No longer does he have his eyes wide shut

The retirement party on Saturday was superb. All the featured speakers were spot on in praising our friend, George. He was getting out of the airline business after 36 years. There was a break in the action following the speeches and the place emptied out. It is hard to believe so many were headed outside to smoke cigarettes. I went out to listen to the stories.

One of the great storytellers was just a few feet from the door. John had been a heavy drinker for over 40 years. He knew the day would come sometime so he decided to quit when he was wife got sick. This seemed like the honorable thing to do. It was much easier than he anticipated.

With extra time on his hands, John mapped out his next mission. He sat down and wrote a letter for the first time since he was a teenager in the United States Marine Corps. Dear John.

The goal was to perform one act of kindness every day. That will be 7300 nice gestures over the next twenty years if they let me stick around that long.

There have been easy ones like paying for a stranger's coffee or letting somebody go ahead in line. A favorite was giving directions to an elderly Irish woman. "She didn't understand me and I didn't understand her. So I lifted her into my truck and put her in the passenger's seat while I put her pocketbook on the console. In five minutes, she was at her destination."

I used to speed up when I went by the church or blow through red lights when I was running late. I had no patience for anybody when I waited in line at the store. I couldn't wait to get out of work and always had excuses to cut out early. I used to think that the library was just a big building with a bunch of bricks.

And now, I can't believe I just got my first library card. It looked as though I were headed to AA. And now I'm a member of AAA.

Hey buddy, need a lift. I'm headed that way.



Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

It appears civility in today's society may be dead

14 years is not nearly enough time for Genesis drummer and solo artist, Phil Collins to forget the treatment he received from Paul McCartney. The Beatles had been a major early influence on Collins, including their drummer Ringo Starr. The party at Buckingham Palace in 2002 where Collins approached Paul McCartney ended whatever hero-worshipping that may have existed.

"McCartney came up to me with Heather Mills and I had a first edition of 'The Beatles' by Hunter Davies. ‘Hey Paul, do you mind signing this for me?’ And he said, ‘Oh Heather, our little Phil’s a bit of a Beatles fan.’

Phil Collins' credits include eight studio albums that have sold 33.5 million certified units in the US and an estimated 150 million worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists. He is one of three recording artists, along with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, who have sold over 100 million albums worldwide both as solo artists and separately as principal members of a band. He has won seven Grammy Awards, six Brit Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, an Academy Award, and a Disney Legend Award.

In 1999, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010, and the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2012.

I just finished listening to all six minutes 36 seconds of Sussudio. The title of the song by Phil Collins was named for a stutterer who could not pronounce studio. Sussudio is an imaginary girl's name. The song is about having a crush on someone when you are young. He used Sussudio as a name to encompass any girl.

Phil Collins found it important enough to acknowledge those who are not perfect. Collins has battled numerous physical ailments over the past decade. He lost the ability to play drums due to the considerable pain this caused. He lost the feeling in his left leg following surgery and walks with a cane.

I am swearing off listening to any Paul McCartney songs. Let the moratorium begin. It was pretty easy in changing the dial for Hey Jude.

It has been 43 years since I have knowingly purchased any Pepsi products due to their misguided customer treatment. With 310 channels on Sirius Radio, I am well equipped to give Paul McCartney the same treatment.


Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

Nobody has been able to lay off one, yet

Peter Pan was the top movie in theaters in 1953, with a lifetime gross of over $87,400,000. It was 60 cents to go to the movies. The Massachusetts schoolboy baseball tournament was held at Fenway Park, and there was no admission required.

The tournament featured powerhouse Bay State schools from: Somerville, Newton and Milford. The fourth school represented were the diminutive Patriots from Concord. Enrollment was barely 100 students, and that encompassed three other towns(Bedford, Carlisle and Lincoln). Concord was in the midst of a 59 game winning streak on the gridiron, but baseball had never been its strong suit.

Future Cleveland Indians' draftee, lefthander Dave Bouchard got Concord off on the right foot with a complete game victory over previous State Champion Somerville, 3-2. The game featured a two run homer into the left field screen by stocky catcher, Dave DiRuzzo. The ball was belted just to the left of the flagpole atop the center field wall and scored Ken Olsen from first base who had reached on a single.

