I alluded to The Corner King Classic (Version 15) in the last post.

What follows is a column that ran in another publication eight years ago.  Every syllable written then still hold true today.   With that said, I’d have to indicate that the four of us, the ones to gather next Friday, are very fortunate fellows.

Here’s to The Corner King!

Corner King Classic VII

By the time this story goes to print, the book will be written on the seventh annual Corner King Classic.  I get a kick out of this event every year.  When co-workers ask if I have any plans for this particular weekend, I just do my best Barney Fife and sniff a little bit as I shrug my shoulders and confidently tell them I am playing in a golf tournament.  Most react with raised eyebrows and nods of impression.  Upon this exchange, I walk away ready to bust a gut with laughter.

The seventh annual Corner King Classic.  Has it been that long?  Yes, I suppose it has.  Every year I play in this tournament at the New Salisbury Golf Course.  No other course would do.  It is close to where the Corner King lived and spent many weekend nights as king of the corner as he was parked at the Gulf turned BP station and held court over the old four-way stop in New Salisbury.

Malcolm Todd Lincoln, Sr. was one of the best friends I ever had.  He stood seven feet tall in his boots.  Lord he was big fella.  Nothing, however, was bigger about him than his heart.  He’d do anything for you at any time in any place.  He was the most gentle, even spirited person I ever knew.  Nine years after his death, I still find myself in lonely, quiet moments thinking about the good times we had.  I think about the last time I saw him.  I think about the last time I talked to him…it was on the phone.  “Later on, brother” were the last words he ever spoke to me.  I think about The Moody Blues concerts we attended together.  I think about the eulogy I gave at his funeral and what else I could have said.  I think about Malcolm Jr. and how I hope I can talk to him one day about his Daddy.  Though I don’t do it, some days I could still cry.

Without fail, I am quite certain I will once again get a little choked up at the first tee at New Salisbury Golf Course as I always make a short impromptu speech about the Corner King before the first player tees off.  I get to tee off first this year because I won last year.  This year, however, Gus is the favorite.

We gather at the first tee each year, the four of us: Mick Rutherford, Kelly Samons, Jason “Gus” Stephenson, and me. Like Corner King, we are all graduates of the North Harrison High School class of 1986.  How we’ve gotten to the seventh one of these things so quickly is a mystery.  How we have survived the laughter and the bad golf is an even greater mystery.

In addition to the laughter, two other things involved with the Corner King Classic have stayed intact.  Each participant gets a trophy at the end of the round of golf.  We have a first place trophy, a second place trophy, a third place trophy, and a fourth place trophy. We just trade at the end of the round.  As I said, I currently hold the first place trophy.  I have won it twice in the history of the tournament.  One other staple of tradition we hold to is to have a ceremonial bite of SKOAL at the first tee.  In our younger days, we chewed acres of tobacco.  We relive that too.  In honor of the King, we all partake from the same can…believe it or not; it is one the more emotional moments of the day.  When that seriousness is over, however, it’s every man for himself and you’d better keep your head up.  Who knows where that little white ball is going?

The Corner King Classic has made its own memories.  Every year Gus says I am the favorite.  One year, as he was teeing off first in defense of his title, his shot took a 90-degree angle to the right and hit the shed they keep their golf carts in.  After my side quit hurting from laughter, I told him maybe I was the favorite.  I also remember the time Mick was playing with an orange ball and finding that thing was like an Easter egg hunt in all the leaves.  Kelly always takes his sweet time sizing up his shots only to use the word “dagnabbit” every third shot.  One year I rolled in a birdie putt at number eight off the fringe only to lose three balls in the woods off the following tee.

What I remember most is the Corner King and knowing we play in a classic because he was one.

Wow.

This past weekend’s speaktherights.com College Football Predictions worked out very well.

I was in earnest when I said the Hoosier would beat Mizzou.  They did.

I was in err when I reported that East Carolina had beaten South Carolina earlier.  They beat Virginia Tech instead…no simple task.  They put 70 points on North Carolina.  Time to retire Ruffin McNeil’s jersey.  He played defensive back for them back in the day.  He is a good Pirate.  Speaking of which, who has cooler uniforms than ECU?  I hope you did not say Oregon.

