SPORTS PREDICTIONS FOR 2021

I, Sportsradamus, the great, and all knowing one (not according to my wife), will now unveil my prognostications for this, the year 2021.

First, in no way should you blame me for not predicting the kind of year we had last year. There’s nobody on this planet that could have predicted the entire sports world would be shutdown by a pandemic. However, with that being said, I predict this year may not be much different.

Sure, we’re back to playing our sports again, with abbreviated schedules and limited fan attendance, but the dastardly COVID-19 is still out there, and the number of cases won’t likely be declining any time soon. That means, I predict there will still be disruption to sports seasons throughout the year. Games will be postponed and entire leagues will cancel their seasons.

The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were postponed last year, and although the Olympic competition is scheduled to begin July 21 of this year, it’s likely going to be postponed again. Japan reported 7,855 new COVID-19 cases on Jan. 9, the highest single-day total since the pandemic began. The only thing winning a gold medal right now, is this coronavirus.

In the NFL, if the Buffalo Bills beat the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend, look for the Bills to advance all the way to winning their first ever Super Bowl title, by defeating the Green Bay Packers. At the end of the season, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees will announce his retirement, and turn to a career as a social media consultant.

Major League Baseball will open its season on April 1, but the season will be disrupted again by teams with players who test positive for the coronavirus. The league will battle through the schedule changes, and in the end, the San Diego Padres will defeat the New York Yankees in the World Series, giving San Diego their first ever World Series title. Tony La Russa will be fired by the Chicago White Sox after only one season; another DUI could be the final straw.

The Tulsa Drillers and the entire Texas League will be forced to start their season late, as Major League Baseball limits the number of players and teams permitted to attend Spring Training at the same time. In order to stay on a schedule to finish the season by mid-September, and to avoid players from different cities coming together in the same clubhouse, the Texas League will cancel the All-Star Game, and the schedule will include fewer off days. It won’t be an easy season for the players or fans, as postponements and cancellations are inevitable, but the Tulsa Drillers will once again claim the Texas League Championship.

There will be a big coaching change announcement at Oklahoma State by June, and the University of Tulsa will be looking for a new men’s basketball coach, as Frank Haith succumbs to the seven-year itch and is courted away by a larger school in a larger conference, with a larger paycheck.

The Tulsa Oilers will compete this spring in the ECHL playoffs, but will fall just short of making it to the championship series, by losing in the conference finals.

In the NHL, the new divisions and the schedule of playing ONLY the teams in your division, will sour on the fans really quick. The lack of variety of opponents in the regular season, will indeed water-down the ideal of crowning a league champion. The Vegas Golden Knights will defeat the Tampa Bay Lighting to win the Stanley Cup.

In a rematch of the 1976 NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns will beat the Boston Celtics. Following the season, Kyrie Irving will announce his retirement from the Brooklyn Nets, to open a chain of CBD stores.

MORE RANDOM PREDICTIONS:

 Following the lead of the NHL in selling corporate naming rights for its divisions, the NBA will rebrand itself the Sinopec Group League, and expand to China.

A woman will be hired as head coach of a United Soccer League team, giving her the needed experience to make the jump to being a head coach in MLS.

Speaking of the USL, the league will delay the start of the season, likely to May, and FC Tulsa will make it to the second round of the playoffs.

Mike Tyson will once again step back into the boxing ring this year and will entice Evander Holyfield to come out of retirement, so the two can battle it out for the third time. Holyfield will have both ears covered with tape.

Rory McIlroy will once again miss completing the elusive Grand Slam of Golf, while missing the cut at The Masters. Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau will finish in a three-way tie at Augusta. DeChambeau wins the playoff.

[This column appeared in the Tulsa Beacon newspaper on Jan. 14, 2021]

 20th Annual Sports Fan's Letter to Santa Claus

Dear Santa Claus,

            Wow, what a year! I don’t think even you could have seen that coming.

            The coronavirus pandemic certainly has consumed our lives and has affected everything; people have lost their jobs and thousands have lost their lives. There isn’t anyone who hasn’t been affected in some way by this plague we call COVID-19.

            This may be a slightly different letter than years past, because it seems a bit selfish to ask for sports related gifts for the coming year, when so many people are dealing with the loss of a family member, or their business has been shut down for ten months.    

            The sports world has been turned on its head. Professional, college and high school sports were shutdown in the midst of their spring schedules. The NHL and NBA didn’t finish their seasons until they set up “bubble” communities during the summer, giving us sports fans a bit of an escape from reality for a while.

