Classic Tune of the Week 7

For this week’s classic song I have chosen “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon. The song was written by Simon and released in December of 1972. The song was an instant hit and became Simon’s first #1 single. “You’re So Vain” stayed atop Billboard’s Hot 100 for three weeks in early 1973. The song is listed at #72 on Billboard’s Greatest Songs of All Time.

“You’re So Vain” is a great song but part of it’s staying power is the ongoing mystery as to just who it is about. It is one of the great musical mysteries of its era and Carly Simon has been very coy as to the identity of the subject. This could be due to her very private nature, a desire to keep the mystery alive and, thus, keep interest in the song high, or a combination of both. While she has dropped cryptic hints from time to time, to my knowledge, she has never come out and acknowledged the name of this narcissistic gentleman. Popular guesses include Mick Jagger (who sings uncredited background vocals on the song), Cat Stevens, Kris Kristofferson, William Donaldson (Simon’s unfaithful ex-fiance), ex-husband James Taylor, and, most famously, Warren Beatty.

I have always liked “You’re So Vain”. Even as a kid I enjoyed listening to it though I never did understand the “clouds in my coffee” line. I get a chuckle these days whenever I hear the song played. You see, “You're So Vain” is one of two songs I had, very publicly, dedicated to me on a radio program while I was in college. I will save the title of the other song for another time. There are some pretty good stories behind each of these “loving” dedications. Needless to say, those two relationships didn’t work out. I just can’t imagine why anyone would dedicate “You’re So Vain” to me ☺.

Hit the video showing Simon at her piano leaning into her microphone at an outdoor concert (filmed at Martha's Vineyard, I believe) to hear the song. While there are several videos to choose from, this is my favorite as it is a very strong live performance. Who knows, maybe you will figure out who the song is about.

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Missing In Action

A couple of folks have asked me why I haven't posted much lately. Basically, the answer can be summed up in two words : football season. This is easily the busiest time of the year for me. I practice my kids on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. We play our games on Tuesday nights. I scout for the high school on Friday nights or go see my oldest daughter play saxophone in her high school band. On Saturday mornings after I scout, I present my scouting reports to the high school coaches. Sunday mornings I am in church and Sunday afternoons are reserved for yard work and naps (yes, I now take naps).

As you can see, my schedule is pretty full. However, relief is in sight. Football season is over in four weeks. I do coach basketball but that season is far less intense than football season. I should be able to pick up the pace at that point.

So, until football is over I will likely only be able to post the occasional song of the week. Hopefully, you guys won't forget all about me during this time of hiatus.

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Classic Tune of the Week 6

And now for something completely different…

I have chosen a country /pop tune called “You Don’t Know Me” for this week’s classic song. The song has been recorded dozens of times by many different artists. The version I like best was recorded in the early 1980s by country star Mickey Gilley.

Gilley is best known as the owner of the world famous, for a time anyway, “Gilley’s” night club / honkytonk in Pasadena, Texas (just outside Houston). Gilley had long been a second tier country star when the film “Urban Cowboy” came out in 1980. “Gilley’s” was immortalized in the movie and mechanical bulls, boots, cowboy hats, and western shirts with pearled snaps became all the rage. The movie also gave a huge bump to the careers of Charlie Daniels, Johnny Lee, and, most notably, Mickey Gilley.

Gilley took advantage of his good fortune by recording numerous songs that cracked the Billboard Top 100 Country Chart. Several of these songs, including “You Don’t Know Me”, crossed over and made their mark on the Billboard Pop Chart as well.

Mickey Gilley has sometimes been dismissed as a light weight due to the fact that most of his biggest hits were covers of songs written and made well known by other artists. However, for a time during the early 1980s he was as big a star as there was in country music.

Hit the video bar (close up photo of Mickey Gilley in his cowboy hat) to hear the song. You may want to hold the cursor over the photo to make sure you get the right video as several songs are represented by the same photo. If this photo does not appear immediately just be patient as the videos will cycle through. The video consists of a photo of Mickey Gilley behind an old record player spinning a 33 rpm album. Not too high tech to be sure but this is about the song and not the production value, after all. As usual, ignore any extra videos that have tagged along.

