Texas Women Anglers Tournament
Issue 541
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The voice of The Island since 1996
The Island Moon
August 28, 2014 Around The Island By Dale Rankin
editor@islandmoon.com The forecast is for some rain, sort of, maybe, or maybe not. As of this writing a disorganized storm is headed for the mid-Texas Coast which has some rain. The rain will show up or not, the question is what will it do to the Labor Day crowd who often decides to stay home when the Coastal forecast calls for even scattered showers. Here’s betting that it won’t matter; the forecast says no rain Sunday or Monday so hold your breath everybody and hit the grocery store Thursday this looks like it’s going to be a big one. A substantial part of the 15 million Texans who live within an easy drive of The Island are gassing up; nary a hot dog nor twelve-pack will be safe until Monday afternoon rolls around and we officially enter the Decompression Season.
What Happens on the Island Stays here until Monday
At least it isn’t Eugene V. Debs Day As you celebrate American labor this weekend here’s a few fun facts. Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894 and was celebrated in May as part of worldwide May Day celebrations which were particularly popular in communist countries. The first Labor Day parade in the U.S. was held in September 1882 when 10,000 workers marched in New York. Then in May, 1894 workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company went on strike in Chicago and when the federal government sent in troops the Haymarket Riots followed and more than a dozen people were killed. To keep Labor Day from becoming a rally for the fallen workers the holiday later that year was moved to the first Monday in September. So there you go.
Time to paddle! This is the weekend for the 5th Annual Paddle for Parkinson’s over at Billish Park. So grab your kayak, or standup paddle board, or whatever you have that floats and head over that way. We’ll see you there and in the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.
Weekly
Schlitterbahn Water Ride Open for Labor Day By Dale Rankin Visitors to the Schlitterbahn Waterpark last weekend got to splash into the Momentum River for the first time, even as the Veranda Restaurant on the first floor of the main building opened the same week. Both are now permanently open to the public, and the Flowrider, which pumps out a standing wave for surfers, will be next and will remain open through the winter season, park developer Jeff Henry said this week. Henry said the workforce at the site has been reduced by about 100 people as the concrete work has been completed and the summer season winds down. finished. Phase II of the project was not expected to begin until after that but we are already working on it now.”
Offshore Anglers are reporting an abundance of Kingfish in nearshore waters. And speaking of nearshore waters…Mike Hurst over at S.E.A. reports that the 155-foot freighter that will be sunk at the Nearshore Reef nine nautical miles off Packery Channel is about to leave Alabama and head this way. He says he expects it to arrive hereabouts by late September or early October.
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Jeff Henry (left) discusses his plans for the future of Schlitterbahn “We have a complete work crew at the site right now,” Henry said. “By next April the park will be completely
When the groundbreaking for the park was held in February 2013 Phase I of the project was expected to cost $41 million. Henry said the scope of the project has doubled since then. “The size of the building has more than doubled since we began,” he said. “And there have several other
attractions added.” Here is a timeline of the project from the beginning: April 2011: Schlitterbahn officials confirm Padre Island is under consideration as a site for the development of a waterpark. February 2012: Corpus Christi City Council unanimously approves a zoning change from multifamily apartment tourist district to a resort commercial district which allows
Boaters Warning Issued for Packery Channel By Dale Rankin
112 acres west of Park Road 22 to be developed into the waterpark. May 2012: City Council unanimously approves a $117 million tax incentive for sales and Hotel/ Motel tax once the park opens. February 2013 Officials break ground for the $41 million waterpark resort. June 2014 first portion of the park is opened to the public.
Inside the Moon
Shallow water along the south side
A warning has been issued to boaters going through Packery Channel to be on the lookout for shallow water near the channels mouth. In the past three years a sandy shoal has emerged in the mouth of Packery Channel which has reduced water depth along the South Packery Jetty, in some cases to as little as three feet, according to Deidre Williams with the Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. The warning was issued for boaters to be aware of the shallow water when going through the channel. Williams, who monitors the channel under a contract with the City of Corpus Christi, said the sand bar which runs about 600 feet back from the mouth of the channel, was first discovered in 2011, then seen found again this year. “We were doing a survey of the channel in June when we discovered that something was going on that was causing this shoal to form very quickly,” Williams said. “We went
Texas Women Anglers Tournament A2, A4
back and did another run and realized that something very unusual was going on.” Williams said that while it is too early to say for certain what the cause may be, 2011 and 2014 were
both heavy years for an influx of Sargassum weed. “It is possible that the seaweed combined with the sand blowing over
Packery continued on A3 Ice Bucket Challenge A4
Island Tree Massacre
Island Legends
Breakfast with Bubba Milina
By Jackie Bales You can’t live on this sandbar for long without being kin to a Mathews. Indeed I have several in my family line. Bubba Milina is akin to all of them. If you want to know about things that happened in the last 94 years then talk to Bubba. It’s best to catch him over breakfast down at Juan’s. He does like his eggs and ham, pancakes with plenty of syrup (side orders for his dog, Marlina Milina).
The stands of Oak and Bay Trees near the corner of Verdemar and Sand Dollar Streets over near Packery Channel are the oldest on The Island and are the last of the type of motts which once covered the entire island. But their number has been reduced by about a dozen trees after a do-it-yourselfer decided
to rid his lot of weeds and used a herbicide called Remedy Ultra to do it. He let fly with about a gallon of the stuff, which according to the manufacturer is enough to wipe out an entire acre of unwanted weeds, on his corner lot during a southeast wind strong enough it applied the ultimate remedy to 80-100 yearold trees with the bad luck to be growing downwind.
Suzanne Giilliam examines the damage
Residents are holding their breath and hoping for the best as the trees continue to try to resist the deadly dusting. If you plan to use a herbicide please take a minute to read the instructions; Island trees will thank you.
Fishin' with Farah A7
I asked him how he came to meet his wife and lifelong soul mate, Woodie Raye Milina. “Well”, he reflected, “Woodie Raye was in the army with Florine Mathews. When they came back from the service, I married Woodie and Woody Ousley married Florine Mathews.” Bubba and Woodie Raye have one daughter, Annetta Milina-Adams. “My mother was Bessie Mathews”, I thought he would never stop pouring that syrup on those pancakes, “My father, Papa John Milina, came over from Yugoslavia. He was working on building the Jetties and this and that when he met my mother Bessie Mathews”. He continued his story without missing a beat on the ham and eggs. “Those Mathews had about ten kids” He named them in order before recalling a couple of stories.
Taps and Reveille from the water tower “Bud Mathews was an Aransas Pilot.
Rio Del Oro A9 Bubba and Marlina He was a large man and had to climb those ladders up and down the ships. He slipped and fell one day and lost his life. Sim had a lot of talent. He could build anything. He built two 30 foot shrimp boats. He built a windmill and cistern. It was at the house that Woody Ousley and Fluorine had over by where the high school is now. He ran a two inch pipe all the way to Mathews’ on the waterfront. That’s how they had fresh water down there.
