The above movie was made in 1976 and it was a semi-historical look at the Negro Major Leagues of the 1930’s. It starred Billy Dee Williams as a charismatic star pitcher in a league of undiscovered talent. Also manning his team was James Earl Jones, being one of the Negro Leagues most prolific homerun hitters. And lastly and who can forget Richard Pryor trying to pass himself off as Cuban. Talk about fuzzy math…
Below is that movie and I think, it should be understood the context of the times the true greatness and soul of a people starving for their own heroes, on their own terms. Rather than do something construction it becomes all about you. It is political correctness run amok. It
The movie is comic ‘gold’ and with it gives us an impression of a world largely unknown to whites. And for the people who talk about Blaxploitation go take another bong hit. It is criticism with no object except self-aggrandizement. It is not about you. It is about Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Bob Gibson and many more. People who suffered Jim Crowe and have to listen to white people playing politics with all our lives.
We are all human and all have the potential for good. We can try and make a difference finding a way to unite us and break down stereotypes from all sides. It is looking for good and turning over rocks to find things that make us shout in one voice about harmony than discord.
A good series about how things are changing from the heartbreak of the 60s both from the black and white perspectives is ‘The 60s’. Julia Stiles goes through a lot as does her brother who comes back broken because of the Vietnam War.
I have ties to the Tuskegee Airman and I have a project in mind that could ultimately make a difference for all. We can make a difference and I promise to make an impact where mainly people just rant, trying to score points and kiss up.
I want MLK Day to be more than a holiday. What does it do for anyone in the way it is celebrated? This is all about inclusiveness and what Martin Luther King had in mind.
I think much of America lives in a dream world. It is kind of like fast food and they get their news in a drive-through window. It is also Black History Month and that is a noble cause for sure.
But nothing is really changing. People live in their glass houses and throw stones but never entertaining the notion of actually changing. Then to justify their odd behavior, they watch the news and that news and agree with their favorite pop view of what is going on.
In this case, we have the same ole recipe. We name streets MLK or a Newscasters who feign concern over the plights of the poor. But like Scrooge they hoard emotions and follow carefully nuance scripts full of hyperbole and the kinds of generalizations that make no sense.
Don’t get me wrong, we should change but those changes are to investigate stories of minorities and whites. Expand our lexicon to include people who have done well for their own community.
I am white and male and I am not intimidated by stupid people who do only what is expected and no more. We become a reflection of what we despise. I live close to Greensboro, NC. The place where four black men decided to do their own part in integration and they are heroes and rightly recognized in that very building where Jim Crowe’s spirit thrived.
That building is now the Cultural Center and I had the opportunity to visit that place and came away with a further appreciation for history that is often overlooked. So it is my intention to bring my own appreciation and it concerns a baseball player. An unique player and he did not wear the number 42 or was he named Robinson.
My childhood hero was black. I wanted to be him. I practiced my high leg kick and pitched for hours on a makeshift mound and rubber. I had a bucket full of balls. These green and brown balls were stained by dirt and other grime and eventually the seams would break until they were not any longer serviceable. These flights of fancy put in the front of adoring fans.
I was Bob Gibson. A flame-throwing right-hander with an attitude. The real Mr. Gibson dealt with a childhood that was dangerous, growing up in the projects of Cabrini Green. (A notoriously violent ghetto). He fought daily and commonly they were racial in nature and sometimes he had white friends fighting along side him. There was also twice as many whites as there were blacks (Negroes back then). Even as a kid, I hated that term and the larger N-Bomb I heard from my own father. He said, “they smell among other things”.
One day at the supper table we rebelled at our own risk and pointed out dropping that word was offensive and it was all five of us kids. It was a seminal moment and we didn’t have cue, we got it and made the point that that kind of bigotry was unacceptable!
Bob Gibson was an All-American basketball player at Creighton University and then the Harlem Globetrotters. He also signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and stopped playing basketball at the insistence of Bing Devine, the Cardinals General Manager.
As Gibson matured into one of the greatest right-handed pitchers ever. I used to listen to the games on K-M-O-X in St. Louis, a very famous radio station that aired all the games and I almost always heard their games.
