Monday, July 25, 2022 by The O'Colly

Monday, July 25, 2022

Doing double

Courtesy of Mattie J Awtrey

Mattie J Awtrey, a human development and family science major, is one of many Oklahoma State students who have to work two jobs to make a living.

The struggle student teachers are facing “When I found out that student teachers were getting a stipend, there was a giant load taken off of my back,” Blankenship said. Ellen Slater “This will not change O’Colly Contributor the way that student teaching works. (Student-teachers) will not be putting in extra work now because of the stipend, as even before the pay it mirUntil this year, a sturored a full-time, actual job,” dent-teacher at an Oklahoma Blankenship said, “the stipend public school put in 40 hours a does not change anything, but week in the classroom exis considerate of Oklahoma’s change for a $0 paycheck. Department of Education to Amy Blankenship give us.” spends her mornings and afterThe Oklahoma State noons in the classroom at Will Department of Education pays Rogers Elementary School in for the Paid Student Teaching Stillwater and then switches Initiative with federal relief uniforms to become a barista dollars. It started in the 2021 at the local coffee chain, Aspen school year and is planned Coffee, after the school day. to continue through the 2023 Blankenship is a senior elschool year. Student teachementary education major at ers can be paid up to $3,250. Oklahoma State University The student-teachers will be who student-taught last semes- paid the first $1,625 of that at ter before the stipend was put the beginning of their student in place. teacher semester. They will be Blankenship said she rewarded the same amount a has to take on both of the jobs, second time if they take a job considering the student-teach- at an Oklahoma public school ing one is unpaid. She also post graduation. pays for college and supports Student-teachers are herself, so she has to work a typically upperclass education lot to be able to afford student- majors, and this is a part of teaching. the degree requirement. Un“I would not have like other noneducation stuthe time to work as much as dents, they are expected to do I needed to because I would many of the same tasks a paid be at school during the day, teacher does, such as comevery day,” Blankenship said. mute to school and stay for the

whole day. The student-teachers get the second half of the stipend if they take a teaching job at an Oklahoma public school after graduation, but some student-teachers, including Blankenship, do not see this as worth it, for the $1,625 stipend would not match the salaries they would receive in other states. This part of the initiative is to encourage these future teachers to stay in Oklahoma because there is a lack of teachers. The average teacher in Oklahoma earns $40,000 a year. Two hours down I-35, the pay is $57,000. To put it simply, Texas teachers are, on average, earning 40% more than Oklahoma teachers. This is why many students decide to jump ship after they receive their diplomas. Borders define money in public education. With the lack of teachers in Oklahoma and the ongoing pandemic, there is a substitute teacher shortage as well. Many towns in Oklahoma have signs posted advertising the need for substitute teachers. Oklahoma State University students who have not graduated are stepping into these roles in Stillwater, which is similar to many other towns in Oklahoma. The supply and demand of teachers and substitutes do

not match, and the Oklahoma government is trying to find solutions, such as state employees filling substitute teacher roles. This was announced Jan. 18 in an executive order from Gov. Kevin Stitt. There is also an emergency teacher certification in the state, allowing people who traditionally would not be automatically eligible to pursue teaching. Barry Fuxa, the public relations and communications coordinator for Stillwater Public Schools, said he recognizes the importance of teachers being trained in education. Although Fuxa said it is great there are people who are willing to step into these roles without education degrees and it is appreciated, it is important these positions are also being filled with teachers who studied education. He said he thinks the new initiative will help encourage these spots to be filled with people with the matching degree. “This way we can have teachers that have that education degree background that is so important to have,” Fuxa said. “You cannot just walk into a classroom and have the skills that you need. When I was going through this as an undergrad, I thought, ‘Wow, this is not as easy as people think.’ I think that it is great that it will allow more

