A little known fact is that Jeff Bridges spent almost a decade during the 60s and 70s in the USCG. Prior to the early 80s when, the movie Tron came out, he was referred to as Lloyd Bridge's son or that kid from Sea Hunt.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
So, that put me on a miniature idle thinking that is based around Jeff's early career and the earliest movie of his I know him from, which is Heaven's Gate (two years before Tron) and now I'm stuck trying to think how that movie and its repercussions would work out in this world.
Like, it's regarded as basically the death knell for an entire period of film-making but the director, Michael Cimino, probably won't have the career needed to make it due to the Vietnam War not happening and his career being made by The Deer Hunter.
Just some fun Butterfly tracking on my part.
Actually, Jeff Bridges was in several other films before "Heaven's Gate", such as "The Last Picture Show (1971), "Fat City" (1972), and another Michael Cimino film - 1974's "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot", which also starred Clint Eastwood."
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Lloyd, Beau, and Beau Jeff all served in the U.S. Coast Guard or USCG Reserves. Lloyd served in WWII. Later in life, Lloyd was active in the USCG Auxilliary, a civilian volunteer organization affiliated with the CG. Beau and Jeff would be considered Vietnam-Era veterans, but neither served in Vietnam.
Jeff was a Petty Officer Second Class, in the Boatswain's Mate rating - BM2. It's not clear to me what Lloyd and Beau were.
Jeff was a Petty Officer Second Class, in the Boatswain's Mate rating - BM2. It's not clear to me what Lloyd and Beau were.
Part 154, Chapter 2806
Chapter Two Thousand Eight Hundred and Six
24th December 1979
Neuquén, Argentina
Christmas Eve or not, it was late in the day and Kiki was hiding in her office as she waited until it was time to go home hoping that she wouldn’t get called back into the Emergency Department at the last minute, like if it were any other day. She was talking with Nurse Ainsworth because it was better than feeling alone.
“Nina is complaining because she feels that Christmas doesn’t feel like Christmas this year because it doesn’t belong in the middle of summer” Kiki said, “That moving to Argentina was some sort of hideous prank that we pulled on her.”
“She has to understand that you and Benjamin cannot control the weather, or that we are in South America” Nurse Ainsworth replied. She pronounced Ben’s name in the American fashion which Kiki found to be a bit grating, but she didn’t exactly have many people to discuss these matters with.
“No one expects that an eight-year-old will be particularly reasonable” Kiki said, “Especially when she wants to go back to Bavaria, that is what she asked for as a Christmas gift.”
It annoyed Kiki but as the months had dragged on she had found herself continuing to work closely with Ellen Ainsworth despite knowing that the American Nurse was probably reporting whatever got said to the CIA. Still, when the group had returned from Añelo Nurse Ainsworth had understood perfectly what had happened and had taken Kiki’s side when she had put Jean Allard in his place. His argument was that their job was to save lives, not watch people die. Kiki was in full agreement with him, but what Allard didn’t understand yet was something that Kiki had learned with bitter experience.
Being a Field Surgeon meant that you occasionally found yourself in situations where you had to make choices and those were often of the sort that left no one happy. The idea was to save as many as possible while minimizing harm. They had been far from the nearest hospital with limited supplies so they had needed to concentrate on those who could be helped. The day would come when Allard found himself in that sort of situation without a Senior Surgeon on scene to make the hard choices for him, he had better hope that he didn’t mess up on that day. That had also been when Kiki had learned that Nurse Ainsworth knew all about what she had done in Korea, that had been an international story at the time. Nurse Ainsworth remembered that Kiki had been credited with saving an absolutely staggering number of lives over the course of that six months. She remembered how she had gone up the helicopters heading for the forward aid stations every chance she got, there had been so much to do and she had felt that her efforts had just not been enough. Then she had received the PLM and the Heer Air Service clasp to go with her EK1 with Oak Leaf and diamonds, meaning that she had spent hundreds of hours aboard helicopters in combat. It was to the extent that many had wondered when she had ever had time to sleep, as they had transported the wounded to the hospital ships out in the yellow sea. Her job had been keeping those men alive after they had been stabilized to the extent that they could be transported. Dozens had still died in her care though, so crediting her with saving so many lives was probably not deserved.
