Past the Bitterness, The Bitterness Passes

Before you read any further, you should probably remind yourselves that the title of all my sports-related-blogs is "HSO's from a Bitter P-1."(See #1 Below...)

I got that nickname from the folks on the "Bob and Dan" radio program, at the conclusion of the 2006 NBA Finals, when the Mavs lost to the Heat. I posted videos of some "phantom fouls" that Dwayne Wade drew, and suggested they had affected the outcome of one game. (Gordon Keith put up a link too…)

And while, the guys on The Ticket seemed to agree with my analysis, they also questioned going down the road of "a Bitter P-1."

I embraced the name with pride, and thus a whole category on this blog was born.

Tonight, my inner "Bitter P-1" burst forth again, as I listened to Buck and McCarver's barely concealed glee at a Cardinals win. And, even if they concealed it better than I "heard it" in their voices, is there anyone who seriously doubts that, sometime this weekend, they'll be partying with current-day St. Louis Cardinals? (Joe, son of "The Voice of the Cardinals," Tim, "Cardinal Hall-of-Famer.")

I get that they didn't cause the Texas Rangers to lose. But all series, I held my tongue (OK. Not really), promising myself that, if the Rangers won I'd just let their barely concealed homerism slide. Victory alone would be the dish served cold.

Then, Game Six happened. And I cried buckets of tears last night. In this I am not being bitter or sarcastic. You can ask Dennise. Real tears. Not ashamed to admit it either.

So when it came to tonight's Game Seven, I was pretty sure we were going to lose. (Although I was hoping for the '75 Cincinnati Reds-mojo…) So, I approached the game with Zen-like calm.

And then, about the eight inning, Joe and Tim started in on the St. Louis Cardinal history…you know....about to be their 11th Title….they panned to a shot of all those other title flags, proudly flying over the stadium...blah, blah, blah….yadda, yadda, yadda…

And, on Facebook, my gloves came off. The Bitter P-1 (all cried-out from the night before) blew up in full force.

Here's one post-game Status Update, for example:

"Congratulations to Cardinal fans everywhere. I am sure your 11th World Championship means as much as our first would have meant to us."

(Please be sure you read the forgoing with your sarcasm detectors fully engaged...)

Let me explain the bitterness...

Look. I know you Cardinal fans are glad you won. I get that. Delirious, even. I am sure. Good for you.

But, for cryin' out loud, it's your ELEVENTH title. That's one every eleven years of your storied franchise's existence. Second only to the Yankees who, on average, win every four years. I used to like you guys. I really did. But, now you've beaten us, and Joe and Tim got me thinking deeply about those eleven titles.

So, sorry St. Louis, the thrill is gone.

Here are facts behind the bitterness…
...The Texas Rangers/Senators are currently tied (with the Astros) for the third longest drought in terms of World Series titles.
...The Cubs and Indians have far longer droughts, year-wise. But...both have previously won titles.

To review, the last time the Rangers won?

Never.

How does "never" feel? Oh, right...you have no idea!!

See, you'd have to ask a Texas Rangers, Astros, Nationals, or Mariners fan. Because they're the only fans who know. So, don't tell me "Well, at least you've gone twice now. It's a LOT worse for lots of other teams"

No it isn't. Not really. Just three other teams, statistically.

So, yes, along with our sadness, there's a whompin' big pile o' bitter mixed-in tonight.

And, after Game Six, the Texas Rangers are now owners of at least two infamous records:
-- The only team to lose a lead in a World Series game five times in one game.
-- The ONLY team to be ONE STRIKE AWAY from winning a Series… not once, but TWICE in one game.

Think about it. One. Strike. Away.


Not one out. One strike.

Not once. Twice. In one game. In two innings.

Do you know how improbably horrible that is?

And it's not like we have one guy we can focus on (right or wrong), like Bill Buckner (even though everybody forgets the Sox blew a lead that next night…) It was our whole team that contributed to this…errors…horrible bullpen pitching…anemic hitting.

One. Strike. Away. Two times.

We'll be reliving this in our dreams. Yes, it could have been different. But it wasn't. That is our history now.

Fifty years from now, two fans will be talking: "Hey you know the only team to be ONE STRIKE AWAY twice in one game?"

Until such time as the Texas Rangers finally win a World Series,  Game Six last night will haunt us all. I don't want it to. I just know, factually, that it will.

So, yes, "The Bitter P-1" was on a rampage earlier tonight. No apologies for that. It's a part of the process.

But here's the thing. The minister in me pastorally reminds myself that behind each bitterness there's real sorrow and sadness.

My sorrow and sadness was last night, after the Rangers lost Game Six. I cried quite a bit, actually.

I mean, can you imagine how it felt for us 40-year Rangers fans imagine the moments we thought were about to erupt? Our guys jumping across the field? Forty years of futility erased in one fell swoop? Redemption finally come to everyone?

And then, in an instant, it was gone. Twice.

I knew the moment the Cards won last night that it was gone. I knew we'd lose tonight. If the our own Roy "Hamilton" Hobbs Jr couldn't' pull out a storybook ending with his homer in the 10th, I knew the dream was over.

Because, as Wash says: "That's just the way baseball go."

And it was such a sudden and dramatic reversal that I just cried.