people to pursue the traditional education degree.” Fuxa has been with Stillwater Public Schools since 2019, starting right before the pandemic, so this is not the first change he has seen as his time in public education. Rather this is one of the many changes that have come from the long string of events that the pandemic has had on the school system. Stillwater Public Schools have 56 student teachers, with many of them coming from Oklahoma State University. Fuxa said the district would take students from other places as well. The student-teachers help with K-12. They receive a placement at the beginning of the school year. The Oklahoma State Department of Education is using $12.75 million in federal relief money to support this. Oklahoma’s Paid Student Teaching Initiative is a part of the larger production that is the Ready Together Oklahoma: An Action Plan for Supporting Student Teachers Through the Pandemic and Beyond. Last year, Oklahoma ranked 42nd in the nation for education, correlating with the teacher and substitute shortage that these districts are facing. See Double on 5

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O’Colly

sports Overhauled West Virginia offense ready to contend in Big 12 to mirror the type of football team that that we want to be and that gives us the best opportunity to win in this league. We’ve had 33 additions to our roster since January,” said coach Neal Brown. Sam Hutchens The Mountaineers went Staff Reporter 4-5 in the Big 12 a year ago, winning their final two games Over the next few weeks, to finish sixth in the conferThe O’Colly will be releasing ence. They scored 31 against its Big 12 preseason rankings Texas and 34 against Kansas in the form of team previews. in that stretch, riding a strong This week, picked to finish in offensive wave to finish strong. ninth place in the conference In 2022, that offense has by our writers are the West new leaders. Virginia Mountaineers. Quarterback Jarret 2021 West Virginia Doege, the WVU starter last record: 6-7 overall (4-5 in Big year, transferred to Western 12) Kentucky in the offseason to West Virginia has a fresh finish out his career. He threw look. for 3,048 yards. “We remade our roster Brown said the QB job is

a competition. J.T. Daniels, a junior transfer, is likely the top contender. Sophomore Garrett Greene, who got some snaps in 2021 when WVU wanted a dual-threat option, is also in the mix along with Will Crowder and Nicco Marchiol. WVU will also have to replace running back Leddie Brown, who racked up 1,065 yards and 13 touchdowns The heir to that position is clearer. Sophomore Tony Mathis Jr. appears to be in the best position to receive the bulk of the carries in his absence. Mathis had 72 carries for WU last year and averaged 4.3 yards per carry. The Mountaineers also have a new offensive coordinator. Graham Harrell, a former

quarterback at Texas Tech, was brought in to run the offense and be a quarterbacks coach. Harrell holds eight NCAA passing records, and has some Oklahoma State connections. As a junior in 2007, Harrell threw for 646 yards against the Cowboys — the sixth-most passing yards in a game. Harrell also got his coaching start at OSU as a quality control coach when Dana Holgorsen was on staff at OSU. Brown has been pleased with Harrell. “He’s brought a different energy about him. He’s confident without being arrogant. He’s extremely humble. It helps that he was a great player in this league, and I think that gets the players attention on your current roster, but also in

recruiting.” WVU was voted eighth in the Big 12 preseason poll. The program has been stuck in neutral recently. Brown is 1718 in his three years. Perhaps the freshened roster will allow the Mountaineers to break out of mediocrity. They play in Stillwater against OSU. It will be the Cowboys’ final regular season game. “Our work ethic, our leadership, and our team chemistry are much improved and we’re experiencing great success on the recruiting trail,” Brown said.

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Mackenzie Janish West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said he is optimistic for improvement with a re-tooled roster.

WHEN IS LITTLE MUCH?