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The House That Ruth Built

This weekend will mark the end of something special. Sunday, the New York Yankees will host the Baltimore Orioles in what will be the final game ever played in “The House That Ruth Built”. After the ballgame this Sunday, the lights will dim for the last time and the sun will set on an iconic sports cathedral.

Yankee Stadium was completed in 1923 and was something of a wonder. It was the first triple decked stadium in the country. The extra seats were necessary to accommodate the throngs that clamored to the park to see Babe Ruth hit. Fittingly, Mr. Ruth connected on that April 23 opening day to become the first player to homer in this soon to be historic venue. On hand that day were baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, New York Governor Al Smith, and thousands of fans decked out in topcoats and fedoras. Baseball history was made that day and would continue to be made over the next eight decades.

Yankee stadium hosted many major sporting events over the years. Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling here in 1938. Alan Ameche scored in overtime to lead the Baltimore Colts to an NFL championship over the New York Giants in 1958, in what many call the greatest football game ever, at Yankee Stadium. Chuck Bednarik of the Philadelphia Eagles nearly killed Frank Gifford there, knocking him out cold, in 1960. Ken Norton and Muhammad Ali battled there in 1976. Pele helped popularize soccer in 1977 when he came to play for the Cosmos, who called Yankee Stadium home.

However, it is the success of the Yankees and their many great players that have truly made Yankee Stadium unique among stadiums. This is where Ruth hit his 60th home run in 1927, Roger Maris his 61st in 1961, and Alex Rodriguez his 500th in 2007. This is where the legendary Mickey Mantle came within a foot of being the only player to hit a fair ball completely out of the stadium when his monster home run off of Kansas City’s Bill Fischer hit the right field façade, 110 feet above field level, in 1963. It was here, at Yankee Stadium, that Reggie Jackson hit three home runs on three consecutive Los Angeles Dodger pitches in the 1977 World Series. Don Larsen pitched a perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Yankee Stadium mound. Perhaps, the two most famous and bitter-sweet moments were Lou Gehrig’s “luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech in 1939 and Babe Ruth’s farewell address eight years later.

To think of the greats that called Yankee Stadium home is to take a trip down the Yankee wing of the baseball hall of fame. Tony Lazzeri, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Goose Gossage, Dave Winfield, and Wade Boggs come to mind along with personal favorites Thurman Munson, Ron Guidry, Don Mattingly, Bernie Williams, Graig Nettles, and Dave Righetti. Future hall of famers like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roger Clemens, and Alex Rodriguez have graced the playing field in recent years. Twenty-six world championships were won in Yankee Stadium's eight decades of life.

It is true that the old Yankee Stadium has been gone for many years. The place has been extensively remodeled twice over the years. Yet despite changes in appearance, you could sit in the stands and look upon the very spot where Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, or Mickey Mantle stood. It was something special to gaze upon Monument Park and relive the memories of great Yankees players and managers past. True baseball royalty called this place home. Going to a game at Minute Maid Park or Bank One Park just isn’t the same sort of experience.

I was fortunate enough to get to see a game at Yankee Stadium a couple of years ago. To see a game there had been on my “to do before I die” list since I was a kid. I saw a great inter-league game between the Yankees and San Diego Padres. It was a very well played pitcher’s duel the Yankees won 3-2. The winning run was manufactured in classic fashion. Derek Jeter singled, stole second, was sacrificed to third, and driven home via a sacrifice fly. Ironically, no home runs were hit that afternoon. It didn’t matter. It was a glorious day for me. I grinned like an idiot the entire day. I did see, however, that Yankee Stadium was dying. Concrete was crumbling, some seats were in bad shape, and the concourses smelled bad. While I’m sad that Yankee Stadium will be gone soon, I saw that a new stadium was badly needed.

