Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Monday, March 20, 2023
March Madness
I'm not interested in sports/athletic events. But if I had to pick a sport to watch, it would be basketball. So, I can glance at the March Madness and feel good about it and know why big guys are chasing a little ball around. It feels good because there's still a place in the world for skill, merit, hard work, practice till you're exhausted, 2nd chances, and at least a smidgen of charisma to rise to the top. If DEI were a factor in these teams, there would be 83 year old white women demanding a place on the team because they needed more diversity, equity and inclusion.
Friday, June 24, 2022
Not since the reconstruction years have Democrats behaved so badly
"Shootings, while still up dramatically, 47%, compared to two years ago, are down 11% versus the same time last year."
So what happened 2 years ago? George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis policeman. This set off riots by BLM, Antifa, and neighborhood thugs in many cities. Self righteous white liberals put signs in their yards with black power fists to show solidarity and their own virtue. Preachers drove people from their churches with their finger wagging. It was OK to riot, but not to go to school or the gym. Non-covid deaths soared. It also put in place the Democrats' rallying cry of "defund the police," including our own now v.p. Harris and the Democrat squad leaders and out of control prosecutors. It also messed up the 2020 election with Trump being blamed with the bad management of Democrat cities. Never since the post-Civil War years have Democrats acted so badly.
No one will march for this young man, who was hoping for a career in the NBA. No one will remember his name. Darius Lee.
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2022/06/nine-people-shot-1-fatally-at-harlem-barbecue/
College basketball star killed, eight wounded, in Harlem BBQ shooting (nydailynews.com)
PICTURED: College basketball player, 21, who killed in Harlem shooting at Juneteenth 'gathering' | Daily Mail Online
So what happened 2 years ago? George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis policeman. This set off riots by BLM, Antifa, and neighborhood thugs in many cities. Self righteous white liberals put signs in their yards with black power fists to show solidarity and their own virtue. Preachers drove people from their churches with their finger wagging. It was OK to riot, but not to go to school or the gym. Non-covid deaths soared. It also put in place the Democrats' rallying cry of "defund the police," including our own now v.p. Harris and the Democrat squad leaders and out of control prosecutors. It also messed up the 2020 election with Trump being blamed with the bad management of Democrat cities. Never since the post-Civil War years have Democrats acted so badly.
No one will march for this young man, who was hoping for a career in the NBA. No one will remember his name. Darius Lee.
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2022/06/nine-people-shot-1-fatally-at-harlem-barbecue/
College basketball star killed, eight wounded, in Harlem BBQ shooting (nydailynews.com)
PICTURED: College basketball player, 21, who killed in Harlem shooting at Juneteenth 'gathering' | Daily Mail Online
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Luke Witte at Lakeside
We went to Orchestra Hall today to hear Luke Witte, from the OSU basketball fame. Then to the Patio for perch sandwiches. Here's a summary from a publication about what we heard; Witte is now a Methodist pastor and gives talks on reconciliation.
"Back in 1972, The University of Minnesota was hosting Ohio State, and on that day, the young Musselman had predictably worked his players into a frenzy prior to the game. Observers noted he was encouraging extra-physical play. At the end of the first half, OSU missed a shot, and Gopher Bobby Nix raised a fist in celebration. Luke Witte shoved Nix’s arm out of his way on his way off the court, and hit Nix’s face in the process. In the final minute of the game, with the Buckeyes wrapping up the win, Witte attempted a layup and was slugged in the face by Clyde Turner. Gopher Corky Taylor offered his hand to Witte, and when Witte took it, Taylor kneed him in the groin and punched him in the head. While back down on the floor, Minnesota player Ron Behagen approached, and kicked and stomped Witte. When Buckeye Dave Merchant came to Witte’s aid, Jim Brewer approached and was pushed out of the way. Buckeye Mark Wagar was approached from behind by Winfield, who punched Wagar in the face five times. The incident, easily obtainable on YouTube, carried racial overtones, since all of the Minnesota attackers were black and all of the Ohio State victims were white. A Sports Illustrated photo sequence recorded the disgusting violence.
