Sports Shorts

*South Carolina received lots of plaudits for the way it honored the military last Saturday against Florida. Their uniforms featured camouflage design touches and labels such as “Duty,” “Service” and “Integrity” replaced players’ names on the backs of jerseys.

Thin line, however, between patriotic salute and gimmick. That was borne out early when the first personal foul — for unsportsmanlike conduct — was called on “Integrity.”

*We know these are tough times for newspapers, and “beats” aren’t what they used to be. But it still seems strange, in this football-crazy market, to see the hometown newspaper “cover” Gator, Seminole and, even, Hurricane games via Florida Today, the Tallahassee Democrat and the Associated Press, respectively.

*A major milestone for USF football and basketball, in addition to becoming more competitive within the Big East, will be when the programs are less reliant on transfers – especially from junior colleges.

*Good for Raheem Morris, the Bucs’ beleaguered but buoyant first-year coach. Control the things you can control in a season that is now an unadulterated salvage project. Finally letting Josh Freeman play was, of course, the biggest change. But good move in implementing a game-day dress code. “Make them look like winners,” explained Morris.

Left unsaid: “Win or lose, you can always show some class. This isn’t the NBA.”

*Granted, professional sports is a parallel universe. Salaries are obviously a prime example. What recession? What’s even more unfathomable sometimes are the disparities – in the context of past performance, long-term contracts and free agency – that so often manifest themselves.

No better example in Major League Baseball than that of the Tampa Bay Rays’ Pat Burrell and Ben Zobrist. At an obscene $9 million, the ineffective designated hitter made more than 22.5 times that of Zobrist, an All-Star and the team’s Most Valuable Player.

Quoteworthy

* “With unemployment above 10 percent, the public is angry about last year’s financial crunch – and looking for people to blame. The Fed is just elitist enough, and (Chairman Ben) Bernanke is just enough of a professorial egghead, to make them targets for popular anger.” – David Ignatius, Washington Post.

* “The rule used to be, you only got one move through the turnstile – going from news to politics or the other way. Now, you’ve got people going back and forth almost simultaneously. I think (viewers) assume the Mike Huckabee Show is just preparation for the Mike Huckabee presidential campaign in 2012.” – Larry Sabato, political scientist, University of Virginia.

* “History shows that occupation by foreign armies with the intent of changing occupied societies does not work and ends up costing considerable blood and treasure.” – Col. Gian P. Gentile, who heads the Military History Program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served in Iraq as a combat battalion commander in West Baghdad.

* “The stadium is the centerpiece of everything. If we didn’t have the stadium, if we didn’t have the Glazers, we wouldn’t be here.” – Paul Catoe, president and chief executive of Tampa Bay & Co., commenting on Tampa’s chances of landing World Cup soccer games if the United States is awarded the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022.

* “The most important thing is winning. …That’s our goal. That’s what we trained for. We don’t train for stats, we train for wins.” – Tim Tebow, UF quarterback.

Will The Voters Endorse Charlie Crist?

            “I didn’t endorse it.”

             That, of course, is what Gov. Charlie Crist said a fortnight ago about the federal stimulus package, a sizable chunk of which enabled him to balance Florida’s budget. It’s possible Crist doesn’t even believe that himself.  Nobody else does.

Crist has a well-earned reputation for being nice and a well-crafted reputation for being “moderate.”  His political game is feel-good populism and unfettered cheerleading. He loves Florida. We know that because he’s always reminding us. But now Crist — as illustrated in the aforementioned quote — is off his credibility and charm-offensive game. It hasn’t cost him yet, but it could. Voters, even the easily seduced, the chronically gullible and the political pragmatists, know the difference between a smile and smirk.

Recall how the governor got here.

Once State Senator Crist agreed to take one for the team and run as a cheery sacrificial lamb against Bob Graham in 1998, his political career has been ascendant. Fast forward from commissioner of education to attorney general to governor. He mouthed just enough conservative platitudes, smiled that winning populist smile, maxed out on the “Chain Gang Charlie” moniker, bid “good riddance” to State Farm, managed to be governor when no hurricanes wreaked havoc and availed himself of enough stimulus money to buy time during a ravaging recession.