The Lions from Newton were the semifinal opponent for Concord. The game was tied 3-3 in the eighth inning when Newton's Mike Oliver blasted a line drive over the head of Concord centerfielder, Don Cullinane. The shot one hopped the wall as Oliver raced around the bases. The speedy Cullinane retrieved the ball off the wall and threw in the air to the cutoff man. Shortstop Ken Olsen made a perfect throw to third baseman Dave Wade who applied the tag on the hustling Oliver.

A late tally by Concord in the bottom of the inning gave them the lead and they hung on for the win, 4-3. The winning pitcher was righthander, Al Stockelberg. Concord would face Milford in the finals. Righthander Ralph Lumenti would be pitching for Milford. Ralph was just three years away from professional baseball with the Washington Senators in the American League.

Milford led throughout the contest and held a 5-4 lead into the ninth inning. Concord had rallied in the eighth, cutting the deficit to a single run. Lumenti had struggled mightily with his control and walked two batters
while getting two outs. He faced Arthur Duggan with hot hitting Ken Olsen on deck. Duggan worked a 3-2 count and time was called while the Milford manager, the catcher and infielders huddled at the mound. Duggan walked over to the ondeck circle for some instructions from Olsen.

"Whatever you do, don't swing. He can't find homeplate with a compass. Take your walk and I'll either tie or win the game."

Hoosiers - In 1951, Norman Dale arrives in the rural southeast Indiana town of Hickory to become a high school teacher and head basketball coach. He was hired by Cletus Summers, the principal and a longtime friend of Dale's. Dale, just out of the Navy, had been a champion collegiate coach until he struck one of his players. The coaching position in Hickory is a last chance for him.

The school enrollment is so small that Dale has only seven players on his squad. At his first practice, Dale quickly dismisses one, Buddy Walker, for not paying attention and talking while the coach is talking. Another, Whit Butcher, walks out in support of his friend, leaving Dale with only 5 players, the minimum needed to play.

Hickory shocks the state by reaching the championship game in Indianapolis. In a large arena and before a crowd bigger than any they've seen, the Hickory players face long odds to defeat the defending state champions from South Bend, whose players are taller and more athletic. But with Jimmy Chitwood scoring at the last second, tiny Hickory takes home the 1952 Indiana state championship.


The same can not be said for Concord. Their best hitter remained in the ondeck circle. Arthur Duggan did the opposite of what he was told, chasing the 3-2 curveball in the dirt that was a foot off the plate. 63 years may have moved the cost of a movie ticket to $7.92, but it hasn't moved Ken Olsen from wondering, "what if"?

Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

Concord Can't Close Cold Case

Jim Greer of Concord, MA was an executive for The Raytheon Company (a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics). The company has a planned shutdown for the first two weeks of July. The Greer family was on Cape Cod as the race for President in 1964 heated up.

It rankled some of the youngsters in the neighborhood that the Greer family had life so easy. The two cars in the yard, the freshly painted house, and a bumper sticker supporting Barry Goldwater on the fancy gray Rolls Royce was too much for David Baker, Ted Murphy and Danny Hurstak. With the family away for a few weeks, why not bring show them a thing or two about politics in Massachusetts? Two extremely large LBJ 64 signs were sprayed on the hood and trunk of the polished Rolls Royce.

In modern times, paint (particularly spray paint) and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner's permission is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime.

All the mothers of the boys, Elizabeth Hurstak, Evelyn Baker and Helen Murphy, may have all been complicit in "SprayGate." The mothers did purchase some paint thinner and ordered the boys to rub the paint off the Rolls Royce, but the oil based primer that the boys used would not budge. The women laughed when the Greers returned from their vacation. The family was aghast when they witnessed the damage.

The local police heard through the grapevine about the destruction on Garden Rd. and dispatched two rookie cops to assess the situation. Danny Hurstak, a future United States Marine, did the talking for the group. He was easily able to hoodwink the young policemen and the investigation was closed shortly, thereafter.

