Open Range

D-Day's Everyday Heroes

The world remembered the bravery of the men and women of D-Day this past weekend and we were again reminded of the heroes among us.  One of them is my Dad.  That's him in the helmet with arms crossed, looking tough, or probably just acting tough.  He’s comfortably retired now and at age 86 is finally talking about his humble role in saving the world from the Nazi’s.

Good-bye Gators

We woke up from our dream season last week in a second collision with Red Mountain High School - the tournament's top seed.  The Mountain Lions zapped us in two games then lost the state title in extra innings to defending champion Basha.

Disappointing?  Sure, though what a ride!  As the # 16 seed - the last team picked for the tournament - expectations weren't too high for our kids.  Fooled 'em!  In game one Xavier upset Red Mountain 2-1. # 8 Gilbert Mesquite went next 10-2 and then # 4 Buena in a last inning comeback 4-2 (that's the celebration on the left).  Suddenly # 16 was in the Final Four!

Then, we ran out of gas, finished third, and a team that had struggled all spring before finding its rhythm at the right time had to be satisfied with almost being state champs.

Outrage on “Ball Street” - Part One

Welcome to Ball Street, Arizona, home to a massive sports entertainment industry that for most of America is a TV event.  They watched a Super Bowl from “the toaster” as ESPN’s Chris Berman has dubbed University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.  College football’s top teams slug it out in Glendale too in the Fiesta Bowl or a BCS Championship.  Turn on WGN on an April afternoon and see the Cubs spring training game live from Mesa. This weekend you'll check out the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's Sweet 16 live from The U of Phoenix Stadium.  Big teams and big sports are a pillar of Arizona’s now struggling economy.

You watch Ball Street at work on TV, but we see it  as part of everyday life.  Live here for any amount of time and you learn quickly that sports entertainment is a most sacred cow – that its backers have sold voters the idea that it’s a near bottomless well of money and prestige for a state that never met a tax it didn’t hate.  The simplified pitch is, “Bring in the gladiators and their fans and we’ll be swimming in dollars that’ll make life better here and keep your taxes low.  Build the stadiums on your dime and the returns are enormous” Turns out that might not be the whole story.

Outrage on “Ball Street” - Part Two

The National Football League is tax exempt.  

Let me say that again.

The National Football League is tax exempt. 

The same NFL that is a nearly $7 BILLION business doesn’t pay taxes.  Your NFL, the one that shakes down cities for stadia and Super Bowls underwritten by taxpayers doesn’t pay a lick in taxes.  Freaking amazing!  How did that happen?

Bruce Cooper – Standing Tall and Inspiring All

Bruce Cooper at a news conference in Tampa

 

Standing taller than his six-foot-plus frame amidst all of this negativity is Bruce Cooper, Marquis’ father.  Bruce is an easy-going, no-drama, get-it-done man who befriends everyone he touches and has successfully walked a challenging journalistic line.  He is respected by the people he covers, even though Bruce’s reporting will not spare them from harsh judgment if their play or behavior merits.

Beyond Tragic – Marquis Cooper and a Future Lost

Marquis Cooper and his family enjoying the sport he loved best next to football

Aboard a flight from Tampa to Denver the Yuppie conversation in the adjoining seats veers suddenly from resort vacations, bikini waxes and remodeled kitchens with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances (what recession?) to the lost football players.  Judgments are passed:

“How could you go out in a storm like that?”

“Couldn’t he have kicked out the hundred bucks for a rescue beacon?”

“His father doesn’t believe he gave up?  I heard him on TV last night; says his son is too smart and too strong to give up.”

“The Gulf with 14-foot swells?  In Tampa? Really?”

The Yups don’t know Marquis Cooper or his parents, so it’s easier to second-guess the entire affair as many others are most certainly doing, safely perched in front of computer screens and TV news shows where their only contact with the events are the gripping images of this story.