Dedicated to my school, Steelton-Highspire

Today Friday, September 13, 2013 there was a shooting at 250 Reynders St at the Steelton-Highspire High School in Steelton, Pennsylvania. 9 people, including six students and three teachers were gunned down by an as of yet unidentified, current student of the school. Law Enforcement and School Administrators have secured the crime scene and closed the institution until further notice.

This is what the first paragraph of a School Shooting report looks like. It gives the time, location, amount of people killed, instructions as to a future date and a
brief description of the perpetrator of the crime. We've all seen this kind of report by now. The majority of us have only seen it on TV or read about it in the news, but some have witnessed and experienced a real life shooting before. By writing this, I am hoping to prevent another one from happening in the future. I am hoping to touch as many people as possible with these words.

Nobody wants to be apart of another Columbine shooting. No parent wants to hear a report on the radio or get a sudden phone call about an incident at their
child's school. And no child ever wants their school to become a war zone, where the Library, Cafeteria and Auditorium become bunkers for cover rather than safe havens for learning and positive congregating.

 

I've asked myself, "What can be done?" What can we do to prevent people from continuing this awful trend? Since when did Schools become the place to bring
violence? I remember when I was in school, a fight between two students was the worst thing that could happen or if one of my friends or someone I knew got
in big trouble they got suspended. Now kids have to worry about being shot by a fellow classmate!? I named this post 'School Shooting at Steelton-Highspire,'
because that is where I attended high school. And that is where I hope to never hear about a school shooting or a violent incident, in the news.

I want as many people as possible to read this and think about what if it would ever happen at my school? What if I was shot in school? What if I was the one
doing the shooting? What would happen? People would die. Families would be destroyed. Students, Children and Teachers would be killed and witness death. The place where I met friends, learned algebra, had my first kiss, my first dance, my Prom and the place where I built the foundation for my future would become a burial ground and the place that the worst moment of my life occurred.

The Answer to this Riddle is simple; Communicate. Students need to learn about each other. Administrators & Teachers need to know their students, not just as
educators but as surrogate parents. Classes need to be geared towards not just the fundamentals of learning, but also the human side of who we are. Have your
class write a paper about "A Great Day I had this Summer." Or create an assignment that requires students to learn something about each other. Have a Journal Day where the students write an entry and then everyone trades Journals so each student can read what another student wrote. Or even better, how about a project on the school grounds where the students and teachers build something together to commemorate & celebrate their time together, like the Steel-High Class of 1996 did with Project O.S.C.A.R. or Outdoor School and Community Activity for the Rollers:)

We can't all just be faces in the crowd. We have to be human beings with families and stories. We have to communicate with each other and let one another know that it's going to be okay. We Are All In This Together.....

JOHNNY LAW

Sometimes it's fun to break the rules. Push the pedal to the floor and let the adrenalin take over your body. Then Johnny Law sticks his face where it don't belong. The Red & Blues flash in your rear view and you get a couple seconds to decide what to do. Pull over or Floor it? I might be a little crazy but I'm not stupid. Of course I pull over.

Always behaving & obeying the rules can get pretty drab after a while. It's natural behaviour to test the limits to see what one can get away with. As a child, me and a friend of mine were little pyros. We'd always steal matches from cabinets in the houses, then go outside, look for a quiet place and light one. Nothing major or anything that could be considered arson, but mischievous all the same.

Athletes in any sport from an early age are taught sportsmanship, but as they get older and mature into young adults the rules stretch progressively. As a 13 year old in teener ball, I can remember being encouraged by my coach to dirty-up the baseball when I pitched. "This way the ball will not carry as far or get hit as hard," he told me. When I played high school ball, I no longer needed a coach to tell me to break or stretch the rules. Whether it was pine tar on my black alluminum bat or pitching with some sandpaper inside my glove, all the tricks had been taught and learned.

 It seems in America we are encouraged to test boundaries. Nearly everyone gets a second chance right? We are the country of second chances. Doing wrong is practically a right of passage in our culture. Americans may be more human than any other culture or country. We grow up in a cauldron of psychological fire and grow into a single piece of steel. We're not all forged the same, but we endure similar experiences and say hi to each other along the way. Maybe even throw a ball around with each other. Though we make mistakes, eventually we learn to be fair and balanced. And aggressive and a little arrogant, and confident and loud but always willing to help. Johnny Law is also always willing to help so I've learned to respect him. But don't get too comfortable Johnny Law because I do appreciate my freedom to get away with a little mischief:) America The Beautiful

Side Note: I could not find who captured this photograph so I could give them credit. This is one of the Best images ever taken in Sports and one of my favorites. Dennis Rodman is shown at his very best going all out to retain possession of the basketball. One of the greatest rebounders ever and an American original; flawed and brilliant, The Worm.

100% FOR JUNIOR

http://uvmemory.blogspot.com/2013/06/bonds-vs-griffey.html

1989 Upper Deck #1 Ken Griffey Jr Rookie Card. This was the hottest card in the hobby for about 10 years till the steroid boys started making all that faux noise. 

Jr's induction into Cooperstown will be in 2016. The Baseball Writers Association of America, the ones who vote players into the Hall, have never given any player a 100% vote. That means Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente, etc... None of them were chosen unanimously. Of all the greats, Tom Seaver got the highest percentage of votes 425 of 430, 98.84%. The Kid has a chance to top him. Griffey receiving 100% of the vote would be a perfect message to the Steroid Era players. But more important than that, a unanimous vote for Jr would send a message to the youth of the World that playing the game great, the right way is possible. Spread the word, 100% for Ken Griffey Jr (#100forJR).