Legends continued on A3
Live Music A18
A2
Island Moon
Texas Women Anglers Tournament
August 28, 2014
More Photos on A4
Photos by Miles Merwin and Jan Rankin
One-stop financial services. Lot | Construction | Mortgage (Conventional, FHA, VA, Jumbo) | Refinance | Home Equity Business | Personal Banking Business | Personal Loans Cash Management Products Dan Suckley Branch Executive Officer 361-949-8070 Steve Moody Senior Vice President
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361 Electric
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Commercial, Residential, remodels, Service calls
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361-876-9148 Office Jaime Duncan Co-Owner Director of Sales & Service
(361) 903-2111
Mark Duncan 361-947-3764 Owner
Jerry Moss, Owner, TECL # 25209 Jmoss911@yahoo.com 18901 Laffite, Corpus Christi, TX 78418
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August 28, 2014
A3
Island Moon
Moon Monkeys
Letters to the Editor Izzy
Mike Ellis, Founder
Jan and Moon staff: Izzy has found a new forever home thanks again to the Moon! Izzy was adopted by a wonderful island retired couple living just a few blocks away from us. We are very happy for Izzy and at the same time very sad; we miss him very much. He was an original. Thank You, John & Karen
Trees
Distribution
Moon,
Pete Alsop
I am writing on behalf of concerned property owners in the Packery Woodlands neighborhood and to notify you about an incident that occurred this past week.
Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Classifieds Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah Andy Purvis Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner Chad Peters Todd Hunter Dotson Lewis Ronnie Narmour Brent Rourk Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan Mary Craft Ronnie Narmour Office Security/Spillage Control (Emeritus)
Riley P. Dog Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor Dale Rankin About the Island Moon
The Island Moon is published every Thursday, Dale Rankin, Editor / Publisher. Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distribution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island businesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses. News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left at the Moon Office.
The Island Moon Newspaper
A new property owner prepared his lot for home construction, by using a chemical, known as ‘Remedy Ultra Specialty Herbicide’ to kill all the oak sprouts that grew back after he cleared his lot. The lot, on the corner of Verdemar and Sandollar, was a dense oak motte with one medium sized bay laurel tree in the middle, surrounded by some of the largest bay laurel trees in the neighborhood, growing on adjacent and neighboring lots. The oak sprouts on his lot turned a crispy brown and I noticed the large bay laurel trees starting to turn yellow and become progressively worse each day, with leaves finally turning brown. I questioned the neighbors, who then questioned the lot owner, who admitted to using a gallon of the chemical on his 90’ x 100’ (9,000 sq. ft.) lot. According to Dow AgroSciences, the manufacturer, the recommended amount is 3 quarts/acre (43,560 sq. ft.) to be used on pasture land. Attached are the instructions on the use of this chemical. The owner also admitted to having a hard time applying the chemical since the wind was blowing (from the SE) over the 2 days that he used it. Consequently, the property owner across the street to the NW of the lot on Sandollar Ave. has since witnessed several of her bay laurel trees and potted plants in front of her house turning yellow and brown. She called the Nueces County Agricultural Extension agent to ask what she and other property owners might do to remediate the effects of this chemical overdose, and if the affected bay laurel trees can be saved. She has not heard back from them. Photos are attached of the subject property and trees that have been affected. As stewards of our environment, the Audubon Sanctuary and Packery Channel Nature Park, we are concerned about contamination of the plants, ground water, wetland pond and wildlife in this area. Many of us also have water wells that we use to water our plants and gardens. If you think there is anything that can be done at this point, please feel free to contact me at the numbers below. In the future, I think it would be a good idea to disseminate information to surrounding property owners about lot clearing and the use of herbicides and pesticides in this environmentally sensitive and important area. Maybe there should be a cooperative effort to develop some literature for dissemination? I would be glad to put my grant writing skills to work to assist. We welcome any advice, suggestions and participation on dealing with this problem.
15201 S. Padre Island Drive, Suite 250
Respectfully,
Corpus Christi, TX 78418
Janice Minter
361-949-7700 editor@islandmoon.com Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper
Where to Find The Island Moon Port Aransas
Legends continued from A1 Cricker Mathews was a mean boy so his parents sent him off to military school where he learned to play the Bugle. Every morning and night he would climb that windmill and blow Taps and Reveille. You could hear it all over the island”. We discussed the old hermits that lived in the various shanty towns around the area. “Well, Old Livingston Beach was no hermit”, he informed me. “He had a woman over there on St. Jose Island. She was ‘bout as big around as this table. She couldn’t walk around much so he keep her fed with his fishing and such”. He started to laugh recalling the story. “Johnny Marshall used to row his boat over to the North Jetty to catch his mullet. Livingston Beach came over to run him off and Johnny gave him a little shove”. “I knew exactly what was happening when Livingston ran out across the sand dunes” Johnny recalled his story to Bubba. “I headed for the skiff and started rowing out. I just had time to hunker down when BOOM BOOM, he let go with both barrels”. Johnny made it back to Mathews’ fish house where the boys made sport of picking BBs out of his backside.
Orange Blossom Special Until retirement at 88 years old, Bubba spent his working days as a charter boatman and fishing guide. He is most noted for his boatbuilding. Being self-taught, he developed a line of wooden skiffs for the fishing and duck hunting trades. He, with the help of his wife, Woodie Raye, built somewhere between 80 and 100 skiffs as well as a couple of large shrimp boats. He passed his skills to others including Doyle Merck and Smokey Gains, who continued to build on the simple but effective design. Never met anyone who don’t like Bubba; especialy when he would break out his harmonica and sing and play with the local musicians. A man of many talents. He would always make the crowd smile when he broke down “Orange Blossom Special” on that old French Harp. John (Bubba) Milina. Born in 1919 and now 94 years old, is well on his way to getting his picture on Willard Scott’s jelly jar. Like many of us from Port Aransas, he served in the United States Coast Guard. He was a First Class Boatswains Mate. One of many Island Legends we can talk about when once again we meet. Same time next time.
Packery continued from A1 the jetty on the south side of the channel is the cause,” she said. “We will be back out there doing more soundings in a few weeks and should know for certain.” She said the shoaling is limited to the area south of the centerline of the channel, with at least seven feet of water always found on the north side. The channel was originally dredged to fourteen feet and was re-dredged in the winters of both 2011 and 2012. However in both cases the dredging was stopped prior to Spring Break before any work was done in the first 500 feet between the jetties back from the channel opening. That area is where the current shoaling is occurring. One problem may be that the sand dredged from the bottom of Packery Channel is not pumped far enough southward down the beach and quickly is blown back into the channel by a prevailing southeast wind. “When the channel was originally dug a study on windblown sand was done and we estimated that about 30,000 cubic yards of sand would be blown into the channel from the south each year,” she said. Williams said the channel will likely clear itself of the sand when the wind shirts to the north during ebb tide She will give an update on the conditions in the channel to the Island Strategic Action Committee at its next scheduled meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 2, at the Comfort Suites meeting room.
Did Ya Hear? by Mary Craft mkay512@aol.com
New Advertisers A Mano in Port A is having a huge blowout tent sale this Labor Day weekend to make room for a huge shipment of new items coming in. Their popular colorful and unique items from central Mexico will be on sale starting at 10 am Saturday, Sunday and Monday. They are located at the Tower Center on Hwy 361. Gratitude in Port A is having a $5 Outside Sale with signs, crazy sunglasses, boas and other fun items this Saturday 10-4 and Sunday 12-4. They are located near the corner of Beach and Station. Open House in Port A this Saturday and Sunday 10 am – 3 pm at 135 S. Tenth Street. It is a beautiful brand new 3 bedroom 2.5 bath beach house. For more info contact Frances at Port Aransas Realty 210-8615442. A 1---ton Master Licensed Captain is needed for one of the 65’ party boats owned by an extremely successful fishing operation in Port A. The candidate must be proficient at bottom fishing, drift fishing and long range tuna fishing. Send resume and references to gonefishing@deepseaheadquarters.com. 361 Electric does commercial, residential, remodels and service calls and are licensed and insured. Call Islander Jerry Moss at 903-2111 or email him at jmoss911@ yahoo.com.
