Tribute to Jimmy

My father is a legend. Rode a horse and a Harley. Was a lover (most of the time) and a fighter (rarely but sometimes). Went to war in his youth. Learned to fly a plane and rode a horse too, oh yea I said that. Came from a big family 7 boys 4 girls (one died at 6).
Bought a business with a brother after the war. Business was wiped out in the KC flood of '51.
Became a pipe fitter and loved the work for over 40 years. Met and married a feisty Italian-American girl in '49. Still married soon to be 60 years. Raised a family of 3, one was me
Loved and supported us all. Not much of a disciplinarian, too soft a heart.
Catholic faith is his base, still refers to his loving mother to this day. Great dancer, jokester, storyteller, bullshitter. Enjoys weddings, seeing nephews, nieces just being around family. Going to be 87 pretty soon. Repeats the same stories often. Doesn't hear everything the first time. Forgets names in the now but remembers all in the past. Reminisces about the long ago. Still got the gleam in his eye. Worries about that feisty Italian wife. They get cranky
with each other some time but you know their devotion is deep. Never was much for I love yous or hugs but we knew. Still today one of the best men I will ever know. When they ask me to list my heroes. They will always start with you, Jimmy.

T-Bagger Anti-Tax Crusaders Strike for Right.

So the Governor of Texas wants to secede, or so he proclaimed at T-Bag Day. T-Bag Day, what a fitting name for those who attended. They don't like Government or high taxes. What they really mean is they don't like Democrats in power and especially a President who does not look like, well, a typical American President should look like, Dammit! Such nasty things their hand held, homemade signs said. Our President is Hitler, he once again, for the one millionth time is not a Christian but a Muslim. He was born in Kenya and his birth certificate is fake don't you know. T-Baggers they called themselves, true Americans, what they didn't know was that many of the events were sponsored by corporate lobbyists whose clients pay no taxes at all. Well that's good, right. We T-Baggers don't' want to pay no taxes neither. Hell we don't need no police or fire departments. We don't want the Feds to help in case of Natural disasters. We don't need no roads or sewers; by-God the only good tax is no tax. Hey wait a minute, those corporate guys who pay no tax, well we citizens have to make up for the 100 billion a year that they don't pay. Out of our own pockets! T-Baggers you should be pissed at them shouldn't you? Why were you protesting outside Government buildings and not some of the corporate offices that paid no tax? Oh yea, I forgot, the Democrats are in power so it's got to be the Governments fault. And did you hear what your fearless leader Rush said today? Not about taxes mind you, but about how our President gave the order to shoot those poor black teenage Somalis that were holding hostage an American citizen. Party Leader Limbaugh was certain that a white President such as W would have been highly criticized for giving such an order. I kid you not, check it out, he actually made that statement on his radio blowgram. All in all April 15th was quite a day for the Right to show the firm principles they stand on. Here's to the Party of Nope. See you in 2010 and 2012.

I Remember When

I can remember when:
Cars did not come with seat belts or air conditioning or power anything
Color TV's were rare
78 45 33/13 were speeds on record players
Gas Station attendants pumped gas at $.25 a gallon
Pizza was an exotic dish
every ones Dad fought in World War II
Cigarettes were cool
Mantle played for the Yankees Musial played for the Cardinals Mays played for the Giants
My Mom and Dad were young and I had grandparents
JFK and RFK and MLK were shot
Shepard was launched and Armstrong walked
I had a paper route
TARP was every Friday night
The British invaded
I met the love of my life
I thought I would never grow old

Musical Influences of the 20th Century

Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, Michael Jackson and Nirvana; I proposition that these artists had the greatest influence on American Music in the 20 th Century. These artist not only impacted music of the last century but culture around the world as well. Louis Armstrong is seen as the Father of Jazz, the first form of modern music that originated in the United States. His influence has been felt in all type of music from Country to Blues to Rock and Roll. Not only was Armstrong a virtuoso on the trumpet but his vocal style helped shaped several generations of pop and jazz singers including Frank Sinatra. Sinatra's vocal phrasings and way of telling a story in the way he interpreted songs was unique. With the widespread use of the radio as the main means of household entertainment in this country Sinatra became the first Teen Idol of the 20th Century. Elvis Presley took the music of the Mississippi Delta and Black America and put a white face on it. Many of his early songs were renditions of songs sung by black artist who could not get radio air time because of discrimination. There are many theories of who the Father of Rock and Roll was but to me all roads lead to The King. Presley influenced a new generation of musicians and opened the door for Race Music, later called Rhythm and Blues, to be played in households throughout the America. Elvis recorded for Sun Records in the mid-50's, one of his stable mates was Johnny Cash. Cash was to become a cross-over artist, his popularity extended to both country and pop record enthusiasts. He was a co-founder of the Outlaw movement in Country Music ; this group consisted of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and others who fought the over produced Nashville sound of the 60's and 70's. Johnny Cash is one of the few, if any, artists that have been elected to the Rock and Roll, Country Western and Songwriters Hall of Fame. So much has been written on the influence of the Beatles on all areas of Music and Culture that this simple Blog could not do them the justice they deserve. Suffice it to say that their appearance on the Music Scene in the early 1960's changed the way people view music, style, politics, drugs, religion and social awareness to this day. Michael Jackson was the King of Pop, awesomely talented and flawed at the same time. His Thriller album and video created a new way of presenting Music to the masses. MTV became a household name because of Jackson's popular music videos of the 80's; his performances were interspersed with dynamic dance moves that have been copied but never match to this day. We all know that hard times have fallen on the King of Pop in the last several years due to various allegations of misconduct with minors but his influence cannot be denied. The last decade of the 20th Century saw a new form of Rock develop, Grunge. Nirvana was the first Seattle band that broke big on the scene with a type of music that was guitar driven with lyrics that showed the angst of Generation X. Kurt Cobain became the reluctant standard bearer for this new form of Rock. Cobain's life ended tragically in suicide but his music legacy remained strong through the end of the Century. Groups such as Pearl Jam continue to be important exponents of the Seattle sound to this day. As the 21st Century heads into its second decade who are the artists emerging that will make this list 90 years form now. Any thoughts? Your comments are welcomed.