And it suddenly reminded me of the last time I cried like that over baseball…

I was eighteen. I was a part of a summer-league baseball team, here in North Dallas (SVAA) comprised, mostly, of guys that were on the Richardson High School team too. I hadn't made my high school team. That, in itself, had been a big shock. I'd figured I would. I had this crazy dream --as millions of boys have-- that, somehow, I'd be a major leaguer one day.

I know. Looking back now, in unflinching 20-20, it was ridiculous. But baseball is a game of ridiculous dreams.

Our team was pretty good. We actually made it to the championship our junior year. We lost to a pitcher who, we were told, was going to A&M on a baseball scholarship. So, we felt pretty good about ourselves. We figured we'd "get 'em next year" during our senior year.

With our "runners-up" trophy as Juniors. (I'm 3rd from the left)

And, all through the regular season, we did. In fact, we destroyed the other teams. We were a machine. It was clearly our time, our moment. We had some great hitters, and decent pitching from a guy who threw a pretty wicked curve (for a high school kid…)

We cruised into the playoffs, against the bottom seed in the bracket.

But it was there, incredibly, that we lost in the first round. We were stunned. It was not how our "story" was "supposed" to unfold. We were "supposed" to be champs that year. It was our year of redemption. It was our final year in a sport that had nursed our fantasies since we were little boys.

That night, I went home to an empty house. I don't remember why, but my parents and sisters were out of town, and I was there alone. (Nobody figured it'd be the last game…)

Standing there alone in my room, it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks: this would be the last time I'd ever take off a baseball uniform.

Maybe I'd play college intramural softball. Maybe I'd play some adult softball league. But that barely-alive fantasy, that dream of childhood, nursed into my late teens, was about die forever in that moment.

So I took off a baseball uniform for the last time in my life.

And I cried big buckets of tears, alone.

Last night reminded me of that moment, all those years ago.
--------------------------------------------------------

We grow up, and if baseball was once our dream, most of us eventually realize it's not gonna happen for us. And so, we cheer for our teams instead. We hope that THEY can win for us; do what we never will.

The Rangers were "supposed" to redeem this memory of mine last night, in Game Six. I know, there's a whole lot of ways that that's just stupid. But that's also just "the way baseball go."

Every year, you get to dream of redemption, whatever that means for you, whatever memories you carry inside of you. Every April, like Spring itself, hope is eternal.

And, if you're lucky, every now and then, your team wins it all, and there are moments of substitutionary redemption.

In the years that passed after I last took off that uniform, I came to understand a truth that you've probably heard before: Baseball is a game that is far more about losing than it is about winning. In fact, it's probably the only major sport designed that way.

It's been said many times, but to review: only in baseball are the greatest players those who fail 70 precent of the time. (.300 or better hitters). The greatest three or four players of all time? They failed 60 percent of the time. (Dennise reminded me that, factoring in balls and strikes, the hits-to-pitches ratio is actually far far lower than this even. Making the point, even more dramatically…)

Managing how you lose, learning how to cope with losing, is perhaps more important in baseball than in any other sport. You must do it to survive each at-bat, inning, game, season. Managing how you lose is built into the fabric of the sport itself. Or it would drive you crazy. (BTW: to those of you who only watch baseball at World Series time and say, "This game drives me crazy!!" I'd suggest that this may be why...)

And I know this. I really do.

But damn it all, I just thought, for once, my team was gonna win. I thought redemption would finally come.

So, no, I don't apologize for either that foolishness, or for my bitterness now. In fact, the reality is that just writing-out all this tonight has erased most of my own bitterness. In a few moments, I'll push "Publish," take off my "lucky" official Pudge Rodriquez jersey, and put it away until next year.

Here's the truth below either sadness OR bitterness: I am SO proud of these Texas Rangers. I am so proud that they have made it to the Series, two years in a row. That's SO amazing. I know that. Really. Promise.

And I have every faith in the world that they will be back.

I believe in God, Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan. (Yes. In that order).

Someday, we will get there. Someday, even Game Six will be redeemed. It has to be. I know it.

And until then? At least I'm not a Yankees fan. Or, as I realized this series, even a Cardinals fan. What can they possibly know of this experience? Of the life-lesson of 50 losing seasons without redemption? Of what it really means to learn to live with losing?

Nothing. I don't expect them to.

Past the bitterness, the bitterness passes. It always does. And there becomes an honor in losing. There really does. So, if you're bitter about it tonight, I suppose I'm here to say that that's OK right now, so long as you don't stay there.

Because in life, as in baseball, if you choose to live out of the lessons that losing teaches you --the lessons suffering teaches-- that in itself becomes a step down the road toward redemption.

Tonight, more than ever, I am proud to be a Texas Rangers fan.

Go Rangers.

Get 'em next year.



(1) "HSO" = "Hot Sports Opinions." "P-1"= A term used by the station to describe avid listeners of 1310 AM in Dallas)

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Occupy Dallas: Thanks for Your Witness

 "‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."

Just a short blog today to publicly thank the folks at Occupy Dallas for organizing a march in support of the Dallas Police, and to offer some brief reflections on it.

As you may have heard, 23 members of Occupy Dallas were arrested Tuesday, in front of a downtown Chase Bank location for blocking customer access to the bank. They were charge with disorderly conduct, and held overnight.