            Major League Baseball played a limited schedule, but the minor leagues were totally dark this year. That was no fun for the local Tulsa Drillers fans.

We are thankful at least that our local universities and high schools were able to play a football schedule, and are now into basketball season, but even those schedules are a “fluid situation” and have been affected by athletes testing positive for COVID-19.

            I think about the thousands of people, like myself, who enjoy working at local sports venues, whether it is a big chunk of their annual income, or as a nice little side job, who came up way short financially this year. I ask that you bring them many unexpected blessings this holiday season and on into the New Year.

            As you know, there are several vaccines on the way, but then again, we’re told that’s not going to be the end all – cure all. Those of us who have suffered through two weeks of dealing with the coronavirus won’t be in a hurry to get a vaccine, since we feel we should have some immunity to this bug at this point.

            Also, it’s been a rough year politically and socially for the United States. I don’t know what the news coverage is like there in the North Pole, but here, we don’t know what to believe any more. Civil unrest, riots, lawsuits and more, have overwhelmed cities across our land. Families are feuding over politics and it’s not because Steve Harvey is going to award them a bunch of cash at the end of the show.

            Please, dear Santa, I ask that you bring us peace and love and joy this Christmas, and let that flow into the coming year. Bring wisdom and a sharp mind to our nation’s leaders, and safety to our military members all around the world.

            Also, I ask that you bring an end to this pandemic, so that we can get our lives and businesses back to what used to be normal.

            And yes, Santa, as a sports fan, please give us our sports back. We want to be able to sit with our fellow fans in the stands, yelling and cheering for our teams. We want to experience that high-decibel sound when our players take the court. We want to enjoy sitting outside on a beautiful summer day and listen to the crack of a bat swung by a soon-to-be Major League prospect.

            And most of all, we want to rip the mask off of 2021 and find a bright, big smile that tells us everything is going to be all right; that the one we celebrate at Christmas has it all in control, and for that, we can be grateful, have hope, and press on. Until next year, please be safe and tell Mrs. Claus thanks for the sweater.

Sincerely, your friend,

Jeff Brucculeri

[as published in the Tulsa Beacon newspaper, Dec. 17, 2020]

Allan Trimble has ALS

JENKS FOOTBALL COACH DIAGNOSED WITH ALS
[This post is reprinted from my sports column in the Tulsa Beacon newspaper, July 14, 2016]

Jenks High School head football coach Allan Trimble made public last week that he has been diagnosed with ALS – amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – also commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. With his announcement has come an outpouring of support, not only from those within the Jenks Trojans football family, but throughout the entire region.

We may know now why a month ago Trimble announced his retirement from coaching, only to rescind his resignation three days later. He said at the time that he was battling some health challenges and though it might be best to spend more time with his family, but through the encouragement of his immediate family, he returned to coaching because that’s where his passion is and ultimately would make dealing with his health issues easier.

If indeed he did want to retire, who could blame him? Trimble, 52, has achieved more than any other high school football coach has ever done in this state. His team has won 13 state championships in his 20 seasons at Jenks, compiling a record of 224-35, and he has already been inducted in the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Trimble has said in media reports that he has experienced some form of symptoms of ALS for about two years. ALS is a disease that attacks nerve cells that control voluntary movement. The life expectancy of someone diagnosed with ALS is generally three to five years, although there have been many exceptions, including a couple I know of personally, I’ll mention later.

Coach Trimble and I became friends many years ago, when I was hired to do the play-by-play for the Jenks football games on local television, and co-host his weekly coach’s show. I was impressed with him as a football coach long before I met him; just based on the amazing record he was compiling at Jenks, but became even more impressed once I got to meet him.

When I began working with Trimble, I immediately came to love and respect the man that was more than a high school football coach.

The first time we had lunch together, he asked if he could pray over the meal and asked if he could pray about anything going on in my life. He exemplified to me someone who not only set a good example with his words, but spoke it with his actions.

I watched the way he handled his football team in practices and in games. I noted that he didn’t use the same salty language other coaches used. He proved that as much as he loved football, he loved his family even more. Trimble has always been the consummate Christian coach that not only wore his religion on his shirt sleeve, but lived it each and every day.

That’s what makes it so difficult to believe that someone still in the prime of his life and career, someone who is a mighty leader of young men, who has a huge, positive impact on the lives of his players and many around him; will now have to face the battle of and for his life.

