| Show A Few Thou Thoughts About Sports r Life anti and Role Models By Corey Bullock Sports Editor A few years ago if you would have walked in my room baring the fact that you could get in without a ahard ahard ahard hard hat and a bulldozer you would have seen bits and pieces of sports memorabilia cluttering up my walls The walls of my room were white in color but you you couldn't tell by looking at them Posters jerseys and pictures of sports figures that are or orwill orwill orwill will be enshrined in specials buildings buildings buildings build build- ings in such places as Canton Ohio Springfield Mass and Coopers- Coopers town NY were littered about my room The collage of and iron grid-iron heroes that littered my walls and occupied my every thought were forever enshrined in a away away away way to show the significance of each pos poster er or picture I had posters of the Los Angeles Lakers that depicted the storied history of their style of play and their star point guard Magic Johnson His great ability to orchestrate the fast break was forever forever forever for for- ever frozen on my walls His uncanny uncanny uncanny un un- canny ability to lead the Lakers to five World Championships in the was ever present in room and andon andon andon on my mind Next to Magic hung the one they call His The only man that was ever accused of flying without without without with with- out a license Michael He hung there like he does in the air before adding two more points to his career average with a dunk Pinned to the ceiling above my bed was an array of Pete Rose pictures pictures pictures pic pic- pic- pic tures illustrating the reason why the called him Charlie Hustle His patented head first slide into the his aggressive style of running the bases his classic swing that produced more hits than any other in the history of the game Images of Tony Dorsett Cal Jr John Stockton and Boomer Esiason covered the rest of the walls I had jerseys of Danny White and Adrian I only bought shoes that Magic Johnson wore The pictorial history of the sports world that cluttered my walls and life epitomized who my role models were and why they had become such I would dream in my backyard that I was Pete Rose diving head headfirst headfirst headfirst first into home plate to score the winning run for the Reds in the World Series I was always pretending pretending pretending pretend pretend- ing to be Magic Johnson when we played basketball I wanted to do the things that they did I wanted the fame and recognition recognition recognition rec rec- that they had I wanted to live the lives that they lived being able to play sports all day everyday One thing I didn't expect were the results of their lives Magic Johnson had to stop playing playing playing play play- ing in the because of his promiscuity off the court and the contraction of an incurable disease Michael Jordan and Pete Rose tarnished tarnished tarnished tar- tar their story book careers with j f their obsessions wi with th gambling 1 There are arc such people in the sports 1 world like worm the the worm Dennis Rod- Rod I 1 man m All of the role models in the Nations Nations Na- Na lions time past-time stopped showing up j 3 to the ball parks to play doubleheaders double- double S headers to sign autographs and then j 4 they just stopped showing up all to to- to t gether I lost faith that the sports world could ever produce another role model for me Why could these people let me j down Are they the ones to blame 1 Are they to blame After all at the j jage age of twenty they are handed I Imore more money than they or their whole families have ever had In iI i I return all we ask is that they shot a ball or run for a touchdown or serve an ace Then I stopped to think that there are still people in the sports world who have kept everything in perspective perspective perspective per per- like David Robinson John Stockton and Steve Young There are still a few pictures 1 hanging on my walls showing the 1 text book form of Reggie Miller the incredible swing of Greg Jefferies and the of a Dan Marino spiral These people are able to do in incredible incredible incredible in- in credible things and in that regard they deserve the recognition they get As for role models I now look elsewhere |
