From the Archives
Brian Hoffman
From the March 2, 27, 1994 edition of The New Castle Record
Do you remember that song “Rock and Roll Heaven?” I know Kurt Cobain’s mother does.
It’s about all the rock singers who have died and the recurring theme is, “if there’s a rock and roll heaven, you know they’ve got a heck of a band.” One of the words was changes since we’re a family newspaper.
Well, if there’s a sports prison, you know they’ve got a heck of an athletic program. Welcome to the real world, O.J. Simpson.
This is one of the saddest stories I can remember. Two innocent people have been killed, and the prime suspect is a guy who is a hero to kids. Say it ain’t so, O.J.
When I heard the news that O.J.’s ex-wife had been found slain, it never crows my mind that he might have been involved. Then, when evidence started turning up, I figured he was probably framed.
It just didn’t make sense. Most people who commit murder have little to lose. O.J. had everything to lose. He had money, fame, good looks, and a successful post football career.
I guess love and jealousy can make you do strange things, but how irrational can a person be? O.J. could have had his pick of model and movie start types.
I couldn’t believe what I was watching Friday night when NBC cut into the basketball game. I half expected O.J. to bolt out of that truck, put a shake move on a couple policemen, and dash free of their grasp. But of course, even in his prime he couldn’t have out run a speeding bullet. At least not for more than 100 yards.
Now the NFL’s all-time single season rushing leader is in jail charged with murder. A former heavyweight champion was just denied release for jail last week, and now I read where former Steelers’ star Mel Blount is in trouble for stockpiling guns. Blount also shot a hay wagon, which isn’t good but is better that stabbing your ex-wife.
I’m getting to the point where nothing surprises me anymore. I’m not there yet, because O.J. Simpson surprised me.
If Dale Murphy does something illegal, I don’t even want to know. Don’t stop the baseball season. The Cleveland Indians are in first place!
Wouldn’t it just be the luck of the Indians to be in first place and the Major League Baseball Players’ Association decides to strike? Can’t you see the tribe on to and the rest of the season is wiped out?
At the beginning of the spring, I expected Cleveland to have a chance to contend under the new setup. They’re in a weaker division than the old American League East, and there’s that wild card deal to contend for.
But let’s take a close look. After Sunday’s results the Indians not only had the best record in the AL Central, but in the entire American league! They were a game and a half better than the Yankees, and none and half games up on Toronto, the two-time defending major league champs.
In fact, the only team that had a better record than Cleveland coming into this week was the Atlanta Braves. The Braves were playing .652 baseball and Cleveland was .615.
And that brings up an interesting point. Do you realize the best records in both the American and National Leagues belong to the two teams with nick names deemed offensive to Native Americans?
Could you see a Braves-Indians World Series? Actually, I am just hoping we see a World Series of any kind.
Note: There was not a World Series in 1994 due to the MLB Player’s Association strike. The cancellation marked the second time (and to date the last) a World Series was not played in a given season and the first since 1904.
-Prepared by Shelly Koon
