My First NBA Game

In the fall of 1957,I was living in Windsor, Connecticut. I was 14 and very interested in sports. In the fall, The Hartford Courant began advertising for an NBA exhibition game that was coming to Hartford. It was to be a game between the Minneapolis Lakers and a pickup team that was supposed to include some former Harlem Globetrotters. It's hard to imagine 50+ years later that a real NBA team was actually going to play a pickup team. The reality is that back then professional basketball was a minor sport that was happy to show up if you had the money.

My Grandfather, John Casey, got us tickets to the game. The Minneapolis Lakers had won five straight NBA championships in the late 1940's and early 1950's with George Mikan as their star. Those days were gone and the franchise was having hard times and would soon become the Los Angeles Lakers. All of the advertising for the game touted the newest Laker, Hot Rod Huntley. He would go on to have a long association with the NBA, but is probably remembered more for his announcing than for his playing. Hot Rod didn't get into the game until a couple of minutes were left and he didn't impress me. In fact nobody on the Lakers made much of an impression.

However, I really enjoyed the game because of one of the players on the pickup team. The player that I enjoyed went on to become fairly famous, but it wasn't because of his ability to play basketball. Those days were years away. On this night, he was the star of the game. His name was Chet Forte. He had been an All American basketball player at Columbia University in New York City.

Chet never got the opportunity to play basketball in the NBA.  Although he had averaged 28.9 points per game for the 1956-57 season and won the national collegiate player of the year award, beating out Wilt Chamberlain and Hot Rod Huntley, Chet had a problem. By basketball standards Chet was short; the universal belief in the NBA was that short people could not play because they would be unable to play acceptable defense. So, he was never given a chance. It was a long time before Calvin Murphy showed that remarkable offensive skills could overcome questionable defensive skills.

On this night, Chet was incredible. He could not be stopped and the crowd was buzzing all night because of the array of ways that he was able to score. Before the game was over, he had scored well into the 30's.

Chet went on to have a terrific career in sports, but it was as a director on television. Among his accomplishments: he was the first director of Monday Night Football and he was the director of the first two Olympics shown on ABC.

Oh, the game - the Lakers were, after  all, an NBA team and they did win the game despite Chet's terrific performance.

Another oh - when everybody knows something (short people can't play in the NBA), what they know is yesterday's news.  Making decisions based on yesterday's news will not lead to likely success.  Unfortunately, for 99.9999% of us (including me), we always make decisions based on yesterday's news.  The other .0001% change the world.

Six Kids And An Oil Fire

It was the winter of 1950-1951. I think it was then because Julie was born in 1950, and I remember that she was being carried.  Often John Casey, Grandpa, was our babysitter, but on this night it was Gary who was the babysitter. Gary would have only been 11 years old, the oldest of the six kids.

We had a television in the basement of our home at 64 Grove Street in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.  I think this was a fairly new addition to the Casey family.  We kids were all watching TV, and someone decided that we should have some french fries. So Gary put some oil on the stove to heat up and we continued watching TV. After watching our show, we returned to the kitchen to find that the oil had become a fire in the pan in which it was being heated.

To his credit, Gary sprung into action and, not knowing any better, filled a pot with water. He poured the water on the oil fire. This created an immediate explosive fireball which went directly up the walls to the ceiling but, miraculously, didn't make contact with any of us kids. Gary opened the back door, and then grabbed a towel which he wrapped around the handle of the burning pan which he threw out the back door into the snow.

We kids knew immediately that we needed to keep this a secret from Mom and Dad.  Unfortunately, we quickly learned that you can't clean something that has burned.

I can't remember any consequences from Mom and Dad. I certainly never forgot that you don't put out an oil fire with water.

Smartphone & Tablet Should Be One Device

The smartphone and the tablet are not two separate products despite the fact that they are currently being manufactured and marketed as two separate products.  They should be one product.  


There has been some movement toward the one product approach with innovations like the Motorola Atrix and Asus Padfone.  Also recently the Clambook has been announced.  This is a product that uses a smartphone for the CPU and programs.  The Clambook provides a monitor and keyboard. These are moves in the right direction, but aren't getting us to where I think we should be.