Talking about her children was a much safer topic.
“You are giving Nina what she wants this autumn… Well spring back there” Nurse Ainsworth said, “For a couple weeks anyway.”
“That is just to visit” Kiki replied, “And there are going to be a lot of demands on my time while I am there. Which isn’t exactly fair for any of my children.”
Steffi, Kiki’s personal secretary had warned her that she had received a number of letters that suggested that Kiki’s travel plans in the coming weeks had leaked. They were of such a nature that not even Kiki could afford to ignore them. Queen Elizabeth of England and Kat von Mischner wanted to see her, it was a bit difficult to figure which of those was more daunting. There was also the Hohenzollern Province where Kiki was theoretically the Monarch, such as it was. It had been a long time since she had spent much time there, so there was probably a considerable backlog of things that would need to be addressed by her when she got to the castle.
“Nina told me how important the things that you and Benjamin do are” Nurse Ainsworth said, “That he is this big deal University Professor and you are the greatest Doctor in the whole world.”
“She doesn’t know better” Kiki replied, “Both Ben and I are in professions where longevity and experience are of paramount importance. Both of us have had colleagues treat us like children because we are still in our thirties.”
“Try being a Nurse” Nurse Ainsworth said, “If you are lucky, they treat you like furniture.”
“My mentor, Doctor Berg told me that the Nurses should be treated with courtesy because they are the ones who make your job possible by catching the stupid mistakes” Kiki said, “She was a Nurse before she went to the Surgical Academy during the Soviet War. Nora said that in those days if you had a hand to hold a scalpel and pulse they let you in, she was able to specialize in Obstetrics and Gynecology after the war.”
“You’ve mentioned this woman before, yes?” Nurse Ainsworth asked.
“Doctor Berg has been my mentor since I was twelve and she was the Surgeon who presided over the birth of all three of my children” Kiki replied, “Fortunately, she wasn’t needed.”
“Who delivered your babies then?” Nurse Ainsworth asked with a confused look on her face. Kiki remembered that Medicine was practiced differently in the United States. Nurses were not the only ones who got treated like furniture.
“That would have been Ermintrude Aue” Kiki replied, “She is the Midwife who has delivered my children as well as those of my sisters. She is highly regarded.”
That was not an answer that Nurse Ainsworth had been expecting.
24th December 1979
Neuquén, Argentina
Christmas Eve or not, it was late in the day and Kiki was hiding in her office as she waited until it was time to go home hoping that she wouldn’t get called back into the Emergency Department at the last minute, like if it were any other day. She was talking with Nurse Ainsworth because it was better than feeling alone.
“Nina is complaining because she feels that Christmas doesn’t feel like Christmas this year because it doesn’t belong in the middle of summer” Kiki said, “That moving to Argentina was some sort of hideous prank that we pulled on her.”
“She has to understand that you and Benjamin cannot control the weather, or that we are in South America” Nurse Ainsworth replied. She pronounced Ben’s name in the American fashion which Kiki found to be a bit grating, but she didn’t exactly have many people to discuss these matters with.
“No one expects that an eight-year-old will be particularly reasonable” Kiki said, “Especially when she wants to go back to Bavaria, that is what she asked for as a Christmas gift.”
It annoyed Kiki but as the months had dragged on she had found herself continuing to work closely with Ellen Ainsworth despite knowing that the American Nurse was probably reporting whatever got said to the CIA. Still, when the group had returned from Añelo Nurse Ainsworth had understood perfectly what had happened and had taken Kiki’s side when she had put Jean Allard in his place. His argument was that their job was to save lives, not watch people die. Kiki was in full agreement with him, but what Allard didn’t understand yet was something that Kiki had learned with bitter experience.
