MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH BASEBALL

I LOVE this game. I have loved it my entire life. I love the St. Louis Cardinals. It is a bridge from my dad to me and to my son and daughters.  It has bridged three generations from Musial to Brock/Gibson to Ozzie to Big Mac to The Great Pujols.

Baseball has been a part of my personal and professional life for as long as I can remember.  At last count, I have met and/or interviewed 21 Baseball Hall of Famers. I met Willie Mays and Hank Aaron the SAME week!  That is pretty special for a kid from Bath, Illinois; a town of under 400 people.

I was 8 years old when I saw my first game in person at Busch Stadium I. I  was in Busch Stadium II when Bob Forsch pitched his first no-hitter. I was there when Glenn Brummer stole home.  I saw TWO inside the park home runs in the SAME game… one by the great Lou Brock and the other by Hector Cruz.  I was there in 1982 for the 7th game of the World Series when Bruce Sutter closed out the win for the Cardinals’ first title in 15 years!.  I was in the bleachers of Busch III with my son when Albert Pujols hit a walk-off home run that landed just a few feet from us. We were together again at Great American Ballpark when Pujols broke the record for homering off the most different pitchers in the history of the game, That opposite field home run also tied Alex Rodriguez for 4th place in MLB history. Yeah, I’ve seen some things!  

The romance of baseball is real.  As with any romance, there is also heartache.  I remember how crushed I was in 1968 when St. Louis blew a 3-1 game lead to lose the World Series to the Tigers.   I cried as a 12 year old when the Cardinals traded Orlando Cepeda to Atlanta for Joe Torre.  But love is fickle as I fell in love with the Cardinals’ next MVP.

But sometimes the game doesn’t love you back.  If desire and wishes were enough, I would be headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame myself.  Oh how I wanted to play pro baseball.  It was my biggest dream.   I was a great sandlot player but only a mediocre player when playing actual league games.  Perhaps it was lack of coaching or lack of talent but it was not in the plan of the baseball gods for me to reach that goal.

So, if not a player, I set my sights on being a Major League announcer.  Some folks claim to have a cup of coffee in the big leagues.  Well, I had a sip.  I was invited to Chicago in September of 1987  to call two White Sox games.  I called the middle three innings on Tuesday and Wednesday night games.  It was great!  But like the pretty girl that flirts with you at a party, that was all there was to it.  It was just a taste, a sip. Not even a fling.

After a few near misses with big league teams I ended up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island calling games for the Red Sox AAA team.  After two years there…I was out of baseball. And I was bitter. The game had betrayed me!  At that point I fell out of love with the game, like a scorned lover.  Not THE game, but the establishment, the politics and sometimes the arrogance of getting that golden ticket to a Major League broadcast booth.

Instead, that first year out of baseball I coached my daughter’s tee-ball team and later my son’s teams for many years.  I found I still loved baseball.  Baseball on any level.  I enjoyed watching my son play perhaps more than playing the game myself. I still love playing catch.  It is why Field of Dreams is my favorite movie. 

I fell back in love with Major League baseball when my kids were old enough to fall in love with it themselves. The season of ‘98 was a shared event for all of us and despite the steroid era there was a type of redemption there for me. It was fun again to watch and follow.

My love affair with baseball is, perhaps, stronger now than ever.  I am well past the time to play and have come to terms that I will only get that delicious sip in the big leagues. The romance of the game has come full circle...nevermore so than this season.  :Pujols' return to the Cardinals and his amazing finale has caused me to get goosebumps and to conjure up the emotions of my 12 year old self that saw the game as pure and simple and yes, romantic.  

It is a great day for the great game!

Thanks for reading!

GRADUATION: The good, the bad and the ugly.

Of the 25 years I taught at Berry/Hoover High School I attended 24 graduations.  The one I missed was to attend my own daughter’s graduation at her school.  So I guess, technically I was 25 for 25.  Even on the one I missed I was there earlier that day setting up cameras and running cables with students for the video production.

I have become the “get off my lawn” old man when it comes to these ceremonies and the decision to hold an in-person graduation next week has not helped. 