While the statute of limitations has long expired for Baker and Murphy, it is possible for charges to still be filed. Charges were brought against Hurstak because he moved out of state to Hawaii in 1978. Under state law, the statute of limitations is suspended if a person moves out of state, meaning charges could still be filed decades after the alleged incident.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley had no comment on the case. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Hurstak will cower and turn state's evidence against choirboys, Baker and Murphy. Danny Hurstak became a successful businessman in the 50th state, and clearly would not want his past criminal behavior to surface.

When asked why he did not call the police, Jim Greer replied, "I didn't want those hooligans to deep six my other vehicle in the Concord River, which was just two blocks away."

Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

Florida State football reaches alltime low

How far will a school go to protect a star athlete from rape allegations? Ask Florida State.

Our film The Hunting Ground and the New York Times have already detailed the extent of FSU’s derailment of Jameis Winston’s rape case, but a recently released, explosive deposition shows how top-level administrators were actively involved in this cover-up.

The Tampa Bay Times published the complete testimony of FSU Victim Advocate Director Melissa Ashton that was given in the just-settled case of Erica Kinsman versus Florida State University. Ashton’s testimony revealed that:

1. Jameis Winston (now the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) has been identified in the sexual assaults of two women, and
2. The Florida State Chief of Police and the Dean of Students colluded to stop the investigations of Winston.

FSU’s victim advocate office had 113 sexual assault reports over 2014, yet FSU’s administration reported only 14 sexual assaults to the federal government. QB Jameis Winston Winston won the Heisman Trophy and in early January, 2014 led his team to the national championship.

Florida State opened the 2016 season at home against the Ole Miss Rebels. Trailing 21-6 at halftime, head coach Jimbo Fisher had Jameis Winston give the Seminoles a pep talk. The speech worked to perfection, and Florida State rallied, winning easily, 45-34. A 52-8 win against creampuff, Charlestown Southern gave the Noles a 2-0 record. They held the number two ranking in the NCAA College Football poll.

On the road against upstart University of Louisville this past Saturday, the wheels came off the bandwagon. Louisville QB Lamar Jackson accounted for five touchdowns, and a 35-10 halftime lead reached 63-10 in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals made no attempt to increase the 53 point margin. Florida State scored a TD with just five minutes remaining to close the gap to 63-17. If the score held, it would supposedly be the worst loss in Florida State football history.

With two minutes remaining in Saturday's contest, Louisville punted to Florida State. The Seminoles mounted a drive into Louisville territory that reached the 16 yard line. 51 seconds were left on the clock at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium when FSU kicker Ricky Aguayo booted a 33 yard field goal to make the final score, 63-20.

Florida State was under the assumption that a 45 point loss was their worst beating ever. The Seminoles worst loss remains 49-0 to Florida in 1973. The loss Saturday was the worst since 47-0 to Miami in 1976, in Bobby Bowden's second season as the Seminoles head coach.

The word on the street for Florida State fans used to be that " they would have one shirt and a 20 dollar bill, and change neither for the weekend." The team, when faced with adversity, is not even at that level.


Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

Trot Nixon used all 24 hours on 9/11

Trot Nixon, then an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox, was in Florida where the team was to play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. But Nixon had made the team aware that he might at a moment's notice to attend the birth of his child. He received the call he was waiting for from his wife in Boston at 6 a.m. on Sept. 11. He got on a 7:05 a.m. flight to Boston. But he wasn't going to get back to Boston by air on this day.

The flight was forced to land in Norfolk, Va. He called his wife, Kathryn, to tell her that he would not be able to be on hand for the birth of their child, but be with her in labor. He did not think he could be completely specific about the tragedy that had disrupted travel.

The airline pilot came on the intercom and said we are going to have ground our flight in Norfolk, Virginia. There has been an unfortunate tragedy in New York. And he said the terrorist attacked. He didn't relinquish that it was two airplanes crashing into the towers.

"So the plane did a U-turn -- you know a quick turn -- and started heading back. Meanwhile, as I read stories this past year, a lot of the flight attendant and airline pilots were kind of not so much scared, but didn't know what to expect, didn't know if there was someone on our flight or not. None of the passengers paid any attention to it.

