Greetings on the last day of 2025. And what a year it has been. As I look back on this year, I think about what those of us in our senior years, that being anyone 70 years old and up, have seen happen in our lifetimes.
In my memory, there was Sputnik and the fear that the Russians were going to use satellites in outer space to spy on us and someday wage war from that ethereal realm; the assassination of President Kennedy; the Vietnam War and the ultimate uproar it caused; the Civil Rights Movement that led to the murder of Medgar Evans and Martin Luther King and later another political killing that ended the presidential aspirations of Robert Kennedy. We endured a couple years of Watergate that revealed the shenanigans that political parties will stoop in order to gain and stay in power; and what happens when the American people have had enough and forced the first resignation of a sitting president in our history.
Then came the holding of American hostages and the resulting Irangate debacle; a domestic terrorism attack in Oklahoma City, which shook the country but was only a precursor to the attack on the World Trade Center. Columbine was a school mass shooting that led to more and more such heinous events so that today one of the leading causes of death among teenagers is gunshot. We went to war on false warnings of weapons of mass destruction and came to realize just how far our government would go in order to attack another country, the wrong country at that. A pandemic that was so poorly handled many Americans did not get the aid they needed to save their lives.
But all such events pale in comparison to what has befallen America in the past 12 months and what is in store for the next three years. More on that in future columns.
And now to end the year on a lighter tone: Why is it that only two days of note have equally noted previous days? There is no Easter Eve, nor Independence Day Eve, or Thanksgiving Eve? Why is it that when someone suggests something outrageous, we say, “The guys gone bananas!” What is it about that fruit that lends itself to such a declaration; why not pears or apples or oranges? And a couple quotes I find attractive: “You cannot wish for a strong character and an easy life for the price of one is the other.” And this one I am drawn to when thinking about the loss of my grandson Weston; “Sometimes we don’t want to heal because pain is the last connection to what we lost.”
In a previous column, I stated I would publish as full a list as possible of King City Yaqui player’s names and nicknames. Well, with the able help of Janet, who sat down with Jim, here is what we have now (see below). If you know of more names and accompanying nicknames, please feel free to get in touch and we’ll see to it that those KC residents who are interested are satisfied.
And now we begin another free trip around the sun on Spaceship Earth.
Take care. Peace.
- Dennis Frudden – The Shoe
- Bill Folletta – Big Swiss
- Alan Guidici – Palooka
- Tom DaRosa – Tbab
- Dick Hitchcock – The Snake
- Mel Bassetti – The Hippie
- Jack Hayes – Big Sack
- Dan Hayes – Big Dan
- Joe Harrington – Dirty Joe
- Lonnie Silva – The Gee
- Larry Homan – Shenandoah
- John Ramirez – Buffalo
- Nick Bengard – The Rook
- Wes Bengard – Bones
- Dave Daniels – Double Dee
- Nate Holaday – Long Belly
- Chris Davis – Pee Wee
- Nick Azcona – The Crow
- John Buttgereit – Abdul
- Harry Casey – Champ
- Norm Nuck – Duke
- Jim Albanese – Mafia
