A few things before I show you the video... Please note that this site has been changed to NuckolDIVE -- to celebrate Alex's extraordinary diving prowess this summer. He is in Orlando for the National Championships -- which means he is among the top 50 divers in his age group. I'm headed down tomorrow -- … Continue reading Superman’s Blanket
Category: Best of Alex
Backpacker Battle Royale: Many photos and 1 video
Location: The Appalachian Trail Distance: 6.5 miles to the Kirkridge Shelter and then back the next day Elevation: 1549 feet The competitors: Alex and Mike The question: Who will come out as the superior backpacker? Your narrator: Mike Nuckols Category 1: Pacing Yourself For better or worse, I approach life as a to-do list. Whether it's … Continue reading Backpacker Battle Royale: Many photos and 1 video
To Balk or not to Balk
So…when it comes to 9-and-under boys diving in South Jersey, Alex dominates. In fact, for the past 2 years he has come in first in every single event he's entered. Except one. These may be may favorite photos of all time: Last year, Alex placed 4th in the 3-meter championships. As you can see, he … Continue reading To Balk or not to Balk
Social Reckoning
Alex was being an a-hole. And he's usually my easy kid. But he was relentlessly antagonizing Jack, he was shrieking at me when I told him it was time to brush his teeth, and he was crying about nothing. Generally, when your kid is freaking out for no apparent reason and acting like a complete … Continue reading Social Reckoning
What was said, what went unsaid, 16 photos, 1 video
EXT. THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL – DAY ALEX hikes along the trail ahead of MIKE, Alex’s father. Both are wearing backpacks. MIKE The summer your mom was pregnant with you, she was really tired and always sleeping. So Jack and I spent lots of time together. I’d put him on the back of my bike and … Continue reading What was said, what went unsaid, 16 photos, 1 video
Three Destinations and a Journey
Destination 1: Little League Opening Day The sun was shining and one of the dads had brought donuts and a Box O’ Joe. It could not have been better. The grass was just a little wet and the kids were passing the balls around. God, I was so happy to be sitting on those metal … Continue reading Three Destinations and a Journey
Alex-Based Post: Comments Required
Alex asked me: “Why is your blog called NuckolBall?” “Well, it’s our last name and also the name of a pitch in baseball. I combined them.” I was surprised he didn’t know that. “Yeah,” he said sadly, “but why does the blog have to be about baseball?” OH. Alex got the name. He got it … Continue reading Alex-Based Post: Comments Required
Ramblin’
I asked Alex what he wanted to do for his birthday. “I want to go camping with Hal.” “Wait…what?” I have a group of friends from high school. There’s 8 of us and every other year we go away for a week together and act like morons. We call ourselves "The Ramblers". We’ve all been … Continue reading Ramblin’
Lyrics from Boston
First, let me get this out of the way: we did not go to Fenway Park. The forecast called for rain all weekend, and we’re going to the Phillies game Thursday night – so we decided we’d do Fenway for our visit next year. Now…let’s proceed. Memorial Day Weekend and we were off to Boston. … Continue reading Lyrics from Boston
And now…letter to Alex
To match my letter to Jack, here is the one to Alex. I promise I'll get back to baseball tomorrow... Let me tell you about my son, Alex. A good way to know him is to hear the story about how he became potty-trained. Most kids go through potty training for a few months. … Continue reading And now…letter to Alex
Boys Baseball Weekend (Part 5 of 5)
And finally, the escape. We made our way around to the right field gate to line up for “Kids Run the Bases”. We were led in a line down to the field and as we reached home plate the boys launched in a frantic loop around the diamond. Back at the car we came out … Continue reading Boys Baseball Weekend (Part 5 of 5)
Boys Baseball Weekend (Part 4 of 5)
The magic never happened. Those kids who were lined up got announced by name and then they ran out onto the field. McCutchen appeared from a different entrance and started tossing the ball around with his teammates. Anthem, first pitch, game starting. The boys stood at the railing looking confused. I went to the usher. … Continue reading Boys Baseball Weekend (Part 4 of 5)
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