I spent the pre-dawn hours of my day today, catching up on events from this weekend and after I had finished, I regretted that I didn't start my day a little differently. Now that I have had a few hours to think about it, however, I'm thinking that there is a lesson in the depressing events I had witnessed.
I had finished watching the NBA Hall of Fame induction ceremony when I realized that I had just seen one of the saddest things I had ever watched in sports. To be sure, I was not a big fan of David Robinson or John Stockton when they played in the NBA, but after this morning, I have a new found respect for both men. Conversely, I enjoyed watching Michael Jordan play basketball even when he was a shadow of himself with the Washington Wizards. I learned this morning that I had gotten it all wrong.
I watched with great admiration as David Robinson spoke humbly about his past, glowingly about his present, and excitedly about his future. He thanked everyone from his first coach to his last one, his teammates and all those who had helped him get to where he was. He spoke to each of his children separately and hoped that they would be proud of their name because of this accomplishment, but urged and encouraged them to forge their own path. He spoke lovingly about his wife who he called his rock and someone who made him feel like he wanted to be a better man each day. He spoke of how great the Spurs had been to him and acknowledged all those who came before him in San Antonio. Lastly, he spoke about walking with G-d and how He had overseen all the events of his life and now he, in essence, bowed humbly before Him, thanking Him for everything in his life.
Following that, I watched John Stockton talk of his humble beginnings and of how he was never the best player on any of the teams that he had played on. He felt lucky just to be where he was standing. He thanked all of the people who helped him get to where he was, spoke about each of his six children individually and how his wife was there for him and allowed him to do what he did each day. He spoke of the Jazz organization with appreciation for taking a chance on him and how well he had been treated through the years. Mostly, he seemed like he was a guy who felt out of place at the Hall of Fame and was just happy to be there.
Evidently, the HOF felt that they were saving the best for last. In what was quite assuredly the most arrogant, selfish, conniving, vengeful and self centered speech I had ever witnessed, Michael Jordan took the podium for close to 15 minutes and proceeded to do to his reputation, what defenders and opponents could never do to his game-destroy it.
In his immature and at times incoherent mumble fest, Jordan left no former enemy unscathed. Of Jerry Karuse, the old Bulls GM he said "He's not here tonight-I don't know who invited him, I didn't". He said Buzz Peterson could not have been player of the year in high school because he had never played against him. He used the pronouns I, me or my over 230 times and gave everyone a slight window into the head of what most in the ESPN cult like to call the greatest athlete who ever lived.
How sad.
Jordan used the platform to proclaim only his greatness in a way that you would expect a nine year old to do. When talking about Scottie Pipen he mused "...every Championship I won, Scottie was there." And here I thought basketball was a team sport. In a room full of high achievers, Jordan acted as if he was the only one in the building who was competitive-as he kept reminding us-or that he was the only one in sports who ever worked hard. He called Jeff Van Gundy Pat Riley's "little guy" I suppose forgetting that Van Gundy had himself worked extremely hard to get where he was and you can be sure that while Mike Jordan was gambling away millions of dollars in Atlantic city, Jeff Van Gundy was up at night trying to find a way to guard him.
But this poor excuse for a man left the best of his self-centeredness for his children. "You guys have a heavy burden-I wouldn't want to be you if I had to".
What a loser.
After I listened to him say other gems like "Someone like me who accomplished a lot" or "I hope it's given the millions of people that I've touched...." I thought for a few moments about what some of his apologists are saying. For instance, "this was why we loved him so much because he was so competitive" or "Jordan knows of no other way because he is just so great and competitive" as if Bill Russell, whose championships rings dwarf Jordan's, or Yogi Berra, who has four more rings than "his airness", were any less competitive. We didn't have to make excuses for those athletes because at their inductions, they weren't the kind of small man Jordan was. Jordan showed that he is in fact exactly what his detractors always said he was-a packaged, fake, fifth avenue marketing machine in a suit. The truth is Jordan is a petty, arrogant, immature, conceited and childish man who was incredibly gifted at what he did. Nothing else.
In the end, he showed us all that he's just a basketball player. That is all.
I thought about the two players, Robinson and Stockton, who spoke before him. They weren't from big market Chicago. They didn't play for Dean Smith. They didn't have anyone packaging them to make them something they were not. The Networks didn't love them. They were just two competitive men who loved playing basketball and were very good at it. They didn't promote themselves nor, does it seem, did they keep score by cashing checks. They were just two under appreciated athletes who had their priorities in order. There were no Carla Knafle's in their closets, no paternity suits and left no gambling debts in their wake. They were just two men, I wish now, I would have gotten a chance to appreciate more often.
