Super Bowl

            Do you know anyone who went to the first Super Bowl? The answer is Don Lechman. I covered the Green Bay locker room and took notes on what Vince Lombardi had to say about the Packers’ 35-10 victory over Kansas City, Jan. 15, `1967. (It’s not my fault that none was used.) I don’t think he was surprised at the victory. Max McGee, who only caught four balls in 1966 for 91 yards, made off with seven receptions for 138 yards and one touchdown – after spending a night on the town because he was near the end of his career and didn’t expect to play.

            So what do you know about the Super Bowl? Not much? I have not missed one since then even if it is not my favorite athletic event. (I prefer the NBA finals, the World Series, the NCAA basketball finals and the two games that decides who goes to the Super Bowl.) However, since my brain swims in useless trivia, I have  a little quiz for you to enjoy for some pre-Super Bowl fun.

            1. Who has the most Super Bowl appearances and the most wins? How many?

            2. What quarterback is 4-0 in Super Bowl wins and has never thrown an interception in one of those games?

            3. What teams have lost the most Super Bowls?

            4. Who has won five Super Bowls?

             5. Who has the highest quarterback rating in Super Bowl history?

            6. What was the most lopsided win in Super Bowl history?

            7. What four teams have never appeared in a Super Bowl?

            8. What player has won MVP the most? How many? Who is second?

             9. What team has the most MVPs?

            10. W ho has the most Super Bowl rings?

            11. What coach has won the most Super Bowls?

            12.  Who passed for the most yards in one game?

            13. W ho has the most TD passes in one game?

            14. Who has the most rushing yards in one game?

            15. Who has most receiving yards for their career in four Super Bowls?

            16. Who has the most rushing attempts in one game?

            17. Who has the most interceptions in one game?

            18. Who has had the most sacks?

            19. Who has the most field goals?

            20.  Who kicked the longest field goal?

Answers:  1.  Pittsburgh – 8 appearances; 5 wins. 2.

            2. Joe Montana of San Francisco.

            3. Denver, Buffalo and Minnesota, 4 losses each.

            4. Dallas Cowboys.

            5. Joe Montana, 127.8.

            6. 1990: San Francisco, 55, Denver, 10.

            7. Cleveland, Detroit, Jacksonville and Houston.

            8. Joe Montana won three MVP awards. Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw and Tom Brady have each won 2.

            9. Dallas Cowboys have the most Super Bowl rings: 7.

            10.  Defensive end Charles Haley won five rings with San Francisco and Dallas.

            11. Chuck Noll won 4 with Pittsburgh.

            12. 414 yards by Kurt Warner for the St. Louis Rams in 1990.

            13. Steve Young, 6 for San Francisco in 1995.

 .          14. Timmy Smith, 204 yards, for Washington Redskins in 1988. (He only gained 470 yards the whole year!)

            15. Jerry Rice for San Francisco – 589.

            16. John Riggins, 36, for Washington Redskins in 1983.

            17. Rod Marin  of Oakland, 1981, had 3.

            18. Reggie White of Green Bay, 1997, and Darnell Dockett of Arizona Cardinals in 2009, 3 each.

            19. Don Chandler of Green Bay in 1968 and Ray Wershing of  San Francisco in 1982 each kicked 4.

            20. Steve Christie kicked a 54-yard  field goal for New England in 2004.

            Don Lechman is a former reporter, critic and editor for the Daily Breeze. He teaches writing at Harbor College in  Wilmington.

Children & Computers

            Many veteran elementary school teachers whom I am acquainted with seemed concerned about the emphasis on our younger students learning technology.

They should be.

The importance of computers in our modern world is infinitesimal. They have changed how we work, how we play and how we think. They are just as important at home as they are in school and office. No business today could think of operating without computers. Can you imagine restaurants and stores without computers?

            It is no secret that I have never been enamored with technology. I was completely happy working on a typewriter because as I said thousands of times. “Man, when I used to go to work in the morning I didn’t have to wait two hours for the computer guys to come in and fix my typewriter.”

Today I am happy with computers – happy as possible with a technical contraption.  I am sitting at one right now as I type this. To me, their value in writing and looking for information on the Internet cannot be surpassed. On the other hand, there is nothing more exasperating than not being able to connect with the Internet, having your computer lock up, losing all your information or something you just spent hours on. This is all a prelude to my point. It’s obvious that I understand the importance of computers in our future. I also understand that we should not be spending our money to teach young children more about computers. There are several reasons.

            1). They get exposed to all the computer work and fun they need at home. Why waste tax dollars or your own money?.

`2. Children need to learn to think first and how to develop and use their motor skills.

3. Hours spent at the keyboard could have well been spent playing outdoors, or reading books. Books? “What are they?” one kid asks. “I read everything on the Internet.”

4. Can a computer build itself? Maybe someday, but as far as I know we needed our scientists and our Bill Gateses to get us to where we are now.

5. Is it possible that socializing in person (playing with your friends) might be better than e-mail or texting? You think?

6. There are many excellent teachers who know diddly squat about computers. Do you want to lose them all? Well, actually, some people probably do.

