Inside the Moon
Beachstock A2
Fishing A7
Sports A8
Beach to Bay A11 Photo by Miles Merwin More Beach to Bay Photos on A11
The
Issue 579
Island Moon
The voice of The Island since 1996
May 21, 2015
Around The Island By Dale Rankin
editor@islandmoon.com Beach to Bay has left The Island and returned to the Bay. The high water table has left our beaches in a constant state of dampness that makes beach driving in some places bumpier than our streets, and folks that’s saying something. We are walking between the raindrops at the moment. The socalled 100-year rain event, the second highest flood of record, has let up but the city’s water capacity systemwide is at only 77.1%. The last time the Nueces River reached 7.5 feet or more at Calallen was 2002 when the Nueces River crested at 13 feet cutting off homes for weeks. We can only thank our lucky stars that the mosquito population hasn’t taken advantage of all the standing water.
Land grab on Whitecap On Tuesday the Corpus Christi City Council took the first step in what is expected to be a $1.3 billion plan to consolidate the city’s wastewater treatment system. The plan is to consolidate the current six treatment plants into one big plant over the course of the next two decades. The council voted on Tuesday to go out for Requests for Qualifications for contractors to do the job and the city staff said they expect to have a plan in place within three months. So what does that mean for The Island? Two things jump out of the plan with regards to The Island. First, the city plans to finance some of the plan by selling off the land under existing treatment plants; one of which is the plant at the end of Whitecap. The second; the plan presented to the council shows that the public comment section of the plan comes all the way at the end of the planning process. If you pay attention to how government works you know that when the public isn’t invited to weigh in until the very end of the planning process it is because by the time the public gets their chance to speak the plan is already done. The backers don’t really want public comment it’s just that to make a plan without it is, well, not really democracy is it, so the public is invited to speak only when it will do no good. The Whitecap Wastewater Treatment Plant was built in 1974 and expanded in 1992 and is way out of date. It has been cited 44 times by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality since 2010; making it the second most cited of the plants in the city behind only the Oso Plant which a city staffer told the Corpus Christi City Council on Tuesday “is literally being held together with tie-wraps.” Clearly, something must be done to bring the city’s wastewater treatment system up to date, the question for we Islanders is whether we are all right with having this prime piece of property at the intersection of the main canal and the Intracoastal pass forever into private hands. If so, then we can do nothing and that is what will happen, because as of right now that’s where things are headed. But if we think that the land should be kept in public hands, whether as a park, a marina site, or simply as open public space, now is the time to have that discussion. The process to sell the land is moving and if we don’t act within a few years that land will be forever in private hands. Maybe that’s not a bad thing, but to have it happen without input from Islanders is something the next generation may come to lay at our doorstep.
Memorable Weekend Tourist Season 2015 is upon us folks. Hit the grocery store on Thursday and hunker down. We’ll see you at the Ski Basin. In the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.
New Island Traffic Light to Get a Public Hearing By Dale Rankin A public hearing on the plan to install a traffic light at the Aquarius/ SPID intersection is set for the next meeting of the Island Strategic Action Committee on June 2. City engineers told the committee in early May they have requested more information from the developers who own adjacent property and are pushing for the light in conjunction with a commercial development and new hotel at the site. Originally traffic engineers hired by the developer counted cars entering SPID from Aquarius to determine if the traffic volume was heavy enough to warrant a light. The traffic count was done in November, a low traffic month, and met the minimum numbers to qualify for a light under standards set by the Texas Department of Transportation. However, ISAC members questioned whether a light at that location could cause a safety hazard for motorists coming off the JFK Causeway and additional research has been done since by the developer; that additional information will be presented at the June ISAC meeting. “We need to know what the city is planning to do and whether we have enough information to make an informed decision,” ISAC Chairman Greg Smith said. “And we need to tell the public what is being done so they understand what is being considered.” One question likely to come up is whether to wait on the light until a comprehensive traffic plan being done by the City of Corpus Christi in conjunction with the Metropolitan Planning Organization is complete. District 4 City Councilperson Colleen McIntyre said she expects that to be some time next year. The ISAC meeting is at 5:30 p.m. at Comfort Suites on Windward Drive. It is open to the public and Smith said there will be an opportunity for public comment once the new information is presented.
Time to Reason with Hurricane Season Light season predicted
The predictions for the 2015 Hurricane season are in and the various and numerous entities which issue independent predictions on the frequency and strength of storms between June 1 and November 30 are in general alignment that the season will be a relatively mild one. There have only been four below-normal seasons in the past 20 years but 2015 looks to add to that total. According to an initial forecast issued by Colorado State University (CSU) the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season may be one of the least active in decades, Their calls for seven named storms, including three hurricanes, one of which is predicted to attain major hurricane status (Category 3 or stronger on the SaffirSimpson Hurricane Wind Scale). This is well below the 30-year average of 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes. The combined predictions of the National Hurricane Centers, AccuWeather, and the Weather Channel, and the call for 16 total storms, 8 to become named hurricanes, and 5 major storms of Category 3 or higher. The National Hurricane Center predicts the strongest storm will be the eight,
Hurricane continued on A5
Live Music A18
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Work Continues to Repair Electrical Line to The Island The shallow water around the site where the power poles broke in last week’s high wind along the Intracoastal Canal in Corpus Christi Bay has necessitated the use of this airboat to complete repairs. The low-hanging lines blocked barge traffic through Corpus Christi Bay for almost twenty four hours.
This is One Bad Machine
Crews are in the process of digging out the fill inside the dolphin (the earthen structure which surrounds and supports the base of the wooden power poles) to remove the old poles, which snapped, and replace them with the metal poles you see here. Logs were cut and used to fill in the dolphin.
The airboat seen here is powered by four V-8 engines and four fans; or as our Spanishspeaking friends say Papalotes and was brought in specially for the repairs, which are expected to take about a week.
Into the Storm
Through the Eye of the Storm Aboard The Viking, Part II By Richard L. Watson and Betsy
A. Churgai
Editors Note: this is the second in a multi-part series by Dr. Richard Watson about sailing his boat through Tropical Storm Dottie.
Viking at Sea Betsy yelled from below “Hey, you guys; can the noise. I am listening to the weather on WWV down here The signal's weak and I need all the help I can get to hear the blasted thing. I wish they'd repeat their forecasts after they give them. It gives me the creeps to just barely hear half of what they’re saying and then have to worry about the rest!” With that, the crackling intensified, just as the far-away voice began to warn of storms at sea. The voice was grave as we all strained to hear, frowns of concern replacing our smiles “... a new tropical storm, named Dottie... formed in the Florida Keys ... is presently offshore of Ft. Lauderdale, FL and moving...” “Moving where?”
Watson continued on A4
A pod of dolphins celebrates the Viking's survival
A Little Island History
Why is the Choke Canyon Dam in the Wrong Place?
After a 100-year flood why are our city’s reservoirs only 77% full? By Dale Rankin At the turn of the 20th Century the water supply for Corpus Christi was in private hands. Then in 1929 the city took over the system and dedicated the La Fruita Dam near Mathis thirty-five miles up the Nueces River from the city. Lake Lovenskiold, named for the mayor, was supposed to be sufficient to provide the city with water at four times the population at that time. But it was a government job. Cost cutting on the construction caused the dam to fail during heavy rains in November 1930. It wouldn’t be the last time that government bungling led to a bad decision with regards to the city’s water supply.