Business Briefs Boathouse Bar & Grill has the NFL Ticket, Big Ten Network and SEC Network and TVs are going up at their outdoor covered patio with full bar this week. Enjoy football in the a/c or outside with a great view. Food can also be ordered at the outdoor seating. During Sunday football you can indulge with a mimosa or Bloody Mary at their Sunday Brunch. Scuttlebutt’s has a great happy hour 3 – 7 pm every day including weekends. Oysters and peel n eat shrimp are half price as is the sushi. Buffalo wings are $5 for ten, bloomin’ onion $4 plus more edibles. Well drinks are $2, house wine $3, draft pints $2.75 and margarita $3.50. AquaFest in Rockport will feature activities for the whole family and is mainly geared to entertain children. Some of the fun games will include: a Fishing Booth; Ping-Pong Toss; Toilet Tissue Toss; Fish Toss; Putt-Putt Golf; Rubber Duck Pool as well as a dunking booth and face painting. Kids will have the opportunity to catch live fish as well. It will begin 6 pm Friday, August 29th with live music and continue Saturday 10 am – 6 pm. Aunt Sissy’s Kitchen will no longer have inside dining for lunch starting September 2nd. The lunch menu will still be available for dash and dine take-out TuesdayThursday 11 am-2 pm and dinner 4 – 7 pm. She is located near Scuttlebutt’s. The 5th annual Paddle for Parkinson’s will be held at the Fortuna Bay boat ramp near Billish Park on Saturday, August 30th at 9 am. Registration information can be found at catchthecure.org. There are different categories for kayaks, paddleboards, etc. A barbecue lunch is available to the public. It is a fun event for participants and spectators. Bay Area Fellowship has changed their name to Church Unlimited.
Port A Arts
Ocean Harbor, Inc. is going to build 48 townhomes on property almost at the end of Leeward on the east side. The zoning was approved this week.
Stripes @ Beach Access Rd. 1A
North Padre
A Mano
All Stripes Stores
Waypoint Marine is having a huge used boat sale going on with financing available on most units. Check out some of these boats in their ad this issue or at their website. They have been serving this area over 30 years and are located at 3033 SPID.
Coffee Waves
CVS
Moby Dicks
Whataburger
Spanky’sLiquor
Doc’s Restaurant
IGA Grocery Store
Isle Mail N More
Carter Pharmacy
Island Italian
San Juan’s Taqueria
Ace Hardware
Wash Board Laundry Mat
Texas Star (Shell)
Lisabella’s Restaurant Pioneer RV Park
Port A Parks and Rec Public Library
Sandpiper Condos WB Liquors
Holiday Inn Jesse’s Liquor Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant Subway Island Tire
Duckworth Antiques
And all Moon retail advertisers
Back Porch
WB Liquor
Shorty’s Place
Flour Bluff
Giggity’s
H.E.B.
Stripes @ Cotter & Station
Liquid Town
Gratitude Gift Shop Keepers Pier House Port A Glass Studio The Gaff
Garbage and recycling will be collected on Labor Day. Fishing licenses expire this weekend.
Snoopy’s Pier
Chamber of Commerce
Woody’s Sports Center
George and Nanda Cole didn't bring a copy of the Island Moon, but they remembered Port A in Ephesus,. Turkey
Whataburger on Waldron Ethyl Everly Senior Center Fire Station Police Station Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID
3rd Annual Heroes Cup in RockportFulton A Salute to wounded Soldiers Warrior’s Weekend Heroes Cup is a fishing expedition for war-injured soldiers. The Event will be held September 3-6, 2014 in Rockport-Fulton. On September 5, Twentythree teams will compete for a chance to win the Heroes Cup Tournament. The Tournament is organized by Veterans organizations, Chambers of Commerce, Car Clubs and interested community members are coordinating a special event for the active duty soldiers. Heroes Cup is an annual fishing tournament put together by the Warriors Weekend organization. It is a special event for soldiers who have been injured in the line of duty. All medically retired due to injury. From 15 to 30 soldiers are chosen for this competition. They are brought into town, paired with a volunteer professional angler, and taken into the bay for a five- hour competitive fishing trip. While the soldiers do get a shot at winning the competition, more importantly they also get a chance to relax, have fun, and enjoy the companionship of an appreciative citizen. They can leave the battlefield and take pleasure in the bay.
A4
August 28, 2014
Island Moon
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge SMA and SLC Students Drench Teachers for ALS By Brent Rourk
Raging viral on Facebook and virtually all media these days is the popular and engaging ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) Ice Bucket Challenge and last week island students challenged teachers at Seashore Middle Academy and Seashore Learning Center, drenching them in front of wildly enthusiastic students.
had ALS. He was forced immediately to retire and died two years later. It is generally accepted that 1 in 10 people stricken with ALS have a genetic defect. Mysteriously, the other causes remain largely unknown, though researchers are working furiously to find other causes. According to the ALS Association 5,600 people are diagnosed
At SMA student names were drawn from a large bowl and then those students were given the opportunity to pour a rather large container of cold water on the teachers. The hot weather helped make the soakings almost welcome. Eager students cheered passionately as the teachers instantly responded to the sheets of cold water that covered their heads and then quickly flowed down their bodies. Since June 30, 2014 the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has been the rage, spreading like a fever across the United States, getting immense Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube coverage. As of August 25th, 2014 there have been $79.7 million in donations from
I accept the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Photo by Shannon Trial with ALS each year and 2 people in 100,000 of population die each year from this noncontagious disease. ALS is 20% more common in men than women. Typically striking people between the ages of 40-60, ALS has claimed the lives of many other famous people, including actor David Niven, producer Polly Platt, Chinese leader Mao Zedong, and musician and composer Charles Mingus. Globally recognized astrophysicist Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS in 1963 and has lived with it for over 40 years, the longest recorded time any person has lived with ALS.
A sheet of cold water cascaded down Mr. Kanipe. Photo by Brent Rourk 1.7 million existing and new donors to ALS through this unique challenge. Those numbers are increasing every day. Executives at ALS are thrilled beyond belief that people throughout the United States are raising money for this worthy cause. But behind the fun of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge lays a serious disease that has claimed thousands of lives over the years and it impacts on an average of 30,000 Americans in any given year.
According to Barbara Newhouse, President and CEO of The ALS Association the money earned from regular donations as well as the Ice Bucket Challenge will go a long way in helping the ALS Association work with pharmaceutical companies, scientists, and doctors to develop new treatments and drugs for people currently impacted by ALS. The disease currently has no known cure and is extremely debilitating, forcing the loss of control of voluntary muscle movement. The disease progressively attacks the body, eventually making it impossible for people to eat, speak, walk, and ultimately breathe. View http://www.alsa.org/fight-als/ ice-bucket-challenge.html for additional information.