THE UGLY---Over those 25 plus years, I have witnessed some of the rudest and most uncivilized behavior...by adults!  It has almost become an experiment of human behavior.  The absolute crush of people pushing and shoving their way in to get “the best seats” once the doors open is appalling.  It was the “Me First” movement long before there was “Me too”. 

Because the size of graduating classes has grown larger each year, the event must be held in sporting arenas or stadiums where a ceremony has turned into a pep rally. And class sizes have made it necessary for the person reading the names to speed through them like an auctioneer...making me think, "Is this really worth it?"

The cowbells, catcalls, air-horns, hoots, and hollers are disrespectful in what may be one of the few ceremonies that some students will actually experience.  I always think, “Did you really think your son or daughter was NOT going to graduate?” (I know for some that is a real concern)  Are you really celebrating your son or daughter's accomplishment or trying to embarrass them?  Or, let's take the focus off the student for those SIX seconds they have to cross the stage and have everyone look at me!  I once heard it said, “I have seen better behavior at a strip club.”  (Oh wait, that was me!)

When I have witnessed up close and personal the inability of adults to self-discipline their behavior in past graduation ceremonies it does not give me a comfortable feeling to think that they can or will do so while in the midst of a pandemic.  If we can’t trust adults to be, well, adults, how can we expect the grads to follow social distancing when they know they may never see some of their fellow students after that night??

THE BAD---Then there are the speeches!  As a teacher, I have learned as much from my students as they may have ever learned from me. Students have a voice and it is important to listen to them,  I have learned much over the years in my conversations with students. But the speeches!  Actually, it is the same speech every year...just different people giving it.  “Go change the world.”  “The future is ours.”  “Reach for the stars.” “We survived!” We survived the FOUR whole years of high school... we survived the move...portables...construction...power failures...snowmageddon...etc.”  This year, well, hopefully, we survive graduation!

THE GOOD---If you are still reading...my memories of graduations past are not ALL bad.   Let me expound on that.  I loved seeing the students I taught or knew coming in the morning of graduation practice.  I loved it when they would smile, nod, or wave to me.  Some would break out of line and give me a hug.  I loved working with my underclassmen to set up the cameras and crawl under bleachers to run cables.  I loved when former students came back to help with the production.  I loved seeing the reality, sink in, for many students, that this was it, high school is over and it wasn’t so bad after all.  I loved taking my crew to CiCi’s Pizza or Dreamland after set-up and spending time with them outside the classroom.  I loved going to Waffle House with my crew after Graduation Day finally ended and hanging out and bonding with some of the hardest-working kids I ever taught.  So, it wasn't that bad after all!

In conclusion, graduation IS important. Students and, yes, their families should be celebrating their accomplishments and achievements. While I have attended many, for some it may be their first or one of a few.  I don’t want the memories of 2020 to be one of regret because we didn’t listen to the medical experts’ advice and did it too soon.  

Be smart...be safe and for goodness sake, behave!

STOP DOING THAT TO ME

Well, I am halfway through my 25th year of teaching school.  Halfway through what has been one of the most difficult years I have encountered as a teacher.  I have often said that "when I stop learning, I'll stop teaching".  Unfortunately, in this case, what I am learning is troubling.

I teach Television Production and Broadcast Journalism.  This year I added two units of Career Preparedness.   I keep one period of ISS (In School Supervision/Suspension).  I learn something new everyday.  Some useful, some enlightening, some inspiring. However, often it is depressing, aggravating, maddening.

Our educational system in this country is much like our political system.  The rich will be just fine. The very poor will be provided for by a certain amount of government programs and the truly middle class will be left to fight it out among themselves.   

In education, the bright, achievers will be just fine.  The really struggling students will be assisted by IEPs and 504 plans and the average student is pretty much left to figure it out on their own.

This is not about getting help to those who need it.  I am very much in favor of those programs; whether they be socially or educationally.  But what this is about is the unwillingness of those in the middle to help themselves.

There is is a fear that our society has created.  It is the fear of failure or even worse, perceived failure. So, often instead of trying and failing, many won't try at all. 