Residential versus Industrial In the Depression the Reconstruction Finance Corporation
rebuilt the dam and the ongoing competition for water between residential and industrial users was on. By the late 1950s industry accounted for nearly 40% of water use and in 1948 the Wesley Seale Dam was built but the lake, first known as Release Gates At Choke Canyon Dam Lake Mathis and now as Lake Corpus Christi, alone could eight South Texas counties but not provide the city with enough the Good Old Boys at the Area water. The push was on to find a Development Committee didn’t more malleable long-term source like the plan. That committee, of water and the Federal Bureau dominated by the city’s old of Reclamation had established a comprehensive water system for History continued on A5
A2
May 21, 2015
Island Moon
Stuff We Found on the Beach
Sarah and Jasper Pyun came down from Austin to get married on the beach. The one year anniversary of Beachstock in Port Aransas. Photos by Ronnie Narmour
Sharkbait
Sharkbait is large and in charge at the Back Porch in Port A. He orders up fries from Miss Patty, then enjoys some ice for dessert to cool him off. Way to go Sharkbait, you da dog! Randy Blair shows off his art car at Beachstock.
It was a boom camera tracking shot on the beach for this production crew.
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May 21, 2015
Island Moon
Letters to the Editor
Moon Monkeys Mike Ellis, Founder
Beach Erosion Caused By Seawalls & Buildings
Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Classifieds Arlene Ritley Production Manager Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah Andy Purvis Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner Chad Peters Todd Hunter
While visiting HI in 2008 I was sitting on the lanai of my room in Hale Koa Hotel in Honolulu looking at the construction of the new Trump International Hotel Tower.
his own seawall, refused to let anyone from the government on his property before agreeing to compensate him for any damage that might occur.
I was observing the cranes lifting buckets of cement to the top of the metal forms on Saratoga Blvd. I observed a line of about five semisized dump truck filled with what appeared to be sand and rocks ahead of the cement trucks. I wondered where they might be using sand and rocks in a new building which was already seven or eight floors tall.
The government refused, he refused, so several beaches, including Bellows Air Force Beach, was closed because of sharks feeding on the whale during high tides. My stay in Hawaii lasted for two more weeks. During that time I kept a watch though TV, internet and newspapers about the conclusions of the scientific studies about beach erosion. The meetings concluded without results being published and the tests continued for several more months. The final results were posted on the University Of Hawaii web site later that year. In a nutshell, they were: Build a seawall and you will soon lose the beach. Build a building too close to the water and you will soon lose the beach.
Later that morning I strolled down the Waikiki seawall to check out the beach scene and maybe walk over to see the construction site. As I approached the seawall I discovered that part of the beach was closed and missing! The line of trucks I had seen from my hotel was unloading off the seawall to another crane bucket spreading rocks and sand in front of the seawall. Watching the news that evening, a reporter cam on TV announcing a meeting of several scientists from the Pacific Rim and The University of Hawaii to study beach erosion in the Hawaiian Islands. There were videos, interviews and onthe-scene reports of beach erosion and how it impacted sea life and residents. One live report featured a beached whale that was so grounded the Navy and Coast Guard could not get close enough to the beach to haul it back out to sea. The land owner. who had installed
Dotson Lewis Brent Rourk
The Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), voted in by the citizens of the region, is the single, largest contributor to the City of Corpus Christi’s street improvement effort with contributions totaling over $34,000,000 since 1986.
Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan Mary Craft Ronnie Narmour Office Security/Spillage Control (Emeritus)
The voters of Nueces and San Patricio Counties spoke clearly on August 10, 1985, that affordable, reliable public transportation for commutes to and from work and school was what they wanted. Public transportation is not only a community service, it is essential to the economic vitality of the region. Nearly 30 years later, with modern, compressed natural gas-powered vehicles, 45 varied routes of service and 6,000,000 passenger trips annually it stands to reason - they were right. The RTA takes its public service for public dollars very seriously.
Riley P. Dog Publisher 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 15201 S. Padre Island Drive, Suite 250 Corpus Christi, TX 78418 361-949-7700 editor@islandmoon.com Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper
Where to Find The Island Moon
Lisabella’s Restaurant Pioneer RV Park
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North Padre
Stripes @ Beach Access Rd. 1A
All Stripes Stores
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Doc’s Restaurant
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Carter Pharmacy
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San Juan’s Taqueria
Ace Hardware
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Texas Star (Shell)
Port A Parks and Rec
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And all Moon retail advertisers
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Early in 2009, I read that The City of Honolulu was requiring building owners behind the seawall to finance beach renourishment on Waikiki. And property owners on Oahu were encouraged to remove current seawalls on private property and that permits for constructing new seawalls were in abatement. Roy Andrews Upper Padre Island
Open Letter to the Public from the RTA
Ronnie Narmour
Port Aransas
Over time a beach without structures will eventually rebuild itself even though it will ebb and flow, just like the tides.
Whataburger on Waldron Ethyl Everly Senior Center Fire Station Police Station Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID
Our Mission Statement makes it clear: The Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority was created by the people to provide quality transportation and enhance the regional economy in a responsible manner consistent with its financial resources and the diverse needs of our community. Public transit customers and the community told RTA planners in the year-long outreach campaign - ¡Vámonos! - that expedited service through the System, and less transfers on primary corridors, were needed. The RTA began record-setting ridership of over 6,000,000 passenger trips annually in 2011 and continues to exceed passenger capacity at peak ridership times (6 a.m. – 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.) fueling the need for the changes. Ridership data that fuels the RTA Long Range Plan (www.ccrta.org) reveals that 60% of the men, women and youth who access public transportation are doing so for commutes to and from work and/or school. Of late, discussions are circulating in the community in an effort to find solutions to residential street repairs. The RTA has been the target of some of that discussion with mentions of “repurposing sales tax revenues” – voted on by the public in 1985 – to repair the problems, literally. In limited circles, these discussions purport that the Authority is not contributing to streets. We want to set the record straight.
Volunteer Opportunity
Since the first Interlocal Agreement with the City of Corpus Christi in 1986, the RTA has contributed annually in escalating amounts. With the 2015 contribution, the overall contributions to the City of Corpus Christi for street improvements from the Authority totals over $34,000,000. And that is just for street repairs despite the reality that public transit service only travels on 8% of City maintained lanes. In addition to the RTA’s investment in streets, something we feel sincerely obligated to and generously contribute to, we have also invested in Americans with Disabilities Act infrastructure improvements at our Stations and Stops. Since 1986, the RTA has constructed improvements (totaling $11,588,107) to street curbs and bus stops enabling approach by all customers including persons with disabilities. The RTA has committed an additional $888,904 to re-construct Mestina and Artesian Streets, in concert with Bond-financed Street Improvement initiatives, surrounding our busiest transfer station at Staples Street in coming months. The sum of ADA Improvements funded by the RTA, above and beyond the street improvement payments to the City are $12,477,011.