When it was all said and done, the week was 8 for and 2 against.  I thought Va. Tech would beat Ga. Tech.  I thought LSU would take care of Mississippi State.  Between the two of them the State boys from Starkville and Ole Miss are 7 wins and 0 loses.

Back to IU.  I did think they would win.  Mizzou was ripe for the picking.  Face it, it is difficult to get excited to play Indiana.  The Tigers thought they just had to show up.  The Hoosiers were there to show them up.  And Coach Wilson needed this game badly.  Hopefully it will spark some enthusiasm and the Hoosiers will beat Maryland as they come calling to Bloomington this Saturday.  I would not hold my breath.  If I made the pick today, I would give it to the Terps…though I would hate to do so.  I’d be delighted to be proved wrong.

After 4 weeks the season tally on College Football Predictions stands at 30 wins and 10 loses.

So what is with the golf picture?  This is a question I was asked today.

Yes, that is as close as I have ever gotten to a hole-in-one.  Maybe…I think I was a little closer one time at hole #4 on the Old Capital Course…but I didn’t have a cell phone back then to take a picture.  Come to think of it, I didn’t even know what a cell phone was on that day.

Symbolism.  Yes, yes, I know it is football season.  I know some folks out there think I am not getting enough oxygen to my brain, given there is a golf ball at the top of the page.

Back to Symbolism.

I commented in an earlier post about a golf tournament I would be playing in this fall.  I commented in another earlier post…a little less than a month ago…about how my friend Malcolm Todd “Corner King” Lincoln, Sr had died suddenly in 1997.

In 2000, four us, some friends and myself, began playing a golf game we called “The Corner King Classic” at New Salisbury Golf Course.  It is to commemorate the life of a good friend as we share our own friendship.  The golf is terrible.  The laughs make up for it.  The memories are priceless.

As time goes on, my friends and I see less and less of each other.  That would be life.  It happens.  Like I wrote in another early post…some friends fade away.  I am fortunate to call these three my friends: Kelly Samons, Mick Rutherford, and Gus Stephenson.  We are still at it.

Why “The Corner King Classic” in New Salisbury?   The course is close to the corner where our friend the Corner King would sit holding court at the old gas station in front of the old four-way stop…high above his subjects in a red Jeep that sat well off the ground.  The golf course is…well…just around the corner.

Speaking the rights….FORE!

Danny Johnson

Tonight I had a wonderful time in my hometown.

The Brownstown Central Braves played host to the North Harrison Cougars.  Brownstown won 35-13.  It was much closer than most of us thought it would be.  I was delighted to see the Braves win…for many reasons.  One included the fact that I wanted to see my friend Jerry Brown, a coach for BCHS, come away with a victory.

This is a picture of of me and Jerry after the game.

You can see how miserable we are.

I am so blessed to have such good friends.

I will give a full account of my wonderful evening with many friends tomorrow on speaktherights.com

Danny Johnson

Big evening planned tomorrow.  My only regret is that my dear wife, Carrie, won’t be there.  She likes to watch me when I go back to the place of my childhood.

I am going to attend a high school football game tomorrow night.  The North Harrison Cougars are going to be playing the Brownstown Central Braves at James T. Blevins Memorial Stadium in Brownstown.  I played my first football game on this field in 1977.  Pee-wee football is what we called it back then.  I’m sure they call it something different now.  I played on a team called the Bears.  It was a special season.  My Bears were 1-2.  We only played three games.  The 0-2 Bears were playing the 2-0 Cardinals the last game of the season.  The Bears won 30-26.  I caught a pass in that game.  We played our games on Saturday mornings.  On Friday nights my Dad was the head coach of the Brownstown Central Braves.  He had his best season with the high school team in 1977.  They finished the season 8-3.  I still call members of that high school team my friends this many years later.

Tomorrow night I will be there to report for speaktherights.com as to what went on.  I am looking forward to it.  You see, one of the best friends I have is a coach for Brownstown.  His name is Jerry Brown.  Jerry’s son Clay is the quarterback for the Braves.  They are having a great season.

They just so happen to be playing the North Harrison Cougars tomorrow night.  Many might think I planned such a game to attend.  After all, North is the high school I graduated from and played high school football for.  It was pure coincidence.

