This morning my cousin Suzanne posted a memorial for her mother, my Aunt Rita. If my aunt were still alive, she would have been 92 years old today. Unfortunately, like so many other good people in our lives, she died much too soon. She passed away about 25 years ago of lung cancer. You might not be surprised by that, but my aunt never smoked a cigarette in her life. She died as a result of second-hand smoke from her family members bad habits, but that's not what this story is about.
It's about celebrating the life of someone who was very special to all of us in our family for so many years. She was a sweetheart; a person who you always enjoyed being around. Even after she confided in me about her cancer, she still kept a smile on her face until the final stages took that away from her.
She was my mother's only sister, and was nine years older. Their family heritage was French-Canadian; the Canucks (as they've been called) have a reputation for great social interaction. They party hard when the time is right, and they enjoy life as much as they can. The French term for this is "Joie de vive;" it literally means joy of life. Aunt Rita was a great example of that philosophy.
When we were kids, she was the one who loaded us all up in her car and took us to the beach. She loved the ocean, and loved being surrounded by friends and family. She had a 1959 Chrysler "that was big as a whale" with a back window deck the size of Idaho. She would pack that car so full of adults and kids that I would climb up on the window deck and spread out. I actually had more room up there than I would have had in the back seat. I'll never forget that monster of a car!
She had a laugh that was infectious, and she laughed a lot. It was hard not to share in her enjoyment; she made you look at things with a funny twist. She laughed during the good times and the bad; I think it was part of her mission here to make the rest of us forget what a pain in the butt life could be some days.
I got divorced in the early Eighties and moved back to my hometown of Newburyport, Massachusetts. After about a week and a half, I started running out of clothes, socks and underwear. I was panicking; I didn't know how to do laundry! I called her up and sheepishly asked her to go to the laundromat with me to teach me how to do it.
She laughed so hard I'm pretty sure she had to change her clothes. She couldn't believe that I was 32 years old and couldn't do my own clothes. After she caught her breath, I talked her into going with me. Throughout the duration of my laundry time, she couldn't stop giggling at me; she wasn't being mean, she just thought it was funny as hell.
A few years later before her illness she came to work for me in my deli restaurant downtown. It seemed like every other person who came into my place knew Rita. She was a legend in a small town and she knew everybody. I was amazed on a daily basis by the number of people who would tell me how lucky I was to have her working in my store. But I knew that already!
My own mother passed away in December. I hope that she and Rita are sharing time together and having a few laughs. I'm sure there's a section in Heaven carved out just for the best people. Rita and my Mom were two of the best!
Enjoy your days here and laugh as much as you can! It's better to be remembered as someone who was funny as hell than to be the one people wished would go to Hell!
Keep smiling and have a great weekend!
Mark
T.
Bradbury, Author
For information on my eBook, "Serpent's Curse," please follow
the link:
http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/. It's now available as a paperback at Amazon.com.
For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse," please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2
Big Fish/Little Pond Blog
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Ten Great Places to Visit Without Leaving Home
I'm a fiction writer, as most of you know. When I write, I try to weave as many real places and historical events into my story as possible. This makes the reader ponder whether or not the fictional story I'm telling actually has some reality to it.
In my first book, Serpent's Curse, I used my knowledge of ancient Mayan culture and their architectural accomplishments still present today in the ruins of their cities in the Yucatan section of Mexico. I had explored all of the archeological sites mentioned in my book, and I tried to bring the reader into the story with my descriptive insertions of Mayan life.
I also used a factual reference to a major event known as the 1715 Plate Fleet catastrophe. Due to a horrific hurricane in 1715, twelve Spanish galleons loaded with treasures from the New World wrecked along the reefs of the Treasure Coast of Florida, where I live. Those wrecks are still giving up their bounty three hundred years later.
And just to make sure I was making my readers think twice about whether or not the story was true, I inserted local landmarks and people from the town where the modern half of the story takes place. Like in a good movie or television show, these factual insertions draw the reader into the story.