Tax payers deserve to know that they made a smart decision in 1985, and that the RTA is a good steward of their public resources then, now and as we move forward together. Signed: Vangie Chapa, Board Chair
The volunteer would help assist empty bins and pick up boxes of monofilament around Port Aransas for the Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program (MRRP). There are currently 3 outdoor bins (Robert's Point Park, Ancel Brundett Pier on Station Street, and at Charlie's Pasture), and 4 indoor bins (Bilmore and Sons, Island Tackle, Saltline, and Woody's). The volunteer would need to go and check the outdoor bins as needed, and pick up the indoor boxes when full, then bring the monofilament fishing line to UTMSI. This will take approximately an hour or so every 2 weeks. If you are interested in helping or would like more information please contact katie. swanson@utexas.edu or call 361-749-3106. Please feel free to share this opportunity with anyone that you think would be interested. Sincerely,
New Advertisers Corpus Christi Cycle Plaza has an insert in this Moon issue and if you mention it you will get three free lifejackets with the purchase of any personal watercrat through the end of May. They are currently offering $500 off all Kawasaki jet skis. They are located at 2937 SPID. Whataburger has an insert in this issue with a coupon for a free Whataburger with purchase of fries and a medium drink. There is one between the bridge and the first light on North Padre and in Port A near the light at Hwy 361 & Avenue G. (For the tourists reading the Moon) Cancun Seafood Bar & Grill has not only great food but also the best happy hour on the Island with $1.99 drafts, $2.99 margaritas, $3 Bloody Mary’s and $5 off wine bottles. There are two daily specials, for example, one day this week it was chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and blackened salmon. There are also dessert specials. My personal favorite chicken dish is the chicken picatta. The chefs were formerly at the Corpus Christi Yacht Club for 20 years. It is not a Mexican restaurant but they do have fajitas and fish tacos on the menu. They are located across the street from American Bank. A multi-family moving sale will be held this Saturday and Sunday at 8 am at Vincent & Grenadine on North Padre. There will be appliances, jeep tires, furniture and more. Realtor Frankie Hicks at Coldwell Banker can help you with your buying, selling or relocating needs. Call her at 549-9901 or visit her at 5034 Holly Road.
Business Briefs A type of business that, according to the landlord, has never been on the Island before is expected to open in July. I will have all the details next week. Isle Mail & More has expanded its services and now is an office/business center as well. Mikel May’s Beachside Bar & Grill is now open at 7am every day. There is live music Fridays 6 – 10 pm, Saturdays noon til 1 am and Sundays starting at 3 and this Sunday there will be music by Picklefish til midnight. Grace Roberson from American Idol will perform this Saturday 4 – 8 pm. There is a seafood boil every Wednesday night and
Former Board Chairs: Pat M. Eisenhauer 1986-1991 Victor M. Gonzalez Jr. 1995-1997 Georgia R. Neblett 1999-2001 Mike Rendon Rolando Barrera
Grace Roberson happy hour daily 3 – 7 pm. Visit Roni at Island’s Edge Salon and get a free haircut with any highlight service if you mention her ad in this week’s Moon. The Back Porch in Port A will feature Gary P. Nunn on Friday, May 22nd and Larry Joe Taylor on Saturday, May 23rd.
2013-Present
2002-2005
2005-2006
Crystal Lyons
2007-2010
John Valls
2011-2013
There is a new volunteer opportunity on the UTMSI Campus.
Volunteer Job Description:
by Mary Craft mkay512@aol.com or @padreeyelander on twitter
The RTA cares about the public – our customer – and remains committed to continuing to fund the City of Corpus Christi street repairs, and all the communities the RTA serves. These annual allocations are indexed to the sales tax so as the sales tax revenue grows, the RTA’s contribution follows suit.
Dear Island Moon,
Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program
Did Ya Hear?
A3
The Boathouse Bar & Grill has Sunday Brunch 10 am – 2 pm with $2 mimosas and $4 Bloody Mary’s. Enjoy live music at the patio bar starting at 3 pm. The Aransas Queen Casino Ship has made a few voyages now and the one I got feedback on was a rockin’ and a rollin’ and not in a good way. Slot machines moved about and were in disarray and plenty of seasick passengers. You might want to check the Gulf condition and take your seasick meds before you go.
Vote This is an astonishing depiction of what women went through to get the right to vote. President Wilson was deeply involved in keeping girls from voting (around 1917) to the extent of allowing the beating and imprisoning of protesters around the white house. People who do not vote have various reasons for not voting; “neither candidate is worth a darn”, “They are all Liars”, “I have a 3rd party and I want to teach a lesson to the others” (that got us the Clintons), “my vote will not make a difference, so why waste my time since I am busy enough”, “etc”.
Kathy King and Butter of Whitecap Liquor Photo by Mary Craft
There are many who think in one of these ways, but research, and you will find that most of our elections are won or lost by a few votes. Not voting is, in effect, voting for the worst candidate! End of speech John and Mary Anne Tucker
Katie Swanson Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve
Shiny lights on the streets of Port A
Kindness On Mother’s Day we decided to have a late dinner at Island Italian Restaurant. When it came time to pay the bill, our waitress informed us, that the bill had been anonymously paid. She verified it had, indeed, been meant for us. We have no idea who had been so thoughtful, as there are so many kind and caring people on our Island. We do know, however, that one act of random kindness has great power. It can make someone’s day so much brighter. Thank you for brightening our day. Fred and Barb Smith
More Letters to the Editor on A15 Send letters and photos to editor@islandmoon.com Or visit us on Facebook
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A4
May 21, 2015
Island Moon
Watson continued from A1 I screamed at the radio. But an atmospheric disturbance drowned out the rest of the information. Oh, if only they ran the forecasts more than once an hour! A designation of a tropical storm means that the winds have already reached gale force, and could be as high as 75 mph, at which time it would become, a full-fledged hurricane. As I was familiar with weather patterns, I. gravely informed the rest of the crew that regional weather systems would bring it sweeping up the coast right into our path. So that was where those big Viking, tossed by the storm like a child's toy swells were coming from! The The wind howled about us as dusk set in. We wind grew stronger moment by moment. “Betsy, take the wheel.", I barked. screamed to be heard, while only feet away from "Bill, go forward and drop the jenny. Buddy, each other. Only last year I finished my Ph.D. you and I will lower the mainsail. The words in Marine Geology with research on waves and were tersely spoken, and my crew knew there currents. My expertise in oceanography was was no time for backtalk, even in jest, when the certainly needed now. As calmly as possible, words came out so clipped. The need to reduce I told the crew that we were in the dangerous sail was apparent to all by this time. We were semicircle of the storm. I explained the winds dreadfully over-canvassed, making VIKING in a tropical storm spiral in toward the center heel over on her side at a precarious angle. from right to left until they just whirl around and around in a ferocious circle just outside of the eye, a zone of near calm about 20 to 50 miles in diameter. We were on the right front side of the storm in its direction of travel and could escape only if we could sail nearly directly into the gale force winds and tremendous seas. Impossible! Carry sail? In this wind? By this time the wind had intensified to such a point that carrying even our little patch of sail was straining VIKING to her utmost. We realized the inevitable: we must take the sail down and attempt to run Betsy today, safe on dry land downwind under bare poles. We prayed the storm would leave Apprehension which was to shortly change to us before we made landfall. And the sooner