I shared on Facebook recently an article in The Atlantic that touched on this very same thing.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/08/when-success-leads-to-failure/400925/

The author of the article, Jessica Lahey, makes the point that the pressure of achieving is robbing students of the fun of learning.   I agree with most everything she writes in this article, however, I think there is more to it. It is that some just don't want to learn.  It is not a fear of failing, it is a fear of learning, having to work, having to actually think!

Countless times, this year alone, I have called on students in class with the easiest of questions; only to have the response be "I don't know".  It is not that they don't know, it is that they just don't want to engage their brain to actually try to deduce a reply.  This happens even when I ask a student their opinion; where there is no right or wrong answer.  "I don't know".  I don't know is code for "Stop calling on me." "Stop picking on me"  "Stop doing that to me."

See, here in lies the problem. Many of my students and the students of my colleagues treat education/learning as something we are doing TO them and not something we are doing FOR them! What they and many parents are really seeking is not knowledge, but a grade, a certificate, an honor, a trophy.  It doesn't matter if they learn anything as long as their GPA is not affected. And some could care less about that. Some are only concerned about passing. 

Some in the political arena want to have merit based pay for teachers based on standardized test scores. Give me a break!  Just as the rich/smart, very poor/special needs people get what they need...so does the teacher of upper level classes.  When you teach an AP or IB student, more often than not, you have the cream of the crop in your classroom.  Great students can make a mediocre teachers look outstanding! In reality, shouldn't our very best teachers be teaching the most challenging students?   And I mean challenging from both an educational and disciplinary standpoint.  Then again, perhaps they are. Maybe those teachers should be making more if we put in merit pay.  

But I do take the successes of  my students personally.  If a student has a low grade or fails my class I feel as if I have failed.  I have failed to present the material adequately, appropriately, entertainingly enough.  I feel that it is a reflection on my ability to teach. Is it me or is it them?

One saving grace is those who thrive and succeed and become passionate about learning. Thank God there are success stories!  There are students who light up the room when they enter.  There are students that say "thank you" and are respectful. There are students that are well-behaved and polite.  There are students who want to learn.

Because of them I continue to learn some good lessons. That is why, once this Christmas/holiday break is over I will return to my classroom and will continue to try to do something for them and not to them. 

Thanks for reading.

Jeff

WAS IT IN THE STARS?

I wrote this blog the day after the election.  Now, one day after the Electoral College has officially made Donald J Trump the 45th President of the United States, I feel just as strongly as I did back then. 

How do you blog when you are speechless, without words, dumbstruck?  That is the task I find myself in as I try to sort out how and what I feel about the Presidential election.

 I will not walk away from the fact that I voted for Hillary Clinton. So did 65.4 million other people vs. 62.9 million.*  I will not couch my vote as voting for the lesser of two evils. I will not shrink from the fact that I grew up in a lower-middle class, blue collar, labor union family that backed, supported and voted democratic the whole time I was under my parents roof and beyond. For me, the positives of a Clinton Presidency outweighed Donald Trump's.   Does that make me a "flaming liberal" or a full-throated supporter of Hillary?  Hardly!

Donald Trump won the electoral college vote.  Hillary Clinton won the popular vote.  We are truly a nation divided; more divided than at any time in my life. I don't think Mr. Trump did anything to help that divide during his campaign. He tore through the primaries with brashness and bluster, leaving his challengers in a wake of personal insult and attacks. He conducted himself as a spoiled brat; the little rich kid that did what he wanted and said what he wanted...no matter if it was truthful or appropriate or not.  He carried that same arrogance and willingness to distort facts into the general election.

The man is amazing.  He could be shown a clip of him saying something and then turn around and deny he said it.  And his supporters didn't seem to care.  "He tells it like it is", they would say.

I recently posted on Facebook that the healing has to begin and posed the question whether we would be part of the problem or part of the solution.  Personally, I would like to be part of the solution but first I need to get some things off my chest.