There is a short chorus that has encouraged me many times. “Little is much if God is in it. Labor not for wealth or fame. There’s a crown and you can win it. If you go in Jesus’ name.” The woman, who poured the precious ointment on Jesus just before he was crucified, was criticized for “wasting” this expensive item. Yet, Jesus said everywhere the gospel is preached this woman’s action would be told. (Mk 14:3-9) Little things mean a lot as we are willing to serve the Lord. Paul mentions many in Romans 16 who helped him. The Good Samaritan stopped to help the man beaten and robbed. (Lu.10:30-37) Paul writes as you have opportunity, do good to all men, especially to other believers.(Gal.6:10) When the poor widow dropped the two pennies, all that she had, into the temple offering. Jesus said she gave more the large offerings given. Her “large giving” was in relation to what she had. (Mk.12:41-44)

Many people may plan to give when they receive a great amount of money, but that large amount of money may never come. We may plan to give time or talent to a project when we have more time, but that perfect time arrangement may never happen. Again, the apostle Paul encourages us “as you have opportunity, do good to all men.” We never know when a little gesture of kindness, with money, or helping in an area of service, spending a little time with a person, a word of encouragement, will be just the action that will be a great help to someone. These can be practical ways of living out the Lord’s challenge to love one another. This is the fulfilling of the many commandments in the Bible: loving people by word and action.

O’Colly

Monday, July 25, 2022 Page 3

Lifestyle Ricky Martin's nephew withdraws his incest, harassment claims against singer Kenan Draughorne Los Angeles Times

Courtesy Tribune News Service Ricky Martin arrives at the 76th Annual Golden Globes at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan. 6, 2019.

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influence or pressure, and the accuser confirmed he was satisfied with his legal representation in the matter. The request came from the accuser asking to dismiss the case. This was never anything more than a troubled individual making false allegations with absolutely nothing to substantiate them. We are glad that our client saw justice done and can now move forward with his life and his career.” Martin’s nephew has not spoken publicly. The “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer had denied the claims early this month on Twitter in a message shared in both English and Spanish. “The protection order entered against me is based on completely false allegations, so I will respond through the judicial process with the facts and the dignity that characterize me,” Martin said. “Because it is an ongoing legal matter, I cannot make detailed statements at this time. I am grateful for the countless messages of solidarity, and I receive them with all my heart.” Martin is set to play backto-back shows at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles this weekend, with his publicist confirming to the L.A. Times this week that the show would “absolutely” still go on amid the controversy.

Ricky Martin’s nephew on Thursday withdrew his claims that he was harassed by the 50-year-old singer after calling off their affair. Martin’s nephew had said the two ended a romantic relationship earlier this year but Martin would not leave him alone and had loitered near his house “at least three times.” The 21-year-old said he “feared for his safety,” leading a Puerto Rican judge on July 1 to issue a temporary restraining order against Martin. Police spokesman Axel Valencia told the Associated Press that authorities attempted to serve Martin the order near his home in the north coastal town of Dorado but weren’t “able to find him” as of Saturday. According to Valencia, the person who entered the order opted to bypass a police report — which might have enabled authorities to file charges against Martin — and instead deliver the request directly to the court. The restraining order was removed after Martin’s nephew withdrew his claim. Martin’s attorneys Joaquin MonserrateMatienzo, Carmelo Davila and Harry Massanet Pastrana released a joint statement Thursday morning celebrating the decision. “Just as we had anticipated, the temporary protection order was not extended by the Court,” the statement read. “The accuser confirmed to the court that his decision to dismiss the matter was his alone, without any outside entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

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O’Colly

sports Former Saint John’s pitcher Hendry commits to OSU Daniel Allen Staff Reporter Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday is still trying to mesh out his roster for the 2023 season. Following the conclusion of this year’s MLB Draft, the Cowboys lost a bulk of its production from 2022 with nine players drafted, making the transfer portal even more essential for OSU this offseason. To fill the void, Saint John’s junior right-handed pitcher Brian Hendry announced his commitment to OSU out of the transfer portal on Saturday evening. Hendry spent the past four seasons at Saint John’s, having the majority of his success during the 2021 season, where he recorded a 5.00 ERA on the mound as well as a 2-3 record with 32 strikeouts in eight appearances that year. Due to unknown circumstances, Hendry saw no action this past season in 2022. Hendry becomes the fourth transfer for the Cowboys this offseason. He joins what will likely be a long list of transfers for OSU heading into the 2023 season.

