't done, I have always managed to keep my grades up in school. School has become a priority to me and although my dad constantly complains about me being lazy, when I get to school I know it's not the time or place to be lazy. The hard work through my many years in school has definitely been worth it. I'm currently in honors classes and am hoping to take A.P. U.S. History next year. The more hard work I put in, the more opportunities will be given or available to me later. High School opens the doors to College and College opens the doors to a profession. Since a profession is something you're going to have to stick with or at least have for the majority of your life, unless you're lucky, I think it's important for me and for everyone to be happy with their profession and that it be a good profession. I have always been habitually focused on school and the hard work has definitely placed me ahead of most of my peers. 

I very much enjoyed reading the book Outliers. It was a very enjoyable and well written book. When comparing this book to my life there are certainly many connections. Malcolm's ideas or writings about hard work and parenting connect to my life. Also, the most important or interesting one to me, opportunity definitely connects to my life.

Elegy Poetry Prompt

Grandpa

Goes by Manuel

Few distant memories

but they're definitely good ones

if only he was around longer

he would be proud

had 4 great kids

a fairly quiet man

bad Alzheimer's 

successful doctor

for the little time I knew him

he will be missed

Microfiction, In the end it didn't matter

In the end it didn't matter, it didn't matter that he had money beyond his wildest dreams because he didn't have the things that really mattered. He didn't have happiness, he didnt have people in his life that actually cared, that were actually real friends. Sure his name would be remembered for years to come, but was it worth it?
It's funny how someone elses success brings pain. Steven used to be fairly average. At 5'10 and 175 pounds there was nothing about his physical appearance that stuck out, down to his combed back hair and brown eyes often hidden behind sunglasses. Finally fed up with always being out of money, he decided to make a change, and began to form a plan. Looking back, he began to plan for his demise. This plan would consume his time completely, it became the main focus of his life. The plain being to rob a bank. Seems a little extreme but with bills stacking up that seemed would be impossible to pay back in 2 lifetimes, he felt that he had no choice.
This wasn't going to be any ordinary bank robbery, with the time he took, he made sure that would indefinitely be unique. He wanted to be extremely certain he got it right, there were to be no mistakes. A flawless bank robbery though, there not easy to come by, and certainly not easy to perform. The first step began months before the eventual robbing. His group of 'assistants' applied for jobs at the bank, Steven knew inside people were a must. Only a small team of 4 would be attempting this task, the more people, the more risk. It was to be made to look like an accident.
Steven didn't only have his bank robbery planned out, but his life after it too. He kept this a secret from his family, he decided he would recommunicate with them some time down the road. Definitely not immediately after, and the less people that knew about this plan the better. As an obvious result of not involving his family, he spent less time around family, somewhat in part due to guilt. Everytime he was around them he couldn't think of anything else besides the changes he would inflict on them. He was certain they would always be in contact.
But back to the plan. This was no ordinary storming of the castle, a stealth factor was extremely important. So important that 4 months of work was done to make certain that it was flawless. This 4 months of work was put in the form of digging. Confused? Steven dug a hole that lead to the vault in the bank where the money was kept. This couldn't be done without sacrifice, time spent with family during this period was at a minimum. He was consumed by this plan or project. Isolation and loneliness were results of this.
I will refrain from going into detail about the robbery, but I can say this much. It was succesful. Extremely succesful in Steven's eyes. Walked in and out like it was no problem, only difference being the amount of cash he walked out with. 60 million, it was done on a day when the bank had an abundance of money. If Steven was risking that much, he wanted to make sure it was worth it. He was out of the country in a few hours, his first strides towards running away had began, and once you begin running you never stop. Steven began to live a life of misery. Having to lay low for some time, the money was useless at first. His family was the equivelant of non-existing. Even when enough time had gone by for him to feel safe calling his family, he had soiled the family name and they were living in shame. Clearly upset by Steven's actions they discontinued talking to him. Steven was on his own.
He began to surround himself with material objects. Possibly to fill in the emptiness of other important things. He had everything most people dreamed of. Still he was depressed and alone. Soon after he succeeded, he realized he had failed. Eventually the gloomness of being alone every single day caught up to him. Steven turned himself in within 2 years. Don't be fooled, money can't buy happiness.

