The Daily News
1 It's last night. I am listening to the news that followed the Niner game.
2 I don't listen to the news too much. It depresses me. I like to keep up on things, but on my own terms.
3 Every now and then a story comes up that turns my head.
4 If I catch it, great. If I don't, I return to writing this stuff. Writing this is like trying to watch the news as it passes on a lighted, moving ad in Times Square. I catch a glimpse of a story and blink. I ask myself if I saw it right. Then I wait for it to come around again. If I miss it a second time, I switch to the nightly news. Last night I did just that.
5 This story came and went like a Bible salesman. Some guy was choking on an apple, and a young kid gave him the Heimlech. He coughed the apple up, potentially saving his life.
6 Three microphones surrounded the young hero. When asked where he learned how to do the maneuver, he answered, "I watch Sponge Bob every day!"
7 I smiled too. So simple. Kudos to Sponge Bob Square-
pants, civil servant. I chuckled.
pants, civil servant. I chuckled.
8 Man bites dog.
9 Moving On, Part One: I need to eat my words when I said on Friday that the Niners didn't have a chance against the Falcons.
10 For a while now I thought the organization looked like the proverbial headless chicken.
11 Yesterday's game proved me wrong. Not completely wrong, but wrong.
12 Granted, while a 17-16 game handed to us by the opposing team is nothing to brag about, I confess I enjoyed seeing all the desire and spark of these new Niners. I bore witness to the awakening of a franchise that was publicly declared dead right around Halloween. The gallant play of fill-in quarterback Blaine Gabbert impressed me. He showed poise, intelligence, and amazing accuracy on the run, despite his receiving corps missing pass after pass. I counted six dropped passes, five of which should have been caught. Gabbert's numbers should have looked better. One notable exception to the bobbled pass receiving was tight end Garret Celek, who caught two touchdown passes in the second quarter. Gabbert himself showed character in other ways.
13 When he got T-boned by Falcon's linebacker Philip Wheeler, for example, Gabbert had to get checked for a concussion, and was told this by referees. He mouthed the word, "Wow!" when the refs told him, and then he walked slowly to the sideline. Cringe moment. The Niners' back-up quarterback is Colin Kaepernick. The fans let out a thunder of boos.
13 When he got T-boned by Falcon's linebacker Philip Wheeler, for example, Gabbert had to get checked for a concussion, and was told this by referees. He mouthed the word, "Wow!" when the refs told him, and then he walked slowly to the sideline. Cringe moment. The Niners' back-up quarterback is Colin Kaepernick. The fans let out a thunder of boos.
14 I thought the fans who booed Kaepernick showed a complete lack of class. I'm not sure why they booed Kaep. The issues might be off-field behaviors, which are beginning to affect the entire NFL. That's a breaking story. I'll address that in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, allow me to offer a bit of support for Kaepernick.
15 The year was shot after back-to-back debacles earlier in the season. Listen: it is normal to bench a starting quarterback if he isn't producing. Colin should have been on the bench the minute it became obvious he was ineffective. The league knew he was a deer in the lights, and every team came at him like locomotives. The guy is young and couldn't handle it. When told he needed a breather, he said, "I don't need a breather; my breath's fine." Probably not a good thing to say, but not worthy of rudeness and disrespect.
16 My guess is that a lot of the "fans" got their tickets from seasoned fans who decided not to go through the hassles of getting to the stadium on a rainy day when they could stay dry and warm at home. Those weren't real Niner fans, because real Niner fans don't act like that. Not in my eyes.
17 Anyway, the game was nice and fun on a rainy day. We have some really fast guys. And now a bye week. I'm not going to say they will go into Seattle and win, because I don't see that happening at all. It is tough to go into Seattle and win.
18 The Seahawks' weakness? Penalties. They've great personnel, but stupid penalties are not the sign of a top-notch team. They're 4-4. So we'll see.
19 That stadium gets loud.
20 Still, I look forward to seeing what happens if the Niners' receivers catch the balls they missed.
21 I'll say this: ask Jerry Rice for help. Wishful thinking? Not anymore. It is okay to associate with the team, at least for a second. Let him help those guys. Gabbert has a nice touch. And he came back. The fans want the sport they have grown to love.
22 It's nice to have football back. I don't think it makes any sense to put Colin back in. They haven't much to lose. People seriously talked about playoffs yesterday.
23 I wouldn't go that far. Gabbert said, "We had fun!" That's much nicer than, "We gotta get better."
24 I'll leave this on the field.
25 Moving On, Part Two: Speaking of Sports: I was happy to see that the Warriors'/Kings' game was being televised the other night. I was amused enough that I lit down the living room and decided to enjoy the moment. While I'm a huge Warriors' fan, I was met with sudden civic pride, as the game was being played just four minutes from my house. I live WAY close to Sleep Train Arena, and even gave thought to walking over and trying to get in.
26 The Kings played on pointe for the most part, keeping the game close the entire time. I saw a team that, while younger, had huge motivation and played in a frenzy. They shut Steph down for much of the game, but they couldn't stop paying for mistakes. Points off turnovers killed them. They're young and hungry. The Warriors are world champions for a reason.
27 I saw it from a coach's perspective. This young team had to step back and examine how well they came together as a team that night. Post game, they looked upset, because it was a loss. They'll grow. Mark me. Meanwhile, I loved watching an NBA game with distinct local flavor.
28 I loved when they would go to commercial, and zero in on the Tower Bridge bridge, or the State Capitol lit up. Picture perfect.
