THE CAPTAIN

THE CAPTAIN

He is Air Jordan

Admiration came later

Farewell # 2

STAR & STRIPES

FIRST IMPRESSION

When was the last time you did something new. Do we like change or the idea of trying new things. Do you remember your first?

It was Sept 25, 1999 and I was at my first Ducks game. You may remember it; USC, triple overtime and the beginning of Autzen’s sell out streak. My seats; 50 yard line in the suites; first row, next to my brother.

It was Sept 25, 2010 and I was at my first Oktoberfest. It was my first trip out of the country and the 200th year anniversary of the event. 7.5 million people were there to celebrate with me.

We don’t like change but we enjoy the idea of trying new things. Sitting there looking down at the field; I knew where I was going to school, I knew that was the best game I was ever going to see. On that last day in Munich; I knew I was never going to experience something like that again. I don’t fear new things; I fear they are going to be the best thing I will do.

PEAKED INTEREST

HIT & RUN

In Baseball's illustrious history; some names just unify with hitting, none more than Joe DiMaggio. 75 years later; his 56 game hitting streak still endures. A legend, a hall of famer but why don’t we remember him for his biggest hit…

What would happen if you got a DUII today. Would you lose your job; your reputation, credibility, skill-set, hire-ability. What if you simply just failed a drug test. One is a felony the other a misdemeanor; one was away from work, one was not.

Jim Brown; the NFL’s prized possession, a legend, a hall of famer, a man’s man. Never one to shy away from a hit. O.J Simpson is in the Hall of Fame and in Jail. Jim Brown hit men on Sundays and his women during the week.

Roger Goodell is most likely going to lose his job not because of his actions; or even an employee’s but because of us. If hitting a woman is as bad as we are reacting to it; why is it still just a misdemeanor.

Base Hits, Big Hits, Hitting Jumpers; What do we need to change; it isn’t a face, we all ready had that. Jason Kidd beat his wife; now he his beating teams, as the head coach, in the NBA. Jim Brown is still the face of the NFL and Joe DiMaggio is still Joe DiMaggio; even though he hit his wife, Marilyn Monroe.

HEAD SHOTS

YOUR'E CALLING

Church, Brunch, Football, Funday, all synonymous with Sunday. Is it merely a coincidence that football is played on the 7th day of the week. Have you ever asked yourself; seriously, why is football played on Sunday…

Vince Lombardi. Considered the best football coach of all time; in his 9 seasons as coach, he led his team to 6 championship games, winning 5. He and his pack would win the first two Super Bowls and would merge his name onto that Trophy.

Don Shula. Considered the best football coach of all time; He would coach his teams to 7 Championships, winning 3. The winningest coach in NFL history and the only one that can say they had a perfect season.

[A Fan-atic is defined as someone with uncritical devotion]

From 1960 to ’74; only 3 times was a Super Bowl team not coached by Shula or Lombardi. Lombardi would play and attend Fordham University; Shula, John Carrol, both Jesuit Universities. They would both enter priesthood but change of heart would change their fates.

[Why do you collectively call your fellow fans; The Faithful]

Shula and Lombardi would make their careers in coaching and Sundays were the day of praise. They may not have become priests but they would teach their ways, their systems and be the father figures to boys and men alike. Can football be played on Sundays because it was simply meant to be; as to most of us Shula and Lombardi… are gods.

CROSSING ROUTE

FUNDAMENTAL SPONSORSHIP

“For less than a dollar a day”... can you picture that older gentlemen kneeling with an apparently impoverished African child. And with his low trembling voice he tugs at your heart strings. I too empathize and pity those kids but not for the reason he states…

Is it pay for play or play for pay. This topic has escalated in the last decade and exponentially in the last year. The student athlete debate could be the most interesting debate of our generation; simply because there shouldn’t be one. As everyone sees both sides of the coin and further more agrees with both. Sports fans honor tradition and don’t take too change lightly. People innovate, progress;… people change.

As far as I am concerned the first college video games were EA Sports NCAA 98. This was the first year you could have seasons and take a kid all the way through graduation. As a freshman in high school; at minimum, I could tell you every player on every PAC10 team. I could tell you a lot more about the players in Eugene.

You might not remember; the 1995 Final Four Champions, nor their star. But then again how would you; there wasn’t a video game with him in it. If his name isn’t a household name yet; it will be.

As a freshman in Eugene I didn’t need to buy a GAME DAY; I all ready new the rosters for Oregon vs. Fresno State, even though it was my first game as a student. I was In The Game. The following year; I didn’t just follow Dante on Saturdays; I made sure he would have a good game, all week.