But, we live in an imperfect world, and disease has no care as to who you are, what you do or what you believe.

My cousin Susan Rogers battled ALS for seven years. Susan was a very bright and intelligent young woman, who loved education. She became a teacher, but never stopped learning; earning both a Master’s Degree and eventually a Doctorate.

She was loved and respected by many, but ultimately as the disease progressed she was cared for by her mother, three brothers and home nursing aids. Susan was never married.

When I was a member of the television team that hosted the local cut-ins during the MDA Telethons, I became acquainted with a local man named Vic Poole. When I first met Vic he seemed pretty healthy and able bodied, but over the five years I was a part of the telethon, Vic would come back each year to be on the program, and each time I saw him ALS had taken yet another bit of his ability away. Amazingly, Vic lived nine years with ALS.

Trimble, his family, and his church family are praying for a miracle. I’ll be praying right along with them. But, through it all, I know he will battle this with the same steadfastness in his faith that has carried him this far in his life, and he will continue to be a great example to everyone with whom he comes in contact. That’s the Allan Trimble I know.

Double Standard in Hollywood

HOLLYWOOD'S DOUBLE STANDARD ON POLITICAL VIEWS IS SICKENING

In a community where they continue to preach inclusion, free-speech, respecting other people's views, and tolerance, Hollywood sure has a difficult time dealing with people who are conservative or support the current President.

Let me get this out there, right from the start; whether you voted for President Trump or not doesn't matter, he's the President. I don't like everything he does or says as a person (or President, for that matter), and I like some things that he has done since taking office. Do I agree with everything the President does? No. Have I agreed with all Presidents in the past? No. Whether I've liked the President or not, I got on with my life, and voted again in four years.

Hollywood types don't seem to get that. He's "not their President" so they choose to continue to disparage him and call him names. If you're a conservative working in Hollywood, it has always been difficult to break through the right-wing stereotypes and get work. However, it's infinitely more difficult now, with this President in office.

Is it because the folks in Hollywood disagree with his politics or his agenda? No, not entirely. It's mostly because they just hate him. I mean, have no tolerance for him.

Recently, Debra Messing and her "Will & Grace" costar Eric McCormack, tweeted that they would like a list of names printed of the Hollywood folks who attend an upcoming Trump rally in Tinseltown. (You can read the tweets here; https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2019/09/04/john-ohurley-n2552513)

The point of the list, as McCormack points out in his tweet, is "to be clear about who we don't wanna work with." Bad grammar aside, this sounds like a blacklist, and is that what Hollywood really needs, another blacklist scandal?

What happened to freedom of thought and speech? What happened to stay out of our wombs and our lives? Isn't this the same group of Hollywood elitist who gave us those messages; ad nauseum? Then why are they wanting to "shame" anyone who decides to attend a rally for the President?

I've attended several political rallies over the years. I've even been the Master of Ceremonies for a few. I wasn't always in support of the candidate, and in one case I didn't even live in his district and couldn't have voted for him. However, I was always interested in hearing what they had to say, to see if maybe I would have any desire to support their ideals and vote for them.

Well apparently, that's not allowed in Hollywood. If you show up at a Trump rally, you're doomed, never to work in this town again. That my friends is an extremely sad commentary, and very hypocritical of those who preach tolerance. Honestly, I hope the names of those who attend the rally are published, because they will be the actors I support and buy tickets to see their movies, just to spite those who want to control my life and tell me I shouldn't.

ANOTHER VIEW: Follow this link (https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2019/09/04/john-ohurley-n2552513) to see what actor John O'Hurley had to say about all this. I never knew he was conservative, but have always liked him as an actor and game show host, ad it never really mattered to me in the past whether an actor was conservative or liberal. If I liked them, I liked them, but any more, because of their actions and disdain for anyone on the "right," I've found myself not wanting to go see movies that star those who spew such hate. They've caused this divide themselves. If they'd just keep their political views to themselves, we wouldn't know and we wouldn't care. Isn't that the way it used to be. Nobody knew Jimmy Stewart's party affiliation, or Katherine Hepburn's, or Buddy Hackett's. Isn't that the way it should be?

STAN & OLLIE - A MUST SEE MOVIE

Stan & Ollie Hits on All Emotions Brilliantly

SONY Pictures Classics has a winner on its hands with the release of Stan & Ollie, a biopic paying homage to the great comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. From the opening scene, right through the original footage during the credits, I was enthralled and taken back to my youth.

