Wally's World

I learned that 89 year-old sports legend Wally McCormick died. He was a great athlete in his youth, but I knew him mainly as a referee and an irrepressible television host. When I played for Porter Acres softball team, Wally often umpired the game. We looked like a scraggily bunch of hippies, but Wally warmed to us. It was impossible to rattle him or stop from grinning at his observations, especially in tense situations. If you questioned a call, he’d say something like, “Maybe I got it wrong, I’ll try to get it right next time.” He once asked my eight year-old son if he was batting clean-up today. He did eighth grade basketball games and high school football games. Once I observed him placing the football down and players on both teams laughing at something he said. That was Wally in a nutshell. Five times, after the publication of a new issue of Steel Shavings magazine he had me on his cable TV show “Wally’s World” with co-host Tom Higgins. He was a veritable sports history encyclopedia, and inevitably the conversation got around to his beloved Emerson High School or how Hoosier Hysteria lost something when Indiana went to a class system instead of one big tournament. He loved quoting from his favorite movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” and with his infectious grin and quick wit was a joy to be around. As Jim Peters noted in a Times column, Wally ended his show with the following poem: “"May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand." It sounds hokey but it was vintage Wally, a unique free spirit. Peters also claimed that if a football coach ran up the score against a hapless opponent, Wally might throw a flag and call back a TD as a subtle warning to knock it off.

Rolling Stone magazine has a new issue featuring 40 reasons to be excited about today’s music. The Black-Eyed Peas, not my favorite group, are on the cover, and there’s a big article on MGMT. One of the 40 reasons is that Chuck Berry plays once a month at his Blueberry Hill Restaurant and club in St. Louis. We were there once with Kirsten Bayer and hubby Ed Petras but not when he was playing. Another “reason” was tribute bands that are better than the real thing. In fact, there’s a guy who fronted a grateful Dead tribute band who is now playing with Phil Lesh and other members of Further.

Toni did yeoman work fixing our phones, replacing the fluorescent light switch in the bathroom, getting three of our four TVs working again, and ridding the kitchen of the rotting food smell, all in the aftermath of the house being struck by lightning during our absence. The telephone man showed how the outside box was shattered and parts of it thrown 50 after being hit. Had we been on the phone when the power surge happened, we could have been badly hurt.

It was a bad week-end for the Cubs, losing twice to the anemic Astros. When the wind is blowing in, Cubs batters seemingly can’t adjust and still go for the fences. I won two of five board games Sunday, Acquire (drawing two lucky tiles at perfect times) and Small World (in a rout – none of us has played enough to thoroughly understand strategy). Talked with a couple high school friends about seeing Bob Reller and wife Karen. We all shook hands upon our arrival but hugged upon leaving. In fact, Rel and Karen stayed outside to wave to us after we circled their cul de sac, a nice touch.

I sent Salem Press my choices for their short review series, offering to do either a biography of rocker Little Richard, a book about Dundalk, MD, called “Roots of Steel: Boom and Bust in an American Mill Town,” or “The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America.” I had no idea what the latter was about but discovered that it traces the early days of the Forest Service and deals with a 1910 fire that spread over 3 million acres in the Northern Rockies.

Got an email from writer Clay Moyle, who read my article about boxer Tony Zale and wanted to know if I intended expending it into a book (the answer is no). He is thinking of doing one but did not wish to compete with me if I was doing one. He inquired about Zale’s relatives, and I mentioned the nephew who is an eye doctor in Merrillville and that he could put him in touch with others living in Michigan.

Chancellor Bruce Bergland, who is retiring in May, hosted his final emeritus luncheon that included chicken, noodles, salad, good bread, and cake for dessert. Among the attendees were historians Fred Chary, Ron Cohen, and Bill Neil, who mentioned that when he first taught at IU’s Gary Extension it was located across from a bookie joint. Old friends John Ban (Education) and Leroy Peterson (Math) were also on hand. Told Bill that I had run into Angie Komenich Saturday at the Portage library, but she wasn’t coming because she was still getting over the death of her husband. Bruce asked each of us to identify ourselves, and Biology prof Tim Stabler mentioned being a docent at the Museum of Science and Industry. Mike Certa and his wife are ushers and get to see plays free in Chicago. Mary Russell just returned from England barely ahead of the volcano ash. Recently retired Marty Zusman said he was looking forward to doing some fishing. As Liam, the sexagenarian protagonist in Anne Tyler’s “Noah’s Compass” said about winding down in retirement, “How to fill hours. Just proceed one day at a time, is all.” Bruce mentioned that the state legislature approved $33 million for a new building to replace Tamarack but that Governor Mitch Daniels has not released the money. I asked whether plans to make the stretch of 35th Avenue between IUN and Ivy Tech into an academic corridor died once Mayor Scott King left office, and Bruce replied, “If they aren’t dead, they’re barely on life support.” Ran into Jonathyne afterwards and introduced him to Leroy, whom I said was an old poker opponent. We often played at Lew Ciminillo’s house in Glen Park, and his wife would make us sloppy Joes. Fred Chary was a regular, and whenever he got a good hand he’d start rocking in his chair. Snuck Jonathyne out a piece of cake from where the luncheon took place.

I heard on the radio that tomorrow supposedly is National Weed Day – as in pot. The reason it occurs on 4/20 supposedly is because that is the time in the afternoon when students are out of school and able to have a SAFO get together – as in Smoke a Fat One. It kind of like the word Hoosiers: nobody is exactly clear as to the designation.

I went to see “Date Night” with Tina Fey and Steve Carell as a married couple trying to put more spark in their lives. The plot was contrived, but there were some funny moments, such as when the Fosters are trading lines on what other couples eating dinner might be saying to each other. A shirtless Mark Wahlberg has some good lines and a girlfriend named Whippit.