All of these challenges are helping spread ALS awareness, which has also been referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Gehrig was a star major league baseball player who set countless New York Yankee and Major League Baseball records. His sterling 16 year career with Science teacher Ms. Sikes the Yankees was abruptly faced the ALS challenge with cut short when he realized in snorkle gear. 1939 (at the age of 36) that he
Photo by Brent Rourk
Texas Women Anglers Tournament
Photos by Miles Merwin and Jan Rankin
August 28, 2014
Island Moon
Stuff I Heard on the Island
Dee-Scoveries
Be a Hero
by Dale Rankin
by Devorah Fox devorahfox.com You can be a hero and have fun doing it. You don’t even have to dump a bucket of ice water on your head, although the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness of and to fund research for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is definitely a worthy cause. All you have to do is adopt a dog from the animal shelter in your area. In Port Aransas, that would be the Port Aransas Animal Shelter at 409 W. Cotter St. Municipal animal shelters were first formed as a response to what was perceived as a public health issue. Stray animals can present a threat; they can be rabid, diseased or aggressive to people, other pets or livestock. In the event that an animal who is roaming the streets might actually be someone’s pet that simply got loose, animals are held in a shelter for a period of time. However, if they’re not reclaimed by the owner within a set period, often one or two weeks, they can be slated for euthanization. Some shelters like the Port Aransas Animal Shelter will put them up for adoption.
Gail recounts how Abby seems to have a sixth sense about people who need special attention. In a story by Doug Janz for the Mountain State Health Alliance newsletter, Gail relates an episode where she and Abby were on their way to the cancer center. “A group of Abby’s fans, employees, approached her saying, ‘Oh, Abby,’ and stopped to greet her. Abby would usually bask in the glory of the moment; instead, she walked right through them and made her way to the window sill. There sat a woman. Abby stopped beside the visitor, laid her head on the woman’s knee and snuggled up. I said, ‘Excuse us’ to the employees and sat down next to the woman. This visitor was a mom taking a reflective moment in the warm sun. She shared with me that her oldest son was having surgery
Abby
Adopting a dog from the shelter will make you an instant hero. You will have written a new future for and possibly saved the life of an innocent animal. There are many who wind up in the shelter through no fault of their own, abandoned by other owners who couldn’t or wouldn’t care for them any longer. You will join the ranks of the fine folks who have helped to re-home abandoned animals and you will get LIKED in spades on Facebook. You will feel immediately proud of the good deed you have done and you will feel that pride every time your new furry companion looks at you with grateful eyes. It doesn’t matter what kind of day you had, if you cut someone off on SPID or your cash drawer didn’t balance out. Your loyal forever friend will greet you at the door with tail wagging. Now, let’s up the ante and make you a Superhero. Take your new furry friend for training and get certification as a therapy dog. Then the two of you can make brief but meaningful visits to the sick, the stressed, the feeble and bring a few moments of joy into their lives. In my last Dee-Scoveries column I described accompanying my sister and her therapy dog Buster on a visit to a nursing home and rehabilitation center. I also recounted the experience of therapy dog handler Lee McQuay and Brandy. Now let me tell you about Abby, a 12 year old Golden Retriever that is a certified Therapy Dog with Therapy Dogs International, and her handler Gail Butler. I was introduced to Gail, a volunteer at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, Virginia, by Lee McQuay, a former Port Aransan now living in Mountain City, Tennessee.
“The power to tax is the power to destroy and the power to tax can only be exercised in public meetings,” he said. “And everything they do in their meetings is in their budget; learn to read a budget because that’s the scorecard of how much damage they are doing.” Now, thirty years later, I still find that to be the best reporting advice I ever got. So as we enter the budget-setting/tax raising season here’s the scorecard as best as I can discern. We’ll go from the general to the specific. Generally speaking, with the exception of the Port Aransas City Council, your taxes are going up. Don’t listen to the truth-benders who will tell you your taxes are going down by citing the Tax Rate. It’s a Red Herring dragged across the trail to cover the scent of a prevaricator who is raising your taxes. Across the board your taxes are going up.
I noticed the same phenomenon with Buster. We were headed down a hallway towards a day room, but as we passed each hospital room in the ward, Buster’s head swiveled this way and that. Like a doctor making the rounds, it was as if Buster took the measure of the occupants to gauge their level of need.
The oldest trick in the politicians book is to drop the Tax Rate by less than the increase in assessed property values district-wide and call it a tax decrease. It’s pure fiction and if they don’t know it they should. The Effective Tax Rate automatically adjusts for increases in property valuations and if it goes up then you got yourself a tax increase. There is no equivocation in the system for the simple reason they are taking more of your money and it has nothing to do with rising evaluations. It just has to do with them taking more of your money.
Abby had personal experience with cancer and the power of caring. Early last year during a routing dental cleaning, the veterinary technician noted a melanoma. Abby had to have a cancerous portion of her liver removed. Everyone that Abby had helped hoped for her recovery and became known as “our cancer
The next time any office holder tells you the Tax Rate went down ask them what about the Effective Tax Rate. It’s the only one that matters and with only the one exception in Port A it is going up across the board. If any taxing entity is holding tax hearings it’s because they are raising taxes.
today, and she was a bit concerned because two years ago her youngest son, at age 28, suddenly passed. Abby instinctively knew that this person needed a little TLC.”
Brandy
Many years ago my editors yanked me away from the police beat where I was perfectly happy chasing shootings and hanging out with the robbery detectives and they sent me to the Bexar County Courthouse to cover county government. I soon found myself pushed and pulled from every direction in a building where every department head is an elected official and has their spin to be spun. My head was spinning so I asked our political writer of thirty years, Jim McCrory, how to get a handle on things.
In general
The Animal Friends of Port Aransas is the nonprofit volunteer organization that provides care, humane treatment and helps to find homes for shelter animals. The AFPA recently held an adoption event that resulted in all the shelter’s cats finding “forever” homes. However, there are still some dogs that need you to take them into your heart.
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Here’s the result. City of Corpus Christi The city is now in the midst of public budget hearings required to inflict the 7.7% tax increase for this year which is on top of the 10% tax increase last year. That is just under 18% in two years. It doesn’t matter why they want the money, the debilitating effect of tax increases does not care about the cause; only fallout. That’s on top of the newly minted street fee, $90 million bonds also on the November ballot, and also on top of water bills which are going up because of water conservation by consumers who last year decreased use by 4500 acre-feet of water. The city staff told the council this week that because of fixed costs in the water department the reduced demand for water means the unit price must go up. The more we save the more we pay per unit so saving water doesn’t equate to saving money. Somehow this constant demand for more money to feed the city beast has found its way into the city’s DNA and so far there is no sign that is going to change.
Nueces County I can’t be specific on numbers for the county yet because I haven’t been able to get a copy of their budget. What I can tell you is that they are doing exactly what I described above; they are dropping the Tax Rate but not as enough to correct for the tax hike caused by an increase in property values so the Effective Tax Rate will increase. Your county property taxes are going up; when I get their new budget I’ll provide exact numbers. What I can tell you from looking at the current budget is that the current County Commissioners Court has raised your property taxes by more than 10% since they took office. If they tell you differently ask them what are the changes in the Effective Tax Rate and see if you get a good answer. You won’t. Look for yourself at the last page of their current budget and it will tell you exactly what they have done. It’s a smoking tax gun with their signature on it.