The bottom line is this is the only game I will be able to attend until October 31st.  My calendar is a bit busy, I suppose.

I want to visit my friend Jerry Brown.  We are getting together before the game for a precious hour or so that will help to define the great friendship we have shared since elementary school.

I will be rooting for the Braves.

Moving on to College Football Predictions for Week 4:

Va. Tech beats Ga. Tech…Beamer is still using a toothpick to clear all he chewed out after they got beat by the Fighting Ruffins of East Carolina last week.

Duke beats Tulane…the Dukies go to 4-0 for the first time in over 20 years.  Coach Cut gets it done.

Bama beats Florida…the Tide is tough on any Gator…this Tide will be very high.

East Carolina beats North Carolina….Ruffin gets a contract for life after he beats South and North (Carolina) in consecutive weeks.

Indiana beats Missouri….the players get it for IU…they need this to save their coach.  It has been a long time since the Hoosiers won a big road game.  They are due.  The Tigers won’t be ready.  This is my King upset.

Louisville beats FIU…as they should.

LSU beats Mississippi State….cow bells will be of little consequence at Death Valley.

Oklahoma beat West Virginia….even though they lose, couches will still burn in Morgantown.

South Carolina beats Vandy…the old ball coach will be making a tee time by the end of the second quarter.

Marshall beats Akron… they darn well better!

For the season,  the speaktherights.com College Football Predictions stand at 22 wins and 8 losses.  Yes, I like to pick some upsets…IU, I am all for you!  Still, I think it just makes sense to pick a dog now and again.

I’ll fill you in about the good times I will have tomorrow night.  I am toting the camera to the game and I am looking forward to it.

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

Twelve songs that moved faster than the speed of light.

That is how I describe the new Train release Bulletproof Picasso.  

My dear wife, Carrie, and I just listened to the new Train cd and were left to just look at each other in bewilderment…slash…sadness when the twelfth of twelve songs was over before we felt like we were getting somewhere.

Was it good music?  It sure was to us.  Otherwise we’d still be listening to it wondering when will it be over?

The official US release of this new collection was today.  When we got home today Amazon had come through.  They usually do.

Train has become my second favorite group….a VERY distant second to The Moody Blues.  What Train might have to offer that The Moodies will never offer up again is new music.  As much as I can listen to the music I love over and over and over again, the chance to hear some new tunes and have them appeal to my discerning ear makes me a winner.  When it comes to music…I am not very easily impressed.

Twelve songs.  Twelve songs that went much too fast the first time.  Like all Trains…this stuff will slow down eventually.  But it will still be a beautiful vehicle to behold.

Listening…and speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

I can count on one hand how many times I have returned to the place I got my formal undergraduate education for  meetings of professional nature.  In most cases when I am called to attend a gathering at the college level, I travel closer to the school I work at than the campus I attended a meeting at on this day in New Albany.  More often than not I go to Columbus to visit the campuses of Indiana University Purdue University-Columbus or its Learning Center sharing partner Ivy Tech State College.  One a few occasions I have even made my way to the Ivy Tech campus in Evansville.  When you drive 54 miles one way to work, you really don’t think too much about driving long distances.

On this day, I was back at Indiana University Southeast.  The place where I earned my undergraduate degree in Secondary English Education.

After my meeting, I took a few minutes to visit some places on campus that were important to me.  My head was on a swivel as I looked for things that were familiar.  Aside from the exterior of most of the buildings, there were many changes that rendered old spaces very unfamiliar.  What would one expect?

I found the classroom that changed everything I know about education.  Hillside Hall Room 205.

It was in this classroom that I met my mentor, my friend, my best teacher.  His name: Dr. Millard Dunn.  Don’t ask me why Millard and I got along.  I remember the first day of class.  I saw him walking down the hall laughing with a colleague…another English sort that I did not get along with.  I had been a student in this lady’s class during an earlier term.  My respect-a-meter for her was low.  Millard fell quickly to the bug-a-boo that is guilt by association.  This guy is laughing at something that old battle-ax just said, I thought.  She hasn’t said anything clever since the Nixon administration, I surmised.

Shame on me.