I've started writing a new series of books that deal with a coven of witches and wizards who deal in White Magic. As you might expect, they're the good guys, empowered to fight evil on earth. Their battles and accomplishments over a five thousand year period will be the focus of the tale.
Just about everyone I know has heard about Stonehenge in England. It is one of the great mysteries of the world, and hundreds of explanations and theories abound as to its origins. It's always fascinated me; I've just thought the site was pretty cool. I decided to incorporate Stonehenge into my book somehow.
I began by researching Stonehenge, and that led me to other Neolithic stone sites scattered throughout the United Kingdom. I had no idea there are so many historical stone ruins from that era; it was a mind-boggling experience for me. I spent the next three weeks or so studying up on these various locations, and I am using them as actual places in my new book.
Most of the archeological sites I'm talking about are unique and tell a great story on their own. But the best part is, I've managed to work them into my new book to make it almost real. Could there have been dragons battling with giant eagles in the sky over Ancient Ireland? Maybe.
Here's a list of some of the most fascinating places I've found while meandering through Wikipedia and other reference works. If you enjoy actual history, as I do, get online, go to Wikipedia, and start browsing through the following treasures. I think you'll enjoy the experience, and you'll be ready to believe in the possibilities of White Witchcraft!
1) Stonehenge - start here, since it is the most famous site
2) Avebury (Trusloe) - built before Stonehenge
3) Skara Brae - stone village in Scotland
4) Maeshawe - a tomb known for its incredible stonework
5) Ring of Brodgar - Scotland
6) Bru na Boinne (Newgrange) - Ireland
7) Dun Aengus - an ancient fortress in Ireland
8) Swinside - England
9) Drombeg (Druid's Altar) - Ireland
10) Moel Tŷ Uchaf - Wales
There are hundreds more scattered throughout the U.K. The majority of these sites were built between 2000 - 4000 BC; that appears to be the era when people started settling down, building permanent villages. You may think otherwise, but I believe that magic played a part in these constructions, and I'm sticking to it!
Meme of the day (courtesy of Facebook) - "I want to grow my own food, but I can't find any bacon seeds!" This guy's in trouble!
Have a great weekend everybody!
Mark T. Bradbury, Author
For information on my eBook, "Serpent's Curse," please follow the link:
http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/
It's now available as a paperback at Amazon.com.
For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse," please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2
In my first book, Serpent's Curse, I used my knowledge of ancient Mayan culture and their architectural accomplishments still present today in the ruins of their cities in the Yucatan section of Mexico. I had explored all of the archeological sites mentioned in my book, and I tried to bring the reader into the story with my descriptive insertions of Mayan life.
I also used a factual reference to a major event known as the 1715 Plate Fleet catastrophe. Due to a horrific hurricane in 1715, twelve Spanish galleons loaded with treasures from the New World wrecked along the reefs of the Treasure Coast of Florida, where I live. Those wrecks are still giving up their bounty three hundred years later.
And just to make sure I was making my readers think twice about whether or not the story was true, I inserted local landmarks and people from the town where the modern half of the story takes place. Like in a good movie or television show, these factual insertions draw the reader into the story.
I've started writing a new series of books that deal with a coven of witches and wizards who deal in White Magic. As you might expect, they're the good guys, empowered to fight evil on earth. Their battles and accomplishments over a five thousand year period will be the focus of the tale.
Just about everyone I know has heard about Stonehenge in England. It is one of the great mysteries of the world, and hundreds of explanations and theories abound as to its origins. It's always fascinated me; I've just thought the site was pretty cool. I decided to incorporate Stonehenge into my book somehow.
I began by researching Stonehenge, and that led me to other Neolithic stone sites scattered throughout the United Kingdom. I had no idea there are so many historical stone ruins from that era; it was a mind-boggling experience for me. I spent the next three weeks or so studying up on these various locations, and I am using them as actual places in my new book.