Flour Bluff School District I can’t tell you how much FBISD has or has not raised your taxes in the past because after weeks of trying I can’t get a copy of their budget; current or proposed for 2014-2015. I can tell you that for the upcoming year they are raising taxes, the Effective Tax Rate, by 1%. I know
Debt Per Capita By City
Buster survivor.”(Despite being in remission for many months, Abby passed away in mid-August. She is sadly missed not only by her handler Gail but also by the people she served at JMH. Even the hospital’s chief executive officer called Gail to express his sympathy.) So there you have it: a simple way to do a lot of good for a helpless animal, people in need, and yourself. When you and your therapy dog walk down those hospital or nursing home corridors, the smiles you’ll get will make you feel bigger than the Incredible Hulk. For more information about adopting from the Port Aransas Animal Shelter, call 361-749-5941 or contact the Animal Friends of Port Aransas by email at afpa.inc@gmail.com. Or just stop by the Animal Shelter. You can also learn more at meetings of the AFPA the first Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. at Miss K’s Bistro and Catering, 1726 Hwy 361. I’ll see you there!
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Aspen Effect What is troubling about this trend of creeping tax hikes is that it puts The Island in danger of falling into the Aspen Effect. The appraisal process on The Island is very efficient because our frequency of sales is so high that finding comparable sales numbers is easy. If our officeholders continue to raise our taxes it won’t be very many more years until working class owners will be nable to afford their mortgage but not the taxes. That will kill the current building craze on The Island and over time turn us into a “second home” community where fewer people live year-round and that, in turn, will dry up the retail economy. We will become Aspen, or Palm Beach with a seasonal economy that can’t support year-round business. We might have a Tiffany and Company but we won’t have a hardware store. For some reason our office holders don’t seem to get this. Each has their fiefdom and can’t see how a few dollars per year here and there matters.
this because I attended their budget meeting this month and they are required to disclose that to the public when they raise taxes, even by 1%. According to information released at that meeting a 1% tax hike means an additional $12.50 per $100,000 of property value. You can do the math. That means for each $100,000 of property value you are already paying FBISD $1250. At 1% $12.50 doesn’t sound like much, until you figure that if you own a $200,000 house you are already paying them a total of $2500. That adds up in a hurry and the taxes paid to FBISD account for fully half of the check you write each year. The ability to tax is the ability to destroy; whether it’s done in large or small increments destruction is still destruction and over time it changes things. Just ask Aspen.
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A6
August 28, 2014
Island Moon
On the Rocks By Jay Gardner I bombed out to Fort Stockton last week for a few days to do a threatened and endangered species survey on a piece of property for the City out there to expand their municipal landfill (sometimes I get the REALLY glamorous jobs, lol). The survey was a bust because cattle were being run on the property. Cattle grazing is actually a fairly destructive land use, as they denude (basically wipe out) all the vegetation on the plot. This removes and alters the native vegetation, which both removes the food source for a host of animals, and also removes any cover for protection. This is extremely important, even more so in the desert.
at dark when we were packing up to head off the rocks. No one else was catching much either. That will change with the coming cooler weather.
Rig removal It appears that they’re taking another rig out. Oz, Brad, Kevin, and James have all reported that there has been a several barges and cranes located at the rig a few miles off the Seashore at the 5MM. That’s’a bummer, as those three rigs are about the only structure in that area, and it has become popular for kayakers. This will represent a loss of habitat when it’s removed, as well as a great fishing spot. Unfortunately it will put additional pressure on adjacent areas,
Land of Giants The desert out west is some really cool territory; well at least from a marine biologist’s perspective. The low shrubs, dominated by creosote bush, amargosa, tasajillo (jumping cactus) is a habitat type we don’t see down here. Walking around in the native vegetation, you almost feel like a giant, as the shrubs don’t grow very much over three feet tall. You can see for a long ways, and thankfully it’s pretty hard to get lost when you can see for several miles in all directions. The most impressive part of it for me was the mesas. Of course you know a mesa is a flat top area of elevation with steep sides. While I didn’t get to hike up and check out the top of any other them, it’s been added to the list of something to go do during one of the next coming falls or springs is to head to Big Bend. The weather out there was great, being the customary 92 degrees during the day, but at only 35 percent humidity, it really was a “dry” heat, something we don’t get here. The nights and mornings were absolutely wonderful, with night time lows around 68 degrees! That’s not a typo; desert nights really are cool.
Skipjacks, anchovies, and tarpon Thankfully we’ve rounded the corner so to speak on summer time, and the kiddo’s are back in school. The beach and jetties were wonderfully quiet this past Sunday as Zep, Rachel and I headed out for the evening bite at the end of the Port Aransas south jetty. I was amazed by all the ship traffic that was going in and out; they really are busy at the Port! In any event, the only fish we hooked were skipjacks. The birds were constantly working small anchovies off the end, and I’m guessing that’s what all the fish were eating as well. We did see several small tarpon rolling, but right
Seven Mile Mesa which is a losing proposition in that area. The Idle Iron policy just keeps running full steam ahead, and you can’t always fight the Federal Government on policy and expect to have a logical process that is the best outcome for the environment. On a good note, Jason said they went out to the Corpus Christi Reef out of Packery and were able to catch a few keeper snapper mixed in with the small ones. Next year should be awesome.
Of licenses… fishing and marriage Speaking of Jason, I would like to congratulate Jason and Amy Oztulski (just kidding, Ozolins) for their recent marriage in the great white north. We’re all proud of you both. Don’t forget to get a new fishing license as they expire this weekend, and also the limit for trout drops from 10 to 5. Shoot me a note at jaygardner@ scientist.com and I’ll see you on the rocks next week after work!
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Windy days are best for catching redfish. Photo by Joey Farah
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August 28, 2014
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Island Moon
Backwater Adventures Time for a Change
By Joey Farah Farah’s Fishing Adventures Every year there is that first morning when the winds come from the north and I see the first flocks of ducks. Today was that first day, but a bit too early to start reaching for the jacket. North winds from a circulating weather mass and yes the first flock of green winged teal, but we are still a long way from fall. The weather and movement of fish is changing right now, and the movements of schools of bait are marching out of the bay and to the sea. The reds are schooling up and following these bait balls and the trout are holding tight to funnel points and concentrations of baitfish. Today we fished the Land Cut and caught 26keepers and three big reds. We must have thrown back 60 small fish, the action was great, all on lures. This is a great time to get out and enjoy some of the year’s best fishing with both live bait and artificial lures.
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The March of the Redfish Lots of reds around the Packery Channel. This nice red came to the hands of this lady angler Chris from Dallas. Live piggy Live Bait Close to Home The live bait bite has been good here close to the JFK, live piggy perch have dominated my fishing here. The croakers are working well especially in the afternoons. The best bait for redfish as of now is finger mullet. You can cast net them fairly easily but if not you can buy them from Clem’s Bobby has been cast netting finger mullet for years and keeps multiple marinas stocked up. The finger mullet should be fished with a good sized circle or wide-gap hook, and an egg weight over a swivel. Your leader should be at least 20inches. Let the redfish take the bait long enough to bend over the tip of the rod. Jerking the rod on the first notion of a bite will only pull the bait away as the redfish pins its prey to the bottom. There is something about a mullet that stinks, and the redfish love it. I have seen reds pass up croakers, piggys, and shrimp, then slam a finger mullet. Try something different and go out with a cast net and get a few finger mullet and work the edges of the channels where you find some corners or worn out edges of the channel. Good luck and keep those hooks sharp!