Luke Witte was beat up the worst. After the referees forfeited the game to the Buckeyes, Witte was carried off the court while Minnesota fans booed and hurled debris. Witte and two other Buckeyes spent time in the hospital; Witte was in intensive care for a time, his eye injuries impaired him long-term. When one revisits the 1972 brawl, emotions of anger arise1.
For his part, Witte remembers nothing, from half-time of that game to the next morning. He has recalled his mental state in the years immediately following the Minnesota game. He often felt fine- as if nothing had happened. Other times, he would allow the lingering physical effects (such as the limitations in his eyesight) to cause hostility to fester inside of himself. His hatred focused on Behagen, Turner, Taylor, and Musselman.
He allows he’d lost the passion for the game after the fight. This included his three seasons with the Cavaliers. Over time, during a life journey that spanned decades and included seminary study and becoming an ordained pastor, Luke Witte came to a conclusion:
He needed to forgive those who were involved in the attack back in 1972.
It sounds easy enough: give up your anger and your desire for revenge, and move on. It can be extremely difficult, in practice. Truly forgiving is probably the most important skill of happiness. It takes strength to overcome our own vengeful heart. It is within our power to do so, however. The gesture liberates the victim and allows him to shed his bitterness.
In 1982, ten years after the brawl, Corky Miller reached out to Luke Witte by mail. Witte agonized over how, or whether, to respond- until his wife convinced him to call. They initially didn’t say much, but began to occasionally write each other. When the age of email dawned, they wrote more often. Strong emotional and spiritual bonds formed.
Eventually, Corky Miller invited Luke Witte to visit him and his family in Minnesota. Their relationship had become that of brothers, as they discussed basketball, race relations, and the nature of forgiveness.
While Witte was visiting Miller, he was surprised by a visit by Clyde Turner. The three of them later watched a tape of the attack on the court. They were silent, yet with a dozen questions that would later be discussed.
In the meantime, the three men reconciled. They became liberated."
"Back in 1972, The University of Minnesota was hosting Ohio State, and on that day, the young Musselman had predictably worked his players into a frenzy prior to the game. Observers noted he was encouraging extra-physical play. At the end of the first half, OSU missed a shot, and Gopher Bobby Nix raised a fist in celebration. Luke Witte shoved Nix’s arm out of his way on his way off the court, and hit Nix’s face in the process. In the final minute of the game, with the Buckeyes wrapping up the win, Witte attempted a layup and was slugged in the face by Clyde Turner. Gopher Corky Taylor offered his hand to Witte, and when Witte took it, Taylor kneed him in the groin and punched him in the head. While back down on the floor, Minnesota player Ron Behagen approached, and kicked and stomped Witte. When Buckeye Dave Merchant came to Witte’s aid, Jim Brewer approached and was pushed out of the way. Buckeye Mark Wagar was approached from behind by Winfield, who punched Wagar in the face five times. The incident, easily obtainable on YouTube, carried racial overtones, since all of the Minnesota attackers were black and all of the Ohio State victims were white. A Sports Illustrated photo sequence recorded the disgusting violence.
Luke Witte was beat up the worst. After the referees forfeited the game to the Buckeyes, Witte was carried off the court while Minnesota fans booed and hurled debris. Witte and two other Buckeyes spent time in the hospital; Witte was in intensive care for a time, his eye injuries impaired him long-term. When one revisits the 1972 brawl, emotions of anger arise1.
For his part, Witte remembers nothing, from half-time of that game to the next morning. He has recalled his mental state in the years immediately following the Minnesota game. He often felt fine- as if nothing had happened. Other times, he would allow the lingering physical effects (such as the limitations in his eyesight) to cause hostility to fester inside of himself. His hatred focused on Behagen, Turner, Taylor, and Musselman.