So if I'm saying that this needs to be one product, then there need to be reasons for only having one product. Let's list some :


1.  Never ending complaints about the screen being too small or too large.  With only one product everyone gets the screen size that they want.


2.  Paying for two of everything when one is all that's needed.  Do I really need a camera on two devices when one will get the job done just fine.


3.  Do I really need to pay for two data plans?  I won't if I only have one device.


4.  We keep being told that bandwidth is limited, and I'm wasting it to keep app updates current on two devices.  I won't if I only have one device.


So I am proposing that we only have one product – the Personal Device (PD).  The Personal Device is defined as a small, multi-function personal computer that is on your person or close to your person 24/7.


When you purchase a Personal Device, you will buy two components – the Personal Device module and the Screen.  The Personal Device module will be an encased product that has all the components of the current smartphone except those included in the Screen.  The Personal Device module will slide into the Screen to complete the Personal Device.  The Screen will include the screen, battery and, optionally, the keyboard.


Now it's time to talk about choice.  The Screen comes in all sizes.  For a person with small hands and/or limited carrying options, a 3 inch Screen might be the right component.  For an older person with diminishing eyesight, a 5, 6, or 7 inch Screen would be better, with the final choice being determined by the ability to carry it with you.  For someone who has mastered doing everything on their smartphone with one hand, maybe a 4 inch screen would be the best choice.  The point is that you have choice – you pick the size that fits your lifestyle.


Also think about special needs Screens.  Let's say you own a small tree removal company.  You are out in the bright sunshine everyday directing your crew and handling the generation of new business.  You need a Personal Device that allows you to handle all your business needs in bright sunshine.  Your Screen needs to allow you to see it perfectly in bright sunshine.


The Screens are just the screen and battery, in most cases, and therefore should be reasonably priced.  You need a Screen that is the right size for that comfortable chair that you sit in while you watch TV and catch up on your social networking.  You need a Screen that allows for one-handed use while you curl up in bed reading.  You need a Screen that works outside while you work on your suntan.  They will probably all be different sizes.  Again, you have choice.


Changing Screens has to be easier than changing a battery on a smartphone.  Turn off the Personal Device.  Slide out the Personal Device module.  Slide the Personal Device module into the new Screen.  Turn on the Personal Device.


Think into the future ten to fifteen years or about eight or ten iterations of the chips in these devices.  These devices will be vastly more powerful than the smartphones we have today.  Today there are supposedly three billion cell phones in use worldwide.  Cell phone usage is quickly converting to smartphone usage.  In ten to fifteen years there are going to be significantly more than three billion devices.  These devices are going to be the primary computers for the majority of the world.  Let's simplify the manufacture of the Personal Device modules and say that each company makes three models - "bare-bones", "middle-of-the-road" and "all-the-bells-and-whistles".  The majority of the world will be using the "bare-bones", a device way more powerful than we have today.


So is it going to happen.  I don't think so.  I don't have unique ideas;  this has been thought of and rejected for some reason(s).

Basketball Memories #2 - Seeing Bill Walton Play

I saw Bill Walton play two games against Atlanta during his heyday - or did I? 


During his championship year with Portland (1976-1977 season), a number of friends and I went to the game.  Walton and his team were terrific.  By the middle of the second quarter they were up by 30 points.  We had come to cheer on the Hawks, and were disgusted.  We left and went barhopping.  The good news is I did get to see him for a quarter and a half, and he was dominating.


The next year it looked like Portland was on the way to a second championship, and we again got tickets to the game.  The strangest thing happened during the game.  Walton picked up a quick foul when the game started and then another and then another.  By the third foul we were looking at each other and asking if anyone was seeing those fouls.


I don't remember how much time was passing in the game, but it seemed that he quickly collected his fourth and fifth fouls.  I will never forget the details of his sixth foul.  We had seats at the end of the court at ground level - in line with about a 16 foot shoot to the basket.  A Hawk was standing right in front of us about 18 feet from the basket.  Walton was guarding him but standing a good 5 feet from him.  The ball got to the Hawk, and he went up for a shoot.  Walton jumped up and closer, maybe getting as close as 3 feet.  The whistle blew and Bill Walton had fouled out of the game.


We were disgusted and went barhopping.  I never saw anything written about what was going on with Walton and the referees, but something sure was.