Over time, however, it has become increasingly apparent that Crist is both authentically pleasant as well as genuinely duplicitous when it comes to ideology. Crist has morphed from heavyweight moderate to empty-suited chameleon of self-interest.

It’s been enough of a revelation to at least slow down Crist’s seemingly seamless transition from governor to U.S. senator. It’s been enough to encourage Marco Rubio, otherwise lacking in name recognition and money, to take him on in a GOP primary. And it’s been enough to prompt the national media to weigh in about pragmatism, ideology, the Sunshine State’s microcosmic proxy war and the possibility of Jeb Bush playing kingmaker.

While Crist still maintains large leads in the polls and in fund-raising, Rubio has been gaining, attracting a following of county-level GOP activists and conservative true believers. The ones who vote in primaries. And recruit others. Their support of the attractive, articulate – but not fire-breathing – ideologue borders on a man-crush.

Charlie’s definitely not courting any, uh, man-crushes. He just wants to float above the fray as the “people’s governor” who would make a dandy “people’s senator.”

But if it’s one thing that tends to annoy the “people,” it’s being manipulated. It’s being taken for granted – and played for fools. If you publicly campaign – from appearing on national talk shows to lobbying key members of Florida’s congressional delegations — for the $787-billion federal stimulus bill pushed by President Obama and passed by Congress and yet deny any endorsement, you will be called on it. And among the things you will be called will be a pants-on-fire “liar.”

That’s anathema to a politician of Crist’s nice-guy, populist stripe. Insulted voters notice. Like the governor saying he didn’t know the president was traveling in Florida recently or how he’s responsible for “the largest single tax-cut in the history of Florida.” Before long, voters start to notice even more things, like how many workdays the governor has phoned it in. Few politicians handle scrutiny well. Crist, as we’re seeing, is no exception. Should his lead over Rubio drop like a rock, it will have accelerated at EndorsementGate.

What’s mystifying is that the “endorsement-not” flap was so unnecessary, so dumb and so un-Crist. Why couldn’t someone have scripted something better than “I didn’t endorse it. I didn’t even have a vote on the darned thing…”?

The stimulus issue should have been vintage Crist. He should have hit it out of the ballpark. As in:

“Of course I endorsed the stimulus bill. Indeed, that was me with the president on that Fort Myers stage. I wasn’t taking any chances. These are, we all know, uniquely troubled economic times, and you don’t have to be the Second Coming of John Maynard Keynes to see that a stimulus and deficit-spending stopgap was necessary to prevent an economic free fall. So, sure, I endorsed the stimulus bill. Of course, I did. We needed the help.

“And I meant it when I said this was ‘not about partisan politics. This is about rising above that, helping America and reigniting our economy.’

“But, no, that doesn’t mean that I also endorse big government intervention across the board. Hardly. What’s critical is understanding that I also endorse creating jobs and saving jobs, including those of teachers. That I also endorse continuing to help unemployed Floridians. That I also endorse balancing a budget without doing it on the backs of hard-working Floridians. That has everything to do with why we wanted more than $15 billion in stimulus dollars for Florida in the first place.

“Look, I am the day-to-day governor of Florida, not some accountability-challenged candidate free to glibly play the ideology card in the abstract. And I am a pragmatist. I’ll take common sense and the vested interest of Florida over cherry-picked ideology every time.

For this governor, Florida will always come first. Others, I acknowledge, including many in the Republican Party, may differ. Well, they’re not the governor of Florida. I yield to no one in doing what’s best for this state. And I’m confident that the people of Florida will endorse these priorities.”

Online Monitoring

We now hear serious talk among lawmakers about making every high school student take at least one online course in order to graduate. In the brave new world of higher ed, it’s now estimated that Florida college students are taking nearly 30 percent of their classes online.

Two points.

Indeed, this would help prepare high school students for the virtual realities they will confront at the next level.

