Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, Pete Rose, Latrell Sprewell, Ron Artest…Now King Kong.
by MooheadFebruary 17, 2007 8:30 am
My childhood is fading fast. My innocence is being ripped from me, like Santa going from a mystical gift giver to a fat old Uncle in a mall. My heroes have fallen. I’ve seen 2 Supermans die. One remained crippled for years. I watched my President leave office. Another President get nookie in the Ovular Office.
The wrestlers I watched on TV are mostly dead now. The victims of hard lives on the road. Muhammad Ali is speechless. Pete Rose is banished. Albert Belle corked his bat. Mark McGwire was a labratory experiment that succeeded for a few years. Gene Hickerson get HOF induction, but no longer remembers he played the game. Players don’t show up for games, choke their coaches, and fight with fans.
What would the ultimate indignity be?
As a child, King Kong was mighty. He conquered the Empire State Building and swatted down planes. We cried for his tragic downfall, and were relieved to see he’d survived in “real life” (Hollywood happy ending).
So now comes a shrill voiced barker to denigrate and tarnish the image of the once proud ape. The King Kong I know would have eaten the Thunderdome as an hors d’oeuvre. My favorite ape would have vanquished Masury in 3 minutes. But alas, like all my other heroes, the new King Kong ends up in a golf dome in Girard. Putt the ball through King Kong’s legs.
I know. We live in a time of diminished expectations. We wait for Andy Kaufman and John Lennon to reappear. But we know they’re gone. Instead, we get Hogan Knows Best. We weigh in on the social significance of Anna Nicole Smith’s death.
Joe Dimaggio, Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Joe Louis, Superman, Santa Claus, and now…King Kong.
As my childhood heroes fall like dominoes, I cling to the few untarnished memories. Bob Beamon’s miraculous long jump. Dave Wottle’s unexpected sprint, a 1980 hockey game, Sandy Alomar’s shot off Mariano Rivera, Tony Pena’s joyous romp around the bases. I clutch them like precious metal. Please God, don’t take them from me.
