My Mom Introduced Me to the Wisdom of Peanuts

I don't remember life with out Peanuts.

Charlie Brown was a perfect fit for me.

I think I remember Mom laughing out loud at his one.

Maybe getting to know Peanuts and the gang wasn't her greatest gift to me.

But, my goodness, it has lasted all these years.

I still save Peanuts cartoons, and every year a friend gives me a Peanuts calendar for Christmas.

Merry Christmas, Mom, and thanks for this gift.

I know it's not much, really.

At least when compared with the gift of yourself for all of my nearly 62 years.

Hugs and kisses,

Don

When Lions Were Kings V

A too-late Warning to Boise Braves: Beware of Underrated Cadys

1963         1968

                                 

I went to or played in every Boise-Borah game from 1958-1968.  The ’58 game, as I recently wrote, was memorable, but to me the 1963 game was epic.

Borah and Boise were playing for the SIC championship for the fourth time in the six-year rivalry.  For the first time since 1958, Boise was the favorite.  Nearly 15,000 people attended the game, which was also televised for the first time.  The Braves were 9-0, including a 25-0 win over defending Oregon state champion Medford, and the Lions were 8-1, having fumbled away a 26-14 loss to Missoula, Montana.

Dale Cady, Borah running back, was “in really top condition for the first time this season,” according to Coach Troxel.  He was the star of the game, scoring all three touchdowns in the game for the Lions.  Because of nagging injuries all year, Dale, arguably the fastest sprinter to ever wear the green and gold, was not expected him to shine like he did.  Those who thought that were wrong. 

                                   Borah 21-Boise 20.      
        

Flash forward to Boise-Borah 1968.  Don Minter was coming off a 200+ yard game against Klamath Falls and Craig Estell was among the rushing leaders in the conference.  Shoot, I had even had 100 yards rushing against Meridian.  You see, there was this other guy in the backfield.  Most of the time he was called on to be a blocker in order to make his comrades in the backfield look good.  But this guy wanted the ball a lot more than I ever gave it to him.  Whenever I think of Bill Cady I think of three words: “Gimme the ball.” 

In those days, quarterbacks got to call their own plays.  Unfortunately for Bill, who loved to run the ball, there were only 3 or 4 plays that were meant for the wing back, which was his position.  Yet in the third quarter when we were nursing a 10-7 lead, I made the right decision.  I handed the ball to Bill and he ran 46 yards for a touchdown, and we left the Braves in the dust.  It was the turning point of the game and, in my mind, the biggest play of the year. 

                                  Borah 33-Boise 7.

I can't turn back the clock.  Well, I guess I can in one sense since daylight savings time ends tonight.  But I can't go back in time and give Bill the ball more often, which would have been a smart thing to do.

Nevertheless, thanks for the big one against Boise.  You just couldn't keep the Cadys down when it mattered most.

When Lions Were Kings IV

  Borah vs. Klamath Falls, Homecoming 1968

Entering Borah and going to the first pep assembly was impressive in September – or was it late August? – of 1966..  I didn’t think anything could be as loud as the Borah gym was that day.  Measuring decibels at rock concerts was not spoken of in those days, at least that I can remember, but my ears were hurting.    I remember guys on the team just staring at each other, half smiling in amazement.

After that, it became the norm.  We weren’t in awe anymore.

In late summer of 1967, the Borah Lions, with a few of us fortunate juniors, traveled to Sandpoint for our opening game.  The score was 34 to 0 before the “Junior” offense was given a chance.  With just a couple of minutes to go in the game, we had the ball near mid-field.  Craig Estell ran for about 5 yards on first down.  On second down, Don Minter took the ball into the Sandpoint secondary, faked out a Bulldog defender (as we would have described it back then ‘the poor guy’s jock was hangin on the goalpost’) and ran for a touchdown.  We only played 2 plays, but we scored a touchdown.  When the game ended and we were running off the field, I felt like I could have jumped up on the goalpost and grabbed that guy's, well, I think you get the picture.  Only two plays and we had scored a touchdown in a varsity foot ball game for the Borah Lions.  It was a natural high.

The Borah machine, the “Green Wave” was a remarkable force in Idaho high school sports.  Yet, the tradition was strong and it was expected.  What was awesome and extraordinary became ordinary. 