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File Photo St. John’s transfer Brian Hendry will join a new look Cowboy roster for the upcoming season.

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O’Colly

Monday, July 25, 2022 Page 5

News Double... Continued from 1

Hannah Miller is also a senior OSU student who is student-teaching in Stillwater and said she feels a positive reaction to the stipend and what it can do for Oklahoma education. Miller said it could help with the costs of being a teacher students are expected to pay, such as for certifications costs. “The stipend is a fantastic thing that studentteachers are benefiting from, and I hope that they continue providing that stipend for livings to come,” Miller said.

Similar to Blankenship, Miller does not plan to stay in Oklahoma to teach after graduation despite the second half of the stipend offered. Stillwater High School has slightly more than 1,200 students and seven student teachers. Former principal Uwe Gordon said he thinks it is a great initiative but does not think it will necessarily have an impact down the road for Oklahoma education. Uwe said he thinks students who would have to typically quit their jobs or cut back on hours, will find this as a great initiative for them and the benefits will be easy to see for these student-teachers. “It helps them exist,” Uwe said. “But the reality of it is that I do not know that it will increase the number of people that get into education;

that is a much larger issue. Public service right now is a much larger issue.” Although the precariousness comes from some who have had years’ worth of their career in Oklahoma’s public school system, some students are emerging into this world look at it as a game-changer. Isabella Steele is an Oklahoma State University sophomore elementary education major who is doing her teaching observations this semester and said she is eager to be a part of this new system. Next semester, she will begin student teaching. “It is really exciting,” Steele said. “When you are in student teaching it is 40 hours a week, so you are not really allowed to have a job outside of that. If you do not have parents that fully support you it is

really hard to go into teaching because you cannot support yourself during that time. I feel like it is giving a lot of people new opportunities to go into student-teaching and be able to teach.” Steele said the stipend to stay in Oklahoma is also something to consider and could keep her in the state post graduation. Many people in Oklahoma public education see how important the role of the student-teacher is for the longevity of teacher retentions, for it prepares students for what they are signing up to do as a career. Crystal Szymanski, Stillwater Junior High principal, has spent the past 19 years of her career in Oklahoma public education and is one of the people who acknowledges the

benefits of the student-teacher system and what it provides to the university students and the students they are teaching. “The more opportunities that we as a school can provide to education students the better,” Szymanski said. “There was potential hardship that came with student-teaching before with those students that support themselves, so I am hopeful that this change will be positive.” The Paid Student Teacher Initiative will run through the 2023 school year. With Oklahoma ranking 42nd in the nation in public education, this initiative follows other states that have already paid its student teachers.

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File Photo Student teachers at Stillwater High School benefit from a stipend. The Oklahoma State Department of Education launched the Paid Student Teaching Initiative in 2021.

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News Trump tests waning appeal in Washington visit shadowed by Jan. 6 Josh Wingrove and Mario Parker Bloomberg News Donald Trump is coming back to Washington as Republican rivals maneuver for a possible primary challenge and lawmakers probe his culpability for the Jan. 6 insurrection. The former president will deliver a keynote speech Tuesday at the America First Agenda Summit, a conservative conference. His remarks come on the heels of a House committee hearing that portrayed him standing by indifferently, even vindictively, for hours as a mob of his supporters battled police and chased lawmakers through the halls of the Capitol. Trump isn’t expected to announce a third run for president in his Washington speech, according to advisers. But the notoriously mercurial ex-leader could change his mind on the way into town from the airport. A day before he speaks, his former vice president, Mike Pence, will deliver remarks of his own, highlighting the rivalry that has developed between the two men after Trump lambasted Pence for refusing to participate in his scheme to overturn his reelection defeat. In the aftermath of his defeat and the chaos that unfolded at the Capitol on Jan. 6, Trump slipped out of Washington in disgrace the morning of President Joe Biden’s inauguration. His return — at a time when Biden is notching the lowest approval rating of his presidency and contending with foreign crises and domestic anger over inflation and culture war issues — has fanned speculation about what’s considered an all-but-inevitable campaign announcement. “He loves that the news is about whether he’s ready to announce, when he’s going to announce,” said Barry Bennett, a Republican strategist who worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign. “He loves all of the media speculation and he

