Winning With the Niners on Pearl Harbor Day
December 12, 2008 • By Jackie Wright
Special to LaHitz Sports
Jackie Wright
The Niners won 24-14 over the Jets! It was quite the winning day for me as well. It was my Dad's birthday, Sunday, December 7. He was ten years old when Pearl Harbor hit! Interesting that he chose the U.S. Army to for his life's work and so comforting for me to run into the military, first thing as I covered the Niners from the field for LaHitz Media. Spc. 5 Wyley Wright, Jr. of the 114th Air Mobile Company from Fort Knox, KY based in Vinh Long, Viet Nam, served and died with honors in Viet Nam in 1964. The hundreds of soldiers gave me an instant feeling of belonging as I walked the gridiron with my camera for the first time. They were there for the pre-game show to unfurl a 100' flag during the national anthem. Wow- What a sight!
My goodness, talk about what a sight! There was Brett Farve, number 4, the determined warrior. My, that man has such heart! The Niners bashed and battered him (Maybe even more so because of Gore's injury. They were after him!), yet he stood his ground and kept looking for the open man! What an arm! What heart! "I love you, Brett!" Kick him while he's down, but he gets back up!
You've got to love him!
Speaking of love, how about our coach Mike Singletary! Go, Baylor Bears! Of course that would be my first frame of reference for Mike. He is an alum of my daughter Tiffanie's university, good ole Baylor! I decided that was the school for her when we did a campus tour and I saw graffiti on the sidewalk-all about attending a revival meeting! Yes, Lord! Baylor it is! She was a few years behind Mike, but he was a legend on the campus. We were a little disappointed when he wasn't named head coach at Baylor; but all's well that ends well. I get to watch him in action in the Bay. Was more than a little torn Sunday before Thanksgiving, when they lost to Dallas. Love T.O. and wanted him to do well cause I thought he could have been treated better by the Niners; but I didn't want to see the Niners spanked! Frankly, wanted Singletary to come home with the honor of taking the prize in his old territory!
There I was in the post game pressroom, one of a few females and the only Black one and I heard Mike Singletary talk about taking his first winning ball to Mike Nolan's house after the game! I paused and did a double take. Did I hear what I just heard? Girl, no cauliflower ear, here! You heard the man! This man took the ball of his first winning game to his former boss. OMG, this sounds like someone of noble character. Kind of like paying homage to the ancestors or like Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar-it was definitely an "I've come to bury Caesar, not praise him" moment! In one verbal exchange, he expressed that he was proud of what he has accomplished but he didn't do it by himself. He has Nolan to thank and of course the team-coaches and players. I heard that Mr. Singletary! He's a champ off and on the field! He's creating what LaHitz Media calls "Finesse-Smash Mouth Football."
Gore Scores!
And ladies, you're going to love this. Did I say I love Mike Singletary? "I love Mike Singletary!" He gets off the podium and before he goes into the locker room. He kisses his wife and says "Honey, I'll be with you in a few minutes." He high fives his son along with the "terrorist jab" and walks in the locker room with him to congratulate his team.
That scene flowed so fast and sweetly it had
the feel of the pageantry of the march of an victorious ancient warrior
into his hometown with trumpets blaring (of course those images come to
mind from books and movies like "Gladiator" and "300"). Very
impressive, Mr. Singletary, you know respect!Ok, so I'm feeling very emotionally discombobulated and jubilant having seen Ronnie Lott hanging out for the ceremony honoring Fred Dean, having met Freddie Solomon on the field looking very good and being very gracious to this first time-field photographer ( my forte is the very controlled television studio camera work), and just loving
Fred Dean, thanking God
for the honor and sharing the moment with his wife and son-all this
family stuff happening; with all of that, who do I see after 20 plus
years, but Tim Smith, who I did not recognize at first! I am standing
to the side as LaHitz' Jacquie Taliaferro and video cameraman, Charles
Houston (another Charles Houston; look out film industry) finish up
what they are doing (See LaHitz on Youtube).
Jacquie is speaking to this tall bear of a Black man who reports in New
York. "Mmmm- how nice," I think. Then I hear the reporter say, "Just
email me "T-Smith at NY Daily News Dot Com" and he walked out of the
Jet's pressroom. Something hit me instinctively and I followed him.
"Hey is your name Tim?" "Yes," he replied. Did you ever work in
Athens, Georgia at WXAG? "Jackie," he exclaimed! "Yes, it's me!"
(with my gone Tina Turner blond "do" whipped by the Candlestick dew and
a few pounds here and there--no wonder it took him a minute to
recognize!)
We both worked for WXAG, while attending the University of Georgia. It was the first Black Radio Station in Athens, Georgia. It has since become a Christian radio station. We were young, gifted, and Black (Thank you, Dr. Nina Simone) and had the honor of being the first employees of the first Black Radio Station that was made possible by visionaries like Larry Blount, the first Black law professor at the University of Georgia Law School.
Blount died a few years ago in his early fifties. Blessings to his wife, Sandra, who still teaches at Clarke Central High School and his daughters, Kendra, Carlene and Erin. Blount in his lofty position as the first Black UGA Law Professor, was kind enough to take on a case for this, at the time, single-divorced mother of a elementary school age daughter working her way through the University of Georgia, while raising her teenaged sister. No money to be had, yet he took on the case pro bono and won! He personified the old Black prayer describing Jesus, "He sits high, but He looks low." Blount's compassion toward me was typical of all he encountered. If he couldn't help you, he wouldn't hurt you. Blount's motto was "preparation and opportunity equals success." He led the way for many at the University to be successful and along with the other original board members and investors of WXAG, Blount gave the people of Athens a voice!
Enjoying the Niners game, from the tailgate parties to all the fanfare of pre-game and half time shows,and the ramatazz, the bing- bang- bong,the roaring crowd, and just touching someone next to you electrified by "did you see that touchdown," is a reminder that there's always more than meets the eye! There are so many subtexts to life and it's good when it's "ALL GOOD!" December 7, 2008 was "ALL, GOOD!"
Sourdough congratulates
Niners Cheerleader Jackie
who heads to Pro Bowl!
With all due respect, Jets, GO NINERS!
AMEN TO THAT!
All photos by Jackie Wright
except, Tim Smith and Jackie
Wright photo by Jacquie Taliaferro
Write the Vision on the Wall," Habakkuk 2:2
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