Nostalgia for old school days

School ended this week (at least they've gone back to ending it in May; for awhile there, it was ending in June, which just seemed WEIRD.) Every year when school ends, it makes me nostalgic for my own school days, back in the "dark ages" of the 60s and 70s! I have no children of my own, but I still live next door to the school I attended when I was in elementary school (my parents picked this house to buy precisely because it was right next door to the grade school I would attend).

I miss things like "Weekly Reader." I used to really enjoy reading that, and I remember one summer, I think the summer between third and fourth grade, or maybe between second and third grade, I had a summertime subscription to "Weekly Reader," because they were offering it to parents who wanted their kids to be able to read it over the summer.

And I really miss ordering Scholastic Books! They used to have a flyer in the "Weekly Reader" (if I remember right) every six weeks or so, and you'd fill out what books you wanted, get a check from your parents, and bring it to the teacher so she could send it in. Then, a few weeks later, your books would come, and she'd give them to the kids that had ordered them. I loved to read, and while the other kids might order one or two or three books, I usually wound up ordering seven or eight at a time! I still have a few of them, too, that I ordered in those long-ago days.

I miss films. Do kids today even SEE films anymore, or is everything on DVD now? You'd go into your classroom, and sometimes on the teacher's desk was a round metal cannister. "We get to see a film today!" everyone would exult. (It meant you didn't have to listen to the teacher drone on and on; the film HAD to be more interesting than a boring lesson from the teacher!) If the cannister was big, it meant the film would last all period; if it was small, it was only going to last about 10 minutes. (Aw, rats!) Some teachers knew how to thread the film onto the projector, and some had to have one of the boys do it (why do boys always know how to do stuff like that?) Someone would pull the screen at the front of the classroom down, and it made a "shoop" sound as it was pulled down. After the film, the kids would beg the teacher to let us play at least some of the film backwards, and everyone would laugh because it looked so funny to see everything going in reverse. Today's kids are probably so used to picture-search on DVDs and videotapes, it would never occur to them that once upon a time, watching something backwards seemed laugh-out-loud funny.

What ever happened to blackboards? At the school next door to me, they've all been replaced by the newfangled dry-erase boards, those white plastic things that you write on with Magic Marker or whatever and not with chalk. Why are blackboards outdated? Does any school anywhere still have blackboards anymore?

And does any school district anywhere still start the day after Labor Day and end a couple days after Memorial Day? It used to be when you saw the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, you knew that was your last day of summer vacation. You always got a couple days at the end of May, then ALL of June, ALL of July, ALL of August, and if you were REAL lucky and September 1st was a Tuesday, you got the entire first week of September as well before the fall semester began. Now most schools start in August, and some here in Phoenix even start in (gasp) July! The kids get a week off in October (we just got Columbus Day, which nobody except the post office pays attention to anymore), two weeks at Christmas (we got that too, but we called it "Christmas vacation" and not "winter break" as they do now), and a week in spring (I don't think we even got Good Friday back then). Why do they need so much time off during the school year?

I miss field trips. It used to be so much FUN, to get out of school for most if not all of a day, get onto the school bus, and go somewhere! I have wonderful memories of going to the Mineral Museum at the State Fairgrounds in 1972; you wouldn't think a museum dedicated to a bunch of rocks would be fun to see, but it was.

I miss assemblies (yay! we get out of class for an hour to go to an assembly!) And I miss the yearly ritual of buying books at the campus bookstore in high school. It was always interesting to bring the books home and sit down and look at them to see what we'd be studying that year.

I do NOT miss P.E. (the idea that we need P.E. in schools because it helps kids not be obese is ridiculous; if you're a chubby child, P.E. will not help you lose weight; trust me, I know, because I was a chubby child, and I was NOT athletically gifted, and I stunk out loud at everything we did in P.E. - basketball, softball, running laps, dodgeball, soccer, gymnastics - P.E. was endless torture and misery for me, and I hated it so much that to this day, I'm grateful I don't have to do it anymore!) I don't miss math class (I stunk at math, still do, and I hated that "lost" feeling of sitting in math class, not understanding a word the teacher was saying, because math was like a foreign language to me, and seeing all the other kids "getting it" while I still had no clue how to do the problems and come up with the right answer.)

I often think about all my old teachers and wonder where they are now, and how many of them are even still alive. Most have probably passed away. One of my old history teachers, long since retired, attends my church, and I saw him just a week or so ago and got to speak with him; of course, he doesn't remember me, but I remember him. Although seeing him looking 30 years older is something of a jolt because you remember people the way they were the last time you saw them, frozen in time in your memory.

Jay Leno's last "Tonight Show"

It's unreal to think 17 years went by so fast! Was tonight really Jay Leno's last "Tonight Show?" Wow! I know it was, of course; it just seems so strange that it's been 17 years since he took over.