When I was a kid, I loved watching old black and white comedies, from the silent movie era right up until the time when Technicolor became popular. I would check-out Super 8 films from the public library and show them at home on my father's Super 8 projector. Then I'd invite my little cousins over to the house for a movie night. My favorites were always, Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and the Keystone Cops.

Laurel and Hardy appeared in 107 films together, and I still may have only seen about half of them. This comedy duo's performances are as funny today as they were in 1927 when they appeared in their first movie together, as a team, in the silent short; Putting Pants on Philip.

Stan & Ollie depicts the latter years of their career together. As the synopsis on the movie's official IMDb site states;

Laurel & Hardy, the world's favourite comedy double act, set out on a variety hall tour of Britain in 1953. Diminished by age and with their golden era as the kings of Hollywood comedy now behind them, they face an uncertain future. As they set out, crisscrossing the country, attendances are disappointingly low. But they've always been able to make each other laugh and as the charm and beauty of their performances shines through their audiences laugh too, and they re-connect with legions of adoring fans, old and new.

Eventually, audiences increase and the tour is successful, but Hardy's health is failing and they realize the end of the road is near. I will leave out the part about their relationship and don't want to present any spoilers here, but allow you to experience the raw emotions of the characters for yourself.

One thing that truly impressed me about this film was the acting. Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly not only fit the persona of Laurel and Hardy exceptionally well, respectively, but also could have passed for twins of the person they portrayed. You will not recognize Reilly without his curly hair and he must have gained a lot of weight to portray Hardy.

Although Laurel is a native of England, he made his home in the U.S. for many years and was a star here. He died in 1965, at the age of 74. Hardy was a native of Harlem, Georgia, and was only 65 years old when he died in 1957.

I can not recommend this movie enough. It is rated PG and certainly for all family members. There were only a couple minor words of profanity. There was some smoking and drinking, as was the custom of the time. Other than that, the movie is a clean, comedic relationship biopic, and the best I've ever seen done on the life of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. See this movie, and take your youngsters to appreciate and learn from where the roots of comedy in this country came.

Harlem Globetrotters to Honor Former Players

Three Former Globetrotters to Receive Prestigious "Legends" Ring

            In 1993, the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters created the “Legends” award, and until now, only 29 players from the team’s 93-year history have been given the award. Last week, the Globetrotters announced they will add three more greats to that list during their 2019 Fan Powered North American Tour.

            Michael “Wild Thing” Wilson, Matthew “Showbiz” Jackson, and Osborne “Goose” Lockhart will each be presented with a “Globetrotters Legends” ring at upcoming tour stops. Wilson will be honored at the team’s show Friday in Memphis, Jackson will be honored in Atlanta on Sunday, and Lockhart in Minneapolis on March 30.

The “Legends” ring is presented to retired Globetrotters who have made a major contribution to the success and development of the Hall of Fame organization. Each honoree exemplifies the Harlem Globetrotters’ humanitarian contributions.

“Being a Globetrotter carries responsibilities that go far beyond basketball,” said Globetrotters President Howard Smith, in a press release. “Our stars have not only introduced the sport of basketball to thousands of children around the world, but they bring goodwill to every country, and every culture, they visit. Wild Thing, Showbiz and Goose have each truly earned the distinction to be called Globetrotter Legends, and we look forward to honoring them as part of this tour.”

As a longtime friend of all three of these players, I called each of them to congratulate them and get their comments.

Michael “Wild Thing” Wilson holds the Guinness World Record for the highest slam dunk

Michael "Wild Thing" Wilson with my kids,

Alyssa and Joshua, Jan. 2003

ever recorded, setting the mark at 12-feet during Final Four Weekend in April of 2000. There’s an exhibit at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame depicting this accomplishment. Wilson played 11 seasons with the Globetrotters and traveled to nearly 60 countries during his career. He was a two-time slam dunk champion at the NABC College All-Star Game, and led the University of Memphis to the 1995 and 1996 NCAA Tournaments. Wilson lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and three children, where he works as Recreation Specialist for D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation.

“I can’t believe I’m mentioned in the same sentence with so many great Globetrotters, Wilson said. “I just tried to make myself as valuable to the team as I could. I was willing to be the showman, the finisher, the dunker. I took the attitude, I don’t care who’s out here, I wanted to make sure people remembered me for something when they left the game.”