Being a Field Surgeon meant that you occasionally found yourself in situations where you had to make choices and those were often of the sort that left no one happy. The idea was to save as many as possible while minimizing harm. They had been far from the nearest hospital with limited supplies so they had needed to concentrate on those who could be helped. The day would come when Allard found himself in that sort of situation without a Senior Surgeon on scene to make the hard choices for him, he had better hope that he didn’t mess up on that day. That had also been when Kiki had learned that Nurse Ainsworth knew all about what she had done in Korea, that had been an international story at the time. Nurse Ainsworth remembered that Kiki had been credited with saving an absolutely staggering number of lives over the course of that six months. She remembered how she had gone up the helicopters heading for the forward aid stations every chance she got, there had been so much to do and she had felt that her efforts had just not been enough. Then she had received the PLM and the Heer Air Service clasp to go with her EK1 with Oak Leaf and diamonds, meaning that she had spent hundreds of hours aboard helicopters in combat. It was to the extent that many had wondered when she had ever had time to sleep, as they had transported the wounded to the hospital ships out in the yellow sea. Her job had been keeping those men alive after they had been stabilized to the extent that they could be transported. Dozens had still died in her care though, so crediting her with saving so many lives was probably not deserved.
Talking about her children was a much safer topic.
“You are giving Nina what she wants this autumn… Well spring back there” Nurse Ainsworth said, “For a couple weeks anyway.”
“That is just to visit” Kiki replied, “And there are going to be a lot of demands on my time while I am there. Which isn’t exactly fair for any of my children.”
Steffi, Kiki’s personal secretary had warned her that she had received a number of letters that suggested that Kiki’s travel plans in the coming weeks had leaked. They were of such a nature that not even Kiki could afford to ignore them. Queen Elizabeth of England and Kat von Mischner wanted to see her, it was a bit difficult to figure which of those was more daunting. There was also the Hohenzollern Province where Kiki was theoretically the Monarch, such as it was. It had been a long time since she had spent much time there, so there was probably a considerable backlog of things that would need to be addressed by her when she got to the castle.
“Nina told me how important the things that you and Benjamin do are” Nurse Ainsworth said, “That he is this big deal University Professor and you are the greatest Doctor in the whole world.”
“She doesn’t know better” Kiki replied, “Both Ben and I are in professions where longevity and experience are of paramount importance. Both of us have had colleagues treat us like children because we are still in our thirties.”
“Try being a Nurse” Nurse Ainsworth said, “If you are lucky, they treat you like furniture.”
“My mentor, Doctor Berg told me that the Nurses should be treated with courtesy because they are the ones who make your job possible by catching the stupid mistakes” Kiki said, “She was a Nurse before she went to the Surgical Academy during the Soviet War. Nora said that in those days if you had a hand to hold a scalpel and pulse they let you in, she was able to specialize in Obstetrics and Gynecology after the war.”
“You’ve mentioned this woman before, yes?” Nurse Ainsworth asked.
“Doctor Berg has been my mentor since I was twelve and she was the Surgeon who presided over the birth of all three of my children” Kiki replied, “Fortunately, she wasn’t needed.”
“Who delivered your babies then?” Nurse Ainsworth asked with a confused look on her face. Kiki remembered that Medicine was practiced differently in the United States. Nurses were not the only ones who got treated like furniture.
“That would have been Ermintrude Aue” Kiki replied, “She is the Midwife who has delivered my children as well as those of my sisters. She is highly regarded.”
That was not an answer that Nurse Ainsworth had been expecting.
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This is a case where the main subject of the post is too close to see the bigger picture.
Of course, Nurse Ainsworth is reporting to the US Embassy in Buenos Aires that Kiki and Family are doing nothing but the things they were publicized before arriving to Argentina.
Nurse Ainsworth is confused about the use of Midwives in Europe because people in both the United States and Europe have no idea how much influence that the American Medical Association has over the practice of medicine in the United States.
The AMA worked hand in glove with state legislators and Federal lawmakers to force out competitors like midwives, chiropractors, osteopathic medicine, among others.
Nowadays, because of court rulings and reform of state laws, chiropractors can be licensed for limited physical therapy, and nurses can get additional qualifications like becoming midwives, Nurse-Practitioners, among other things, and Osteopathic Medical Schools have the same curriculum and training as AMA accredited Medical Schools except for extra osteopathic manipulation training.
They were a force first against private medical insurance like Blue Cross/Blue Shield as they "interfered with the doctor/patient relationship" by approving or disallowing treatments that were ordered by doctors, this evolved to opposition to Medicare/Medicaid, then to Single Payer Insurance, any other comments will wake the Bear and will be told to move to Chat.
