Dedicated to Joe Gawrys Bill Gavaghan
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BEGIN Dedicated to Joe Gawrys Bill Gavaghan 1954-2010 1951-2010 15th Anniversary Issue 1 Foreword William Meiners n the grand scheme of things there’s nothing particularly significant about Ia 15 year mark. I mainly marvel at how quickly we arrived here with Sport Literate. It hardly seems like 15 years ago when I stepped outside Ed Eusebio’s small press publishing class and began hatching plans for a “real” magazine with Jotham Burrello, a fellow Columbia College student. Our first efforts were very green and “zine” indeed. But it was 15 years ago, the same season when my Cincinnati Reds last made the playoffs. Their lackluster, early exit against the Phillies this year only reminded me of how bittersweet baseball can be. And how far away next year sometimes seems. Our cover player knew all about what could be achieved at 15. That was the tender age of Joe Nuxhall, when, at the height of World War II, he became the youngest player to ever appear in a Major League game. And for the Reds at that. But I grew up listening to him urge long fly balls out of Riverfront Stadium when Marty Brennaman was on the play-by-play — “Get out of here!” I also tuned into his “Star of the Game” interviews after Reds games. He’d always sign off the WLW airwaves saying, “This is the old lefthander, rounding third and heading for home.” Though he headed home for good in 2007, that Joe was an important storytelling voice from my youth. This anniversary issue really is our best collective yet. We’re bookended by baseball — from an essay that harkens back to the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers to the tricky race relations negotiated by a Boston Red Sox fan who grew up in the 1970s. In between those hard-ball reflections are the runners and a wrestler, a swimmer, a surfer, a tennis player and the other poets and writers who’ve turned their sporting lives into literary art. We’ve been focused on creative nonfiction for 15 years atSport Literate. I suspect the poetry may be that close to the bone, too, but it’s not a requirement. We definitely want the truth with the essays. We can handle it. Two writers, both SL alums, push that nonfiction form here. Dale Rigby turns poetic throughout his chess prose, and Ben Giamo offers us our first alternative history piece with his musings, however well-researched, on the what-if possibilities had Jack Kerouac followed Frank Leahy to Notre Dame. We held both poetry and essay contests for this special collective. I’ll direct you to Philip Gerard’s thoughtful words on the essay winner he chose from five 2 Sport Literate finalists (Ackerman, Herlihy, Lesandrini, Pearson, and Stine). And though we didn’t ask him to explain why, Frank found the winner among the poets. Sean Prentiss provides us with my favorite inter- view to date — a conversa- tion with poet Jack Ridl. Jack says many wonderful things about his approach to poetry and the trials of being a son of a big-time college basketball coach. Through an alumni piece I wrote for Columbia’s Demo magazine, I had the chance to meet Adolph Kiefer. He’s probably the most famous athlete most of you’ve never heard of. I hadn’t. And shame on us for now knowing what this man achieved through swimming and social causes. I shook the hand of a 1936 Gold medalist who shook Hitler’s hand, and he also shared some of his photos with us. I feel like it’s taken me about 15 years to learn how to put a magazine together. I’ve had a lot of help along the way, but it may take another decade and a half to turn it into a business. Your continued readership — along with a gift subscription or two — could help in that regard. The older I get, the more I realize how quickly it all slips away. In 2010, two of my cousins died. We dedicate this issue to them. Both were great ath- letes and teachers — sport literate in their own ways. Joey Gawrys, a swim- mer, planned his funeral for more than a year as he battled brain cancer. Billy Gavaghan, a long-distance runner who ran several Boston Marathons, collapsed and died after a run in late October. There’s a tragic symmetry there. I never knew them as well as I should have in life, but I’ve since learned of the passions, both academic and sporting, that marked their days. We end this anniversary issue as we began the very first with my father’s grainy World War II image seemingly striking on a bunt (last page). There’s also a little self indulgence on my part with a 250-word essay on my father’s pen- chant for palindromes. Just another reflection on time, but maybe they all are. Here’s to making the most of all that remains. 