In one season he had 12 shutouts and an ERA of 1.12. Both of those are exceptional and legendary especially the ERA. Gibson said the pitcher mounds were lowered just because he was black. And he is probably right.
In spite of the racial hubris, Gibson was loved in the City of the Arch but the same hospitality was not afforded him or the other black Cardinal players. They had to live in segregated housing in Sarasota, Florida instead of the hotel in St. Petersburg.
The next year, the Cardinal’s owner August Busch bought the motel, declaring that all his players were equal and would be treated the same no matter their race.
This was also a great selling point for me. Not only that but many players of that age named Gibson as the greatest pitcher ever.
April 15th of every years all teams and all players wear the #42 of Jackie Robinson. I wish that only one player would wear that number and preferably a team’s best player. I believe that the Cardinals do the same thing each year. A living memorial to players who clawed through the hell that players suffered through back then.
It will be a sad day for me when he dies. A part of me will die with him and there are other teammates who were black that also inspired me, such as Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee. I would adopt their personas playing baseball and softball.
In high school I made an unassisted triple play which is a legacy that is still recognized today and that was many passes around the sun by the 3rd Rock from the Sun.
All I know is this is the day that we can make a difference. Let us get outside of our comfort zone and look for redeeming qualities and I am sure we can. I would hope that all peoples recognize the inherent beauty of each other and let’s not hate on each other for our race, political party or skin color.
As I child I did have the horror of seeing race tracks close. You might ask what is horrible about that? Nothing! But for some it is a way for them to take over. It might be a parking lot or a high-rise apartment and that sits fine with them. These bitter acolytes and self-proclaimed do-gooders are a bunch of mean-spirited old hags and crotchety old men.
In their wake of bitter self-interest they lay waste to good clean fun. And while there might be that occasional row between drivers and fans it is wholesome. And most of the local drivers are not rich. So naturally they may be inclined to watch ‘Duck Dynasty’ or have NASCAR stickers prominently displayed on their trucks, cars and race car haulers. Many like country and some like rock but most don’t fancy ‘snooty music’. They might just use Moonshine instead of pricey wines and beers from Germany and France.
Now this track I am going to mention was closed quite a few years ago. And racing had been there from around 1938 to 1988. Fifty years of legends, urban legends and a culture of competition that includes families who race and people who actually know the drivers. The older drivers will pine about the day they drove at a track like Lakeside. Some will have pictures lovingly maintained reminiscing about a past that lives on with the people of that day and the offspring who were told about the ‘good old days’.
By and by most signs of the track disappear little by little when they are abandoned or redeveloped. One of the most saddening sights is the race surfaces with blades of grass piercing the track. A challenge to the track by nature, perhaps a loss of interest from owners and investors. Or maybe even the ravages of a cruel winter and the unrelenting rains of springtime. And yes, springtime, would invariably carry the bright hope of watching racing once again and you do NOT have to pay for an autograph. The drivers actually appreciate the fans and by race day the excitement builds.
The racing family usually has to put up with a dad (for the most part) who is seemingly always working on this car and the idea of gracing the winner’s circle. One time at East Bay in Florida, the family of one of the drivers (who was usually in the back) would stand up and cheer each time he went by. It was kind of odd yet kind of quaint. Here you will find some people who may be marginalized for being different. One may call it ‘hillbilly, redneck or low brow” , but seriously who asked them?
It is more than likely that they would embrace that term. They really do not care where you are from except if you are from far away and you think that your opinion matters over theirs. Once the drivers escape the cozy confines of their home-tracks families that can will follow along. And sponsors are the reason they get to dream bigger. When you into the more expensive divisions, the owners and sponsors could buy the hoity-toity type many times over. It is a passion as a large as a father and son fishing. Just like with fishing it is not the fish but the time spent together. Like the tracks, we come and go. Yet the history of a community is deeply entrenched in the souls of racing fans.
The song has that same kind of sad ending when a driver or a track goes belly up. For the new tenants they may never know or ever care. They will be too busy being city-like while forgetting that most rural folks hate cities. Less smog and less smug the race fans trundle up to the track and take their positions almost like assigned seats. Cat calls can heard especially as the protagonists earn their reputations by spinning out another driver or what the fans perceive to be some injustice. But this is some of what happens, there is also the drivers who went on to bigger and better things or drivers who die doing what they like.
