Southwest The Magazine - November 2014 - (Page 28)

From the Editor PICKED OFF Lonnie Ballentine shows there's glory in being picked last. Dear Reader, It was a rite of childhood-of mine, anyway. The pickup baseball captains take turns choosing their teams. They run through the athletic kids first and then select from the reasonably coordinated. Then one points at Billy Stewart, whose glasses tend to fall off when he tries to catch the ball. The other waves in an accident-prone kid called Chipper because of a mishap involving his teeth. Next up, a boy known only for his speed to the Good Humor truck. Finally it comes down to Fred Blackburne and me. Fred swings 28 SOUTHWEST NOVEMBER 2014 a bat like a sleepwalker with a hammer. The captain weighs our respective liabilities-and picks Fred. That scene, so common in my generation, seems rare in these days of organized sports and adult supervision. I'm not nostalgic (believe me), but I personally benefited from the humiliation. For one thing, I learned to avoid any sport that necessitates a ball. On page 84 you'll find a great story about another Last Kid Picked: Lonnie Ballentine, chosen last in the NFL Draft and thus given the title "Mr. Irrelevant." It's one of sport's more ironic monikers, since being drafted at all means you're one of the truly elite. Still, I like the idea of celebrating the last pick. When Lonnie, a safety, intercepts his first pass, the triumph will seem that much sweeter. I will know how he feels. My life is better for having been a Last Kid Picked, such as when I asked a beautiful resident of Washington, D.C., to marry me. She had dated men who were the professional equivalent of neighborhood team captains. And yet, 33 years ago this month, she picked me above them all and said yes. Lonnie and I, and all the other Last Kids Picked out there, simply need to remember the old saying that inevitably proves true: The last shall be first. -Jay Heinrichs Editorial Director PHOTOGRAPHY BY TODD SPOTH

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Southwest The Magazine - November 2014

Southwest The Magazine - November 2014
Gary’s Greeting
Saludos de Gary
You Made Our Day
Our Star
Rapid Rewards Freedom Story
From the Editor
Feedback
Snapshots
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
Wise Guide
Numbers
Business
Winter, Party of ___ .
Last Man Standing
Your Adventure In Burbank
Promotional Series: Nonstop Love
Promotional Series: Spirit of Reno Tahoe
Calendar
Fun!
Products and Services
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Flight Service
Information
Rapid Rewards
Terminal Maps
Route Map
The “If” List

Southwest The Magazine - November 2014