fear, began to show on the crew. Betsy, grinning through the storm the better; tropical storms only a few hours before as we surfed gleefully usually build in strength over water. If we could down the big swells, grimaced, gripping the struggle to the left rear corner of the storm, the wheel, as the weather broadcast the next hour winds would weaken and blow in a direction confirmed that Dottie was indeed headed our which would permit our escape. The weight of way. We knew she was getting close. The wind the decision to head for the eye of the storm bore was steadily increasing and the waves now down heavily on me, as I was making decisions taking on fearsome proportions. Escape was out which would, perhaps, determine whether or not we would live or die. Troubled thoughts ran of the question. Dottie was almost upon us. through my mind. These people are my friends. We immediately began to prepare VIKING As captain, their lives are my responsibility, for extreme severe weather. As Bill steered, a duty I don’t take lightly. I had lured them Buddy and Betsy carried all the removable aboard with tales of adventure on the high seas. gear below, and I lashed our lifeboat more Would their lives be the price they would have securely to the foredeck, muttering, "Sure to pay? Well, those are things to contemplate, hope we won’t need you, LITTLE VIKING". but for now, I must concentrate fully on what Emergency pumps were readied. We donned is going on about us. The violent pitching safety harnesses which were secured to a line of the boat made it impossible for anyone to running from the cabin below, and forward to sleep. Cooking was out of the question..Terror the bow so that we could move about the now replaced hunger. Exhaustion had begun to set violently heaving boat while tied to it. A hot in and morale was at a low ebb. Buddy was sure meal was prepared below, no small feat in itself, we were all going to die. Flanked by optimistic as we were pitching and rolling heavily. We Bill on one side and a confident Betsy on the ate in silence, no one daring to verbalize what other, he gravely instructed them to say final we were all thinking, that this may be our last goodbyes to his mother and girlfriend, if one of meal. We then finished stowing everything in them should miraculously make shore. I shared the cabin, lashing gear in place where practical his pessimism, but dared not express my abject and jamming other stuff as best we could so that terror to the rest of the crew. Weren't captains we could get knocked on our side without too those brave souls who shunned lifeboats and much danger from flying objects. Before long went down with the ship? I forced my jumbled the wind had risen to the point where we had mind to clear. “My decisions are vital more than successively reduced sail to only a tiny 140 sq. ever.” I had to rethink each one, as the torrential ft. jib, only twice the size of a tiny Sunfish sail. rains, the unceasing howling of the wind, the Ordinarily, we carry nearly 1000 sq. ft. The boat waves drenching us regularly, the lack of sleep, was flying through the water and surfing down the totality of what a dim situation we were in, the great swells. and the ever increasing violent heaving of the boat made it nearly impossible to think clearly.
I checked with Bowditch, the seaman's Bible, about the arrival of a tropical storm and read, “... the day becomes very dark, squalls become virtually continuous, and the barometer falls precipitously, with a rapid increase in wind speed. The center may still be 100 to 200 miles away in a fully developed tropical cyclone. As the center of the storm comes closer, the everstronger wind shrieks through the rigging and about the super-structure of the vessel. As the center approaches, rain falls in torrents. The wind fury increases. The seas become mountainous. The tops of huge waves are blown off to mingle with the rain and fill the air with water. Objects at a short distance are not visible. Even the largest and most seaworthy vessels become virtually unmanageable, and may sustain heavy damage. Less sturdy vessels do not survive.” Bowditch was talking about
ships and we were about to do battle with a tropical storm in a leaky, 30 year old wooden sailboat. VIKING was being strained to the limits. Even under bare poles, we were surfing down the huge waves. at breakneck speed. She was taking the waves nicely from astern, lifting up and then surging forward. No roller coaster created by man could equal our wild ride. Could VIKING endure? Could we? We were a sorry sight. Garbed in yellow slickers and pants, we appeared as soggy ducks, battered about in a merciless sea. VIKING seemed to be holding her own, as if to say, “If you guys can make it through, I won't let you down.”
To be continued...
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May 21, 2015
Island Moon
The Ship That Changed History
History continued from A1 guard, as late as the 1970s 26 families owned 83% of the land in Nueces County, came out in support of a dam on the Frio River, a branch of the Nueces, at Choke Canyon near Three Rivers.
city yielded to state and federal pressure and Choke Canyon ended up as a joint project between the city and the Nueces River Authority, a remnant of the New Deal.
But there was another potential site; the so-called R&M site, named after the Reagan and McCaughan engineering firm which designed it, five miles north of the city which would yield 28% more water than Choke Canyon. The R&M site would put more water under the city’s control but would cost at least twice as much because of higher land prices. The catch was that the city would have to fund the R&M site while the Choke Canyon site could be paid for by the federal Bureau of Reclamation. The fight over where to put the dam spawned the first regional planning through the Coastal Bend Regional Planning Commission. In 1970 a referendum was passed favoring the R&M site but the
In the wrong dam place
A5
Buried beneath Matagorda Bay for more than 300 years, the French ship La Belle was discovered by Texas Historical Commission archaeologists in 1995 and is considered one of the most important shipwrecks found in North America. Following a lengthy and complicated conservation process, the remnants of the ship’s hull and other excavated artifacts were transferred to the Bullock Texas State History Museum where conservators have been working on a live-action rebuild of the ship in full view of visitors as part of the award-winning exhibition “La Belle: The Ship That Changed History.”
Choke Canyon Dam went into operation in 1982 but underperformed right from the start. So much so that in 1995 the city began a project to pipe water from Lake Texana near Victoria at a cost, then, of $230 million. That project continues today as the Mary Rhodes Pipeline, ironically now two months behind schedule due to rain, and Lake Texana is now the source for about half of the city’s water supply.
On May 21, the hull will be moved from the Herzstein Hall to the ship’s final and permanent location within the museum during a day-long event. Media wishing to cover this event should contact Alicia Downard at alicia.downard@thc.state.tx.us or 512.936.0849.
Two weeks ago the local office of the National Weather Service declared the drought over with, and the recent spate of rain has been called a 100-year event. But even so, on Tuesday city staffers told the Corpus Christi City Council that even though the city’s reservoirs are only 77.1% full, 33,000 acre feet of water will have to be released in the next week as more rain runs into the system. The reason is that Lake Corpus Christi can’t hold as much water as is running into it, even as Choke Canyon Resivoir is 24 feet below capacity. Why? Because the dam is in the wrong place, at the confluence of only two of the three rivers; the Nueces, the Frio, and the Atascosa.
As the centerpiece of the museum’s galleries, the completed exhibit will include the ship’s original cargo, artifacts, documents, and an interactive video that tells the story of early Texas through 1821. La Belle will be featured permanently as a complete renovation of the museum’s first floor to be unveiled in 2016. Visit www.thc.state.tx.us/lasalle to read more about the THC’s La Salle-related archeology projects.
If private industry had made such a monumental blunder the lawsuits would still be in the courts. But instead we just shrug out shoulders and say, “Hey, it’s a government job.”