However, let’s learn from the online cheating scandal among Florida State student-athletes. Think through how exams will be administered. Nobody benefits from virtual monitoring.

Quoteworthy

  • “Do not treat transportation as a project. Treat it as a process that can never stop.” –Patrick McCrory, former mayor, Charlotte, NC.
  • “We have to get him going. He has to show us he’s ready to play.” –Lightning coach Rick Tocchet on challenging Vinny Lacavalier to play with more “passion.”
  • “I didn’t endorse it. I didn’t even have a vote on the darned thing…” –Gov. Charlie Crist, regarding his stand on the $787-billion federal stimulus bill pushed by President Obama and passed by Congress.
  • “This is an administration earmark, and the money would have gone somewhere.” –U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, on helping the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport land $5.4 million in stimulus cash.
  • “The plain fact is we haven’t come anywhere close to the heartbreak and destruction associated with the 1930s…The only folks who benefit from over-wrought comparisons to the 1930s are bond investors, gold bugs and makers of canned goods.” –Dave Kansas, Wall Street Journal.
  • “It’s not working at all.” –French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in response to a question about how well the NATO alliance was working in Afghanistan.
  • “The problem is that we want American dollars but we, as a country, hate Americans. We’re not perfect, but we want the Americans to be perfect.” –Former Pakistani Ambassador to Washington Abida Hussain.

Ka-Bull

Item: About a thousand demonstrators, mostly students, recently marched from Kabul University to the Parliament building to burn an effigy of President Barack Obama and yell anti-U.S. epithets. The reason: Rumors that American troops might have desecrated a Koran.

Non-item: Still no major public demonstrations in Afghanistan, Iraq or Pakistan against those who behead, strap on suicide jackets to kill innocents, detonate car bombs in markets crowded with women and children, and burn alive the occupants of a U.N. guesthouse.

Yankee Sentiment

Tampa, of course, is the spring home of the New York Yankees. Owner George Steinbrenner, to be sure, has been a generous force for good, much of it behind the scenes, for our area for years. And the Boss, 79, no longer robust and more of a sentimental figure, is a big winner again. Indeed, the Yankees, in a classy gesture, dedicated their 27th World Series title to the Palma Ceia resident.

And yet, rooting for the Yankees remains a reach. Too much money; too many rules that don’t apply to others – most notably the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s like rooting for Exxon or reveling in Goliath smack-downs. Can’t do it.

St. Tim’s Half-Centurians

I’m not a “reunion” sort of guy. More of a that-was-then, this-is-not sort.

But then I get this letter in May from Marie Pellit Hebden informing me that the 8th grade class of St. Timothy’s School was having a 50-year reunion. I felt emotionally blind-sided.

This meant a whole half century had passed since “Advise and Consent” was written, “La Dolce Vita” was filmed and “Mack The Knife” was recorded.  Back when the Philadelphia Flyers were still a decade away from inception.

Marie expressed it so well in one upper-case interjection. “YIKES!”

“Yikes,” indeed. From being children to having grandchildren.

Fast forward to Northeast Philadelphia. To a certain, recent October Friday night reception at the Sheraton Four Points and following Saturday at the Rosewood Caterers. Who will I know? Who that I would know will I recognize? Who will remember me?

As it turned out, there were plenty of us who remembered enough of us.

“Hey, isn’t that Jim Williams? I mean ‘Brother Jim.’ I mean ‘Toothpick.’” Oops. Is it a sacrilege or something to refer to an Oblate Brother as “Toothpick”? Same lanky build. Same warm, friendly manner. Probably the same jump shot too from his days as a sharp-shooting St. Tim’s forward and a former teammate. He asks about my brother Terry, who has known tough times. I appreciate it more than he knows.

“Joe, I had to come over and say ‘hi.’” It was Veronica “Ronnie” Stewart. Didn’t need to check her name tag. Still blond and cute. Still petite and sweet. Last time I saw her she was making out with Bobby Cirillo at a party.