Do you remember that the world existed fine B.C. (before computers).Take our classical composers. Why were  the best composer – like Beethoven, Bach, Mozart – working  a couple of hundred years ago?

Where would we be today without Fulton, Edison, Marconi, Freud and Einstein not being able to think?

The most important thing for our children is to be taught by parents from the moment they are born. A nurturing, loving parent is the most important, but children also need to be exposed to reading and music and good vibes from birth.

             As soon as they grow older, they need to learn to start looking at books and putting things together with their hands. All of this activity does not need to be impeded by hours with computers and iPods. If that time was spent on reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic, art and music who knows what we might produce? It could be another Beethoven or a Bill Gates or Van Gogh. Wow! What an idea. Emphasize reading, writing and arithmetic, music and art. I wish I had thought of that!

            Don Lechman is a former reporter, critic and editor for The Daily Breeze. He teaches writing at Harbor College in Wilmington.

Community colleges

          Parents need to educate their children. The state needs to help educate parents so they are better equipped to educate their children. The most important job in our society is raising children, and, unfortunately, a parent needs no license or education, just hormones.
                It does not help American society than 22,000 adjunc t (part-time) instructors have lost their teaching assignments due to lack of funds and classes in the California community college system while enrollment is closing in on 3 million students, the largest educational system in the world.
                I have been teaching  English in the community colleges since 2002. Last year,  I lost my assignments at Cerritos College in Norwalk due to cutbacks. I am still teaching at Harbor College in Wilmington – with more cutbacks on the horizon. My survival does not depend on my small income from teaching. The main reason I teach is because I enjoy helping students  learn a very useful  tool – writing.
                Unfortunately, many adjuncts’ survival does depend on their teaching. When Harbor College had to eliminate summer classes a couple of years ago, one teacher lost five classes. Summer school was his main source of income, so he did not know what he was going to do.
                Another problem is the increasing enrollment. There are less classes and more students.  I usually have about 34 students enrolled for my English classes at Harbor. I have another five to 10 on a standby list. The first day of class, another 30 students show up who want to add. I then have approximately 74 students in the classroom waiting to occupy about 39 seats. They are falling out of the windows. I, of course, being not too bright, try to accommodate as many students as I can but 39 is supposed to be my limit.
             Additionally, these are basically grammar and essay classes. Traditionally, 25 students is a large class; 39 is a little overwhelming. That can require over a 1,000 essays to read in one semester, not to mention another 39 research papers. I figure I work six hours a week in the classroom and about 14 hours preparing and grading per week so I make about $23 an hour. To put that in perspective , some handymen I hire charge $50 an hour, and I have 22 years of education!  Is there something wrong with this picture? Of course, it’s my own fault. If I want to make money , why don’t  l do instead of teach? Teachers contribute nothing tangible to our economy, of course, only people.
                 Only people? Maybe it’s time to rethink priorities. Of course, we know that Kobe Bryant contributes a lot more to society than teachers do. That’s why he makes approximately $22,980,000 annually more than I do.
                So what am I crying about? Lost wages? Hardly. I am really upset that it is so hard for the governor, mainly, to raise taxes and for the community college system to raise tuition. Sadly to say,  raising taxes and increasing tuition are the two best ways to salvage our community college educational system.  Would you rather print more money instead? More funds would mean more jobs and more happy students.
                From what I hear, the de-emphasis of “junior” colleges is not a big loss to some people. They make snide comments about all the students who are not smart or committed enough to go to a real college.
          Do you know how many students I have had since 2002 who said they blew off high school, realized the error of their ways and now “want to make something of themselves?”  Probably  80 %. Do you know how many over 25 years old have returned to school to improve their chances for promotion or employment? Probably 15 per cent.
                People who have been clueless most of their lives now have an opportunity to turn their lives around, and the government and the voters are not willing to do anything to support them. Support additional taxes for education and increased tuition (if necessary), and our children may help support us.
                Don Lechman is a retired reporter, critic and editor for the Daily Breeze. He continues to teach - he hopes – writing at Harbor College in Wilmington.

               

