Newspaper Page Text
4A
From Pudge Heffelfinger to The Saints
m
The NFL recently hit the
New Orleans Saints hard for
their bounty system, which
paid defensive players to injure
opposing players badly enough
to knock them out of the
game. The penalties included
various suspensions, draft pick
forfeits and a $500,000 fine.
All the participants deserved
their punishment, but really,
today’s heavily armored football
players, from high school to the
pros, are total pansies compared
to Pudge Heffelfinger.
William Walter “Pudge”
Heffelfinger played guard
for Yale in the 1890s. His
nickname came from his then
impressive bulk: he was about
6’3” and 195 pounds, roughly
equivalent to today’s 300-pound
lineman. In those days, foot¬
ball teams were beginning to
use mass momentum plays such
as the Flying Wedge, in which
blockers linked together to form
an inverted V; the ball carrier
followed his blockers inside the
wedge. Pudge broke up one
early Flying Wedge by throwing
himself full force at the point
of the wedge, collapsing it in a
tangle of bodies. Heffelfinger
had contributed to creating a
monster. Mass momentum
plays led to violent collisions
between defense and offense,
with many players faring worse
than Heffelfinger; there were
dozens of deaths and hundreds
of injuries. Players had no
Peach Publishing
Bob Tribble Mitch Tribbk
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Secretary
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• Jeff Holland......... ......Columnist
• Dan Gatlyn............ .......Columnist
• Tim Lewis.............. .......Columnist
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♦ MARCH 28, 2012
Opimioat expressed I y writers on this page are their mm and not necessarily those of The Leader-Tribune
padding and helmets in those
days
College football violence in
the late 19th and early 20th cen
turies also included deliberate
targeting of particular players, on
coaches* instructions. Outright
assaults on the field were part
of the arsenal. In 1905, 18
young men died from football
related injuries. President Teddy
Roosevelt, certainly no bleeding
heart, even threatened to ban
the sport if the colleges couldn’t
clean up their act. Roosevelt was
a fan and former player, he found
the game manly and believed
it instilled good character traits
of teamwork and perseverance;
and he wanted to save the game
from itself. It took a few years,
but football eventually cleaned
up its act, although it remained a
rough game.
Yet here we are again; delib
crate violence that crosses the
line in the pros, and many of
the same issues that the NCAA
dealt with in its early years, such
as recruiting irregularities and
college players getting “paid” in
various underhanded ways. The
Penn State scandal brought up
urice again the issue of college
sports programs and their offi
cials wielding too much power.
Here in Peach County, this
paper dutifully joined the hoopla
of College Signing Day, when
several of our best lYojan seniors
announced their commitments
to various college football pro
grams. We celebrated their
past achievements and cheered
those young men as they took
their next step toward what we
habitually proclaimed to be a
bright future. Yet they will be
heading into college athletics,
which the news tells us, over and
over, is plagued with corruption,
academic fraud, exploitation of
players and abuse of power. A
Trojan or two could even make
it into the NFL, where we have
seen players getting bonuses to
deliberately injure other players.
Local coaches assure us
repeatedly that they strive to
build young men's character
through sports, and I believe
them. However, football has
contradictions built into it. We
all admire players and teams
that persevere, that overcome
challenges, that defy expecta
tions and go to some deep, inex
plicable well to summon the
means to win. Somehow, their
striving becomes our striving;
their overcoming becomes our
overcoming. But, if we join
the individual players and the
team, then we are also part of
the game as we cheer a hard
hit that’s heard throughout the
stadium. We deliver that hit
along with the player on the
field. Where do we cross the
line between “hard, clean hit”
and “$1,500 for a cart off’?
I don’t know where that line
is, but the players and coaches
on the Saints who ran that
bounty system crossed it, and
the same impulses drove them
to it that drive every other par
ticipant, on field and off. Years
earlier, those players were lion
ized as “inspiring young men”
with “bright futures.” They
became hired thugs instead.
Years after his playing days, a
middle-aged Pudge Heffelfinger
scrimmaged with the current
Yale team. After he injured
several players less than half his
age, Pudge was asked to take
it easy. He still remembered
his lessons. Pray our Trojans
remember all of theirs.
_
Are You Prepared for Longterm Care Costs?
M
ii’CATiO
t> ihunr l plumm-t
Like everyone else, you
hope to remain physically and
financially independent your
entire life. And you may well
achieve this goal. Nonetheless,
the future is not ours to see, so
you’ll want to prepare yourself
for as many contingencies as
possible one of which is the
high cost of long-term care.
As you may know, long-term
care primarily refers to nurs¬
ing home expenses, but it also
includes services provided in
your own home. In either case,
though, it could be expensive.
The national average rate for
a private room in a nursing
home was more than $87,000
per year in 2011, according to
the 2011 MetLife Market Survey
of Long-Term Care Costs. The
same survey found that the aver¬
age private-pay hourly rates for
home health aides and home¬
maker companion services were
$21 and $19, respectively.