Hurricane continued from A1 Hurricane Ida, which will cause the largest amount of the $36 billion in total predicted damage for the 2015 season. AccuWeather predicts a total of nine named storms, five hurricanes and one major hurricane are expected this season, according to the forecast prepared by The Weather Channel Professional Division. They predict two or three of the major storms will make landfall in the United States. "Last year's hurricane numbers were a little bit higher than what we're forecasting right now, but the environmental conditions are somewhat similar to last year," AccuWeather Expert Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said. "Last year's upper-level winds actually looked like an El Niño-type pattern, so what we got last year will be pretty much the same as this year," he said.
A new El Niño event is emerging that will likely be stronger than last year’s weaker event. The cooler ocean temperatures and subsidence/shear associated with the El Niño event will likely be a deterrent for widespread tropical cyclone development in the Atlantic. Klotzbach and Gray of CSU found five other hurricane seasons with comparable Atlantic and Pacific sea-surface temperatures both in February-March, as well as what is forecast for AugustOctober: 1957, 1987, 1991, 1993 and 2014. Those years averaged eight named storms, four hurricanes, and 1-2 major hurricanes. "Aggregate Atlantic basin sea surface temperatures are as cool as they’ve been since 2009, and are at the second coolest levels in 20 years," said Dr. Crawford.
Washing Station for Small Breed Dogs Dedicated to the Riley P. Dog Park By Natalie Albrecht, Troop 9699 The highest honor a Junior (4th/5th grade) Girl Scout can earn is the Bronze Award. Junior Girl Scout Troop 9699, has worked hard on our Bronze Award project. We have built a dog washing station for small breed dogs which we are donating to the Riley P. Dog Park. We are having a Dedication Ceremony on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25 at 10:30am. We are inviting our community and their dogs to come check out the new dog park location. Thanks to our project team who have helped us and guided us through this project. Bring your well behaved dog and come on by and join Troop 9699 at the water tower at Coral Vine and Allamanda. Refreshments will be served for humans and their furry friends.
The Weather Channel forecast of below-average activity during the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season is consistent with the CSU study and called for seven named storms, including three hurricanes, one of which is predicted to attain major hurricane status. The CSU outlook, headed by Dr. Phil Klotzbach in consultation with long-time hurricane expert Dr. William Gray, is based on a combination of 29 years of statistical predictors, combined with analog seasons exhibiting similar features of sealevel pressure and sea-surface temperatures in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans. The 2014 season was a light and mixed season and featured the fewest number of named storms in 17 years (eight storms), but also featured the strongest landfalling hurricane in the mainland U.S. in six years (Hurricane Arthur on the Outer Banks), and featured two back-to-back hurricane hits on the tiny archipelago of Bermuda (Fay, then Gonzalo). Furthermore, six of those eight storms became hurricanes, and Gonzalo was the strongest Atlantic hurricane since Igor in 2010.
El Niño El Nino was first officially declared by NOAA as winter wound down and has a 60 percent chance of persisting into the fall, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
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A6
Island Moon
Oil Patch
May 21, 2015
Stuff I Heard on the Island by Dale Rankin
When Memorial Day Weekend rolls around Islanders thoughts turn to traffic. Guest rooms in Island homes are hard to come by on High Holidays as we all get the phone call from friends upstate that starts with, “Are you going to be home this weekend…”
One of the big questions is how to relieve traffic traversing North Padre Island on the way to Port Aransas. The original plans for Island streets call for a thoroughfare that would provide an alternate route from the JFK Causeway to the Packery Channel Bridge but it has never been built.
But talk of traffic this Memorial Day will be a little different than most years because after years of non-attention primarily due to the recent fatal accident of Corpus Christi Police Chief Floyd Simpson on State Highway 361. While that has served to focus public attention on the Island’s roadway system, behind the scenes the need for improvements to keep up with the ever increasing traffic has drawn the attention of city planners on both ends of The Island.
The Port Aransas City Council is to vote in its next meeting on whether to expedite plans to add lanes to State Highway 361 and as we reported last issue Congressman Blake Farenthold is pushing TxDot in that direction. State Representative Todd Hunter has been the driving force in finding state funds to expand SH 361 and there is some momentum in to making the project a priority in Austin.
With encouragement from Mayor Nelda Martinez and District 4 City Councilwoman Colleen McIntyre the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Planning Organization is in the early stages of a $247,000 comprehensive traffic study for The Island which will produce the baseline data and plan for Island streets and roads over the next decades. One of the things the plan will look at are “paper” streets on The Island, so called because they exist only on paper. They were planned when the Island was developed, and in some cases already have the water and utility lines in place, but the streets themselves have never been built. It is a little known fact that early designs for Island streets included eight square blocks on the east side of SPID, behind the row of businesses along SPID, that would be the Island’s business district. They are still sand dunes. As part of the MPO study traffic counters on Island roads will be in place over the Memorial Day weekend.
Large patches of oil washed in this week on the beach in Kleberg County near the bowl. The Texas General Land Office was called to investigate but no information on the oil’s possible origin was available at press time.
As McIntyre said this week, there really is no solution to the danger on that roadway except a divided medium. Adding periodic passing lanes, the current plan, will help but as was the case with Simpson’s death, the biggest problem is not with cars passing it is simply with drivers crossing the center line. Managing growth is the challenge for The Island and that can’t be accomplished without a comprehensive traffic plan. It is the skeleton that everything else hangs on. I think it is fair to say that Island leaders, on both ends of The Island, are doing a good job of staying ahead of the problem but it is still very early in the process and the most important thing still remaining to do is to facilitate communication from leaders in Port Aransas and on Padre Island to make sure that whatever plan emerges it works for both. We’re only going to have one chance to get this right and now is the time that it has to be done. If we fail, well, failure is not an option. By this time next year if we don’t have a plan in place it will be too late.
May 21, 2015
A7
Island Moon
Backwater Adventures Feeding the Fat and Sassy Cat
On the Rocks By Jay Gardner & Aaron Baxter
By Joey Farah
I was coming back from the ranch this past Sunday, and of course, right at Edroy, the old Dodge starting losing power. “Great!” I exclaimed, as I turned down the Turnpike Troubadours on the radio and began looking for a place to pull over. As the truck shuddered and died, I realized I was at the top of the overpass, merely inches from the white line on the right-hand shoulder. Not the safest place. I tried starting it a couple of times to no avail. She was dead. And I had a sneaky suspicion that I was out of gas, despite the odometer telling me I had another 80 miles of travel left in the tank (the fuel gauge doesn’t work.)