Speaking of, Bobby C wasn’t here. Too bad. Every school should have its own Leo Gorcey.

“Yo, ‘Ski.” As in Kozakowski. As in Steve. A big time buddy. Classic crew cut. So easy going it was easy to forget Steve had a football game face. Made All Catholic at Father Judge and earned a scholarship to Colgate. We both played for St. Tim’s. We were also part of the Gang of Four that took the occasion of a St. Joseph’s Feast Day holiday to go to Bandstand under the high school radar. Along with George Shissler and the late Jimmy “Flash” Gordon, the only guy I knew to make a truly seamless transition from Jitterbug to the Mash Potatoes to the Twist.  

An added bonus: Steve’s wife Ann was with him. The personality still bubbly. The smile still a light-up-the-room beacon. She was the one spouse I figured to know. I remembered when she and Steve met in high school. They seemed the perfect couple from the get-go. E-Harmony couldn’t have done better.

And, sure enough, that was Maureen Nulty. Boy, could she throw a party. And what a singular venue. She was the daughter of an undertaker. The guys, to be sure, thought that was decidedly cool.

And could it be? The exotic-looking blonde was Eleanor Verdi. “What have you been up to the last half-century?” she deadpanned. Still quick with a quip, although that wasn’t her most notable trait back in the day. St. Tim’s only sultry Italian, if memory serves.

More familiar names to affix to updated personas and profiles. The flamboyant Dan McCutcheon, a fellow classmate at La Salle High. Mary Johnson, who was practically a girlfriend in 6th grade. Skip Weinacht, who perfected the “Dirty Dig” only to see Father Bednar ban it at the St. Tim’s dance. Albert McGlynn, who was only the smartest kid in all three 8th grade classes.

Nice to see Dan Courtney, who didn’t seem to remember that fight we had. The one within a schoolyard circle surrounded by loud, blood-sport weenies. The one where we both kept looking for someone to break it up. Mayfair machismo.

More members of the St. Tim’s football team. Quarterback Bob Hojnacki, who still looks like the guy you’d want on third and short. And the sui generis Eddie McHugh at end. Eddie was always too cool for school, and still looks — the same. Like a Lord of Flatbush. And Bobby Campbell and Jack Haley who played bigger than their size on the football field.

Sitting across from me at the Reunion table was Dewey Tate, who is still quiet and pleasant and now goes by the name “Bud.” I would too. I appreciated the opportunity to do some major breeze-shooting with Jimmy McGowan, Joe Perrello and John Quigley.

And there are always those who you didn’t know – or didn’t know well enough. But after a reunion, you wished the intervening years had brought you in touch. Regina Price and Roberta Lyons and Mary McDonald and Marie Pellit and Nancy O’Donnell, whose mom was the iconic Levick Street crossing guard. Plus Carolyn Fegeley, whose mom knew my mom from the old neighborhood. What classy ladies all.

Yes, the years have not been equally kind to the members of the class of ‘59, and some, sadly, are no longer with us. But those of us who did gather to remember and to reflect and to cherry-pick Sr. Mary Immaculate war stories were transported to another time.

To be barely adolescent again. To experience that first crush. And that first spin of the bottle at a Maureen Nulty party. To practice dance moves in front of the TV when Bandstand was on. To begin to grow out of the May Procession’s lockstep pageantry. To be called a “bold article” by any number of nuns. To have no recourse about corporal punishment, because your parents approved. All too enthusiastically. To have somehow learned what needed to be learned despite outlandish teacher-to-student ratios.

And regardless of the divergent paths we have all taken since 1959, we have this uniquely formative St. Tim’s experience in common. Maybe the “welfare to Mayfair” adage, however unfair but self-deprecatingly funny, provided less-than-subtle motivation at home. Recall that trying hard and avoiding excuses was not an option; it was a mandate. And in our own ways, we’ve collectively carried this old-school ethic forward these last 50 years. And the challenge, we are constantly reminded, remains formidable.

But lest we get entirely too serious for a fun event, let’s also remember how applicable are the words of Prof. Irwin Cory. “Wherever you go, there you are.”