"Then Kathryn called me. I remember it was 1:32 p.m. and she told me we had a little baby boy, Chase," Nixon said. "I started crying. I am not afraid to cry. She put him up to the phone. He was screaming and yelling. It was awesome. Just to hear him was a relief. To know that Kathryn was fine and everything went well during the delivery, and the baby was healthy. He's got 10 fingers, 10 toes -- everything that you sit there and pray day in and day out that you have a healthy baby."

The one fortunate part of the story was that Nixon had family in the area. He recruited his mother, father and sister to drive with him to Boston. There were highway closings and related complications along the way, and Nixon had only two hours of sleep the previous night after traveling to Tampa. But Nixon got to Boston about 3 a.m. the next day, and he got to hold his newborn son. In the midst of a day of death and devastation, his family had been given the gift of life.

"We will not forget what happened that day," said Trot Nixon. "We will not forget the people -- the men and women who sacrificed their lives to save others, who where there working 24 hours a day, seven days a week since it happened. We will honor those people. But we are also going to treat it as a celebration of Chase's birthday."

Chase Nixon is now 15 years old. Let's hope he has the same fine career as his father, and famous relative, James "Catfish" Hunter. Catfish had a Hall of Fame career as a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees. He died at 53 of ALS(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

We can handle the truth if we hear it

The Toronto Blue Jays named Tim Johnson as their manager for the 1998 season following the firing of Cito Gaston and the interim management of pitching coach Mel Queen. Queen remained on as pitching coach under Johnson and the two reportedly feuded extensively, despite Johnson's reputation as a good communicator. Johnson also had rumored differences with several of his players, including Pat Hentgen, Ed Sprague, and Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens.

It was revealed that Johnson lied about horrific experiences in Vietnam, when in fact there was no truth to them at all. And not only did Tim Johnson fabricate lies about his experiences in Vietnam, but he also lied about being an All-American basketball player who turned down a chance to play for UCLA.

One of the incidents in question was when Tim Johnson opted to use Rogers Clemens instead of Pat Hentgen to pitch a series finale in Boston. After Hentgen responded unfavorably, Johnson quipped back saying something to the effect of “you don’t know anything about tough spots … pressure is in Vietnam.”

Of all people, it was actually Roger Clemens who discovered Tim Johnson’s secret. At the time, Clemens was a good friend of Johnson; and knowing of his wartime stories and that he was a big motorcycle fan, wanted to get him a present any veteran would be honored to receive – a motorcycle helmet featuring the logo of his combat unit.

Roger Clemens asked around trying to gather some background info on Tim Johnson, to no avail. Clemens even went as far as to ask Johnson’s wife, but she apparently knew nothing about it. And that was the beginning of the end of Tim Johnson’s time with the Blue Jays

Ryan Lochte admitted in an embarrassing interview with NBC's Matt Lauer that he fabricated parts of his story that he was robbed at gunpoint while in Rio de Janeiro. "I over-exaggerated that story and if I had never done that, we wouldn't be in this mess. " The claim created a minor international incident and caused Lochte to lose a number of sponsorships.

"None of this would have happened," Lochte added about the aftermath in which three of his fellow swimmers were questioned by Brazilian police and one was ordered to donate nearly $11,000 to a Brazilian charity.

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady returned to practice after sitting out three days due to a clubhouse mishap. Brady cut his right thumb with a pair of scissors while cleaning his spikes. The accident occurred one hour prior to the exhibition game at Gillette Stadium against the Chicago Bears

The NFC Title game between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco was played on January 10, 1982. The game featured "The Catch" by wide receiver Dwight Clark at the back of the endzone on the pass thrown by QB Joe Montana. The touchdown reception gave the 49ers the lead with 58 seconds to play. San Francisco held on for an exciting 28-27 victory, and a trip to the Super Bowl.

Four year old Tom Brady claimed he was at the 1982 NFC Title game, and he was in the stands in the endzone where Clark made the miraculous catch.

I guess Roger Clemens isn't the only one who "misremembers" important moments in history.


Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy