This month is one when many high schools and colleges hold their homecoming celebrations. It's a chance for alumni to return to their respective schools, spend some time with old friends, relive some old memories, and hopefully, celebrate the event with a victory over a fierce rival on the football field.
Usually the week preceding the game is filled with activities as well. There's the obligatory spirit week contest, pep rally, and usually a homecoming parade. Of course, the main event occurs at half-time when the Homecoming Queen is crowned, and receives the celebratory kiss from the captain of the football team. Afterward, at least at most high schools, the finale is a big homecoming dance.
At least that's the way I remember it from "back in the day".....
My senior year in high school I was selected as captain of the football team. Actually, that's not quite true, as for the first time in team history we had tri-captains. I'm not really sure why or how that happened, but it did and the duties were shared among the three of us.....can you see where this is going?
As the Homecoming festivities approached, the voting for the Queen was on every one's mind. Of course the only candidate I remember from that election ended up being my current bride, Miss Elizabeth, and in my mind the outcome was never in question.
The week before Homecoming, one of our captains incurred a season ending ankle injury...out for the season, but still available to perform the captain's duty of crowning the queen. Not In This Lifetime!
When I heard that the decision had been made to have our injured captain crown the queen, I was shall we say "concerned". I've always been a pretty easy going guy, and I don't suppose the principal and guidance counselor had ever seen a different side of me before that day. I'm not sure my argument was all that persuasive, but in the end it was agreed that "if" the crown went to Miss Elizabeth, I would do the honors.....
Again, if my memory serves me correctly, the senior class won the spirit week award, we had a fine pep rally that whipped everyone into a frenzy for the big game, followed by a somewhat haphazard parade around the school. We then played a big game against a team we were supposed to beat, and yes, there was a big homecoming dance.
We lost the game to Fort Scott 14-7, and the dance was a dud.
However, in the fall of 1968, one of the tri-captains crowned the homecoming queen, and life's been a celebration ever since.
I believe it was the right selection......Yes, " I do."
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
To some they were just problem kids and cast-offs.....
Last night Miss Elizabeth and I were watching the baseball playoffs on television....Okay, okay, let me rephrase that. Last night we were sitting on the sofa and the television was tuned to the ball game, I was watching and she was working on one of her needlework projects. Occasionally I would make a comment to the TV, and she would raise her eyes briefly to see what had transpired.
The Cardinals were winning as the hapless Brewers were committing error after error, leading to several unearned runs for the Cards. The starting pitcher for the Brewers was frustrated by the lack of defensive support, but there was little he could do to correct the ineptitude of his infielders.
I've seen it all before. Last night just reinforced the notion that it happens at all levels, all the way from little league to the professional championship series. As I watched thrown balls go awry, batted balls skip under player's gloves, and Zach Grienke's displeasure, it took me back to another game where I witnessed a similar display.
When I was in college I worked a number of part-time jobs to pay the bills. One of jobs was as an umpire for a youth baseball league in Tulsa. The kids were young, maybe 9-10 years old, and were just learning the fundamentals of the game, including some rules of baseball etiquette.....My job was more than just calling balls and strikes, it sometimes required a firm but gentle hand to keep the kids on track.
My favorite team that year, and yes umpires are allowed to have favorites, was a group of rag tag kids from the Tulsa Boys Home. To some they were just "problem" kids and "cast-offs" whose parents were either unable or unwilling to handle them. My favorite player was a little mop-haired bundle of energy who pitched for that team. I loved that kid....and he responded. We were buddies.
He was a good little pitcher, competitive, animated, and just a little bit bossy toward his team mates, especially in games like the one the Brewers were having last night. One night he had just about had it with everyone, including the umpire behind the plate, and when a call at home went against his team he let out a stream of expletives that had every one's ears burning.
Uh oh! He knew he had stepped over the line when he saw me taking long strides to the mound. I was glaring at him, and he was not quite sure what to expect. His eyes were wide and his little body was shaking as I arrived to "make the call". He had disappointed me ,and I could see the remorse in his face. Tough call for a young umpire.
I waved off his coach as I knelt down to look him square in the eyes. His heart was pounding when I put my arm around his shoulders and asked, "Do you have something you need to tell me?" He didn't know what to say, so I asked again, "Don't you think you should apologize for what you just did?"
His voice was barely a whisper, "Yes sir, I'm sorry."
"Now, you're going to sit on the bench for the rest of this game, and after the game we're going to meet with your coach and your team mates for you to apologize to them too."
It was hard for him, but he did it. He stood there and said he was sorry, and I think he really meant it.
I don't know if it was the right thing to do or not, but we never had to have another conversation about his behavior on the field. I'd like to think that maybe it made a difference in his life, but what do I know?
The Cardinals were winning as the hapless Brewers were committing error after error, leading to several unearned runs for the Cards. The starting pitcher for the Brewers was frustrated by the lack of defensive support, but there was little he could do to correct the ineptitude of his infielders.
I've seen it all before. Last night just reinforced the notion that it happens at all levels, all the way from little league to the professional championship series. As I watched thrown balls go awry, batted balls skip under player's gloves, and Zach Grienke's displeasure, it took me back to another game where I witnessed a similar display.