I recognize that not everyone will be supportive of that kind of direct action, and might question that tactic. But one of the long and proud traditions of American civil dissent is non-violent protest that ends in arrest.

As some will recall, I've marched with Occupy Dallas several times now. (Two previous blogs here and here). Tuesday, I visited the camp for about an hour, just as people were returning from the arrest scene, just to listen to folks and help them process what had happened that day.

While I was not at the Chase Bank, by all accounts it was peaceful and non-violent. Those involved accepted the fact that their actions might lead to their arrest, and they spent the night in jail. And as I was leaving the camp to go to my home Tuesday night, some of the Occupy "brothers and sisters" were preparing to walk back over to the Lew Sterrett  jail, to sleep outside, holding vigil, in honor of their jailed colleagues that night.

It's clear to me those who were arrested were:
-- Drawing attention to their cause.
-- Engaging in a non-violent direct action
-- Accepting the consequence of arrest, should it come.

So, that was Tuesday.

But it's what happened today that I found most remarkable. Every day at noon, the Occupy Dallas folks engage in some kind of protest or demonstration.
Today's demonstration?

A march in support of the Dallas Police Department.

That's right, people who were arrested less than two days prior, marched through the streets of downtown Dallas, ending at DPD headquarters on South Lamar. They shouted chants and held signs, in support of the Dallas Police. Here's how Channel 5 covered it beforehand. (I'll add more links later if there's news coverage later today...)

They held signs in support of higher police pay, against slashing police budgets, thanking the police for their protection in the downtown park.

And, most effectively, they made the point that the police are also among the 99%. Far from being "anti-police," they are supportive of the police, and understand that officers must enforce the law, even as members of their group choose to break it.

I must say, I was deeply impressed when I heard that this was their plan today. So I headed downtown and joined them, "in solidarity." It was mid-day, and so the crowd was much smaller than either the day-one march, or the Saturday marches.

The route went through downtown --across Main Street, and then back down Lamar, crossing into "SouthSide"-- ending on the steps of Police headquarters. It was extremely peaceful, and police officers on bikes accompanied us the entire way.
 (BTW, just before we got to DPD, I stopped for a moment to chat with Bill Wisener, front of "Bill's Records." As many will know, Bill's a legend, and I'd heard he's been sick lately. He was our front, smoking a cigarette (anybody surprised?) and watching the protest go by. So I stopped to say "hey." Get better soon, Bill!)

Outside DPD, listening to stories of the some of the arrested

After a brief speech in front of Police headquarters, the Occupy folks looked over to the side of the entrance plaza, and there were half a dozen officers on bikes. Most of them had followed the protesters through the streets of downtown.

So, as a group, the Occupy Dallas folks moved in front of the officers, who stood motionless in position, making for this really beautiful shot:

 

I then captured a little video of the scene:

 Indeed. That is EXACTLY what solidarity looks like. And it was a beautiful thing.

I wanted to support this particular march by Occupy Dallas, because I believe they conducted according to the best of the non-violent tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Like Occupy Dallas, Dr. King understood that participating in non-violent direct action might lead to arrest. He encouraged his followers to be ready for it. Let we forget, this Christian minister and Civil Rights leader chose to be arrested many times, to protest the injustice of his day.

That's what Occupy Dallas was doing Tuesday --protesting economic injustice-- when some of their group chose to be arrested. Again, some may not agree with this tactic. But it's certainly a defendable form of free expression in our nation, and I understand the societal issues that led them to make that choice.

What's most moving to me, however, is to see them supporting the very folks who arrested them two days ago.

By citing the words of Jesus at the beginning of this blog, I do not intend to suggest that the police and the Occupy folk are "enemies." In fact, I would bet both sides would reject that label. But, certainly, it's been a week of conflict between the two. So, to see them shouting slogans of support for the police department shows that they understand the police were, in fact, simply doing their job.

And, let me briefly also thank the police too. As we see disturbing images from Oakland today, it's important to give thanks for the restraint and professionalism of the Dallas Police. Some months back, I had an interesting discussion with a friend about a possible "limit" he saw to the effectiveness of non-violent protest and principle. This friend suggested that, in certain societies --especially with authoritarian regimes or a lack of free speech and assembly laws-- it is could be argued that non-violence, as a strategy, cannot work. Or, at the very least, that a commitment to it might involve the willingness to accept injury or death.

I think that's a cautionary point worth remembering. The rights to assemble, protest, picket, and even make the choice for civil disobedience to written laws, are all a part of our society's fabric. Oakland and other places have pointed to far more unfortunate outcomes, reminding us that no behavior --on the part of marchers or police-- are ever guaranteed ahead of time. Professionalism, training, and sticking to principles are crucially important for everybody.

Thus far, the DPD is clearly respecting the rights of free speech and assembly, while also enforcing the law; as is their calling. So, although this blog started out, intending to thank the protestors for thinking up this march, the police are also acting in a way that makes me proud of my city.

When I got back to my office, I found a book waiting for me that a Northaven member had promised to bring by, when he learned I'd been marching with the Occupy Dallas folks.

It's a copy of a book by Dr. King, written late in his life. In his final years, Dr. King came to understand that economic issues were as important as racial ones. Poverty and economic justice, Dr. King suggested,  had as much to do with the future success of whites and blacks alike than racial justice alone.