Reds are on the move following schools of finger mullet. This first light red slammed a top water in the land Cut.
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Schools of mature redfish, mostly sizes of 26” or larger are forming out in the back bays and following schools of finger mullet and shad out towards the Gulf passes in Port A and the Packery Channel. Look for schools to show up in East Flats and around the big islands over in Port Aransas. They will make their way through the channels along Redfish Bay and a good dropping tide will allow anglers to catch them pretty easy on live finger mullet and piggy perch fishing the edge of the channel. Look for spots where water is draining off of the flats into the channel. In the Laguna Madre’ the shad and mullet are moving out of the back of Baffin and making their way north along the King Ranch Shoreline and along the Intracoastal Canal. At the same time there is another big group that will be moving south out through the Land Cut and towards the pass at Port Mansfield. The water quality is fair in the mouth of Baffin but anglers can drift the rock piles with live perch under a cork or even live shrimp. The presence of pin perch is less in Baffin because the lack of so much live grass, so perch will not steal your shrimp as fast. The water cleans up to the south and Rocky Slough and Yarborough Pass is beautiful. The last few weeks have found me casting lures along the side of the Land Cut following masses of bait. Keying in on the small hints that will keep you in productive areas is key. Look for areas rich in birds and bait in the shallows. DOA Cal shads are unstoppable, the darker colors have worked best at first light and when the sun is up switch to a brighter color of plastic. The DOA CAL SHAD is best because of its small size compared to many 5” soft plastics. The actual bait that is being eaten is small so match the hatch! The top water bite has been insane! Today we caught at least thirty trout and reds on top water the first two hours of the day. Many times we could see the trout hovering just under the bait and actually fighting for it. If you want to get your feet wet in fishing with lures give me a call for an action filled day, I have a few open days in Sept and would love to fill them with lure fishermen.
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A8
August 28, 2014
Island Moon
SPORTS What’s Your Nickname?
Believe It Or Not, There Is a Science to Making, Throwing Penalty Flags.
By Andy Purvis Special to the Island Moon
By Dotson Lewis Special to the Island Moon Dotson’s note: There are always more sports related items to write about than space in The Moon to put them. So each week I attempt to pick the most interesting. This week, just the headlines would fill the allotted space, so the headline that was the most interesting to me was the penalty flag headline below. Actually it’s not a “Penalty Flag, it’s a “Penalty Marker” Since I have been carrying/throwing one or two of those things around during the football season for more than 65 seasons, I thought some of you Moon Monkeys might be interested in the ”rest of the story.” With permission of the “NFL Football Zebras” website we have reprinted the article that was posted on the website. The remarks in the body of the article in underlined italics are mine. Last week, NFL back judge Todd Prukop became a mini-celebrity by throwing his penalty flag a whopping 31-yards, impressing announcers and social media all across the country. In the USAER Championship game played in Augsburg, Germany in December, 1967 my Back Judge, Steve Webster, threw his flag 41 yards 3 feet & 6 inches, hitting the exact spot, on a pass interference call. As far as I know, this is the unofficial world record. Besides having a great arm, how can officials make their penalty flags fly such a long way? First of all, penalty flags are mostly made of nylon; some are cloth. When officials want to call a foul, they need to throw the flag precisely – sometimes from a long distance. If there wasn’t a weight attached to the flag, it would be like throwing a handkerchief or wash cloth out on the field. Historically, officials at all levels had to put their own weights into penalty flags. Officials used fishing sinkers, lead weights, ball bearings, washers, golf balls, BB pellets, popcorn seeds, or whatever else they could find. Some officials tied off the weight with rubber bands creating the ball look while others sewed the weights into the flag. The referee, umpire, and line of scrimmage officials usually put light weights into their flags because they didn’t have to throw the marker as far as the deep officials. Deep officials (side judge, back judge and field judge) would really weigh their flags down, usually with a golf ball, for those long tosses.
An underhand throw is much more accurate & goes farther than overhand Over the years, officials and equipment manufacturers have perfected the penalty flag weight. In 1965 my late wife, Peggy Aoyama
Lewis, made the first center weighted flag. She made a small rectangular bag of the same material & color, filled it with popcorn (unpopped) and sewed it to the center of the flag. Popcorn is still the weight of choice for most. It does not absorb water, getting soggy and heavy like sand; it’s not as dangerous as washers, golf balls and other hard items. She first tried BBs, but they turned green after getting wet. Also it was easy to remove the popcorn bag and wash the flag if it got “accidently” stomped in the mud by a player or coach. Today, almost all penalty flags are weighed down with sand. A small plastic bag of sand is sewn or taped into the flag by the manufacturer. The weight is attached to either create a ball look or the weight is sewn in the center of the flag. Manufacturers still vary the weight of the penalty flag, depending on how far an official has to toss it. The best flags are still the homemade version, but unfortunately, it is very hard to find someone who cares, and is skillful enough, to make a quality penalty marker.
“Ducky,” “Dazzy,” “Daffy,” “Dizzy,” and “Double Duty;” nicknames have been a part of baseball for as long as anyone can remember. Baseball nicknames have always been more prevalent because the sport itself has been in existence since 1869. Nicknames are fun, descriptive, and most often remind us of something that a particular player did during a game or perhaps where he was from. Most players’ nicknames were given to them by their teammates or managers, but every now and again, a writer or announcer would create a nickname to use as a tag line in the newspaper or on air during a broadcast. If you didn’t have a nickname, there was a good chance you were not very good or certainly not “top of mind” with the fans. Nicknames became so popular they are even used on their Hall-of-Fame plagues. So, have you ever heard of Ducky Medwick, Dazzy Vance, Daffy Dean, Dizzy Dean or Double Duty Radcliffe? In the earliest days of baseball, all the teams traveled by train. The industrial revolution
Lots of players were also given a nickname that represented other animals. “Moose,” “Rabbit,” “Catfish,” “Cobra,” “The Flea” and “The
Dizzy Dean was running full steam ahead, so it was only natural that some players’ performances would be attached to these metal monsters on wheels. “The Iron Horse,” “Big Train,” “Scrap Iron,” and “The Mechanical Man,” were used to describe Lou Gehrig, Walter Johnson, Phil Garner and Charlie Gehringer. Nolan Ryan and Tommy Henrich were known as “The Ryan Express” and “Old Reliable” respectively.
