good talk

6 years ago I saw the first game of a Red Sox-Yankees series at Fenway Park with the Boston Ace Pedro Martinez going for the Red Sox. I had just gotten to town on the Greyhound and this of course was sold out. In such instances I've always been able to get in by getting "scalped" and paying more than face value, I don't care how much it costs I just want to get in. I had never been to Fenway before and naturally was all excited. As I was nearing the Park a guy approached me and offered to sell me a ticket and for a good price even. So I said "Sure" and bought it. At that time at Fenway they didn't have the machine that the ticket-taker can put the ticket into to check its authenticity, I just walked on in. Being all happy to be inside the fabled Fenway Park and to see a big game there I sat down, ah but after awhile a couple came over and one had a ticket for the same seat as myself. Another guy near me was in the same boat and the Head of Security for that Section approached us, he said,"I could ask you to leave but I won't, find another seat. So even though I had bought a counterfeit ticket I was still going to be able to see the game but I was shaken by the experience, hey selling a counterfeit ticket is about as serious a crime as passing counterfeit money, in both cases something of supposed value that you know to be phoney. To calm my nerves I went downstairs and bought a Foot-Long which I slathered with "Hot French Mustard"-----I felt like I had fire coming out of my nostrils. I went upstairs and was able to find a spare seat and had a really nice evening, All's Well that End's Well. 2 years ago this coming summer I was in San Diego and the Red Sox's Josh Beckett was going to go against the Padres' Jake Peavy and this was only the 3rd time in Major League History that two pitchers who were both 9-1 had opposed each other. This was of course a sell-out but I was able to get a ticket by paying over 3 times face value and luckily it wasn't counterfeit, ha, ha, the guy in Boston was an evil blonde whiteguy while the guy in San Diego was a decent blackguy. Not everybody was so lucky, I was talking to a ticketseller and he told me that the night before 400 people had tried to get in with counterfeit tickets (San Diego had machines to test validity) to the sold-out Red Sox-Padres game and all were turned away, bet that made their Evening. Recently C-Span did a Survey of 65 "Authorities" in Ranking the Presidents and I find their Results to be Suprising. They ranked Lincoln first and Washington second, anything that transpired under Lincoln would have happened anyway at around the same time even if Lincoln had never existed, that is that the South would be Suppressed and the Slaves Freed. The South fought like a Dog but still Lost, of the 13 Colonels on "Picket's Charge" on the 3rd Day at Gettysburg which is accepted by all as the South's last stab at winning the War, 7 were killed and 6 were wounded. Washington was a huge part of starting this Country off and was it's First President, it was successful then and it's successful at the present, I don't think this Country will have a lengthy Future but at least it has a an Impressive Past. Washington was easily the most important President, We didn't have to win the Revolution, we didn't have to have a Stable Democracy, described as "Cold and Aloof" that's what it took, he got this thing rolling. They've got Ulysses Grant at 23rd about in the Middle, Grant's always been regarded as a failure because he trusted his corrupt friends. Andrew Johnson they have at 41st, second to the last, he was a great man who wisely opposed punishment of the South that is a "Harsh Reconstruction," and was almost thrown out of Office, he committed Political Suicide for his Convictions. Our Political Leaders these days seem like a bunch of Greedy Pigs and rightly so. I wouldn't think Teddy Roosevelt to be 4th, Kennedy 6th, Reagan 10th although except for Reagan they were okay. The last such poll was in 2000, maybe these guys have been doing Strong Drugs in the Interim, I see no evidence that they haven't. Where are those Great Men of Yore? They Aren't Around Anymore.