Ed O’Bannon v. NCAA is the title lawsuit that will soon end our debate on the paying of student athletes. The lawsuit is based on the right of publicity and profiting off of someone’s image, name and likeness. But shouldn’t they just ask the public what is right.

RBI Baseball, Tecmo Bowl. With all the advancement in technology not even nostalgia should make these games your favorite but like you both these games make my top 5. 30 years later they are still relevant and fun; as they were the first games to use real life players and I likeness.

A year ago; EA Sports dropped their college sports games due to the foreseeable outcome of Ed O’Bannon and his class action lawsuit. Last week the NCAA lost that initial decision. The players feel they should be paid. EA Sports will pay out $4K to each player current and past. The NCAA will pay the equivalent moving forward.

In all debates there are multiple sides to an argument and sometimes there is an entirely different coin to toss. No matter the outcome we still loose EA Sports and as of today student athletes will just have to tell their kids about their college career. When Dante’s boy is old enough; he will have the opportunity to play NCAA 06, with his dad… and that is priceless.

Just like the Child Fund; Ed O’Bannon means well but sometimes the side effects are more ailing then the ailment. I feel for those kids because I know they are poor and hungry but it wasn’t until that nice older man showed up with a video camera that they too knew they were poor. Some actions in life we do for the greater good but sometimes those decisions make us all pay.

PLAY IT FORWARD

CORNFED

When I hear; that kid is corn fed, I don’t think of a kid that is big and strong, well built and grounded, nor from the Midwest… I don’t even think of a linebacker or a kid that just plain works hard…

First the McKay Family Campout and then The Cornfeed. As we come into our 33^rd year; I have realized Grandpa was right, it’s not just a campout. Crystal clear mountain spring water; is the healthiest for a growing kid and The Skokomish River is just that. Every year; I get treated with a Skoke.

Left at the Hatchery and right on Bambi Farms but to me it’s just Memory Lane. As it’s where I first learned to drive and still to this day; the first person I see, as we come out of that last turn, Uncle Claude. But before we play; we work and setting up camp can be the most daunting of tasks. Especially dependent on who is giving the instructions. And as we know; there is the right way, the wrong way and the Fuqua.

It’s tough not to enjoy yourself at the river but first you need to get in. A Sandblast; when ever I come across something in life, I’ve learned the best way, is full speed ahead and to submerge yourself fully. The question every year is; how far are we going up the river and how high off the rock. The Gauging Hole has never been about measuring the water depth.

From Baby Cakes to Devils Backbone the only thing we needed from home was maybe 2 wheels or just one Big one. With river rock, a river and a perfectly weighted stick the possibilities were endless. The campground is our playground and we thought of everything.

With Baseball and Basketball running strong throughout our family; Horseshoes has always been our family sport. With a 2 buck chuck teaser tournament; things get serious when we start drawing names. From the art of a perfectly designed bracket off our title sponsor’s backing, to the art of the Bob flop, the next winner will join the distinguished, like 800lbs of Horseshoe Magic and the Return of the Blade. Where else can you draw a standing room only crowd. Horseshoes hasn’t just taught me that anyone can win; take care of the deLight of your partner and we all win.

Every Sunday before Labor Day we celebrate the hard work we have put into our family with a Skeet Tournament. The question every year is; who is going to beat Uncle Bernie. The annual Boom and Bust hasn’t just taught us that though the odds aren’t always in your favor; and like that of horseshoes, a strong team can prevail. A family that prides themselves as hunter and gatherer’s; winning this trophy is something to really hang on your wall.

Every year; even sometimes before we set up camp, we set up the golf course. Because in a couple days there is going to be; The Beer Can Open and we need the practice. I didn’t learn how to golf on a golf course; a cow pasture or even inside the Bousquet’s house. I learned on river rock. I learned that with the right mindset you can create something out of nothing; A beer can makes a great Tee, drift wood a perfect pin, a meandering river the perfect layout for our Open Championship. No matter what hazards get thrown your way in life; a well placed hand wedge can turn you right around. The Skoke should be a course everyone takes in life; always give your best shot and hope for the best, good bounce, bad bounce, good bounce…

Everyone has a different moment in their life but I knew I became a man when I got to participate in all 3 events. You spend your entire childhood dreaming of that moment; as you spend your time setting up the course, carrying the cooler, handing out ear plugs and raking the pits. The greatest feeling in a boy’s life; is after all those years carrying your hat around with those numbers in it, one of those, is your lucky number.

Yes it’s your family but it is still the first place where you learn to socialize; fit in, and become you. It’s the place where you take your first other half; always with welcoming arms. It’s the place where you first have a sip and a squeaky cooler letting you know someday you will have your own.

