“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” – Woody Allen

I loved Fritz. He was the only friend I ever had in High School. Popularity evaded me – much like George Bush’s poll numbers during his last years. However, Fritz was popular. He was outgoing, good at sports, and the girls loved him. On the other hand, guess who was the complete opposite? Me..but much, much cuter!

Team sports were like kryptonite to me. Vomiting and disappearing were my forte. Yes, I would get dressed for gym class and run out with the others for roll call. When the games began, it was my cue to edge oh so quietly into the locker room and sit for an hour. Nobody missed me, nor did they care. Many times I thought to myself, “Should I be relieved or devastated?” “Relieved,” was always my conclusion. Having a best friend trumped this insult every time. And he lived in my neighborhood, too.

Fritz told me at the beginning of our friendship that we couldn’t hang out at school because people would think he was a fag.

I asked him, “Why do you want to be my friend then?”

“Because you don’t do drugs like all the others in our neighborhood,” he replied. “And I need someone to do stuff with me. I’ve seen you running and bicycling. I like to bicycle across town to meet girls at the other high shool. You can tag along and maybe you’ll get lucky cause no one knows you there.”

He said that in a friendly, joking type way, and so an awesome friendship developed. Sometimes desperation can make one do humiliating things. But I wanted a friend. We did everything together – the malls, the movies, bicycling across town, meeting girls. My self-esteem and confidence began to take hold. As did my crush on Fritz.

The last year of high school there was an open call for cross country running. With all the bicycling I was doing, I thought this would be a good chance to show the coach and the bullies what capabilities were growing inside of me. It was the last year, so what did I have to lose. I ran and bicycled almost everyday.

Fritz decided to join me. But we made a pact that if one lagged behind then the other would slow down and wait for the other to catch up. I thought this was cool, because I’d at least cross the finish line with my friend. Deep inside I kind of knew I’d be the lagger, but at least I was going to try. But deep inside, it was a no brainer that Fritz would not fall behind for me. He was too competitive.

The day of the tryouts Fritz and I started out slowly when the coach said “Go!” Everyone else seemed to barrell out of the gate like some racing horses on a track. It made me a little anxious, but it was evident that they would tire out on this two mile run. And I was right! Out of 25 I was moving towards the front of the pack as if my life depended on it. I was so focused, Fritz didn’t even cross my mind. The coach was yelling MY NAME, nudging me on! Ah, the rush!

I was in fifth place coming around the last stretch, when I heard Fritz screaming out my name. I stopped and turned around. “Donnie, I fell. I think I sprained my ankle!” At the same time the coach yelled at me just stupified as I ran the opposite direction to help my friend. I really didn’t care. I reached out my hand and pulled him up. Once he was on his feet he said in a jovial jock-like manner, “Sucker!” and took off running. I was kind of dumbstruck and had lost all momentum. I came in dead last. The coach just shook his head at me…no words. Fritz and some others laughed at me, called me names that I was quite familiar with, but not so much from Fritz. I just walked to my car in tears. I never spoke to Fritz again.

It took me a while, but I began to see things in a different perspective. Sure I was disappointed in myself and thought my actions were…well, lets say on the weird side. But, I did show up, and the coach and others saw that I had what it took to be a good runner. I realized that too. I proved that I could run with the best of them, and even more importantly to me, I proved my loyalty to a “friend.”

In the end, success is not so black and white. Neither is love. It’s subjective. I love that. My only wish is that more people understood.

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2007 Emmy nominations

Drama series
“Boston Legal,” ABC; “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; “Heroes,” NBC; “House,” Fox; “The Sopranos,” HBO.

Comedy series
“Entourage,” HBO; “The Office,” NBC; “30 Rock, NBC; “Two and a Half Men,” CBS; “Ugly Betty,” ABC.

Actor, Drama Series
James Spader, “Boston Legal,” ABC; Hugh Laurie, “House,” Fox; Denis Leary, “Rescue Me,” FX; James Gandolfini, “The Sopranos,” HBO; Kiefer Sutherland, “24,” Fox.

