American Icarus

Daedalus built the wings from feathers and wax, and before the two set off he warned Icarus not to fly too low lest his wings touch the waves and get wet, and not too high lest the sun melt the wax. But the young Icarus, overwhelmed by the thrill of flying, did not heed his father's warning, and flew too close to the sun whereupon the wax in his wings melted and he fell into the sea. Daedalus escaped to Sicily and Icarus' body was carried ashore by the current to an island then without a name. – THE MYTH OF ICARUS

Anybody with an appreciation for the game loves to read about those few guys who have what it takes to be a winner at any level. Throughout my life, I watched the story of Steve Howe unfold.

"He loved to play baseball and was always fun to be around," said Paul Tungate, his high school coach. "He was a joy to coach. Very likable, cocky and confident. He knew what he could do, and we knew what he could do. He just went out and did it."

The left-hander played two seasons at Michigan and helped lead the Wolverines to the College World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the first round of the 1979 amateur draft, shortly after he was an All-America selection.

Howe was the 1980 NL Rookie of the Year with Los Angeles, closed out the Dodgers’ 1981 World Series championship and was an All-Star the next year.

He flew to incredible heights. Yet, in rarified air, there are precious few warning signs. And, like Icarus he flew too close to the light. What follows is a staggering chronology of his fall. Equally staggering are the number of times he was invited back into the hot spotlight by the well-meaning, the foolhardy and the callous, indifferent suits whose performance is not based on what is right, but statistics.

1982 - Enters drug rehabilitation after the season.

June 29, 1983 — Fined one month's salary ($53,867) and placed on probation by the Dodgers after admitting a drug problem.

July 15,1983 — Reported late for game and suspended two days by the Dodgers.

September 23, 1983 — Missed team flight to Atlanta and suspended indefinitely by the Dodgers for what the team says is cocaine dependency. Goes into substance abuse rehabilitation.

December 15, 1983 — Suspended for one year by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for cocaine use.

May 1984 — In a grievance settlement, agreed not to play in 1984.

June 23, 1985 — Fined $300 by Los Angeles for arriving three hours late for a game.

July 1, 1985 — Placed on the restricted list by the National League for three days at the Dodgers' request after missing a game against Atlanta. Released by the Dodgers two days later.

August 12, 1985 — Signed by the Minnesota Twins, but released a month later after missing three games with what the team said was a "temporary recurrence" of cocaine problem.

March 20, 1986 — Signed by San Jose of the California League.

May 15, 1986 — Suspended by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues after allegedly testing positive for cocaine. The following month he was suspended again through December 31 for the same reason; San Jose released him the day his suspension was over.

July 11,1987 — Signed by Oklahoma City of the Class AAA American Association; the Texas Rangers purchased his contract the following month.

November 1987 — Agreed to two-year, $1.2 million contract with Texas.

January 19, 1988 — Released by Texas after violating aftercare program by using alcohol.

April 4, 1990 — Signs contract with Salinas of the California League.

February 1991 — Signs contract with Columbus of the International League.

May 9, 1991 — Contract purchased by the New York Yankees.

November 5, 1991 — Signs one-year contract with the New York Yankees.

December 19, 1991 — Arrested on cocaine charges in Kalispell, Montana.

June 8, 1992 — Suspended indefinitely after pleading guilty in U.S District Court in Missoula, Montana, to a misdemeanor charge of attempting to buy a gram of cocaine.

June 24, 1992 — Suspended permanently by Commissioner Fay Vincent.

August 18, 1992 — Fined the minimum $1,000 and ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service by a federal judge in Montana and placed on probation.

November 11, 1992 — Reinstated by a baseball arbitrator.

June 22, 1996 — Released by Yankees.

June 24, 1996 — Arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York when a police officer spots a loaded .357 Magnum pistol in his carry-on baggage.

April 1997 — Signs with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the independent Northern League in comeback attempt at age 39 but quits midseason because of an arm injury.

August 19, 1997 — Critically injured in a motorcycle crash and later charged with drunken driving. Charges later dropped after prosecutors decided his blood test was improperly obtained.

April 1, 1999 — Suspended as a volunteer coach for his daughter's softball team in Whitefish, Montana girls' softball team.

April 28, 2006 — Dies in a one-vehicle car accident in Coachella, California, when his pickup truck rolls over in the early morning. Howe was 48.