My funniest memory of Wilson was when he did the football routine. He’d pull his shorts up around his chest and tip-toe behind the line of scrimmage to get in his position at wide receiver.

“We had so much fun doing those things, a lot of it we would see on television and then try to imitate it,” he said. “So much of what came off great wasn’t even planned. I remember the first time I did the football routine, I looked at the bench and coach Tex Harrison was laughing. If you could make him laugh you know you’re doing good.”

Wilson enjoyed his time with the Globetrotters, but knew when it was time to leave the team and was glad he was able to do it on his terms, he said.

"I retired in 2006 when my wife called me and said she was pregnant with our second son," Wilson said. "I was only 32 years old and could have given it three or four more years, but we already had one son and I wanted to be at home with my boys. I enjoyed the ride, it was amazing, it made me realize that nothing lasts forever."

Wilson said, when he joined the team, current Globetrotters coach Barry Hardy was a veteran on the team and quickly befriended him.

"Barry Hardy was my mentor and showed me the ropes," he said. "He and Herb Lang told me one day, 'you're going to be a great Globetrotter,' and that meant a lot to me. Barry became like a brother to me, and we still talk all the time on the phone. That's the thing, once you've been a Globetrotter, you have this bond. Even if I haven't seen some of the guys in many years, when we get together it's like we just saw each other last week. I still talk with a lot of the guys I played with."

Wilson said being around with Jackson would always keep him laughing.

"Showbiz was one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met in my life, not just on the court but off the court, as well," he said. "Whenever we were just sitting around talking, he’d crack me up. He was just always funny."

Going back to Memphis to receive his Legends ring has some mixed feelings for Wilson.

"The last time I was down there was when I went back to get my degree a few years ago, and someone broke into my car and stole my "Sweet 16" ring," Wilson said. "Now I’m going back to Memphis get to get a Legends ring."

Wilson helped lead Memphis to the NCAA Tournament "Sweet 16" his junior year in 1995. His team made it to the NCAA Tournament again his senior year, but they were upset in the first round.

Matthew “Showbiz” Jackson served as one of the team’s top showmen, and visited more than 75 countries during his 20-year career. Jackson appeared in several ESPN broadcasts and television commercials for the team, and was known for his behind-the-back half-court shot that he sank with remarkable accuracy. Jackson and his wife live in Buford, Ga.

Matthew "Showbiz" Jackson with my

kids, Alyssa and Joshua, Jan. 2002

“This is so special, and what a great honor,” Jackson told me. “When I played with the Globetrotters, I put my heart and soul into it every night. I worked hard at what I did, and for them to recognize me after playing for the team 20 seasons, makes me feel special and truly honored.”

Jackson said being named to the Legends list means you’re in great company.

“It means that you stood out amongst your peers and dedicated your life to something that has been around since 1926,” he said. “To be named to a list with players like Meadowlark Lemon, Curly Neal and others that came before them is amazing. Those guys gave us the blueprint of what it means to be a Globetrotter, and I was really honored to be able to do it for as many years as I did.”

Jackson played with Lockhart and Wilson and said it was real special to be named a Legend in the same year as two of his teammates.

“When I first joined the team, Ozzie was one of the veterans and he gave me my nickname “Showbiz.” Seeing how the older guys dedicated themselves to this every day and practiced hard, that work ethic was something that meant a lot to me and how I was able to keep going. Mike was one of the best high-flying leapers of all time, and a great teammate. These guys put in the hard work, night in and night out, and it showed.”

I never had the privilege of seeing Meadowlark Lemon in person with the Globetrotters, only on television, but I have seen every showmen that has performed with the team in the past 40 years and can honestly say Showbiz is the best and funniest I've ever seen.

            Osborne “Goose” Lockhart was a superior ball handler and shooter during his 17-year career with the Globetrotters, and served two seasons as a coach for the team. Lockhart was selected in the sixth round of the 1978 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers after a standout career at the University of Minnesota, where he was a three-year starter, scoring more than 1,100 points during his college career. A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Lockhart was also an outstanding soccer player, and at the age of 15 played for the Bahamas National Team in the 1971 Pan American games. Lockhart was inducted into the Bahamas Hall of Fame in 2013 and resides with his wife in Ft. Lauderdale, where he serves as a coach and mentor at the Harmony Development Center.