Creative contest I blog

E=English Mastiff

Description- heavy square head with a well marked stop between the eyes. Usually have medium-sized dark brown or hazel eyes with a black mask (not an actual mask) around them. Dark nose, V-shaped ears, teeth don't show when mouth closes. High set tail with a wide base. Coat colors include: golden fawn, light fawn, apricot, silver, tiger or brindle.

Appearance/Size- Massive dog. Average weight is 150-160 pounds and average height is 27-30 inches. Male mastiffs can sometimes exceed 200 pounds. Their fur is usually a lighter color.

Diet- No table scraps. If it's a puppy, for the first 14 days don't change the diet and feed it the same food the breeder did. If they're fully grown, 3-4 cups of dry food, depending on weight. For puppies, after 14 days, snacks and other foods can be introduced.

Temperament- Mastiffs are born guard dogs. Tends to drool and are hard to train. Self-confident, watchful, intelligent, and calm.

Shedding- Mastiff's are average shedders.

Health/Allergies/Vaccines- The breeder gets the first set of vaccinations and worms the puppy. You will need to take it to get a booster shot 2 weeks into having the puppy and then again 6 months in.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/mastiff.htm
http://mastiff25.tripod.com/id15.html

Creativity Breeds Creativity

If You Think You Are Beaten
by Walter D. Wintle

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win but think you can't,
It's almost certain you won't.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

Culinary Poetry Prompt

Thanksgiving

A glorious feast

Mom forgot the yeast

Eating til' I pop

Even then I won't stop

Fried turkey on my plate

I can't even wait

To stuff my face

Me and my brother race

My plate is completely full

Mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing

Not even 10 minutes later

Left on my plate there is nothing

Now I'm falling asleep

Because I have turkey idis

I eventually pass out

You would think I was Irish



TU Tuesday guest speaker

Poise: He had very good poise. He seemed very relaxed while talking to the class as he was sitting down and leaned back. Even when he was in a serious disagreement with a student he kept his composure and didn't seem to be sidetracked by it.

Clarity: When he spoke he was very clear in both voice and meaning. His voice was loud enough to be heard at the back of the class. His words seemed to be very precise as to explaining what he meant.

Volume: The speaker spoke with a perfect volume. Not too loud but just loud enough. I was seated at the back and could hear him clearly.

Information: He gave out a lot of useful knowledge. He had confidence in what he was saying and instead of straight up saying it he elaborated on it and explained what he meant. I liked how he did that because a lot of times I didn't understand him at first but he made it make sense.

Organization: To me his organization was very good. The answers he gave were lengthy enough to very clearly answer the question but not too lengthy as to lose the listeners interest. He always responded with confidence and without stuttering or contradicting himself.

I myself never got a chance to ask him a question or have a discussion with him. I learned a lot from what he said in response to my classmates questions. For me the most important thing he said, or main thing that stuck in my head, were his thoughts on the importance of focus. He said something about how you can achieve anything as long as you are completely and entirely focused on it. I thought this to be very true and liked his use of the example of multiple tabs open on a computer. You're not giving your full attention to any single one of the tabs your brain is in many places at once.
I would recommend this speaker for next year because he is a very intelligent man. He responded with confidence and seemed to have a lot to say. He was never at a loss for words and his thoughts are very interesting. He is a person I wouldn't mind having an extended conversation with.

Thankful Four

Opinion prompt #7

I don't think very fondly of most music. Most music these days is a bad influence on our nation and is filled with explicitness. When I'm listening to the radio, I hear things I wouldn't want my kids to hear, if I had any. The devil used to be the angel of music. Recently at church, my pastor talked about how the devil uses music to mess with us. The ideas music plants in your head and just the way it tempts you with words is amazing. I've seen people who can't change their past because they hold on to the style of music from their past. Every time they hear that style of music they're instantly reminded of everything associated with it. My pastor said the only good and clean type of music is gospel music, but I can't listen to that type of music. So do I believe music is a basic need in life? Absolutely not, i'd say the complete opposite.

