- Before I get to the reason for the name of this particular edition, I want to first talk about what transpired this week regarding LeBron James. Keep in mind that this past season and even last season, I haven't been as much into the Cavaliers or following them as much as in past seasons (even with Shaq, one of my favorite NBA players, on the team last season), because I decided to focus more on the Cleveland Browns and football in general. That doesn't mean I haven't been keeping up generally with the news regarding the team, however. With LeBron going to Miami...honestly, I don't think it hit me as much as it did many Cavs fans (even though I put a smart-alecky quip on Facebook after it happened). I did a lot of internet surfing after his announcement and I found one reaction to a Sports Illustrated article (the poster's name was TC) that probably best illustrates what I thought about the whole thing:
No one is denying that LeBron has the right to play for whomever he chooses. The debate is over the way in which he "decided" and how he announced it. We in Cleveland would have been saddened by his departure either way. But to stage this little charade of meeting with all the teams and then trying to stoke his ego with "The Decision" on ESPN is a cold, heartless, unnecessary blow to a region he "loves." Let's not pretend, shall we, that James/Wade/Bosh already had this scenario pretty well set in stone a few years back in China during the Olympics. LeBron could have handled all this in an adult manner, but he has shown that he truly is a child in a man's body.
I don't think I could have summed it up better. I don't think anybody begrudges LeBron James for wanting to make a living and for looking for the best situation for him, whether it was as a Cavalier or a member of the Heat. This is about how he and the people around him as well as ESPN went about doing that. He essentially embarrassed the fanbase he had in Northeast Ohio that looked up to him and saw the potential in him to bring a championship to an area bereft of one since 1964. "The Decision" will be mentioned in the same breath as "The Drive" or "The Fumble" in Cleveland sports history. LeBron may get a title in Miami or maybe not, but in doing things the way he did he showed himself to be less than the man and figure he was hyped to be...much less. At least since it was a sign-and-trade, the Cavs got something potentially good out of it (two future 1st rounders, two future 2nd rounders, a bg trade exemption for the next few years, and an option to swap 1st round picks in next year's draft).
- There is one more related thing from the last blurb I want to get to before I move on. I want to say now that I wasn't as affected by the LeBron thing emotionally as a lot of other fans have been, probably because somewhere in the back of my mind I saw this coming and ended up prepared for it as a result. Given that, there is one thing that really did bug me in the fallout from LeBron's actions, something that has happened other times but was especially noticeable here. It's a fact that there are people out there that just don't like the Cavaliers, LeBron James, the city of Cleveland, or fans of the city's sports teams. If they don't want to like them, that's okay...and me, I'm cool with it. Nobody's telling them they have to like Cleveland. It may even make for healthy debates and good rivalry. However, there is something I'm not cool or okay with. Over the years, there have been people who seem to be happy with the misfortunes of Cleveland, it's sports teams, and especially its fans, and express it loudly in public forums. Now, it's no secret that Cleveland hasn't had a major sports championship come its way for about 45 years. Misfortune seems to be associated with Cleveland sports, something I would like to see changed in my lifetime. This time around with the LeBron thing these people have come out of the woodwork, including national so-called pundits and unfortunately a couple of people I personally know (which is why this blurb is here today). This goes beyond simple rivalry and simply not liking Cleveland...they went all out to show that they took satisfaction in the fact that Cleveland/the Cavs/the fans suffered yet again. I've got something to say to these folks:
Where do you get off taking joy in others' suffering? Yes, the fans are suffering right now...that is not in doubt. They put a lot of faith into LeBron and he let them down by exiting the way he did. That's why they're suffering. It's one thing to not like something, but to express the equivalent of 'ha ha, bad stuff happened to you and that makes me happy' so publicly is not only disappointing and disrespectful but gets people including myself to question your integrity and intentions. Whether or not it was your intention to let such venom come out, I don't know. I can almost guarantee that the end result of such stuff benefits no one, especially yourselves. I can only pray that it's not because you are suffering yourselves that you're taking joy and happiness in the suffering of others.