Of course, Nurse Ainsworth is reporting to the US Embassy in Buenos Aires that Kiki and Family are doing nothing but the things they were publicized before arriving to Argentina.
Nurse Ainsworth is confused about the use of Midwives in Europe because people in both the United States and Europe have no idea how much influence that the American Medical Association has over the practice of medicine in the United States.
The AMA worked hand in glove with state legislators and Federal lawmakers to force out competitors like midwives, chiropractors, osteopathic medicine, among others.
Nowadays, because of court rulings and reform of state laws, chiropractors can be licensed for limited physical therapy, and nurses can get additional qualifications like becoming midwives, Nurse-Practitioners, among other things, and Osteopathic Medical Schools have the same curriculum and training as AMA accredited Medical Schools except for extra osteopathic manipulation training.
They were a force first against private medical insurance like Blue Cross/Blue Shield as they "interfered with the doctor/patient relationship" by approving or disallowing treatments that were ordered by doctors, this evolved to opposition to Medicare/Medicaid, then to Single Payer Insurance, any other comments will wake the Bear and will be told to move to Chat.
"J" would be pronounced like the "y" in "yes" in German. I'm thinking Kiki was miffed that Nurse Ainsworth used the English pronuciation instead.
Maybe would more logical to pronounce Benjamin like in Spanish because they are in Argentina: beŋxˈamin
LinkedTortoise
Monthly Donor
But you're also forgetting it's America. Land of the Colourado, two pronunciations of Kansas, at least two of Appalachia, and so on.
So Benjamin is probably pronounced with all variants of vowels. Probably has a Benjumin somewhere.
So Benjamin is probably pronounced with all variants of vowels. Probably has a Benjumin somewhere.
I am sorry there is only one pronunciation of the The State of Kansas. You are confusing us with that state to east of us that we have been protecting the rest of the states from since 1861, Missouri or Missoura or some other variation.
Part 154, Chapter 2807
Chapter Two Thousand Eight Hundred and Seven
31st December 1979
Mitte, Berlin
The roof of the Central Branch of the Berlin State Library was secret that few outside the Staff knew about. During the summertime the trees and plants that grew in the pots lent it a parklike feel with a breathtaking view of the city’s skyline. During the last minutes of the year and decade, many from the party that had been going on in the Breakroom had decided to head up to the rooftop, the sudden cold of the nighttime air on New Year’s Eve was a bit of shock. It was mostly members of the Staff and their families. It was not just the Librarians though. The building’s Caretaker, his wife, their children, along with much of the library’s Clearing and Maintenance Staff, lived in apartments hidden away on the top floor of the library. Considering how everything else that happened in the library was dependent on them; it would have made no sense not to invite them. Leni saw that there were hundreds of thousands of people filling the streets below them. Like always, whenever Leni saw a crowd of people she heard her father’s voice as an intrusive thought, how she had best be earning her keep for once or else. That had meant picking pockets and stealing things like watches and jewelry. Her father was long dead, killed in the blasts from bombs dropped on Berlin for reasons of Soviet morale, a revenge attack aimed solely at the civilian population of Berlin in a manner that made seeking shelter difficult if not impossible. Leni had not known until years later what a FAB-5000 was, but that was what had leveled several buildings in that part of the city and not filling any actual strategic purpose. Along with Leni’s father, Judita’s whole family had also been wiped out that night. Leni had been elsewhere because her father, playing the role of Fagian had left her with a black eye and had thrown her out, telling her not to come back until she had something to show for it. Leni had not mourned his death after she found out.
Leni was still the Curator of the Rare Books Section of the Library and she couldn’t imagine doing anything else. That didn’t sound too impressive until the nature of the Section was factored in. Many of the books were irreplaceable and the people allowed anywhere near them had to be carefully vetted and versed in the proper handling of the materials, never without supervision. Leni was all too aware of the sorts of things that proved extremely destructive given a long enough timeline, fingerprints, and hairs for example. So much of her work involved restoration and preservation she saw that a lot. Having months of painstaking work undone by a moment of carelessness was something that she had come to dread.
