All about sports?

OK.  Somebody (besides my wife) has complained that I occasionally use this space for something other than sports.  Guilty.

In about 28 years of writing this column, I've covered about everything.   Originally only about sports injuries, I have since strayed far and wide.

I get stopped all the time with folks saying "I read your column."  Just a couple of weeks ago, in the parking lot of a local grocery store (always buy local), a lady pulled in beside me just so her husband could chat about my column.

But I'm obviously not pleasing all the people, all the time.

My wife prefers that I write about what I probably know best--health care, especially as it pertains to athletes.  When I wrote about cats and dogs a couple of weeks ago, she wondered out loud if I had finally run out of topics.

I suppose when I'm getting all preachy about what it takes to be a good parent maybe that should be in the Lifestyles Section but then those parents that seem to need the most help seem to be found around youth sports.

Or when I address obesity, maybe that should go somewhere else too except that the single most important ingredient in controlling your weight is to lead an active lifestyle and exercise and sports are vital components of that.

My personal anti-smoking campaign has little to do with sports except that if you smoke your kids are likely to smoke and your kids are my athletes and I want the best for them (and I think that you do too).

And then there's religion and politics.  I avoid those mostly but I have gone there a time or two, against sage counsel.   I'm not an evangelist but I hope that you see my spiritual side when you read my words.

As for politics, I'm pretty involved in that too.  I truly believe that you are part of the solution or you are part of the problem.  I know with certainty that if you are not involved in the political process, someone else is going to be making decisions about you, how you live your life...pretty much everything.

Including sports.   Politics and sports?  Sure.   Think about the BCS, Congressional steroid hearings, and laws about what to do when an athlete gets a concussion.

I guess the family vacation piece last week was a little far-fetched for the Sports Section but then (you knew something was coming, didn't you..) most of the best athletes that I know have a strong support system and I believe that starts with families.

So at least for a while, I'm going to write about dealing with heat and sprained ankles and concussions and all that.  And about my bicycle.  Can't forget the bicycle.  I might digress a bit now and then but I'll try and stay focused. 

But I guess the reality of it is that I'm still gonna write about life.   Because, in the end, isn't it all wrapped up in the same package?