It is true that “The House That Ruth Built” will soon be gone but the franchise that Ruth led to relevancy will remain. It is sad that this year’s team will miss the playoffs. Yankee Stadium will not go out with a bang but with a whimper. It deserves better. Life doesn’t always serve up a fairy tale ending, however. Not even for twenty -six time world champions. Hopefully, the ghosts of Yankee Stadium are only in hibernation and not truly dead. Maybe, just maybe, they will find their way across 161st street to the new Yankee Stadium. I hope so.

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Goodbye to The Bear

Don Haskins died last week. His passing did receive some media attention but not much. It received so little attention, in fact, that I did not find out about his passing until today. It is true that it has been 42 years since Haskins changed this country forever. That is a long time to be sure but for his death to receive only a 30 second blurb on the evening news is a travesty. What’s that? Who was Don Haskins? If you don’t know don’t feel too bad. You are far from alone. Allow me to enlighten you, if only a bit. Don (The Bear) Haskins was, depending on who you ask, a grumpy S.O.B., a compassionate soul who helped those less fortunate and stayed true to those who were loyal to him, a champion for civil rights, an exploiter of black athletes, or, simply, one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time.

Don Haskins grew up in Enid, Oklahoma in the 1940s. He was a basketball junkie. A gym rat who loved the game. He loved the game so much, in fact, that he shot baskets on one end of his high school gym while his senior prom was being held on the other end. Haskins loved the game so much that he became one of the best players in the state of Oklahoma and was invited to play for the legendary Henry Iba at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State). He loved the game so much that he played almost daily on a public court in Government Springs Park against a young black man named Herman Carr. It was here, playing against Carr, something he was not supposed to be doing, that the groundwork for Haskin’s philosophy on race was laid down. Being called one of the best players in the state and getting a college scholarship seemed a bit hollow once Haskins realized there was a guy right across town who might be better than he was who would never get the opportunity to play college ball. Haskins once said, “I remember thinking how unfair it was that this guy couldn’t play. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any equality back then.” That would be the closest thing to a social commentary you would ever get out of The Bear. His actions, however, spoke volumes.

Haskins arrived in El Paso to coach the Texas Western (now UTEP) Miners and stayed 38 years. He won a lot of games, 719 to be exact. It is one game, however, for which he is most remembered. That game was the 1966 NCAA championship game where Haskin’s Miners took on the mighty Kentucky Wildcats and their legendary coach, Adolph Rupp. Haskins and the Miners beat Rupp and the Wildcats that night 72-65 in a huge upset. What was most notable, however, was not the final score but the lineup Haskins put on the floor that night. Haskins started five black players against the all white Kentucky team. His top two reserves were also black. This was the first time an all black starting lineup appeared in an NCAA game. He wasn’t trying to make any kind of statement. “I just wanted to win the game, “ he said.

The aftermath of that championship game was very hard on Haskins. He received more than 40,000 pieces of hate mail and over a dozen death threats including one particularly disturbing one the following year while the Miners were in Dallas to play SMU. The letter simply promised, “I’m gonna shoot your nigger-loving ass.” This particular threat was taken so seriously that Haskins and school officials notified the FBI. As the miners gathered up before the game one of the players kept running around the huddle. Haskins asked him what he was doing and the player replied simply, “A moving target is harder to hit.” So it went for Haskins for years after the 1966 national championship.

Don Haskins opened the door for black athletes. Opportunities and scholarships became much more available to these kids after Texas Western’s historic victory. He, intentionally or not, blew through a roadblock and opened up a path that has led to some of the racial diversity you see in collegiate athletics today. Would this have happened eventually without Haskins all black starting five? No doubt, yes. Eventually, some coach would have screwed up his courage and done the same thing. The fact is, however, that Don Haskins was the one who did it first. For that he deserves our respect.

So, now you know who Don (The Bear) Haskins was and what he was all about. If you want to know more you can watch the 2006 movie based on that 1966 championship season called “Glory Road”. It is a pretty good movie and is faithful to how that season played out. The Bear, however, was probably embarrassed by the attention. After all, he “Just wanted to win the game.” Rest well, Coach.

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Classic Tune of the Week 5

I've decided to post one of my favorite songs from my college years this week. The song is "18 and Life" by the rock band Skid Row.

