A FERRY TALE

Every kid can tell you who their favorite teacher is… But can they look back and tell you who their best teacher was? 

I know; your favorite teacher was the one who fenced toward the movie instead of the text book, the one that left you sleeping, the one that ignored the slip of the tongue, the one that wasn’t afraid to throw markers at you when you were wrong. My favorite teacher was simple but then again I never really took his class.

But who taught you the most? Not who you learned the most from but who really taught you how to learn. These are the teachers who you should cite for your success as these are the best teachers. My best teacher was simple because he let me teach myself. 

If you’re lucky they can be one of the same. This isn’t a Tall Tale about a teacher who dedicated their life to teach but one who had to stop; to teach…

For me learning is quite simple as I never had to take a single note through high school or college and if it wasn’t for a restaurant in my college library I wouldn’t have even known where it was. If I was to read a book it was always backwards as I knew the most important thing to know; is what you don’t know. He was a teacher that understood this and would allow me to take the final on the first day of class. As he did things backwards it allowed me to see forward. But what makes him a great teacher isn’t that he helped me understand myself but that he helped the misunderstood to understand.

Teachers are taught how to teach and that is great as the norm follow their logic and structure. But can those teachers teach the kids that don’t want to be taught. A daunting task indeed but you can’t just copy the norm for them to pass. Peer pressure is a powerful thing and especially at the high school level. So how does a teacher teach the un-teachable? He doesn’t; he becomes their friend and even in their most rebellious stage they will do anything for a friend, even learn.

…A Tall Tale would be if I told you there was a teacher that taught all his kids. But what did he teach me?… Because he opted not to take the toll of conforming; he was forced to pursue his dreams, his potential, and it was in that moment that he taught his last student.


I COPY

MALCOLM X

Every once in a while someone is forced into a sacrifice for the betterment of others. Sometimes they choose this path… Sometimes the path chooses them... But don’t we have to see the lamb? Malcolm has been chosen to be that X but I get the feeling we haven’t seen his sacrifice.

For those who know me know my disgust of the trend of the new accepted term of endearment in sports; the Flying Chest-Bump. I’ve expressed my opinions prior on the leave-behind of the pat-on-the-hind but apparently I have not been exuberant enough on the former. Being a Traditionalist in sport I seek those attaboys, the high-fives, the finger point and even the full embrace. I even understand that some moments create uncontrollable emotion that needs an outlet but why the flying chest-bump? All you’re doing is bumping up the chances…

As we are quickly learning by the outcry from football; the most prized possession in an athlete isn’t their smarts but their parts. So why invite Chance to the celebration as you know he is going to bring Murphy. I’ve been around enough sport and cringe every time I see it. As I have seen a enough kids go down but I have been waiting for my lamb to help weather this incoming norm. 

…Malcolm Mitchell the star WR for the Bulldogs of Georgia just ended his season and potentially his career; by celebrating with his teammates, and he didn’t even score. Act Like You Have Been There Before.

STAY GROUNDED

TITLE (NEGATIVE) IX

It’s been a couple months since the decision was made and how quickly we forget…

What if Title IX didn’t happen? Arguably the second biggest impact on sports today and how it’s trickle down has shaped who we are as a culture. Almost all woman rights and whereabouts can find those degrees of separation quicker than Kevin Bacon. That was 1972 and 4 decades later the scope of our lives were drastically changed through sport and an act of pen

What if Jackie Robinson wore #37? What if he just batted around the idea of changing the world? Undeniably the tipping point of sport and the birth of the sport we call fandom to today. Have you even pondered how your life has been shaped by just a few men?

It was inevitable that these acts would happen and sport would forever be changed. But did we really look at how sport would change the world? A couple weeks ago another act was on the verge of being made that I feel will be third on this list. However; as for the time being they passed their concussion test.

The NFL just paid off the women and the blacks… well it’s not quite that black and white but over the last decade; and exponentially in the last few, safety has once again become the topic of discussion. A Tad (or maybe an Eli) over a 100 years ago these same discussions were once hashed and the result was the creation of the Forward Pass. I’m not sure what is going to come of these discussions but they have been benched for now…

The concussion effect of this inevitable outcome will have a trickle down that will once again transcend the sport and hot-route our lives. I’m not here to argue if women should be in sport or not. I just don’t want to see Jackie Robinson in the on deck circle just to watch the 3rd out.

“It’s gonna be big; but is it going to be Today” – Tremors II 

REVERSE RACISM

Racism is common culture and yet no one wants to talk about it. If it is brought up publicly it is always the negative side of racism. Why isn’t the positive side of racism ever discussed? Racism is a two sided coin and inherently leaves one race subordinate.

I was doing my annual BBQ competition over the 4th of July weekend as I find great enjoyment in offering my expressions to people. Being eclectic in approach; conversations are plentiful with the curious and hungry. But there was one gentlemen that made the competition irrelevant because after our palaver; I all ready won.

Having trouble with my Dale Carnegie tactics I can’t recall his name but this gentlemen was a relatively large black man with a jolly demeanor and a contagious chuckle. He was intrigued by my offerings and my approach and when I lifted the lid (against protocol) his smile warmed like a kid on Christmas morning. But it was when I showed him the not so secret secret ingredient; liquid pork fat, when he responded with what could only be described as a food orgasm. He wasn’t the first to share similar reactions to my efforts for the day but he stood out.