15th Anniversary Issue 3 Volume 7, Issue 1 William Meiners Gina P. Vozenilek Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Frank Van Zant Erin Ingram Poetry Editor Graphic Designer Nicholas Reading Glenn Guth East Coast Editorial Mouthpiece Lafayette Printing Gretchen Stahlman Printer Intern Sport Literate™ (ISSN 1080-3247) is a literary journal published by Pint- Size Publications, a nonprofit corporation. We feature creative nonfiction, poetry, photo essays, and interviews. Individual subscription rates are $20 for two issues, domestic; $30 for two issues, foreign; and $30 for two issues, libraries and institutions. We now publish one issue per year. If you’re a subscriber moving, please alert us by mail or email at www. sportliterate.org. Bulk mailings are not forwarded and we’ll lose track of you. Send subscriptions, queries, and other stuff to: Sport Literate 2248 West Belmont #20 Chicago, IL 60618 www.sportliterate.org Writers, we welcome poetry and all types of creative nonfiction (personal essays, literary journalism, travel pieces, ect.) that fall within our broad definition of sport. Query, too, with interview and photo essay ideas. Only submissions with a self-addressed, stamped envelope will be returned. Read this issue, and any back issues if you like (available online), and send something good our way. 4 Sport Literate Support yOuR naMe heRe A little like public television (except you have to read everything), Sport Literate is published by Pint-Size Publications, Inc., an Illinois nonprofit. While we can produce a single issue a year, we don’t want to end up in the poorhouse over it. Beyond a subscription, won’t you consider joining our team to help offset the high cost of printing? Below are some folks who’ve stepped up to the plate. We sincerely thank you all. Franchise Players ($500) Pinch Hitters ($100) The Bench ($50) Illinois Arts Council Franchise Players Russell Bradburd, Giardi & Keese, Patrick & Beth Gavaghan, Glenn & Kathleen Guth, Doug & Courtney Howie, Mick & Kris Meiners, Karl & Barb Meyer, The Dave Thurston Clan Pinch Hitters Pete & Beth Battista, Tim & Jennifer Buhrfiend Colleen Gavaghan, Bob & Lisa Meiners, Bridget Quinn, Robert Schwab, Rick & Brenda Thomas, Mark Wukas The Bench Sport Literate falls under the umbrella of Pint-Size Publications, a nonprofit corporation. Checks, made payable to Sport Literate, can be sent to: 2248 West Belmont #20 Chicago, IL 60618 Subscribe, donate, or peruse online at www.sportliterate.org. 15th Anniversary Issue 5 Table of Contents 15th Anniversary Issue Volume 7, Issue 1 8 Who’s on First Hal Ackerman Talk to the Stars 14 Winning Poem Scott F. Parker Racing Ghosts 16 Essay Peter Stine Detroit Marathon 22 Poetry Tom Reynolds Mile Run 24 Poetry David Ebenbach How to Run Your First 5K 26 Interview Sean Prentiss Jack Ridl 32 Poetry Jack Ridl from Losing Season 40 Alternative History Ben Giamo Jack of Jacks 58 Essay Mark Pearson The Short History of an Ear 68 Poetry Paul Nelson Boxers 70 Poetry John Mavin Two Minutes Zebra 6 Sport Literate 72 Essay Dale Rigby Playing Weight 76 Poetry Donna J. Gelagotis Lee Running from Predators Sure Footing Washing My Horse’s Sheath 80 History Patrick Moser Soul Surfing 92 Photo Essay William Meiners This Swimmer’s Life 98 Poetry Michael Barach Swim Lesson 100 Essay B. J. Hollars The Last Loss 105 Essay Contest Philip Gerard The Winner is… 106 Winning Essay Jay Lesandrini Waiting on Deck 108 Essay Kerry Herlihy A New Baseball Nation 15th Anniversary Issue 7 Talk to the Stars WhO’S On FIRST hal ackerman was 15 when the Dodgers deserted Brooklyn and took with them my belief I that the universe was looked over by a sage and benevolent entity. Two years prior, in 1955, they won their first World Series, at long last beating their arrogant indomitable uptown nemesis, the New York Yankees. I kept my own set of statistics that year. In pen on graph paper, I recorded the score of every game, the pitcher of decision, his record, home runs hit, the team’s record. What a year it was! They won their first 10 games, lost one and then reeled off another 11 straight victories, and won the National league pennant by a huge margin of 16 games. Big Don Newcombe won 20 games that year and lost but five. Future Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax had yet to find his greatness. Tommy Lasorda, who would never find greatness as a pitcher, worked four total innings that season and gave up six earned runs for a bloated ERA of 13.56. Duke Snider had his most outstanding year, hitting 42 homers with 136 RBIs.