I am the biggest Johnny Carson fan in the world; I literally grew up watching Johnny, who began hosting "The Tonight Show" when I was a year old. I remember when Johnny did the show from New York, and I remember he used to come to Los Angeles for two weeks every May to do the show, and I remember in 1972 when he moved the show permanently from New York to Los Angeles because it was easier to get guests in L.A. than in New York (or so he said, although today David Letterman seems to have no problem getting guests, and he's based in New York.) I remember when he cut back from five nights a week to four, and then to three, and I remember when the "Tonight Show" was 90 minutes long, and the last 15 minutes were usually reserved for interviewing some author whose book had just come out. I miss Carnack, Aunt Blabby, the "Stump the Band" segment, and Art Fern with Carol Wayne and the "Teatime Movie". (I remember how much I laughed the first time I visited Southern California and found out that there really is a Slauson cutoff! "Stop, get out, cut off your slauson!" And remember "the fork in the road!")

When I was in grade school, I used to beg my parents to just let me stay up long enough to see Johnny's monologue (the "Tonight Show" airs at 10:30 in Phoenix). And they did! (Thank you, Mom and Daddy!) Fridays and summer vacations were extra special simply because I got to see ALL of the show and not just the monologue!

So I vividly remember Johnny's last show, and then the following Monday, after the local news at 10:00, when 10:30 came, I just kept thinking there was no way we wouldn't hear the familiar "bah bah bah BAH bah" theme and see Johnny come out from behind those multi-colored curtains, same as always. And instead we got this "hipper" sounding theme, and there was Jay Leno with a garish new set, and I watched about 10 minutes and had to turn it off. I had NOTHING against Jay Leno himself; I just couldn't stand seeing the new version of "The Tonight Show" and I missed Johnny desperately!

And it's only been in the past couple years I've been able to watch Leno's version at all. I do enjoy the "Headlines" segment he does on Mondays, and every once in awhile he'll have a guest on I want to watch (Robin Williams, Steve Martin, a few like that). I can't stand "Jaywalking" because I, for one, don't think it's funny that we have that many stupid young adults in the world who apparently slept their way through at least 12 years of school. It makes me cringe.

And now, suddenly, just like that, whoosh! 17 years is gone, and Jay's stint is done. It honestly feels to me like he's only been hosting about five years, like Johnny just retired a few years ago. (My brain just does NOT process the passage of time well at all!) It's not even remotely possible to me that Johnny Carson could be GONE.

Maybe this seems less real because unlike Johnny, Leno will be back this fall with what they're saying will be a very similar show, "The Tonight Show" with a different name and an earlier time slot, but otherwise very much the same show.

Will I like Conan O'Brien as the new host? Heck, if I still miss Johnny Carson, I don't think I could ever fully embrace anyone else as the host. But it will be interesting to see how Conan does. (They're doing the show at Universal and not the Burbank Studios where it's been done since Carson moved to L.A. in 1972? That's unreal too!)

Open message to Leonard Pitts

Mr. Pitts, I read your column fairly regularly. It's always good for a laugh or two. Sometimes it's good for raising one's blood pressure as well. Case in point, today's column.

Let's see - you make comments in today's column such as "The loose cannons on the right thrive from feeling put upon - last month, they took to the streets en masse, and the governor of Texas raised the specter of secession because it was tax day, for goodness sake!" And you also referred to "extremists littering the streets with tea bags" and compared this to "temper tantrums." As well as the obligatory liberal columnist slam at Rush Limbaugh by referring to "his head exploding on a daily basis."

Ok, have you ever heard the old saying about "better to keep silent and be thought an idiot, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt"? This applies to you, sir. In the first place, the people who participated in the tea parties last month, and those who wanted to participate but couldn't attend, are not "loose cannons" or "extremists," nor were we/they "throwing temper tantrums" like a bunch of recalcitrant children. What you are seeing is much, much more than "temper tantrums." This is an ever-increasing number of everyday citizens who are sick and tired of too much government and too much taxation, and are fed up to the point of wanting to do something about it. I would compare it to the rumblings of a long-dormant volcano where you know it's getting ready to explode and spew lava all over the place. And Tax Day was chosen for the tea parties, and the governor of Texas threatening secession, because what better day to protest having our money taken away by the government than on....Tax Day itself?

