M anna E Page 2
By Anthony Douglas Gere
Well on one Saturday, a very special player that played on my team, sat and talked
to me after we won this game. He was this six foot nine, two hundred and fifty
pound machine with an inviting smile that a year earlier, led the nation in college
in scoring and rebounding. Now usually, just doing one of those is amazing, but
he did it in both areas, which alone, is short of a miracle. Anyway, I said to him
after the game, “Good game Kurt, and I will see you next week at practice”. He
looked at me, smiled and said, “I hope not little guy, I sincerely hope not. I have a
try-out with the Lakers next week, and hopefully, I won’t be coming back here
anytime soon”. I was deeply happy for him because for one, they were my
favorite team, second, I knew he was a great player & person and third, maybe I
could get some tickets when they came in town to play the Warriors. But Kurt
wasn’t your typical athlete. I mean you knew he did something athletic because
of his size, but he was this dorky looking white guy, with Clark Kent type glasses
that was not the most graceful guy if you know what I mean. But at the end of the
day, this behemoth got the job done, and it didn’t matter who was there to try and
stop him. His work ethic was relentless and done in a style all to its own.
Well after I got finished jumping up and down, hugging him and doing everything
short of holding some pom-poms and becoming this young cheerleader, I was in
San Francisco so it didn’t seem odd at the time, I start telling him what I think he
could do for my favorite team. How I knew he could score a lot of points, slam
dunk on people and do all of the things I had seen other players do on television.
He sat me down, calmed me down and told me this. He said listen here young
buck, “They already have Kareem, Magic, James Worthy and others that can
score, so that’s not what they need for me to do” I said, “ but Kurt, you can”, he
said, “Listen. On every team, be it in sports, work or life, you must learn your role,
and play it to perfection for the better good of the overall goal of the team. They
need a rebounder, someone to do the dirty work and though that role may not be
glamorous, it is vital for the team to succeed. Just because you won’t shine in the
eyes of those watching, you still are a star in the eyes of those that know your
importance”. Now to say I understood what this man was talking about at 13
years old, I would be lying to you, but I did know what he was talking about in a
weird way. Well needless to say, I didn’t see Kurt anymore that summer, but
about ten years later, I seen him at a camp I was going to and ran and jumped on
him like a groupie at a rock concert. He didn’t recognize me at first, because I
had grown from five foot eight to six foot five, and completely out of sports. But
after he looked at me, he smiled and we embraced for a long while, while others
thought, oh boy, two Bay Area closet faggots, airing out their emotions. To this
day, he is still working in the Laker organization in upper management and from
what he helped them do in winning a lot of championships from playing his role, I
am sure he will be there a lot longer or until he feels he has had enough.
So back to the theory, and the point I am trying to make. In my professional
career, I found my niche. I mean yeah, I wanted the spot light sometimes, the
glamour and all, but dam, the price that comes with that, is crazy. I mean don’t
get me wrong, someone has to be the star, but do you realize that the star is the
frontman for something greater than what you are seeing. But hey, someone has
to do it, and in most cases, the star wouldn’t be a star, if someone wasn’t making
sure they had a spotlight shining down on them. Now I ask you, who is that? Who
is holding, aiming and purchasing the light bulb, building the stage and more. Who
is printing the tickets, providing security, playing the music and more?
By Anthony Douglas Gere
Well on one Saturday, a very special player that played on my team, sat and talked
to me after we won this game. He was this six foot nine, two hundred and fifty
pound machine with an inviting smile that a year earlier, led the nation in college
in scoring and rebounding. Now usually, just doing one of those is amazing, but
he did it in both areas, which alone, is short of a miracle. Anyway, I said to him
after the game, “Good game Kurt, and I will see you next week at practice”. He
looked at me, smiled and said, “I hope not little guy, I sincerely hope not. I have a
try-out with the Lakers next week, and hopefully, I won’t be coming back here
anytime soon”. I was deeply happy for him because for one, they were my
favorite team, second, I knew he was a great player & person and third, maybe I
could get some tickets when they came in town to play the Warriors. But Kurt
wasn’t your typical athlete. I mean you knew he did something athletic because
of his size, but he was this dorky looking white guy, with Clark Kent type glasses
that was not the most graceful guy if you know what I mean. But at the end of the
day, this behemoth got the job done, and it didn’t matter who was there to try and
stop him. His work ethic was relentless and done in a style all to its own.
Well after I got finished jumping up and down, hugging him and doing everything
short of holding some pom-poms and becoming this young cheerleader, I was in
San Francisco so it didn’t seem odd at the time, I start telling him what I think he
could do for my favorite team. How I knew he could score a lot of points, slam
dunk on people and do all of the things I had seen other players do on television.
He sat me down, calmed me down and told me this. He said listen here young
buck, “They already have Kareem, Magic, James Worthy and others that can
score, so that’s not what they need for me to do” I said, “ but Kurt, you can”, he
said, “Listen. On every team, be it in sports, work or life, you must learn your role,
and play it to perfection for the better good of the overall goal of the team. They
need a rebounder, someone to do the dirty work and though that role may not be
glamorous, it is vital for the team to succeed. Just because you won’t shine in the
eyes of those watching, you still are a star in the eyes of those that know your
importance”. Now to say I understood what this man was talking about at 13
years old, I would be lying to you, but I did know what he was talking about in a
weird way. Well needless to say, I didn’t see Kurt anymore that summer, but
about ten years later, I seen him at a camp I was going to and ran and jumped on
him like a groupie at a rock concert. He didn’t recognize me at first, because I
had grown from five foot eight to six foot five, and completely out of sports. But
after he looked at me, he smiled and we embraced for a long while, while others
thought, oh boy, two Bay Area closet faggots, airing out their emotions. To this
day, he is still working in the Laker organization in upper management and from
what he helped them do in winning a lot of championships from playing his role, I
am sure he will be there a lot longer or until he feels he has had enough.
So back to the theory, and the point I am trying to make. In my professional
career, I found my niche. I mean yeah, I wanted the spot light sometimes, the
glamour and all, but dam, the price that comes with that, is crazy. I mean don’t
get me wrong, someone has to be the star, but do you realize that the star is the
frontman for something greater than what you are seeing. But hey, someone has
to do it, and in most cases, the star wouldn’t be a star, if someone wasn’t making
sure they had a spotlight shining down on them. Now I ask you, who is that? Who
is holding, aiming and purchasing the light bulb, building the stage and more. Who
is printing the tickets, providing security, playing the music and more?
Written By: Anthony Douglas Gere
Music Provided By: SEMusic
Artistry Selected By: Main Ad Centre
All Material is protected by law under the
licensing of mcwhorter management
marketing manufacturing 2005
Any unauthorized usage and or its likeness
is prohibited by law.
Music Provided By: SEMusic
Artistry Selected By: Main Ad Centre
All Material is protected by law under the
licensing of mcwhorter management
marketing manufacturing 2005
Any unauthorized usage and or its likeness
is prohibited by law.
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