Random Thoughts on Random Topics
Happy Birthday to My Older Sister: Life has allowed me to live many decades and has allowed me the privilege of wishing many people a Happy Birthday. Birthdays are special to all of us. We like to remember that people think of us and express their good wishes to us.
I look back 32 years when a picture of two little ones (appear to be a year old) were dressed in identical white outfits and sitting side by side in a living room chair. It gave me great pleasure then to publish that picture and caption it as “Happy 50th Birthday” to Kayanne Walraven. These words then followed, “Love, Your Younger Brother Jerry.” I probably doubted either she or I would be around 32 years later for me to wish her a “Happy 82nd Birthday.” But here we are and tomorrow – October 9, Kayanne will turn an aged 82 years old.
The Old Porch Swing: There are many changes in the lifestyle which characterizes the modern family of today as compared to lifestyles of our grandparents before us. Many of these changes would be worthy of discussion; the discussion would be an enlightenment to our young.
The change to which I want to consider for a moment is the disappearance of the swing on the porch of the houses in which our parents and grandparents grew up. Those swings, along with chairs of various styles on our porches, provided a condition for gathering and fellowship. That closeness, warmth and togetherness in the closing moments of warm days from spring into fall has largely disappeared from the modern family along with the swing.
Before any other comment about the old porch swing let me again mention that back in 2005, Diane and I experienced a nearhour visit with the late and great country singer Eddy Arnold. He was putting together a group of songs for his last album, “After All These Years.” When we would try to leave, Arnold would say to Diane, “Let me play this one for you.” That happened several times. One of the songs was, “The Old Porch Swing.” For all those who use the computer and the internet, the website “Youtube” allows for an experience of watching and listening to Eddy Arnold perform the song. It will warm your heart.
It is with regret that the last few generations have failed to experience life on the front porch and the wonderful family gatherings. Modern technology such as television and air conditioning has taken the family from the heat of the night into a greater comfort of the den or living room. It is really a shame.
Incidentally, a couple of years later, Olen “Moon” Holmes accompanied me in the delivery of a couch to my granddaughter, Lauren Mills Turbeville, in Nashville. Once again, Moon and I visited Eddy Arnold’s office. I got to hear Moon and Eddy hum and sing, “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye.”
A few weeks later, Diane and I went to Nashville for Eddy Arnold’s funeral.
Tony Gwynn, one of the great men of baseball and life: Somehow when the big names and accomplishments in Major League baseball are promoted, Tony Gwynn’s name is relegated somehow to the shadows and not as prominent as it should be.
It will be purpose of a few short details to make us all more conscious of the greatness of this ballplayer. I realize I am deviating into the area of sports for these remarks. I do not apologize for doing so. Tony Gwynn’s name has been on my desk for several months now just waiting for some treatment.
Tony Gwynn died at the early age of 54 two years ago in 2014. He was known as “Mr. Padre,” having played his whole 19-year career with the Padres. It is what he accomplished in those 19 years, allowing for his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
We give great recognition to those players who bat .300 and more in a season. It was with impact I and other baseball fans learn of the great performances of Tony Gwynn. Gwynn had a lifetime batting average of .338 and had no full season with an average less than .309. He was named to the AllStar team 15 times and five times was the Gold Glove winner.
Now, let’s bring it closer to home. We all remember the three great pitchers who pitched the Atlanta Braves to great heights in the 1990s. Their names will be long remembered in Atlanta. They were John Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Gwynn’s performance against these three who now are enshrined in the Hall of Fame is so impressive and worth citing here. Someone reported that Gwynn absolutely destroyed this Braves famous trio.
To what extent did Gwynn handle these three? He was 30 for 65 against Smoltz (.462), off Greg Maddux he went 39 for 91 (.429) and he was 29 for 93 (.312) against Tom Glavine. Someone stated that Gwynn treated these three great ones as if they were Triple-A fodder.
Tony Gwynn’s numbers indicate his greatness as a baseball player; his expressions of thankfulness for his opportunities in life and encouragement to young people after his retirement and into his later years indicated his greatness as a person. Long live his memory.