Master Index of Archived Threads
Original Big Train being honored by Nats
| SteveJRogers Aug 01 2007 12:41 PM |
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[url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070731&content_id=2120066&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb]100 years since The Big Train made his big league debut[/url]
I wonder if the Twinkies are planning anything.
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| Edgy DC Aug 01 2007 12:42 PM |
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Carolyn Johnson-Thomas saved my life.
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| Frayed Knot Aug 01 2007 12:51 PM |
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Baseball journo Tim Kurkjian grew up in Maryland and traces at least part of his baseball obsession to the fact that he attended Walter Johnson High School
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| Benjamin Grimm Aug 01 2007 01:05 PM |
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'Splain?
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| soupcan Aug 01 2007 01:11 PM |
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Helped bring ML Baseball back to D.C.?
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| Benjamin Grimm Aug 01 2007 01:13 PM |
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I was thinking that the 84-year-old daughter of Walter Johnson tossed Edgy over her shoulder and carried him out of a burning building.
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| Edgy DC Aug 01 2007 01:58 PM Edited 3 time(s), most recently on Aug 01 2007 04:59 PM |
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I think I've written it before. I went to Ireland as part of my graduate program, and I was pretty broke while I was over there. In order to go away for four months, I took a leave of absence from my job at a high-profile independent book store. The place at the time had been treating its employees questionably. I received a good review and a promotion before I left, but shared the concerns of many on the staff, and --- lacking a means of addressing these issues --- we had a conversation or two about contacting a union. While I was in Ireland, this took place. Over 80% of the staff signed cards, and one was faxed to me which I signed. The management brought in a high-profile union-busting law firm, and the solidarity of our weenie pasty booksellers and baristas fell before what I now know to be classic union-busting activities --- intimidation, favoritism and division, creating the illusion of progress, soliciatation of grievances, and everything short of vote-buying. I hadn't come back by the time of the vote, but it lost 60-40 and I had been identified by former friends as a sympathisizer. Upon my return, I was called into a meeting with all management staff and read trumped-up charges of my poor performance, demoted, and put on a tight-leash probation. They couldn't legally fire me without a fat lawsuit on their hands, but their lawyer trained them well. They sapped my self-respect, I didn't know who my friends were anymore, and when they suggested I might prefer resigning, I nearly did, but I was broke to the point of hunger, and too depressed to go back into the job market. For a few weks I was a zombie on the sales floor, a constant headache from the realization that a single mistake could seal my fate, and berated by suck-ass turncoats who got promoted over me for voting the union down --- guys who I had never ratted out though I knew the volume of food and merchandise that they stole, dope they smoked in the store after hours, and monkeywrenches they threw into the store's inventory system --- guys who I know now were specifically ordered to help trump up charges on me. But, you know, under those circumstances, you half believe what they say is true. My best work, customer service, was weakened by that constant headache. I could hardly smile and I half-wondered if some customers were set-ups sent by the owners. The process is simple: they say I'm bad, I feel bad, I perform bad, they're validated, I'm out on the streets. I've been through two bookstore union battles, I can't tell you how susceptible booksellers and baristas in their late twenties are to this psychological warfare. Folks with expensive liberal arts degees who, five years out of college, haven't been able to find a niche in the white collar world and are instead taking an hourly retail wage, well, we were fragile enough to begin with. Other good folks working with me cracked. Then one day... "Young man..." "Yes, how can I help you?" "I'm looking for a book. Perhaps you can help me." "Sure, what's the title." "You probably don't have it. It's a biography of the baseball player Walter Johnson by Thomas." "We certainly do have it. It's right here in the sports section." "You know it?!" "Well the sports section is my section, and... What the...?! It seems it's not here. Let me check the computer. It looks like it was selling well but they stopped ordering it while I was in Ireland." "It was selling well?" "Well, yes, but that was because of my essay." "Your essay?" "Sure. This here is our award-winning newsletter. All the writing in it is by the clerks in the bookstore. And I wrote a long review of the Thomas book here." "Can I keep this?" "Of course. It's a free newsletter. I'm reordering the book. Would you like a copy?" "No thank you, not right now." A positive interaction that made me feel five percent better on a day when I felt 100% crappy. Until two hours later. "Young man." "Hi." "Do you remember me?" "Of course. Did you reconsider about the Thomas book?" "No. I just wanted to thank you for that beautiful essay. I was just checking to see who is carrying the book. You see, the author is my son." "You're HENRY THOMAS'S MOTHER?!" "Yes, and..." "YOU'RE WALTER JOHNSON'S DAUGHTER?!" "Yes, and he worked so hard on that book, he had to move in with me and comb through the family