Farah’s Fishing Adventures The sky was still dark and hundreds of sea gulls twinkled in the lights along the pier at Marker 37 Marina like strobe lights. They dived and swirled picking up shrimp as fast as they could. I pointed this out and rushed my guests off the dock to get the first light bite. Fishing is at a peak right now in the Coastal Bend but at times catching fish can be a challenge because of the wealth of feeding opportunities out there. Hunting large mature trout can be extra difficult because you must play against a few key factors that make it as challenging as satisfying a FAT AND SASSY CAT. The lunar feeding times are the most important tool you can use in your line of strategies. Look for most of the action in the water to happen when lunar peaks occur during dark hours of the night when shrimp are out of the mud and actively moving. At first light you have about an hour or so before they burry up in the bottom and the fish disperse and rest themselves. Look for gamefish in these areas close to the ICW to wake up and start a late morning to afternoon bite as they digest their late-night meals and take advantage of the high winds rolling the bottom and kicking up some shrimp. Along many of the same natural travel areas small baitfish will be streaming into the back bays as well. This is also an easy meal for many gamefish. A look under the dock will find small schools of tiny baitfish along every dock pole. One can only imagine that a gamefish could pull right up to any structure and just inhale as many small fish as it pleases, and they do. In areas like the Land Cut right now some of the best places to pitch artificial lures is around the many docks and piers. Fish will hold to these areas for the amount of bait as well as breaks in the current and shade. In the Baffin Bay area the water has started to clean up with the flow of water bringing good tides from Mansfield. The winds have whipped it all to a muddy mess but along the east side up shallow as well as shallow
Gracie and Beth Cunningham with a trophy plaque from the Port Aransas surfing contest last week!!
pockets here and there things are looking better. The fishing with live croaker has been great even in high winds with LIMITS EVERY DAY. The trout are keepers with some good 20” plus fish, and occasional 28”and better. The baits are still a little small as it is early but they have been very healthy with the high tides making it easier for marinas to keep them alive. Redfish are still thick and easy to catch with live shrimp and popping corks, but if you are fishing with live croaker then you may never see a redfish on your line. The amount of shrimp and crabs right now is amazing and exactly what the reds are hunting. Drifting shallow mud and rock bottoms are best, as the grass flats are full of hungry pin perch that will eat your shrimp off the hook in seconds. Fishing is awesome and summer is starting this weekend! School is about to be out for summer and I encourage you all to take a break and take that young angler or family out fishing now in the beginning of summer. Do not wait until the time has almost run out, set the stage for a summer to remember. If you can build that special something between you and your kids in fishing you will always have them want to spend time with you. Give me a call for any help planning an awesome adventure and fishing experience.
Boat Safety We left the marina headed south in the afternoon against strong southeast winds, in the distance I could see two boats with rooster tails flying high behind them. They barreled strait for us drag racing along the ICW, I stopped for fear that any change in course would turn this into a massive collision. The two boats raced around me moving well over 70mph, sending spray from the rooster tails upon us. I shook my head and wondered why. In the last year we have seen A LOCAL BOAT BUILDER, who has been building and refining some pretty amazing bay boats. Many of you have seen them racing back and forth in front of the JFK area and proudly presented along the highway. They are a product of a group of very well to do folks that are building boats for a hobby. I have been concerned for the direction of the safety issue for a while but this last week as I sat at Snoopy’s and had lunch with friends one of their speed boats was doing race runs back and forth in front of the restaurants. Twice the boat turned around right in front of both boats at the dock and sent a large wake smashing them against the dock. I contacted the company and was amazed at their response. I was told that “There is no speed limit in the ICW and that I was not in a wake-free zone.” They also admitted that they were at DOC’S watching the boats do speed runs through the bridge. Legally the ICW does not have a speed limit, but there is under the bridge. The responsibility of all boaters especially a public and local boat builder is to safely test boats away from such
Sunday afternoon families on the beach scattered as a man in this truck was seen wearing a mask and gloves swinging what looked to be a gun at the beach crowd at Bob Hall Pier. He was also seen at a few other Island places harassing and making visual threats to people. We took some pics of his truck and license plate and ONE OF OUR AWSOME LOCAL POLICEMEN TOOK HIM INTO CUSTODY BY HIMSELF. THANK YOU areas that have signs up that say NO WAKE. These businesses are key in our economy here on the Island, when guests pull up and see speed boats carelessly racing past, slamming their boats against the dock, they may not come again. The biggest issue I have is that the area that this is happening is along the most congested and used part of the Laguna Madre’. There are kayaks, small boats, wade fishermen, pier fishermen, and many many boats funneling through this area. Many times new boat owners old and new are easily distracted and may not see these FAST AND FAT SPEED BOATS flying through the posted NO WAKE ZONE. The LOCAL BOAT BUILDER claims “Our test pilots are very experienced and conscience of all other boat traffic and make their test runs only when the way is clear.” He also went on to say “both the Texas Game Wardens and the Coast Guard have no issue with what we are doing.” Legally boaters are responsible for their wake, if one of these FAT SPEED BOATS runs by and puts you and your family in danger, or perhaps slams your boat against the dock while you have lunch under the bridge, give the boat builder a call after you call the coast guard. I can guarantee that any response from them will be similar to the laugh in my face I got. When one of these boats kills a family then those FAT AND SASSY CATS may just see through their bravados and test their boats in a more responsible manner.
STIFFY KEVIN SHAW FISHING TOURNAMENT THIS WEEKEND!! More than 20 years ago a local fishermen with an amazing desire to make something happen in his home town along the international fishing scene took a chance. Kevin Shaw started making push poles that were a fraction of the cost of all the high priced Florida brands. His innovations and Public Relation efforts made his company take off. For us here in the coastal bend Kevin brought us anglers, lure makers, boat designers, and more across the country to
I grabbed my wallet and phone, and bailed out of the truck at the next traffic break. Awesome! Stuck in Edroy: again. What IS it about that place anyway? So, with déjà vu thoughts spinning in my mind from the last time I was stuck here 15 years ago, I climbed/fell down the steep embankment and headed into town. I pretty much KNEW there wasn’t a gas station, but I wandered down “Main” street anyway. I walked into the Post office, but it was just that; a collection of P.O. Boxes and no one home. As I stood there on the corner of Empty and Nowhere streets, I tried to form a plan. Ask for help on Facebook? Check. (although not expecting anything) Phone a friend? Didn’t answer. I looked up the road towards the north end of town, and saw someone unload a riding mower out of the back of a pick up truck. What the heck I figured, these people look like they might be mechanically inclined.