Actress, Drama Series
Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters,” ABC; Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer,” TNT; Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” NBC; Patricia Arquette, “Medium,” NBC; Minnie Driver, “The Riches,” FX; “Edie Falco, “The Sopranos,” HBO.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series
William Shatner, “Boston Legal,” ABC; T.R. Knight, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Masi Oka, “Heroes,” NBC; Michael Emerson, “Lost,” ABC; Terry O’Quinn, “Lost,” ABC; Michael Imperioli, “The Sopranos,” HBO.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series
Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers & Sisters,” ABC; Katherine Heigl, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Chandra Wilson, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Sandra Oh, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Aida Turturro, “The Sopranos,” HBO; Lorraine Bracco, “The Sopranos,” HBO.

Actor, Comedy Series
Tony Shalhoub, “Monk,” USA; Steve Carell, “The Office,” NBC; Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock,” NBC; Charlie Sheen, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS.

Actress, Comedy Series
Felicity Huffman, “Desperate Housewives,” ABC; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” CBS; Tiny Fey, “30 Rock,” NBC; America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty,” ABC; Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds,” Showtime.

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series
Kevin Dillon, “Entourage,” HBO; Jeremy Piven, “Entourage,” HBO; Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother,” CBS; Rainn Wilson, “The Office,” CBS; Jon Cryer, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS.

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series
Jaime Pressly, “My Name Is Earl,” NBC; Jenna Fischer, “The Office,” NBC; Holland Taylor, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS; Conchata Ferrell, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS; Vanessa Williams, “Ugly Betty,” ABC; Elizabeth Perkins, “Weeds,” Showtime.

Miniseries
“Broken Trail,” AMC; “Prime Suspect: The Final Act (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; “The Starter Wife,” USA.

Made-for-TV movie
“Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” HBO; “Inside the Twin Towers,” Discovery Channel; Longford,” HBO; “The Ron Clark Story,” TNT; “Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy,” Lifetime.

Reality Series — Competition
“The Amazing Race,” CBS; “American Idol,” Fox; “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC; “Project Runway,” Bravo; “Top Chef,” Bravo.

Outstanding Reality Program“Antiques Roadshow,” PBS; “Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan,” National Geographic; “Extreme Makeover Home Edition,” ABC; “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,” Bravo; “Penn & Teller: Bull—-!” Showtime.

Variety, Music or Comedy Series
“The Colbert Report,” Comedy Central; “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central; “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC; “Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS; “Real Time With Bill Maher,” HBO.

Variety, Music or Comedy Series Performer
Ellen DeGeneres, “79th Annual Academy Awards,” ABC; Stephen Colbert, “The Colbert Report,” Comedy Central; Jon Stewart, “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central; David Letterman, “Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS; Tony Bennett, “Tony Bennett: An American Classic,” NBC.

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Special
“The Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner,” Comedy Central; “The Kennedy Center Honors: A National Celebration of the Performing Arts,” CBS; “Lewis Black: Red, White & Screwed,” HBO; “Tony Bennett: An American Classic,” NBC; “A Tribute to James Taylor (Great Performances),” PBS; “Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired,” HBO.

Actor, Miniseries or a Movie
Robert Duvall, “Broken Trail,” AMC; Tom Selleck, “Jesse Stone: Sea Change,” CBS; Jim Broadbent, “Longford,” HBO; “William H. Macy, “Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King Umney’s Last Case,” TNT; Matthew Perry, “The Ron Clark Story,” TNT.

Actress, Miniseries or a Movie
Queen Latifah, “Life Support,” HBO; Helen Mirren, “Prime Suspect: The Final Act (Masterpiece Theatre),” PBS; Mary-Louise Parker, “The Robber Bride,” Oxygen; Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife,” USA; Gena Rowlands, “What if God Were the Sun,” Lifetime.