Most of the archeological sites I'm talking about are unique and tell a great story on their own. But the best part is, I've managed to work them into my new book to make it almost real. Could there have been dragons battling with giant eagles in the sky over Ancient Ireland? Maybe.
Here's a list of some of the most fascinating places I've found while meandering through Wikipedia and other reference works. If you enjoy actual history, as I do, get online, go to Wikipedia, and start browsing through the following treasures. I think you'll enjoy the experience, and you'll be ready to believe in the possibilities of White Witchcraft!
1) Stonehenge - start here, since it is the most famous site
2) Avebury (Trusloe) - built before Stonehenge
3) Skara Brae - stone village in Scotland
4) Maeshawe - a tomb known for its incredible stonework
5) Ring of Brodgar - Scotland
6) Bru na Boinne (Newgrange) - Ireland
7) Dun Aengus - an ancient fortress in Ireland
8) Swinside - England
9) Drombeg (Druid's Altar) - Ireland
10) Moel Tŷ Uchaf - Wales
There are hundreds more scattered throughout the U.K. The majority of these sites were built between 2000 - 4000 BC; that appears to be the era when people started settling down, building permanent villages. You may think otherwise, but I believe that magic played a part in these constructions, and I'm sticking to it!
Meme of the day (courtesy of Facebook) - "I want to grow my own food, but I can't find any bacon seeds!" This guy's in trouble!
Have a great weekend everybody!
Mark T. Bradbury, Author
For information on my eBook, "Serpent's Curse," please follow the link:
http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/
It's now available as a paperback at Amazon.com.
For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse," please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
5 Great Reasons to Shop at Wal-Mart
I just came home from Wal-Mart; isn't that everybody's favorite store? Hold on a second as I extract my tongue from my cheek. Seriously, that store provides me plenty of material for a laugh, but sometimes the place just drives me crazy.
I was picking up a prescription at the pharmacy first. I got in a line six deep; of course, there was only one woman waiting on customers, so the line was moving rather slowly. As I stood there waiting for my turn, my eyes wandered inside the pharmacy. There were two people sitting at computers at the drop-off window, and neither of them looked very busy. In the back there was an assortment of various employees; one or two were actually pharmacists, while the others appeared to be assistants of some sort.
Which got me thinking; there was a total of nine people in the pharmacy, and only one of them was waiting on a long line of customers. It may take a village to fill your prescriptions, but it apparently doesn't concern the management with how long it takes to get them. Priorities anyone? And please don't forget that I live in Florida, Heaven's waiting room. There's a ton of older people here who use a lot of prescription drugs, and the lines seem to always be long. Sam Walton, where are you, man?
After picking up a few things in the store, I headed for the registers to check out. Since it was mid-afternoon, there weren't many open. I headed for the only "Express" line open; there were two people in front of me and neither one had very much. The man at the register went through quickly, and the elderly lady behind him pulled her "riding-lawnmower-style" shopping cart into position.
She placed a blister-packed Tracfone and a pair of slacks up on the counter. When you buy a cellphone of any kind at Wal-Mart you have to have it activated at a register. The cashier was having trouble finding the activation code, and after a few minutes had to call a manager over. He scanned the phone and handed it back to her. During this time the woman on the buggy was loudly proclaiming how she always "got the one with no price tag," which made me think that she should check a little closer next time, but I was trying to be nice. "I always get in the wrong line!" I was thinking.
The cashier totaled her purchase and told the lady it was $74 and change. Protesting loudly, the woman told her there was no way it was that much. She was right; it wasn't. The cashier had rung in the slacks twice, raising the total. The cashier at this point became so flustered by the events that she went in search of her manager again. I left the line and went to another register. As I was leaving the store I saw the cashier, the manager and the customer still going over her purchase. Yikes!
Which brings me to the question: "Why do I faithfully shop at Wal-Mart ?" Here's my favorite reasons.
5) Where else can you go to buy groceries, underwear, fishing equipment, deodorant, tires, TV's, flowers for your yard and a million other things all under one roof?
