The video of my appearance at the Charleston (SC) Literary Festival back in November was recently posted, which gives me an opportunity to once again thank Diana Reich, Sarah Moriarty, and the whole Charleston Literary Festival team, especially the crew at the splendid Dock Street Theatre who got the lights just right for juggling (even though I dropped the ball) and Ladybird Books for selling the books. And thanks to splendid audience who turned out to juggle words, ideas, and balls.

There was a blank sheet selected from the globe, and the subject was: Soccer, which allowed me to share once again the timeless wisdom of Johan Cruijff, a Dutch soccer star whose distinctive sayings have been given their own name: Cruijffisms.

Without the ball, you can’t win.

Before I make a mistake, I do not make that mistake.

Every disadvantage gots its advantage.

Cruijff is like a Dutch Yogi Berra, an inadvertent aphorist whose philosophical non sequiturs are spontaneous rather than deliberate. And the choice of Soccer as a subject gave me the chance to share some of my favorite Yogi anecdote: Once in an Italian restaurant, Berra was asked if he wanted his pizza cut into four or eight slices. “Four,” he said. “I don’t think I can eat eight.”