That's a big part of what I'm hearing in the "Occupy" movement. In fact, it's sort of like a return to the late 1960s, when Dr. King was increasingly organizing marches to support the poor. This current movement is mostly made up of good hearted folks who desire to see more fairness throughout our economic system for all of the 99%.

Dr. King also understood, powerfully, that actions in love had far more power than actions in hate or anger. One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was running through my head today:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that"
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

I commend Occupy Dallas for today's march, and hope others, within the movement and our society, will be inspired by their witness.

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Buck and McCarver "Blow the Call"

It's World Series time. What better time to bring out my inner "Bitter P1?"
(One of the many voices in my head…)

Today's topic: How Joe Buck and Tim McCarver blew their "call" of Ron Kulpa's blown call.

The original blown call involved Umpire Ron Kulpa blowing a call in Saturday night's game. He missed Mike Napoli's tag out of a runner at first base. That call Saturday night, could have been the thing that changed the whole tenor of that game. I say could, because I freely acknowledge upfront that there's no way to prove that, and that thinking about that too much can give you tired head.

So, I don't really want to talk about the call. I want to talk about is Joe Buck and Tim McCarver's response. How they chose to cover the reaction to the blown call.

In the Top of the 5th of last night's game, the whole FOX broadcast team jumped into this, and jumped over themselves to defend Umpire Kulpa against the "unfair" question of a reporter.

Apparently, after the blown call, a pool reporter had asked Umpire Ron Kulpa something like this:
"Did the fact that you are from St. Louis affect this call?"

Now, here's the thing. I don't think it did. Watching the video, it's clear he just blew the call in the moment. (So, to clarify, it might not have changed the game, and I don't think it was intentional).

But instead of admitting that it's a fair question from a journalist, the whole FOX broadcast team took the umpire's side. Ken Rosenthal called it unfair to question the umpire's integrity. They showed footage of the "good" call that Kulpa made (calling Kinsler safe on a steal) the night before.

But, here's the deal: It's a totally fair question.

It's an edgy question. But it's a good one. That ump IS from St. Louis, and so are the Cardinals. He might not like the question. But it's fair.

That's what journalists do. They ask fair and edgy questions.

My response to the ump is this: This is the "biggest of the "Big Shows" Grow a thicker skin, stand there and be ready to answer for yourself, "Did it affect your judgment, or not?"

Just answer the question in the way we all expect: tell us it did not, and then let's move on. End of story.

But instead of moving on, apparently, Joe Torre got huffy too. Torre now works for MLB, and he made a special point to go down the media room and chastise them for the question! I mean, a special trip, just to lambast the journalist for asking a journalist's question!

Again, wrong response. He never should have addressed the media. It kept the whole thing alive, and made both MLB and the ump look defensive. Worst of all, made them look thin-skinned.

Now comes McCarver and Buck's own blown call of this…

After Rosenthal had defended the ump, he threw it back up to the booth and Joe Buck actually said,

"Yeah, everybody's from somewhere."

Oh yeah, Joe? And where are YOU from?!

Right: St. Louis!!

Joe's Dad, Jack, was the "Voice of the Cardinals" for decades. The Cards were Joe Buck's team, growing up. How many hundreds of games do you imagine he saw at the old Busch Stadium? How many of the players do you imagine he knew on a first name basis?

When he grew up? He became a Cardinals broadcaster too.

And! Tim McCarver? Spent the best years of his playing career behind the plate…playing for St. Louis!

McCarver said this about the question:
"The implication by the reporter who asked that question is foolish."

It doesn't matter whether it's "foolish" or not, Tim. It's a good question. It's the World Series. It's a reporter, trying to cover all angles. That's what reporters do. You're supposedly part of a sports broadcast team too. Surely you know that.

Now, again, let me be clear: I don't think Buck and McCarver are biased. I don't think the ump was biased either.

But! I do think their reaction is telling. Instead of defending the reporter, they defend the ump who has the same quirk of fate they do: they all three connect to St. Louis.

Lest you think I'm the one personalizing this as a Rangers fan, please note that it was Joe Buck who brought up this angle. In his defense of the ump, he talked about the hard life he has, the accusations he faces:

"That, somehow, we're from every city…and have rooted against every team we've covered."

"We'll show 'em," chuckled McCarver.

"Right. We'll get the last laugh on that one," answers Buck.

We'll show 'em? We'll get the last laugh? Just what did they mean by that?!

Everybody is from somewhere, and all three of these guys connect to St. Louis. Instead of providing closure to this controversy, Buck and McCarver re-lit the fires.

Let me help everybody out here. First, as a part of his, ahem, Mia Kulpa (thank you. I'll be here all week...) the Ump should have just answered the question and moved on. Second, Torre should have never addressed it. Period.

Finally, Buck and McCarver should have said something like this:

"We understand those kinds of questions. We get them too. They are tough questions. In the interest of full disclosure, ironically, we're from St. Louis too. So, we understand the pressures of trying to remain impartial in these games. But we think this was just a plain and simply blown call, and both we and the Ron Kulpa take our jobs very seriously."

End of story.

Instead, they laughed at the implication (Yes, they literally chuckled…), got indignant at the insinuation, and totally failed to disclose the fact that both of them have St. Louis ties.
Very unprofessional.

Is this a big deal?

No.

Does it piss me off?

Yes.

