Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing

I don’t remember who said that, I think it might have been the legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi. With that in mind, does it come as any surprise that we hear about the accusations of Lance Armstrongs doping during his Tour de France wins, the resignation of Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel for cheating, and the many other, numerous allegations against colleges such as Auburn, Oregon, and many others?

Is it really any surprise that players use steroids to win, or hit more home runs, run faster, run farther, get bigger and stronger, or ride a bike faster than anyone else? If it is, it shouldn’t be. From the beginning we’ve been in love with winners. No, not the ones who came close, not the ones who got the moral victory. Nope, we love the ones who come in first place, who win the game. Oh sure, we give polite respect for the runners-up, those gritty second place finishers who gave their all. But for all that respect, it’s about the winners baby. Very simply put, winners win, losers lose.

With that mentality, it shouldn’t come as any surprise when players see other players cheating, or otherwise performing feats that a few years ago were outside of their talents. These players are now setting records, and more importantly, making a whole lot more money. Big money.

Money is at the root of all of this. Coaches need to win to keep alumni happy, which means they get to keep their jobs. Keeping asses in seats is like a bank deposit for the school and a steady paycheck for a coach. Nowadays, a coach who ‘does it the right way’ probably won’t be coaching for long. The deck is now stacked against that guy because he knows that right or wrong, most of his contemporaries are doing whatever they can to win.

I could go on and on about this, but won’t bore you or myself with continued examples of what people will do to win. We’ve helped to create this environment. We want winners. We associate with winners, because who wants to be associated with a loser? Think about that next time. Players don’t have to cheat. Coaches don’t have to cheat. It’s a choice they make. You might think that’s not much of a choice all things considered, and you’re probably right, but we own much of this.

Next time you see or hear of an opposing player or coach accused of cheating, and you get some sort of satisfaction from this revelation, just wait.

What goes around, comes around, and nobody is innocent. Your team, your player is next, it’s just a matter of time.

The ability of your glass house to withstand a stone thrown at it, is only as good as the glass.

So, it's Memorial Day

As I understand it, today is the day to stop and remember the brave souls who have in the defense of this nation and it’s freedoms, given their lives in the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I may enjoy those freedoms.

For many, this weekend has meant backyard barbeques, baseball games, picnics in the park, boating, and of course, the Indianapolis 500 car race. It’s the official kick-off to the summer season, where we look ahead to the warmth and good times and try to forget about the cold, and the doom and gloom of the winter months.

I would hope that most of us stop and think about the sacrifices that young men and women have made over the course of the past 200 plus years. And while we watch the war movies that portray the famous battles fought, and hear Tom Brokaw tell us about the ‘Greatest Generation,’ that saved us from defeat at the hands of Germany and Japan, I would hope that we also think about the past generations who were also great, and who molded this country into what it is today.

To single out a generation as being the greatest, to me, does disservice to those whose sacrifice was no less brave. Was the generation of ‘GI’s’ really any more great than the generation of ‘dough boys’ of World War I? Were the veterans of the Vietnam era any less great than the generations that came before? Or was it that their war was less popular than the wars that came before?

Throughout the course of this country’s history there has been wars. All who have served in harms way have sacrificed. All who have died have given the ultimate sacrifice. To say that one-generation of sacrifice was greater than another belittles the bravery and sacrifice of the ones who passed before.

America’s involvement in wars is as long as our country’s history, but in only one war did brother fight against brother, brother against uncle. The American Civil War pitted American against American in what is still America’s bloodiest, most costly war. In terms of killed and wounded, it dwarfs the casualty figures of any other American war. Talk about a great generation.

For me though, it’s not just about the veterans, that there is a Veteran’s Day. No, this is also about remembering the loved ones who are no longer with us. These departed souls, our moms, dads, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, dogs, cats; we should all take a moment to remember them. To remember how much they loved us, and we, them. Wherever you may be, take a moment and say a prayer. Visit a passed loved on if you can. Let them know that they haven’t been forgotten, and that on this Memorial Day, we remember. We will always remember.

Goodbye, I’d Really Like To Stay

The title of this long overdue blog is a take-off on the autobiography of Groucho Marx, and the theme song for his character Dr. Spaulding in the classic Marx Brothers film ‘Animal Crackers,’ titled, ‘Hello, I Must Be Going.’

At the time Groucho wrote the book, he was much older and was taking a look back at his life and career in only a way he could, with much humor. While not quite ready to check out, like all of us, he knew it was coming, thus the title.

For me, I couldn’t think of anything else to call this blog. After starting my blogging career with little fanfare and reasonably regular blogs, I went dry. Not that I had anything to say in the first place, but at least it was a creative outlet for whatever was on my mind. I’ve had plenty on my mind since, but not the inclination to write about it.

I’m also supposed to be contributing articles to my local paper, but that hasn’t amounted to much output either. It’s not that I haven’t sat down and tried to write something, but everything of late has, well, pretty much sucked. This will probably suck also, but at least I’m giving it a go.

There is so much that I should probably be doing. Actually, there is no probably about it. I’m trying my damndest, in spite of myself, to become a photographer. I’ve gotten some work, some accolades, and I pretty much know what I should do, but for whatever reason, I  have not made the final push.

I’m very conservative by nature, and very practical. I try to make sure that my family and the household is taken care of before I can even think about the investment needed to do what I need to do. I’m not going into all of the gory details of what that is, but it will require a major investment in time, money, and belief in myself.

So what in the hell does this have to do with the title of the blog? Well, I’m not dying, at least not in the near future, so I guess it’s about sticking around awhile longer, and accomplishing what I think God wants me to do. I look around at the world and what it is I’m good at, and what’s available for me to do, (less sorting mail or stocking groceries,) and all I can see is photography and writing. Perhaps my former career as a building inspector will be an option when the housing inventory is finally in equilibrium and builders start to build. I’m not holding my breath for that option.

So here it is, time to ‘shit or get off the pot’ as my momma used to tell me. I got off the pot years ago, so it must be time to shit. Maybe that should have been the title of the blog?