I want to write about #96

In my life, like all people, I've learned a lot of lessons. One of the most important to me is about addiction. I've learned that no matter how much control you think you have, you don't. People who say their balancing it out aren't balancing it out at all because the balance they've made always suits their situation. A balance is something you create in your own mind. No matter how bad you get, you will always believe your balancing it out. There is no possible way to balance addictive substances into your life. Any amount is too much. When you're pointing out someone's addiction it is important to make the negative affects of their addiction visible to them. Once you're addicted, you're addicted for life. Quitting is one of the hardest things to do on this planet and for that reason people are ignorant to ever start.

Magnetic Poetry

D=Dominican Republic

I would like to go to the Dominican Republic because I have never gone before and everybody that has gone has loved it. If I were to go, I would make sure to visit these 7 places.

1.) Playa Del Macao-A famous beach in the Dominican Republic. They are "perfectly suited for catching some rays." I've snowboarded before and I enjoyed it and I've always wanted to try surfing. This beach is great for "enjoying some of the area's best surfing."

2.) Lago Enriquillo-A huge salt water lake. "It is home to one of the area's largest wild reserves and bird sanctuaries." There is a variety of animals in this "natural beauty of unspoiled splendor."

3.) Eastern National Park-"One of the largest marine parks in the Caribbean and home to 112 different bird species." Coral reef systems for diving and caves containing early drawings can be found at this park as well.

4.) Basilica de Nuestra Senora-"A beloved church and an impressive sight." "One of the finest displays of modern Christian architecture."

5.) Plaza de la Cultura-A plaza/park containing various aspects of Dominican culture. "For a cultural slice of the Dominican Republic, this is the place to go." Museums and art galleries can be found here.

6.) Mount Isabel de Torres-"Once at the top, you can expect an incredible view of the Dominican Republic geography." The trip begins with a cable car ride to the top, where a restaurant can be found.

7.) Catedral Primada de America-"The oldest Cathedral in the Americas." It is located in Santo Domingo and was once the resting place of Christopher Columbus.





http://travel.aol.com/articles/dominican-republic-site-seeing-top-10-attractions

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence

This has always been my personal favorite proverb. I believe this is one of the truest statements there is. I think it means that you always want what you can"t have. For example, if you have something and you don't want it, the second you don't have it you want it. Things that annoy you when they're there are the things you miss the most when you no longer have them. At least this is true for me. I know right now I don't want to be living with my parents and I can't wait until I'm old enough to move out but as soon as I move out I'm going to wish I was still at home living with my dad. It's very hard to be satisfied with where you are in life and what you have. No matter how much you have, there will be someone with more then you. You can either keep trying to have more things, or just accept that you will never have it all. By adopting this proverb, you can be determined to chase that greener grass on the other side of the fence and it can drive you to be the best you can be.

DULCIS BREVIS poetry prompt

Small
Furry
Scared

Quick
Agile
Determined

Gray
Wild
Crazy

Furry
Tailed
Squirrel

Halloween Blog

I was stuck at home all by myself. It was Halloween night, but Mom had said that I was too old for trick-or-treating. With nothing else to do, I turned on the TV. The Office, my favorite show, was on TV so I made some food and sat down to watch. As soon as I sat down the doorbell rang. I got the bucket of candy and opened the door but to my surprise there was nobody there. I thought it was probably just some mischievous kids messing with me and so I went back to watching The Office. Ironically enough the episode I was watching was about a Halloween party. I lay down on the couch with my bowl of popcorn laughing every now and then until the doorbell rang again. Once again I grabbed the bucket of candy and headed towards the door. Once again there was nobody at the door. This time I went outside and looked around but again there was nobody there. I began to worry a little bit but still didn't think much of it. I cautiously went back to watching my show, but kept peeking over my shoulder to make sure nobody was at the door. I heard something fall over in my kitchen and went to go check on it. The second I got to my kitchen the doorbell rang. I ran to see who it was but nobody was at the door. I began to panic and returned to the kitchen to see what fell. My cat had knocked over some Halloween decorations. I calmed down and began to pick up the mess. Upon returning to my living room to watch the show, I immediately stopped as I saw someone already in the room. There was someone inside my house wearing a cloak and covering their face. I started yelling but as the person revealed their face I began to laugh; my mom was the cloaked figure.