- Moving on, I want to get to the main reason for the subtitle, the "history" edition. The 4th of July holiday has come and gone for 2010. Our nation's history is the main thrust of the Independence Day holiday here in the United States. This year, I was motivated to look into my own family's history, specifically my father's side, because it stretches here in the U.S. from the nation's founding and beyond. I discovered several surprising things about my ancestry in my research. The first thing I noticed is that my ancestors actually had pretty long life spans, which bodes well for me, my siblings, and other relatives. I discovered that my great grandfather, Lorenzo Benson Hamrick, passed away a month after I was born. I had no idea he was alive at any time in my existence, though I'm not sure if he knew about me or not. I have a great, great, great, great grandfather named Benoni Griffin (b. 1834) (Levi Hamrick's wife Margaret's grandfather...I think) who fought for the Union during the Civil War. I have another great, great, great, great grandfather, William Hamrick, who served the country during the War of 1812 in Captain Wamsley's Regiment in Norfolk. I think the most surprising discovery for me was about William's father Benjamin Hamrick, who was my great, great, great, great, great grandfather. He was a soldier for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War which led to the independence of this country. Benjamin was also one of the famed "Minutemen," of whom Paul Revere was a member, and was among the first to fight in that war. He was present at the capture of Trenton on December 26, 1776, when George Washington crossed the Delaware River. He fought in the battles of Princeton, Brandywine Creek, Germantown (near Philadelphia) and Great Bridge. In 1777-78 he was frequently assigned to scout duty. Until I did this research, I had barely a clue as to how my own ancestry tied into some of the most historic periods of this nation. How this will affect me, I don't know, but it does give me a lot to ponder going forward.
- Speaking of the 4th of July this year, I went down to Red, White, and Boom! and OSU to celebrate. It took place on the 2nd this year, a Friday. Unlike last year I actually stayed for the fireworks this time out. I took a few notes on the experience that I want to share, which I am calling DJ's Great Independence Day Adventure 2010:
- I started around 11:30 AM and walked to the bus stop on Cleveland Avenue. I stopped at a new discount store called Ollie's. It's a pretty nice spot to shop if you have stuff to get that isn't grocery-related. It's like Odd Lots but with better stuff. When I got to the bus stop, I noticed two guys with signs for competing pizzarias (Little Caesar's and Classic Pizza) nearby trying to get business from people driving by. First time I've ever seen that, at least competing like they did.
- On the bus there was a guy who was extremely drunk who had apparently been on the bus for a while. He was yelling for half the trip and somewhat belligerent. When he got off the bus, he passed out right next to the sidewalk and apparently fell asleep. I hope he didn't get busted for public intoxication.
- I had to transfer to a rather crowded #8 bus to get to OSU and had to stand. While on the bus, there was this lady who was so offended by a guy who wouldn't move from his spot to make room that she started threatening him and almost swung at him. I had to step in-between the two so that she couldn't get to him. Pushing morality on public transportation is not the best way to go about things, and this lady could have been arrested if she actually took a swing at the guy. COTA doesn't take too kindly to trouble.
- I stopped at the new Ohio Union at Ohio State. The original was torn down and a new one was built and opened back in April. It looks completely different from anything I imagined. It was a definite change from the old warehouse/mall-type look of the old version. There's a lot of changes and a lot of the old stuff is gone...no more fast food-type places anymore, more along the lines of a big study hall atmosphere and a couple of OSU-related restaurants. It seems smaller in space and more intimate, but it could be a perception thing. It's a vast change from what I remember from my time at OSU.
- Walking around the South Oval and the main Oval on this extremely gorgeous day, one thing I find myself missing since I went here is seeing all the women in bikinis and swimsuits laying out and studying, especially the gorgeous women. Oh my God, there's a bunch of them out here today even though it's summer quarter. In late spring and early fall they are all over the place, but at least for today I'm definitely walking around here some more.