But there was one player’s abilities that could inspire awe in me.  His number was 24, and he was the same guy who scored that touchdown against Sandpoint.  Don Minter.  The Borah teams for the three years we had together at Borah were impressive.  Twenty-nine wins in thirty outings.  Numerous players made all-city, all-conference and all-state.  Many went on to play in college and at least two had tryouts with the NFL.  But Don could do something that nobody else could.  He could suddenly change from whatever gear he was in to high speed.  There were a few times when what looked like a sure tackle by a defender turned out to be the poor guy just grabbing air.

Homecoming 1968 was Don’s greatest effort.  We played Klamath Falls, Oregon, a team ranked in the top 5 of in that state.  While most teams in Idaho would set their defenses to stop Minter, apparently K. Falls didn’t think it was necessary.  It was not a good idea.  Don scored three touchdowns and rushed for over 200 yards in that game.  There were Pelican feathers left scattered all over the field, the result of failing to chase him down.

The Idaho Statesman sports writers were impressed.  They named him player of the week.  Notice the coaches in the background

Lots of good memories.  I miss you, old friend.

When Lions Were Kings III

It was Tuesday, November 11, 1958.  If you rode in a car toward Bronco Stadium with your parents, like I did, maybe the radio was on playing "It's All in the Game" by Tommy Edwards, or "Rockin' Robin" by Bobby Day.  If the news was on -- maybe Paul Harvey if it was around noon -- you may have heard that Nikita Khrushchev (did you fear that name like I did back then?) delivered a speech demanding that the United States, France and Great Britain pull their forces out of Berlin.  Three years later the Berlin wall was built.

Here is the official program.  From left to right, Dawn Fannin, the Braves’ running back who would be named a high school All-American a few weeks after the game; his teammate Tom Swindell, who would coach Capital High School to a Veterans day victory against his alma mater exactly 10 years later; John Ahlin, the Borah fullback whose brother Jerry would quarterback who lead the Lions to a Veterans Day victory four years later; and Wanek Stein, who had been the quarterback at Boise high the year before and, in this game, scored the winning touchdown as a running back for the Lions..

So what was going on in late summer of1958? A new high school opened in the capital city, Borah High School, home of the Borah – actually the mascot wasn’t named until late September after school had already started – Lions.

Two of the top-selling books at the Book Shop down were Dear Abby and Kids Say the Darndest Things by Art Linkletter.  President Dwight Eisenhower had a 57% approval rating – ah, yes, such nonsense was thought to be important back then, too.  At the Pinney Theater, Walt Disney’s “The Light in the Forest” starring James MacArthur was playing, while “Vertigo” starring Jimmy Stewart was at the Vista.  Looking through the funnies in Idaho Sunday Statesman one could be entertained with “Moon Mullins”, “Terry and the Pirates”, “Little Orphan Annie”, “Gasoline Alley”, “ Dick Tracy”, “Joe Palooka”, “Pogo”, and the very politically incorrect “Uncle Remus”.

If you wanted to watch television on Sunday, you had to be patient.  KBOI channel 2 didn’t come on until 11:15 A.M. and KTVB channel 7 didn’t begin broadcasting until 3:15 P.M.  At 8:00 P.M. one had to choose between “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Steve Allen Show”. 

A new subdivision, Franklin Park, was being built next to the new high school, with houses starting at $15,000 – probably with only one bathroom.  I mean, who needs more than one bathroom.  Boys dress slacks were $4.95, women’s seamless nylons were $1.95 for three pair, a mink stole would set you back $850 at Falks ID Store, while a black and white television might cost you $370.  A combination washer/dryer at Warehouse Furniture on South 9^th Street cost $450.

In sports, the Milwaukee Braves would soon meet the New York Yankees in the World Series, Satchel Paige (in his 50’s) was still pitching, the Cubs’ Ernie Banks had 37 home runs and 99 RBI’s, and the Borah Lions would not get their first Southern Idaho Conference win until October.  Fans were waiting for the first intra-city game ever scheduled for November 11.  After Boise upset defending champion Pocatello late in the season, the table was set for the Veterans Day game to decide the SIC championship.  Sportswriter and later mayor of Boise Dick Eardley wrote excitedly that as many as 8000 people may show up for the game.  It turned out to be over 11,000 in a stadium with a capacity of 10,000.  Both high school bands and choirs, as well as those from the four junior highs, performed a Veterans Day tribute at half time.