Especially that they were chuckling about it, while failing to note their own St. Louis ties.

Why defend the ump, guys?
Why defend MLB?
Why not just say, "It's a fair, but uncomfortable question?"

Buck, McCarver, you blew the call too, and you've helped to keep this going.

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Redemption

Game One of the 2011 World Series starts in about three hours from now, and I still can't believe it.

The other day on The Ticket, I heard long-time Ranger fan, Mike Rhyner say, "I still can't believe these are the RANGERS we're talking about."

I know what he means. I've talked about what it's like to grow up a Ranger fan before, so I won't repeat that here. But I can tell you, we're all still shocked by all of this. First, we even MAKE the World Series, at all. That was amazing enough.



But, now? Two years in a row? Are you kidding me?

See, we have no reference point for this. We're in uncharted territory. The Yankees. Teams like them, they go to the series two years in a row.

I was happy to see the Rangers in it at all last year. Last Fall, I genuinely said, and I genuinely meant, that I was just happy to see them there. I even went to a series game that we lost. Didn't care one bit.

You kidding me? I was at a WORLD SERIES GAME!! In ARLINGTON!!

But, this year, it feels different. I don't want to get too far ahead of things, but it feels like this team has come back to finish the job. They willed themselves to it, even without Cliff Lee. They're a better team without Cliff Lee. That tells you something.

So, yes, speaking for Ranger fans everywhere, I think this year, we do care. We want to see them win it. And we're voicing that even more than we did last year, when we were just glad to be mentioned in the same sentence with the words "World Series."

But let's be clear, we want them to win it not only for us, but for all Ranger fans everywhere.

And, for me, more than this, I want them to win it for the Texas Rangers of the past 40 years. That's right. ALL of them. Because, those guys have always been our guys.

Take a look at this.

I own most of these cards. Most of them, I collected as a kid. Most of them are for players that nobody outside of the Metroplex even knows or remembers. (I said "most")

But we remember them. They were our childhood heroes. And, by God, they deserve redemption over these next seven games too.

I understand that genuine Cardinal fans exist. Heck, I grew up hearing my Dad talking about Enos Slaughter's Mad Dash. The Cardinals are another of baseball's great franchises. They're kinda like the Yankees, only nobody hates them. They're kinda like Detroit, in terms of their history.

In fact, think about the baseball royalty Texas has faced these past two years:
Yankees
Tigers
Giants
Cardinals

If you threw a dart at a baseball timeline stretching back to the 1800s, at least one of those teams would have been in the "hot" team that everybody was talking about at the time. Sometimes, more than one of them.

I grew up hearing the history of these teams...Willie Mays...Mickey Mantle, The Babe...Stan the Man....Al Kaline....Ty Cobb....

Legends, all. And that's not even a tenth of them between these teams. I grew up, learning this history, like I was learning about Lexington and Concord.

And now, my Rangers have faced them all these past two years, and are knocking on the door history themselves.

It's a lot to take in.

So, I get that there are Cardinals fans out there. All over the Midwest, in fact. (I remember seeing the lovely minor league park in Springfield, where the minor league "Cardinals" play...)

But, to everyone considering cheering for the Cardinals, we invite you to join us instead. See, we've only ever been here twice. They've won five times.

And even though the experts seem to be calling us the favorite, you've got to understand that in our hearts we still think we're the underdog.

And we hope you'll cheer for us these next seven games, and help us achieve final redemption. Not only for these current players and fans, but for all those over the last forty years.

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Spiritual Reflections on "Occupy Wall Street"

Thursday morning, I chose to join more than five hundred people who gathered here in Dallas for "Occupy Dallas." This is the local incarnation of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement that has been much in the news the past few weeks. More than 500 people gathered in Pike Park, and marched through downtown.

I want to say from the start that I understand how some do not like this movement. Others find it counterproductive. Such a movement, being from the "ground up," of is also likely to be messy. I understand that.

Inside the movement, there are likely to be folks I don't much agree with, in terms of values, tactics, goals, and faith. I understand that.

And what I would say is: we should not just understand these things. We should expect them.

But since I chose to stand and be counted in this march on Thursday, I felt I owed my congregation, and perhaps the greater community, some reasons as to why I chose to go. This is what follows...
(You can hear an audio version here)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two media sources have been extremely helpful to me in "naming" why I chose to get involved. One is today's column by Frida Ghitis, who writes for the Miami Herald. The other is from the radio program, "This American Life."

Frida Ghitis' column today, titled "From Steve Jobs to Wall Street," points out that while the "Occupy Wall Street" protests appear to be angry at the wealthy, they are clearly not angry at all wealthy people. She says:

"You never hear anyone complain that Steve Jobs became a multi-billionaire. That tells us something important about what motivates the protests growing on Wall Street...
The anger of demonstrators is not the result of envy or of politically-motivated hostility against the rich. Instead, it is the understandable expression of frustration with a system that has richly rewarded people who, quite simply, do not deserve it." (underlining added)

I was such a fan of Steve Jobs. I am still quite sad over his death. Jobs started building computers in a garage. More than once in his life, he had to reinvent himself and start all over again. At one point he was even fired from Apple, the company he founded. He lost fortunes. He made them.