As I recall, the first year we started carrying flags was in 1948. I am now in the process of doing some research to see if I can put together an accurate history of one of the most seen items on television, the dreaded yellow (it’s really, “gold” colored) FLAG! Before that, one official had a whistle; and at one time one of the officials, usually the Umpire, had a “horn” which was sounded when the official observed a foul. Also a few years ago, we added a “Bean Bag,” which is used to mark certain spots and actions. If there is an interest, I will write more about Bean Bags in a later issue of “The Island Moon.” Another Dotson note: If you have questions/comments and/or would like officially throw/drop a penalty marker(flag), please call the Benchwarmers 560-5397 Weekdays, Mondays thru Fridays, 4-6 PM or contact me Phone: 361-949-7681 Cell: 530-748-8475 Email: dlewis1@stx.rr.com
The word “Big” is used quite often in nicknames as in “The Big Cat,” “The Big Unit,” “The Big Hurt,” “Big Mac” and “Big Popi.” Of course they are as follows: Johnny Mize, Randy Johnson, Frank Thomas, Mark McGuire and David Ortiz.
Duke Snider, AKA the Duke of Flatbush Sometimes players’ nicknames reminded us of what town or state they were from. “The Georgia Peach,” “Louisiana Lightning,” “The Reading Rifle” and “Vinegar Bend” were a few. Others included, “The Fordham Flash,” “The Commerce Comet,” “Duke of Flatbush” and “The Katy Rocket.” Add “The Kentucky Colonel,” “Country,” “The Dominican Dandy” and “The Spaceman,” and you begin to get the picture. Could you have guessed in order, Ty Cobb, Rod Guidry, Carl Furillo, Wilmer Mizell, Frankie Frisch, Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider, Roger Clemens, “Pee Wee” Reese, Enos Slaughter, Juan Marichal and Bill Lee? Nicknames were also used like titles to salute the greatness of some. “Mr. Cub,” “Mr. October,” “Marse Joe,” “The Mahatma” and “Major,” placed players and managers on a pedestal. “El Presidente,” “Rajah,” “Prince Hal,” “King Carl” and “Master Melvin” are a few more examples. Would you have known the nicknames of Ernie Banks, Reggie Jackson, Joe McCarthy, Branch Rickey, Ralph Houk, Dennis Martinez, Rogers Hornsby, Hal Newhouser, Carl Hubbell and Mel Ott? Many players’ first names were used in their nickname. Those examples are many. “Donny
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Robert "Hack" Wilson Wild Hoss of the Osage” were a few. These players’ real names were: Bill Skowron, James Maranville, Jim Hunter, Dave Parker, Freddie Patek and Johnny Martin who also went by another nickname, “Pepper.”
Officials are also advised to carry two flags (hidden) on the field in case they have to call two fouls during the same play. It takes a bit of practice, but officials at all levels become very adept at throwing the flag to the exact spot on the field. So, the next time you notice an official launch his flag and it lands at the right spot, know 60-years of penalty flag engineering and hundreds of practice throws have gone into making that call.
The reverse was also true. “Bucketfoot Al,” “Shoeless Joe,” “Sunny Jim,” “Marvelous Marv,” “Pistol Pete,” “Rapid Robert,” “Sleepy Bill,” “Gorgeous George,” “Steady Eddie,” “Sudden Sam,” “Sad Sam,” “Jumping Joe,” “Hammerin’ Hank,” “Diamond Jim,” “Bullet Joe” and “Bullet Bob,” were nicknames that included the players’ first name at the end. Those players’ names are as follows: Al Simmons, Joe Jackson, Jim Bottomley, Marv Throneberry, Pete Reiser, Bob Feller, Bill Burns, George Sisler Eddie Murray, Sam McDowell, Sam Jones, Joe Dugan, Hank Aaron, Jim Gentile, Joe Bush and Bob Turley. Many players wore the moniker of our winged feathered friends. “Birdie,” “Hawk,” “The Grey Eagle,” “The Rooster,” “Bird,” “Goose,” “The Penguin,” “The Roadrunner,” “The Crow” and “Gooney,” were used to talk about George Tebbits, Andre Dawson, Tris Speaker, Rick Burleson, Mark Fidrych, Rich Gossage, Ron Cey, Ralph Garr, Frankie Crosetti and Don Larsen.
Officials toss the flag high (delete “high”) in the air if there is a dead ball foul and throw it at the spot of the foul especially if the penalty is marched off from that spot. Officials are instructed not to throw the flag at the player, but throw it at his feet. Sadly, several years ago, referee Jeff Triplette tossed his flag in the air for a false start and in a freak accident, the flag struck Orlando Brown in the eye, damaging his sight. Brown shoved Triplette to the ground in a fit of rage. The NFL did not fault Triplette for the incident and he and Brown reconciled years later when the player made a comeback. Officials carry their flags in their back pocket, side pocket or stuffed in their pants with just the ball weight sticking out at their belt. No matter how the official wears his flag, he or she is encouraged tuck it in deep and not have the flag hanging out of the pocket. The conventional wisdom behind this is a “floppy flag” looks sloppy and it looks like the official can’t wait to throw it. A few years ago, a Texas High School official, using a flag weighted with steel washers, threw a flag for a foul and it hit the player who had committed a foul in the eye. There was some damage to the player’s eye and the official involved was threatened with a lawsuit. I am not sure as to the final outcome of the incident.
Baseball,” “Charlie Hustle,” “Harry the Hat,” “Alexander the Great,” “Will the Thrill,” “Mick the Quick,” “Tom Terrific,” “Billy Buck,” and the legend himself, “Stan the Man,” are a few. Those players’ names were well known: Don Mattingly, Pete Rose, Harry Walker, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Will Clark, Mickey Rivers, Tom Seaver, Bill Buckner and Stan Musial.
I think it’s interesting that lots of nicknames start with the letter “B.” “The Bull,” “The Barber,” “Baggie,” “Boog,” “Boomer,” “Bulldog,” “Blue Moon,” “Boo,” “Biz,” “Blackjack” and “The Brat,” are just a few. These nicknames represent Greg Luzinski, Sal Maglie, Jeff Bagwell, John Powell, David Wells, Orel Hershiser, John Odom, Dave Ferriss, Negro-Leaguer James Mackey, Jack McDowell and Eddie Stanky. The letter “S” is also used to start its fair share of nicknames. “Scooter,” “Slats,” “Stretch,” “Senor,” “Suitcase,” “Sarge” and the “Say Hey Kid,” are well known nicknames for great players such as Phil Rizzuto, Marty Marion, Willie McCovey, Al Lopez, Harry Simpson, Gary Mathews and, of course, the wonderful Willie Mays. In my opinion, some of the funniest nicknames are Robert “Hack” Wilson, Willie “Pops” Stargell, Roger “Doc” Cramer, Ryne “Ryno” Sandberg, Dennis “Eck” Eckersley, Robert “Hoot” Gibson, Don “Newk” Newcombe, Pete “Inky” Incaviglia, Ted “Klu” Kluszewski, Howard “Hojo” Johnson, Charles “Chili” Davis, Harry “Cookie” Lavagetto, Eddie “Cocky” Collins, Jose “Cheo” Cruz, and Johnny “The Human Crab” Evers. Some believed that Kennesaw Mountain Landis was a nickname for the Judge and first ever commissioner of Major League baseball, but not true. It was his real name. There are a handful of players that were so great, one nickname would not suffice. George Herman Ruth had many nicknames, including “The Babe.” Ruth would also be called “The Sultan of Swat,” the “Great Bambino,” “Big Bam,” the “Colossus of Clout,” “King of Crash,” the “Bambino” and the “King of Swing.” The great Ted Williams carried as many as four nicknames that I can use here: “The Kid,” the “Splendid Splinter,” “Teddy Ballgame” and “Thumper.” Ted’s nemesis, Joe DiMaggio, was also referred to with several nicknames. The “Yankee Clipper” was the most popular, but he was also called “Joltin’ Joe” and simply “Joe D.” This is by no means a complete list and, as you read along, you may remember some I have left out. My ESPN radio pal, Dennis Quinn, tries to stump me at the beginning of every show. So far, I have held my own. We also enjoy giving our guests and listeners nicknames, on our show. I have read where there are about 7,000 baseball players with nicknames out of the 17,000 or so players who have played in the Major Leagues, and new ones occur every year. Do you know whose nickname is “Country Breakfast?” “Never Nervous” Andy Purvis Andy Purvis is a local author and radio personality. His newest book “Greatness Continued” is now available to order online at bn.com, Amazon.com, Google Books, Booksamillion, etc. You may also purchase all three books at Beamer’s Sports Grill 5922 S Staples or the local Barnes & Noble store. Please visit www.purvisbooks.com for more info or contact him at purvis.andy@mygrande. net. Listen to Dennis Quinn & Andy Purvis Q & A Session each Thursday 6-8 PM on ESPN 1440 KEYS.
