THE "COMFORTABLE NEIGHBOR GIRL" IS BACK

Had this friend when I was in my early teens. Her name was Patti. Patti, was pretty, I guess. Patti was fun. She lived fairly close to my house and we rode bikes and shot guns together.

She now writes legitimate novels in French and is married to an Italian chest surgeon. They live in Monte Carlo or someplace that's not Marblehead.

Anyhow, in the summers we'd swim, shoot guns, ride bikes, scooters, horses and even play tennis. Sometimes there'd be a large group, sometimes just the two of us. Nearly as I can remember, we never had anything which could be described as a "date". About the middle of every September, Patti would leave for High School in Switzerland. She would always say something endearing like "I wish I could come back to see you.......during pheasant season!". Patti was a great friend and, no matter how much my Mother tried to make it more than that, not anything else. We had great summers and early Autumns together.

Then, it happened. (No.......Not THAT). While she was away in Switzerland, around Halloween of our Junior year in HS, her family moved away. The idea of riding the countryside and going to the rifle range without Patti that next summer was pretty painful. We had enjoyed a lot of fun for a lot of years. Suddenly that was just going be gone.

But, one's senior year is busy and I put it aside. I did notice that nobody else moved into her parents' empty house. Somehow I took comfort in that.

As graduation approached, I thought about it a bit. I had a girlfriend and I had people to swim with, shoot with and people to ride horses and motorscooters with. Still, the upcoming summer had a bleak feeling to it.

It wasn't till I walked across the stage to pick up my diploma when things picked up. There was Patti in the audience, watching all the folks she'd gone to grade school with. We found each other after the ceremony and at the parties afterward. Her parents had moved back into the house. She had two new guns with upgraded scopes she couldn't wait to show me. Could I come over Monday and we'd go to the range and sight them in. Are a snakes thighs close to the ground?

We swam, shot and rode that whole summer, as much as my many menial jobs and baseball schedule allowed. It was a summer just like the other summers, meaning she was an important part of my life, an uncomplicated buddy who shared my interests and simply enjoyed sharing time together. It still wasn't romantic. I don't think we ever touched each other except to help with shooting positions. Still, It was just a great feeling to have her back in the sphere where I felt she belonged. Heck, even my girlfriend was happy because they were buddies in their own right.

Anyhow, I tell you that long story to tell you I have exactly the same feeling for the new alignment of SportsCenter. Hannah Storm is back where she belongs. Talking about sports knowledgeably without the overbearing pseudotestosterone of the fox women or the goofy deference to the men that you see on CSN. Having Hannah back is just like having Patti back. A valued companion is back where she should be. This is gonna be a good fall sports season. It's not often a valued companion is gone and returns.