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Paul Daugherty
Enquirer columnist files news and observations

Paul Daugherty
Paul Daugherty has been an Enquirer sports columnist since 1994 and has been chronicling Cincinnati sports since 1988. He has covered almost every major sporting event in America, as well as five Summer Olympics. Along the way, he has been named one of the country's top-5 sports columnists four times, and Ohio columnist of the year on seven different occasions. Last year, he was voted 2nd-best sports columnist in the country, by the Associated Press Sports Editors.

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Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Missing the Lefthander

For me, tonight is the real beginning of the baseball season. The carnival of Opening Day is done, the intrigue and constancy of 161 begins. For the first time since 2000, the nightly vigilance could pay off.

Deck, Adirondack chair, Keystone Light. Blanket. Radio. And this:

Everywhere you hear, he won't be there.

Joe Nuxhall, as we know, wasnt just a broadcaster. He was a tangible presence in our lives, even if some of us never met him. Our years drifted down the river of his words, one languid evening at a time. I know he wasn't on the air much in the past few years, but there was always that chance. Now, there isnt. I know tonight I'll miss him terribly.

So here's what I'm going to do. Or at least attempt. To honor Nux, I'm going to try a very simple thing that for whatever reason most of us find it very hard to do:

Be nice to someone.

Go out of my way. A word, an action, a gesture. One a day, in memory of a guy who made being nice a way of life. Would it be that all of us could live by the example Joe Nuxhall set. I'm going to try, starting today.


12 Comments:

at 8:53 AM Blogger stopint said...

pretty sad if you have to "try" to be nice...

 
at 9:09 AM Blogger liz said...

We should be nice to people all of the time. Not just to honor someone, but because it is the right thing to do -- all of the time. The Bible told us that long before there was a Joe Nuxhall.

 
at 10:48 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great idea to sit on your porch and listen to the Reds with some some good food, drink and family. I'll do the same here in Surprise, AZ and and the only difference will be I'll remove the solar cover from the pool and we'll have a swim. We'll also have some great food made locally at a family owned eatery that's in our souless and barren neighborhood here in Arizona. Yeah no Applesleeze for us Paul imagine that....Now as for the nice part? Family, home, the Reds and supporting a vibrant local business. That's nice!

 
at 10:48 AM Blogger Monclova Steve said...

Doc,
Your heart is in the right place. But -- if I may gently and "nicely" say -- um, I think trying to be nice once a day to someone may be setting the bar just a little LOW!

If all of us -- me included -- were as "nice" as Nux the world would be a much more pleasant place.

 
at 11:43 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Make eye contact and give a smile. That simple gesture almost always gets a conversation off on the right foot. Sends a message of kindness!

 
at 3:44 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

C'mon people, give Paul a break. He's not saying he's only going to be nice to one person per day. He's just going to make an EXTRA gesture per day in honor of Joe, and I can't fault that a bit. From a reader who went at it pretty hard with you over a certain issue on a big snow day a few weeks ago, I say have a great day Paul and thanks for giving us some thought provoking reading. (That's for you Joe. We miss you.)

 
at 6:27 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Agree. Whatever your level of "niceness" (none or full-time), if we'd all do one more, the world would be a better place.
You don't have to smoke weed to believe this!

 
at 6:37 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I thought that was a very touching gesture to make......so I was a little surprised to find as much negative and "smart" comments.

GREAT IDEA PAUL!!!!!

 
at 10:53 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sad to say, Paul, but it is typical Cincinnati to slam you for a very though provoking blog. It is not surprising, but should be heeded by the populace of Cincinnati, who have a majority of folk that simply aren't very nice. I lived there for 21 years, 4 in Kansas City, 2 in Seattle, and 2 in Louisville, and the people in those cities were nicer, bar none. So, kudos to you in trying to inspire Cincy, and giving tribute to Nux, but it will probably fall on deaf ears.

 
at 10:52 AM Blogger Anonymous said...

I will be nice after this comment. Stopint- What the Hell? Why? Yeah, you got him! Hey paul, you must be a jerk. Who is with me (i know stopint is)? Honestly, it is sad. I am trying to be nice but stopint is such a snide A$$ i cant help myself.

People, he is not saying he is only going to be nice to one person a day. I also find it hard to believe he is praying to, or waiting for the resurrection of Nuxy (liz)! I think this is a simple gesture to strive for, in rememberance of a close friend. we already do tons of other nice things for people every day in rememberance of our faith or what ever you may believe. so dont be an so pretentious when some one asks for a deed that does nobody any harm. Stopint shut up and just keep your thoughts to yourself! Thank you! i will be nice now!

Carson Palmer will be MVP (just sayin)

Mike from hippies (not really but it does sound a little bit like a pot conversation)

 
at 3:14 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Paul-- Amen Brother!

 
at 11:13 AM Blogger ewad said...

I met Joe once. I told him what an honor it was to meet him. Joe, said right back to me... "no the honor is mine." He had no reason other than class to say that. That brief meeting stuck with me everytime I heard him call a game. It was like listening to a friend describe an awesome day at the park...

 
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