Time after time, decade after decade, Wall Street-types slammed his vision, devalued Apple's stock, and generally told investors and the public that Apple would never make it. Year after year, we who believed in Apple were warned that the company was about to become extinct. I can no longer recall how many times I've heard that.

And I know it's hard to remember that now. Much has changed. But as a long-time Apple fan? Trust me, we remember.

So, while it's great to see Jobs revered as a visionary, and lauded for his wealth, it's important to remember that his path was a challenging and risky one. People loved Steve Jobs because he had a passion for creative ways to use technology.

Frida Ghitis say this about Jobs and successful people like him:

"The American system rewards risk-taking, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Americans, unlike Europeans, don’t object to a system in which people can get rich — even extremely rich — if they make great contributions to society. In the United States, people tend to not hate the rich because they believe one day they might join their ranks. If you invent the iPhone, the iPad, become a billionaire. No problem."

But! She points out, there is an important covenant that Americans have with each other and with our economic system The covenant says that, yes, you can become extremely wealthy...but you must also be willing to take the risks and pay the price for your mistakes.

And as she reminds us:

"Incredibly, in 2008, despite hundreds of billions in taxpayers’ bailouts and trillions in losses for investors...Wall Street firms paid $18 billion in bonuses...The average bonus in the largest firms topped $265,000. In 2010, the average bonus for all firms was $128,000. That’s on top of salary, options, and other perks."

This, friends, gets coupled with an attitude about those bonuses, an attitude from Wall Street itself that seems to say to all of us: "just be quiet and let us run things....let us give the bonuses we want to give...we know what we're doing...and we deserve it."

Which brings me to the second media source that inspired me to get involved with "Occupy Wall Street." It was a podcast from the radio show "This American Life" last year, and it was about Wall Street's reaction to the economic bailout. It was entitled "Crybabies." (If the audio doesn't play the first time, try clicking again...)

As the name suggests, the piece notes that Wall Street-types seem particularly "sensitive" these days. The piece tells the story of Stephen Schwarzman, a Wall Street tycoon who famously said that raising the tax rate on corporations would be "like Hitler invading Poland."

Yeah, right.

Adam Davidson, a correspondent for Planet Money says that, far from being unique, Schwarzman's view seems to be the norm among both TOP Wall Street financiers and even mid-level folks too:

"Pretty much every big bank that you can name-- with the possible exception of maybe JPMorgan Chase-- would not exist today. It would have failed, if it wasn't for the government."
"it still seems to me that it would be appropriate for folks on Wall Street to say publicly, and to really have inside of their souls, the fact that their businesses failed....And instead, I cannot think of a single thing I've heard in the media, or that I have directly heard, that expresses any gratitude..."

Friends, that is what's at the heart of the current frustration at Wall Street. It's feeling that much has been given to them, and they are still ungrateful, completely and totally ungrateful for that fact that all of us saved them. Yes, we also saved the economy too, but we also saved their specific companies and jobs!!

Adam Davidson notes:

"I can't think of a time that someone said my bank, that I run, would not exist today. It failed because we took actions that led to our investors and our lenders having no faith in us. But the government stepped in, and because of that, we are making more money than we've ever made before."

THAT is why people are angry.

The wealthy in our country continue to get more wealthy. The middle class is shrinking quickly. The ranks of the poor are exploding. Many many people, including some reading this, are still looking for work, working jobs not the career they hope to have, or are very worried about their financial future. It's a very very challenging time out there.

 Our era is feeling more more and more like the early 1900s, when the disparity between rich and poor was also quite great and when people also felt helpless.

And, interestingly? In that era too, there were protests, and anger, against Wall Street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




So, what does our faith say about these things?
Why would a person of faith like me support "Occupy Wall Street?"

After all, the most important thing you can hear from me is not a political diatribe, or even an economic one, but spiritual counsel and a challenge to live according to the morality that Jesus sets forth.

Speaking of that, it's always fascinating how many things people think are in the Bible that aren't really in the Bible.

A few years back, somebody at the courthouse came in to see Dennise to ask her about a Bible passage. Bless their hearts, people just assume that because she's married to a minister she'll be able to know, and interpret, everything in the Bible. As if somebody could come to me and ask me to recite the Texas Family Code.

Anyway, this person came to Dennise and said, "Hey, Judge, where is that passage in the Bible that says 'Give a man to fish, feed him today. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime?"

Dennise paused for a moment, and said, "Um, that's not in the Bible..."

But this person was absolutely unconvinced, and looked at Dennise with eyes full of pity, that seemed to say, "Oh, you poor dear...you don't even know the Bible..."

The woman asked Dennise, "Can you call Eric and ask him?"

Dennise said, "No, it isn't in the Bible..."

I'm pretty sure this person spent the rest of the day on Google, trying to find where in the Bible this phrase is.

But I'll tell you what IS in the Bible: The feeding of the five thousand.

Jesus and his disciples are surrounded by five thousand hungry people. They only have two fish and few loaves of bread. But! Some of Jesus' disciples are actual fishermen.

So, this could be the perfect time for Jesus to pull out a fishing lesson. It would be the perfect time for:  "Teach these folks to fish so that they may be fed for a lifetime..."

But instead, when the disciples say: "Should we send them home?"
Jesus says: "No, YOU give them something to eat."