The fact that Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States disturbs me less than the tactics in which he got there.  After all the fear, anger and hate speak spewed from this man, he now wants us to all hold hands and sing Kumbaya.  Now that he has won, he now wants to unite us.  Now that the vote has come out in his favor there is no more talk of rigged elections.  Now that he is the President-Elect everyone is supposed to fall in line behind our leader!  But wait, remember what Republicans said when Barrack Obama was elected to his first term?  Essentially they said we will do everything in our power to destroy his presidency!  We will make sure that he doesn't get a second term!

Fast forward to 2016. Did you hear that from Hillary Clinton today in her concession speech?  Did you hear that from President Obama?  No, of course not.  Any reasonable person understands that if Trump fails...we all fail.  Do we really want to perform surgery on ourselves with a rusty scalpel?  We are a nation of self-inflicted wounds! Yet, for some, any Obama defeat was victory to them.

I have heard stories from my teaching colleagues today of  Muslim and Hispanic students coming to school frightened for what the future holds for them, their friends and their families. I have read posts from mothers and fathers struggling with how to tell their children the news of  the results.  I have learned of high school students sobbing out of concern for what might happen to the groups of people that Mr. Trump singled out, attacked and/or vilified.
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There are also those attempting to wave the constitution as a reason for not panicking. "The will of the people."  I understand that.  We live in the greatest democracy of all-time.  Yes, our country will survive; but what will it look like? This is my greatest concern about this election!

We have taught our children that the ends do justify the means. We have made it acceptable to make everything about self.  We have given the green light to brag on ourselves ceaselessly, We never have to show humility because we have the "best words" the "best ideas",  we can cast guilt and doubt by innuendo, We  can say anything we want to get anything we want.  We can step on, frighten, bully and intimidate because that is what it takes to get ahead.  We never have to say I am sorry...and mean it.  Is this really the message we want to send to our kids, our country, the world?

But the die has been cast.  I am humbly reminded that the other half of the electorate, those who are celebrating a Trump victory, feared the future on a Clinton White House.  Many of these people are my friends.  Some are family. So where do we go from here?

We can disagree and still respect.  We can debate and not demean.  We can have dissent without dissension.  Fear is never a good thing and much of the opinion on both sides of this campaign spawned out of fear of the unknown.  Some was based on fearing what we have seen.  Others fear what they convinced themselves would happen.

Now we wait.  We pray.  We hope.  We love.  And we must look inwardly and reflect on what we have become.

We could point fingers.  We could place blame.  Or we can take responsibility.  How did we get here? Perhaps Shakespeare said it best,   "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves,..."

*this information from the Cook Political Report was not part of the original blog.

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness:
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."---Dr. Martin Luther King

Have you ever noticed that you can't turn up darkness. Total darkness is the total absence of light.  Think about it, darkness cannot get darker.   If you were placed in a room totally devoid of light there is no way to make it darker. Even as the sun disappears beyond the horizon it is not darkness growing darker...it is light growing dimmer.  I am no scientist but it would appear, by this logic, that darkness can only get brighter.  It gets brighter by adding light.

That was the very point Dr. King was trying to make in the quote at the top of this blog.  He eloquently replaces the word "hate" for the word "darkness". I know, with the events of the past week, it seems like the world we are living in has grown even more dark but it really hasn't.  We just see it more, experience it more.

Dr. King's words, though eloquent, are not necessarily original. It would appear the Baptist preacher borrowed them from the apostle John.  My pastor has been walking us through the gospel of John over the past several weeks and it has revealed some perspective to some of our world's current events.

 I love the book of John, written as an eye witness account to Jesus' ministry. John uses the same writing style interchanging the words "life and light", "death and darkness".  He clearly illustrates that "Light" and "the Word" = Jesus.  "Darkness" = death.

We have seen the darkness played out on our streets, in our schools, in theaters, nightclubs and churches. We see darkness through guns, drugs, racism , terrorism and war. We give lip-service to these issues.  We draw political lines that divide us; rather than unite us to resolve the hate.  As Dr. King and the apostle John point out, we attempt to fight darkness with darkness....hate with hate.  The sad thing is, as flawed human beings we actually want it that way.                                                                                                                                              
"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil." (John 3:19 ESV)

We are a house, a world divided.  It is not just Christians vs. Muslims, Black vs.White,  Liberal vs. Conservative, Republican vs. Democrat, Believer vs. non-believer or even the United States vs. everyone else.   No, we are fighting among ourselves.  America is at war with itself and its because we LOVE the darkness! 

