Properly Subversive/Sherman R. Frederick
In the wake of Mill Valley’s new rules to force little league coaches to undergo yearly training on “diversity, equity and inclusion,” let me take a moment to tell you what inclusion meant when I was a kid.
In the late 50s and early 60s, my dad was the coach of The Lions Club team where I got an up-close glimpse of what that entailed – stowing the gear, scheduling practices, picking up teammates unable to find a ride to the game.
I don’t remember my dad ever talking about “diversity, equity and inclusion” in the way Mill Valley woksters want us to talk about it, but those concepts weren’t fully shaped yet into modern culture. It must be said, however, that back then, from my perspective, it felt very inclusive. The issue wasn’t excluding kids, it was finding enough kids to include.
The poster boy for this was Tommy Miller who played right field. And when I use the word “played” I should probably use the word “stood,” because that’s what he did. He stood at his position, chewing his mitt. I can’t remember him ever catching a fly ball. But he loved to fetch. He chased down those balls with the exuberance of a Yellow Lab. Tommy did all this with the biggest toothy grin you can imagine. He loved it and we loved him.
Why?
Because he was a Lion and if you got somethin’ to say about Tommy Miller, say it to us all.
It’s a brave new world, I guess. I hope every community can find good people to put up with the new rules, but still remember that coaching remains largely about stowing the gear, making out schedules, and finding ways to make players feel like teammates, lucky and good.
Kids like me and Tommy Miller. Go Lions!
DAMN, JOE
When told that classified documents were found in three different places at his home and in his “think tank” office and they had been lying about for anyone to read, President Joe Biden was reported to have said: “Oh, F***.”
Truer words were never said. While Biden’s friends try to defend him by pointing out the differences between this event and the documents lifted by former President Donald Trump, the truth is the crime is pretty much the same. Maybe worse.
Bottom line: Classified documents were mishandled by both men. Period.
Look, when I was in the Navy and in my late teens and early 20s I was responsible for a room full of highly classified documents. Upon leaving the service, I was required to account for all the documents. Every single one. I never once thought about taking them home or shipping them off with me to college.
It’s not that hard, folks. We gotta stop making excuses for these guys.
WHAT A JERK
Hunter Biden had a daughter, now 4, from a stripper. Her name is Navy and her mother is seeking to change the kid’s last name to Biden. But Hunter opposes the change in court because, he told the judge, it would rob her of a “peaceful existence.”
Just when you thought Hunter Biden couldn’t be any more of a jerk.
ONE MORE THING
– Hungry clocks always go back four seconds.
– Did you hear about the machine that electronically castrates bulls? Yeah, these days, nobody buys a farm without power steering.
– Did you hear about the antiques collector who found an old Coca-Cola lamp? She was soda lighted.
Thanks for reading once again. Remember to avoid soreheads, laugh a little and always question authority.
(“Properly Subversive” is a commentary written by Sherman R. Frederick for Marinscope Community Newspapers, the “mother ship” of the Novato Advance, San Rafael News-Pointer, Mill Valley Herald, Ross Valley Reporter, Twin City Times and the Sausalito Marin Scope. Mr. Frederick is an award-winning journalist and co-founder of Battle Born Media, a news organization dedicated to the preservation of community newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
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