With luck, of course, you
won’t need to worry about these
types of expenses. But consider
this: People who reach age 65
have a 40% chance of entering
a nursing home, according to a
study by the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services.
And about 10% of those who
enter a nursing home will stay
there five or more years.
Clearly, if you take no steps to
prepare yourself for the poten¬
tially devastating costs of an
extended nursing home stay,
you could be jeopardizing the
assets you’ve worked so hard to
accumulate. Even worse, if you
run through your money, you
might end up creating a finan¬
cial and emotional burden for
your grown children.
Unfortunately, many peo¬
ple assume that a federal or
state government program will
Concerned About Better
Home Town and CVB
I was greatly saddened to
read in the Byron Crossing
Newsletter (April 2012) that the
Community Easter Egg Hunt
has been canceled for this year.
This has been a highly antici¬
pated event for the children in
Byron for many years and some
parents had already placed the
event on their schedule. How
sad is it that it is being can¬
celed just because one employee
left? This event has been spon¬
sored by the Better Hometown
Program (BHT). In recent years
the BHT has been merged
with the Byron Convention
and Visitors Bureau (CVB)
and there is still an employee
currently working under that
Authority. For whatever reason
this person is not abie/willing to
participate in the egg hunt but
surely someone, groups, orga¬
nizations or volunteers could
have stepped up to continue this
annual tradition. Having done
the egg hunt for years as the
BHT manager, I know it’s not
that hard, throw out some eggs
for the kids to pick up and yell
GO when it's time to start. In
this same newsletter is an article
about a volunteer meeting held
March 13, where 25 citizens
attended, I wonder if any were
asked to help with the Egg Hunt
to avoid the cancellation?
What I find more disturb¬
ing i* the fact that the CVB is
funded by tax money, allocated
by the City of Byron through a
negotiated cataract. This year.
2012, there were i involved
in the negotiations but an agree
was finally reached. In
the contract between the City
and the CVB dated March 12,
2012, it states the Authority
shall “promote, sponsor and
coordinate events in the down¬
town area such as but not
limited to, the Easter Egg Hunt,
Nightmare on Main Street and
the Christmas Parade, in a
recorded meeting held February
17, 2012, it was specifically
mentioned by CVB Authority
representatives that if they did
not receive full funding, then
they, the Authority, would not
be able to put on the Easter
Egg Hunt and other downtown
events. The City gave them the
full funding requested in the
amount of more than $132,000
and less than 30 days later, the
CVB cancels one of the events
they used as a negotiation tool
with the City.
There are currently four
vacancies on the CVB Board but
I did contact the other members
currently serving-Jeff Owens
- chairman, Jimmy. Walker,
Michael Chidester, and Mike
Patel. I was unable to reach
Bill Gresham. There is some
dispute as to whether the board
approved the cancellation of the
Egg Hunt. TWo of the members
stated they were unaware the
hunt had been canceled; one
told me the Board had voted
to cancel it. The bottom line is,
there was no need to cancel this
event. If no volunteers could
be found, certainly some of the
unused salary from the depart¬
ed employee could have been
used to pay sotneooe to make
sure this event still happened.
The CVB office is current¬
ly boused in the Peach Stops.
The Pastor And TheMfisicD‘irector
iated. The following Sunday
he told the congregation that
unless something changed
between himself and the music
director he was considering
resignation. The entire church
gasped when the music director
led them in “Why Not Tonight."
No one in the congregation
was surprised when a week
later the pastor resigned his
pulpit, explaining that Jesus had
led him there and that Jesus was
leading him away. However,
it would have been better for
everyone if the choir director
had resisted the temptation to
close with “What A Friend We
Have In Jesus.”
A church in another small
community had recently called
a new pastor. The youip pastor
was visiting the homes of his
members. At one house no one
seemed to be at home after
knocks on the door. He took out
his card and wrote "Revelation
3:20” on the back and stuck it
in the door.
When the offering was pro¬
cessed the following Sunday
at the morning worship service
the pastor found that his card
had been returned. Added to
it was this cryptic message,
“Genesis 3:10.”
When the pastor took out his
Bible to check out the citation
he broke out in gales of laugh¬
ter. Revelation 3:20 begins by
saying, “Behold I stand at the
door and knock.” Genesis 3:10
says, “I heard your voice in the
5
The story is told about a
feud that occurred between the
pastor and the music director
of a church in a small com¬
munity. It seems that the first
hint of trouble came when the
pastor preached one Sunday on
dedicating yourselves to service
and the choir director chose to
sing, “I Shall Not Be Moved.”
Trying to believe that it was a
coincidence, the pastor put the
incident behind him.
The following Sunday the
pastor preached on giving.
Afterwards the choir squirmed
as the music director led them in
the hymn “Jesus Paid It All.” By
this time the pastor was losing
his patience.
Sunday morning attendance
at the church swelled as the
tension between the two con¬
tinued to build. A large crowd
showed up the following Sunday
to hear the pastor's sermon on
the sin of gossiping. The choir
director followed with the selec¬
tion of “I Love To Tell The
Story.”
