March Madness Quiz: 1) Name the four players who have
scored 50 or more points in a NCAA tournament game? [Hint:
The feat has been accomplished 6 times in total, 3 by one player,
and it’s one player each in the decades of the 50s, 60s, 70s and
80s.] 2) What was the last team to win a title game by 20 or
more points? 3) Outside of the tourney, who was the last player
to average 40 points a game in college ball for the regular
season? [It’s not Pete Maravich.] Answers below.
Arlington National Cemetery
Once a year I try to come down to Washington to visit a few
sites. This year it’s really hit home just how much I’m still
missing. I was going to have a somewhat lighter Bar Chat, but
having just returned from the Holocaust Museum, I’m not
exactly into it. Plus on Sunday I spent a good deal of the day at
Arlington, a place I hadn’t been to since high school.
I hadn’t planned my trip to Washington around the six-month
anniversary of 9/11, but this event and a look at some history
have helped crystallize a few things, which I’ll try and tie
together in my next “Week in Review.” As for Arlington, I
thought I’d just review a few historical facts, particularly for
those of you who don’t get to this part of America too often.
There are about 260,000 servicemen and their family members
now buried at here. It all started with the Civil War, as the
Union appropriated the home of Robert E. Lee in 1864 (Lee
having left in the spring of 1861 to fight for the Confederacy).
By the end of the conflict, 16,000 graves filled spaces close to
what is now called Arlington House (a nice museum in its own
right).
There are actually two “Tomb of the Unknown” at the cemetery,
the one you are probably familiar with and one containing
remains of 2,111 soldiers from the Civil War.
Near Bull Run, the bones of hundreds were routinely uncovered
and transported to Arlington for burial. The National
Intelligencer described the scene back in September 1866 when a
vault was placed in the Lee rose garden.
“A more terrible spectacle can hardly be conceived than is to be
seen within a dozen rods of the Arlington mansion. A circular
pit, twenty feet deep and the same in diameter, has been sunk by
the side of the flower garden, cemented and divided into
compartments, and down into this gloomy receptacle are cast the
bones of such soldiers as perished on the field and either were
not buried at all or were so covered up as to have their bones
mingle indiscriminately together. At the time we looked into this
gloomy cavern, a literal Golgotha, there were piled together
skulls in one division, legs in another, arms in another, and ribs
in another, what were estimated as the bones of two thousand
human beings. They were dropping fragmentary skeletons into
this receptacle almost daily.”
When the vault was sealed, a granite monument was placed atop
it with the following inscription:
“Beneath this stone repose the bones of two thousand one
hundred and eleven unknown soldiers, gathered after the war
from the fields of Bull Run and the route to the Rappahannock.
Their remains could not be identified, but their names and deaths
are recorded in the archives of their country, and its grateful
citizens honor them as of their noble army of martyrs. May they
rest in peace.”
[Robert E. Lee died in 1870 without ever returning to Arlington.]
On Memorial Day 1984, President Ronald Reagan had the
following words for the entombment of the Vietnam Unknown
Serviceman at the formal Tomb of the Unknowns. [It wasn’t
until 1984 that the military had one body that was certified
unidentifiable.]
“The unknown soldier who has returned to us today and who we
lay to rest is symbolic of all our missing sons…About him, we
may well wonder as others have: As a child, did he play on some
street in a great American city? Did he work beside his father on
a farm in America’s heartland? Did he marry? Did he have
children? Did he look expectantly to return to a bride? We will
never know the answers to those questions about his life. We do
know, though, why he died. He saw the horrors of war but
bravely faced them, certain his own cause and country’s cause
was a noble one, that he was fighting for human dignity, for free
men everywhere. Today, we pause, to embrace him and all who
served us so well in a war whose end offered no parades, no
flags, and so little thanks…A grateful nation opens her heart
today in gratitude for their sacrifice, for their courage and their
noble service. Let us, if we must, debate the lessons learned at
some other time. Today we simply say with pride: Thank you,
dear son, and may God cradle you in His loving arms.”
[Thanks to modern science, in 1998 the remains of the Vietnam
soldier were identified as Captain Michael Blassie, shot down in
May 1972.]
As I was watching a touching ceremony at the Tomb of the
Unknowns that I caught by chance, I couldn’t help but think of
future plans for a memorial at the Trade Center, since many of
the victims will never be identified. It would be my suggestion
that a full military honor guard is present at all times. Those
soldiers who guard the Tomb at Arlington have a Sentinel’s
Creed, which reads in part:
“I will walk my tour in humble reverence
To the best of my ability.
It is he who commands the respect I protect
His bravery that made us so proud.
Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day
Alone in the thoughtful peace of night
This soldier will in honored Glory rest
Under my eternal vigilance.”
The victims of 9/11, in their own right, deserve nothing less.
I was struck by the simpleness of Senator Robert Kennedy’s
gravesite. RFK’s funeral was June 8, 1968 at St. Patrick’s
Cathedral. Senator Edward Kennedy eulogized his brother with
these moving words.
“My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond
what he was in life, to be remembered simply as a good and
decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering
and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.
“Those of use who loved him and who take him to his rest today
pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will
some day come to pass for all the world.
“As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he
touched and who sought to touch him: ‘Some men see things as
they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say
why not.’”
And then there is Audie Murphy, whose simple headstone is easy
to miss. Murphy was the boy from Farmville, Texas, who lied
about his age to enlist in the United States Army and then
proceeded to become the most decorated soldier of World War
II. Audie fought in Sicily, Italy and Germany, rising rapidly to
the rank of Second Lieutenant, while receiving 24 decorations,
including the Congressional Medal of Honor. The citation for
this nation’s highest award details his bravery while in Germany:
“With (6) enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lieutenant
Murphy climbed on (a) burning tank destroyer, which was in
danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50
caliber machine gun…his deadly fire killed dozens of
Germans…(Murphy) received a leg wound, but ignored it and
continued the single-handed fight until ammunition was
exhausted…2d Lieutenant Murphy’s indomitable courage and
his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from
possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the
woods which had been the enemy’s objective.”
