Years ago, MY WIFE and I were watching Mister Rogers with my niece. We asked her if she liked him. She said "No".
Since the two of us were big Mister Rogers fans, we were shocked. I mean, how could anyone - especially a child - not like Fred Rogers? He was gentle, kind, loving, caring, soft-spoken, the slightest bit endearingly clumsy and he told everyone that they were wonderful and unique. So we had to ask her "Why?"
She said, "Oh... He's nice enough, but as soon as you get to his place he makes you go someplace else."
She had a point. Once he had come in the door and sung his greeting, Fred would often say, "I want to show you such-and-such. Come along to (some person's house or place of business)." And then he'd take you there even if, like our niece, you felt it was impolite to be invited to somebody's house and then have the person who lived there take you elsewhere whether you wanted to go or not.
Well, all of this is a roundabout way of telling you I'm pulling a Fred Rogers on you. I have a piece in today's Boston Herald and I'd like you to read it. So, come on! Let's go to the Boston Herald!
(If you feel I've been impolite, I apologize. If you'd rather read about Fred Rogers, I'm OK with that. But I do have a piece in the Herald, so... please??? Next time I come to your place, you can tell me where to go!)
Soon, with more better stuff.
12 comments:
Nice piece, well-researched and on-point as far as whiners are concerned. But... the NFL? A pox on them.
I understand how your niece feels. Not only did you bring me somewhere else.. it was to talk sports! ;)
No matter.. I'm always thrilled each time the Herald recognizes you as a fine writer. Yay you!
and you led me right into sports .. oh you meanie you .. of course i am forwarding the link to your friend who likes sports and you quite a bit
Do you like Suldogs column? I do. He makes a good point about sports teams, don't you think? Are there any teams that make you sad. Ah ha...yes, the New York Jets. Some say that if you like the Jets, they will always break your heart.
Listen to Mr. Suldog everybody and learn to not be fussy about your sports team. They are always trying there best don't you think? Do you think it is important to alwyas try your best? I do.
Great points! And when you come to my blog and ask, i'll invite you to my house for a cup of coffee.
Funny thing... this just today showed up in my blog feed.
I like sports.
I have favorite teams, which I have cheered on for many years.
Two of them have created unreasonable expectations among folks who jump on the bandwagon by being winners lately.
I don't any of those teams any less, but their new fans are hard to take because of their attitude, which, to say the least, is pretty much over the top.
Mimi- You are kind.
(not my uncle) Skip - Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel. The only fan base around here that is rabid and never goes away is the Bruins. Sox and Patriots have a core of loyalists, but there are loads who will jump off the bandwagon as soon as anything goes awry. Celtics have the smallest loyal core - always have - but I've been one of them for close to 50 years and it pisses me off no end when folks who couldn't tell a hook shot from a hooker start complaining about them.
Well, lessee. . . In the same time frame you cite, the Red Wings have won two Stanley Cups and played for another, and the Pistons won an NBA championship, plus another trip to the Finals. The Tigers made two trips to the World Series, but didn't win either of 'em. So that's three championships, and four other trips to the Finals. So, not too shabby, methinks.
Plus, on the major-college level, my Spartans have been to six Final Fours since '99, with one championship, plus the football team has two Big Ten championships, and a Rose Bowl. Life is good. . .
What's missing from this idyllic scenario? Oh, yeah, the Lions, who won an NFL championship back before my second birthday, a decade or so before there were even such things as Super Bowls, and have won one, count 'em, uh, I mean, count IT, ONE playoff game in the ensuing 56 seasons. They are the only team in the NFC to never even play in a Super Bowl. And all the AFC no-SB teams are expansion teams. That, my friends, is epic. . .
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I was thinking, as I read your piece, about something that has been bugging the crap out of me lately. My Tigers just completed their 4th consecutive AL Central Division championship, and while it ain't nearly at the same level as Ty Cobb and the boys playin' in three consecutive World Series back in 1907-09, it is, nonetheless, the longest string of post-season play in team history. And yet, all freakin' season long, talk radio has been filled with a**holes calling for Brad Ausmus to be fired (or Dave Dombrowski, or both). And for 8 years before that, they did the same with Jim Leyland. 'Cuz, you know, they know SO MUCH MORE about baseball than those guys. . .
It just irritates the hell outta me, how cavalier some people are about wanting other people to lose their jobs.
My modest proposal - anyone who publically calls for someone else to lose their job, should themselves be summarily fired from their job, immediately, no questions asked. Frog-marching is optional. . .
Sorry for the book-length comment; guess you struck a nerve. . .
Extremely glad to be diverted, Sully! I do so agree with you -- I know that sometimes you can scratch your head and wonder about a team, but I've stuck with the Red Sox since I was old enough to watch baseball with my father. What I find the most unforgivable is when fans boo their own team. But to grouse because the win margin wasn't big enough is bizarre...
Found you through Hilary and I agree with her comment! Well written piece, but I'm not too savvy about sports. LOL.
Mr. Rogers was too tame or something for me. Not sure what it was really, but I preferred Friendly Giant.
And then when Sesame Street came out! Well - that was so rich with colour, song, and characters - nobody could come close. (can you tell I've raised my kids and now I'm a Grandma? Still into the kids shows - today, it's Dora, Doc McStuffins, Blues Clues, BackYardigans…..) LOL.
Nice trip down memory lane with Mr. Rogers and his Tickle Trunk. Or was that Johnny Jellybean?
Wendy - I can't say that I remember Mister Rogers having a "tickle trunk". I do thank you for reminding me about The Friendly Giant. That was either directly before or after Mister Rogers around here when I was very young. I enjoyed that show a lot, but it was only on here for maybe two seasons? I'd love to see it again to see if it was really as good as I thought it was when I was a kid.
Nice to see Wendy here. The Tickle Trunk (which sounds kind of creepy away from the show) was part of the Canadian kids' series Mr. Dressup. It was a trunk full of costumes and props for.. dress up. Ernie Coombs/Mr. Dressup was a fine person and his show, similar in a few ways to Mr. Rogers ran for nearly 30 years. I have a photo of my sons sitting with Ernie on the occasion of CBCs 50th anniversary. The fellow behind us in line (in his 30s)was every bit as thrilled as you would be to meet Mr. Rogers.
The Friendly Giant (Bob Homme).. also Canadian, ran from 1958 to 1985. I remember it very fondly from my own childhood. Whenever I hear Greensleeves, it brings me back to the closing of each episode.
And Johnny Jellybean was a mid-day kids' show starring Ted Zeigler. His main prop was the Squawk Box.
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