As for Jordan, I think his work on Friday night speaks for itself. He let the world know that his grudges last forever and his pettiness could not be stifled on what should have been the pinnacle personal moment of his career. He is a shallow, empty man who the world perceives as having everything, but at his very essence, he has nothing. No character, no integrity, no humility and most assuredly, no class.
For years I had heard how awful it was that a Jewish basketball player had to be burdened with the moniker "the Jewish Jordan". It was a mistake to do that to Tamir, but the public ran with it no matter how much he and everyone around him tried to stop it. They said he could never be Michael Jordan--lucky for Tamir. Tamir Goodman is far too much of a man to ever be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan. The world thinks calling him the Jewish Jordan was an insult to Michael Jordan. In all honesty, it's was an insult to Tamir Goodman.
I hope all my children and my friends children, get a chance to see this particular Jordan performance above all his others, so they know he is nothing to aspire to. As for me, I would not trade one moment on the clock of my life, for any second of his if it meant that I had to be Michael Jordan for any length of my short time on this earth. How sad his life has turned out to be. He is an immature child, who I dare say, is trapped in the body of a miniscule man.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
What about the Jews and Mark Twain
As Tisha B'av draws near, maybe Mark Twain, in this essay from 1898, can remind us what we, as Jews, tend to forget as the world spins around us. We mourn for not only the loss of the Temple, but for the loss of all it should have stood for-community, togetherness, a place where being a Jew is to be dedicated to ones people and their Creator, a place of love and understanding, of higher learning and rampant spirituality....a place that Hashem can call home.
But we forgot what we were supposed to stand for, the promise we were to bring humanity and the light we should have been. Now, we suffer in embarrassment for the ethos we have turned on its head and called it righteousness. We paint our own disinterest in our uniqueness with the broad brush of man made morality and cling to a phony promise of joining the masses for they will soon take us in and treat us like their own and all will be forgotten. History has taught us that no matter how bright the star, how golden the land and how engrossing the potential, it is the Jew who has never been let into the club. Twain reminds us of all of that.
We have been viceroys, advisors, generals, chiefs of staffs, doctors of Kings, the wealthiest and most influential at each and every stop-every single place we have ever been-yet the world never fails to let us know that we are still not theirs. Do not be fooled that this time is different. At this moment in history, the world is screaming the message that no matter the song, the tune remains the same--the Jews are still Jews-whether they call us settlers, Zionists, right wing fanatics, neo cons, Pro Israel, liberals, progressives or even just Jews, they are reminding us that the doors while ajar, will never be fully open no matter how hard we try to kick them in. They remind us of all we have lost as a people, who, even as we see history repeating itself time and again, trust the loving and forgiving nature that our hearts posses, instead of the mass of evidence we see before our eyes. The world is once again reminding us what we have lost and seemingly what we have forgotten.
So I will rely on Mark Twain to remind us of what we have always been and let each one of us answer the question he poses at the end.... I can only come up with one answer...what is yours?
CONCERNING THE JEWS ...by Mark Twain Harpers Magazine 1898
"If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"
But we forgot what we were supposed to stand for, the promise we were to bring humanity and the light we should have been. Now, we suffer in embarrassment for the ethos we have turned on its head and called it righteousness. We paint our own disinterest in our uniqueness with the broad brush of man made morality and cling to a phony promise of joining the masses for they will soon take us in and treat us like their own and all will be forgotten. History has taught us that no matter how bright the star, how golden the land and how engrossing the potential, it is the Jew who has never been let into the club. Twain reminds us of all of that.
We have been viceroys, advisors, generals, chiefs of staffs, doctors of Kings, the wealthiest and most influential at each and every stop-every single place we have ever been-yet the world never fails to let us know that we are still not theirs. Do not be fooled that this time is different. At this moment in history, the world is screaming the message that no matter the song, the tune remains the same--the Jews are still Jews-whether they call us settlers, Zionists, right wing fanatics, neo cons, Pro Israel, liberals, progressives or even just Jews, they are reminding us that the doors while ajar, will never be fully open no matter how hard we try to kick them in. They remind us of all we have lost as a people, who, even as we see history repeating itself time and again, trust the loving and forgiving nature that our hearts posses, instead of the mass of evidence we see before our eyes. The world is once again reminding us what we have lost and seemingly what we have forgotten.
So I will rely on Mark Twain to remind us of what we have always been and let each one of us answer the question he poses at the end.... I can only come up with one answer...what is yours?
CONCERNING THE JEWS ...by Mark Twain Harpers Magazine 1898
"If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A Primer for the Media and the Hypocritical Left and a Debt of Gratitude
Well, the day has finally come upon us.