August 28, 2014
A9
Island Moon
The Rio Del Oro
Candidate Night on The Island
By Sail Offcourse to get off the trail to climb the mountain. While resting we noticed that across the creek looked to be a carved skull with a smaller one behind it. To the left of this was what looked to be the Jesuit mark of I.H.S. inside of a circle.
During the time of the Spanish Conquistadors of the early 1500’s the Rio Del Oro became known in Spain and was placed on the first maps of the new world west of Texas. Marco de Niza was in search of this when he reported seeing the Seven Cities of Cibola in the distance north of the Gila River to the Conquistadors in Mexico and caused the army under Coronado to march up to Arizona and New Mexico then on to Kansas in search of the cities of gold.
Blazing a trail After rehydrating with a bottle of water each we took off down the trail following the creek bed. Our goal was to get to the old Spanish campsite under the large Oak trees. From there we would look for a path up to the mine marker. After an hour of walking we made it to the old campsite and took off our packs to rest. I got out my binoculars and started looking the mountainside over for the best route up to the top. I spotted a finger ridge that seemed to be the best way up and pointed this out to my companions. We all took turns looking the ridge over with the binoculars checking the steep trail we were going to be traversing. The way would not be easy as it was steep, rocky, and with thick brush and small trees. I got my camera out and lined up the fire pits and sure enough they pointed right at the mine marker on the hilltop.
Several Trucks pulled in at first light and the occupants took off down the trail with hardly any water or trail rations. They were soon to be in trouble from dehydration and lack of planning. Morning light was revealing a beautiful cloudless spring time day. The Cactus were in bloom and the birds were all announcing the day with their songs. The mountains of the Superstitions cast long shadows across Rogers Canyon as we gathered up our packs for the hike in. I had a heavy load as I wanted to be prepared for anything. My pack consisted of 250 feet of climbing rope, a harness, binoculars, an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacon) in case we had an emergency, a hand operated Water Maker to make any water drinkable, Trail Mix, a small folding shovel, a hand held Global Position System, Rock hammers, Chisels, Knife, Machete, sample bags, rain gear, a change of clothes, medicine kit, gold pan, metal detector, water, gloves, and other small items I thought we might need. With all this my pack was extremely heavy.
Loading up again we walked down the creek to where the finger ridge met the creek. Here we left the trail and started blazing a new trail up the side of the mountain. The going was slow and arduous, as the rocks were all loose and the brush so thick you could not see beyond a few yards to either side. We slowly picked our way through the thickest part and found ourselves climbing an extremely steep hillside following what looked to be a deer trail.
Inner Core of the Earth
By eleven O’clock we had fought our way to the top of the ridge and seated ourselves on
The six mile march down the canyon to the monument site seemed like a march to the inner core of the earth. Loaded down as I was, I had to lean forward to keep balanced leaning on my golf club. On the steep parts of the trail the weight of the pack pulled me downhill, noting this, I dreaded the return trip back up the Canyon trail, as the return would be mostly uphill. On the steepest part we passed the two ladies and a man from one of the trucks resting and drinking water. We inquired where they were headed to and they replied their goal was the Cave ruins at the base of the canyon. They each had one bottle of frozen water for their hike. This was all they had brought along for their journey. I knew they were in trouble already, as I had passed them with my heavy load. I made a mental note that one of the females who worked for the Department of Defense was overweight and out of shape for such a rigorous hike. They were only a mile in and having to rest on this downhill section. We bid them a pleasant hike and took off down the trail.
a rock pile to enjoy a lunch of tuna salad on wheat crackers. From this vantage point we had a view that was like no other of the entire wilderness area. The only part that was blocked off was to the south east by the extreme height of White Mountain. After our lunch we started looking the area over and it was hard to spot the features we were looking for. With G.P. S. in hand I went to exactly where I should have found all the features but discovered that recent geological activity had covered most of the site and was puzzled by the site being buried and non-recognizable. Yet I was relieved that the site would remain hidden from the treasure hunters that would surely be looking for this spot, and would not have to worry about my present company knowing the exact location of the gold. After a fruitless search of the area we headed back down the mountain to the trail back to camp. On the way back out one of my companions who took off ahead of the two of us who were slower came across the female who was out of shape passed out and left by her companions on the trail. He revived her with some of his water and helped walk her back to the trail head. Were the other female was waiting. The male had gotten lost and was dehydrated when the two of us found him. We got him rehydrated and he was back on the trail ahead of us. Here we also came across a couple that were completely out of water and in bad shape. We shared more water with them and they thanked us even though they could barely keep up with me and my heavy pack! Remember if you go to the high desert that the most important thing you need is water as it is very scarce!
United Island vote gets candidates’ attention By Brent Rourk The importance of The Island vote hit home this week when a Who’s Who of candidates in the November elections came OTB to attend a meet and greet night sponsored by the Island United Political Action Committee at The Office Lounge. The next IUPAC sponsored events will be divided into two evenings, September 18th and 25th when candidates will give some biographical information and then answer pressing questions. These two Candidate Endorsement nights will be structured and more formal. The IUPAC strongly urges islanders to attend those Candidate Endorsement evenings at the Holiday Inn on the island from 6:00 to 8:30 P.M. Any registered Island voter is automatically an IPAC member, to vote in the candidate endorsement process for Corpus Christi City elections all a registered voter has to do is show up at the candidate endorsement events. The IPAC was formed in 2008 to unify Island voters behind candidates selected by a vote of the entire membership and since its inception has been a great benefit in backing Island projects. As Benjamin Franklin famously said, “If we don’t hang together we shall surely hang separately.”
Both mayoral candidates attended
This section of the trail is steep and has stairs cut into the hillsides. It drops down to where Reavis Ranch Trail connects in a wash to Rogers Canyon Trail. At the junction of the trails there is a primitive campground and the trail guide books claim it is the most popular campsite on the Grand Enchantment Trail. Just past this spot across the creek we stopped to rest. Looking at my G.P.S. we had traveled 2.2 miles from the trail head. We were halfway to the spot we had
Political candidates turn out in force for the IPAC meeting
On top of the mine
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A10
Island Moon
August 28, 2014