which made the town shrink even more. The man said he had worked as a manager of one of the grocery stores, but after they closed up, he too had gone to town for work, and worked at the refineries in Corpus. Now, he said, Edroy was just a small community that was getting smaller by the year as people left town. We got back to the Dodge, and put the gas in the tank on the dangerous side of the road. He told me that the next gas was in Cowtown (Calallen), and that if that was the issue, I should be fine. Of course, I tried to hand him a $20, but he would have nothing to do with it, and smiled and told me to repay him was to do the same for the next person I saw that needed help. Not stranded on the road, but needing help. She fired up, and before I could turn around to give him a thumbs up, he was down the embankment and gone. I eased her down the road and made it to the gas station with no problems. Upon filling my tank (and remembering she was running rough) I realized I am getting closer to 200 miles per tank than the normal 300 miles. Time for a tune up. And speaking of “tune-up”, the mans’ words ring in my head still. I think many of us could use a “tune-up” regarding how we perceive
I trudged along through lovely Edroy towards the only sign of life I saw; a guy doing yardwork in a modest but neat yard. His questionable mix breed hound took out after me, but stayed a few feet away barking incessantly, despite my headache. The older gentlemen hissed at the dog to get back in the yard, but met me out at the street. I explained what had happened and where my horse was, and then asked where the nearest gas station was. “6 miles north to Odem” he said. “Quite a walk.” His wife walked out, smiled, and throttled the dog (thankfully) and he quickly filled her in on the details. She kindly asked if I would like a glass of ice water, noting my perspiration, but I politely declined and asked how their day was going. As What it feels like being broke down and standing around in we chit-chatted, the man Edroy had grabbed a gas can with several gallons of gas in the world and each other. I now actively look it, thrown it into the truck of his car, and was at people on the side of the road and try to motioning for me to get in. I apologized to the determine if I can help. I saw someone on the wife for inconveniencing them on a Sunday side of the road yesterday, and stopped to ask, afternoon, but she just smiled and said “no but they said they were waiting on someone worries” (one of my favorite terms.) behind them and everything was fine. However, We visited as we cruised around the small they thanked me for stopping and asking. town, and he told me stories of how Edroy had Maybe that guy caught the spark too, and he two grocery stores back in the hey-day, but that will look out for the next person. Then again, some of the smaller farmers had been bought maybe everyone just needs to break down in out by the larger farms over the years, and that Edroy every once in a while to get perspective. folks had moved to the cities to find work. This I’ll see y’all On the Rocks. of course had caused the stores to go belly up,
Moon Phases
Lots of trout action wadeing with live croaker see the amazing resource and the people that make up fishing in the Coastal Bend. Years later we are blessed as being a power house in inland bay fishing known ally and even worldwide. This weekend there is a very special fishing tournament to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this local business we can all be proud of. The tournament is a REDFISH TOURNAMENT with a Mystery fish to be announced Friday night. There is going to be all kinds of high end fishing prizes and silent action items to pick up. Everything from coolers, fishing poles, fishing trips, and hunts all to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This event will be catered by our local Howard’s Barbecue and looks to be a great day. For all information stop by Marker 37 and pick up a tournament package. Go Get Wet!
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Tides of the Week Tides for Corpus Christi (Bob Hall Pier) May 21-27, 2015
Day
High /Low
Tide Time
Height in Feet
Th F Sa Su M Tu W
21 High 8:14 AM 1.8 21 Low 11:59 PM -0.1 22 High 8:56 AM 1.7 22 23 Low 12:43 AM 0.1 23 High 9:31 AM 1.6 24 Low 1:27 AM 0.3 24 High 9:58 AM 1.5 25 Low 2:17 AM 0.5 25 High 10:20 AM 1.4 25 Low 6:06 PM 0.8 25 High 9:13 PM 0.9 26 Low 3:20 AM 0.7 26 High 10:40 AM 1.4 26 Low 6:20 PM 0.7 26 High 11:21 PM 1.0 27 Low 4:49 AM 0.8 27 High 10:58 AM 1.3 27 Low 6:40 PM 0.5
Sunrise Moon Time Sunset
6:37 AM Rise 9:53 AM 8:14 PM Set 11:35 PM 6:37 AM Rise 10:47 AM 8:15 PM 6:36 AM Set 12:19 AM 8:15 PM Rise 11:41 AM 6:36 AM Set 12:59 AM 8:16 PM Rise 12:33 PM 6:35 AM Set 1:36 AM 8:16 PM Rise 1:25 PM
Moon Visible
8 15 23 32 41
6:35 AM Set 2:11 AM 8:17 PM Rise 2:15 PM
51
6:35 AM Set 2:46 AM 8:17 PM Rise 3:06 PM
60
A8
May 21, 2015
Island Moon
SPORTS Sports Talk
“Deflategate” appeal could test powers of NFL commissioner
Three for a Day By Andy Purvis Special to the Island Moon
By Dotson Lewis
Special to the Island Moon Dotson’s Note: This is no longer about deflated footballs: it’s about not fully cooperating with the investigating committee, and the fact there’s been some rather extreme punishment doled out. As you can see, the NFL Players Association has filed an appeal on Brady’s behalf. In another twist to the story, it appears that the Patriots are attempting to place much of the blame on the game’s Referee. I’ve shared with you some of what is being written about the Referee in the game, Walt Anderson, who I’ve known since he starting officiating football. He joined the Houston chapter of the Southwest Football Officials Association in 1977 as a first year football official.
Tom Brady & Roger Goodell--A Happier Time Tom Brady signaled in his appeal of his “Deflategate” suspension that he will put NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's credibility on trial, further inflating the stakes in what started as a small scandal about the air pressure in footballs. The expected federal court case, and to borrow a phrase “it's more probable than not,” that's just where it's headed--could define or limit the powers of the commissioner long after the Super Bowl MVP returns to the field. "I think this is much bigger than a fourgame suspension for Tom Brady," said Gabe Feldman, a Tulane Law School professor and the director of the Sports Law Program there. "This is part of that continuing battle for the role of the commissioner in disciplinary matters. This is a decades-old principle, that the office of the commissioner was created in part to protect the game and to determine what's in the best interest of the league. This is why (the league) bargained for this back in 2011, that the commissioner is in the best position to determine that." A four-time Super Bowl champion and the face of the most successful NFL franchise of this century, Brady was suspended four games after a league investigation found he was "at least generally aware" of a scheme to illegally deflate footballs used in the AFC title game. NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent also fined the New England Patriots $1 million and took away two draft picks. Brady has denied any impropriety, and the NFL Players Association appealed the suspension this week in a three-page letter that demanded Goodell recuse himself as the hearing officer. Loading the letter with references to NFL decisions that were overturned or otherwise botched, union lawyers laid the groundwork for a court case that would take the decision out of his hands. "They clearly are teeing up some of the issues that they would be following up on appeal," Paul Kelly, the former executive director of the NHL players union, said in an interview with The Associated Press. Here are some of the issues that will have to be settled before Deflategate goes away: 1. The collective bargaining agreement gives Goodell the right to hear the appeal, and it also says only the commissioner can punish players for conduct detrimental to the league. The union is trying to use these two provisions to litigate Goodell into a corner: If he delegates his authority to punish players, it's invalid; if he does it himself, he is no longer impartial enough to handle the appeal. The approach held little sway with Goodell, who decided to hear the appeal himself anyway. It might work with a federal judge, but there's one problem. "It's collectively bargained; the players gave that away," Kelly said. "If they don't like the results from the upcoming Goodell appeal hearing, they're pretty well stuck with it." 2. The union seemed to delight in reminding Goodell and Vincent of their recent losses in federal court, including overturned punishments for the New Orleans Saints in the bounty investigation and in domestic
abuse cases against Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice. But Feldman said Goodell seems to have avoided some of those mistakes in Deflategate. By delegating the investigation to Wells and the punishment to Vincent, Goodell may have preserved his independence sufficiently to preside over the appeal. "The NFL has clearly learned from all of the cases that have come before that...to protect the decision if it comes to federal court," Feldman said. "I think the NFL made a clear effort here to remove that conflict." Kelly wasn't convinced, “Even though different people made the decisions, it's not clear they were truly independent. Goodell hires Ted Wells and his firm, pays them an exorbitant sum, supports publicly Troy Vincent's finding and sanction and now is going be the final arbiter of the matter, unless the court gets involved," he said. "That's what annoys the players. There isn't a truly objective factfinder." 3. In many ways, though, the hearing in front of Goodell is Brady's best shot. The commissioner can take a fresh look at the evidence and, if he wants, reject the conclusions in the Wells Report. He can ask for new information and consider it as well. "The commissioner is certainly not bound by those findings," Feldman said. "But the NFL has to provide the players with the rights that they bargained for." If Brady winds up in court, the judge wouldn't second-guess the league on its policies and procedures but only make sure they are followed. "The decision of the arbitrator is entitled to substantial deference and is to be overturned only if it is found to be arbitrary and capricious, unsupported by evidence, or tainted in some way," Kelly said. Those are all claims that the union is making. "It's a very high standard," Kelly said. "It's difficult to do." Dotson’s Note: The following is a compilation of media reports of Referee Walt Anderson’s role in this matter. As I wrote earlier, I have known Walt for more than 30 years and I am convinced that he followed NFL policy and procedures to the letter. Much of the following is hearsay and conjecture. When Walt Anderson is permitted by the NFL, I am sure that he will “tell it like it was.”
