Because we live in the most accepting, tolerant and open-minded society in the friggin’ world, my friend! We believe in one’s right to speak freely. We believe in the freedom of press and peaceful assembly. And dammit, we believe in one’s right to worship as they please! Be you Christian or Jew, Muslim or Hindi, we accept you because that’s what American d-…what?…oh…okay…Um, nevermind.
The fact that Paul Anka did a cover of a Nirvana song, or the fact that I kinda dig it?
And I don’t even like Paul Anka!
Apparently, a lot of bloviating activists chose to gather in Detroit today to hold a funeral procession for the n-word. The mayor of Detroit said, “Die N-word, and we don’t want to see you round here no more.” Who knew? Who knew that all it took to get rid of such a hateful word was a bunch of gray hairs holding a ceremony and covering a casket with black roses and marching the word to its final resting place. Al Sharpton? Julian Bond? Seriously, do you guys have nothing better to do?
Do you think that the Black Panthers would have held a ceremony to bury the N-Word? First of all, they would have called a spade a spade and used to actual word. People have been verbally maiming each other and themselves for years saying the word Nigger. Now, all of sudden, on the day of the word’s death, everyone wants to be polite. Secondly, when you conduct yourself like a true man or woman, and command respect instead of demanding it, you diminish the power of the word and make those who use the word the real objects of ridicule. And lastly, it’s hard to call someone nigger when your lips are wrapped around the muzzle of a gun.
That last statement may sound like a condoning of violence, but it isn’t. It is a condoning a self-defense and the preservation of one’s dignity, no matter who the perpetrator of the indignity may be. Black or white, the fact of the matter is the word has run its course. Now, it is the word of the nescient and obtuse. But it pains me to see people for whom I have a genuine amount of respect participating in weightless ceremonies such as this one.
You want to kill the n-word? It’s gonna take a lot more than an empty coffin and marching to do it.
P.S. - Stop blaming hip-hop for inflaming the n-word controversy. Unless you listen to the music, and I mean really listen to the music, don’t crucify it. There is a lot of hip-hop out there that shuns both the word and a lot of the violence that is associated with the word and hip-hop culture. But it’s easy for the older generations, both black and white, to blame the music. Problem is, they know nothing about it. They refuse to listen to it, but still they persecute it.
Tonight I purchased tickets to see the San Francisco Giants play the Milwaukee Brewers next month in San Francisco. I’m excited about this for many reasons. 1) Buying the ticket forces me to stick to my desire to visit SF. There’s no backing out now. 2) I’ve never been to San Francisco, so I will get to visit a new place. 3) I get to go to — from what I have heard — one of the nicest facilities in major league baseball. For these three reasons, I am very excited about my purchase. What doesn’t matter to me in the least is the fact that I may see Barry Bonds play during the season in which he broke Hank Aaron’s record. Truth is, by the time the game rolls around at the end of August, Aaron’s record will most likely have been demolished, and Bonds, with his deteriorating knees and increasingly codger-like state, will probably not even take the field that night. And that doesn’t matter to me one bit.
I read this article which gives a few excuses as to why it is okay to root for Barry Bonds. One such excuse is that he was a hall of fame player before the steroid controversy ever darkened his door.Yes, but the steroid controversy did darken his door. Such a controversy, especially on the eve of achieving immortality, is pungent in the stench that it leaves in its wake. Bonds was one of the purest hitters the game has ever seen, and on top of that, he was quite proficient in the outfield, winning eight golden gloves. But he won’t be remembered for that. Perhaps if he had retired after passing Willie Mays or even Babe Ruth, the criticism wouldn’t be so searing. But he doesn’t want some of the glory. He wants all of it. And as a result, he must pay the price of compromising his integrity.
The article also suggests that Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron had advantages given to them as well. Ruth need only hit the ball 295 ft. to homer out of Yankee stadium during his day, and the pitching mounds were lowered during Aaron’s time, giving batters a better advantage. Can’t argue with that. Only…Ruth didn’t build Yankee stadium and Aaron didn’t lower the mound. If (and in my mind WHEN) Bonds injected or applied or ingested performance enhancing drugs, he did it on his own or told someone to do it for him. Bonds was in control. Ruth never played black pitchers. I hate that. We will never know how truly great he was because not all men were allowed to play the game during his time. Aaron had to endure the indignities thrust upon him by bigots and Neanderthals. One can only imagine what it must be like to play with the cloud of hatred and potential physical harm following you wherever you go. But again, these things were out of the control of the men who played the game. Bonds was and has always been in control.
Bonds’ fans in San Francisco are like the little kids who are constantly neglected by their deadbeat dads but refuse to accept the fact that the man ain’t no good. How they could vote Bonds into the All-Star game is unfathomable to me?
Most of us struggle with our integrity from time to time — with making the right decisions, the most ethical decision. I’m not above sin. But for some reason, the hubris of this one man really bugs me. I am especially bugged because this man is placing a stain on, in my opinion, the greatest sport America ever created, as well as devaluing the greatest sporting record. Hank Aaron will not be there to celebrate Bonds’ feat when 755 becomes the second best number of homers hit in a career. My only other hope is that Barry is on the road when the record is shattered. Circling the bases beneath a deluge of boos would seem to me to be the most appropriate moment for a sham.
Johnny Frigo passed away Wednesday at the age of 90. Frigo is best known for having co-wrote the tune “Detour Ahead” along with Lou Carter and Herb Ellis. Evening Melancholy is about beautiful ballads and “Detour Ahead” in its many renderings stands as one of the prettiest jazz ballads of the 20th century. I’ve heard many versions of this tune — Billie Holiday, Stan Getz, Bill Evans. Lyrically and musically, it is intoxicating and timeless.
I could only find one version of it on YouTube, but it is a very nice one. Herb Ellis in a trio setting. Songs like this one were made for candlelight and lingering glances.