I read a post that ponders whether this present darkness is due to God's judgement finally being imposed on the United States.  I am not equipped to answer that. I do know that the true "adversary" desires to  divide, steal, kill and destroy.  As a people, it is hard to imagine a time when we have been more divided.  It appears that everything is politicized or spun to fit a particular agenda.

That is why we are not able to strike a reasonable balance on almost anything. How can we work together in regard to stopping mass shootings? Is it really unreasonable to want to keep guns out of the hands of bad people?  Does my right to own a gun outweigh the lives of those who are victims of firearms violence or accidents. Why is it that some think that "BLACK LIVES MATTER" somehow robs them of the fact that their life matters or that ALL lives matter?  Why are we an "either/or society"?

Perhaps it is because it is either/or.  John tells us that.  Light vs.Darkness, remember?

John also tell us, "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16 ESV)

Borrowing from both Dr. King and from the apostle John, let me offer up a reasonable solution. What I believe is the only solution to our present darkness.  Hate cannot drive out hate: only GOD can do that.

Brothers and sisters, take peace in the fact that the darkness cannot and will not get darker.  It can't;  even though some will try to convince you otherwise. Take rest in the fact that there is Light when it seems there is nothing but darkness.  Take heart in the fact that the only direction darkness can go is to the light.

"In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:4-5 ESV)

Finally, take joy that Christ is the Light and the darkness will not prevail.

Blessings and thanks for reading!

Jeff


  

A GRAY WORLD

When I was a kid things for me were pretty black and white.   Growing up in a tiny town and going through a school system that was sub-standard at best, my world was quite small.  In my world, there were absolute rights and absolute wrongs.

Now, I am not saying that I still don't have strong views or opinions on issues.  Anyone who knows me at all can tell you that.  But the older I get the less I see the world in black and white terms.  While many things have been revealed to me in living color, I see some of those black and white issue in more of a shade of gray.

The society I live in is "forcing" me to think and consider issues, that frankly, I had never truly considered before.  I am not so sure I enjoy being put in that position.  I am not sure when it started or who exactly should be blamed for it, but there is rarely an issue today that doesn't polarize us.

The latest is over transgender use of public restrooms. Is this really something that we needs laws about?  Is this something that states or corporations have to take a public stand on?  North Carolina has passed legislation prohibiting transgenders from using the potty of their choice and Target has been at the center of this controversy since announcing that transgender customers at its stores are welcome to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.  COME ON!

It seems there is no middle ground or common sense anymore.  When using arguments for EITHER side the most extreme scenarios are usually presented.  "We are giving rapist and predators permission to enter into women's bathrooms."  "I feel like a woman, I see myself as a woman, I dress like a woman.  I should be able to use the woman's restroom."

Since when do corporations like Target or Chick-fil-a represent a moral conscience.  These are businesses, made up of people, but a corporation in and of itself does not have a heart, a soul or a conscience.  Not everyone who works where I do has the same set of morals, values and/or opinions.

I understand if a company supports or engages in activities that your personal values don't agree with or support it is within your rights as a consumer to take your business elsewhere.  That is the great thing about the good USA; we still do have some choices.

My issue is not that progressives advocate boycotting North Carolina and Mississippi because of policy that is being seen as anti-inclusive or that conservatives want to boycott Target for being inclusive.  My issue is with the logic or lack there of that seems to evade those speaking up the loudest.

Let's look at the progressive side first.  Can they not see that, yes, this causes real, legitimate concerns?  Men using women's restrooms IS a dicey issue.  Mothers and fathers are concerned about their daughters.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Women are more than a little weirded out about it for their own comfort and safety.  Why is that so hard for progressive/liberals to see.  This is not some crazy conspiracy where the "right wing" gangs up on the LGBTQ community.  Take a deep breath.

On the conservative side, the logic of their arguments are almost as knee-jerk.While the Right continues to cry out for smaller government they condone a law governing where someone can pee!

