Don’t you love Peter Czec’s headgear? The “soft” helmet? I’ve never played goalie so I guess I shouldn’t razz him…
Click here to read the soccernet story in a new window
Well, I’m on record as saying Liverpool will not win the league and yet good things like this keep happening. Well, not yet, anyway. Until Liverpool can beat West Ham tomorrow and go top a full 3 point clear, nothing is set. And even if you begin December 3 points clear, there’s still a loooong way to go. If this were the day after Boxing Day, then I’d be more inclined to get excited. Boxing Day is the big milestone–the All Star Break for EPL, if you will. A logjam of League matches that, if you come out of it ok, you’re looking good. We’ll see.
Still, to see Chosee lose twice (the Reds did it first, remember) AT Stamford Bridge, is encouraging. I was reading a book on Baseball (yea, go figure) recently; it might have been “Stengel” by Robert Creamer, and in the 1920’s, a group of American major leaguers travelled in the off season to the UK to put on baseball exhibitions. John McGraw and Stengel were big honchos and they played an exhibition at Stamford Bridge in London, where Stengel met King George (I think it was one of the Georges). It’s kind of weird to think that guys like Frank Frisch and Irish Meusel and Casey Stengel played baseball at The Bridge.
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Spent many hours this weekend working Jackie Robinson’s head. Very, very difficult and, at times, discouraging work. I forgot how much fun this is. Hopefully, I’ll have something usable when I’m done.
Last night while working, I caught a great Film Noir movie that I had never heard of: Laura. 1944. Jean Tierney was ridiculously beautiful as the leading lady. When you see her, you wonder how Bette Davis and Joan Crawford got where they did. Vincent Price even played a straight, non-monster role. And he didn’t use that phoney lispy Price-speak, that became his trademark (cha-ching).
One thing that always makes me laugh about the old black and while movies is the language. These were American films; American money backing them; American theatre-goers paying to see them; made in Hollywood-America. So why do all the actors and actresses talk with this AFFECTED, faux-British accent? You know, the “dahling”, and liberal use of words like “rather” as in, “…I rather think you shan’t, dahling…” LOL! My goodness, NO ONE IN AMERICA TALKED LIKE THAT! They are ALL putting on fake British drawing room accents–such affected actor nonsense! hahahahaha. Always makes me laugh. I guess Marlon Brando is a genius because he was the first actor to actually NOT do that! He probably didn’t want to sound so effeminate, so he did it naturally and thus, he was this rabid acting genius because he actually spoke the way REAL PEOPLE in America spoke! Imagine that! ahhahaha.
So, those are the things that pop into your mind when you are watching (listening mostly), to TV while covered in sawdust, trying to determine if you’ve (gasp) taken too much wood off of Jack Roosevelt Robinson’s forehead or cheek or nose etc.
I’m sitting there for HOURS actually thinking that there’s a real possibility that Rachel Robinson will be standing inches from this wood and rendering her judgement: It does or does not, look like the famous man…her Jackie.
Of course in my fantasies, I have her breaking down in tears and turning to me and saying something about how she feels like it’s 1950 all over again and she’s actually standing face to face with her husband…And then I wake up and realize that the line from his lip to his upper cheek is all wrong and Rachel Robinson would probably slap my face if she saw this…
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Mind plays tricks: I was posting recently about Louis Armstrong’s version of “Stardust” and yet, I can’t find it on my MP3 player. I can’t find it in my CD’s. I can’t find it ANYwhere and yet, I’m remembering hearing it dozens of times. In my mind, it’s on the 4-CD JSP boxed set of the Hot Fives and Sevens…and yet it ISN’T on there. So memory is a funny thing. I’m still looking to crack this caper. The version I’m thinking of, is alsmost identical to Cab Calloway’s version which, is what triggered all this fuss. Realize that I write these posts with a minimum of research–it is almost 100% off the top of my head. While I enjoy doing this, I don’t really have the time, so to justify it, I just fly. I don’t really spellcheck even, as you may have noticed. This is stream of consciousness, mostly, and, I have always suspected, that THAT is most of the charm–the reason it works. I can not compete with the pro-bloggers and the official sites. You come here because you know me, or because the topic was interesting. And the topics range, as my interests and thoughts range normally–yes, this is normal.
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Books: Just finished Cab Calloway’s autobiography and picking over several Jackie Robinson books. Also devoured a Buck O’Neil book and half of another one (don’t know where it is now). Currently working on a self-patent book; a how-to book on taking your patent all the way, yourself, without an attorney. It’s interesting stuff not to mention I have an invention I’d like to do this for, while learing the ropes along the way. There’s a regular at the pizzeria who has done this and claims that it is do-able and that I should go for it. He’s awesome–I love the spirit of “go for it” that he has lived his life by. He’s gone on Oprah and sold his wares to Wal-Mart–he’s a self-made guy; the kind who built America and who are now under attack by certain political factions. He lost an eye in Viet Nam and makes fun of the proprietor who plays “Call of Duty” video games. He says that if you were ever shot at for real, you wouldn’t EVER want to play those games. I think he’s right.
Also cruised through most of an old bio of The Wright Brothers, that I had lying around–an old, Amazon used book, no doubt. I was surprised that the last bio of the Wright Bros was written in 1989! For people as famous and influential as they are, you would think that there would be a top-flight bio cranked out every decade or so. The book, while informative, is not that great. It focuses on some real tedious minutia and yet I had to HUNT for the 1912 early death of one of the brothers from Typhoid Fever. You would think that would be a salient fact in a BIOgraphy, no? Instead, there are reams of letters and a chapter on the reason that the Brother(s) fought the Smithsonian in Washington because the Smithsonian had some people loyal to failed aviation-inventor, Langley. Interesting, I suppose, but not central to the amazing story of these two guys just devoting their lives, their money and their businesses to the pursuit of heavier-than-air flight.
It’s a great story and it shouldn’t be that hard to tell. If there are any publishers listening, I think there is fertile ground here for an exhaustive book-bio.
One thing I found interesting was that, in the Victorian/Edwardian times they were in, where marriage was so essential, neither brother got married or even was mentioned with female friends. Now, I’m not saying anything here, it’s not my place, but I just found it odd, and, apparently, I’m not the only one. The question was put to them as to why they never “took wives” and Orville or Wilbur, said something like “flying is all-consuming and there ain’t no time left over for broads”. He used different language, of course. Just interesting, that’s all.
I think of the farmer in Ohio who rented his field out to them for the early 1903 or 1904 experiments. I mean, picture this: these two guys come to you and want to pay hard money for the rental of a field to FLY in? Astounding. And this farmer did the deal and then was in his fields hoeing his onions and he’s looking over his shoulder and seeing a bloody airplane zipping around his field! This is 1904 in the middle of Jablib, Ohio. And this guy just collected his rent and left the Bros alone–he tended his crops and did not come running over saying things like, “…HOLY ****, you guys weren’t nuts-you are really flying in that thing–how does it work? How did you? How did this? How did that?…” Etc. Neat.
And, just pulled out this morning, the classic by Dale Carnegie, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. I am due for a re-read. It is CORE stuff in that book that I have been violating more and more. Everyone should read that book once. No question. No exceptions. It’s that fundamental. I picked it up first, years ago in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on a business trip in February. Talk about cold. Anyway, it was a buck at the used book store and I blew through it in the hotel room that weekend as it was a two week trip with a weekend in the middle. It blew my hair back. I won’t spoil it if you have never read it but please do so at some point. It will improve your life.