How great is the Creator of All Things that he has uplifted the downtrodden and exalted the oppressed. I am, once again, overjoyed for my african american friends and hope this is a day they will always be proud of.
For me, I am not a drinker of the Obama kool-aid. I do not ascribe to the theory that America is a bad place. I do not believe we are the source of evil around the world. I do not believe that capitalism is a bad thing or that the framers of the constitution erred by not making government the end all and be all. I believe the framers wanted to free us from the oppression of the tyranny of an overbearing government. I believe this nation is a source of what is good about the world and lends a voice to justice and charity. I also believe that at a time of war you support your president as he makes life and death decisions for millions of people.
How sad that led by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi as well as their accomplices in congress and the media, this country has forgotten that principle. They have disgraced their respective offices and have earned the reputation as the leaders of the most unpopular congress of all time.
So in the spirit of cooperation that Americans used to be known for B.C. (before Clinton), I will offer this primer so that the left knows how to act and what to say now that one of their own is in office. This will be new so it might take some practice. But if Chis Matthew, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, Joy Behar, Dan Rather, Matt Lauer and Charlie Gibson can do it, so can you...work with me....
"We must support our president in a time of war"
"America is a source for good"
"The most important thing during these dangerous times is the safety of the American Citizenry"
"There are evil people trying to destroy us"
"Israel deserves the right to defend itself from thousands of attacks without any moral equivocation"
"The office of the presidency needs to be a place of honor and respect."
"You can be the loyal opposition without being mean spirited and cruel"
"Please do not attack the president's daughters. That is so wrong and beyond the pale"
That should take care of lesson one. I don't want to overload you all in the first day.
As for me, unlike the hypocritical left, I will support my president during this time of war. I hope he succeeds in bringing this country back to health, but I pray he does not do it by changing what has made this country great. It is the ingenuity and creativity of the American people that has made us the beacon on the hill. It is the recognition of the greatness of the human spirit and the value of freedom. It is the promise of a new day where everyone has a chance because they are free.
Therefore, I regret immeasurably that I am writing this, I hope my president's agenda fails.
I don't think spending us into oblivion is a smart thing to do just like I didn't think it was smart when George Bush did it. I don't think socializing medicine, the auto industry and the banking system is a smart thing to do. I don't think raising taxes in a time of financial turmoil is a smart thing to do. I don't think raising the capital gains tax during a recession "because it's fair" is a smart thing to do. I don't think listening to Samantha Power is a smart thing to do. I don't think equivocating Israel and Hamas or Hezbollah is a smart thing to do. I don't think letting the United Nations dictate our foreign policy is a smart thing to do. So I hope his policies-not him-his agenda fails.
I hope he fails in his health care initiative as it is currently being bantered about. If he is willing to allow the rest of America to have the same health insurance coverage that congress has or that he has, I am with him, provided he cuts some spending to pay for it. However, if he wants the rest of us to have one type of insurance and congress to have another, I hope he fails severely. I do not believe congress should get to vote themselves a pay raise and then vote on what is best for the rest of us so long as it does not apply to them. So if the presidents plan is to install a system that rations health care, count me out and I pray for his policies to fail while I am at the same time praying for his success.
I hope he sees that it's one thing to talk in platitudes and hallmark quotes and it's another to govern. I hope he understands that the world is far more dangerous than he was led to believe by moveon.org, George Soros, NPR or the halls of academia. I hope when he wakes up on January 21st he realizes that there is far more to this job than painting a house or calling the Steelers or the Cardinals after the Super Bowl.
I hope he understands that his number one job more than anything else is to protect the citizens of this great country.
On that note, I just wanted to send out my sincerest thanks to George Bush for keeping my family and all my friends (on the left-where I have many and on the right) safe these last seven and a half years. The decisions he was forced to make on his watch, were a little more complicated than Keith Olberman's "what tie should I wear" or Ted Kennedy's "Do you think I should leave her at the bottom of the river?" I am not a huge fan of George Bush's, but I have the utmost respect for him. I am proud he restored honor to an office that was blemished by sex under the desk and governing by poll numbers. More importantly, he understood the threats that are around us and took the fight to them instead of kicking the can down the road like we did in 1993 at the WTC or when terrorists blew up a ship of ours in '99-2000.
I thank the president for serving our country and thumbing his nose at the despots in Cuba, Venezuala, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Russia etc....I thank him for having the integrity and fortitude to not chase popularity and to stand up for freedom and what he believed was right. It has been my experience that if the arabs, dictators and a historically cowardly Europe don't agree with you, you must have done something right. I am forever grateful that you put America first.
I hope my new president will follow his lead.