Referee Walt Anderson didn’t record any of the ball pressures before the AFC Championship. “ The Wells Report goes to great lengths to portray Anderson in a positive light, noting that he personally inspected the footballs (unlike most referees), and calling him ‘one of the most well-respected referees in the NFL’ who ‘approaches his responsibilities with a high level of professionalism and integrity.’ No one is questioning Anderson’s integrity. But Wells’ report makes him look very bad.” “The biggest hole in Wells Report, and it is a massive, gaping hole, is the assumption that Anderson tested the footballs properly, with a pressure gauge, before the game. That’s the only way to determine that the Patriots’ footballs deflated at a much faster rate than did the Colts’ balls.” “Except there is no actual proof of Anderson doing this. We’re forced to take Anderson and Wells at their word that Anderson actually used a pressure gauge, and didn’t just give the footballs the squeeze test. He said the Patriots’ target point was 12.5 PSI and the Colts’ target point was 13.0, but there’s no way of knowing.”
Young 22-year-old Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals hit three homeruns in three consecutive at-bats in a single game, on Wednesday, May 6th 2015. Those three home runs against the Miami Marlins traveled 404’, 431’, and 441 feet. The first was hit to leftcenter, the second to straightaway centerfield and the third and longest was hit into the rightfield upper deck. It was a monster day for the kid and just one of many to come. He would go on to hit a total of six home runs in three consecutive games. Harper, known as “BamBam,” hit 55 home runs in his first three seasons and has hit 14 home runs this year. Harper is very confident with lots of mustard on him and he sports a complicated haircut. Bryce may be the closes player we have to a modern day Pete Rose. It will be fun to watch him progress. Harper’s exploits reminded me of another day in May, when the “Colossus of Clout” set the record that would last a lifetime. On May 25, 1935 (80 years ago), another fellow hit three home runs in three consecutive at-bats for the last time in his career. His name was George Herman “Babe” Ruth. Ruth, no longer a Yankee, had joined the Boston Braves of the National League. They were finishing up a threegame series with the Pirates of Pittsburgh, at Forbes Field. Ruth was 41 years old and hitting .150 at the time. In front of a crowd of less than 10,000 cranks (fans) that day, Ruth proceeded to hit three home runs. There were no lights in 1935; all games were played in the afternoon. All three home runs were hit over the right-field wall. The first home run was hit off Red Lucas and landed in the lower deck. Pitcher Guy Bush gave up the second home run in the upper deck and the third and last, number 714 cleared the 86-foot high upper deck, in right field. It was the first home run to ever leave the yard at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Seventeen others would accomplish the same feat over the next 35 years. Ruth left the game after hitting his third home run in the seventh inning. The only access at Forbes Field for both teams’ locker rooms was through the Pirates’ dugout. Ruth was said to have stopped and sat down on the Pirates’ bench next to Mace Brown, where he said, “Boy, that last one felt good.” The third home run was estimated to have traveled over 600 feet, but it was impossible to verify. Eyewitnesses said the ball struck the roof of a house located at 334 Joncaire Street and bounced over to Bouquet Street where a kid named Henry DeOrio retrieved the ball. That ball was later donated to the National-BaseballMuseum Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, by DeOrio. Ruth walked by himself back to the Schenley Hotel in Pittsburgh. We now know that he was contemplating retiring at this time. Despite Ruth’s slugging performance, the Braves lost to the Pirates, 11 to 7. Five days later, after returning to Boston and meeting with management, Ruth retired for good as the alltime home-run leader. Babe’s record would stand until Hank Aaron hit #715 in 1974. Hank would finish his career with 755 home runs.
Pirates in the 1925 World Series. Ruth had been to Pittsburgh only one previous time, when the Yankees swept the Pirates in the 1927 World Series. Ruth eventually begin to see the real truth to his signing, as his fame was being used to enhance the gate receipts, and the Braves had no intention of replacing McKechnie with him. Most of you know that Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants has passed both Ruth and Aaron in career home runs, with 762. With young superstars like Bryce Harper, Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Giancarlo Stanton, is the record safe? Only time will tell. But on next Monday, May 25, 2015 Memorial Day, take a minute to remember this day in baseball history when “The Babe” decided 714 was enough.
Bryce Harper Andy Purvis is a local author and radio personality. His newest book “Greatness Continued” in now available to order online at bn.com, Amazon, Google Books, Bookamillion, etc. You may also purchase all three of his latest books at the local Barnes & Noble Book store in Moore Plaza. All three books are also available in e-book format, Kindle, Nook, Apple I Pad and Kobo. Please visit www.purvisbooks. com for more info and leave a message in the guest section. You may also contact him at purvis.andy@mygrande.net and don’t forget to listen to Dennis & Andy’s Q & A Session each Thursday night from 6-8 PM on ESPN 1440 KEYS.
Ruth had joined the Braves with a promise that he would be the assistant manager to manager Bill McKechnie, who had also managed the
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“And that’s only the beginning for Anderson. It is alleged that he knew that there was a potential issue with the Patriots’ footballs. It was reported that Dean Blandino and Alberto Riveron from the league office informed him as much in the days leading up to the game. It was also reported that Walt didn’t record any of the ball pressures before the game. And then when the game balls went missing before kickoff, he didn’t bother holding up the game and rechecking the footballs.” Dotson’s Other Note: Thanks to Jimmy Golen, AP writer for many of the facts and some of the fiction contained in the foregoing article. As all of you know, it’s Goodell’s job to serve all 31 teams and the best interests of the league, not just the Patriots. Some are saying about Walt Anderson: “That’s not professionalism. That’s borderline incompetence.” To me and many others, it’s an interesting case and I will keep you posted. Your suggestions, comments, questions and concerns regarding “Moon Sports Talk” are appreciated. Call the Benchwarmers 361-560-5397 weekdays, Mondays thru Fridays, 3-6 p.m. or contact me. Phone: 361949-7681 Cell: 530-748-8475 Email: dlewis1@ stx.rr.com
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