Mort in Dreamland...
It’s a line lifted from a short poem written by Robert Gray in 1868. “Ignorance is bliss when it is folly to be wise.”
Ever fresh, it is an ongoing ponderance, like whether spearmint gum retains its flavor after overnight repose on the bedpost.
My Uncle Mort--cocksure of much--seems ever ready to provide answers, sometimes before questions are posed. Yes, his has been a blissful life to date….
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When he called the other day, he was wired, eager to tell me about his “wackiest” dream ever.
Many previous dreams were “wacky,” but the “i-e-s-t” added another dimension. He blamed overeating at dinner, like unto Thanksgiving or Christmas, and he couldn’t find an Alka-Seltzer for relief after he’d eaten the whole thing.
His dreams flitted quickly to various topics, including politics, sports and assorted current events….
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To begin, he cited recollection of meetings--including political candidates for both national and state offices--where participants gathered to learn how to enhance their popularity.
They were poring over a handbook entitled Clayton Williams’ Guide to Diplomacy and Political Social Graces.
If you’re too young to remember the 1990 Texas gubernatorial race between Clayton Williams and Ann Richards, the victor, the dream sector sentence is wasted on you….
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In another part of his dream, Mort says he eavesdropped on Olympic policy makers, who were convening 100 years up the road.
They were adding new events with abandon.
“There are going to be so many events added, there may be games every four minutes instead of every four years,” Mort laughed….
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Still another group was discussing oil’s overwhelming role in world affairs.
One observer asserted that one event in biblical history greatly impacting the world occurred by absolute chance. Chance? From the Bible? Huh?
“When Moses descended Mount Sinai, if he’d turned left instead of right, they’d have the commandments and we’d have the oil.”….
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Mort was prepared to “roll on”--speaking at 250 words a minute with gusts to 300--but when he lingered at a comma, it was my turn to talk.
I wanted to share my “take” on the Olympics, and I made it clear that I was NOT dreaming.
My observations concerned the Olympics’ newspaper coverage. Further, I wanted to shed light on a football great who finally has a full-blown biography about his life. It was written by the most versatile journalist/author/playwright/speaker I have ever known….
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The Dallas Morning News’ Kevin Sherrington--arguably the best sportswriter since the late Blackie Sherrod--provided grand coverage that even non-fans of Olympics enjoyed, often earning smiles.
For example, when he wrote of the ever-modest Scottie Scheffler’s response upon winning the gold in golf, he said the champion was “as demonstrative as a basset hound.”
It was a classic piece, worthy of its front-page placement….
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Dave Lieber is “Mr. Versatility” of earlier reference. He has been a national award-winning columnist for more than 30 years, first for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and then for the Dallas Morning News , which features his “watchdog” column twice weekly.
He has written two hit shows, including Amon: The Ultimate Texan , and his newest of 10 books is a must-read for sports lovers. This is particularly true for folks who recall Southern Methodist University’s football glory days AND the Dallas Cowboys’ inglorious beginnings.
“Dandy Don” Meredith, despite having polio as a child, went on to star in high school and at SMU. With the Dallas Cowboys, he survived feuds with the late Tom Landry, employing folly along the way, on and off the field….
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After football, Meredith was an immediate delight on ABC’s Monday Night Football telecasts, bantering with the incomparable Howard Cozell.
A reader asked Lieber why no book had been written about Meredith. He couldn’t believe it either, so he wrote one.
It’s great, and now available at DonMeredithBook.com, this first-ever full-length biography about Jeff and Hazel’s baby boy from Mount Vernon.….
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Dr. Newbury, longtime university president, continues to speak and write. The Idle American, begun in 2003, is Texas’ longest-running syndicated column. Contact: 817-447-3872. Email: newbury@speakerdoc.com. Website: www.speakerdoc.com.