"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
>