How great is the Creator of All Things that he has uplifted the downtrodden and exalted the oppressed. I am, once again, overjoyed for my african american friends and hope this is a day they will always be proud of.
For me, I am not a drinker of the Obama kool-aid. I do not ascribe to the theory that America is a bad place. I do not believe we are the source of evil around the world. I do not believe that capitalism is a bad thing or that the framers of the constitution erred by not making government the end all and be all. I believe the framers wanted to free us from the oppression of the tyranny of an overbearing government. I believe this nation is a source of what is good about the world and lends a voice to justice and charity. I also believe that at a time of war you support your president as he makes life and death decisions for millions of people.
How sad that led by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi as well as their accomplices in congress and the media, this country has forgotten that principle. They have disgraced their respective offices and have earned the reputation as the leaders of the most unpopular congress of all time.
So in the spirit of cooperation that Americans used to be known for B.C. (before Clinton), I will offer this primer so that the left knows how to act and what to say now that one of their own is in office. This will be new so it might take some practice. But if Chis Matthew, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, Joy Behar, Dan Rather, Matt Lauer and Charlie Gibson can do it, so can you...work with me....
"We must support our president in a time of war"
"America is a source for good"
"The most important thing during these dangerous times is the safety of the American Citizenry"
"There are evil people trying to destroy us"
"Israel deserves the right to defend itself from thousands of attacks without any moral equivocation"
"The office of the presidency needs to be a place of honor and respect."
"You can be the loyal opposition without being mean spirited and cruel"
"Please do not attack the president's daughters. That is so wrong and beyond the pale"
That should take care of lesson one. I don't want to overload you all in the first day.
As for me, unlike the hypocritical left, I will support my president during this time of war. I hope he succeeds in bringing this country back to health, but I pray he does not do it by changing what has made this country great. It is the ingenuity and creativity of the American people that has made us the beacon on the hill. It is the recognition of the greatness of the human spirit and the value of freedom. It is the promise of a new day where everyone has a chance because they are free.
Therefore, I regret immeasurably that I am writing this, I hope my president's agenda fails.
I don't think spending us into oblivion is a smart thing to do just like I didn't think it was smart when George Bush did it. I don't think socializing medicine, the auto industry and the banking system is a smart thing to do. I don't think raising taxes in a time of financial turmoil is a smart thing to do. I don't think raising the capital gains tax during a recession "because it's fair" is a smart thing to do. I don't think listening to Samantha Power is a smart thing to do. I don't think equivocating Israel and Hamas or Hezbollah is a smart thing to do. I don't think letting the United Nations dictate our foreign policy is a smart thing to do. So I hope his policies-not him-his agenda fails.
I hope he fails in his health care initiative as it is currently being bantered about. If he is willing to allow the rest of America to have the same health insurance coverage that congress has or that he has, I am with him, provided he cuts some spending to pay for it. However, if he wants the rest of us to have one type of insurance and congress to have another, I hope he fails severely. I do not believe congress should get to vote themselves a pay raise and then vote on what is best for the rest of us so long as it does not apply to them. So if the presidents plan is to install a system that rations health care, count me out and I pray for his policies to fail while I am at the same time praying for his success.
I hope he sees that it's one thing to talk in platitudes and hallmark quotes and it's another to govern. I hope he understands that the world is far more dangerous than he was led to believe by moveon.org, George Soros, NPR or the halls of academia. I hope when he wakes up on January 21st he realizes that there is far more to this job than painting a house or calling the Steelers or the Cardinals after the Super Bowl.
I hope he understands that his number one job more than anything else is to protect the citizens of this great country.
On that note, I just wanted to send out my sincerest thanks to George Bush for keeping my family and all my friends (on the left-where I have many and on the right) safe these last seven and a half years. The decisions he was forced to make on his watch, were a little more complicated than Keith Olberman's "what tie should I wear" or Ted Kennedy's "Do you think I should leave her at the bottom of the river?" I am not a huge fan of George Bush's, but I have the utmost respect for him. I am proud he restored honor to an office that was blemished by sex under the desk and governing by poll numbers. More importantly, he understood the threats that are around us and took the fight to them instead of kicking the can down the road like we did in 1993 at the WTC or when terrorists blew up a ship of ours in '99-2000.
I thank the president for serving our country and thumbing his nose at the despots in Cuba, Venezuala, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Russia etc....I thank him for having the integrity and fortitude to not chase popularity and to stand up for freedom and what he believed was right. It has been my experience that if the arabs, dictators and a historically cowardly Europe don't agree with you, you must have done something right. I am forever grateful that you put America first.
I hope my new president will follow his lead.
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