The game itself?  It couldn’t have been much more exciting. Borah score first, then Boise took the lead, and then the Lions got a touchdown on a pass by Larry Jeffries just before half.  The Braves took the lead in the third quarter, but Borah won it with Stein’s touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.  For the Lions it was the beginning of a dynasty that would carry into the 70’s.  Here is the Headline form The Idaho Statesman.

When Lions Were Kings II

Game 2 in 1968 took us to Ogden, Utah.  After a 58-0 opening game win, you can imagine that the coaches had trouble convincing us we were human.  We found out we were on a hot Friday afternoon in Utah.

It was an odd game.  First of all, I hated day games.  I mean, high school football is meant to played at night.  You know, like Friday Night Lights.  We had 4 day games that season that season -- 2 in Pocatello, 1 in Twin Falls and this one in Ogden.  This game didn't feel like a real game.  But it was, and we almost didn't wake up soon enough.  Another odd thing, at least for Borah teams, was that Ogden was stubborn all three times we got inside the 10-yard line.  On our first drive we had to kick a field goal, and the next 2 drives I called pass plays on third down.  Fortunately, Don Minter and B.J. Johnson made catches both times.  Ogden scored 3 times in the first half and we were down 19-16 at half.  You can read the article below.  We had a big second half.  Between Tom Hickey and me we threw 5 touchdown passes, which was a school record at the time for td passes in a game.

Years later, maybe 10 years ago, I heard an interesting story from my parents.  Student buses were taken to the game, and Mom and Dad were chaperones on one of them.  They still remembered it over 30 years later.  Mom particularly remembered the girls singing much of the way back, including some of the songs from the Sound of music.

Speaking of singing, I remember getting on the bus and after games at Bronco stadium and John Steppe leading us in singing the Borah alma mater. I think there might have been another song that got sung, too, with lyrics that probably weren't family friendly.

Words from Joni: A Place of Healing

In July of 1967, Joni Eareckson (Now Joni Eareckson Tada) was in a diving accident that left her a quadriplegic.  Now she has a ministtry known as Join and friends: www.joniandfriends.org  She is a singer, artist (she draws with the brush between her teeth), has a radio show, heads a ministry and writes books. Her most recent book is A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering. The following is from her book, where she is quoting Dave Powlison of Christian Couneling Education in a letter he wrote to Joni discussing his own battle with cancer.

               Joni, I have learned that for every one sentence you sat to others about your cancer, say ten      sentences about your God, your hope, and what he is teaching you, and the small blessings of each day.  For every hour you spend researching or discussing your cancer, spend ten hours researching, discussing and serving your Lord.  Relate all that you are learning about cancer back to Him and His purposes, and you won't become obsessed [with fears and doubts].
       
    


             

When Lions were Kings

It was September 6, 1968.  What a year. Headlines and entertainment up to that point had been about the Tet Offensive, Martin Luther King, Nixon, LBJ, Black Power, RFK, Sirhan Sirhan, James Earl Ray, "The whole world is watching", Detroit Tigers, O.J. Simpson, Lee Trevino, Billie Jean King, Bob Beamon, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Jefferson Airplane, Laugh In, The Smothers Brothers, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Rosemary's Baby.
The weather was warm that Friday.
The student body had just listened to an hour talk by Ann Landers -- remember that?
We were out in the Borah High parking lot, heading home to rest before coming back to dress for the opener against Nampa.
I couldn't believe my ears.  Did Bill Cady just say 'We're seniors now.  It's up to us.  This is scary."
Wait.  If Bill says that, we are in deep doodoo.  Me?  I was terrified.  After all, the coaches had us convinced that the team we were playing was comparable to the Green Bay Packers.  You may recall that the "Pack" won 5 NFL titles in the 1960's.
After dressing and having a team meeting, we did what Borah teams had done for years on game night before boarding the bus to ride to Bronco stadium: We lay down on the floor of the gym for 30 minutes--with the lights out.
We were told to think about the game.  My mind chose to think, "You're going to get killed out there."
It went a little better than our worst fears.  We won 58-0.
Forty-four years ago.  Seems like only yesterday.  Unfortunately, these days, yesterday sometimes seems like forty-four years ago.