The Yips

Pressure, Stress, and Anxiety can do strange things to people in all walks of life. "The Yips" is a baseball term for Professional Baseball Players who inexplicably lose the ability to throw to certain positions on the field with any accuracy. Once this affliction sets in it is very rarely cured. This curse is also known as the "Steve Blass Syndrome" named after the Pittsburgh Pirate ace who lost his ability to throw strikes a year after starring in the 1971 World Series. A more modern day example of this would be the sudden wildness of Rick Ankiel in the 2000 play-offs. Most players who have been struck by "the Yips" have either switched positions or been demoted to the minors and then out of baseball. Few have ever conquered it once it has developed. Steve Sax and Chuck Knoblach were All Star second basemen until they caught "The Yips". Sax was one of the few that actually overcame his throwing problems after several seasons and was able to retire as a second baseman. Knoblach, on the other hand, was moved to the outfield and was never the same caliber player. Mike Ivie was the number one draft choice in MLB out of High School in 1969 as a catcher. He developed the inability to throw the ball back to the pitcher with any accuracy and was switched to First Base where he played several seasons in the Big Leagues. Dale Murphy was an All-Star Centerfielder for the Atlanta Braves; Murphy moved to the outfield because of his inability to throw the ball back to the pitcher with accuracy while catching in the Minors. Steve Garvey was an All Star First Baseman who had to be moved from Third because of repeated throwing errors from Third to First. Mackey Sasser caught for the New York Mets in the early 1990's and had to lob the ball back to the pitcher for fear of throwing it away. Runners took advantage of this by delayed stealing on his lob throws to the pitcher. Many more have had this problem and I suspect it comes with the added pressure of playing before large crowds and knowing that large sums of money are on the line. All of a sudden a simple task that was mastered by the age of five becomes a monumental psychological block. The "What Ifs" become lodged in the mind. What if I overthrow the pitcher, people will notice, managers will get angry, runners will advance. What if my throw is wild to first, the runner will go to second and be in scoring position and I will be charged with an error. Who knows how this thought process first begins? Maybe after an error that creates a thought that somehow lodges in the brain and refuses to leave. Dale Murphy had one of the most accurate arms in the Majors from the outfield, Garvey and Ivie were good to adequate defensive First Basemen and Rick Ankiel is on the verge of being an All Star Outfielder. "The Yips" left this group after a change of position. Perhaps throwing was made easier mentally by these positions changes. "The Yips" affects all sports, Golf and the act of Putting coming to mind. It gives one a sense of appreciation for the Professional Athlete; the ones who compete at a high level on a daily basis knowing that it all can be thrown away in an instant. Any comments on this or any of my Blogs are welcomed.

Fear of Flying

How does one overcome a fear of flying. John Madden takes a bus, Boston Red Sox All-Star Jackie Jensen retires and Christine McVie won't even re-unite with Fleetwood Mac. See, I'm not the only one that suffers this phobia. Just when I start thinking of flying I read of a plane landing in the Hudson or crashing in a cornfield or a Turkish pilot abandoning the wheel to pray. I have yet to see an ocean or venture out of the Great Plains because of this situation. I guess the only way is to suck it up, maybe get a few drinks in me and go for it right? Fares are cheap and I would be fool to not take advantage of this, right? Flying is the safest form of travel, double freakin right! What if a bird flies in the engine, yikes! What if that Gremlin in the Twilight Zone lands on one of the wings. Do they have parachute under each seat just in case? As you can see I have struggled with this situation for many years. Actually I have been on an airplane once when I was 19 years old. I had to be flown back home after an emergency appendectomy left me stranded in Pueblo, Colo. while playing baseball in college. Since then my mode of travel has been on four wheels. So what will get me up in the sky once more? Will my curiosity to see far off places allow me to overcome the fear of the friendly skies. Maybe when I reach a certain age I won't know up from down and it won't matter. The one thing that could force me to step across this angst threshold would be the desire to please my wife who would love to travel. We shall see, to be continued. Until then, Up Up and Away.