4) What other store contributes more to your social life? Do you not always see people there you haven't seen for ages? It's like a "Mixer" without a cover charge!
3) Forget the people you know; how many places can you go and "people watch" better than Wal-Mart? Seriously, it's a trip!
2) How about the exercise you get walking these giant "Super Centers?" When my doctor asks if I've been walking, I tell her with a straight face that I have indeed.
1) But the top reason to go there is their prices! I hate to spend more than I have to for things (I'm admitting to being cheap here), so whenever I price check against other supermarkets I always find "Wally World" to be the best. You can have fun and save money!
So, forget about the long lines and crazy people and go enjoy the Greatest Show on Earth! You never know what you might see, hear or find there. Have a great weekend everybody!
Mark T. Bradbury, Author
For information on my eBook, "Serpent's Curse," please follow the link:
http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/
It's now available as a paperback at Amazon.com.
For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse," please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2
I was picking up a prescription at the pharmacy first. I got in a line six deep; of course, there was only one woman waiting on customers, so the line was moving rather slowly. As I stood there waiting for my turn, my eyes wandered inside the pharmacy. There were two people sitting at computers at the drop-off window, and neither of them looked very busy. In the back there was an assortment of various employees; one or two were actually pharmacists, while the others appeared to be assistants of some sort.
Which got me thinking; there was a total of nine people in the pharmacy, and only one of them was waiting on a long line of customers. It may take a village to fill your prescriptions, but it apparently doesn't concern the management with how long it takes to get them. Priorities anyone? And please don't forget that I live in Florida, Heaven's waiting room. There's a ton of older people here who use a lot of prescription drugs, and the lines seem to always be long. Sam Walton, where are you, man?
After picking up a few things in the store, I headed for the registers to check out. Since it was mid-afternoon, there weren't many open. I headed for the only "Express" line open; there were two people in front of me and neither one had very much. The man at the register went through quickly, and the elderly lady behind him pulled her "riding-lawnmower-style" shopping cart into position.
She placed a blister-packed Tracfone and a pair of slacks up on the counter. When you buy a cellphone of any kind at Wal-Mart you have to have it activated at a register. The cashier was having trouble finding the activation code, and after a few minutes had to call a manager over. He scanned the phone and handed it back to her. During this time the woman on the buggy was loudly proclaiming how she always "got the one with no price tag," which made me think that she should check a little closer next time, but I was trying to be nice. "I always get in the wrong line!" I was thinking.
The cashier totaled her purchase and told the lady it was $74 and change. Protesting loudly, the woman told her there was no way it was that much. She was right; it wasn't. The cashier had rung in the slacks twice, raising the total. The cashier at this point became so flustered by the events that she went in search of her manager again. I left the line and went to another register. As I was leaving the store I saw the cashier, the manager and the customer still going over her purchase. Yikes!
Which brings me to the question: "Why do I faithfully shop at Wal-Mart ?" Here's my favorite reasons.
5) Where else can you go to buy groceries, underwear, fishing equipment, deodorant, tires, TV's, flowers for your yard and a million other things all under one roof?
4) What other store contributes more to your social life? Do you not always see people there you haven't seen for ages? It's like a "Mixer" without a cover charge!
3) Forget the people you know; how many places can you go and "people watch" better than Wal-Mart? Seriously, it's a trip!
2) How about the exercise you get walking these giant "Super Centers?" When my doctor asks if I've been walking, I tell her with a straight face that I have indeed.
1) But the top reason to go there is their prices! I hate to spend more than I have to for things (I'm admitting to being cheap here), so whenever I price check against other supermarkets I always find "Wally World" to be the best. You can have fun and save money!
So, forget about the long lines and crazy people and go enjoy the Greatest Show on Earth! You never know what you might see, hear or find there. Have a great weekend everybody!
Mark T. Bradbury, Author
For information on my eBook, "Serpent's Curse," please follow the link:
http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/
It's now available as a paperback at Amazon.com.
