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mybaycity.com December 3, 2017
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THIRTY YEARS OLD? -- Time for the fiery pit of Carousel -- In the 1976 movie -- Logan's Run.

Listen To Me
I'm Old & Have Plenty To Say

December 3, 2017       1 Comments
By: O. J. Cunningham

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A long, long time ago . . . In a land, far, far away . . . There was a futuristic 1976 movie called Logan's Run.

The premise of the movie revolved around Earth's inhabitants turning thirty years old in the year 2274. The Movie Tagline Was: "The only thing you can't have in this perfect world of total pleasure is your 30th birthday."

In A Nutshell: Whenever someone turned thirty, a very pretty jewel embedded in their palm began to glow. When the jewel glowed, the appropriate action was to turn yourself into "Carousel."

"Carousel = Death, end of life, loss of life, last gasp, dying day, "Hell's grim Tyrant", death song, etc. (You get the idea.)

To make a long movie short, the main character, Logan, is turning 30 tomorrow and decides not to go to Carousel because he just met a sweet girl named "Jessica-6" and he's not quite ready (for obvious reasons) to cash in his chips.

And . . . Logan has heard stories about the "old ones."

So Logan and Jessica-6 run off (Get it? . . Run? . . Logan's Run?) to the woods where they find Peter Ustinov who is playing the part of an "Old Man -- probably in his late 60s." Since everybody dies at 30 (in their former perfect world) Logan and Jessica-6 have never seen anyone "older" than 30.

Logan & Jessica-6 learn "many things" from the Old Man.

And that is the reason, boys, and girls, that you read this column every once and awhile. Because . . . (1) I'm old and (2) I have "many things" to teach you.

My "rant" this week has to do with a 7-year-old memory of a football game played at Wrigley Field in Chicago. (I think it was Illinois vs Northwestern.)

Seems that there was a wall (with a soft mat hung on it) in one of the end zones that "someone" decided was too close to the end line in the back of the end zone.

Poor babies. I would guess that "someone" doesn't remember that the goal posts used to be RIGHT on the goal line.

I wonder what that same "someone" would have done if they ever saw the layout of the old St. James basketball court (that I played on) back in 1960.

On one end of the court, there was a wall that was only inches from the out-of-bounds line. At the other end, there was a performance stage that actually "bowed out" over the court's playing surface. Many a time, players cracked their ribs into that stage after scoring on a driving lay-up.

And while all new gyms, at that time, were being built to be 96 feet long . . . St James' court was still only 76 feet long. (I think only Visitation gym had a smaller playing arena.)

Bay City Times' Sportswriter Jimmy Donohue, in his heyday, called St. James -- "The Band Box."

We didn't know any better back in the 60's. I went to St. James for 12 years -- grade school & high school. The gym was always a "Band Box." We just dealt with it. The "Band Box" had character. We loved it. It was home.

Come to think of it . . . We also played baseball and "kick the can" in the neighborhood streets all summer long when I was a kid. We politely stepped aside to dodge passing cars going by and then resumed our games. No road rage or trunk-pounding -- EVER!! I think life was easier.

I also remember riding in the back window of the 1947 family Dodge every Sunday when we went to Saginaw (from Bay City) to Grandma Gronski's to visit. I know I used to fall asleep and then fall out of the window when dad had to brake hard . . . Plop on the seat . . . Bounce onto the car's floor . . . Crawl back up into the window. (REPEAT UNTIL TRIP WAS DONE).

Point is This: It's not a perfect world. Sometimes it's just better to go with the flow and play the hand that's dealt to you. Too often, in this day of mandatory seat belts, motorcycle helmet laws, non-smoking bars, legislated hands-free cell phones, full body airport scans and over-zealous, groping TSA pat-downs . . . maybe it's time to reconsider the direction our world has taken.

Ask an old person . . . about house doors left unlocked all night, about family dinner at 5:00 PM when dad got home from work . . . about a weekend visit to Grandma's . . . Sunday Mass at St. James . . .

Today's youngsters: Have always had computers, iPads and/or cellphones, never used a typewriter, never cruised the drive-ins on Euclid Ave (Ritchie's, White's, the first McDonald's), never shared a phone line with a neighbor, never dialed a rotary phone, don't know what Twinbrook and Murdoch have to to with Bay City phone numbers, never had a doctor come to your house . . . and on and on . . .

Maybe there REALLY were "good old days."

Keep checking your palm . . . Give me a call if your jewel starts glowing.

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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers!

kentnj Says:       On December 18, 2017 at 08:32 AM
Loved your article OJ. But I wanted to remind you that running up that wall on the gym endline was the only reason you or I could dunk the ball:) I hope this email finds you,your family and the rest of the staff healthy and looking forward to a wonderful Holiday Season.

Neil
Agree? or Disagree?


O. J. Cunningham

O. J. Cunningham is the Publisher of MyBayCity.com. Cunningham previously published Sports Page & Bay City Enterprise. He is the President/CEO of OJ Advertising, Inc.

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