Well it seems i'm losin' friends and associates at a rapid pace.George Carlin was special and in my life since the early 90's when i was immersed in the Las Vegas entertainment community. He was a fixture at Bally's and i was a permanent fixture at The Aladdin.
It was a time in Vegas that no longer exists late nite saloons and lounges where the stars mingled, drank ,laughed amongst the promoters ,media and fans .I got to know Carlin and truthfully can say .he had the quickest wit and mind of anyone i had ever met.
.The more he drank the funnier he got . He was from New York and grew up in the fifties and believe me he had a passion for New York sports and could rattle off all the old Brooklyn Dodgers along with the Yanks.Knicks and Rangers.
He called the Knicks the Knickerbockers and the Mets the Metropolitans. He did it in a very funny but sophisticated way.
His seven dirty words skit is not only a classic, but a social commentary on our lives in America . HIS HBO PROJECTS ARE CLASSICS AND HE HAS OVER 20 CD'S OF MONUMENTAL WORK FOR THE AGES.
Since this is a sports blog I would like to get George in your head by quoting his sports routine verbatum.
"There are only three sports:baseball,basketball and football everything else is either a game or activity."
What about soccer?
Anything where you can't use your arms can't be a sport."
Running ?
Running isn't a sport because anybody can do it. my mother can run."
Hockey is three activities taking place at the same time; ice skating,fooling around with a puck and beating the (expletive) out of somebody.If these guys had more brains than teeth,they'd do these things one at a time."
"Another reason why hockey isn't a sport is that it is not played with a ball .Anything not played with a ball can't be a sport.. The only other place you'll find a puck is in the urinal to control the smell in the bathroom."
Swimming.?"
Swimming is a way to keep from drowning"
Boxing?
Boxing is a way to beat the (expletive ) out of someone"
Golf?
"Golf is a game that might possibly be fun if it could be played alone.But its the vacuous, striving .male bonding joiners one has to associate with that makes it such a repulsive pastime."
There are many more sports quotes that he rendered , but my favorite was his hunting shot....
Hunting?
"You think hunting is a sport? Ask the deer."
POINT BEING HE WAS AND WILL ALWAYS BE A SOCIAL COMMENTATOR extraordinaire AGREE OR NOT AGREE HE MADE YOU THINK IF YOU HAD THE BRAINS TO LISTEN..HE WAS NOT AFRAID OF THE SO-CALLED POLITICALLY CORRECT THINKERS . HE KNEW DEEP DOWN ALL THEY DO IS DIVIDE AND MAKE BAD BEHAVIOR AND SULLEN LIFE STYLES ACCEPTABLE AND FAIRY TALES A WAY OF LIFE .
FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS AND IF YOU HAVEN'T TAKEN A JOURNEY INTO THE WORLD OF CARLIN ... PLEASE DO ...YOU MAY COME OUT A BETTER PERSON
FARE THEE WELL GEORGE CARLIN ...YOR BODY OF WORK WILL BE DEBATED AND ENJOYED UNTIL THE END OF TIME .....THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES....
POSTSCRIPT; HIS LAST PERFORMANCE WAS AT MY LOCAL HANG-OUT THE ORLEANS IN LAS VEGAS .MARGARET AND I GAVE MY TICKETS TO HER NIECE AND HUSBAND ...IN FROM PHOENIX. WE BABY SAT THEIR LITTLE GIRL CECELIA . I FELT GOOD WHEN THEY GOT BACK AND TOLD US THANKS AND THEY WERE NOW FANS. HE WOULD OF LIKED THAT HE WAS REACHING OUT TO A NEW GENERATION.
I was as shocked as most of the the USA when Tim Russert died last week of an apparent heart attack.
Life seems to be cruel at times and for this great country to lose Tim Russert 's voice at a relatively young age is especially disturbing. The entire country mourned his death and the media types ,politicians and power brokers all paid their respects . It was like a who's who of the politico elite.
Enough has been said by the politicos some of whom are breathing easier .they wont have Tim astin' tough questions and demandin' the truth.
His death was a bad beat for me.
BY CHANCE...we met on a trip to Washington DC i was laid over at Indianapols .I up graded to first class Lo and behold my new seat mate was Tim Russert .as always he was readin' and researchin'. he looked up at me from drug strore readin' glasses and before he could say a word . i bellowed "Ain't you Big Russ's kid?" we laughed loud and long his face lit up like a Xmas tree when i told him i was from Hibbing, Mn. ...VIKING fan and a long time Las Vegan.
That's all we needed this guy was amazin' for the next few hours we dissected all 8 super bowl losses .no politics . he went to my website and was kind ....He told me to go for it ...He had a way of opening you up . He ast a thousand questions ...i didn't dare not answerin' honestly ....He loved the BOSS (Bruce Springsteen). but was enamored with (Frank Sinatra ) and when he knew i knew THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD we were bonded .
His love of country, sports and family and his enthusiasm for the truth will be his legacy . but i cant but wonder how many lives he touched in a positive way. BY CHANCE... my life is better for meetin' him......THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
FARE THEE WELL TIM RUSSERT / GO BILLS........
POSTSCRIPT...my heart goes out to his family... To his son ...think of your dad often and listen for advice... there will be signs... his good soul will be ever present and with you always