They say chivalry is lost; but not on Saturday night. Arguably the best meal of the year; if you get a plate and undeniably the best meal to prepare. Men’s night; as we refer to it, is our night to treat the women to dinner and their only responsibility is to enjoy the libation of relaxing. From the Herdman Cheese Bread to the Munro Meat; it is the most smoothly ran kitchen you will ever see, unless that is, if the Battleships are flowing. Saturday night has always taught me; if you do your part perfect, the meal will be and I can butter a perfect potato.

After a full day of games and playing in the river; it’s a fresh pair of socks that overload your senses and as the evening comes so does the music. Even in the middle of an intense game of hide and seek; with out word, the game would stop as we all tuned in as we wanted to know, where he’d gone. Isn’t life always about cherishing the small things and pondering the big.

From the clang of the shoes, to the murmur through a tent wall, to the noise of plastic wheels in the morning, to the crackling of the fire, to the ambient noise of a lantern, to “buy me a beer” there are sounds so unifying of a place. Like that of the faint sound of Niehaus and the Mariners in the afternoon background. The generation before has always been the Key Stone of our family and though I don’t want that day to come; I hope to do it proud.

…When I hear Cornfed; I think of the kid who grew up with his family, a family that is strong, well built and grounded. A family; that works hard at being a family and will always have your back and always let you back in. Resembled by a single tree; we will bend but won’t break as we continue to grow, at the Skoke. A family tree; rooted in the northwest. When Monday comes around and we begin to break camp; it’s bitter sweet but sweeter than bitter, as next year is less than a year away. And as I hand out that last wave; I ask, how do I make… this Dream Delay.

THE MCKAY WAY

THIS IS REAL

Though it is not recognized by any formal dictionary; you know its definition. But if everyone has the same definition; can we still all be wrong. Can we be jewed by the definition of jewed…

We Westerners don’t typically pay attention to what is going on in the East but you are probably aware of the ongoing battle between Israel and Palestine. You would never expect in our lifetime another holocaust to occur; but that is exactly what the east wants.

But then again this belief hasn’t changed since the inception of Judaism. Throughout history Jews have always been perceived as second class citizens or in its worst; sub-human. From the mass exodus during the Roman Empire to the Holocaust to this never ending battle still going on in the east.

We West Coasters don’t’ typically pay attention to what is going on on the East Coast but you are probably aware that its a lot more culturally diversified. Most likely you don’t even know a Jew personally. But have you ever thought about how much your life has been shaped and currently controlled by Jews?

We all know Adam Sandler is Jewish but did you know he celebrates Hanukkah with  Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. CBS, NBC and Fox were all founded and currently controlled by a Jew. The Warner Brothers were Jewish and so were there rivals; Columbia Pictures, Viacom, Dreamworks, MGM, Miramax and Paramount. HBO and Disney both currently have Jewish CEO’s.

If you forgot; Disney owns ESPN and you probably knew David Stern was a Jew but did you know Adam Silver is Too. In fact Roger Goodell is the only commission of a major sport that is not Jewish.

Have you ever considered that the Holocaust was the best thing for Jews? It wasn’t until after World War II that Jews came into prominence that they are today. Jews currently make up less than 2% of the U.S Population but of all the American Billionaires; 25% are Jewish.

Jews have been fleeing their homes their entire lives and at the turn of the century America had the highest concentration of Jews. At that time 80% of Jews were manual labor workers; predominately in textiles. But after WWII 75% of Jews were now white color workers; compared to 35% of all other whites. They also earned 72% more than the national average. Levi Strauss and Ralph Lauren; both Jews.

Rome wasn’t built in a day but Vegas was; by Jewish Gangsters. When you think of donating money to a casino; do you think you are giving it to Native Americans or Jews. As still to this day; the 5 biggest casinos in Vegas, are Jewish owned.

I am not a conspiracy theorist but I do enjoy flipping the coin. If you are going to stereotype a Jew; statistically they are a lawyer or own a financial firm as they control our money and our laws. Which is exactly what they were doing in Pre-Nazi Germany and why Hitler took a dislike to them.

I don’t know what will come of the Israel Palestine conflict but I can bet it will end catastrophically. 6 million Jews lost their lives during the Holocaust; Israel’s current population, 6 million. Isn’t it ironic that the two ethnic groups that control the most profitable business were forced out of their livelihood and the odds are they wouldn’t change a thing. In 1938 Adolph Hitler was Time Magazines Man of the Year. What if Hitler was the one that got jewed.

FACEBOOK IS JEWISH

Mark Zuckerberg; Jewish