It might seem counterintuitive that a Public Library had an entire section of books that no one was allowed to touch and needed to be kept under high security. Leni understood that her Section included the Hohenzollern collection along with the additions of several other Royal collections that had been added over the years the value had grown proportionally. It wasn’t as if they hid it away from the public, this year Leni’s section had conducted a very successful exhibition of the correspondence between Friedrich the Great and Francois-Marie Arouet better known by his nom de plum M. de Voltaire over the prior months.
Her husband Richard occasionally made fun her for preferring to be at the Library, which was well ordered and comfortable as opposed to their home which was far more chaotic. Of course, he did the same thing at the University Clinic but the world saw a man who was at the forefront of Cardiology very differently.
“What do you want in the coming year, Mum?” Isabel asked. Eighteen-year-old Isabel was Leni’s youngest daughter and something of a miracle, at least by Leni’s thinking. Conceiving Lara, Leni’s oldest daughter and carrying her to term had been extremely difficult with Leni having suffered a series of failed attempts, including a devastating miscarriage before that had happened. Then a few years later Isabel came along. That had been much to Leni’s surprise, though like Lara, Isabel had come into this world to a family that wanted her.
Leni thought for a second before she replied, “I want everyone to be happy and healthy.”
“You say that every year” Isabel said, a touch of exasperation.
“It’s still true” Leni said as they joined Ric and Lara. Ric was looking at his watch and saying something to Lara that Leni wasn’t close enough to hear. Lara was a University Student at Social Sciences Department in the urban campus of the nearby Friedrich-Wilhelm University.
As Leni got close, Ric gabbed her and kissed her right as the fireworks on barges on the river launched. The mortar shells exploded directly over their heads. What must have been less than a minute later, Leni saw that her daughters seemed rather pleased with themselves. That meant that they must have conspired with their father in setting that up. Her coworkers and subordinates were bemused by what they had seen. It was not on the clock as it were, but Leni had no doubt that this would fuel a whole lot of gossip over the next few weeks until they found something else to talk about. Then Leni remembered the prestigious guest that wanted to visit the Library in only a few days, her Section in particular. That was going to suck all the air out of the room.
31st December 1979
Mitte, Berlin
The roof of the Central Branch of the Berlin State Library was secret that few outside the Staff knew about. During the summertime the trees and plants that grew in the pots lent it a parklike feel with a breathtaking view of the city’s skyline. During the last minutes of the year and decade, many from the party that had been going on in the Breakroom had decided to head up to the rooftop, the sudden cold of the nighttime air on New Year’s Eve was a bit of shock. It was mostly members of the Staff and their families. It was not just the Librarians though. The building’s Caretaker, his wife, their children, along with much of the library’s Clearing and Maintenance Staff, lived in apartments hidden away on the top floor of the library. Considering how everything else that happened in the library was dependent on them; it would have made no sense not to invite them. Leni saw that there were hundreds of thousands of people filling the streets below them. Like always, whenever Leni saw a crowd of people she heard her father’s voice as an intrusive thought, how she had best be earning her keep for once or else. That had meant picking pockets and stealing things like watches and jewelry. Her father was long dead, killed in the blasts from bombs dropped on Berlin for reasons of Soviet morale, a revenge attack aimed solely at the civilian population of Berlin in a manner that made seeking shelter difficult if not impossible. Leni had not known until years later what a FAB-5000 was, but that was what had leveled several buildings in that part of the city and not filling any actual strategic purpose. Along with Leni’s father, Judita’s whole family had also been wiped out that night. Leni had been elsewhere because her father, playing the role of Fagian had left her with a black eye and had thrown her out, telling her not to come back until she had something to show for it. Leni had not mourned his death after she found out.
Leni was still the Curator of the Rare Books Section of the Library and she couldn’t imagine doing anything else. That didn’t sound too impressive until the nature of the Section was factored in. Many of the books were irreplaceable and the people allowed anywhere near them had to be carefully vetted and versed in the proper handling of the materials, never without supervision. Leni was all too aware of the sorts of things that proved extremely destructive given a long enough timeline, fingerprints, and hairs for example. So much of her work involved restoration and preservation she saw that a lot. Having months of painstaking work undone by a moment of carelessness was something that she had come to dread.