good talk

Of course it was Pittsburg and San Francisco that Barry Bonds has played for in the Major Leagues. I just had this Blog wiped out and am having to do it over, I was wondering if you people did this. I saw Bonds play for the Giants a few times, twice at Pac-Bell now AT&T in San Francisco and Bonds once homered ten yards away from me. I'd say that it's a mediocre ballpark, everybody gets all excited because it's on San Francisco Bay. I saw the Giants play at old Candlestick and it was cold and windy in August. Petco in San Diego is a great ballpark and I've seen a game there all 5 years it's been open. 6 and 7 years ago I took Greyhound trips all over the country and into Canada once getting as far as Halifax, Nova Scotia. Greyhound used to be a fabulous way to travel as long as you're not stuck-up, a lot of gamey people take the Greyhound. And 6 and 7 years ago both years I saw 5 Major League Games around the country and Canada. Long Ago I saw the Expos play the Cubs in Montreal, a right-handed pitcher was called a "drotier." The Greyhound is no longer a good mode of transportation, they've messed it up all the way around. In 2004 Matt Bush from Mission Bay High School in San Diego was the first player taken in the Free Agent Draft signing with the hometown Padres for a bonus of 3.15 million dollars. I saw Matt Bush play as both a junior and senior, a fabulous fielding shortstop who could hit for both average and power, he was also a great pitcher. Just an average-sized kid at 5'10" and 165 pounds I saw him go "95" in just the 2nd game of his senior year, I asked the scout in front of me what's the fastest you've got Bush. And accurate, he didn't walk anybody. In high school the ballfield was Matt's toy, he did anything he wanted. Right after he went pro he was arrested for underage drinking in Scottsdale getting into an altercation with a bouncer. His high school coach for both baseball and football said, "He's a follower." In the Minor Leagues he did poorly as a shortstop both in fielding and hitting and was getting injured. Switched to pitcher he started doing much better but then got injured. Recently Matt Bush was involved in a drunken affair at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, outside of San Diego, where he roughed up a couple of high school kids (Matt's now "23"). By this time the Padres had had enough and wrote off their 3 mil and wasted First Player Taken by trading Matt Bush to Toronto. I used to be very worried about Matt Bush but have become resigned to his probably being washed-up and never realizing his once Great Potential, he should have some Money left and hopefully will get his life together.

good talk

I don't want anybody to get the impression that I dislike Kelly Ripa and Regis, it's just that I think that a well-functioning Fourth Estate wouldn't be involved in a Fraudulent Cover-Up. Ripa and Regis is the only Fraud that I know for sure that you're covering-up, if there's that one, and there is, there's no doubt other Frauds that the Media is Covering-Up. Things could be a lot worse in my own Life, after all I could be one of you. This Steroid Thing in Baseball is very disconcerting, it's a real pity. I saw A-Rod play for Seattle and the Rangers (I really liked their Park in Arlington, Texas and I had been to their previous one) and I've seen Barry Bonds play wherever he's gone. In 1984 I remember passing him when Arizona State played USC and I thought him to be quite slim, he was "19," and he wasn't the best player on this team which had Oddibe McDowell. I saw Bonds play for Pittsburg and Seattle. I think it was May 1, 1991 I was in Cincinnati and saw the Reds play the Pirates with the Reds' star pitcher Jose Rijo going for the Reds. Andy Van Slyke also starred for the Pirates and when he was in the on-deck circle he tossed a foul ball to an Old Man in the First Row who in his fervor to catch it fell 15 feet onto the Field. I never read anything more about it like say that the Old Man had died or whatever, he seemed to fall on his head. Looking seriously bummed Van Slyke struck-out in his At-Bat. I had a heck of a good seat for this game, this was the year after the Reds had won the World Series and I asked the ticket seller for his best seat and I was sitting in the 5th Row directly behind Home Plate with the Scout with the JUGS Gun sitting in front of me. Jose Rijo had been married to the daughter of Juan Marichal and they had just gotten divorced, if Rijo had been thinking at all he would have realized that he wouldn't want to be married to the daughter of somebody who had done what Marichal did to Johnny Roseboro, no doubt a volatile family. But he did and after a bad outing later on that season Jose Rijo said,"Rosie should be charged with half these Runs, she got half my Money." I can't believe all of these people who Bernard Madoff shnooked out of money, one of them is Fred Wilpon, the Mets owner, who was taken for 300 million dollars. Before you're in for that kind of money I'd think you'd investigate the deal from top to bottom and not take anybody's word for it that this was such a good thing. Sandy Koufax was one of those taken, possibly the best Jewish Athlete of all time (David would be up there with his sling accuracy) let's hope that Sandy doesn't wind up eating Dog Food in his Old Age. Another taken was Tim Teufel who played 11 years in the Majors, I think that teufel in German means "devil' but I doubt if this is Divine Retribution.

