Bring It To Jerome

Ok. I've waited long enough. The (written) subject of this post my not be to everyone's taste, but you can scroll down and grab some swell tunes by an American Master.

I grew up the 70's, long bout the southern Ohio/West Virginia border. My pappy was born and raised in backwoods Pennsylvania coal mining country. One of my only memories of my father was Sundays on the couch, watching the Pittsburgh Steelers, me trying to understand what the hell was going on, him trying his best to explain. Some of the best days of my life. 4 Super Bowls. It was an impressionable age.

Sports can be a pretty obnoxious endeavor, there's much to despise in the current sports frenzy. It can represent all that is wrong with society: greed, ego, spectacle. But sports can also work to forge identity and sense of community. A favorite team doesn't just play for itself, it represents a city, a state, a country (look at football(soccer to us ignant 'mericans) furor around the world). When your team wins, you win. Ask Red/White Sox fans about that.

One of the nicest guys in sports is headed back to his hometown of Detroit, Michigan, for the spectacle that is the Super Bowl. While sports figures are getting arrested, concocting ridiculous end zone dances, and destroying their teams from within, Jerome Bettis has quietly represented all that is good in sports, taking salary cuts to remain with the same team, founding charity after charity, and conducting himself with dignity and grace on and off the field.

Here's hoping.

Bo Diddley may be the true King of Rock'n'Roll (heresy!). Who knows? He's one of the favorites here at the Mountain, that's for darn tootin'. [edit: Diddley's real name is not Jerome...that's his "maracca-man". Thanks to "anonymous" and vivamonk for pointing out my egregious and embarassing error. Diddley's real name is Ellas Otha Bates McDaniel. I'm going to lose my license to post muscic if I keep this up. I'm still sticking with the sentiment and the song, though.]. Bring it to Jerome indeed.

Bo Diddley: Bring It to Jerome (mp3)

Bo Diddley: Dancing Girl (mp3)

Thanks for your patience.