It might seem counterintuitive that a Public Library had an entire section of books that no one was allowed to touch and needed to be kept under high security. Leni understood that her Section included the Hohenzollern collection along with the additions of several other Royal collections that had been added over the years the value had grown proportionally. It wasn’t as if they hid it away from the public, this year Leni’s section had conducted a very successful exhibition of the correspondence between Friedrich the Great and Francois-Marie Arouet better known by his nom de plum M. de Voltaire over the prior months.
Her husband Richard occasionally made fun her for preferring to be at the Library, which was well ordered and comfortable as opposed to their home which was far more chaotic. Of course, he did the same thing at the University Clinic but the world saw a man who was at the forefront of Cardiology very differently.
“What do you want in the coming year, Mum?” Isabel asked. Eighteen-year-old Isabel was Leni’s youngest daughter and something of a miracle, at least by Leni’s thinking. Conceiving Lara, Leni’s oldest daughter and carrying her to term had been extremely difficult with Leni having suffered a series of failed attempts, including a devastating miscarriage before that had happened. Then a few years later Isabel came along. That had been much to Leni’s surprise, though like Lara, Isabel had come into this world to a family that wanted her.
Leni thought for a second before she replied, “I want everyone to be happy and healthy.”
“You say that every year” Isabel said, a touch of exasperation.
“It’s still true” Leni said as they joined Ric and Lara. Ric was looking at his watch and saying something to Lara that Leni wasn’t close enough to hear. Lara was a University Student at Social Sciences Department in the urban campus of the nearby Friedrich-Wilhelm University.
As Leni got close, Ric gabbed her and kissed her right as the fireworks on barges on the river launched. The mortar shells exploded directly over their heads. What must have been less than a minute later, Leni saw that her daughters seemed rather pleased with themselves. That meant that they must have conspired with their father in setting that up. Her coworkers and subordinates were bemused by what they had seen. It was not on the clock as it were, but Leni had no doubt that this would fuel a whole lot of gossip over the next few weeks until they found something else to talk about. Then Leni remembered the prestigious guest that wanted to visit the Library in only a few days, her Section in particular. That was going to suck all the air out of the room.
As much as it might sound far fetched, the Superintendent's apartment as well as rooms that might go to cleaning Staff in the top floors of libraries and other public buildings were real. That was because of the coalfired heating that was common in buildings constructed in the early Twentieth Century. Someone always had to be on hand to run the system. Automation, the switch to natural gas, and changes to the culture ended the practice.
Some building codes and zoning laws in larger cities were set up that they could have apartments and dwellings on the ground for staff and management This was setup to make sure that when they had those places in there that they could not rent them out as regular apartments or run a hotel there, however they were allowed to have transient places for people like visiting scholars, workers, performers and such to have a place to stay temporarily.
It is Academy Awards time tonight, and the big race ITTL 2024 is between Freyja about Nessa von Schmidt, the Mother of the German Atomic Bomb and the Race to the first Atomic Bomb with the American Manhattan Project, which was sold to President John Nance Garner as a "Neutrality Weapon" and the British "Tube Alloys" program.
The movie shows the complex questions of morality of producing a weapon that could potentially destroy all life on earth.
It also features how the Germans were able to sabotage the Manhattan Project while at the same time stop Edward Teller from blowing up Washington D.C,
The other big contender is Leni with Margot Robbie in a dual role about the worldwide iconic fashion doll, with Blonde American version being much more consumerist, and the Red -hair German version being more of an "Aspirational role model".
The biggest laughs in the movie comes with "Epic" battle between the American boyfriend Ken and the German boyfriend Manfred.
The movie shows the complex questions of morality of producing a weapon that could potentially destroy all life on earth.
It also features how the Germans were able to sabotage the Manhattan Project while at the same time stop Edward Teller from blowing up Washington D.C,
The other big contender is Leni with Margot Robbie in a dual role about the worldwide iconic fashion doll, with Blonde American version being much more consumerist, and the Red -hair German version being more of an "Aspirational role model".
The biggest laughs in the movie comes with "Epic" battle between the American boyfriend Ken and the German boyfriend Manfred.