And there we were. You gotta love it.

 

                                                                                                Joe O’Neill

                                                                Tampa, Fla.

With All Due Respect, Your Wording Stinks

“With all due respect.”

When, quite candidly, was the last time that phrase ever preceded anything remotely respectful? It’s a rhetorical staple on political talk shows – and a predictable press conference preface to a skewering query.

* “With all due respect, Mr. President, didn’t that Nobel Prize take you by surprise for good reason?”

* “With all due respect, Gov. Crist, if you had a core value other than smiley self-interest, do you really think we would be talking about Marco Rubio right now?”

* “With all due respect, Mayor Iorio, how can you countenance Tampa having a Signature Drunkfest? Proposed Gasparilla changes appear to be, with all due respect, bandaids. Why, with all due respect, should a 400,000-spectator parade be allowed to invade residential neighborhoods?”

WADR is one of those consummately annoying phrases. In this case, faux deference that is as transparently disingenuous as it is blatantly trite.

And there are, of course, many other such expressions that can strike discordant notes in all of us – ranging from the hackneyed to the redundant to the ungrammatical. They come at us from the workplace (“at the end of the day,” “it’s not rocket science”) the battlefield (“surgical strike”), sports (“take ‘em one at a time,” “back on their heels”), politics (“grass roots”, “ “faith-based,” “Joe Six Pack”) and popular culture (“24/7,” “Like, you know, …”).

In no particular order here more candidate words and phrases for phasing out. Some have political connotations. Some are just pop-culture verbal crutches. Some give cliché a bad name. Others are disrespectful, inaccurate, context-distorting — or just dumb.

*How about a sports-context moratorium on all references to “swagger,” “hero” and “warrior”? Whether by coaches, players or media types.

            Surely, the intent is not to speak approvingly of boorish, arrogant attitudes and antics. Nor can there be intent to show disrespect to real “heroes” and “warriors” – especially during a time of war – by ascribing qualities of real courage to those who merely play games. Surely.

            *And while we’re still in the sports arena, a couple more.

Don’t forget “blue collar.” It’s racial shorthand. To wit: “He (white athlete) is one of those ‘blue collar’ players. He won’t beat you with his athleticism, but he’s like a coach on the field. He gets the most out of his (melanin-challenged) ability.”

And then there’s “The Man Upstairs.” It has always seemed a little too colloquial for The Creator. Frequently invoked for really important games. As in: “I want to thank ‘The Man Upstairs’ for helping us win the championship. Couldn’t have done it without Him.” Needless to say, this sacrilegiously presumes skewed earthly priorities for The Deity. Also implies that opponent may have been infidels unworthy of heavenly intervention.

*“Walk the walk, talk the talk.” Bring back “talk is cheap” if you truly must traffic in the trite.

*“Star.” Ideally, for celestial references only. Entertainment celebs are not “stars,” although many do seemingly inhabit their own universe.

*“Rock star.” If we must, but can’t we at least confine this mischaracterization to rock ‘n rollers? Unless, of course, the popularity of a politician is, indeed, that superficial.

*“Sliced bread.” As in: “Best thing since…” Once worked as a successor to “the invention of the wheel.” The “weed whacker” or “casual Fridays” now more effective.

*“Toast.” Should be metaphorical “toast.”

*“Awesome.” This actually deserves stand-alone status. Remember when it referred to wonder (or literal ‘awe’) inspired by something sublime or maybe majestic? No more. Mundane rules (and possibly rocks). As in: “Hey, you just did two chin-ups. ‘Awesome!’” Or: “No way. You scored tickets for the 50-Cent concert! ‘Awesome.’”

*“Reality TV.” Even though everyone is well aware they are being filmed and there are working scripts, this really is reality. Only on TV.

*“Whatever.” Consummate slacker term of indifference, I guess. ‘Whatever.’

*“Bottom line.” Give it back to the CPAs. At the end of the day, if not sooner.

