I’m still working on my book, so I’ve got to make this quick. (I begged and wheedled for an extension on my original June 1 deadline.) But, since I set today as the end of my suspension from the playing field of Cardboard Gods, here are four quick things about Lynn McGlothen, more or less:
1. I thought Lynn was a girl’s name. The first girl who ever liked me was named Lynn. I didn’t like her. I liked a girl I thought was prettier. Her name was Kim. Kim didn’t like me but liked a boy she thought was cuter named Jamie. I found it confusing that there was a male quarterback (Lynn Dickey) and a male pitcher (Lynn McGlothen) named Lynn and that the bionic woman was a woman named Jamie. And wasn’t there a basketball playing dude named Kim? Or am I imagining it? I don’t have time to investigate.
2. Lynn McGlothen is happy. Who wouldn’t be? Your picture on a baseball card! Not only that, the back of the card tells a happy tale, a long gradual climb through the minors, a taste of the majors with one team, then a midseason trade to another team and finally, a staff-leading 16 wins in the season just concluded.
3. I’ve been working hard on my book in an attempt to trace the path of my own happiness or lack therof by using baseball cards as markers. It’s the same thing I’ve been doing on this site for quite a while, but I guess I’m sort of trying to add up all the numbers on the back of my own card. What’s it all add up to? Does it add up to happiness? While doing some research on the book, trying to make sure I had some facts straight, I came across some sobering news about a Cardboard God I’d yet to write about, Lynn McGlothen. (See below.) What’s it all mean in the end?
4. Lynn McGlothen died in a fire. He was only 34. I’ve lived a few years past that and I’m still waiting for someone to say “On your mark.” Just yesterday I heard a fire truck close by and wondered if maybe my building was on fire. I was wearing boxer shorts. Would I have time to throw on pants? What else would I have time for? First, before the pants, I’d grab the cats. If I still had time to grab one more thing after the cats were safe and I had pants on, or maybe even before the pants, I’d grab the box that I’ve carried with me so far, the one that contains this picture of Lynn McGlothen happy.
Cardboard Gods 
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