Part 154, Chapter 2808
Chapter Two Thousand Eight Hundred and Eight
1st January 1980
Dublin, Ireland
With Ed’s Alma Mater, Ohio State, in the Rose Bowl this year there was no way that he was going to miss it. What surprise him was that among the American expat community in Dublin there were a surprising number of sports fans who were more than happy to welcome him at the pub where they gathered, often in the middle of the night because of the huge time differences. With California being eight hours behind Dublin it was a good thing that the kickoff was around Noon on the West Coast, Ohio State Buckeyes versus Annapolis Midshipmen. The commentators called it the sort of classic matchup which had seldom been seen in recent years with both schools bringing a different ethos onto the field.
The game that followed was the sort of Midwestern slugfest that bored anyone but the most dedicated of fans to death. Both teams had made drives up and down the field, but they always seemed to lose steam around the fifty-yard line. The Buckeyes kept trying to run the ball, which played right into the strengths of Navy’s defense. Finally halftime arrived and it was noticeable that everyone in the bar lost interest in the game as the marching bands took to the field and the whole rah-rah patriotic spectacle that had started before the game started anew. Something that Ed had noticed was that with the exception of the Germans, most Europeans he encountered weren’t into those sorts of displays of nationalism, it made them uncomfortable. Of course, the Germans themselves were very likely the cause of that. Finally, the special teams came onto the field and the kickoff resumed the game ending with the Buckeyes on the thirty-yard line.
Pasadena, California
The game had been one of the toughest that Little Mike had ever played and he was only coming back from halftime. The Head Coach had read them the Riot Act in the locker room, all about how they needed to hold the number one offense in college football. This game was the end of the line for most of them, so they needed to play like it.
For Little Mike it was as if he was coming home and playing on the same field that his father had twenty-odd years earlier. No one had blamed him for feeling like the conquering hero as he had stepped off the 727 at LAX a few days earlier, that was nothing compared to the welcome he received when he arrived at his parent’s house in Baldwin Hills. It seemed like everyone he had ever known had turned out and that was quite the party. The truth was that what Little Mike had wanted more than anything was to sleep in his own bed for the first time in months.
The trouble was that Derik had gotten used to having the room all to himself and all his art stuff was everywhere, including Mike’s bed. The result was the same argument that they had been having since they’d been little. Mike liked things like being able to see the floor or not having the place smell like a barn full of Billy goats. Derik on the other hand, considered dust bunnies his friends and believed that having a working knowledge of the sedimentary layers of the accumulated junk helped make sure that he never really lost anything.
His younger sister Shauna was her usual self, but Mike could tell that the health problems that had dogged her for years had not gotten better. Even before they had known what the cause was, it was obvious that something was wrong. While everyone else in their family was relatively tall, Shauna’s growth was stunted due to the Sickle Cell Disease that she had been born with. That, coupled with Chronic Asthma had ensured that she had not led a normal life, frequently being in and out of the hospital. She had still gotten good grades and had told Little Mike that she dreamed of going to Stanford in a couple years. The trouble was that Mom and Dad were not exactly thrilled with the idea of her being so far from home. Their other sister Keri was far better at fashion and window shopping, though had no idea how she could possibly turn that into a career. Mom wasn’t about to stand for that, either she was going to go to college or else she was going the route that her parents had taken, the City of Los Angeles had lots of positions that needed warm bodies to fill them.
It was funny how Little Mike kept thinking about his family as he took his place on the line of scrimmage. The opposing offense had mostly been running the ball throughout the first half and it had worked, mostly. If he were in the shoes of their QB though, he knew what he would do…
Dublin, Ireland
There were moments where everything turned on a dime. As Ed was watching the game, he couldn’t say what exactly but the instant the snap occurred he knew with sickening certainty that the Buckeyes Offense had just made a big mistake. One of the Navy’s Tackles managed to get through into the pocket as the Buckeye’s QB had gone back for a pass and was looking for a Receiver. Under pressure, the QB threw the ball down field seconds before the other player smashed into him. As soon as the ball left his hand Ed just knew what was about to happen as it took a high arcing trajectory right into the hands of one of the Navy’s Safeties. The Buckeyes managed to stop the Safety before he ran it in but that left Navy in possession on First and Goal. Ed just knew that last play had just changed the momentum of the game.