he t t ou k c e Ch

doesn’t mind a fight, but when you actually declare you have to make FEC filings.” Bennett said he believes Trump will hold off to avoid triggering federal election law requirements and limits on fundraising. Trump has raised $137 million since the start of 2021 through the end of June, Federal Election Commission records show, with the bulk coming from his loyal army of small-dollar donors. Save America, his political action committee, has $103 million in the bank, though contribution limits would bar him from using more than $5,000 of that total for his presidential campaign. Some congressional Republican leaders would prefer for Trump to hold off on an announcement to avoid complicating their message ahead of the November midterm elections, in which the GOP is expected to take control of the House and possibly the Senate. Regardless of when it happens, U.S. voters are learning shocking details about the behavior of the president and his closest aides before and during the Jan. 6 insurrection. It will raise the question of how his popularity has ebbed outside of his devoted base. About 56% of Americans hold an unfavorable view of the former president and less than 41% hold a favorable view, according to an analysis of polling by FiveThirtyEight. That 15-point gap has almost tripled since late March, before the Jan. 6 committee began holding public hearings to reveal its findings about efforts by Trump and his associates to overturn his reelection defeat. On Thursday, a hearing revealed that a day after the riot at the Capitol, Trump still balked at acknowledging that he had lost the election. “I don’t want to say the election’s over — I just want to say Congress has certified the results, without saying the election’s over, OK?” he said on Jan. 7 in a previously unseen outtake of a pre-recorded speech.

way! a e d i H inal g i r O

Trump has continued to try to pressure Republican leaders of legislatures in states he narrowly lost to somehow de-certify the results of the 2020 election, even though the Constitution provides no such process. Robin Vos, Wisconsin’s state Assembly Speaker, told television station WISNTV that Trump called him this month about supporting a resolution to revoke the state’s 10 Electoral College votes cast for Biden in 2020. Vos dismissed the idea. Still, 69% of Republican voters would like to see Trump run again in 2024, according to a Quinnipiac University poll this month. By contrast, 54% of Democrats would prefer someone other than Biden as their 2024 nominee. Trump entered office in 2016 as what he later called the “only true outsider ever to win the presidency.” His term proved immediately polarizing, hobbled by low approval ratings and the loss of the House of Representatives to his opponents in 2018, a fate Biden now seeks to avoid himself. Trump went on to become the only president to be impeached twice, though he was also twice acquitted in the Senate. But Trump’s brash and unapologetic style and his achievements — including deep tax cuts, broad and enduring tariffs on Chinese imports, and the confirmation of three conservative Supreme Court justices — helped him to cement near total control over his party. Since leaving office, he has continued to hold regular political rallies drawing thousands of supporters to hear him deliver lengthy stemwinders assailing his opponents. His remarks at the America First summit will be Trump’s highest-profile speech since leaving office, just blocks from the White House where his successor is recuperating from COVID-19. The America First summit will feature a number of Republican luminaries in addition to Trump, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who

SINCE 1957,

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Courtesy of Tribune News Service Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives during a rally hosted by the former president at the Delaware County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 23, 2022, in Delaware, Ohio.