Audie Murphy went on to star in 40 movies, but died tragically
in 1971 when his private plane crashed in the Blue Ridge
Mountains. Murphy received full military honors at Arlington,
with United Nations Ambassador George Bush reading President
Nixon’s official proclamation:
“(Audie Murphy) came to epitomize the gallantry in action of
America’s fighting men…When challenged to defend their
freedom, Americans have always stood ready to defend it with
courage and daring, and each war in which the nation has been
engaged has produced its own special heroes…As America’s
most decorated hero of World War II, Audie Murphy not only
won the admiration of millions for his own brave exploits, he
also came to epitomize the gallantry in action of American
fighting men. The nation stands in his debt and mourns at his
death.”
And Joe Louis…Joe Barrow…the “Brown Bomber.” Louis won
the heavyweight boxing title in 1937 and held it until 1949. At
the outset of World War II Louis volunteered for service in the
U.S. Army, serving in both North Africa and Europe where he
fought exhibition bouts before Allied troops. It is estimated he
appeared before 2 million soldiers. Just imagine what a thrill,
and needed release, it was for our fighting men at that time.
But when Louis died on April 12, 1981, despite his admirable
service, he remained ineligible for interment at Arlington
because of the stringent burial regulations. President Reagan
quickly intervened and waived the requirements.
On April 21st, funeral services were conducted at Arlington, with
those in attendance including Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and
Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. Reagan was still
recuperating from the assassination attempt on his life, but he
sent a letter to be read at the services.
“(I) was privileged and grateful to have had Joe Louis as my
friend…out of the ring, he was a considerate and soft spoken
man. Inside the ring, his courage, strength, and confident skill
wrote a unique and unforgettable chapter in sports history. But
Joe Louis was more than a sports’ legend. His career was an
indictment of racial bigotry, and a source of pride and inspiration
to millions of white and black people around the world.”
The champ’s son, Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., eulogized his father:
“It’s wonderful that we’re here at the National Cemetery, where
you will finally rest, because you were a patriot, you served the
country well, you provided it with the guidance and the faith it
needed at a time when the country was down and the people
needed a lift…You looked at me (during the Vietnam War) and
you said ‘This is a beautiful country, son, and it’s most important
that we stand by it. It may make mistakes. It may not be exactly
right, but we have to stand by it.’ We are going to miss you an
awful lot because you were the greatest, truly the greatest.”
[Source: “In Honored Glory,” Philip Bigler]
Finally, the wind was howling on Sunday while I walked around
Arlington, and, having recently read the lyrics to Johnny Cash’s
“Ragged Old Flag,” I couldn’t help but think of him, too, as the
wind had all of the flags at the cemetery standing straight out.
No, they weren’t ragged, you can be sure, but I think this tune,
written during the tumultuous days of 1974, can resonate (and
already has in some parts) in the troubled times of today as well.
Ragged Old Flag…Johnny Cash
I walked through a county courthouse square,
On a park bench an old man was sitting there.
I said, “Your old courthouse is kinda run down.”
He said, “Have a seat,” and I sat down.
“Is this the first time you’ve been to our little town?”
I said, “I think it is.” He said, “I don’t like to brag,
But we’re kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag.
“You see, we got a little hole in that flag there when
Washington took it across the Delaware.
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
sat watching it writing Say Can You See.
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin’ at its seems.
“And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag.
“On Flanders Field in World War I
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II.
She hung limp and low by the time it was through.
She was in Korea and Vietnam.
She was sent where she was by her Uncle Sam.
“She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they’ve about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land here she’s been abused –
She’s been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused.
“And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land.
And she’s getting threadbare and wearing thin,
But she’s in good shape for the shape she’s in.
‘Cause she’s been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more.
“So we raise her up every morning, take her
down every night.
We don’t let her touch the ground and we fold
her up right.
On second thought, I do like to brag,
‘Cause I’m mighty proud of the Ragged Old Flag.”
Top 3 songs for the week of 3/14/64: #1 “I Want To Hold Your
Hand” (The Beatles) #2 “She Loves You” (The Beatles) #3
“Please Please Me” (The Beatles…hey, these guys were goood)
March Madness Quiz Answers: 1) 50 points in a NCAA tourney
game: Oscar Robertson (56, 1958), Bill Bradley (58, 1965),
Austin Carr (61 and 52, 1970; 52, 1971), David Robinson (50,
1987). [Thanks J. Mac] 2) In 1992, Duke beat Michigan 71-51,
the last team to win a title game by 20. 3) The last player to
average 40 points a game for the regular season was Johnny
Neumann / Mississippi, 40.1, 1971.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday…I did have one somewhat humorous
deal after visiting the Holocaust Museum. I was walking by the
Agriculture Dept. and there was a sign for a visitor center. Hey,
I’ll check it out, I mused. But when I walked in the guard said,
“What are you doing here?” “Ah, the sign said visitor center. Is
there anything to see?” “Yeah, go over there.” There was a
small room with a bunch of brochures and nothing else, so, on
Thursday I may have a question or two for you, having picked up
the leaflet, “How to buy cheese.” And we’ll have a few NCAA
tidbits, including the editor’s exclusive choice for the
championship. “Say, aren’t you the same guy who said St. Joe’s
was going to the Sweet Sixteen? They didn’t even make it to the
tourney, you dope.” Aaaa…aaaa.