1st January 1980
Dublin, Ireland
With Ed’s Alma Mater, Ohio State, in the Rose Bowl this year there was no way that he was going to miss it. What surprise him was that among the American expat community in Dublin there were a surprising number of sports fans who were more than happy to welcome him at the pub where they gathered, often in the middle of the night because of the huge time differences. With California being eight hours behind Dublin it was a good thing that the kickoff was around Noon on the West Coast, Ohio State Buckeyes versus Annapolis Midshipmen. The commentators called it the sort of classic matchup which had seldom been seen in recent years with both schools bringing a different ethos onto the field.
The game that followed was the sort of Midwestern slugfest that bored anyone but the most dedicated of fans to death. Both teams had made drives up and down the field, but they always seemed to lose steam around the fifty-yard line. The Buckeyes kept trying to run the ball, which played right into the strengths of Navy’s defense. Finally halftime arrived and it was noticeable that everyone in the bar lost interest in the game as the marching bands took to the field and the whole rah-rah patriotic spectacle that had started before the game started anew. Something that Ed had noticed was that with the exception of the Germans, most Europeans he encountered weren’t into those sorts of displays of nationalism, it made them uncomfortable. Of course, the Germans themselves were very likely the cause of that. Finally, the special teams came onto the field and the kickoff resumed the game ending with the Buckeyes on the thirty-yard line.
Pasadena, California
The game had been one of the toughest that Little Mike had ever played and he was only coming back from halftime. The Head Coach had read them the Riot Act in the locker room, all about how they needed to hold the number one offense in college football. This game was the end of the line for most of them, so they needed to play like it.
For Little Mike it was as if he was coming home and playing on the same field that his father had twenty-odd years earlier. No one had blamed him for feeling like the conquering hero as he had stepped off the 727 at LAX a few days earlier, that was nothing compared to the welcome he received when he arrived at his parent’s house in Baldwin Hills. It seemed like everyone he had ever known had turned out and that was quite the party. The truth was that what Little Mike had wanted more than anything was to sleep in his own bed for the first time in months.
The trouble was that Derik had gotten used to having the room all to himself and all his art stuff was everywhere, including Mike’s bed. The result was the same argument that they had been having since they’d been little. Mike liked things like being able to see the floor or not having the place smell like a barn full of Billy goats. Derik on the other hand, considered dust bunnies his friends and believed that having a working knowledge of the sedimentary layers of the accumulated junk helped make sure that he never really lost anything.
His younger sister Shauna was her usual self, but Mike could tell that the health problems that had dogged her for years had not gotten better. Even before they had known what the cause was, it was obvious that something was wrong. While everyone else in their family was relatively tall, Shauna’s growth was stunted due to the Sickle Cell Disease that she had been born with. That, coupled with Chronic Asthma had ensured that she had not led a normal life, frequently being in and out of the hospital. She had still gotten good grades and had told Little Mike that she dreamed of going to Stanford in a couple years. The trouble was that Mom and Dad were not exactly thrilled with the idea of her being so far from home. Their other sister Keri was far better at fashion and window shopping, though had no idea how she could possibly turn that into a career. Mom wasn’t about to stand for that, either she was going to go to college or else she was going the route that her parents had taken, the City of Los Angeles had lots of positions that needed warm bodies to fill them.
It was funny how Little Mike kept thinking about his family as he took his place on the line of scrimmage. The opposing offense had mostly been running the ball throughout the first half and it had worked, mostly. If he were in the shoes of their QB though, he knew what he would do…
Dublin, Ireland
There were moments where everything turned on a dime. As Ed was watching the game, he couldn’t say what exactly but the instant the snap occurred he knew with sickening certainty that the Buckeyes Offense had just made a big mistake. One of the Navy’s Tackles managed to get through into the pocket as the Buckeye’s QB had gone back for a pass and was looking for a Receiver. Under pressure, the QB threw the ball down field seconds before the other player smashed into him. As soon as the ball left his hand Ed just knew what was about to happen as it took a high arcing trajectory right into the hands of one of the Navy’s Safeties. The Buckeyes managed to stop the Safety before he ran it in but that left Navy in possession on First and Goal. Ed just knew that last play had just changed the momentum of the game.