So, to Wall Street, and to all of us, I would say that this is what Jesus has to teach us:

The world will always say: "Don't get involved, hoard what you have."
Jesus will always say, "Give of what you have. It doesn't belong to you anyway. It belongs to God."

That's at the heart of what's missing in society today; an acknowledgment that all we have is God's gift anyway. We work hard not so we can get some financial reward, but because hard work itself is a reward. Steve Jobs became insanely rich, but he cared more about making products that people loved, and pushing the world of technology. He took incredible risks, and he paid incredible price.

I often hear the word "entitlement" used to describe government programs. But I would suggest to you that the greatest sense of "entitlement" we see today is among the Wall Street wealthy. (called the "One Percent" by the "Occupy Wall Street" crowd....) They seem to feel the most "entitled" to take, take, take from our society and to not give back.

You can argue scripture all day with people, and you can argue taxes and government programs all day with them. But one thing you cannot argue is my all-time favorite scripture for talking with a wealthy person:

"To whom much is given, much is required..."

That is in the Bible.

I like the New International Version translation even better:

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

Much will be DEMANDED.

You see, this is the spiritual truth of God. God would say to us, "by all means, go about making money. By all means, go about creating jobs. But! Understand that God's sense of justice and fairness says that if you accumulate more than your neighbor, then more will be required of you. Giving back will be required of you."

Which leads me to the parable of the wedding feast. A King, clearly among the top one percent in his society, has a son who is getting married. So, he decides to throw a great feast. He sends his slaves as messengers, out all across the land to invite the other wealthy one percent folks to join him for a great party.

But, surprisingly, they don't come. Some make jokes about it. Some go back to their farms to work. Others even mistreat the slave-messengers and kill them.

The King becomes enraged. Eventually, he decides that he will not longer mess with these wealthy friends of his, but instead, he will fill his wedding party with other people instead. He asks his remaining slaves to go out to the main street. Just wander down the street, he tells them, and see who is there.

And along the way, they round up anybody who just happens to be standing around. The text says "both good and bad" people. Just ANYBODY. And when it is time for the feast, the hall is filled with guests.

The Gospel of Luke tells this same story, only the King is more specific about who he wants to be invited. The King tells his slaves to: ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you want to understand what's fueling the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, then you've got to understand that average people in our society feel as if the wealthy are getting more than their fair share, not giving back, and and are ungrateful for how we have all helped them.

From a perspective of faith, reading the Gospel of Christ, I absolutely agree with this. This movement, whatever comes of it, seeks to call them to account.

And whether we join it or just watch it, whether we are among the wealthy, or those still yearning of a job, it's important to remember that Jesus believes in a world where those who have been given much are required to give much. That is Jesus' sense of fairness.

And all would do well to remember that Jesus believes in a world where, if wedding guests are ungrateful for what they have been given, Jesus will simply invite the poor, the cripple and the lame to join him instead.


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"A Little At A Time"

This morning, I stopped long enough to do something that I know I need to do more. I lit candles and incense, here at my writing desk, and wrote in my journal. It dawns on me much of what I wrote was probably worth saying publicly. So here goes…

Fridays are supposed to be sacred days for me. Days of "rest." Days where I can exercise, journal, write/play music, renew.

It doesn't always work out that way. In fact, over the past year, I've had very few consecutive Fridays that have actually been the time of renewal and/or music-creation that I hope them to be.

I have a busy, busy job/ministry. I have a family that needs my love and support. In the midst of this, I try to find time to foster my own creative side…to write music, to perform…not just with the band, but my own stuff too.

I am at a place in life where what I know is this: music will always be a part of it. To feed my own soul, to heal my own soul, I must always be playing, writing, performing music. I know this. I know it deeply.

I've been yearning to release a second CD of my own music now almost nine years. Things happen. Life happens. Church happens. Blah, blah, blah. I wouldn't change any of the major decisions of life. But for every thing that gets decided, for every Friday that has passed during the past seven years, I am reminded in some ways of how that CD still hasn't come out.

Every week, a Friday rolls around and things happen. In summer, it's a schedule of The Divine Miss M, The Judge, and important things we all agreed to do together. (You know, like vacations…)

Many many other Fridays, it's ministry. It's somebody in the hospital. Or, somebody who was in the hospital on Tuesday…which made me put off things I was supposed to do then until Thursday…which means I am doing Thursdays things on Friday…you get the idea.

Then, there's the band; which is, of course, awesome. But it's another pull on my time. Rehearsals really mean nights away from family (for all of us in the band, let us not forget…) which means less time for them…less time for my music…less time in ministry…more time I need to do all those other things sometime later...you get the idea.

Even with all this, when I step back, the reality is that all of this is the incredible grace of having a full and busy life. I don't know that I'd want it any other way, really. But it's incredibly tiring at times. And the juggle act --the constant worry about not spending enough time with family, church, personal renewal, music-- it's a broken record that is, quite literally, playing in my head all the time. Just about every moment.

Even on Fridays.

For example, on so many Fridays, I find that instead of taking the time I have, I waste it. I get stuck inside the mind-suck of Facebook. I get stuck watching TV. I get pulled into some non-urgent ministry task that could probably wait until the next week. I say I'm going to walk/bike, but I sleep instead.

Or sometimes, literally, I just sit and watch the clock tick, and feel vaguely like Brian Wilson during his lost years.