Listening To Music - Unable To Breath

On two occasions in my life, I found that, while listening to a music cut, I was unable to breathe. I was sure that I was having a heart attack, but, really, I was just overcome by the music. One definition for 'to take one's breath away' is, literally, to cause someone to be out of breathe due to shock or hard exercise; or, figuratively, to overwhelm someone with beauty or grandeur; to surprise or astound someone.  Definitely, the figurative definition is true.  However, the literal definition is also true because I was physically unable to breathe.


The first happened in February, 1969 when I was living in West Palm Beach, Florida. I was listening to a jazz station in Pompano Beach,  Florida, and the announcer came on and said that he had to apologize for what he was about to play because it was certainly not jazz. However, he said, the artist truly needed to be heard, and he felt that he had to play it on his show. What followed was 'Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye' by Roberta Flack. Soon after the music started, I found myself unable to breathe. A couple of cuts later he played 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'.  The next day I bought Roberta's album, First Take.


I got to enjoy Roberta for a few years before she became an overnight sensation when Clint Eastwood featured 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' in his 1972 movie, Play Misty For Me.  Roberta went on to have a great career in music.


The second time it happened was in 1995.  Over a number of months, I saw the same singer on TV multiple times, a slight woman with a big voice, without finding out her name.  The first three times she was singing to young audiences so I figured she was a performer for kids.  I thought the kids were very lucky because she had an amazing voice.  The next three times I saw her she was singing to older audiences.  So I'd seen her six times and I still don't know her name.  


How can that happen?  This was a time before DVR's.  If I didn't have a specific show to watch, I sat in front of the TV with a clicker in my hand.  If the current channel didn't grab my attention within five seconds, I changed to another channel, and then another, and then another, etc.  That was how I caught this singer so many times in the middle of a song.  I missed the introductions and thus missed the name of the singer.


Then one day I was channel hopping and caught a show on PBS.  It was a show about a new CD that had just come out.  The CD was titled Tapestry Revisited, a tribute album to Carole King's Tapestry album from the early 1970's.  I listened to a couple of cuts, and there she was - and she had a name - and she started singing - and I couldn't breathe - and I was sure I was having a heart attack - again.  Celine Dion was singing (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Celine's career has been at the superstar level and well deserved.


I have had two heart attacks over the last ten years.  I think I prefer listening to music and being unable to breathe to an actual heart attack.

Basketball Memories #1

One night, I think in the early 1970's, I was driving somewhere and turned on the radio to see if I could find a basketball game.  The Indiana Pacers from the ABA were playing someone so I decided to listen.  Quickly the name Don Buse became the most used name on the broadcast.  He was either stealing the ball or knocking the ball out of the hands of the offensive player.  Time after time after time.  It was a remarkable defensive performance.  At the end of the half, he had 11 steals.


It's hard, thinking about it forty years later, to imagine that someone could actually have 11 steals in half a professional basketball game.  I didn't hear the rest of the game.  I must have arrived at my destination.  I have tried to find proof of this event on the internet, but I haven't found anything.  


So all I can say for sure is that, before that night, I had never heard the name Don Buse, and after that night, I never forgot the name Don Buse.


Addendum:  Steals became an official statistic in the NBA for the 1973-1974 season and for the 1972-1973 season in the ABA.  The record for steals in a game in the NBA is 11.  For combined NBA/ABA records, Don Buse ranks 1st for total steals in a single season and 16th for career steals.

Women's Softball - Then and Much Later

In 1956, I was 13 and living in Clearwater, FL. On nights that I wasn't playing or practicing for Pony League baseball, I liked to watch the Clearwater Bombers Men's fast pitch softball team play. I'd beg for 10 cents, the price of a ticket, and I would hike to the stadium.


Late in the summer, the women's national fast pitch championship was held in Clearwater.  I was able to see a lot of the games, and I really had a great time watching the women play.


Forty years later, in 1996, my wife and I were watching the Olympics women's fast pitch softball event in Columbus, GA.  I was telling my wife about seeing the national championship in Clearwater, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It just so happened that the three women sitting directly behind us had all played in that event in 1956.


I don't know if it really is a small world, but sometimes it sure seems that way.