A decade ago, it was clear that he was no longer the shining star that the world saw in 1980. And sports fans quickly discarded any thought of him. Society was indifferent as his demons took control of him. And, his employers uttered only a demand of accountability. Like Icarus, only the forces of gravity were present to dictate the fall. Only the few left who loved the person were close by as his story concluded.

How deafening was the silence after Howe had played his last meaningful game. How guilty was the game for allowing him to take part, instead of demanding that he clean up. What more compelling cry for involved parenting is there than the story of Steve Howe? It was Icarus’ father who gave him the ability to fly. What would his father have given for a few more minutes to discuss the danger of flying too close to the bright lights, the hazards and temptations? Once he was airborne, Howe was headed for the sun. And, his story will serve only as an object lesson for those few who care to hear it.

(Chronology of Arrests, etc. from Wikepedia.Com)

Yesterday, Bono was the guest editor of England's Independent.
(A link to his piece is attached below.)

I have watched these brave
and beautiful souls who are fighting a forest fire of a pandemic with watering cans, knowing they will not see the light of a day when their work will be honoured. I have been a witness to their conversations around canteen tables, deciding who will live or die, because they do not have
enough pills to go round.

Bono - 5/16/06

What can he be talking about? To grasp the situation,
recall the facts I discussed in my February entry:

• Swaziland is among the world's countries with the
greatest prevalence of HIV and the greatest need for treatment, training and education.

• In 2002, 39% of pregnant mothers were HIV positive. The survey from 2005 listed this rate at 56%.

• In southern Africa, 50% of all deaths of children under the age of five
are caused by HIV/Aids.

• By 2010, 10% to 15% of the population of Swaziland will be orphans.

The title of Bono's piece asks "What can I do?" And, I'll preface my thoughts by saying that life in Swaziland is barren and tragic. And, it seems that nothing that we do will reverse the situation
immediately. But, that is no excuse to do nothing. A few kind family and friends responded to my February entry by sending small donations to Lisa Mooneyham in Swaziland. And, our donations helped to buy the water tank pictured here.This tank will allow children of this village to have access to clean drinking water, without having to leave their village.

As some of you know, J. Scott Mooneyham and his wife are in the employ of the State Department. However, they also joyfully act as the boots on the ground that will act as our emissaries on a very local level.

Please make a donation of $10.00 to $20.00 or more to:

Lisa Mooneyham
2350 Mbabane Place
Dulles,VA 20189

Note: Aids Children/Titus Tribe

This is a State Department Address.
So, please only send checks (and/or clothes). Mail is filtered.
The children in the picture attached are recipients
of hand-made American teddy bears from the people at the Mother Bear
Project.

Here is a very common Swazi child: Bongani's Story

Background on John Scott and Lisa Mooneyham

The Mother Bear Project

The Independent - Guest Editor: Bono, May 16, 2006

Lisa is very fond of the children of Swaziland. And, she is very appreciative of the Mother Bear Project because they provide the only toys that many of these children will ever own.

Please make a donation to Lisa. I leave it up to her discretion as to how best to use our funds. However, she will send each giver a card and pictures of her activities. (February donors have these forthcoming.) And, please identify yourself as a member of the "Titus Tribe" because J. Scott and I have a bit of a competition as to whose tribe will raise more money.

Lisa
Mooneyham (left) is pictured here with Jody from the Mother Bear
Project.

Covering All Bases

Doug Flutie has officially retired, at the age of 43. He was a classy guy. He could have his name on the marquee. Or, he could back-up the starter. He was a team-guy. He did anything the coach asked, including being the first NFLer since WWII to drop-kick the football for a point after touchdown. I bet you didn't know that he and his brother Darren, another Boston College great, have a band called The Flutie Brothers. Also, Darren had a great career in the Canadian Football League. Both Darren and Doug may join Steve Nash as First Ballot Entries into the 6'0" And Under White-Guy HOF. (Throw in John Stockton and 5'10", Whitey Ford.)

ESPN has named its 10 greatest point guards of all time. And, I am in agreement with most of them. But, you can't base a player's importance solely on his numbers, as ESPN does to justify their picks. When I was in college in Boston, Larry Bird played with a point guard, who he referred to simply as the greatest player he'd ever played with: Dennis Johnson. He won championships in Seattle and Boston. He was All-NBA Defensive Team in nine different campaigns, NBA Finals MVP in 1979, and a 5-Time All-Star. DJ was a guy who (like Doug Flutie) was a team-guy, so his numbers weren't flashy. But, the results were pretty fine.