Me backstage with Osborne "The Wiz" Lockhart, Feb. 1986

            “It’s really an honor to get in that group, out of everyone that has ever played with the Globetrotters there’s only 32 that have been named Legends,” Lockhart told me. “It’s amazing to think I’m in the same group with Globetrotter greats like Goose Tatum, Curly Neal, Sweet Lou Dunbar, Meadowlark Lemon, and all those guys.”

            Lockhart (64) has two sons, Osborne Jr. who lives in Tulsa, and Kevin who lives in Florida. Both will be in Minneapolis when Lockhart is honored by the Globetrotters. Even his former coach at the University of Minnesota, 86 year old Jim Dutcher, will be there.

            “I’ll probably see friends and teammates who I haven’t seen in 40 years,” he said.

            Lockhart has had a couple nicknames during his career, but doesn’t know exactly how he stated calling Matthew Jackson, “Showbiz.”

            “All throughout growing up in the Bahamas, in high school and even in college, everyone knew me as 'Goose,' but when I got with the Globetrotters, they attached 'Wizard' to my name,” he said. “To tell you the truth I don’t remember how I gave 'Showbiz' his nickname, or how that all happened. We were just sitting around and everyone had a nickname, and Matt was so funny all the time; I knew he'd be a great showman. He was actually one of the best showmen that I’ve ever seen, he was naturally funny. Showbiz came in [to the team] when he had people around him doing it right like; Sweet Lou, Twiggy Sanders, Geese Ausbie. So, he learned from some of the great Globetrotter showmen. I was fortunate to come in and learn from Curly Neal, who was still playing, and Marquis Haynes was my coach for a couple years.”

            Lockhart is certainly in great company as one of the greatest Globetrotters of all-time.

            The Harlem Globetrotters will bring their 2019 tour to the BOK Center in Tulsa, Feb. 7 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the BOK Center box office.

Jerry Lewis was truly an inspiration - to me

When I was a kid, on Saturdays, during the summer months, Jamestown Community College would show movies in the theater for free or just a couple of bucks. Tim Johnson and I would walk over to J.C.C. each week to watch those movies. Sometimes, they would be the classic horror movies like; Dracula, The Mummy and one of our favorites, The Creature From the Black Lagoon. Other times they would feature classic silent movies like; The Keystone Cops, Buster Keaton, and Charlie Chaplin films.

My favorite Saturdays were when they would show back-to-back Jerry Lewis films. One of the first I ever saw was The Bellboy (1960). It impressed me so much as a young boy, that while everyone in the film had dialogue, Jerry's character, the bellboy, didn't have any lines. He made us laugh until our stomachs hurt, and he never spoke a word. That to me was the pinnacle of comedy.

Another example of Jerry's pantomime skills were evident in the movie Who's Minding the Store. In this film, he performed his famous "typewriter" bit. In this scene, Jerry was pretending to type on an invisible typewriter while the song Typewriter was playing. Jerry performed this bit several times over the years, on television shows and in live concerts.

Prior to watching Jerry Lewis in The Bellboy, I had watched Red Skelton do the same sort of thing on his television show, in a little segment he did each week called, The Silent Spot. Red would pantomime the whole sketch, never saying a word, and my parents and I would sit there on our plastic-covered furniture just roaring with laughter. It was amazing to me how great comedians like Jerry Lewis and Red Skelton, among others, could make me laugh without ever speaking.

I was so inspired, that when I was 18 years old, I created and performed as the first mascot the Jamestown Expos ever had, "Yippee!" Here I was, inside a costume, performing pantomime antics, and what I heard was people laughing hysterically. They loved how I would imitate the opposing team's manager while he paced in the coaches box, or how I would do the "instant replay" of a fielder dropping a ball, or an umpire calling one of their players out at the plate. All the while, I was drawing on the physical comedy skills I learned from watching Jerry Lewis in all those movies.

Over the years, I continued to appreciate the comedy genius of Jerry Lewis, and hoped that someday I would have the opportunity to meet him in person. Well, that never happened, as he died on August 20, 2017, at the age of 91. Thank goodness I still have those movies to watch and to draw inspiration. A little over a year ago, I decided to devote some attention to developing my desire to do stand-up comedy. I attend the Christian Comedy Association conference each year, write jokes on a regular basis, and try to get as much stage time as possible, in hopes of honing my comedy skills. Although I'm now in my 50's, I still believe it's never too late to start! Not for me, and not for you!

There's more to my connection with Jerry Lewis, but I understand nobody will read your blog posts if they are too long, so be looking for Part 2 coming along in a few days.