good talk

I've been feeling a lot better since I've been avoiding the TV Media and their turpitude and wish I had done this previously. Recently I donated $500 to the ASPCA and I expect each of you to do this as well, anyone who doesn't will be regarded by myself as being cheap. There's been some entertaining bowl games although there was a curious outcome to the Sugar Bowl. Around Christmas marked the 40th anniversary of the death of Charles "Sonny" Liston who had held the unified Heavyweight Championship from September, 1962 until February, 1964 taking it from Floyd Patterson with a lst round knockout and also knocking Patterson out in the lst round in the rematch. Born into abject poverty in Arkansas as the 24th of Tobey Liston's 25 children by 2 wives Sonny had no shoes and little to eat later saying all I ever had was a lot of brothers and sisters. He didn't know the date of his birth. Tobey would often tie Sonny down and whip him, the source of the large scars on his back. Escaping his father's brutality Sonny joined his mother in St. Louis, began armed robberies to support himself and was sentenced to the Missouri State Pentitentuary in Jefferson City at possibly "15" for a term of 8 years. Coming under the guidance of a priest ho recognized his boxing potential Sonny began his boxing career. Due to the priest's influence Sonny was paroled after only 2 years. Sonny never regarded his stay in prison as being a bad thing as he pointed out that he got 3 meals a day, many boxers began in prison benefitting from the supervised atmosphere and lights out at 10. In 1953 Sonny Liston won the National AAU even though his amateur career was less than a year. A few years later his contract was bought by the infamous Blinky Palermo and Frankie Carbo. There's been many who have imitated the "Sonny Liston Glare" which Liston (84 inch reach, fists 15 inches around) would fix on his opponent as they were receiving the referee's instruction but none have ever done nearly as well, it was said that guys would be bleeding in their corner before the lst bell. After winning the Heavyweight Championship Sonny returned in triumph to the Missouri State Penitentuary where the elated Sonny had a haircut and ate lunch with the inmates (the inmates didn't seem as cheerful probably because Sonny would be able to leave afterwards and they weren't). After losing the Heavyweight Championship and rematch to Cassius Clay Sonny moved to Las Vegas where he continued his boxing career but he never reached those heights again. Sonny began to supplement his income by dealing with very shady characters. Before Christmas, 1970 his wife Geraldine went to see relatives in St. Louis, upon her return she found Sonny dead in their house. Sonny was so ripe that it was hard to determine the cause of his death but it was widely felt that he had been done in for running afoul of the rough crowd he ran with. Like a lot of boxing fans I've been to the grave of Sonny Liston here in Las Vegas where I placed a red rose and a white rose. Sonny was known to show a very good side and was well-liked by many. Nobody knew when he was born nobody when he died, a psychologist could make much of his going by the sobriquet of "Sonny" in this most punishing of activities.