good talk

Something has been awry on the dating of my Blogs lately, hopefully this will change soon. Last night I saw "Rudy" on TV which was based on the life of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger who played football at Notre Dame. I saw "Rudy" in a theater when it first came out in the early 90's, a really good wholesome movie with hardly any bad language and no sex. I'm a big fan of minor league pro sports, say around 1970 I went with a couple guys to see the "Akron Vulcans," a minor league pro football team, I saw 3 games before they folded at Mid-Season. They'd have pictures in their Program of guys who had been cut. Hey, it was good enough for me. About 10 years ago I was at a minor league pro basketball game here in Las Vegas and at halftime they had Rudy Ruettiger, who had become a Motivational Speaker, giving a 20 Minute Abbreviated Talk that would fit into a Basketball Halftime. It was "Follow Your Dreams," it was pretty good, I recommend Rudy if you need someone to speak to your Group. On the "History Channel" yesterday they were giving biographies of the Presidents, I'm supposed to be descended from a brother of James K. Polk who had no children. Polk is regarded as about the best of the one-term Presidents, indeed he died the year after his term ended in 1849. Polk saw successful prosecution of the War with Mexico and the taking of their land (they weren't doing much with it) and the settlement with England over the Northwest. Polk was the oldest of 10 children and there would be hundreds of his Indirect Descendants, in 1991 they dug up Zachary Taylor to see if he had been poisoned and around this time there was a lot of famous people having their bodies exhumed and I was wondering if they were going to ask me if it was allright to dig up Unk, wherever he's at. In the Louisiana Legislature one speaker said, ".....This digging up of Folks has got to stop....." No kidding. I had a great-great Grandfather, a Polk from Polk County Tennessee, who was a Rebel during the Civil War and spent time in a Prisoner-of-War Camp, these were dreadful places in both the North and South (I've been to Andersonville). Indeed my Aunt Sue in Georgia's dachsund was named "Rebel." I was 2 and I remember Rebel well, my Mother said I'd be saying "Webel, Webel," I guess I had a problem with my R's. Whereas Gramps fought for the South his brother fought for the North. Baseball first gained popularity as a Rural Southern Game, they learned it in Prisoner-of War Camps. When my one great Grandmother was a little girl she had to leave Atlanta abruptly with her parents because Sherman was burning it. I guess they returned once everything had cooled off, her daughter, my Grandmother was from Atlanta. Sherman had been with Grant on his Vicksburg Campaign and had seen the devastating effect on the population after having almost all the food they had taken from them. In this instance it had become necessary after the Northern Supplies had been almost wiped out after the successful Raids of Mark Van Dorn (shot to death in his tent soon thereafter by a jealous husband) and Nathan Bedford Forrest ("I got there Firstest with the Mostest"). During his Georgia Campaign Sherman said "These People are never going to like us, the only Way to Beat Them is to make War Terrible for Them, to make Them Fear Us." Things turned out well in the end, this Country was getting into Modern Times and Owning these People and Sending Them Out to Pick this Stupid Cotton was obviously Something that had to go. What brought the Civil War to a head was the Feeling in the North that the South had had its Way for Too Long.