Boy, you libs love to make fun of Rush, don't you! If Rush's head is exploding on a daily basis, it's from seeing what has been going on with our country and our government lately, and his is not the only head that is exploding on a daily basis, I assure you. And since his ratings are so high, there sure must be a lot of people listening to his head explode every day! Good! That helps get his message out! The more people there are who listen to Rush, the more people there might be who would realize he actually MAKES SENSE. (Yes, John McCain's mom, this applies to you too, and to you, Kevin Spacey, both of you sitting there on Jay Leno's show last week trashing Rush - Spacey didn't actually SAY anything, but he gestured with a grin to Mrs. McCain after she lambasted Rush, as if to say, "See, the old lady knows what she's talking about!" Sorry, she doesn't. I respect her, but I disagree with her. And Mr. Spacey, your politics suck canal water.)

The sleeping dog has been awoken, and the "loose cannons and extremists" are determined to *do something* about taking our country back before Socialism swallows up everything we hold dear.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Pitts.

The filly is for real

But I'm not sure Rachel Alexandra was as spectacular in winning the Preakness as the NBC announcers were gushing. It's intriguing to think that had she not been in the race, Mine That Bird would now be trying for a Triple Crown in three weeks. But that's horse racing. Makes you realize how special the Triple Crown winners of the 70's were.

I am so happy new owner Jess Jackson is running Rachel Alexandra against colts, when her previous owner was so determined not to. With all due apologies, the quote that "fillies should run against fillies and colts against colts," and that the Triple Crown races are to determine stallion prospects, is a crock of baloney. I much more agree with Mr. Jackson's assessment that "champions race against champions." Funny Cide wasn't a stallion prospect, nor is Mine That Bird (although I'm trying to remember, and I seem to remember, that once upon a time, geldings were not permitted to run in the Derby. I'll try to find that out for sure.) If you go with only running fillies against other fillies, we'd never have had Rags to Riches' heart-stirring victory over Curlin in the Belmont; we'd never have seen Genuine Risk or Winning Colors win the Derby. Rachel Alexandra has so dominated the females in her division, there was nothing left for her to prove there. She needed a new challenge, and today she had it, and she showed she was up to it. Now racing has a new superstar, which is what it needs every year.

I do think the race for Mine That Bird was lost at the top of the stretch, when he was behind horses and didn't have clear running room for about three or four strides, before Smith pulled him out around them and turned him loose. Had he been able to start his charge then, and not have been behind that wall of horses, he'd have caught Rachel Alexandra before the wire, I'm certain of it. Even as this was happening, I was in front of the TV set going, "He's going to lose the race right here; he doesn't have running room to get going." But that, too, is horse racing. If you have running room, you have a better chance to win. Get blocked, even if only for a moment, and you lose. It takes nothing away from the filly's effort and her glory in winning, that's for sure.

Jess Jackson is a great owner, too, because he allowed us to see Curlin run as a four-year-old, when the temptation for most owners is to rush a star three-year-old off to the breeding shed before the racing public has had a chance to fully enjoy their talents on the track.

I also don't buy into the notion that a filly is in greater danger of breaking down should she compete against the colts. Fillies break down running against other fillies, too - remember Go For Wand? Colts break down running against colts (Timely Writer, Barbaro, Charismatic, although at least they were able to save Charismatic.)

The Belmont, if both Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird return, should be very interesting!

Comments on the Diamondbacks

Some interesting, and troubling, developments with my beloved Diamondbacks over the past couple days. While the firing of manager Bob Melvin was sadly not unexpected, the heavy-handed way it was handled is reminiscent of the disgusting way the current management regime got rid of a classy man like former owner Jerry Colangelo. (I'm beginning to seriously dislike these people.)

Columnist Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic had some interesting things to say in his column in this morning's paper. He suggested that GM Josh Byrnes was hinting around during his press conference yesterday that Bob Melvin "created a bad vibe, a negative energy in the room." Huh? Bob Melvin has to be one of the nicest guys not just in baseball, but in all of sports. I cannot envision him creating a "bad vibe" or "negative energy." If anything, perhaps "Bo-Mel" is TOO nice, not capable of kicking some butts the way a manager sometimes needs to do. If anything, he doesn't have a high enough intensity level to put the fear of God into some of his underperforming players. If that's "creating a bad vibe and negative energy," I just don't see it.

And the pretty much unrefuted allegation that Josh Byrnes is controlling the line-up, basically doing the managing instead of the manager. Ok, Mr. Byrnes, if you're the one who is dictating what the line-up should be, then YOU stink as a manager, because the line-up you're forcing the manager to put out there everyday is LOSING every day. Maybe you should fire YOURSELF and let your on-field manager do his thing without any interference from YOU? Or appoint yourself the on-field manager so you can put whatever lineup you please out there every day and see how YOU do.