He allows he’d lost the passion for the game after the fight. This included his three seasons with the Cavaliers. Over time, during a life journey that spanned decades and included seminary study and becoming an ordained pastor, Luke Witte came to a conclusion:
He needed to forgive those who were involved in the attack back in 1972.
It sounds easy enough: give up your anger and your desire for revenge, and move on. It can be extremely difficult, in practice. Truly forgiving is probably the most important skill of happiness. It takes strength to overcome our own vengeful heart. It is within our power to do so, however. The gesture liberates the victim and allows him to shed his bitterness.
In 1982, ten years after the brawl, Corky Miller reached out to Luke Witte by mail. Witte agonized over how, or whether, to respond- until his wife convinced him to call. They initially didn’t say much, but began to occasionally write each other. When the age of email dawned, they wrote more often. Strong emotional and spiritual bonds formed.
Eventually, Corky Miller invited Luke Witte to visit him and his family in Minnesota. Their relationship had become that of brothers, as they discussed basketball, race relations, and the nature of forgiveness.
While Witte was visiting Miller, he was surprised by a visit by Clyde Turner. The three of them later watched a tape of the attack on the court. They were silent, yet with a dozen questions that would later be discussed.
In the meantime, the three men reconciled. They became liberated."
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
JaVale, the basketball player
His mother was a professional basketball player who was scheduled for an abortion, then prayed to God for guidance, got a pretty clear answer the next day in a sermon at church and cancelled her appointment at the abortion clinic.
“JaVale McGee is 7 feet, with a 7'6½" wingspan and a 31½-inch vertical leap, unfathomable for a man his size. At 24, he can tap the front of the rim with his forehead. He can slap the top of the square with his palm. He can dunk a cookie in a bowl of milk 11 feet off the ground. When McGee was at the University of Nevada, an opposing player once explained to his coach why he couldn't guard him: "He jumped over me."
Read the whole story and how she told JaVale.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Stain solutions
Here's a handy, dandy website from my alma mater, the University of Illinois. Or rather the Extension. Stain Solutions which is set to "grease" since "cat snot" didn't work. I'll have to browse a bit and see if it lists my favorite carpet spot remover, glass cleaner. Works like a charm (Windex or a knock-off from Meier's).
Speaking of colleges, I was going through a box of memorabilia the other day and found a clipping of my college graduation announcement from my hometown paper. Turns out I'd taken a class at Butler University and I didn't even remember! But last night I think everyone west and north of North Carolina was from Butler. Wasn't that a game! They had nothing to be ashamed of.
Speaking of colleges, I was going through a box of memorabilia the other day and found a clipping of my college graduation announcement from my hometown paper. Turns out I'd taken a class at Butler University and I didn't even remember! But last night I think everyone west and north of North Carolina was from Butler. Wasn't that a game! They had nothing to be ashamed of.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
I'll return after Easter. Lots to do this week, and I'm starting by going to a movie this afternoon. Precious. My husband turned up his nose, so I'll go alone. Besides, he really wants to watch basketball.
I was watching Kentucky and West Virginia play yesterday. Wow! What super athletes--every last one of them. Several thoughts floated through my mind as I looked up from my book (The Virginian, 1902). Not a single white guy on the floor. No women, either. No fat kids. No Asians. No disabled. Obvious age discrimination. They all had very expensive outfits and shoes (tax payers expense?) that most guys their age can't afford. Some probably had scholarships that others didn't even hear about. Last night those teams were the cream of the crop--and no one even cares that they aren't sharing their place on the team with someone less qualified, less tall, less skillful, less handsome, less melanin, less educated, less willing to work hard, stiffer knees and shorter fingers. Sports are really unfair. When will the President insist that athletes share the wealth?
The federal office that oversees the GSEs Fannie and Fred, right on its website, has diversity of employees as its number one goal. Imagine. The gang that can't shoot straight, that brought us our current recession, are looking for minorities and women and disabled, because they seem to think that's what caused the problem, but college athletic teams aren't. Go figure!
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