*“You guys.” Informal and non-sexist, it works in casual contexts. But not in this one: “Good evening and welcome to Jean Claude’s Bistro, home of romantic, Continental, fine dining. My name is Edward, and I’ll be your server. So, what can I start ‘you guys’ off with?

*“Rap artist.” Unless you actually intend it as an oxymoron example.

*“Role model.” Athletes shouldn’t count. Some, in fact, can’t.

*“Profiling.” As in: “I don’t care that it may be a function of common sense, national security and statistical relevance. Racial, ethnic or religious ‘profiling’ is always wrong. Period. OK, who’s next for a random search? Do you really need that wheel chair, ma’m?”

*“The will of God.” Mantra of the ultimate insider, however finite. Even God, presumably, would find this faith-based phrase presumptuous.

*“Been there, done that.” Still, alas, has linguistic shelf life. Wherever you’ve been, whatever you’ve done, no one cares. Even if you did get the T-shirt.

*“No problem.” Only problematic as a response to “thank you.” Proper response remains “you’re welcome.” Thank you.

*“Close proximity,” “very unique.” They’re redundant. Grammarians are in total agreement. Way beyond a “general consensus.”

*“Notoriety.” Related, reasonably enough, to notorious. Not a synonym for fame.

*“Near miss.” That would be a Mrs. Otherwise, it’s a collision.

*“Cancelled.” Call off this spelling, especially at airports, where flights are frequently “canceled.” Sometimes it’s due to pilots still nervous after a near collision.

*“Remains to be seen.” Doesn’t it always?

*“It is what it is.” Indeed.

*“Sucks.” Don’t get me started.

Obama And “Never Too Late” Applications

Recently President Obama honored a group of Vietnam vets who – nearly 40 years ago – were responsible for the rescue of a company of trapped fellow soldiers. The president hailed them as unheralded heroes who deserved national recognition, however long deferred.

In awarding the Presidential Unit Citation to Alpha Troop, the president referenced the Vietnam War’s controversy and tragedy — and an aftermath that infrequently included national gratitude for those who served. “And on days such as this, we resolve to never let it happen again. …And so I say, it’s never too late,” affirmed the president.

The context, however, was dripping with irony. The lessons of Vietnam are hardly limited to remembering those who served, however gallantly. The transcendent issue is why they served. Afghanistan now hovers like a geopolitical Damoclean Sword.

The perspective of history is a blunt reminder. Vietnam was an ostensibly strategic, Cold War domino. But its sovereign past was dotted with invader scenarios; its present with civil-war subplots. Who remembered why the French got out? Who recalled that Ho Chi Minh helped the Brits against the Japanese? Who remembered the rationales for supporting a corrupt South Vietnamese government? Who recalled American complicity in the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem? Who remembered what side did not agree to national elections? Who recalled what America’s track record was against insurgents? Who remembered that our only success was when WE were the insurgents? Who recalled the no-win reality of being an occupier? Who remembered the ineffectual absurdity that was the “Vietnamization” strategy?

First things first. Well done, Mr. President. Never forget those who have served, even in tragically unnecessary wars. Heroics are still heroics.

But now we are quagmired in Afghanistan as a result of the mismanaged, priority-shifting war of choice in Iraq.

Yes, 9/11 and al-Qaeda do not constitute Vietnam, the Sequel.  Osama bin Laden is not Ho Chi Minh or General Giap. And Gen. Stanley McCrystal is not Gen. William Westmoreland, any more than Robert McNamara is Robert Gates or Lyndon Johnson is Barack Obama.

But we are talking chronic Kabul corruption, war lords, narco chiefs and moral misfits still trying to repeal the last millennium. And we are talking about a cause that has to be worth dying for – not patriotic platitudes justifying a face-saving holding pattern after George W. Bush ceded the 9/11 moral high ground internationally. Afghanistan has earned its reputation as the graveyard of invaders and occupiers the old-fashioned way.  Eventually, even the Brits, the Soviets and Alexander the Great would understand.

You’re right, Mr. President. “It’s never too late.”