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or a Movie
Thomas Haden Church, “Broken Trail,” AMC; August Schellenberg, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” HBO; “Aidan Quinn, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” HBO; Edward Asner, “The Christmas Card,” Hallmark; Joe Mantegna, “The Starter Wife,” USA.

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or a Movie
Greta Scacchi, “Broken Trail,” AMC; Anna Paquin, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” HBO; Samantha Morton, “Longford,” HBO; Judy Davis, “The Starter Wife,” USA; Toni Collette, “Tsunami, The Aftermath,” HBO.

Outstanding Guest Actor, Drama Series
Christian Clemenson, “Boston Legal,” ABC; Forest Whitaker, “ER,” NBC; David Morse, “House,” Fox; Tim Daly, “The Sopranos,” HBO; John Goodman, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” NBC; Eli Wallach, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” NBC.

Outstanding Guest Actress, Drama Series
Kate Burton, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Elizabeth Reaser, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Marcia Gay Harden, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” NBC; Leslie Caron, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” NBC; Jean Smart, “24,” Fox.

Outstanding Guest Actor, Comedy Series
Martin Landau, “Entourage,” HBO; Ian McKellen, “Extras,” HBO; Stanley Tucci, “Monk,” USA; Giovanni Ribisi, “My Name Is Earl,” NBC; Beau Bridges, “My Name Is Earl,” NBC.

Outstanding Guest Actress, Comedy Series
Dixie Carter, “Desperate Housewives,” ABC; Laurie Metcalf, “Desperate Housewives,” ABC; Elaine Stritch, “30 Rock,” NBC; Judith Light, “Ugly Betty,” ABC; Salma Hayek, “Ugly Betty,” ABC.

Outstanding Directing, Comedy Series
“Entourage: One Day in the Valley,” HBO; “Extras: Orlando Bloom,” HBO; “The Office: Gay Witch Hunt,” NBC; “Scrubs: My Musical,” NBC; “30 Rock: The Breakup,” NBC; “Ugly Betty: Pilot,” ABC.

Outstanding Directing, Drama Series
“Battlestar Galactica: Exodus, Part 2,” Sci-Fi Channel; “Boston Legal: Son of the Defender,” ABC; “Friday Night Lights: Pilot,” NBC; “Heroes: Genesis,” NBC; “Lost: Through the Looking Glass,” ABC; “The Sopranos: Kennedy and Heidi,” HBO; “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: Pilot,” NBC.

Outstanding Directing, Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
“Broken Trail: Part 1 & Part 2,” AMC; “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” HBO; “Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theatre),” PBS; “Prime Suspect: The Final Act (Masterpiece Theatre),” PBS; “Tsunami, The Aftermath: Part 1 & Part 2,” HBO.

Outstanding Directing, Variety, Music Or Comedy Program
“American Idol: The Finale,” Fox; “The Colbert Report: Show 2161,” Comedy Central; “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart: Show 12061,” Comedy Central; “Saturday Night Live: Host: Alec Baldwin,” NBC; “Tony Bennett: An American Classic,” NBC.

Outstanding Writing, Comedy Series
“Extras: Daniel Radcliffe,” HBO; “The Office: Gay Witch Hunt,” NBC; “The Office: The Negotiation,” NBC; “30 Rock: Tracy Does Conan,” NBC; “30 Rock: “Jack-Tor,” NBC.

Outstanding Writing, Drama Series“Battlestar Galactica: Occupation/Precipice,” Sci Fi Channel; “Lost: Through the Looking Glass,” ABC; “The Sopranos: Kennedy and Heidi,” HBO; “The Sopranos: The Second Coming,” HBO; “The Sopranos: Made in America,” HBO.

Outstanding Writing, Miniseries or a Movie
“Broken Trail,” AMC; “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” HBO; “Jane Eyre: Parts 1 & 2,” PBS; “Prime Suspect: The Final Act,” PBS; “The Starter Wife,” USA.

Outstanding Writing, Variety, Music Or Comedy Program
“The Colbert Report,” Comedy Central; “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central; Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC; “Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS; “Real Time With Bill Maher,” HBO.

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