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 -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2001 6:05
PM
Subject: RE: money for baseball
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
>