good talk

I didn't get any Valentines, I thought that surely this must be my year but not so. On April 9, 1942 , 68,000 Filipino and 11,796 American Soldiers surrendered to the Japanese after the 3 month long Battle of Bataan. Weak from disease and lack of food these prisoners had been promised humane treatment by the victorious Japanese Lt. General Masaharu Homma when he accepted the surrender of the American Major General Edward King. These prisoners were then marched day and night with little rest, food or water for up to 2 weeks in what became known as the Bataan Death March. Of the 68,000 Filipinos and 11,796 American prisoners as many as 10,000 Filipinos and 650 Americans died enroute. They were tougher on the Filipinos (a survivor of the Bataan Death March? Ferdinand Marcos). With their destination Camp O'Donnell in Central Luzon the prisoners were brutalized by their Japanese Captors ("They despised us for Giving In"), if they wanted your ring they might cut off your finger, if they wanted your watch they might cut off your hand, if you faltered or fell you'd be bayoneted or shot. The American Public heard of this and gave rise to the perception of the Japanese as bloodthirsty barbarians. 15 years ago I was in a VA Hospital receiving treatment for skin cancer, I've had as much as anybody the Doctors know of, I'm very light with light blue eyes and a very oily complexion, even at my age it's the oiliest I've seen. Another of the patients was Darryl McGee, a survivor of the Bataan Death March, and I got to know him a little. Darryl who's quite possibly dead by now was recovering from a stroke. Darryl was a three and a half year prisoner of the Japanese and he said that while he was a prisoner that his leg had gotten infected and that a Japanese Doctor had wanted to amputate it without anesthesia but that an American Doctor who was also a prisoner-of-war told the Japanese Doctor that he could save the leg, and he did. I told this story to a friend of mine recently and he said that it was a very uplifting story. It is? I asked Daryll if he was bitter against the Japanese and he said,"Sure." This might not have been my most astute comment. If you hang around the VA you meet a lot of salty characters, many of them have killed other men. About 12 years ago before one of my skin cancer surgeries I thought it a good idea to go in the restroom and wash my face and I started talking to an old guy who was there to see the dentist. He said that during WW ll that he had fought the Japanese and that a Japanese soldier had bayoneted him and then smashed his rifle butt against his mouth. This is perfect bayonet technique but only good if you can get a vital organ and this guy didn't. The Old American seemed big and strong even in his 70's and was able to hang in there, he said "And then I killed the Jap!" Then he threw back his head and roared with laughter. Eh, the Greatest Generation as Tom Brokaw termed it. After the War the Japanese Lt. General Homma was tried for his cruelty and hung.