It did not take long to realize that Millard Dunn was the real deal.  What this guy possessed was intelligence that I keenly appreciated and…not to sound ostentatious…related to.  The things he said and how he said them.  I got it.  Others in the room were there to get their credit and do their time.  Me, I was finally ready to learn and found someone I could relate to in doing so.  That classroom is still very important to me.

The thing is…I respected Millard.  I asked questions.  He gave careful answers.  I asked more questions.  He gave more meaningful answers.  I asked even more questions.  He rolled up his sleeves as to acknowledge he got me.  We were going to work together.  Did we ever.  I took every class Millard taught.  We ran through Grammar and Usage.  We hit Western Literature.  We took on poetry and creative writing.  We got immersed in studying the New England Renaissance as we broke down the Transcendentalist and the Anti-Transcendentalist.

When I visited Walden Pond a few years ago for the first time, I thought of Millard Dunn.

When I visited the Herman Melville Room of the Berkshire Athenaeum

in  Pittsfield, Massachusetts, I thought about Millard Dunn.

It was in the room above over twenty years ago that I pulled off my most daring effort during my time at IUS.

It was mid-September of the fall term.  Dr. Dunn was making an assignment.  Each class participant was to give a presentation that included the works of a major author and a multi-media type device to share with students…be it a poster, a tri-fold board of facts and interesting information, or a recording of the work…something we could tangibly share with our fellow students that was more than just standing there reading about someone.  These were due at the end of the semester

Dr. Dunn was taking volunteers.  The earlier you volunteered, the earlier you got to choose the author you wanted to present on.  Everyone in the class had to choose a different author.   I threw up my hand first.  The exchanged that raised Dr. Dunn’s eyebrows and drew the ire of my classmates went as follows:

Dr. Dunn:  Who would like to volunteer to present first?

Me:  I’ll volunteer to do mine on Henry David Thoreau.

Dr. Dunn:  Thank you, Mr. Johnson.  Mr. Johnson will lead us off.

Me:  No, Dr. Dunn.  I don’t think so.

Dr. Dunn:  What do mean, you don’t think so?

Me:  Well…the way I see it, I can’t go first.  I’m volunteering to go last…because no one is going to want to follow me.

Dr. Dunn: This had better be good.  I won’t forget this.  But I will grant you the last spot.

My classmates were not impressed.  I think Dr. Dunn, however, was.

The weekend before the end of the semester, in December, I went to the woods to live deliberately.  Actually, I went to Washington County to a very large farm pond that belonged to a friend of mine.  What I did was turn this pond and the woods around it into Walden Pond Southwest.

I took a video camera and taped the scenery around the pond as I read passages from Walden.  I took the video camera and put it on the ground with the pond in the background and in front of the pond I built a Lincoln Log home to represent the cabin Henry David Thoreau built near Walden Pond.  Honestly, I was off the charts.  This was truly one of the most creative things I ever put together.

Why?  Because Millard Dunn made me believe I could do it.  He showed me it was okay for a Moody Blues loving, football playing, poetry writing hayseed to really turn up the volume and enjoy what the work ahead of us was.

On the last day of the semester, I gave my presentation…last.  I turned off the lights.  I fired up the antiquated VCR that was quite state of the art at the time.  I let it happen.

At the end of my presentation, Millard turned on the lights as he stood in the doorway.

He said:  I don’t want to follow that either.  We’ll let Mr. Johnson have the last word of the semester.

Dr. Dunn walked off.  When we came back for the new term in January we talked about that day.  We both enjoyed it.

At this writing, IUS is building a permanent amphitheater on the spot where they used portable shell-like structure to feature graduation the day I received my undergrad degree.  My mom and my dear wife, Carrie, bought me a class ring to commemorate the event.  I wear the ring every day.  On occasion I have to explain that no… I did not get it at a pawn shop.  While some don’t have the faith they need in people, Millard Dunn had faith in my ability as a student and a teacher.  I hope I have not let him down.

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

My dear wife, Carrie, and I saw the Marshall Thundering Herd dismantle the Ohio Bobcats today at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.  The Herd’s offense was shelling the corn today.  They gained over 700 yards on offense for the second consecutive week.  Rakeem Cato, the great quarterback, passed for 425 yard…almost all of those came in 3 quarters.