TU Tuesday

http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/U-S-can-t-afford-dual-villains-2234389.php

Big is bad.


But there is no agreement on the beast that must be slain.


Big government was needed to combat big business.


Separation of corporation and state. 


The Occupy Wall Street protests and the Tea Party movement both oppose what they see as the big, out-of-control forces devouring America. 


This article talks about problems with big business and corporations. The words/phrases are chosen to show what the problem is, why it's a problem, and solutions to the problem. The author says, "Big is bad." Even though he says this, he also says "Big government was needed to combat big business." Big business is not selected by the people, while government is. Big business steals the wealth from the average person while government is elected by the people to fix problems, so a big government is preferred over big businesses. 2 solutions to this problem are the "separation of corporation and state", and "The Occupy Wall Street protests." The bigger the protests the bigger the problem since "Big is bad." When there's a big enough problem, change is forced and the change usually is for the benefit of the protesters. One problem with the Occupy Wall Street protests are that "there is no agreement on the beast that must be slain." The people know that "Big is bad" but the people protesting are not in full agreement on what the big thing is that needs to change. Protesters in Wall Street are there for different reasons and to be successful they need to work together to achieve one united goal.

child book blog

 
Everytime I see this book I can't help but smile. My parents got me this book when I was a kid and it was instantly my favorite book. I laughed so hard every single time I read the book or got the book read to me. Me and my brother would read the book together and just sit there laughing for long periods of time. Even if I read the book now I think I would still laugh. The pictures in the book are what really caught my attention. When the sequel came out I made my mom get it for me and I instantly fell in love with that book too. I can recall so many memories of me and my brother laughing at the pictures in the book. When I have kids I'm going to make sure that they read this book as well.

C = Cornell University

Reasons why I would want to attend Cornell college:

1.) The campus is absolutely huge, so huge in fact that it has it's own zip code

2.) Cornell is an ivy league school

3.) Cornell offers more than 4,000 courses

4.) My uncle went to Cornell and is now extremely successful

5.) There is a lot of different people with a lot of different interests

Reasons why I would NOT want to attend Cornell college:

1.) Depending on what you're going for, it costs around 30,000 a year

2.) Cornell is located in Ithica which is around 3 hours away

3.) I feel like too much would be expected of me

www.cornell.edu/

Vintage Photo

Dead Soldiers from the Battle of Gettysburg

Until recently I wanted to be a soldier in the armed forces. I was very interested in the marines. My cousin is now 35 and an ex-marine. I wanted to go to military school at west point and graduate as a ranking officer. My change of mind came from the thought of killing another human being or even assisting in the killing of another human being. It's an obvious sin and should be discouraged. Taking another life is a very serious thing and if I was a soldier it would be my job to take other lives. Many people in the armed forces suffer from post dramatic stress disorder. I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I knew I had killed or helped kill other people. It's one thing to play war related video games but a completely different thing to actually be in war. Actually seeing the results of war is shocking and to think that I ever wanted to be a part of any of that is also shocking. I think that anyone in the front line of the armed forces is very brave but also very cold hearted. I guess all in all someone has to do it. I respect anyone that puts their life on the line for the safety of American citizens and America itself but I no longer want to ever be involved in any armed forces. 

The Body by Stephen King

The most important things are the hardest things to say. Recently in my life I've felt like this. Once I say something that is hard for me to say, my life takes an epic turn for the best and I realize the things I need to change. God is becoming more and more important in my life which I feel is very important. This Sunday I went to church twice which to the me a week ago would have seemed like too much church to handle. My faith has become stronger as well as my patience. Many of my old habits which I thought were very important to have, I've realized are habits that I've made myself and not habits that I've gained through God. Although they're hard to change, God will help me through it. This weekend has been a very eye opening weekend. I've realized that the life I'm in is because of my previous actions and habits that I failed to see are not good actions and habits to have. My pride especially has caused me a lot of problems. I have too much pride for my own good and it's good to have pride but not to the level that I have. It took me a lot to come to terms with this and I'm thankful to God that I've been able to see this. I'm branching out with my faith and for once wanting to grow with it. Only time will tell.

