Talking about my hometown...................

 

On our way...............................

Mark Knopfler.......................................Sailing To Philadelphia

Checking in with Billy Penn..................

184.  If we take issue with everything that is disputable, our dispute would be endless.

214.  If we would change the world, we should change ourselves;  and teach our children to be, not what we are, but what they should be.

237.  Do good with what you have, or it will do you no good.

238.  Seek not to be rich, but happy.  The one lies in bank accounts and portfolios, the other in content;  which wealth can never give.

239  We are apt to call things by wrong names.  We call prosperity, happiness;  and adversity, misery;  though adversity is the school of wisdom, and often the way to eternal happiness.

249.  Too few know when they have enough;  and fewer know how to spend it wisely.

307.  Humility and knowledge in poor clothes, excel pride and ignorance in costly attire.

308.  Neither despise, nor oppose, what you do not understand

-William Penn,  Some Fruits Of Solitude In Reflections and Maxims (1682)

back story on statue of Penn here

Fifty years ago...........................................

A city gets traumatized:  Chico Ruiz steals home and the Phillies lose 1-0.  I was only twelve, but I remember it like it was yesterday.  It was a wound that didn't heal until 1980 (with many thanks going out to Pete Rose and Tug McGraw).

Part of the story is here:

Before the game against the Reds, the Phillies were a comfortable six and a half games up in the NL pennant race, and with only 12 games left in the season, their first appearance in the World Series since 1950 seemed imminent. But the loss to the Reds was merely the first of ten straight games tanked by the Phils, as the team blew the lead and the playoffs (in what has come to be known as either the Philly Phlop or Philly Phold), earning manager Gene Mauch an infamous spot in baseball history.

Acres of Diamonds..................

This blogger has long been a fan of Russell Conwell and his Acres of Diamonds.   Earlier in the week, I started reading Jim Newton's biography of Earl Warren, one of the more influential Chief Justices in the history of our Supreme Court.  On page 22 was this passage:

"Methias was far more vehement about education than he was about God.  He supported Earl's desire to go to college, and he occasionally would take his son to hear speakers as they traveled through the area.  One afternoon, the two traveled together to hear an address in town.  Earl never forgot it.
     "The speaker was Russell H. Conwell, and his talk, 'Acres of Diamonds,' was one of the most acclaimed pieces of oratory of its day.  Conwell, the founder of Temple University, traveled across America delivering versions of his talk thousands of times in the early twentieth century.  He would arrive in a small town, talk to residents, and hear the story of their hamlet.  When he rose to speak that afternoon, he would weave their stories into his speech, identifying for the crowd the 'diamonds' in their town or village and reminding them to treasure those aspects of their lives and community.  One day, Conwell's journey brought him to Bakersfield.
     "Religious in fervor, moral in tone, yet practical in its advice, the speech foreshadowed much of what Warren would become.  'Greatness consists not in the holding of some future office, but really consists in doing great deeds with little means and the accomplishment of vast purposes from the private ranks of life,' Conwell said.  'He who can give to this city better streets and better sidewalks, better schools and more colleges, more happiness and more civilization, more of God, he will be great anywhere.
     "Sitting in front of the stage, looking up at the orator, Earl Warren was spellbound.  'I can still see his towering form and hear his powerful voice as he told his never-to-be-forgotten story,' Warren recalled a half century later.  'Of all the lectures I heard in my youth, this one made the greatest impression on my young mind.'"

Mo Cheeks..................

........was an All-Star point guard for the Philadelphia 76'ers.  Over his eleven seasons (1978-1989) in Philly, Cheeks was the consumate team player, playing strong defense and feeding the ball to the likes of Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Charles Barkley.  He was a key part of the 76'ers winning the 1983 NBA Championship.  While coaching the Portland Trailblazers in 2003, Cheeks showed his true colors:



and a special thanks to the Mighty E. for reminding us about
what grace and compassion look like.

A night on the town...............

My sweetie and I took in a hockey game last night.  Growing up in Philadelphia during the Flyers' glory years, I've long been a hockey fan.  The Columbus Blue Jackets have a tradition of playing less than stellar hockey, but they were on their game last night, vanquishing Rob's favorite Red Wings, 4-2.  The Blue Jackets, over the years, have specialized in turning the puck over in their defensive side of the rink.  Turn overs in your own end almost always lead to quality chances by your opponent.   I think I counted only one such turn over last night.  It makes a huge difference.  Detroit's two goals came off power plays.  The Blue Jackets have a right to be proud of their hard working effort last night.  Thanks for the show, boys.

Our seats were almost too good, right behind the scorer's table

This mean person gets to spend two minutes thinking about that
nasty elbow he threw at that nice Blue Jacket .

On concentration................

"He was one of the world's greatest men, and was made great by one single rule.  Oh, that all the young people of Philadelphia were before me now and I could just say this one thing, and that they would remember it.  I would give a lifetime for the effect it would have on our city and on civilization.  Abraham Lincoln's principle for greatness can be adopted by nearly all.  This was his rule:  Whatsoever he had to do at all, he put his whole mind into it and held it there until that was all done.  That makes men great almost anywhere."

Russell Conwell, Acres of Diamonds

OK, Coach....................

“Losing streaks are funny. If you lose at the beginning, you get off to a bad start. If you lose in the middle of the season, you’re in a slump. If you lose at the end, you’re choking.”

“There should be a new way to record standings in this league; one column for wins, one for losses and one for gifts.”
 
"I have an amazing ability to forget."
 
"I'm not the manager because I'm always right, but I'm always right because I'm the manager."

"I want everybody to feel he has a chance to get into a game when he comes to the ballpark. I play guys when I want to so they'll be ready when I have to. I don't consider myself a motivator of players. I think it's an insult to a ballplayer to have to be motivated."

"Most one run games are lost, not won."

"The worst thing is the day you realize you want to win more than the players do."

"You can't lead anyone else further than you have gone yourself."

-Gene Mauch

1964.....................

1964.  Baby boomers who grew up in Philadelphia eventually
have to come to grips with 1964.  It is late, late, late summer.
The Phillies have a six and a half game lead with twelve games
remaining in the season.  Jim Bunning and Chris Short are two
of  the best pitchers in the league.  Gene Mauch, one of the
great young managers, is pulling the strings.  What could
possibly go wrong?

September 24, 1964 and I am listening to the ballgame on my
little GE Quartz Radio.  The  Reds and the Phils are tied 0-0.  
Art Mahaffey is on the mound.  It is the 6th inning, with two outs. 
Chico Ruiz is on third, the great Frank Robinson is at the plate
with two strikes.  And.................Chico Ruiz steals home.  WTF?  
The Phillies lose the game 1-0.  Then proceed to lose the next
nine in a row.  In one of the all time collapses, they came in
fourth in their division.  Our collective City psyche was scared
and countless hearts were broken the fall, mine included.  The
healing would not come until 1980, but that is a story for
another day.

After posting the few quotes by Mauch, memories surged and
this tale just needed to be told - one more time.  I feel better
 now.  Thanks for asking.

OK, Coach................................

"I cannot get rid of the hurt from losing, but after the last
out of every loss, I must accept that there will be a tomorrow.
In fact, it's more than there'll be a tomorrow, it's that I want
there to be a tomorrow. That's the big difference, I want
tomorrow to come."


-Sparky Anderson

OK, Coach............................

“Some people dream of success, while others wake
up and work hard at it.”

"You have to learn to win with what you got or you
don't win at all."

"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You
must first set yourself on fire."

-Fred Shero