For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse," please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Life Calling...
The following story is a condensed version of a chapter in my latest book. The tale involves fishing, but is really about the challenges we face each day to find time to enjoy the things we love.
The phone rang in the outer office, but I knew that my secretary would get the call. I’d already told her that I wasn’t taking any calls, but she called out “It’s Life”, more than loud enough for me, and most of the neighbors, to hear it.
“No calls! I’m too busy thinking
about my fishing trip on Friday.”
“Life said to tell you
that he knows you’re here, so you’re going to have to pick up. He won’t take no
for an answer. He said that this is about the fiftieth time that you were
supposedly going fishing, but every other time he’s won out, and you’ve stayed in
the office to deal with him.”
“This time it’s for real. I’m
going to put aside my work, and actually go fishing. Tell him I’m going to
experience what a ‘Fun Life’ can be!”
“Sorry, Boss, but he said to tell
you that he’s on the way over here; he should be arriving shortly, and you know
that it never takes him long to get here.” She was right. Life came and went as he
pleased around here. I couldn’t shake him, no matter how hard I tried.
Fishing was something Life
and I used to do a lot of. We had explored the streams, rivers, lakes and
oceans of Massachusetts for my first forty years, and then I had moved to
Florida in 1995, where we learned that fishing was quite different here.
We had a lot of new experiences to
savor. The flats of the Indian River Lagoon became our playground, and we
actually lived in a cottage on its shores for a time. Fresh fish became a
staple for us, and good friends joined us to share in the fun. Life
back then was very good!
But, as we all know, eventually Life’s
other priorities catch up with us. Work, relationships, and kids demand more
attention than we’d sometimes like to give them, but that’s just the way it is,
right? But, back to the story; Life did indeed show up on schedule,
and I did get my work done. Here’s the fun part.
At 4:30 Friday morning I woke up
from a dream that I was having about fighting a very large fish. The fish was
just about pulling me off the deck of the boat that I was on! One final splash
at the side of the boat, and the fish was gone. The splash must have hit me in
the face, because I woke up and jumped out of bed, ready to go. Grabbing a thermos
of coffee, I drove to the marina to meet my friend Bill Carter, and Capt. Mark
Dravo, our guide for the day.
Capt. Mark had gone out earlier to
cast net our bait, and the live wells were full of nice threadfins. We started
fishing in some shallows not far from the marina, but within ten minutes, Mark realized
that our bait was dying in the wells because the water temperature had gotten
too high. We got out of there right away, but we ended up losing 40-50 nice
baits.
Armed with the remaining bait, Mark
took us to a new spot, where we started throwing the threadfins into an area
that was being torn up by fish in every direction. For almost an hour we got
slammed by some very aggressive fish; it seemed that every bait we tossed out was
getting popped, and we were landing every other one that hit our offerings. It
was “Fish Heaven,” and we couldn’t
have been happier!
And then we ran out of baits. Monster bummer! As the fish boiled the
water all around us, we watched in awe. We threw artificial baits at them, but
they were only feeding on live bait, and nothing else could even get a sniff.
So, with no bait, we decided we’d have to come back another day to try this
spot again.
We were standing back on the dock before
nine, even though we thought when we had pulled out three hours before that
we’d be out on the water until noon. It
was hard to be disappointed though; we had more fun in that one hour than most
of us see on an all day excursion. It had been worth the time and effort to
make this happen.
We all stood around, talking about
our amazing little adventure, and how much we enjoyed it.
We talked about doing this more often, but as we did, I heard a familiar voice
calling to me from my truck. It was Life, telling me not to make any
plans; it was time to go back to work!
Does Life do this to you, too? We all need to find the time to enjoy the things we love, no matter what they are. Life is too short! Enjoy!
And this, from our old friend Groucho Marx:
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."