 I just read where a conservative spokesmen's argument against gun-control laws was "more laws are not going to stop people from using guns.".  Using that same logic, laws telling transgenders that they can't use the bathroom of their choice is not going to keep them from doing so.  And, it's true. But ask yourself this: Why are conservatives so concerned about where someone pees that we need laws to dictate it, but, at the same time oppose gun laws (they claim won't work) that could save lives?  Could it be because there are no "Potty Lobbyists"?

Transgenders have been using their bathroom of choice for decades and most of us didn't even notice. Are our women and children at more risk now than before?   Just as gun laws and locks won't stop bad people from doing bad thing neither will these laws.  There is evil in this world and there are those that will prey on children and women regardless of laws!

Another thing. Who sends their 4-year old into a public restroom by themselves ?  I can't tell you how many times I have been in a public men's room when a father has brought his young daughter in to go to the bathroom.  Not all that long ago if a father was out in public with his young children he had little choice. I doubt if any children were harmed or scarred for life from that experience. How about giving Target and other businesses credit for providing Family Restroom options now?

When my daughters were young and I had them with me there were plenty of times that I had to accompany them to the men's room.  Or they had to accompany me!  I would not permit them to go into a public women's room unescorted and they certainly weren't going to be left waiting for me outside!

"Stand here and face the wall."  "Stand outside the stall where I can see your feet." were common instructions all my children heard when it was just them and me in public.  As they got old enough to go by themselves I would wait patiently outside and if it seemed like things were taking too long I would ask a woman coming out of the restroom if she would mind checking on them.

I write all of this to say that I think this is another area of gray in my life.  I don't see this issue as so black and white that I will never shop at Target or visit the state of North Carolina again.  Tolerance is a interesting concept.  The people who cry for tolerance are often most intolerant of those with opposing thought.  As a people, as a country we cannot grow with that type of thinking.

Sometimes gray isn't such a bad color.

THAT'S WHY THEY PLAY THE GAME!

It's early. I know that. The Cubs come to St. Louis tonight for the beginning of a three-game series. This may not dictate what will happen in October but bear in mind that the games in April count. 

That being said, it is interesting that many of the "experts" were ready to crown the Cubs the 2016 World Series winners when they made the playoffs and beat St. Louis last year.  One would have thought they were the defending World Series Champs judging by the slobbering over this team this past off-season and spring training.  But wait a minute.  Didn't the Mets play in the World Series? Didn't the Royals win it all?  

I get it.  Joe Madden has the Midas touch.  He is great with the media and his players love to play for him.   I understand the Cubs "arrived" sooner then expected last year. This is a good team with loads of talent but look at how well the experts have done picking the last few years.

After a ton of trades a couple of years ago the Blue Jays were picked to win it all. For the past three years many have been picking the Nationals to go all the way. Last season, the media darlings were the Padres. The White Sox made some big moves a couple of off seasons ago and many jumped on the band wagon.

It all comes down to what I always say: "That's why they play the games." None of those teams won the World Series or the pennant. Some didn't even make the playoffs!

This is not the first time the Cubs have had talent. Some could argue that they had more talent in the 60's than the Cardinals. In the infamous 1969 season Chicago had FOUR Hall of Famers: Ernie Banks Ferguson Jenkins, Billy Williams and Ron Santo.

They also had a HOF manager in Leo Durocher. 

While the Cardinals were winning the pennant in 1964 (thanks to the trade of Lou Brock to the Cardinals from Chicago) and in 1967 and 1968, the Cubs were finishing 8th, 3rd and 3rd those same seasons. St. Louis also won the WS in '64 & '67.

The Cardinals did have some Hall of Famers too. The aforementioned Brock, Bob Gibson, Orlando Cepeda and Steve Carlton.  It just goes to show you that in the words of Joaquin Andujar, "You never know." 

Regardless if the Cubs or the Cardinals sweep this series...it counts. It means something! It counts in the standings and it counts for bragging rights for every fan of both teams. BUT...there will still be lots of baseball to be played. 

As for me, I am not ready to crown any team champion yet. Let's just play the games!

Thanks for reading!

Jeff