And they told Bob Melvin a couple days ago that they planned to make a managerial change? See, this is where Bob is too nice. Had they told ME that they were planning to make a managerial change, and my job was now lame-duck status, I'd have said, "I'm sorry, you can't fire me, I quit," and I'd have resigned immediately. And I'd have been perfectly frank with the media and said, "Yes, I quit because they were planning to fire me anyway, and they told me so. Why should I stay for even a couple more games under those circumstances? If they have egg on their faces now, I didn't put it there."

I think everyone feels (outside of the D-backs front office) that the best choice to replace Melvin would have been bench coach Kirk Gibson. He could bring a fire and an intensity to the players that very few others could. Instead, he's still the bench coach.

And A.J. Hinch's comments in the post-game press conference (following another loss) were pathetic if not downright laughable. "I was proud of the guys for battling back and kind of answering the bell..." KIND OF answering the bell?????? You either answer the bell or you don't! There is no "kind of!" (Yoda from "Star Wars" would say, "There is no 'try,' there is only 'do.'") KIND OF? You're the new manager, sir; they are supposed to ANSWER the bell for you, not just "kind of "answer the bell!

"We came up a run short, which was unfortunate." Um, no. It wasn't "unfortunate." It was UNACCEPTABLE. You are hired to WIN. If your reaction to yet another loss, and the first under your guidance, is that it was "unfortunate," I wonder if you have the fire in the belly necessary to be a manager.

It will be interesting to see what transpires over the next few months. I'm not overly optimistic. Sigh.

Borel to ride Rachel Alexandra in Preakness - wow!

Calvin Borel has chosen the filly Rachel Alexandra over Mine That Bird for his Preakness mount, provided she runs. Amazing! I guess this means he doesn't think Mine That Bird has a good chance at the Triple Crown (I don't either, but anything is possible). I've never heard of such a thing as a Derby-winning jockey choosing another horse for the Preakness and passing up a chance at the Triple Crown. If Mine That Bird wins the Triple Crown by winning the final two legs under a different jockey, will that jockey feel like *he* has won the Triple Crown, or will it not feel the same as if he had ridden the horse in all three legs? The jockey's name would be in the record books, regardless, but it would have to feel kind of strange, not having been aboard for the Derby, wouldn't it? And how will Borel feel if Mine That Bird wins the Triple Crown and he had opted to ride the filly instead?

A very unique situation, one that I've never seen before!

BTW, I do think Rachel Alexandra is good enough to beat the boys in the Preakness. Whether she *will* or not, at least I think she does have the talent, provided she gets a clean trip.

This is proving to be a very interesting Triple Crown season!!

Facebook brings old friends together again

I had forgotten I ever opened an account on Facebook - I did it about a year ago, and I never even remembered to check it after I opened it - and out of the clear blue sky about a week ago, I heard from a girl I was friends with back in grade school who had seen my totally forgotten-about account on Facebook and was contacting me! After I wrote back to her and confirmed I was indeed the person she was thinking of, she let another girl we had both been friends with back then know that I was on Facebook, so that girl added me as a friend as well!

I suppose I shouldn't use the word "girl," but I'm referring to the age we all were back in grade school, not the age we are now! (As far as I'm concerned, I'm still a girl, and I don't take offense to that word the way some women do! Inside, I'm a 10-year-old who never grew up!)

And that's why I love horse racing!

I've been following the Sport of Kings for 38 years now, and it never ceases to write new chapters, new sagas, new stories to follow. The victory by Mine That Bird at today's Kentucky Derby was stunning, to say the least. A horse that was purchased for less than $10,000, and ran at Sunland Downs in New Mexico (Sunland Downs in New Mexico!) comes from out of nowhere to win the world's most prestigious race!

And how can you help but love Calvin Borel? He just has to be one of the most endearing people on the face of the earth! I had tears in my eyes when he said how much he wished his parents could be here to see his success. (It does no good to say, "Well, wherever they are, I know they can see you," because he can't SEE them SEEING him, the way he could if they were alive. That's something that people who have never suffered a loss would never comprehend.)

Looking at this horse's pedigree, it really shouldn't have been THAT surprising that he was capable of winning the Derby. His sire, Birdstone, was the one who stymied Smarty Jones' bid for the Triple Crown a few years ago. His grandsire, Grindstone, won the Derby (as I recall, he foiled Bob Baffert's first attempt to win the Derby). His great-grandsire, Unbridled, won the Derby. His great-grandsire on his dam's side, Smart Strike, is only one of the top sires around, and sired the incomparable Curlin. So his pedigree is pretty amazing.

It will be interesting to see if they take this horse to the Preakness. Why not? Even if they have to pay a small fortune to supplement him, I say go for it! This could potentially be one of the biggest Cinderella stories horse racing has ever seen. If it fizzles out, the ride was fun while it lasted. Go for the brass ring, guys! And take the rest of us on the ride with you - it will be fun seeing what happens!