Mark T. Bradbury, Author
For information on my eBook, Serpent's Curse, please follow the link:
For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse," please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Free King Crablegs at Publix Supermarkets
I'm writing this blog from my cell at the Barefoot Bay Jail. After reading the story about "Famous Jameis Winston" yesterday, it got me thinking about how nice it would be to have a seafood boil featuring crablegs and crawdads. This was the menu for Jameis before the Tallahassee police detained him for not paying for some king crablegs he walked out of the Publix Supermarket with. You see, as his story goes, he simply made "a terrible mistake." Uh, yeah!
If your not familiar with Jameis Winston, let me fill you in. He is the star quarterback (as a freshman) who not only led the Florida State football team to a National Championship, but he also won the Heisman Trophy to boot. Without question he's a rising star who'll probably be throwing footballs on Sundays in the near future.
About 6 months ago, this young man was being investigated for an alleged sexual misconduct charge. The case was dropped and he went on to have a tremendous season. But the outlier here is that this is the second incident for him, and he hasn't even got through two years of college yet. He's been suspended from the FSU baseball team for now, but the school should be looking into this latest escapade with a little more scrutiny. A few years ago, Florida State was embroiled in a scandal involving the football team being given free athletic shoes. That earned them the nickname "Free Shoes University" - today they've got a new one: "Free Shellfish University." Pretty catchy, no?
So back to my quandary. I thought if it worked for him, it might work for me. I went to Publix, scooped up a few pounds of crab and walked out the front door. I didn't make it to my car before I was arrested and shoved into the back of a cruiser. At the station I attempted to tell the officer that I made a "terrible mistake," and asked him if I could I just pay for the crab and go home.
"Did you win a Heisman Trophy?" he asked. I said that I hadn't. "Are you a member of the FSU football team?" I responded negatively to that as well. "Well, hell, did you even go to FSU?" I said that I didn't; I was from Massachusetts and went to school there.
"Massachusetts! You a Yankee?" Nope I'm a Red Sox fan I told him. "Well, that won't cut it. I'm afraid you/'re gonna have to spend the night here until we take you to the courthouse for your arraignment in the morning.
But, hey, look on the bright side my friend; we're having crab legs for dinner!"
Just kiddin'; I'm not really in jail, I'm just being a smartass! But there are thousands of people who are in jail who never got the benefit of being a "privileged athlete." We look the other way for people we tend to consider as heroes because they can run, pass, hit, score or whatever. Please don't get me wrong; I'm an avid sports fan, and I spend a great deal of time following sports on all levels. I watch tons of baseball games, college and pro football and pro hockey as much as possible, and I love it!
I'm not solely picking on Jameis Winston, although he deserves a bit of shame for his actions. Another recent example of "sports gone wild" is the sad case of Donald Sterling, owner of the NBA's LA Clippers. This man has shown himself to be a bigot before, but his latest actions are those of somebody who just doesn't give a damn what anybody thinks about him. He is empowered by the fact that he's a multi-billionaire, and obviously doesn't seem to feel that he needs to justify his actions to us or anyone else.
We scream loud and long about how much money big business CEO's are taking in salaries and benefits, and yet we continue to pack arenas and stadiums across our country, dishing out hundreds of dollars to buy a seat that allows the men and women playing a game for us to earn millions of dollars per year for their services. The insane amount of money being given to athletes is reflected in our ticket prices and concessions. Twenty-five million for a top-line pitcher? No problem; we'll raise admission and charge $10 for a draft beer!
The average guy can't afford to take his family to any sort of professional game today, but the prices keep going up. Where will the greed and craziness lead us? It will lead us back to the college players who are the next generation of stars. As a society, we need to stop pampering and giving these kids whatever they want; all it's accomplished is taking the fun out of everything and turning sports into a money-eating monster!
Make the stars of tomorrow (and the billionaire owners) accountable for their actions. Instead of a "terrible mistake," call it what it is: a robbery! The only mistake here is that he got caught.
On a lighter note, as a writer I find myself not wanting to use the same words repeatedly, but I also don't want to use "big words" that make me look like I'm inflating my sails. So here's something from comedian and actor Will Ferrell that made me chuckle;
"Sometimes, I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis." Exactly!
