Let me back up a second. I produced Newswatch 16 This Morning on Monday and Tuesday. I'm the guy who picks the stories, where to put them, and does most of the writing.
Early Tuesday morning, I was going through "the feed." It's a huge file of stories ABC does for local stations and it's also the stories ABC News collects from its affiliates around the country.
That's where I saw Cowie. It was the story of an Arizona family that took in a Diamondbacks game. Two year old Cruz Solis left Cowie at the stadium. Mom called the ballpark. A crew found Cowie. The team mailed him home to little Cruz, but an employee took pictures of Cowie around the ballpark first.
Even though the story had a happy ending, it still broke my heart. Cowie was a gift from Santa. I don't recall a favorite stuffed animal in my own childhood, but I was imagining how sad Cruz was because he was without his Cowie. Believe it or not, I do get sentimental about some things.
As I write this, I'm listening to the radio news. Washington is fighting over the infrastructure bill. A government shutdown looms. There is a crisis at the border. We're in a pandemic. Consumer confidence is shot.
I know TV news occasionally catches a little heat for devoting some time to fluff, especially the water skiing squirrel.
No regrets. Not for a second. Not for a millisecond.
We all need a little Cowie.
Welcome home!