The pastor was totally humil-
help them pay for their long¬
term care expenses. However,
Medicare pays only a small
portion of nursing home costs,
and to be eligible for Medicaid,
you would likely have to divest
yourself of most of your finan¬
cial assets. Consequently, you'll
probably need to find another
way to pay for long-term care.
Fortunately, there are invest¬
ment or protection vehicles
designed specifically to help you
meet long-term care expenses.
Your financial advisor can help
you pick the option that’s most
appropriate for your individual
situation.
Having the ability to pay
for long-term care is obvious¬
ly important. But other issues
may also enter the picture. For
example, if you need to enter a
nursing home, you may be suf¬
fering from a physical or mental
disability that might prevent you
from handling your own affairs.
This impairment could prove
disastrous to your finances —
which is why you can’t afford to
take that type of chance. Instead,
consult with your legal advisor
to determine if you can ben¬
Letter Tn IfU EjCita'i
sharing space with the non¬
profit art gallery. The Cow
and the Calf. Are tax dollars
merely paying for an employee
to keep the doors unlocked at
this location? We have other
events in Byron such as the
Farmer’s Market scheduled to
start sometime in April and
The Battle of Byron in May.
Will the CVB not participate in
these events as well? Last year
the CVB received $117,000 in
funding. Only $1000 was used
for the Battle of Byron as a
sponsorship.
If you are as concerned as I
am about the Easter Egg Hunt
being canceled and the future
of other projects coordinat¬
ed through the Byron Better
Hometown program. I urge you
to contact the board members
along with Mayor Larry Collins
and Councilmen Farrell Bass,
James Richardson. Michael
Chumbley, Mark Waters and
Michael Chidester and let them
know how you feel about this
issue or to volunteer to fill the
vacancies on this board or even
help with any of the projects so
we can ensure we have activi¬
ties in our community for its
citizens.
Joan Hayes
Byron
Byron Post Office Is OPEN
To the editor
Last year the Postal Service
relocated letter carriers from
the Byron Post Office to the
Fort Valley Post Office as part
of an efficiency move to address
our financial shortfall.
Some local citizens have
THE LEADER-TRIBUNE
garden and I was afraid for I
was naked.”
A GOOD CHRISTIAN
MAN
In 1946 he opened a diner in
Atlanta called the Dwarf Grill.
The place was tiny, therefore
the name fit. He was a good
businessman and an even better
cook, serving good food at rea¬
sonable prices.
The business grew but not
fast enough to move out of the
original small space it occu¬
pied. Then about 15 years later
just as burgers began to grip
the nation, he had a crazy idea.
Instead of a quarter pound of
beef on a bun, why not sub¬
stitute a plump, juicy boneless
breast of chicken?
So in 1968 he introduced the
original Chick-fil-A chicken
sandwich. After that, he opened
the first Chick-fil-A restaurant
in Atlanta's Greenbriar Mall.
Shortly thereafter his chicken
sandwich really took off and
Chick-fil-A restaurants opened
across the country.
Today millions of people
enjoy the original Chick-fil-A
sandwich still being cooked
Truett Cathy’s special way.
Cathy is a good Christian
man, does not allow his restau¬
rants to open on Sunday and his
son lives on a farm in Fayette
County.
efit from a durable power of
attorney a document that
lets you delegate your financial
decisions to a relative, close
friend or anyone else you might
choose.
None of us like to think about
spending time in a nursing home
or needing round-the-clock care
in our own homes. However,
life is unpredictable. But even
if you can’t avoid the need for
long-term care, you can take
steps to help reduce the finan¬
cial strain it can cause you and
your family.
This article was written by
Edward Jones for use by your
local Edward Jones Financial
Advisor, Jeff Holland. For ques¬
tions, please refer to the Call
A-Pro section for my contact
information. Thank you!
Jeff Holland
Financial Advisor
Edward Jones
4535 Forsyth Road Suite 2
Macon. GA 31210
(478) 757-0210
www.edwardjones.com
incorrectly assumed that the
Byron Post Office would be
closing as part of this action.
This is not the case.
The Byron Post Office will
continue to serve more than
1,100 Post Office boxholders
and local customers during its
regular hours from 8:30 a.m. to
5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9
a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday.
In addition, customers in the
Byron delivery area may con¬
tinue to pick up left notice items
at the Byron Post Office so they
don't have to travel to the Fort
Valley Post Office.
I apologize for any confusion
this may have caused to our
local customers.
Sincerely
Laura Jones
Byron Postmaster
Region 6 T-SPLOST projects
Approved
If you,want to complete all
the projects approved on the
Region 6 • Middle Georgia
T-SPLOST constrained project
list, your county is going to
need more money. There is
a $525 399.933 shortfall from
the GDOT projected costs (cost
- $1J071,159391) of all the
projects and dollars commit¬
ted to all the projects (com¬
mitted - $545,759398). These
are based an 2011 numbers.
Therefore only 51% of the proj¬
ects are completely paid for by
the new T-SPLOST tax. The
counties in Region 6 will need
to make up the dollar shortfall
Letters Continued to
page 9_