"It is hard to say exactly when the monumentalization
of the trivial
became a way of life in America. It may have been when
the National
Football League started according contests between
large men in skintight
pants the sort of solemn designations formerly
reserved for armed global
conflicts." (Michael Kelly in 'The Atlantic
Monthly')
While not
wanting to carry on our particular rants, I happened to come across the quote
above from the current issue of :
http://www.newsscan.com/,
Everyone has their rant. You know
how I respect you both but you are both wrong about this.
1. they are no more "so-called" professionals
than any other profession that gives constant tests as to competence before
national audiences once a week. Such statements seem a
class issue more often than not. My relatives have
constantly "picked up" from the blue collar side after affluent graduate
folks made messes of things they had academic knowledge of but not common
sense.
One relative didn't graduate from High School
but he, like "Jude the Obscure" was a genius at what he did. He
worked into his forties building his practical experience on an oil pipeline
for the Continental Oil Pipeline corporation. When
Cooper-Bessemer bought the line they tested him and sent him to their own
company schools where he learned to install four cycle engines that today
run around 3.5 million dollars apiece. After a few years
he went on to installing Jet propulsion plants. His first
plant was in Wyoming and was finished before he came. He was
supposed to check it out before it was turned on.
As he told me, the plant management came over
and said just after he had walked in for the first time, "When can we start
this plant? We have a schedule to keep!" Frank
looked at him and said dryly, "Anytime, but it will blow up when you
do." The manager stepped back and looked at this man who
had never installed such a plant and demanded an
explanation. Frank said: "Who told you to put a gas
line above a hot engine?" It seems that it was
the college accredited engineers who had "decided" to blow up the
plant. Frank saved them many millions at the time and was
well rewarded until he retired. This man, with no high school
diploma and who only dreamed of college, fraternities and
parties, did more than dream when it came to performance
competence.
2. They just fired the new coach at
Notre Dame because he had faked his academic resume. It seems
that he was one of the winningest coaches in Football but he had never
played college football and had only a undistinguished
undergraduate degree. Since they are marketing degrees it
would never do to have a coach who didn't have one even if
he was a huge success in his work life.
If I had to choose who to go into combat with, I know who it would
be. My business is about performance, not literary tests.
3. The Doctors who treat those million
dollar athletes stole most of their capital from the dance therapists who
didn't have the money for their expensive surgery which more than often
ended their careers anyway. If you end the career of a
dancer where there is a glut of labor it is a lot different from ending the
career of a Michael Jordan etc. In spite of the conflict
with their medical educations, starting in the mid seventies, the
MDs began to study with the people that I had studied with and been
certified by, even though until very recently they had been calling my
teachers charlatans. They have now rejuvenated sports
medicine, and in the process, the regular physical therapy used in hospitals
as well. They still don't know why many of the processes
work since they are still married to their old allopathic
language. But, in sports medicine, unlike in coaching at
Notre Dame, it is success that counts and not whether your theory about why
it does is accurate or not.
4. So this judge at the union arbitration
where I testified Friday told me this story. Both lawyers
and judge were Jewish and the judge had the most and best illustrative
stories. He made sure that the Italian union officials
laughed and he took constant delight of their attempts
to analyze his meaning. But here goes.
There was this man who had a dog and who
brought him to synagogue on the day before Kol Nidre. He
met the usher at the door who demanded to know what he was going to do with
the dog since he was not allowed to bring an animal inside during this
time. The man was well known as a local businessman with
lots of money and clever ways. He told the usher that the
dog was coming inside to sing the Kol Nidre. The usher was horrified
and stated that he should stop immediately his profaning of the most
beautiful and sacred of the High services. The man stated the
Kol Nidre was the next day and so the dog wanted to come before and offer
the beauty of his voice and his prayers before the regular congregants
came. The usher absolutely refused and the man finally
said that he would donate $50,000 to the congregation if the usher didn't
agree that the dog had the most beautiful singing voice he had ever
heard. At that point the usher decided that he would do
it. So the dog came into the sanctuary and halfway down
the isle tapped his paw three times on the floor and bowed his head and
began to sing. It was the most beautiful tenor voice the
usher had ever heard.
