Recently I attended an Eagles concert at the Hollywood Bowl, where I was able to obtain some pretty good seats through a contact we know. I later found out that my wife’s sister had also attended, but in the cheap seats. She and her boyfriend walked out at intermission despite enjoying the Eagles immensely.
They left because the people around them would not shut up during the performance. They moved to another row, but still could not find a place where they could hear the band over the yammering crowd. She was surprised to discover that even in our more expensive section, we had a similar experience. The people in the box next to us showed up 45 minutes into the first set and just ran their mouths during the entire show. One “gentleman,” the biggest offender, asked me during the encore the songs with which the band opened their first set. I told him that was a long time ago. What I refrained from saying was “if you were such a big fan, you would have shown up on time and not run your mouth during the entire show.”
We have often experienced this lately -- people paying a lot of money to see a performer and then talking through the show. We are forced to decide between asking them to be quiet and facing their “righteous indignation” or enduring their obstreperous behavior. It is another sign of our declining public civility.
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My son was working for the Athletic Department at Kansas University in the fall of 2008 when he gave me a tour of their very impressive facilities. This was just after Coach Bill Self and his team had won the national championship. As I entered the basketball team’s locker room, the first thing I saw was John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. From that singular moment, my respect for Mr. Self soared. I came late to the Wooden fan club. I moved to Los Angeles in 1969. If you are a sports fan and you move to L.A., you choose sides -- Bruins or Trojans. I chose the Bruins and I am forever thankful. Had I not been so fortunate, I would gladly forsake those football championships, and would gladly have given up the basketball championships for the single honor of meeting “Coach.”
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In 1975, I was attending San Diego State and lived five minutes from the Sports Arena. Some friends asked if they could stay at my place to see the Bruins in the Final Four. I said sure, you can all stay -- just get me a ticket. I had the good fortune of sitting behind the Bruin bench for what turned out to be Wooden’s last game. Quite an honor.
If you think of Wooden as the greatest basketball coach ever, you diminish the man. If you think of Wooden as the greatest coach in sports history, you diminish the man. Wooden would have been the best at whatever he set out to do. He would have been the greatest General, President or religious leader or whatever else he set out to be. He just chose to coach basketball and transcended that.
I have had the good fortune to meet only one other truly great person in my life, and when you meet a truly great person you know you are in the presence of greatness. Wooden was a monumental figure. If my son or daughter turns out to be just 1/100 of what he was as a person I will consider myself a fabulous success as a parent.
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The State of California and its MSM lackeys praised the news that 14,200 jobs were added during the month of April. However when you look inside the numbers, a different story comes out. 14,000 of those new jobs were governmental positions. In the meantime, construction lost 1,900 jobs and manufacturing lost 4,100. One can presume that the taxes to fund these new government jobs are going to be paid by ………….
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Several Administration officials – not to mention Felipe Calderon – spouted off against the new 10-page immigration law in Arizona without having read it first. But one individual stands out – Attorney General Eric Holder. Having the nation’s top law enforcement official commenting on a law without having read it just stinks. He should be fired for this inexcusable act, but unfortunately that will not happen.
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The reaction to the victory by Mark Critz, who won the congressional seat of his former boss, Congressman John Murtha, puzzles me. The registration in the district runs 60% Democrat to 29% Republican, yet Critz won by a 53%-45% margin and it was labeled by some as a landslide.
Critz’s positions on most major issues – including rejection of Obamacare – were indistinguishable from Republican Tim Burns. The Democrats have to be concerned that the only way they can win an election is by running as Republicans. On the other hand, they must be thrilled that they have another foot soldier to vote for their leadership in caucus.
The sad part is that the people of Pennsylvania’s 12th District who voted against the policies of the current Administration and Congress provided one more vote to retain the left-wing leadership who created these policies in the first place. Hopefully, by November 2nd they will wise up to this charade and replace their faux Republican with a real one.
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There is something pathological about Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal’s phony claims about being stationed in Viet Nam. Though we appreciate his time in the military, he dishonors himself by stating that he served there.
This is a man who has held his elected position since 1991. He does not need any resume enhancement. Yet, he felt the need to lie about his history. This is the sickness of a large portion of our elected officials that have caused so many to leave in disgrace. The loss of confidence in our political leaders, combined with policies that result in huge deficits, is the source of the grassroots revolt in this country.
Why is it that when politicians forget the facts about their resumes, the reason is never to leave something off – it is always to enhance some aspect?
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