When it rains, it pours. When I arrive at school Thursday morning, I see Delores and Ann standing near each other at the student entrance. They don't know each other, but they have something in common. They are both waving for me to come over. What a dilemma!
As I approach Delores and Ann, they start unilaterally walking towards me. The three of us finally converge. What to do? I don't want to show favoritism to either. So...
Bennie: Hi, girls. What's goin' on?
They both start talking at the same time and then stop. I try to help.
Bennie: Okay, who goes first?
Delores: I will.
Ann grimaces.
Delores: You know we got a Portuguese quiz tomorrow. Come over to my house after school and help me study. Okay?
Bennie: Okay.
Delores: Thanks. See ya!
She quickly exits the scene.
Ann: Who was that?
Bennie: A girl in my Portuguese class.
Ann: So I gathered. Say Bennie, I'm having a party at my house tomorrow night at 7:30. Can you come? Please say yes.
Bennie: Yes. Can I bring anything?
Ann: Just some dance records, if you'd like. See ya.
I'm on cloud nine the rest of the day. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.
Sunday, August 30, 2020
Sunday, August 23, 2020
Proclamation of Rebellion
On August 23, 1775 (245 years ago today) King George III of England issued a Proclamation of Rebellion. It read in part:
Whereas many of our subjects in divers parts of our Colonies and Plantations in North America, misled by dangerous and ill designing men, and forgetting the allegiance which they owe to the power that has protected and supported them; after various disorderly acts committed in disturbance of the publick peace, to the obstruction of lawful commerce, and to the oppression of our loyal subjects carrying on the same; have at length proceeded to open and avowed rebellion, by arraying themselves in a hostile manner, to withstand the execution of the law, and traitorously preparing, ordering and levying war against us: And whereas, there is reason to apprehend that such rebellion hath been much promoted and encouraged by the traitorous correspondence, counsels and comfort of divers wicked and desperate persons within this Realm.
King George was especially referring to events in the Colony of Massachusetts.
After more than a century and a half of rule from the other side of the Atlantic, a significant portion of the inhabitants of British North America saw their future prosperity depending on independence. However, it would be another 316 days until such desire was formalized in writing in Philadelphia.
What events led George to issue such Proclamation? On April 19, 1775, 700 British soldiers (Redcoats) marched from Boston to Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts to confiscate guns and ammunition being stockpiled by local citizens for the purpose of opposing the Crown. 3,500 of such citizens (minutemen) were waiting for the Redcoats. Fighting in the two cities and on the British retreat back to Boston left a total of 340 casualties on both sides.
In the aftermath of the above fighting, the rebellious forces laid siege to the British occupied City of Boston. It lasted for almost a year before the city was abandoned by the Redcoats. However, the two sides did meet in armed conflict at the nearby Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. There were 1,400 casualties in one day of fighting.
The rebellious citizen soldiers, heavily armed, had proved on the above two occasions that they could stand up to the strongest army in the world. It would be eight years until independence was won.
Whereas many of our subjects in divers parts of our Colonies and Plantations in North America, misled by dangerous and ill designing men, and forgetting the allegiance which they owe to the power that has protected and supported them; after various disorderly acts committed in disturbance of the publick peace, to the obstruction of lawful commerce, and to the oppression of our loyal subjects carrying on the same; have at length proceeded to open and avowed rebellion, by arraying themselves in a hostile manner, to withstand the execution of the law, and traitorously preparing, ordering and levying war against us: And whereas, there is reason to apprehend that such rebellion hath been much promoted and encouraged by the traitorous correspondence, counsels and comfort of divers wicked and desperate persons within this Realm.
King George was especially referring to events in the Colony of Massachusetts.
After more than a century and a half of rule from the other side of the Atlantic, a significant portion of the inhabitants of British North America saw their future prosperity depending on independence. However, it would be another 316 days until such desire was formalized in writing in Philadelphia.
What events led George to issue such Proclamation? On April 19, 1775, 700 British soldiers (Redcoats) marched from Boston to Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts to confiscate guns and ammunition being stockpiled by local citizens for the purpose of opposing the Crown. 3,500 of such citizens (minutemen) were waiting for the Redcoats. Fighting in the two cities and on the British retreat back to Boston left a total of 340 casualties on both sides.
In the aftermath of the above fighting, the rebellious forces laid siege to the British occupied City of Boston. It lasted for almost a year before the city was abandoned by the Redcoats. However, the two sides did meet in armed conflict at the nearby Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. There were 1,400 casualties in one day of fighting.
The rebellious citizen soldiers, heavily armed, had proved on the above two occasions that they could stand up to the strongest army in the world. It would be eight years until independence was won.
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Baseball's G.O.A.T.
So, who is baseball's greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.)? I love Willie Mays who has been my favorite player my whole life. He is clearly the greatest living baseball player, but the greatest of all time is clearly George Herman (Babe) Ruth.
