That picture up there is no big deal — just a sign that fall is falling (certainly in Central Park). I have a few more such photos in Impromptus today — plus a photo of a dog dressed up as Chinese food for Halloween. (Seriously. You have to see it.)
I also discuss identity politics, Saturday Night Live, “Let’s go, Brandon,” the state of the GOP, “The Life of Julia,” “The Life of Linda,” the progress of the American vernacular, and more. Something for everyone, possibly.
Let’s have some mail. In an Impromptus last week, I discussed sportsmanship — the decline of. This is related to the degradation of our culture overall, of course. I recalled something that happened in Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, about 30 years ago.
We had beaten some team — and as they left the floor, our p.a. system blared, “Hit the road, Jack, and don’t you come back no more no more no more no more.” I thought this was disgusting. Other people, of course, think such things are way cool. “Lighten up, Gramps,” they say.
A reader writes,
I attended a Catholic high school in central Illinois in the ’70s. When our basketball team was about to wrap up a win (pretty common — we had good teams), some of our student section would start to sing, “Na na na na. Na na na na. Hey hey. Goodbye” — and our cheerleaders would immediately start waving their arms and saying, “No!” I don’t think our fans even got to “Hey hey” before their singing died out. Same thing would happen if they tried to boo a call. I probably didn’t appreciate that enough back then.
Another reader writes,
I attended a football game in Denver in late 1997 with a friend. We had flown in from Bermuda and were headed for California and the Rose Bowl. The opposing team in Denver was the San Diego Chargers, my home team. When the teams were introduced, there was much fanfare over the entire Broncos roster. Then the announcer raced through the Chargers lineup, ending with, “As if we care.” . . . Fortunately, the Rose Bowl was a different experience.
Earlier this year, I wrote a piece called “If I Owned a Sports Team.” It touches on fan behavior, along with myriad other issues. Kind of interesting, IMO.
In another Impromptus, I used the expression “since Hector had pups.” A reader writes,
Jay, I’m older than you, but I don’t know what “Hector had pups” means. Please explain.
“Since Hector had pups” — alternatively, “since Hector was a pup” — means “for a long, long time.” “I’ve been meaning to fix that fence since Hector had pups.” This is an old idiom — been around since Hector had pups, you might say.
How did it get started? Hector is a hero of Greek mythology. Lots of kids, especially boys, liked Greek mythology (back when). They often named their dog “Hector,” along with “Fido” and “Rex.”
At least, that’s my understanding.
A reader writes,
Hi, Jay,
Was just looking at an old Impromptus of yours where you repeated an old saw about knowledge and wisdom.
I think a reader shared that with me. I’d never heard it. “What’s the difference between knowledge and wisdom? Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad.”
Our reader continues,
Thought you might like the updating of it that’s making the rounds. Sorry if you’ve heard it already.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting one in a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering whether this qualifies a Bloody Mary as a smoothie.
Thank you to one and all. And, again, today’s Impromptus is here. The George W. Bush Center, in Dallas, has a podcast called “The Strategerist.” (This is a nod to an old Saturday Night Live gag.) I recently had the honor of being a guest — and that episode is here.