The Odds

By reading the obituary of John Devens, a former mayor of Valdez, Alaska, I learned that the tanker Exxon Valdez that dumped 11 million gallons of oil into Prince Edward Sound when it ran aground, did so in front of the town of Valdez, Alaska. I of course was aware of that gigantic oil spill when it occurred, but it must have escaped me that the ship was named after the same place that suffered the damage.

To me, this is somewhat like comedian Robin Williams's observation that the odds must have been astounding for Lou Gehrig to have died of Lou Gehrig's disease.

I realize the ship probably carried the name of the port city it was based in. But I never knew that the port city that suffered the damage was the same name as the ship itself.

The obituary for Mr. Devens doesn't go into even a brief mention of how the tanker got its name, and the fact that the spill affected the port of Valdez, Alaska, no less. Valdez has a Spanish ring to it, and could easily be someone playing baseball for a major league team.

It's these intersections in life that keep me going. Like the American Legionnaires who died of Legionnaire's disease in Philadelphia umpteen years ago, caused by the bacteria legionella, spread by the hotel's air conditioning system.

Or, Lou Gehrig dying from Lou Gehrig's disease. What are the odds of that?

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