Back in the late eighties and early nineties, glam/hair metal was at it's peak. While I must admit to a weakness for this genre, Skid Row, along with Guns n Roses, generally were considered outside the "hair band" mainstream. They were thought of by hard core rock fans to be the real deal.

"18 and Life" was the second single released from the band's self titled 1989 album. It would become the band's biggest hit reaching #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Many have called the song a power ballad but I would disagree. It has a decidedly raw and heavy edge that made it just as popular with guys as it was with the girls. It is a guitar driven song about a youth who leads a troubled life and ends up in prison for shooting and killing another young man. He is only 18 when he is imprisoned for life, hence the title.

A happy song it is not. However, it takes me back to a time when I had few responsibilities and guitar rock was king. It remains one of my favorites. Hit the video showing the young man in the leather jacket for the original video and radio version of the song. I hope you enjoy it.



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Red Belly Day

School started up again this past week. I watched with amusement as the 7th and 8th graders wandered into the building on the first day. It is as quiet as they will be all year. They were just one big bleary- eyed hoard. The 6th graders, on the other hand, came in with a different sort of look on their faces. The look was a mix of confusion and fear. They really don’t have much to be worried about. They have their own hallway and don’t mix with the older kids much at all. However, you can’t convince them that they have nothing to worry about. You see, they’ve heard “stories” about what sometimes happens to 6th graders in middle school. I can relate to their fear as I, myself, as a 5th grader getting ready to make the jump to junior high once feared the dreaded “red belly day”.

All 5th grade boys lived in fear of the red belly. The story was that 8th graders from the junior high across the street would get together two or three times a year and venture over to the elementary school to administer the standard initiation for all soon to be 6th grade boys. That initiation was the much dreaded red belly. According to the legend, the older boys would grab a helpless little elementary kid and hold him down. One of them would then lift the little kid’s shirt up and slap him on the stomach repeatedly thus creating the “red belly”. This may sound ridiculous now but let me tell you there wasn’t a 5th grader in school who wasn’t terrified of the thought of receiving a red belly. Hazing was still very much alive back in the late 1970s and early 1980s so it seemed plausible to us.

Several times during the year the rumor would be whispered that it was red belly day and we had better all watch out. It didn’t matter that nobody actually knew anyone who had received a red belly (we assumed nobody had survived) as the mere mention of this being “the day” would send scores of 5th grade boys into a panic. All the proof we needed that this was a real phenomenon was the fact that our elementary school let out 15 minutes earlier than the junior high. The reason for this, it was surmised, was to give us a head start on the blood-thirsty belly busting 8th graders. Lingerers who failed to take advantage of this head start risked being pounded. I’m willing to bet that nobody hated red belly day more than the school nurse. Without fail, 5th grade boys would become “ill” en masse and need to go home early. I wonder if that nurse ever knew what was really behind these miniature epidemics? Red belly day was also the day we all decided to run, not walk, home from school. We weren’t scared, of course, we just needed some extra exercise.

Needless to say, I never received a red belly nor did any of my friends. Of course, once I reached junior high safely I perpetuated the legend of the red belly by telling my younger brothers what was waiting for them on an, as yet, undecided date. I know my friends did the same with their little brothers. To the best of my knowledge, the legend lives on to this very day in my hometown.

As far as I know, the legend of the red belly was confined to my little corner of Southeast Texas. However, every now and then I will catch a glimpse of a 6th grade boy running down the street away from our campus for all he’s worth and I wonder if maybe, just maybe, he isn’t running for “extra exercise” but because of his fear of having his mid-section beaten on like a bongo drum.

As the 6th graders came into school this week I tried my best not to chuckle at their stuttering voices and big as saucers eyes. After all, I understand their fear. Even now, once or twice a year I will have a dream where I am running down Helena Avenue away from a pack of torch bearing pitchfork wielding 8th graders who want nothing more than to slap my belly until it turns fire engine red. Rational? Maybe not, but what if there is a list of the "one's that got away" out there somewhere? That is why,even now, I always sit with my back to the wall when we go out to eat. After all, those 8th graders are relentless.

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