good talk

It's been so long since I received a Valentine that I'm sure that this must be my year, I'm way overdue. Ohio State's late football coach, Woody Hayes, was born on February 14 which is why he was so sweet. In 28 years as Ohio State's head coach Woody won 3 Outright and 2 Shared National Championships, quite a good haul. Well known for his bad temper Woody was nonetheless a very honest and good person who really cared about his players, not only was Woody never found guilty of major NCAA infractions, he was never accused of any. By the end of his very lengthy tenure as Ohio State's Head Coach Woody was only the 5th highest paid in the Big 10, money meant little to him and he was listed in the phone book. Woody once walked into a restaurant that my brother Bob managed around the Campus and was sitting at the counter by himself, Bob asked him if he had heard of Larry Poole from Akron Garfield, Woody said he hadn't. I don't think that Poole was the greatest student in the world but he starred at halfback at Kent State and later played for the Browns and Oilers once scoring 3 touchdowns in a game----Bob's tip was a good one. I had a little Black friend named Leroy Peyton who was on the team (ha,ha, Leroy was the smallest one) and one Sunday evening Woody and his son Jeff, an only child and later a long-time Judge in Columbus, took Leroy out to dinner. Leroy said that Jeff Hayes was the only one who he ever heard talk back to Woody, the number wouldn't be too extensive. Woody was a tremendous recruiter who would recruit out of state if the prospect was really good. When Jack Tatum was a high school All-American at Passaic High School in New Jersey he walked into his house one day and saw his mother sitting in the living room talking to--Woody Hayes. He said that Woody looked up and said "Hi" and then resumed talking to his mother while Jack sat there. After this continued for a long time Jack said that he was wondering what was going on, he later said, "I knew that he hadn't come there to recruit my mother." Woody said that he would get on the good side of the parents and then let them influence their son's decision, it worked well. After Jack Tatum's career at Ohio State Woody said, "Jack Tatum could have played for us when he was in the Eighth Grade." In 1858 Abraham Lincoln ran against Stephen Douglas in the Illinois Senatorial Race where the burning issue of the day was Slavery which was repugnant to many of the people in the North while considered very good to many of the people in the South. The South was a Slaveocracy, there were 11 million free Whites in the South and 9 million Black slaves, the South was built on the labor of slaves. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were mainly about slavery. Lincoln lost to Douglas but had come close to defeating the most powerful nothern Democrat, this made Lincoln a marked man in National Politics and gave rise to his ascension to the Presidency 2 years later. A couple days ago one Hispanic stabbed another Hispanic to death in the parking lot of that Wal-Mart across from Sam's Town. The one Hispanic, "57," had seen the shopping cart of the other Hispanic,"24," bang into the side of his vehicle. The ensuing argument developed into a fight with the predictable result of the young guy beating up the older one. Ah, but the old guy got up with a knife and stabbed the young guy to death. In places like San Diego, L.A. and Las Vegas most of the street crime is done by Hispanics, a high proportion of them are criminals and they're a drain on Society in that and a number of other ways. This isn't Mexico, what are they doing here?

good talk

Abraham Lincoln was named after his grandfather who was also murdered, after moving his family from Virginia to Kentucky he was killed by Indians while working in the fields. How many non-Jews, Gentiles so to speak, are named Abraham ? Abe's father, Tom Lincoln, was unambitious and beat young Abe and seemed to be regarded by Abraham as a negative good example (I don't want to be like that). With only 3 years of very rudimentary education Lincoln is considered to be possibly the best writer of the Presidents (Wilson is up there). Largely self-taught Abraham said, "My best friend is the man who can loan me a book I ain't read." I've been to Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield, Illinois where Lincoln and his wife Mary and 3 of their sons (Robert is in Arlington) were laid to rest. In Springfield there are many things to see that have to do with Lincoln as well as the very large and impressive State Capitol Building. At the National Museum of Health and Medicine behind Walter Reed Hospital in D.C. you can see little pieces of Lincoln's Skull amongst the other interesting exhibits. 6 years ago I was taking the city bus to this museum and happened to strike up a conversation with a sergeant from Puerto Rico who was getting ready to retire and he was going to Walter Reed. This was of course after 9-ll and they weren't letting individuals just walk in and roam around, I wouldn't have been allowed past the Gate except that the Good Sergeant said, "He's my guest." How many Great Men are there in this Country today? None or close to it. You Girls might be interested in this. A lot of the people I know I originally met at the gym I go to and one of these is "Scott." Scott is "38" next month, he's never been married, he's an oddsmaker and professional gambler, he owns a nice house and nice car but he's not all that interested in girls. He's strongly heterosexual but seems to think that his life is complete without girls in it because he enjoys partying and gambling so much. A good-looking guy with thick hair and a strong and chiseled body like a football player, a lot of girls seem to like him but he's totally caught up in his lifestyle. We have a mutual friend at the gym named Robin, an attractive woman, and last year I sent him a Valentine saying "I long for the day when I hear our sweaty bodies splash together, O Please be my Valentine" and signed Robin's name to it. I was only trying to help. Scott is a kind person and if a girl could attract his interest I think she'd be happy for this. Maybe things the way they are will be as good as they're going to get. At least you girls know what's out there.