Even better than this, the Herd’s line played well and they ran the ball well again too.

We must give credit to the line as well as the quarterback.  Without protection, the qb is on his back making shapes out of clouds in between plays.

There was a good crowd at The Joan today.  This is going to be a good season for The Herd.

The Louisville Cardinals lost today.  I was delighted.  On talk radio coming out of the River City this past week all I heard was put down after put down of the Virginia Cavaliers and the school they represent.  It was pathetic.  I hoped the Cavs would win and they did.  I don’t quite get the empowerment/entitlement that so many Cardinal fans/media types have bestowed upon themselves as they embark on being a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference this year.  If they had class, they would be deferring a little and acting like they appreciate the chance to be there.  I have visited a few ACC schools.  When they come to Louisville to visit, I have no doubt they will be glad to get back home.

Indiana lost today.  They got beat by a MAC school.  The mighty Bowling Green State Falcons…they are located in Ohio, not Kentucky…beat IU 45-42.  Good thing they fired Doug Mallory as the defensive coordinator last year.

The Ole Miss Rebels are for real.  They have a defense that is excellent.  They have an offense that is capable.  If they are hitting on all cylinders and not turning the ball over, they can beat everyone on their schedule, I believe.  I can’t say I have ever believed that before.  It is true…defense wins championships.

Their game against Alabama on October 4th will be the game of the year.

Keep on thinking free.  And…keep speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

We did not fare so well with last week’s picks.

I did pull one out by picking Virginia Tech to beat Ohio State.  Yes, I wanted it to happen.  Still, I had a hunch that Frank Beamer was due.  What he has done in Blacksburg is of epic proportion in this day of win or else we will find a replacement for you only to find we should have kept you.  See Ole Miss and David Cutcliffe.

Texas was the big disappointment last week.  I thought they would beat BYU at home.   Instead they got thumped 41 to 7….at home!   Shadows lift up and remind us of Indiana’s last victory over Ohio State.  That was the first weekend in October of 1988.  IU won 41 to 7.  It was the most surreal game I have ever witnessed in person.  We couldn’t believe what we were seeing.  And for good reason.  Twenty-six years later IU is trying to beat Ohio State again.  Good luck with that.

Michigan State went to Oregon and got it handed to them.  I was hoping Oregon would stumble and I still hope they do.  They have ugly uniforms…all twelve of them.  Most of them we have not seen yet…but they will be ugly.

So two weeks into the season speaktherights.com has a 15 and 5 record.

This is our breakout week.

Week 3 picks are as follows:

Marshall will beat Ohio…there will be green all over “The Joan”.  Herd green will win out.

Indiana will beat Bowling Green….I want to pick the Falcons but I am trying something new with the Hoosiers…optimism.

Louisville beats Virginia….Card fans will like Charlottesville and they might find some books without pictures down there as they look around.

Duke beats Kansas….Coach Cut gets it done again.

Ole Miss beats LA-Lafayette…just waiting for Bama on October 4th.  Game of the year.

Notre Dame beats Purdue…and tries to stay interested while doing so.  PU lives up to its name.

Florida beats Kentucky….though I want to pick KY…there is something called the natural order of things…just ask IU fans hoping to beat Ohio State.

Alabama will beat Southern Miss…Brett Favre couldn’t help this USM team.

Va.Tech beats East Carolina….though I hope the Pirates win.  We love Ruffin here.  He is awesome.  His teams are always fun to watch.  Hope I lose this pick.

Cincinnati beats Toledo….the Bearcats could be tough this year.  Going to be fun to see if Gunner Kiel has the muscle memory to hit a receiver more than thirty yards down the field. I think he will do fine.  I hope so.  Tommy Tuberville teams are usually fun to watch.

My dear wife, Carrie, and I will be in Huntington rooting on the Thundering Herd this Saturday.  A visit to Joan C. Edwards Stadium to watch the Herd is a special time for us.  We look forward to getting away and enjoying each other’s company as we watch Rakeem Cato for one last season.  He is always fun to watch.  On our three trips to The Joan last year, The Herd scored over 50 points against the three opponents we saw them play.  So far they have scored 42 at Miami of Ohio and 48 last week against Rhode Island at home.  This should be a game with a few more amps.  These two teams have quite the history…I don’t think they like each other too much.  Should be fun.