SPORT VIEWS

            I realize I should have been a sports writer – whether I know anything about it or not. That’s all I seem to write about lately. I can’t help it. Here’s five  more things that have been sticking in my craw.    
            No. 1. Peyton Manning. Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous as Peyton Manning not staying with the Indianapolis Colts? That’s like the Yankees refusing to sign Ruth, the Dodgers trading Mike Piazza (Oh, wait a minute. They did trade Mike Piazza.) or the Lakers firing Magic Johnson. Unheard of, right? Well, the problem seems to be that owner Jim Irsay owes him $35 million and doesn’t want to pay that, especially if he is unsure if Peyton is healthy enough to play. And Peyton is willing to go elsewhere if someone else takes a chance and pays him big bucks. This is ludicrous. The two should reach an agreement for Colt fans if nothing else. Peyton needs to sign with Indianapolis under the condition that if he delivers, he gets paid. If he does not, he retires. Simple, huh? Well, I’m sure Irsay would go along with that, but I am also sure that Peyton wants his big bucks guaranteed, injuries or not. Who cares what the Colt fans want?
           No. 2. Dodgers. If Frank McCourt is allowed to keep ownership of Dodger Stadium parking lot, then I should get in all games free -  if I wanted to go. The problem is that if McCourt is parking cars, I don’t want any part of that place. That guy needs to sever his ties with Los Angeles and return to Boston. I don’t even want him to be allowed to go to a game. Let him drink beer with the Red Sox. He did enough to wreck the Dodgers.
        No. 3. Lakers. Los Angeles needs to get a point guard – and now. The Lakers do not need to trade Pao Gasol and Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard. Are you kidding me? Pao and Andrew are averaging  32.9 points and 23.2 rebounds a game to 14.9 rebounds and 20.8 points for Dwight. Meanwhile, any point guard has to be better than what the Lakers have now. I love Fish, but we know his contributions need to be abetted. It’s time to get someone with speed and shooting ability. And what about a coach who can motivate players to beat the mighty Detroit Pistons and the  Washington Wizards?
         No. 4. Dodgers. Ho hum. I get tired of saying this, but the Dodgers really are a bunch of Bums – until they prove differently. They have Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp. They need a catcher, a second baseman, a shortstop, a third baseman, a left fielder and at least one starting pitcher. If they can’t get all those, then one super everyday player and one super pitcher would do. That’s about all. Don’t want much , huh?
            5. UCLA Bruins: When Ben Howland arrived at UCLA  few years ago, I even wrote to Phil Jackson urging the Lakers to watch the Bruins play defense to learn how. They were relentless and great. Many people said Howland was a jerk, but he was a disciplinarian and a coach. According to a recent Sports Illustrated article, his program has gone awry. The main reason, I think, is that it gets harder to coach every year when players are “one and done.” First off, change the rules back requiring that a guy’s class has to graduate before he can play in the NBA or make the minimum age 21. Then Howland – and other coaches - won’t have to bend over backwards trying to have a good team by mollycoddling players.
            Don Lechman is a former reporter, critic and editor for the Daily Breeze. Codicil: He has never been a sportswriter – professionally.

           

Fisher

                Well, I got my Laker wish – a satisfactory point guard. But I didn’t count on my favorite sports owner, Jerry Buss, and a good general manager, Mitch Kupchak, acting like the rest of the NBA  and putting bucks before their fans. They traded the heart of the Lakers, Derek Fisher, to Houston, for a journeyman forward to save a few million. They got rid of Luke Walton and Jason Kapono to Minnesota  to save a few more and to get a point guard.
             It’s hard to argue against the deal that brought Ramon Sessions to the Lakers. But coach Mike Brown did not have the slightest idea of the value of Walton. If the guy had played 20 minutes a game, he would have contributed immensely. Here’s a player who averaged 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 60 games in 2006-2007. Most importantly, he helped everyone to play together when he was on the court. His great passing was as contagious as his work ethic.  He was invaluable. Oh, yeah, who was coach then?  A guy by the name of Phil Jackson who just might know a little about basketball.
                While Kobe is still the backbone of the team, Andrew the gristle and Pao the soul, Derek was the heart. Everyone from fans to the media talked about Fisher’s  miniscule offensive output and his nonexistent ability to stay up with speedy guards. He averages, including this season, 8.1 points and 3.1 assists for his career. The past four seasons he was Jackson’s point guard of choice averaging 28 minutes and playing in 328 straight games. Do you remotely think Jackson played Fisher for his contribution to the team or because he might hurt Fisher’s feelings if he did not start him?
              Whenever most of the sports media point out Fisher low stats, they usually mention that he really can’t defend the quick guards. Guess what? He never could. He was an integral of part of  Jackson’s teams because he ran the offense and controlled the team. Phil said that everything ran smoothly on the court when Derek was there.  In addition, he acted as a buffer for bristly Kobe and more sensitive teammates, and he was always good for a clutch shot or steal.

But Mitch said it made no sense to keep three point guards, and it would be difficult to tell Fish he was not a starter. It would be too hard for him to accept. You kidding me?  Fish would pop popcorn or be a Laker girl if that is what the team needed to win.  But pro basketball  is a  business. Fish was getting old, slow and is owed  too much money. Why not get rid of him? The answer is simple.
           I and many other fans don’t want to get rid of him.  It is impossible to understand why the Busses and Kupchak think they are making a viable business decision. How can it be a viable business decision if the people  who pay the bucks don’t like it?
                Can’t an owner waste a few bucks to please fans for a change? I realize that’s a novel concept (see Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning)  for most owners, but why not?  Fish deserves to go out a Laker, and the fans deserve to watch him. The upside is plenty.
                We fans would love to see him in a Laker uniform.
                He would be the most positive influence the Lakers have - a quality not to be undervalued.
                He just might make a game-winning steal or a game-winning shot - which would be all the gravy we want.
              Don Lechman is a former reporter critic, editor and would-be sportswriter. He teaches writing at Harbor College in Wilmington