And on that opening day, that race car freshly painted or adorned with wraps, speed by as expectant fans cheer for their guy and the nicer looking the car the better chance that drivers get sponsors and fans. A lot happens here and the people are the nicest anywhere. They support us military veterans like Kings and Queens and will most always pay respects to the flag and our country.
Wow, before you notice it something you cherished is soon departed. Like a friend who you wished you visited more, passes on, the regrets hang like tinsel and sing their requiem and depart.
The same can be said for a venue such as a racetrack or a fair. Like a lover who left to some other place, the pain is very real. Or the same as losing a pet because a lot of life transpired and the loss felt like a fog that was slow to clear. You might go by the old track where it was falling into disrepair and the ache and the longing came back full force.
FLEMINGTON SPEEDWAY.
The once thriving action track now is a Shopping Mall or at least it was. Was this result of hometown haters who would have no part of racing? Knoxville, Iowa’s Knoxville Speedway is the talk of the town, …
Being part of the Tampa Bay Community for over 22 years, I know this time of year is quite active. An average cool day may sport highs in the mid-50s but the activities are many. Ybor City is kind of like Mardi Gras with a Spanish accent.
The Tampa Bucs and Tampa Bay Lightning both sport championship rings it was also a favorite place of former Yankee’s owner, George Steinbrenner. Mr. Steinbrenner known as Uncle George to many of the sick child patients is something that few knew a lot about. He paid for the Children’s ER at Tampa General Hospital.
The community has a large Spanish-speaking population and every time this year is the world famous Gasparilla Parade and Festival, Busch Gardens and that well kept secret.
Now as to that secret! Nestled not too far from the Tampa Bay Ports along U.S. 41 lies East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton. There are two major events that include the Lucas Oil Late Models and the 360 sprint Car Winternationals. Drivers from four countries (USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada) come to the track with one thing on their mind. The King of the 360s, the Ron Laney Memorial. Laney died a few years ago in a racing accident.
I am telling you this right now. This is the place to be.
Let me say this straight up. I hate the commercials during the Super Bowl. Ad agencies saving up their so-called best work and fans buying into the seduction. Cynical, maybe but I tired of them and some of the celebrities and the hype. Too many ex-players with observations that any one of us could make.
I would say this about analysis and that Chris Collingsworth has had a great year in that department and trust me, most do not rate all season long. Along with the stifling penalties and a lack of defense they might as well call this Arena Football.
The Seahawks could be one reason to watch the game, oh and Denver’s QB. The best thing about Peyton Manning along with his skillset is his personality. He doesn’t start stuff and he avoids it. His commercials are funny and he is definitely old school and could have produced pretty much the same numbers regardless of the defensive restrictions. Too much more of this and I will quit watching. Let’s see some defense, less criminals playing the game and the referees need to be sanctioned. They are helping to screw up the game.
There will be no losers in that game aside from Sherman and it is just a thing. Seahawks 23-10.
It’s really been a rough few days. I have gotten into it with Hospice on more than one occasion. I have told them I need more help from them, as far as their nursing part goes.
I am still struggling with being so tired but my blood pressure is down quite a bit. The medication I now take makes me sleepy and I feel guilt by falling asleep when my caregiver is here along with my girlfriend.
Everyone inside this house is treating me like royalty. It doesn’t feel familiar. It feels strange, but I don’t fight it anymore. I accept with blushed cheeks and will never forget what others are doing for me.
Al’s illness is now in his bloodstream. It has taken over every part of his body and now has entered the blood. It has nowhere to go so it is seeping out of his eyes and…
The movie’s setting is in South Korea. It is about two young girls and their amazing courage. Their mother has run off to find her husband who left and the kids are left with an aunt and then grandparents. Some reviews rate it is just above average at 6.4 but what do they know? In my mind it is a 9 and one has to remember that this is a movie of spiritual beauty and has it’s frustrations. The kids are adorable and the older girl an inspiration.
It was a top movie in Movie Festivals and to me a solid movie.
Floyd, Times Are Changin 