Babe Ruth was born February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. As his parents were of German ancestry, he spoke German growing up (similar to Donald Trump's father). At seven years of age, Ruth attended St. Mary's Industrial School for boys where he fell under the tutelage of Brother Matthias Boutlier, the school's Prefect of Discipline plus baseball coach and who became his mentor/role model.
At nineteen, Babe Ruth signed a professional baseball contract with the local Baltimore Orioles. He excelled as both a powerful hitter and an adept pitcher.
On July 4, 1914, facing financial difficulties, the Oriole owner sold Babe Ruth's contract (plus those of two other players) to the Boston Red Sox for $25,000 (about $648,000 today). He became one of their best players for six years.
On January 6, 1920, the Red Sox owner sold Babe Ruth's contract to the New York Yankees for $100,000 (almost $1,300,000 today). He became a legend.
After playing 15 years with the Yankees, Babe Ruth played one final season (1935) back in Boston, this time with the National League's Braves.
Babe Ruth's career record as a pitcher is 94 wins and 46 losses with an earned run average (ERA) of 2.28 (runs per 9 inning game), including 17 shutouts, with 488 strikeouts (twice as many as walks allowed). He gave up only 10 home runs in 163 games. Babe Ruth also pitched a no-hitter.
In the 1916 and 1918 World Series, Babe Ruth won 3 games (giving up only 3 runs in total), helping the Red Sox to two championships. His statistics are very good and he could have become one of baseball's best pitchers, but he stopped pitching and instead became one of baseball's greatest hitters.
In 22 years as a player, Babe Ruth collected 2,873 hits, including 714 home runs, with 2,241 runs batted in (RBI) and a career batting average of .342. He also was walked by opposing pitchers 2,062 times.
Appearing with the Yankees in seven World Series, Babe Ruth helped them win four times, getting 41 hits, including 15 home runs and 30 runs batted in.
The bottom line you can glean from the above statistics is that Babe Ruth was both a great pitcher and a great hitter. Nobody else in the history of the game can make that statement.
Babe Ruth sadly died of esophageal cancer on August 16, 1948 (seventy-two years ago today) at the age of only fifty-three.
Babe Ruth was born February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. As his parents were of German ancestry, he spoke German growing up (similar to Donald Trump's father). At seven years of age, Ruth attended St. Mary's Industrial School for boys where he fell under the tutelage of Brother Matthias Boutlier, the school's Prefect of Discipline plus baseball coach and who became his mentor/role model.
At nineteen, Babe Ruth signed a professional baseball contract with the local Baltimore Orioles. He excelled as both a powerful hitter and an adept pitcher.
On July 4, 1914, facing financial difficulties, the Oriole owner sold Babe Ruth's contract (plus those of two other players) to the Boston Red Sox for $25,000 (about $648,000 today). He became one of their best players for six years.
On January 6, 1920, the Red Sox owner sold Babe Ruth's contract to the New York Yankees for $100,000 (almost $1,300,000 today). He became a legend.
After playing 15 years with the Yankees, Babe Ruth played one final season (1935) back in Boston, this time with the National League's Braves.
Babe Ruth's career record as a pitcher is 94 wins and 46 losses with an earned run average (ERA) of 2.28 (runs per 9 inning game), including 17 shutouts, with 488 strikeouts (twice as many as walks allowed). He gave up only 10 home runs in 163 games. Babe Ruth also pitched a no-hitter.
In the 1916 and 1918 World Series, Babe Ruth won 3 games (giving up only 3 runs in total), helping the Red Sox to two championships. His statistics are very good and he could have become one of baseball's best pitchers, but he stopped pitching and instead became one of baseball's greatest hitters.
In 22 years as a player, Babe Ruth collected 2,873 hits, including 714 home runs, with 2,241 runs batted in (RBI) and a career batting average of .342. He also was walked by opposing pitchers 2,062 times.
Appearing with the Yankees in seven World Series, Babe Ruth helped them win four times, getting 41 hits, including 15 home runs and 30 runs batted in.
The bottom line you can glean from the above statistics is that Babe Ruth was both a great pitcher and a great hitter. Nobody else in the history of the game can make that statement.
Babe Ruth sadly died of esophageal cancer on August 16, 1948 (seventy-two years ago today) at the age of only fifty-three.
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Joey
From 1951 until 1960, Gabe Paul was the General Manager of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. During that same period his nephew Joe (Joey) Paul from Rochester, New York, spent his summers at Camp Eagle Cove (see post) near Inlet, New York. I was a bunk mate of his in 1955 when we were ten years-old (only 65 years ago).
Years later, Joe contributed photos from Eagle Cove during his time there to an Internet website about the camp. I was in some of the photos and I was among his fellow-campers whose names he remembered. When I first googled my name, I found the Camp Eagle Cove website which included photos of me during those years.