29 Once again I felt a bit of civic pride. This was two massively talented NBA teams playing a bicycle-ride away from home. I could walk a few blocks and see the parking lot.
30 I loved going to downtown San Jose on a home Sharks' night and enjoying everybody dressed out, cheering and getting loud. I smiled because now that I live in Sacramento, I can enjoy the same sort of thing.
31 Thank you, San Jose. I miss you.
34 I put on a film I caught the other night. The film was 1941's Blossoms in the Dust with Greer Garson, who plays a strong woman named Edna Gladney. It is the true story of Gladney's quest to help orphaned children, abandoned children, or what society referred to then as "illegitimate" children. She wanted to end any permanent branding of children by having that word eliminated from birth certificates, permanent records and other legal documents. Directed by the incomparable Mervyn Le Roy, the story takes place in a home Gladney provides for orphans and children born without a father in the house. Gladney tries to match the children with parents who might be perfect for them.
35 The house had people coming in to leave babies, and people coming in to adopt babies. Lots of drama and genuine issues I won't bother you with, but a charming film.
36 A couple of things about the film caused me to smile. The orphanage had a revolving door of people coming and going. At one point, a well-to do member of high society, Mrs. Marcus Gilworth (Cecil Cunningham) offers to give "the advantage of our home" to a child, but, she insists she and her husband don't want "one who cries."
37 After having been through several months of babies, I have found precious few who don't cry.
38 Gladney's crusade eventually takes her the Texas legislature, where she lobbies to have the word "illegitimate" banned from birth certificates of children who are adopted or abandoned.
39 Great movie. For the record, in 1936, she successfully made Texas the first southwest state to have that word removed, and the lifelong stigma attached to innocent children eliminated.
40 A bit of personal trivia: an actor named Charles Arnt plays a character named G. Harrington Hedger in the film.
41 I smiled.
42 Moving On, Part Four: You may have noticed no writing lesson today. I did this on purpose. It made the DN really demanding. I do this and have done this as a lark. It's fun, but I don't wish a hobby to become a full-time job. This weekend showed that. I needed fast facts for three stories that needed facts and film, research, editing, and all the rest.
43 I have stated this is the last school year of the DN. After this I've other things I wish to enjoy, including family, friends, health, music, and other things.
44 Last night I picked up my guitar and realized I had forgotten chords and lyrics to songs I've know forever. Don't get old. I want to keep my both body and brain sharp. That can't happen sitting around in a comfy chair.
45 I will still provide writing tips now and again. If you need help with a grammar rule, shoot the question to me by email. My email address is gfharrington@aol.com. I'm pretty good about getting back to people within 24 hours (if I'm not traveling).
46 Okay, that's it. I hope I limited errors in here. I did tons of editing on today's DN, so hopefully I didn't cut and paste long sentences or put clauses in odd places. I'll give it one last look before publishing, but if something looks off, ignore it. I hit myself in the face with pies regularly.
47 Gottago.
48 See you again.
49 Peace.
31 Thank you, San Jose. I miss you.
32 I watched the Warriors, on one of their worst nights all year, still put the game away, but I also felt the Kings showed a lot of poise and teamwork. And the best part: they aren't going away.
33 Moving on, Part the Thoid: Speaking of Movies: Loved it. Nice to know even annoying days can flip and turn, especially with a little mood lighting. After last night's game, I searched my recordings.
35 The house had people coming in to leave babies, and people coming in to adopt babies. Lots of drama and genuine issues I won't bother you with, but a charming film.
36 A couple of things about the film caused me to smile. The orphanage had a revolving door of people coming and going. At one point, a well-to do member of high society, Mrs. Marcus Gilworth (Cecil Cunningham) offers to give "the advantage of our home" to a child, but, she insists she and her husband don't want "one who cries."
37 After having been through several months of babies, I have found precious few who don't cry.
38 Gladney's crusade eventually takes her the Texas legislature, where she lobbies to have the word "illegitimate" banned from birth certificates of children who are adopted or abandoned.
39 Great movie. For the record, in 1936, she successfully made Texas the first southwest state to have that word removed, and the lifelong stigma attached to innocent children eliminated.
40 A bit of personal trivia: an actor named Charles Arnt plays a character named G. Harrington Hedger in the film.
41 I smiled.
42 Moving On, Part Four: You may have noticed no writing lesson today. I did this on purpose. It made the DN really demanding. I do this and have done this as a lark. It's fun, but I don't wish a hobby to become a full-time job. This weekend showed that. I needed fast facts for three stories that needed facts and film, research, editing, and all the rest.
43 I have stated this is the last school year of the DN. After this I've other things I wish to enjoy, including family, friends, health, music, and other things.
44 Last night I picked up my guitar and realized I had forgotten chords and lyrics to songs I've know forever. Don't get old. I want to keep my both body and brain sharp. That can't happen sitting around in a comfy chair.
45 I will still provide writing tips now and again. If you need help with a grammar rule, shoot the question to me by email. My email address is gfharrington@aol.com. I'm pretty good about getting back to people within 24 hours (if I'm not traveling).
46 Okay, that's it. I hope I limited errors in here. I did tons of editing on today's DN, so hopefully I didn't cut and paste long sentences or put clauses in odd places. I'll give it one last look before publishing, but if something looks off, ignore it. I hit myself in the face with pies regularly.
47 Gottago.
48 See you again.
49 Peace.
~H~
fin.
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