The Slice: Sometimes it beats talking about the weather

I think people who don’t care about sports sometimes miss the point.

The games themselves might not have any great significance. But they do give us something to talk about.

I have a colleague here at the Review Tower who shares my interest in the Detroit Tigers. And in just a matter of days, we will resume our pattern of commiserating about the Tigers’ latest fiasco on a daily basis.

And the thing is, this year the Tigers have every possibility of being monumentally bad.

We hope we are wrong, mind you. But my friend and I share an abiding skepticism about the 2018 team.

Still, I look forward to our head shaking and expressions of frustration.

Sure, it would be great if the Tigers surprised us. But even if they don’t, it will be entertaining to talk about.

“Can you believe they thought he would be their closer?”

The saying is “Misery loves company.”

It’s not “Misery loves a lot of company.”

One other person to share your pain will do.

Just wondering: What is Spokane’s quintessential second job?

On this date in The Slice 20 years ago: Today’s Slice question: If the Inland Northwest’s big lakes had a collective name like “Great Lakes” or New York’s “Finger Lakes” what would it be?

A) Really Good Lakes. B) Swell Lakes. C) The Lakes. D) Other.

You make the call: What most significantly influences church attendance in Spokane?

A) Weather. B) Sports on TV. C) Outdoor recreation plans. D) Being at the lake. E) The possibility that someone might get on your lawn if you ventured out. F) Other.

What kids call their grandparents: “Our daughter called my mother ‘Babba,’” wrote Jeffrey Neuberger. “Soon after, realizing there was another one, she called my dad ‘More Babba.’ ”

Darlene Norton’s grandson called her “Grandma Honey” and called Darlene’s husband “Grandma Coach.”

“He eventually got that figured out.”

Warm-up question: If there had been a limited edition “Spokane Barbie,” what would have been some of this doll’s accessories? (Other than camping gear, a second-hand RV, shotguns and yard-sale signs.)

After I first asked that question quite a few years ago, one respondent said Spokane Barbie would be divorced and come equipped with most of her ex-husband’s money and possessions.

Today’s Slice question: How much did your parents help you with your homework?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. What percentage of vanity license plates make no sense to you?