From the
Upper Deck
Thanksgiving,
Corrections and a Farewell
By Jim Steele
steele@mckenziebanner.com |
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Color Me MoronBefore we get started here, I need to make a correction.
I tend to do this up front instead of burying it in the
dark recesses of the inner pages.
Color me a moron.
Last week, I mentioned in a notes package that this
year's senior class of McKenzie High School's football
team was the second-winningest. That was incorrect. This
group of seniors was a part of 42 wins, eclipsing the
mark set by last year's crew by a game. I may have
consumed too many diet beverages containing aspartame. I
had it in my head that the benchmark was 43, not 41.
Perhaps next year's seniors will give me an opportunity
to get it wrong again. Let's hope so. As for this
year's seniors, accept my apologies. It was an honor,
not to mention great fun, getting to know and to have
covered you. Now on to the main topic of discussion:
Happy Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is perhaps my
favorite time of year. I've often said it is my favorite
holiday. For sports writers, it sort of makes sense.
It's like the calm before the storm. We spend 15 weeks
covering the frenzy of football then get a bit of
respite. It's like a deep breath for me and has been for
a long time. Sure, we focus on memories and events
that surround the holiday. There's nothing quite like
the smell of the roasting turkey; the anticipation of
preparation; my mom's inimitable cornbread dressing, my
dad's giblet gravy and my sister's propensity for
burning the water. I have memories of great football
games on TV, like the Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry before
it was ruined by the gluttonous Big 12 money-grubbers.
Being a sports guy, there are always great games on TV
(yes, the Detroit Lions put on an entertaining show that
day, despite being usually bad). But one thing
troubles me about the holiday, or any holiday for that
matter. When you turn on Fox or CNN or the news channel
du jour, they will show some big shot standing behind a
turkey at a homeless shelter or at a place for the
economically disadvantaged, which is fine and good.
But you know, folks, there are 363 days besides
Thanksgiving. This year, make this holiday brighter for
yourself and do something charitable for someone not as
fortunate. You'll be surprised how much it will lift
your own spirits. As for me, I wish all of you a safe,
happy and bright Thanksgiving holiday and am grateful
for all those who muddle through my tripe each week.
It's a special feeling to know that people actually take
time to read our product each week.
Farewell It was with sadness that I learned of
the passing of former McKenzie mayor Patty Edwards.
Patty spent many a day snipping the mane of our little
dog "Magic," a 4 lb. maltese pooch, back in the day and
I got to know her that way, as well as the association I
have with her family.
Being a sports-oriented guy, I tend to hear the sports
tales. People would tell me what a great basketball
player Patty was back in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
The Rebelletes, as they were known in those days, won
eight straight district championships and Edwards,
though graduated, helped set the table for an unbeaten
season in 1952. Many told me that Patty was perhaps one
of the best offensive players in the state (in those
days, girls played three-on-three - three girls only
played offense on one side of the floor against three
girls who only played defense on that same side; then
the defensive players had to get the ball across
halfcourt to their offensive teammates; Tennessee
adopted five-on-five for girls during the 1979-80
season). In her next-to-last game, Patty scored 32
points against Martin, who featured a good player named
Phyllis Allen. According to accounts, Allen scored 38
points to lead Martin past McKenzie 53-52, but the game
drew a lot of attention simply because Patty was on the
floor. From all accounts, she was a fierce competitor
who put it all on the line. I remember when she ran
for mayor. It was at a time when it seemed nobody wanted
the job. Give Edwards credit for throwing her hat in the
ring. She did what she felt in her heart was the best
thing for McKenzie.
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