My son Junior's team played a very competitive baseball tournament this past weekend. Junior crushed the ball. He walked once, had a single, triple and double, struck out once and ground-out twice. As a team, the results weren't great as we won one and lost two. But, he made the greatest catch of his life on Saturday, diving for a fly ball on the left field foul line to save a run. This catch was so good, it would have lead-off ESPN all weekend (even if Barry Bonds would have hit his Ruth-tying HR).

Paul's Specter

There's a dark shadow, cast over this weekend. My wife scheduled a "Marriage Retreat" for us. Her sister and my brother-in-law, Paul will accompany us. My wife heard about it from some of our church members, who said it is really enjoyable.

I would bet my subscription to MLB.TV that no man ever scheduled one of these events. It's always wives. First, men have a deep-seeded paranoia that these events are designed by women to get all the men trapped in a big room, then draw everyone's attention to their weight and relational shortcomings. Further, men see these Marriage-Workshop events as conflicting with more preferable televised sporting events and twilight hours at the golf course. (more evidence that these events are designed by women). Is it any wonder why marriages need workshops, with women sabotaging all their husbands' precious free-time?

Of course, I'm going to miss one of Junior's baseball tournaments. And, this is at a time when he and the team are playing real well. They won their last tournament in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He's been a little light with the bat, but is pitching very well.

My brother in law, Paul (the finest brother-in-law you could know) is a true glass-half-full guy. He's looking forward to our opportunity to be together. He's a great man, but he may be a little naive. Doesn't he detect a conspiracy?

Paul and I ran the Cowtown Half-Marathon, in Ft. Worth together a couple months ago. That was a big achievement because Paul recently completed chemotherapy. We ran together, encouraging each other the whole way. We also recently took a trip with the wives and kids to South Texas to visit our wives' family. And, that's when I first saw the shadow.

All the girls got in one car, so they could blaspheme husbands, boys and males of every species. All the guys got in another so they could talk freely about the true meaning of life: baseball. It was just John, Paul, Me,.... and the shadow.

Paul is generally a very happy person. He is complimentary of people, and highly socially adept. He's handsome, athletic and has good fashion sense. He gives others the sense that they're ten pounds lighter, and ten years younger. He doesn't release the phantom around any but a trusted few.

During the long, hot stretches of Texas Highway, we three men discussed Junior's baseball exploits. Paul encouraged Junior to tell, to relive hits, K's and errors. I filled in, where I felt my input was helpful. Paul then offered his advise and experience. It seems that Pauly was a bit of a baseball player himself.

After John's recent experiences had all been parlayed, Paul talked about his own. As it happens, he was an All-State 2nd Baseman, during his highschool days in Colorado. His parents encouraged him during those years, enjoying those days with their son. During the playoffs, his Senior year, he once had 11 straight hits. During summer tournament ball, he once had a stretch where he got 22 hits in 23 at-bats. He recalled the names of players he hadn't seen in over fifteen years. Looking out into the nothingness of South Texas, he relived throws, the feel of the air, the smell of the grass, the exuberance of youth, prolonged by every new day on the diamond. As he told the stories to John and I, his eyes grew vacant. And the specter stretched his pin-striped legs, in the front seat, his ghostly features becoming more real.

At the end of his Senior year in highschool, Paul had two items sitting on his desk: an offer to play at Nebraska, and another at Iowa State University. But, he and his parents decided that he was too book-smart to risk his future on the crapshoot of sports. He told us about the despair he felt after his last game in highschool, knowing that he had chosen the discipline of Chemical Engineering over baseball. Junior asked if he would change anything if he could make the decision again. He told John that once a man makes a decision, he can't look back. And, the smokey apparition stared at Paul with his peircing eyes, nodding with an omniscient, wicked smile before fading out of sight.

Today, Paul wouldn't trade his life. He's beaten Cancer. He's got a beautiful wife and daughter. His career as an Engineer is going very well. He makes family events a lot more enjoyable for me. My wife loves him too. And so,... we're all set to go to the big Marriage Retreat this weekend, just the five of us: our two lovely brides, Pauly, Me and the Shadow.