Classic Penny



2 Rookies in 2 Pics. The 1993 Classic #2 Rookie Card & the Nike Zoom Rookie. The shoe and the card are product of Penny

 

"Come See The Show"

Pete Maravich was a god of the basketball court. 10 years in the NBA before his career was cut short due to injury, he averaged 24 points and 5 assists. Those
who witnessed his games came away with stories of moves, shots and passes no one had ever seen before. Maravich's style and ball handling skill was completely original and his scoring was unstoppable. The 3 point shot hadn't been instituted in the NBA during Pistol's career, otherwise his average would have been over 30 per game. No Lie.

In College at LSU, Maravich set NCAA Division 1 scoring records across the board in only 3 years. Basketball games with Maravich became more like Mardi Gras gatherings. As a freshman on the freshman team, fans packed the courts to watch Maravich dazzle and score 44 per game. The LSU Varsity team would come to the court only to see the thousands of fans clearing the arena, for 'the show' had already left the building.

 http://uvmemory.blogspot.com/2013/05/1972-73-topps.html

Players like Julius Erving and Isaiah Thomas speak of "Pistol" as this guy who had a way & a game all his own. His shot so accurate and crisp. His passes so quick and on target. His teammates always said if you weren't paying attention, Pete would hit you in the face with the ball because he'd deliver a pass whenever & wherever you'd least expect it. Maravich's dexterity with the basketball made him a pleasure for all fans to watch, but even his peers couldn't help but marvel at the game he possessed.

One of the 50 Greatest NBA Players Ever, "Maravich lived 100 years in a 40 year span" as Dr. J put it. He inspired a generation of basketball players like Magic
Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, ushering the NBA from obscurity to mainstream. Pete died of heart failure at the age of 40 due to a congenital heart
defect. His legacy lives on through his family & friends and the droves of people he touched with his game.

#123 1970-71 Topps Basketball Rookie Card measures 4 & 11/16 x 2 & 1/2

Click the Link for another cool shot of Pistol Pete.

Got the nickname "Pistol" from a writer that saw him play

as a child. Said he drew the ball from his hip like a gunfighter.

 

THUNDERCATS

 

Saturday Morning Cartoons were never the same when the ThunderCats debuted in 1985. G.I. Joe had the kids transfixed with their Guns N Ammo, but
THE THUNDERCATS brought the action to a mystical world of forestry & mutant-like characters with all the action of a James Cameron film, like Aliens.  This ain't no cat & mouse runaround, flip-book animation, Pikachu-suckin baby cartoon.  This is a mix of Japanese Anime, Good vs Evil, humor vs horror plotline with a group of World-Saving Cats that'll captain-planet your ass with Tanks, Swords & Nunchucks.  And a Theme Song laced with enough Adrenalin to make you wanna to drop kick every piece of furniture in your house (if the intro doesn't make your nipples hard, check your pulse)..... 

The N - Word

In America, the n-word is probably the most controversial, offensive and historically powerful word in our entire language. Slavery and the overall mistreatment of people of African descent and black skin color, make the use of the n-word offensive & physically discomforting for most people to this present day. From a World & Historic context, America's abuse of Black People is our Worst Failure as a culture and a society.

The definition of the word has changed and evolved throughout history, but its origins are of an offensive nature, initially describing slaves negatively in the 1600s. The word has always served to demean & belittle black people as less than human. As our culture has evolved with sacrifice, revolution, education and evolution, we as the human race have learned that we are all the same with only subtle, minute differences e.g. language, culture, ethnicity, skin color, etc... Main Point being no race is superior or inferior, we are only human (flawed, but hopefully always learning & improving).

Today, the n-word does not carry the power it once did in the mid 20th century, but it remains a devisive term. Black people have claimed & redefined the word
by replacing the -er suffix with an -a. 'Nigga' serves as a positive term of endearment when a fellow black person refers or calls another person by the word. As a cultural norm, the n-word in either persuasion is not meant for white people to use. Universally, black people feel since they've endured the abuse from the word, and from our culture as a whole, they have the exclusive right to use the n-word as they see fit.  It's really not difficult to understand when you examine the history.

Some people won't say the n-word at all. Some people prefer the word with an 'a' on the end. Some people say it only in private. And others say it freely because they choose to diminish it's power. Personally, I choose to not say the n-word. But then again I don't believe using the n-word necessarily makes you racist. As a white person I choose to not say it because it's an ugly word with an ugly history. I completely understand and appreciate black people claiming the word as a positive. It's a matter of change and a symbol of power. No longer will black people be put down by the n-word, for we as the human race should be above it all.

Though it's power is diminished, the n-word can still incite harsh feelings & reactions. Riley Cooper of the NFL was recorded on a cell phone using the n-word referring to a security guard he apparently had a confrontation with. Cooper, unaware he was being recorded, made the derogatory comment toward a black person whom was not in the vicinity. He felt safe to use the word being only in the company of white people. The Philadelphia media obtained the video footage and ran with the story, as Philadelphia is a city rich with diversity.

If we can learn from the incident, the social use of the n-word amongst white people is no longer a safe circumstance. Most people, regardless of race, take
offense to the public usage of the n-word. People will continue to use the word regardless of race, but they must understand the history and the consequences of uttering the n-word. Hopefully, Riley Cooper will learn from his mistake. And hopefully additional dialogues will begin amongst all people to examine & discuss our differences and our similarities as people. We can all learn from each other and improve as a result.