TU Tuesday Blog

In the blog Mary registered for 2 marathons. She wrote, "the biggest risk being I would get in both and have to run them just under a month apart." She said this so she could have something more to write about because she ended up running 2 marathons anyway. I don't think she was all that worried about having to run 2 different marathons or she wouldn't have ended up doing it. You should always strive to push your limits and achieve something better then you thought imaginable.

Haiku

Priorities change
Blindly following/trusting
God will guide me right

Opinion prompt #9

Breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day. Every body needs to start their day off in a positive way and what better than a nice breakfast. If I don't eat breakfast I'm usually hungry by the end of 1st block and I can't focus in class. When I eat a good breakfast I pay attention up until lunch and I can actually focus and learn. If I don't eat breakfast I'm usually in just a worse mood through out the day. Breakfast doesn't come until around 11 hours after dinner. That's the longest wait between meals that there is all day. If you wait until lunch that makes it closer to 18 hours without food. Breakfast is without a doubt the most important meal of the day.

Ultimate Poem

I want to hear a poem that flows together better then peanut butter and jelly
I want to hear a poem that makes me want to be more friendly
I want to hear a poem that's like music to my ears
I want to hear a poem that I'll remember for years

I want to hear a poem that's lyrically genius
I want to hear a poem that leaves me speechless
I want to hear a poem that reminds me what's important
I want to hear a poem that is absolutely brilliant

Even a small gift could mean so much to someone today. (119)

The smallest gesture of kindness can be picked up by others and can completely change some bodies day. Something that doesn't mean much to you can mean a lot to another person. People take things for granted. Food is a daily thing for me and it is always there but to a homeless person it means the world to them. It doesn't need to be anything major, the smallest gift can do more then it looks. It can remind someone that you care about them or it can directly affect some bodies mood for the better. It's nice to know somebody cares about you enough to go out of their way to get something for you. Cheer someone up.

#7 List 12 things to do when there's no power

1.) Play Basketball
2.) Read a book
3.) Eat food
4.) Sleep
5.) Go for a run
6.) Spend time with friends
7.) Play football
8.) Do homework
9.) Read the bible
10.) Spend time with my dad
11.) Spend time with my sister
12.) Go to my mom's and play pool

The Last Supper

Andrea Del Sarto

The Last Supper

My mom grew up in a very Christian family, so as a child I went to church every Sunday. I used to see it as being forced to go but now since I'm getting older, church has become a very important part of my life. As of recently I've started taking bigger steps towards God. It's very difficult to resist temptation, but everyday I do my best. There's a lot of things I would like to do but for the most part I'm to lazy to actually do any of these things. It frustrates me how separated from God this world has become. 

B, B, what begins with the letter B

Being productive is never easy. Beavers are brown, which is the main color of my shoes. Blue is one of my favorite colors but only if its air blue. Black is a dark color and the color of night. Basketball is a fun sport, I'm good at it because I'm tall. Being bored is one of the worst feelings there is.

multiple meanings

One day we'll stop waiting for change with our hands in our pockets

One day we'll stop wasting time with our eyes on the clock

One day we'll stop going to war with our nuclear rockets

One day we'll stop paying attention with our money on our minds

10 Things You Didn't Know About Rafael

1.) I'm a strong believer in God
2.) I believe that everything you do will catch up to you
3.) My parents are divorced and I live with my father
4.) My mom's getting re-married in November
5.) I get along great with my mom's boyfriend
6.) I have an older brother who is currently in rehab and a younger sister who greatly annoys me
7.) I want to be a pharmacist when i grow up
8.) I'm a procrastinator I always put off big projects
9.) I used to be fluent in Spanish but not so much anymore
10.) I love music

Books I read in the summer of 2011
Sports Illustrated Tipping Point by Lee Jenkins
Sports Illustrated Living the High Life by Lee Jenkins
Sports Illustrated The Moment by Joe Posnanski