- There's a lot of incoming freshmen and their parents walking around the campus for Orientation. I can guarantee that they have a lot to look forward to at Ohio State. I envy them a bit.
- It's about 5 PM and I hit downtown. It's already starting to get crowded. I'm standing near Boom Central at the corner of Neil Avenue and Long Street. It is filling up pretty quick and since it is beautiful out it might get more crowded earlier this year.
- I ate dinner at a place downtown called Burgers, Fries, and Dogs near the corner of Broad and High Streets. Not bad food, but not on my must-go list of eateries downtown whenever I go there. I did get to sit outside to eat and that was pretty enjoyable.
- It's about 8 PM on Long Street and I almost had a Youtube moment. There was an apparently estranged couple fighting and swinging with children around. I couldn't get get my cellcam set up quick enough to film it. I'm a bit disappointed, but at least I know how long it takes to set up my cellcam now.
- I found a spot near Long Street to watch the fireworks from. When Journey got played, people started singing along. I've never seen this before, but it was funny to watch.
- I was actually able to move back to Long and High Street and still see the fireworks. The display is huge this year, much bigger than I remember it from before. I was able to actually board the bus I needed to take going home and watch the fireworks from the bus while enjoying air conditioning. Never thought I'd do that.
- My bus was the first one out the gate and I got home rather fast. It took about an hour to get from downtown to my door, and that included the walking home from the bus stop. I'm glad I didn't have to drive because I probably wouldn't have gotten home as fast as I did.
- I also hit up the Westerville fireworks thie night after Red, White, and Boom, the second year in a row for me. I walked down to St. Ann's which took about an hour. I found the perfect spot to watch them from, which is always a good thing. It was a great show. If I go back next year, I'm gonna try to get that exact spot again. The only thing I wished that would have made both Red, White, and Boom and the Westerville fireworks better was that I would have had company with me. I had fun and I would have loved for people to join me. Maybe next year.
- Going back to the Cavs for a moment, they are pretty lucky to be able to get Byron Scott as the coach. He is a rebuilding specialist and with LeBron gone (I rhymed...heh heh) he is probably the one guy that might get the Cavs back on their feet quicker. I just hope owner Dan Gilbert turns out right and that the Cavs get a title before LeBron does.
- I was able to catch a marathon of seasons 3 and 4 of the show Beauty and the Geek. Watching them in succession, it made apparent the major changes in the people who participated in the show (with the exception of one person in season 3). It's an interesting show and one of the few reality shows I actually think is worth watching.
- Yesterday night I hung out with one of my oldest and best friends, Bob. We've talked but I hadn't actually seen him in at least 5 years, maybe longer. It was just like old times. He was in town with a couple of friends for a car show at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. I met up with them afterwards sitting alongside Busch Blvd. watching all the fancy and strange cars that were at the show. There were a TON of people sitting along Busch Blvd. and 161 just watching whatever went by. I'm glad to have been able to do it with one of my best friends.
- I can say with confidence that there were a lot of "great" and "bold" things in this blog today...so to speak. Can't say that happens often...lol.
- Song on repeat: "Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai. There's been a lot of it for me over the years. With all the activity over the past week and a half, I thought this one might fit for this week.
- SLP to the following: Holly, Michelle, Griff, Jay, Daryl, Pastor Cory (early happy b-day), Art (happy b-day), Dave, Bob (happy b-day), Lynn, Andrea, Nick, Scotty, Jennifer Kupiec, Mike Cooper & friend (don't remember his name...sorry about that), and Aunt Susie.
That's it for this go-round. My hand is actually cramping up from all the typing today. so I'd better get going. I don't know if the next blog will be as event-filled, but I hope it will be as interesting. Until next time, folks. Take care and God Bless.
DJ