has sought to mend his relations with the former president after criticizing him in the days after the Capitol riot. Notably, however, some potential rivals for the GOP’s 2024 nomination won’t be in attendance, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who polls currently show would be Trump’s most potent challenger. And Trump’s speech will be pre-empted by Pence, who will deliver remarks to another Republican interest group, the Heritage Foundation, on Monday. Pence was among Trump’s top loyalists until Jan. 6, when he rebuffed the president’s demands that he refuse to accept Electoral College votes from states where Trump and his allies claimed fraud had marred the results. Pence carried out his constitutionally prescribed duties, then hid within the Capitol as Trump’s supporters invaded the building. The former vice president is popular among conservatives, especially evangelical Christians, and is regarded as likely to make his own run for the presidency in 2024. Trump’s advantage over potential rivals such as DeSantis has significantly eroded over the course of the committee

hearings, one Republican strategist said. The person asked not to be identified to candidly assess Trump’s prospects. The U.S. hasn’t seen a presidential candidate make a bid for a third consecutive major-party nomination in generations. Only one other president, Grover Cleveland, has served two non-consecutive terms, each in the late 19th century. Other potential GOP candidates in 2024 include Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, as well as Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas. It’s not yet clear how broad a field will emerge if Trump runs. A crowded GOP presidential primary would benefit Trump, who still has a grip on more than a third of GOP voters, the strategist said. There’s a general sense within the party that there’s an opening emerging for a challenger. But because Trump may focus his attacks most sharply on the first person to declare his or her candidacy, some rivals may try to delay their announcements. news.ed@ocolly.com

O’Colly

Monday, July 25, 2022 Page 7

Classifieds

FOR RELEASE JULY 26, 2022

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

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Daily Horoscope

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Rental for some exercise classes 8 Vice President Harris 14 Make move, as a cartoon 15 Grapefruit kin 16 *“Now you see what I deal with every day” 18 Clandestine org. 19 Shortfin shark 20 Facts and figures 21 EMT’s skill 24 More than fix up 26 *“Our goose is cooked” 32 Color selection tools 33 Defeat badly 35 Extended a performance, in a way 36 “The Good Doctor” actress Thomas 38 “Their Eyes Were Watching God” novelist Zora __ Hurston 39 Stereo components 40 *Tools that may make one say, “Damn you, autocorrect!” 43 Fly high 44 “Jeopardy!” co-host Jennings 45 Regarding 49 Heavy burden 51 Cake mix need 54 *“No idea” 59 Desert illusions 60 Source of pint-sized beverages? 61 Use 62 Last stage of a chess match, and what each answer to a starred clue literally has

7/26/22

By Mary Lou Guizzo & Jeff Chen

5 Chairman who led China’s Cultural Revolution 6 Bank drive-thru device 7 Swarm (with) 8 __ dragon: lizard 9 “Vice” Oscar nominee Adams 10 Blend 11 “Search Party” actress Shawkat 12 Hay storage area 13 Drifting aimlessly 15 “__ Face”: Lady Gaga hit 17 Small fruit pastries 21 New Orleans cuisine 22 Seabirds that often follow ships 23 Solemn ceremony 25 Scene not meant to be seen 26 Decreases in DOWN strength 1 Show sleepiness 27 Yosemite peak, 2 Tip jar bills familiarly 3 __ monster: 28 “The Simpsons” lizard neighbor 4 Theater chain Flanders initials 29 Kaput

Monday’s Puzzle Solved

30 Solitary sort 31 Kuwaiti rulers 32 Ballpoint, e.g. 34 Faux __ 36 Tailless primate 37 Bottle part 39 “So what” shoulder gesture 41 __ Tunes 42 Leans to one side 45 Je t’__: French “I love you”

7/26/22

46 Leveling device 47 Canvas cover 48 Avocado shape 50 A few 51 Idris of “Luther” 52 “Where America’s Day Begins” 53 “Chicago” star Richard 55 Sense of self 56 Metal container 57 Plus 58 Smoke, briefly

Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency Linda Black Horoscopes

Today’s Birthday (07/25/22). Study and explore this year. Regular collaboration deepens your partnership. Following your heart in another creative direction this summer awakens autumn passion and romance. One door closes and another opens between friends next winter, before springtime career surges peak. Expand your understanding, skills and studies. To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is an 8 — Creative projects gain traction. Imagine total success without relying on fantasy. Don’t get sidetracked. Determine what’s most effective. Clarify communications to avoid confusion. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is an 8 — Financial possibilities open up. Learn what you need to know. Hold out for what you really want. Strategize for long-term savings growth. Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is an 8 — You’re particularly powerful now. Advance a personal vision. Don’t rely on luck. Make your own good fortune. Express yourself with a sense of style. Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 7 — Find a quiet hideaway to process recent transitions. Listen to intuition. Consider the past and future. Revise plans. Make private preparations for what’s ahead. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8 — Expand your community circle. Enjoy meetings, parties and gatherings. Share ideas, connections and resources. Many hands make light work. Friends provide sparkle and fun. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Pour your heart into your work. Don’t launch before preparations are in place. Set things up for success. Someone important is paying attention. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Explore a fascinating subject. Dig for the history and current situation. Read, study and learn from a master. Personal experience is the greatest teacher. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — Financial management reaps tangible rewards. Save money by shopping carefully. Reduce hidden expenses like unused subscriptions. Collaborate for shared gain. Share a treat together. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is an 8 — Share support with your partner. Discuss strategies and objectives. Love is the answer. Share to grow. Romance sparks in conversation. Collaboration heats up. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is an 8 — Rely on healthy practices to keep your motor running at optimal performance. Prioritize good food, exercise and rest. Stretch before working out. Savor natural settings. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 7 — Relax and have fun. Abandon fantastical assumptions or expectations. Find beauty hidden in plain sight. Artistic and creative projects flower. Make a delightful connection. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 7 — Focus on domestic matters. Postpone travel. Make necessary repairs or upgrades. Contribute to family harmony. Ignore old patterns, fears or habits. Discuss the possibilities.

Level 1

7/25/22

Solution to Saturday’s puzzle

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk

Page 8 Monday, July 25, 2022

O’Colly

Lifestyle

The inside story behind ‘Bull Durham’ Josh Shaffer The Charlotte Observer In his new book “The Church of Baseball,” Ron Shelton recalls “Bull Durham” triumphing over a thousand doubters — how his story of sad-sack minor-leaguers put lollygagging in the national vocabulary, introduced candlesticks as a go-to wedding gift and prevailed as perhaps the world’s greatest sports movie. In his tell-nearly-all memoir, Shelton describes himself as a first-time director only one failure away from painting houses, a screenwriter given the greenlight on a half-formed idea he first called “A Player to be Named Later.” He based his story of love, loss and lava lizards partially on his experiences playing second base for the Baby Birds of Bluefield, West Virginia, where his hand-me-down wool jersey had two numbers on the back: 22, and 136 still faintly visible behind it. But before the world would see “Bull Durham,” the studio would insist on maddening ultimatums that might have doomed the project, namely: Anthony Michael Hall had to

star as up-and-coming pitcher Nuke LaLoosh. At one point, Shelton grabbed a producer by the throat. The whole seat-of-yourpants production would settle in Durham of 1988 — an era of ramshackle warehouses and tobacco-scented ghosts. After 34 years, with Durham revived at least partially due to the Bulls’ popularity, Shelton’s movie is still celebrated. Announcing ‘her presence with authority’ “The Church of Baseball” describes a good idea nearly pecked to death by 1,000 corporate pigeons, starting with the cast Shelton considered perfect. Right off, the studio wanted Hall to play Nuke, though the actor was several years removed from his “Breakfast Club” fame. But Shelton nixed executives’ Brat Pack enthusiasm when, according to the book, Hall showed up late for their meeting, accompanied by an eight-person entourage. He hadn’t read the script. Shelton rescheduled for the next day, and this time, Hall came back with an entourage of four and only 35 pages read. Shelton left the table, nixing Hall as Nuke. Still, newcomer Tim Robbins endured