archives. I'm just so happy to see that somebody remembers dad, and wrote such a beautiful story about him and the book. Do you write a lot?" "Not that much." "You should." "Thank you." "I want to give you this shirt with Dad's picture on it." "Th-th-thank you." "And this is my phone number and address, if you'd like to come by and see our family archives, just call." "Th-th-thank you." "Will you make sure the book stays in stock?" "As long as I'm here." "Well, I hope you stay there a long time. I'm going to write them a letter and tell them what a great job you do. Can I have your name?" My headache went away that day. It still took me many weeks to come up for air. I didn't know if she had written the letter, but I stopped cowering before my superiors, and when they tried to tell me shit about my work, I said, "Yeah, well that's not true." I realized they were as new to destroying people as I was to being destroyed and all I had to do was call them on their lies and found them kind of red-faced about the cards they were holding. Turns out, she did write that letter. My next performance review was fine, and I quit two weeks after that. My next job was... well it was awful. Most of my jobs have been awful (though better-paying), to be honest. I haven't taken it as personally, I guess. I've had some writing published and, though I never took her up on that invitation to visit, I've got the daughter of the greatest pitcher ever --- and a legendarily decent fellow --- for a friend. Thanks Mrs. Big Train.
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| Benjamin Grimm Aug 01 2007 02:07 PM |
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You should contact her. Tell her that story. And leaf through those family archives!
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| Kid Carsey Aug 01 2007 02:11 PM |
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Phwam
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| Edgy DC Aug 01 2007 02:17 PM |
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I always meant to. I even wrote Henry Thomas and weeks later he sent me his mom's address. I let that get lost like I let the original get lost. I sure know how to hold onto a tee-shirt, though.
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| metirish Aug 01 2007 02:31 PM |
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WOW,What a story...it would be great to call her I would think,I'm sure she would be happy to hear from you.
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| Edgy DC Aug 01 2007 02:33 PM |
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I tell youse what, I'll copy that into a letter tonight, and send it care of Hank.
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| soupcan Aug 01 2007 02:49 PM |
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Nice story Edge. I am surprised that you didn't almost immediately take her up on the offer and go leafing through all that good stuff.
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| SteveJRogers Aug 01 2007 02:59 PM |
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Walter Johnson won the most games ever last century with 417, its a safe bet that just like Cy Young's 511 total, no one is coming close here in the 21st century.
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| G-Fafif Aug 01 2007 07:04 PM |
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Excellent story, Edgy. Thanks for sharing it in detail.
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| Edgy DC Aug 01 2007 07:17 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 01 2007 07:22 PM |
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The thing is, Thomas had little idea of his grandfather's greatness until one day as an adult visiting his mom and going through her stuff. He knew his granddad was a ballplayer, and knew he was a star, but considered his legacy as gone as the team he played for.
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| bmfc1 Aug 01 2007 07:20 PM |
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I just passed the laptop to my wife so she could read the story. Very touching. Thanks for sharing.
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| Batty31 Aug 01 2007 07:42 PM |
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'slaps Edgy on the back of the head' Didn't I tell you YEARS AGO to contact her!!! Did you listen to me..NO! Grrrr....
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| Edgy DC Aug 01 2007 07:59 PM |
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You did. I contacted him... and dropped the ball.
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| DocTee Aug 01 2007 08:01 PM |
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In my early days of CPF lurking, I remember Edgy had a Walter Johnson avatar-- now I know why. Nice story.
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| Edgy DC Aug 01 2007 08:02 PM |
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Batty just brought my headache back. Ouch.
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| Batty31 Aug 01 2007 08:08 PM |
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Good. Now maybe you'll work on your "issues". :P
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| A Boy Named Seo Aug 01 2007 08:28 PM |
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Very cool story. That book's been in my on-deck pile for over a year, but it's off the shelf next.
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| metsguyinmichigan Aug 01 2007 08:59 PM |
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Edgy! What an amazing story!!! Thank you for sharing that.
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| Edgy DC Aug 01 2007 09:07 PM |
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Yeah, I'd blog, but I only have two or three such stories like that, while you and Greg and Jace bring it every damn day.
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