On Fridays, I find that the second Dennise leaves the house, it's as if some countdown timer starts rolling in my head. And the message I hear is: "In just a few hours more, The Divine Miss M will be out of school, The Judge will be home, and another Friday will be gone."

And the still deeper message inside this is: "Even if I use every second of this day, it will not be enough. It's already too late. Why bother?"

Which makes me recall the awesome Mark Heard song, "Nod Over Coffee":

"All the unsaid words that I might be thinking
And all the little signs that I might give you
They would not be enough
No they would not be enough

So we nod over coffee and say goodbye
Smile over coffee and turn to go
We know the drill and we do it well
We love it, we hate it
Ain't that life

Ain't that the curse of the second hand
Ain't that the way of the hour and the day"
(Thank God for Pierce Pettis, whose recording of this song gave it to my soul years ago…)

These are the thoughts that hit me, mid-morning, just about every Friday.

The good news is that, for each of the past five Fridays, I've managed to spend some quality time recording. Five new songs in five weeks. Including two that are redos of songs lost when my other computer was stolen. The even better news is that, moments after I hit "publish" on this blog, I am headed to see my friend and coproducer, Clark Findley, who still has all the old recordings we were working on seven years ago.

We're gonna "export" a ton of old files out of an old program (Cubase) so that I can reuse them in the new program (Logic).

And, as those of you on Facebook probably know, I've also managed to exercise most of the summer, on long and incredibly renewing bike rides. All this is good. GREAT, really.

But even after a long and productive day, I am often left those voices ("But it won't be enough. It cannot be enough. It's already too late. Why bother?")

I know. I know. Get rid of that voice. At least I am a little farther down the road, and if I do not sit, frozen like Brian Wilson, then at least I have done something more. And this stuff the past five weeks? The exercise this summer? Real progress. I need to not forget that.

One of these days, this CD will be done. I have a growing sense, sooner rather than later.

And something else strikes me: Fridays matter to me so deeply, I get depressed about wasting them, or how quickly they fly, precisely because this is how life is. Life passes too quickly too.

These days, I'm not just worried about a single Friday, I'm worried about the almost 50 years of them that are already gone. How many are left? Have I wasted all the chances I've had?

Duh, I realize this morning, it' really not about Friday. It's about life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This morning, as I sat down to write, I lit candles and incense. I struck a single match from a book from the Balcony Club, and lit the first candle. But, then, I then found myself frozen between lighting a second candle, and lighting the incense. In my indecision, the match burned down, and I didn't get to light any of the other candles/incense with that match.

After putting down the hot match, it suddenly dawned on me that if I had just worried about lighting the one candle, I could have lit all the rest from it. In fact, now that one was lit, I could absolutely still light all the rest. The incense. The other candles. All of it.
 No, I couldn't do it all at once. But, yes, I could do it step-by-step.

Which reminded me of another truth I heard years ago, from my friend, Pastor Gessner Paul, now the head of the Methodist Church in Haiti. At the time he told me this, he was pastor in Petit-Guave, Haiti, and he and I were walking through town. I was finally comfortable enough with him, and we were good enough friends, that I could ask him, "How in the world will Haiti ever get to the place it needs to be?"

He paused for a moment, and then said, "There is an old Haitian proverb: 'The bird builds its nest a little at a time.'"

That's all he said. He left me to figure it out.

Obviously, from what you are reading today, I am still figuring it out.

The bird builds its nest a little at a time. No, the bird can't do the whole thing in one moment. But the AA people are right: "One day at a time."

No, you can't achieve all your dreams on any one Friday. But you can put one foot in front of the other, and work toward them, whatever they are. And any distance you go gets you farther than you were at the start of that day.

No, you can't light every candle at once. But you can light one. And if you light one, you can light all the rest.

I know this. I really do. I just forget.

Now, off to see Clark.

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Why I Will Attend "Occupy Dallas"

Friends:

Tomorrow morning, I plan to join those gathering in downtown Dallas for the "Occupy Dallas" event.

This is a Dallas-version of the on-going protests in New York City. I recognize that these protests are not popular with everyone. I also realize that some believe protesting Wall Street is either counter-productive, or shows an ignorance to how financial systems work.

So, for my part, I thought I would briefly share why I am going.

The major part of my concern is that I believe Wall Street banks, from the top down, still do not seem to realize just how much the US taxpayers bailed them out a few years back. They seem to take NO responsibility for the problems that created the financial crisis in the first place. And, they seem to continue taking record bonuses and profits, at a time when average Americans are being laid off, and unemployment continues to rise.

The best documentation I have found, and what perhaps sums up my own frustrations most succintly, is the following "This American Life" piece from last year. It was part of an episode they called "Crybabies."

I encourage you all to listen to it, and to hear the disturbing lack of responsibility still being taken by Wall Street exes and traders. (The player below should start right at the beginning of "Act One," the part about Wall Street...)

So, I feel the need to make my voice known about this, and I'm deeply concerned that average Americans are still suffering far too much, at a time when Wall Street continues to hum along. I choose to stand with average Americans who are hurting, and I want to make my voice known.

Jesus often stood with the poor and the marginalized, and this is a way I can do that too.

If you want to connect in the morning, write me privately and perhaps we can connect-up down at Pike's Park.

I am sure I will share more about the protest after it's over.

And if the player below doesn't work click here.

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