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ROY PITTMAN OFF THE MAT

August 28, 2025 by David Gillaspie

I’d heard of Roy Pittman long before we met yesterday. What I’d heard about him was legendary. A legend in the community, a legend on the mat, the difference maker you’d want your kids to meet. The Peninsula Wrestling Club is where he’s been since 1970, where 200k wrestlers learned the ropes.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: achieve, coach, david abraham, getting better, Hall Of Fame, inspire kids, interest, legend, legendary, MMA, motivational, peninsula park wrestling, Roy Pittman, sports, wrestling, wrestling room

A CERTAIN AGE, THEN POOF. THAT’S IT?

August 9, 2025 by David Gillaspie

“As a culture, we tend to let people disappear at a certain age,” said Dustin Hoffman. What’s that feeling you get when you hear someone start with, “As a culture . . . ?” They’re talking about something you ought to know, or it’s something you don’t know and feel suspicious about. I side with […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: american life, as a culture, athlete, athletes, beauty and mystery, blog, bright lights, career, celebrities, culture, disappear, drama, fitness, fitness fan, kingpin, left alone, left out, new culture, people disappear, politicians, politics, public life, red carpet, sports, suspicious, tired, write, write a blog

LOOKING BACK TO SEE IF YOU WERE LOOKING

July 16, 2025 by David Gillaspie

I was looking back recently after hearing how great things used to be. Baby boomers had it so easy you could buy a house and two cars and a boat and send three kids to college on a part-time paper route for a weekly publication. As a result the entire generation grew lazy and complacent:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: camel cigarettes, draft lottery, historical, historical references, hood to coast, looking back, looking back to see, marathon, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, run away, running, Salems, smoke, smokers, sports, stepping out, stepping up, story, summer of love, tobacco, vietnam war draft

PERSONAL OBLIGATIONS = FAIRNESS?

July 14, 2025 by David Gillaspie

We all have personal obligations of one kind or another. Some carry more weight than others. It’s like being a Cowboys fan because some distant relatives sent fan magazines when you were a kid. And your Dad was a Packers’ fan which created a hard line of obligation. How hard?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: 911, character, cowboys, Dallas Cowboys, Death, due process, fair, fairness, make the call, NFL, NFL games, obligations, personal obligation, personal obligations, sadness, sidewalk fight, sports, super bowls

AWARD WINNING BLOGGER? SURE THING

June 27, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Award winning what? Since this is the only time I’ve seen my name in a headline, it covers everything. “Gillaspie Wins.” What more could anyone want? Instead of complaining for fifty-two years after the event reported, I fill in the missing parts. I like to think of it as an American Fable with universal appeal. […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: American, american fable, award, award winning, baby boomer, BOOMER, coaching, defeat, greco roman, greco roman champion, Greco-Roman wrestling, hopes and dreams, life lessons, mystery, Olympic moment, sports, universal appeal, victory, winning

EMBRACING CHANGE, BUT NOT TOO TIGHT

May 18, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Embracing change is all there is to do when something new pops up. Either that or get miserable and bitter. Go with the flow or drown fighting the current. If you think this sounds like being a quitter, well . . .

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: athletes, big difference, cancer, change, cigarettes, coaches, community, difference, embracing change, fitness, fitness guys, game, hero, high school, lung cancer, money, parents, quitter, smoking, sports, teachers, team, weight lifting

EXCELLENCE EXPLAINED FOR THE NFL

February 11, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The NFL is excellence explained. It’s the best place in the world for young men with a particular skill set to work. It’s where other men teach them how to refine their skill set. Together, they are The National Football League in a nut shell.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: betting, championship, cowboys, dream, EXCELLENCE EXPLAINED, failure, football star, lose, NFL, NFL dream, personal failure, players, podcast, skill set, Social media, sports, sportswriters, television, touchdown, win, winners, work, young men

PACE YOURSELF FOR BEST RESULTS

January 17, 2025 by David Gillaspie

“Pace yourself.” That’s what you tell yourself the first time you quit something from exhaustion. It’s what you say before the next time you start the thing that made you quit. You might have to quit again, but at least you’ll be better prepared. Not everything works out the first time you try. For example:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: 1967, adulthood, big guys, Boston Marathon, Dad, dead, drop dead, exhaustion, experts, Indy 500, lacked logic, logic, mansplaining, marathon runners, pace, pace yourself, prepared, quit, sports, wise men, women's sports

STEWARD FOR LIFE? BE ONE

January 16, 2025 by David Gillaspie

A steward for life is one who leaves things better than they found them. Is it too much to ask? Maybe it’s just something old people think of? Quick reminder: you get older faster than you think you will, so . . .

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: addiction, cocaine, date, Divorce, gale sayers, gambling, irreconcilable differences, man, mood swings, old people, quick reminder, sandy Koufax, sports, sports medicine, steward, steward for life, stewardship, third date, woman

GRAVITATIONAL PLAYERS, PEOPLE

January 4, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Gravitational players do what? They find the ball and put it where it belongs. They make the move that changes the game. They are the people that make a difference. Some of the players with that sort of pull?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: bright future, conditioning, develop, families, games, gravitational, gravitational people, gravitational player, gravitational players, gravity, joe montana, larry bird, players, practice, real life, sports