Director Ron Shelton and Kevin Costner are seen in “Bull Durham.”

studio misgivings throughout the film. Susan Sarandon got a chilly reception as a potential Annie, despite her willingness to fly from Italy and audition at her own expense. But she was not, Shelton lamented, “on the list” of stars the studio considered bankable at the time. Still, she persisted and won the female lead regardless when she flew in without being officially asked. “Susan flashed into the room,” Shelton wrote. “She wore a tube dress with fourinch red and white horizontal stripes that announced her presence with authority. Brassy, funny, physical, and off-book. She didn’t need script pages in her hand. She knew the character. She was the character.” ‘I gotta pass the test’ Kevin Costner, Shelton said, was the only star to escape second-guessing, though he wasn’t quite famous yet. The movie might not have gotten the financing it needed if “No Way Out,” in which Costner starred as a Soviet spy hiding in the U.S. Navy, hadn’t drawn rave reviews in The New York Times just before filming started. When Costner and Shelton met, the director told him the job of longtime minor

Courtesy of Tribune News Service

league catcher Crash Davis was his for the asking. But Costner insisted on trying out. “You played professional baseball,” he told Shelton. “I played in high school. I gotta pass the test.” Strangely enough, both carried mitts in the trunk of their cars. So they drove to a batting cage and played catch in the parking lot, other patrons oblivious to Costner’s soonto-be movie-star status. Then Costner took some swings in the cage and Shelton put him down as a natural ballplayer — one less thing to worry about. In the book’s early pages, Shelton confesses to disliking sports movies. The worst ones, he explains, involve too much sports. He wanted to make a movie about what’s going on inside the batter’s head when he’s standing at the plate under the scrutiny of a thousand eyes. He wanted to capture the desperation, the anxiety, the fear of being sent home a failure. He wanted to spotlight the crutches that make the pressure bearable, ballplayer or not: booze, tantrums, regrettable affairs. He points out several times that “Bull Durham” doesn’t feature a “big game,” the critical moment where the hero knocks a home run into the stadium lights, raining down fireworks and glory. That stuff isn’t real. Durham of the 1980s made the perfect set. Shelton scouted the location for less than a day before choosing some abandoned tobacco warehouses across from the old ballpark, turning them into the clubhouse for a team of lollygaggers. “The desperate look and feel of this southern town, “ Shelton wrote of bygone Durham, “with its ancient, crumbling ballpark and shuttered businesses, suggested the perfect background in which to set a story in the minor leagues where young athletes’ dreams similarly crumble and are boarded up.”

Only a few years from being replaced by Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which is far from crumbling, the old field only needed a coat of dark green paint over the blue. ‘Lucky you’re on that bus’ “Bull Durham” has risen high enough in fan circles to be ranked among the greatest-ever sports movies, mentioned in the same breath as “Rocky,” “A League of Their Own” and the original “Bad News Bears.” Its characters are so iconic, and so constantly quoted, that Shelton returned to Durham’s ballpark on the movie’s 30th anniversary and met a family that had relocated solely out of “Bull Durham” love. “I’m Crash,” said their 10-year old boy. “”Yep,” said the younger. “I’m Nuke.” Reflecting on this, having made a movie that resonated strongly enough to christen children after its protagonists, Shelton humbly congratulates himself for winning over doubt and prejudice, creating a sports movie only tangentially about sports. “Perhaps Bull Durham has resonated all these years because it is about loving something more than it loves you back,” Shelton writes. “It’s about reckoning. It’s about loss. It’s about men at work, trying to survive in the remote outposts of their chosen profession. “It’s also about the women they fall for, and who fall for them. ... It’s about interminable bus rides with a bunch of guys who are as lost as you are, and feeling lucky you’re on that bus.”

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com