Basketball as Antidepressant

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-43-98/Basketball-as-Antidepressant.html

According to this short Truehoop post, shooting hoops is good way to deal with depression. That's obvious enough to me. While I've never been clinically depressed, I know that my weekly hoops game helps me tremendously in dealing with the stress and fatigue of work. I certainly agree with all of the factors listed in the article regarding why basketball is good for the brain, i.e., the mental health benefits of exercise, sunlight, and being part of a team.

The one factor that I think Mr. Ilardi left out is that playing basketball just feels really good. At least for me, it is mentally and physically gratifying to play hoops. When I make a positive play, such as making a basket or blocking a shot, it's gratifying when it happens, and I continue to think about it in a positive way after I'm done playing. When I have a day when everything is clicking and I play my best, it makes me feel incredibly good and I use it as sort of a touchstone to pull myself out of a funk.

For example, earlier today I was feeling stressed about work and then I remembered how I dominated my brother John in two one-on-one games last weekend in Florida. Sure, John hadn't played since Easter and I had played only two days prior, and, sure, I'm four inches taller than John, and, yes, John has spent the last year doing nothing but working in a kitchen and rearing a toddler, but damn did I beat him thoroughly. I had the trademark flip shots working, along with the baby hook from the left block, and even the three point stroke was in effect. As John struggled with the Florida heat and the extra spring in the rims, I backed him down and crossed him up. "I think there's too much air in this ball," he said. "You're lucky I have bronchitis," he said. True, he did have bronchitis. Still, no one would ever question the impressiveness of my domination. I controlled the paint on offense and defense, hit trifectas from the great beyond, and then rained in deuces from mid-range just to show the completeness of my game. It was a display for the ages and one that John will certainly never forget.

So I encourage everyone to go out and play hoops when you are feeling down. It will make you feel great inside and out, unless, of course, you are my brother John and you have to play against me.

Really?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32450588/ns/business-personal_finance/

Diary of Alberto Honore Santa Maria, Sr

One of my second cousins just posted the wartime diary of my great grandfather, Alberto ("Santy") Santa Maria, online. Santy was a fighter pilot in World War I. His life in France during the war consisted of daily patrols and other missions during which his plane was regularly shot up by the enemy. The vast majority of the other pilots in his squadron were either killed or seriously injured after either being shot down or from crashing due to engine failure. Remarkably, Santy made it out of the war uninjured. And he got to play a lot of baseball during his downtime.

http://home.comcast.net/~chrissm01/site/?/page/Santy%27s_Diary_/