He was your stereotypical black man from the south and they know their food. For a moment I was no longer on the underside of that two-sided coin; as for a moment I felt equal.

CALL ME A RACIST

GENETIC DISORIENTATION

This is what is wrong with society today the fact that this is an article and the fact that I have to post this out of frustration. Mercy Rule; seriously. Here is an idea go to the gym shoot some jumpers; work on your game. If you're not good or can't compete at an equivalent level of expectation then don't compete. This is the same as me competing in a Pro-Am golf tournament and shooting a 100+ round and getting societal support for my ass beating.

Everybody shouldn't get a blue ribbon nor should see PT; they should earn it. In my day [only a decade ago] when you weren't good you were told so and too work harder, Character Building. I didn't play sports my sophomore year in high school because I knew I couldn't compete at the expected level.

As a colleague said last week; "I don't play recreational sport, I play basketball". What happened to the societal and core genetic belief of survive (in everything you do). For the Parent that filed this complaint; you should allow your kid to sue you; the parent, for the Genetic Ass Beating you gave them. 

YOUR NOT MAD AT ME YOUR MAD AT YOUR DAD

HANDS DOWN

Ironic in a sport that we call football; we try to avoid at all costs any interaction of the foot and ball. Maybe it is so ironic that now the name finally fits. But since the invention of the forward pass the sport has been making money hand over foot…

In the last two decades Football has become a Quarterbacks league but where are they with out their prized possessions? We have been lucky as the top 10 Wide Receivers statistically have all played in the last 2 decades. At the top of those lists; The Great One himself, Jerry Rice. But as Dan Marino knows; statistics don’t necessarily make you the greatest of all time. 

What if there was a Receiver that had twice as many receiving yards as that of Jerry Rice?

Cris Carter wasn’t the biggest, the strongest or the fastest but he did have the greatest hands. Or should I say hand? Though he wasn’t the inventor; he did perfect the one-handed grab. He didn’t make the greatest catches or put on a show but it was the subtle absence of drops over the collection of his years that made him the #2 receiver of all time. In 2002 he threw his hands up and the towel in but he wasn’t done being hands on.

Before Cris retired he was thrown a curveball in which he received with open arms; his replacement, Randy Moss. Carter became his trainer, his teacher, his guidance councilor and his brother. Carter not one to patronize then or now helped groom the young Moss who would eventually pass him on the all time list. You might say that is a stretch that Carter had that much influence on Moss but I rebuttal with; when you think of Randy Moss, don’t you think of a one-handed catch? 

But it was the impact Carter had on a young ball boy in Minnesota where he should have received more hands. The boy fancied Carter and at the age of 11 he strived to be hands above. When the boy entered high school it became a friendship and for every summer since, the two have trained together. That ball boy is now less than 3,000 yards away from passing Carter on the All-Time list; with 5 years still to go on his contract. The ball boy still calls him Uncle Cris. We know the boy as Larry Fitzgerald.

Cris Carter maybe 8th on the list but his hands have caught more passes than you know.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

BULLYING

THATS NO BULL

Herschel Walker; arguably the greatest athlete of all time, wasn’t destined for greatness. An outcast physically and socially. And if it wasn’t for the size of the fight, we may have never seen what was in this Bull Dog…

We as a society are fascinated by the hierarchical nature of nature. From the endless programming on the Discovery Channels of the world; to the world of sports, we are in aw of the Alpha. But when it comes to our lives society seeks this so-called parity that Marx the spot.

As society gets out of touch with reality; it is the touch in reality that society is speaking out about. We can’t go a day without hearing about bullying or some variation of thee. But isn’t bullying as fundamental to oneself in society as a regular season is to sport?

In reality we don’t line up alphabetically from A to Z but alphabetically from Alpha to Omega.

…Herschel Walker was the chubby kid that everyone bullied and if it wasn’t for the quarter his dad gave him everyday he wouldn’t have had any friends. He didn’t like his place in line so he sought his place in history. You are either a Walker or a talker.

NATURE VS NUTURE

INCOGNITO

Ironically enough I write on the topic of bullying (and use football as my segway to get my point across) and the biggest story on the topic is broke a couple hours later in the NFL. I’m not here to get into the details of this but the writing was on the wall and the back of his jersey.

[We as a society are fascinated by the hierarchal nature of nature. From the endless programming on the Discovery Channels of the world; to the world of sports, we are in aw of the Alpha. But when it comes to our lives society seeks this so-called parity that Marx the spot.

As society gets out of touch with reality; it is the touch in reality that society is speaking out about. We can’t go a day without hearing about bullying or some variation of thee. But isn’t bullying as fundamental to oneself in society as a regular season is to sport?

In reality we don’t line up alphabetically from A to Z but Alphabetically from Alpha to Omega.]

…Richie was never incognito; you knew exactly who he was and is. He brought out the best and worst of teammates and opponents. Richie Incognito is an asset beyond his playing abilities as (right, wrong or indifferent) he puts his team in line. As in life you are either on the offensive or defensive line and Richie helped pick the teams.

LINE OF SCRIMMAGE