The usher moved immediately to the man and
said "do you realize what you have here?" "The
great Cantors make a great deal of money and this dog would be the first and
possibly only canine Cantor. A cross between the human and the
animal kingdom, a true miracle. He would be worth
millions!" The man looked at the usher sadly
and sighed. "I know, I know, but it will never
be." The usher looked at him and exclaimed "but why
not!" The man sighed again and then said "he wants
to be an economist."
That was a particularly poignant story for a
voice teacher who trains people only to have them do something else no
matter how beautiful the talent and potential since the world is lousy for
even the most proficient and talented. Pavarotti may make fifty
thousand to 1 million dollars a performance but the superiorly talented
performer has to work an average of 17 years before they can make a full
time living at their profession and if they do have the stamina to last they
rarely get more than 10 to 14 years of real earning time. Callas
was 14 years.
Can you imagine what would happen if today's
WBO and WTO etc. economists had to live in the situations they so glibly
prescribe for the rest of us poor slobs? Since that isn't
the case, even a singing dog who comprehends one of the most sacred moments
of a great world religion and could bring happiness to millions should
rather be an economist.
Ray Evans Harrell, artistic
director
The Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble, Inc.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2001 6:05
PM
Subject: RE: money for baseball
players
> Agree with Creuss. And it
gets worse. These so-called professional players
> are really
parts of corporate entities. So when the various "news casts"
>
bring updates on the sports news, they are really reporting on
corporate
> activities. So the sports corporations get a free
ride. This is not to
> mention, of course, diversion of tax
dollars to build stadiums, etc.
>
> I have always thought that
when the sports fans were shouting and supporting
> this or that
professional team, they could just as well be shouting and
>
cheering Go General Motors, Go Chrysler.
>
> This is my
rant.
>
> Arthur Cordell
>
>
>
-----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent:
Saturday, December 15, 2001 7:48 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED];
Ray Evans Harrell
> Subject: Re: money for baseball players
>
>
> Ray Evans Harrell wrote:
> >
> > >
Christoph Reuss wrote:
> > > [snip]
> > > > >
A baseball player signed a deal today. Over the next 7 years he'll
>
get
> > > > > $120 million. He doesn't even have to run a
corner store.
> > > >
> > > > What an obscene
waste of money...
>
> > To Chris: The
corner store uses up non-renewable resources and
> stimulates
>
> very little secondary business. Gaming and
Entertainment, on the other
> > hand, stimulates all kinds of
secondary business structures including
> corner
> >
stores. Aside from the energy used by all, the only
resource being used
> > up is the mind and muscle of the
actor.
>
> What about the non-renewable gasoline wasted by
50,000 fans driving their
> SUVs
> to the baseball match instead
of doing some sports for themselves ? That's
> right, those
"sports" fans don't ride bikes, they just drive SUVs and then
> sit
around watching the match and eating junk food. (Even worse than
those
> who drive to the fitness center -- at least they have some
exercise there!)
>
> So why pay this clown $120m for sending
the wrong message to your youth
> and making them sit/drive around
instead of cycling, just so a bunch of
> fat shareholders and
functionaries can reap even more advertising money ?
> What does this
have to do with sport, anyway ? I thought sport was about
>
excertion...
>
> I appreciate the cultural work you do, Ray,
but I don't see why you should
> defend a "sport" (or rather,
deflection&ad industry) as un-cultural as
> baseball, and
especially the obscene waste of $120m for a counter-productive
> clown
who could do just fine with 1/1000th of that money. Just imagine
how
> much better the $120m could be spent on chamber orchestras and
other arts...
>
> Sorry for the rant, but "sport" (in ""s) is
my red button...
> Chris
>