Mark T. Bradbury, Author
For information on my eBook, Serpent's Curse, please follow the link:
If your not familiar with Jameis Winston, let me fill you in. He is the star quarterback (as a freshman) who not only led the Florida State football team to a National Championship, but he also won the Heisman Trophy to boot. Without question he's a rising star who'll probably be throwing footballs on Sundays in the near future.
About 6 months ago, this young man was being investigated for an alleged sexual misconduct charge. The case was dropped and he went on to have a tremendous season. But the outlier here is that this is the second incident for him, and he hasn't even got through two years of college yet. He's been suspended from the FSU baseball team for now, but the school should be looking into this latest escapade with a little more scrutiny. A few years ago, Florida State was embroiled in a scandal involving the football team being given free athletic shoes. That earned them the nickname "Free Shoes University" - today they've got a new one: "Free Shellfish University." Pretty catchy, no?
So back to my quandary. I thought if it worked for him, it might work for me. I went to Publix, scooped up a few pounds of crab and walked out the front door. I didn't make it to my car before I was arrested and shoved into the back of a cruiser. At the station I attempted to tell the officer that I made a "terrible mistake," and asked him if I could I just pay for the crab and go home.
"Did you win a Heisman Trophy?" he asked. I said that I hadn't. "Are you a member of the FSU football team?" I responded negatively to that as well. "Well, hell, did you even go to FSU?" I said that I didn't; I was from Massachusetts and went to school there.
"Massachusetts! You a Yankee?" Nope I'm a Red Sox fan I told him. "Well, that won't cut it. I'm afraid you/'re gonna have to spend the night here until we take you to the courthouse for your arraignment in the morning.
But, hey, look on the bright side my friend; we're having crab legs for dinner!"
Just kiddin'; I'm not really in jail, I'm just being a smartass! But there are thousands of people who are in jail who never got the benefit of being a "privileged athlete." We look the other way for people we tend to consider as heroes because they can run, pass, hit, score or whatever. Please don't get me wrong; I'm an avid sports fan, and I spend a great deal of time following sports on all levels. I watch tons of baseball games, college and pro football and pro hockey as much as possible, and I love it!
I'm not solely picking on Jameis Winston, although he deserves a bit of shame for his actions. Another recent example of "sports gone wild" is the sad case of Donald Sterling, owner of the NBA's LA Clippers. This man has shown himself to be a bigot before, but his latest actions are those of somebody who just doesn't give a damn what anybody thinks about him. He is empowered by the fact that he's a multi-billionaire, and obviously doesn't seem to feel that he needs to justify his actions to us or anyone else.
We scream loud and long about how much money big business CEO's are taking in salaries and benefits, and yet we continue to pack arenas and stadiums across our country, dishing out hundreds of dollars to buy a seat that allows the men and women playing a game for us to earn millions of dollars per year for their services. The insane amount of money being given to athletes is reflected in our ticket prices and concessions. Twenty-five million for a top-line pitcher? No problem; we'll raise admission and charge $10 for a draft beer!
The average guy can't afford to take his family to any sort of professional game today, but the prices keep going up. Where will the greed and craziness lead us? It will lead us back to the college players who are the next generation of stars. As a society, we need to stop pampering and giving these kids whatever they want; all it's accomplished is taking the fun out of everything and turning sports into a money-eating monster!
Make the stars of tomorrow (and the billionaire owners) accountable for their actions. Instead of a "terrible mistake," call it what it is: a robbery! The only mistake here is that he got caught.
On a lighter note, as a writer I find myself not wanting to use the same words repeatedly, but I also don't want to use "big words" that make me look like I'm inflating my sails. So here's something from comedian and actor Will Ferrell that made me chuckle;
"Sometimes, I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis." Exactly!
Mark T. Bradbury, Author
For information on my eBook, Serpent's Curse, please follow the link:
For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse," please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2
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