When I was in college I worked a number of part-time jobs to pay the bills. One of jobs was as an umpire for a youth baseball league in Tulsa. The kids were young, maybe 9-10 years old, and were just learning the fundamentals of the game, including some rules of baseball etiquette.....My job was more than just calling balls and strikes, it sometimes required a firm but gentle hand to keep the kids on track.
My favorite team that year, and yes umpires are allowed to have favorites, was a group of rag tag kids from the Tulsa Boys Home. To some they were just "problem" kids and "cast-offs" whose parents were either unable or unwilling to handle them. My favorite player was a little mop-haired bundle of energy who pitched for that team. I loved that kid....and he responded. We were buddies.
He was a good little pitcher, competitive, animated, and just a little bit bossy toward his team mates, especially in games like the one the Brewers were having last night. One night he had just about had it with everyone, including the umpire behind the plate, and when a call at home went against his team he let out a stream of expletives that had every one's ears burning.
Uh oh! He knew he had stepped over the line when he saw me taking long strides to the mound. I was glaring at him, and he was not quite sure what to expect. His eyes were wide and his little body was shaking as I arrived to "make the call". He had disappointed me ,and I could see the remorse in his face. Tough call for a young umpire.
I waved off his coach as I knelt down to look him square in the eyes. His heart was pounding when I put my arm around his shoulders and asked, "Do you have something you need to tell me?" He didn't know what to say, so I asked again, "Don't you think you should apologize for what you just did?"
His voice was barely a whisper, "Yes sir, I'm sorry."
"Now, you're going to sit on the bench for the rest of this game, and after the game we're going to meet with your coach and your team mates for you to apologize to them too."
It was hard for him, but he did it. He stood there and said he was sorry, and I think he really meant it.
I don't know if it was the right thing to do or not, but we never had to have another conversation about his behavior on the field. I'd like to think that maybe it made a difference in his life, but what do I know?
Monday, October 3, 2011
Mediocrity for everyone.....it's better that way!
"Son, I'm sorry, but you're just too good to play in this league, and if you want to continue to play you're going to have to quit scoring so many touchdowns." This is a true story that was recently reported in the news across the nation. Where it occurred is not important, but the fact that it happened speaks volumes.
Can you imagine being eleven years old and having the best time of your life playing football, only to have your coach relate that you'll have to quit playing your "A" game if you want to stay on the team? What a bunch of BS! If there was ever a perfect example of why this country is struggling to maintain its competitive edge, this is it.
Whether in the classroom, recreational sports, class plays, art class, or in the selection of all-star teams, we've removed competition from the equation. Over the course of the last thirty years or so, someone decided that competition was a bad thing. It created stress for our children by recognizing winners and losers in everything we do, and that's just unacceptable. Guess what, even if you don't keep score, the players still know who the winners are.
But, I guess it's been decided that it's best to create a level of mediocrity across the board!
I'm sorry, but I disagree. Having coached sports for many years, and supervising/managing hundreds of people in the work force, I'll attest to the fact that all people are not created equal. Some are excellent writers, some are excellent musicians, some are great artists, but none of them excel at everything they try to do. That doesn't mean we give them all a blue ribbon or trophy for just trying. The biggest disservice we can do is to mislead someone into thinking they're a better (?) than they really are.
The worst thing we can do is to reward sub-standard performance and to penalize excellence.
Maybe this old man is just way out of step with what is "politically correct", but I've been on both sides of this issue and we are now reaping the benefits of a policy that is just flat wrong. If you don't reward excellence, those who have the ability to excel, don't. Likewise, if you continue to reward mediocre performance, those who excel at mediocrity continue to believe that it is acceptable.
Surely I'm not the only one who feels this way, but maybe so, 'cause after all, what do I know?
Can you imagine being eleven years old and having the best time of your life playing football, only to have your coach relate that you'll have to quit playing your "A" game if you want to stay on the team? What a bunch of BS! If there was ever a perfect example of why this country is struggling to maintain its competitive edge, this is it.
Whether in the classroom, recreational sports, class plays, art class, or in the selection of all-star teams, we've removed competition from the equation. Over the course of the last thirty years or so, someone decided that competition was a bad thing. It created stress for our children by recognizing winners and losers in everything we do, and that's just unacceptable. Guess what, even if you don't keep score, the players still know who the winners are.
But, I guess it's been decided that it's best to create a level of mediocrity across the board!
I'm sorry, but I disagree. Having coached sports for many years, and supervising/managing hundreds of people in the work force, I'll attest to the fact that all people are not created equal. Some are excellent writers, some are excellent musicians, some are great artists, but none of them excel at everything they try to do. That doesn't mean we give them all a blue ribbon or trophy for just trying. The biggest disservice we can do is to mislead someone into thinking they're a better (?) than they really are.
The worst thing we can do is to reward sub-standard performance and to penalize excellence.
Maybe this old man is just way out of step with what is "politically correct", but I've been on both sides of this issue and we are now reaping the benefits of a policy that is just flat wrong. If you don't reward excellence, those who have the ability to excel, don't. Likewise, if you continue to reward mediocre performance, those who excel at mediocrity continue to believe that it is acceptable.
Surely I'm not the only one who feels this way, but maybe so, 'cause after all, what do I know?
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