In 2006, Joe and I exchanged emails. He (a graduate of SUNY at Buffalo) was living in San Ramon, California, still working as an in house counsel for a Houston based energy company. Joe kept the above photos while he moved around the country, from Columbus to Boston to Salt Lake City to Pasadena to Pleasanton (CA) to San Ramon. "I never left them behind," he said.
Joe recently wrote me that he is now retired and has settled in Carlsbad, CA, which is located between San Diego and Los Angeles.
However, one day in 1955 I almost killed Joey. All the boys in cabin #8 were resting after lunch, unsupervised. He was (as I recall) picking on me. Why me? My bad attitude (being at Eagle Cove was not my idea) made me a target for abuse from the rest of my bunk-mates who enjoyed the camp.
Being picked on at camp was not unusual for me. However, this time I reached a breaking point. We got into a wrestling match. I got the upper hand, put Joey in a choke hold and he started complaining he couldn't breathe (sound familiar?). I released him when he promised not to pick on me again.
Joey almost immediately started to do it again and again I got him in a choke hold. I added more pressure this time. Thankfully, I released him and this time he kept his promise, at least for a while. I'm convinced I could've killed him. Thankfully for both of us, I didn't.
The last time I saw Joey was 1959 when we were together in the most advanced camper lodge (fourteen year-olds), named for the Siwanoy tribe. A photo of that group was at the Camp Eagle Cove website which is now sadly gone.
Years later, Joe contributed photos from Eagle Cove during his time there to an Internet website about the camp. I was in some of the photos and I was among his fellow-campers whose names he remembered. When I first googled my name, I found the Camp Eagle Cove website which included photos of me during those years.
In 2006, Joe and I exchanged emails. He (a graduate of SUNY at Buffalo) was living in San Ramon, California, still working as an in house counsel for a Houston based energy company. Joe kept the above photos while he moved around the country, from Columbus to Boston to Salt Lake City to Pasadena to Pleasanton (CA) to San Ramon. "I never left them behind," he said.
Joe recently wrote me that he is now retired and has settled in Carlsbad, CA, which is located between San Diego and Los Angeles.
However, one day in 1955 I almost killed Joey. All the boys in cabin #8 were resting after lunch, unsupervised. He was (as I recall) picking on me. Why me? My bad attitude (being at Eagle Cove was not my idea) made me a target for abuse from the rest of my bunk-mates who enjoyed the camp.
Being picked on at camp was not unusual for me. However, this time I reached a breaking point. We got into a wrestling match. I got the upper hand, put Joey in a choke hold and he started complaining he couldn't breathe (sound familiar?). I released him when he promised not to pick on me again.
Joey almost immediately started to do it again and again I got him in a choke hold. I added more pressure this time. Thankfully, I released him and this time he kept his promise, at least for a while. I'm convinced I could've killed him. Thankfully for both of us, I didn't.
The last time I saw Joey was 1959 when we were together in the most advanced camper lodge (fourteen year-olds), named for the Siwanoy tribe. A photo of that group was at the Camp Eagle Cove website which is now sadly gone.
Sunday, August 2, 2020
A Few Good Men
A Few Good Men is a 1992 military court room drama produced and directed by Rob Reiner, screenplay by Aaron Sorkin and starring, among others, Jack Nicholson. The film received four Academy Award nominations (winning none) including Best Picture (won by Unforgiven) and Best Supporting Actor (Nicholson, but won by Gene Hackman in Unforgiven).
Nicholson portrays Colonel Nathan Jessep, United States Marine Corp., stationed at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. He has a sub-standard soldier in his unit, Private First Class William Santiago. Jessep orders a "Code Red," an illegal violent punishment of Santiago intended to improve his performance.
Unfortunately, the Code Red, administered by Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private First Class Loudon Downey, turns fatal. Jessep then concocts a cover-up leading to a general court martial of only Dawson and Downey, charging them with murder.
At the court martial, Jessep is called as a witness by the defense. Instead of pleading the Fifth Amendment, Jessep attempts to convince the court as to the correctness of his decision to issue the Code Red.
"We live in a world that has walls and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?
I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.
You don't want the truth, because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.
We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you."
In other words, according to Jessep, the ends justify the means. Do they?
Nicholson portrays Colonel Nathan Jessep, United States Marine Corp., stationed at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. He has a sub-standard soldier in his unit, Private First Class William Santiago. Jessep orders a "Code Red," an illegal violent punishment of Santiago intended to improve his performance.
Unfortunately, the Code Red, administered by Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private First Class Loudon Downey, turns fatal. Jessep then concocts a cover-up leading to a general court martial of only Dawson and Downey, charging them with murder.
At the court martial, Jessep is called as a witness by the defense. Instead of pleading the Fifth Amendment, Jessep attempts to convince the court as to the correctness of his decision to issue the Code Red.
"We live in a world that has walls and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?
I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.
You don't want the truth, because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.
We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you."
In other words, according to Jessep, the ends justify the means. Do they?
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