Or as Keith Jackson used to say: “It should be a good one.”

Looking forward to week 3 as we speak the football rights.

Danny Johnson

I often reference to the students I teach the value of knowing the whole dynamic that is understanding that the use of the English Language is “situation specific”.

We talk about public speaking.  If I am going to address a 1st grade class about a given topic, I need to use words they understand.  I need to talk to them with the appropriate tone so I do not intimidate them or make them fall asleep.  If I am going to talk to the school board about a given topic at the school board meeting, I need to use the proper words for that audience and I must use a stronger more forthcoming delivery than what I would use if I was addressing 1st graders.

This whole rattling on about “situation specific” is important.  Most students never hear an explanation of how the English language can be used to their benefit in these terms.  I think it is very important.

Know this, I am not giving anyone pointers on how not to use the English language properly.  There is a time and a place… I try to accentuate HOW SIGNIFICANT… to use language to one’s advantage.  It is the answer to the age old school question:  WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

If we show students both sides of the equation, they can process the wherefore, how to, and why with much more clarity.  It is good for them.

If I play cards with my high school friends,  there is chance a word or two may come out that we would not say in Sunday School Class.

If I play football with a bunch of 5th graders, I darn well better be the best example I can be and say good, positive things about the events of the day.

There is a difference.

I learned this many years ago in part from having a great 12th grade English teacher.  Mrs. E was awesome.  She would talk to us…not down to us.  Maybe that was because she only stood about 4’11.   No…that wasn’t it.  She was the tallest one in the room and we all respected the heck out of her.

Mrs. E and I hit it off.  She provided me with one thing most of my high school teachers never achieved as far as I was concerned: motivation.  I thought so highly of the lady given her words, deeds, ethos, and sheer honesty…I would have done anything I needed to do to gain her favor and approval…thought I inherently already had both of them from her, I wanted more.  I was willing to work to get it.  She thought enough of my abilities to draft me to help my own senior classmates with their reading prowess.  They were not gifted readers.  They were gifted friends.  Helping them was an honor and much more important than I ever thought about at the time.

My favorite “situation specific” story I share with my students is from a day in December of 1985 when I gave my “Senior Speech” over an English literary giant.  My speech was about the poet Dylan Thomas.

Though no one in the room had a better chance of butchering up the English language in the class like I did…as I did so often…I gave what Mrs. E would call a “letter perfect” speech about the Irish wordsmith.

I stood up in front of my cronies and classmates and told it just like I practiced it.  I looked them all in the eye.  I threw up a hand in meaningful gesture now and then.  I paused for effect.  I asked a few questions.  I gave wait time.  Most importantly, I knew about the poet Dylan Thomas.

After wrapping up my conclusion, shocked as I felt like I was just getting warmed up, I ended my speech and walked to the back of the room where Mrs. E was seated.

I can still see Mrs E’s eyes glimmering behind big brown framed glasses and that huge smile on her face.  She held up a paper for me to see.  It was her critique of my speech.  It had a HUGE “A” circled on it.  And believe me, that was one vowel that she did not hand out without you earning it.

I then sat down next to her, glanced at my paper and said the following:  “I done good, didn’t I”.

Before the last syllable died, Mrs. E snatched the paper from my hand a put a big -minus sign- next the A on my paper.

Her idea of situation specific did not end when one left the lectern.

I am glad I lived to tell the story.

Speaking the speeching rights…..

Danny Johnson

I must report that I have been getting some unsolicited comments about this website.

I am not impressed.

I get spamesque messages that say something about how they like what they see on my site and think I put too much work into it and are offering me ways to cheat with my posts and make them something they are not.

Wrong.

I hope this is not considered the American Way.

It is not my American Way.  I like to think for myself.  I like to write.  I like to put forth that which I hope entertains and makes one think on occasion.

I am put off with someone suggesting I cheat because it appears that I “work too hard…”  Hogwash!  What made this country great?  Taking the easy way out?  I don’t think so.

So, all you spam spouters….know this:  I enjoy writing.  I plan on bringing forth nothing but original thought to this space and you can all eat more possum!

While you’re at it….leave speaktherights.com alone.

Just speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson