Katy Perry with "Dark Horse" dragged into IP thicket

Katy Perry

A critic of an alleged song stealing case once said "don't let it go to the jury." Indeed, juries of dumbass common folk will fall all over themselves concluding a certain song is "stolen!" Well. . . Here we go again, as we see the quagmire of a legal case get toward the top of the news.
And now we're talking about the esteemed Katy Perry. I'm certain she and her partners have a sense of propriety about her music. How can I be so sure? How do we peel this banana? Well, if "Dark Horse" was a case of song theft calling for an onerous verdict, why would such an involved legal proceeding even be needed? High-priced (a given) lawyers and testifying experts: they get into the thickets or minutiae so far that a juror might well lose all grasp of any song in question.
Remember the famous judge's quote about pornography: "I can't define it but I know it when I see it?" It's apropos here because if an artist actually "stole" a song, wouldn't it be pretty self-evident? We wouldn't have to explore all the various song components like the "beat" or background pattern of notes. The beat? Hell's bells, isn't that a road we don't need to go down? Remember the old "American Bandstand" show where the song evaluators were not allowed to simply say "I like the beat?"
Are we going to allow someone to copyright the blues chord progression? Remember how movies weren't allowed to use the "Happy Birthday" song for a long time because of IP (intellectual property) issues? A lot of this stuff ends up in the legal weeds and does nothing for the craft or passion of penning creative works. It just fattens the wallets of lawyers.
Prima facie cases of song-stealing must surely be pursued.
Many in the courtroom were surprised at the Katy Perry verdict. Many thought that only a limited number of parties might be found culpable. Most likely this wouldn't include Perry herself.
She claims to never having heard the predecessor song before, and I readily believe her. Might someone else in her organization have heard it? Possibly. Plus, let's remember that music professionals get song ideas in the form of "pitched" material from all over. These come in the form of "demos." Artists at the top aren't going to be aware of the background with such demos. They ought to exercise vigilance of course.
 
Principle vs. practicality (or CYA)
A panel on the "Morning Joe" TV program once wondered why artists often seem to capitulate too easily when they're accused of "stealing" or "borrowing." They'll "settle" and allow the other artist to share in song ownership (i.e. the money). The panel quoted one artist saying at one point in a dispute that his case for innocence was rock-ribbed, thus he exuded confidence. The panel was surprised that this artist then "caved."
The Perry case sheds light on why lawyers advise, as they always do, on what is in the client's best interest. No artist wants to risk having the stain of a "theft" episode in their background.
I take the media to task a little. I've seen headlines saying that Perry was guilty of "plagiarizing" a song. I think a better understanding is this: a jury found rightly or wrongly - I imply the latter - that two songs sounded too much alike. It is very easy for song artists to inadvertently create works that seem similar from a variety of standpoints. Seeming similar is not prima facie theft. If it were slam-dunk theft, the two sides wouldn't put an army of lawyers and experts to work.
Back in the early 1980s I attended a songwriting seminar at Moorhead State University (MN). The panel of three included a music industry lawyer. He projected humor as he talked about how the two sides square off in a dispute like this, one side arguing "it's obvious this is a case of song theft" and the other maintaining "there's no similarity at all."
The headlines that have Perry's name next to words like "plagiarizing" represent a major career hurdle for her now. Can she shake it? We all remember George Harrison's experience with "My Sweet Lord." I would almost argue that his case was prima facie, my point being that it wasn't just one portion of the melody that was similar, it was two. Sorry George. However, I was inclined to believe Harrison's argument that it was subliminal and thus non-intentional copying. He had heard the other song before.
Perry and her people were accused of borrowing from a 2009 Christian rap song. (A what?) All of this music is well beyond my taste, like it's from another planet. People my age all remember when rap started taking over MTV. Remember when music videos were MTV's stock in trade? Put it in a museum.
Marcus Gray took the action against Perry. The accusation is that Perry's "Dark Horse" was too much like "Joyful Noise." There is nothing joyful in cases like this.
 
Let's not inhibit
The legal community must walk a very fine line on IP matters. And that is because we don't want people who have a love of the songwriting craft to be scared away from the craft, by fear of this type of legal action, growing out of a case where the alleged "borrowing," "lifting" or "plagiarism" - we must grope for words - was likely inadvertent.
And, a jury of dumbasses isn't going to realize how easy it is to create a song which later will be found to have "similarities" with a previous work. The dumbass jury will be asked to listen to two songs and decide: Are they alike? To what extent are they alike? Is it "theft?" The jury should be asked: Do you think it's willful theft? Ah, it's impossible to know, right? But, we want aspiring songwriters to continue loving their craft and to share with us, rather than to be discouraged and peel off.
Gray used the stage name "Flame." Not my world, sorry. The case now goes to a penalty phase. Many observers in the courtroom were stunned at how unequivocal the judgment of the dumbass jury was. "Yep these two songs sound similar." Well, they were bound to sound similar if a legal case had plodded this far. At what point does "similar" cross the line? Most certainly not in this case, I'd conclude after going through the ordeal of listening to both songs, neither of which is my cup of tea.
Perry's attorneys argued "that the song sections in question represent the kind of simple musical elements that if found to be subject to copyright, would hurt music and all songwriters." I agree fully.
The dumbass jury of six women and three men cried foul over the "bumping beat and riff" that suggested similarities. A "bumping beat?" Heaven help us all. Many observers are undoubtedly shaking their heads.
The co-authors of "Dark Horse" testified that none of them had heard the previous song or even been aware of Gray before the lawsuit. I believe this, because why would they want to put themselves at risk?
Perry will have to spend the rest of her career explaining "her side" on this.
Gray's people "reached" when asserting that Perry had begun her career as a Christian artist. I remember one day at the old Sun Tribune in Morris where I spent many years, we turned on the radio just for background, not seeking any particular format or genre. Jim Morrison said anything was fine as long as it wasn't a Christian music station. "Anything but that," he said. To that I say amen and hallelujah.
Didn't George Harrison have a song called "Dark Horse?" As a footnote, let me share that song titles have no IP protection. I once wrote a song called "So Many People" because this had been a title of a Bill Chase number. I just liked it. My song was philosophical in the manner of early Blood, Sweat and Tears. It's dated. Nothing I would pay to have recorded today, although I think the poetry is cool.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Donald Trump's threats to our nation's principles

Does he even understand what America is?

Checked the website of a small fundamentalist church I had special reason to visit recently. In West Central Minnesota but not Morris.
Surely you can find photos and bios of the most wholesome-appearing couples you would ever want to see - leaders of the church. I just wonder how, privately, they probably feel support for many parts of the progressive political agenda - ideas espoused by Jesus Christ himself.
I am trying to give these wonderful young people the benefit of the doubt. My theory is that many of them are "closeted," in the closet because they are beholden to so many of their congregants who feel their faith must be attached at the hip to the Republican Party and Donald Trump. I'm not sure those two things - the Republican Party and Trump - should really be synonymous at all. The popular perception has taken over.
The young and committed evangelicals need money to support their churches. So many of the older white people who disproportionately support churches have grown reactionary in their political thinking. The intensity of their views scares me sometimes. It's an element of the "heartland" population of America.
The media talk regularly about the "evangelicals" who it is assumed support Republicans of the most staunch kind, but not the kind that can actually respect critical thinking. It's reactionary and emotional. And these congregants have money. Money is not supposed to be the overriding propulsion for Christianity. It complements the true ideals and principals espoused by Jesus Christ. This does not include xenophobia and other common ills of the right wing mind.
 
Explaining a conundrum
Often I hear or read: Why do so many heartland people continue with loyalty to Donald Trump even when it can be demonstrated that the policies are hurting them? A question like this demands an answer, explanation or interpretation. Problem is, the answer can be ugly. It probably has to do with sheer race. Because Trump can be seen as being aligned with white America, as we heard the "send her back" chants, no other issues matter to so many of those people.
We must not avoid being blunt: What so many of the older heartland folks seem to be professing is: Being white is all-important, the quality that trumps (so to speak) all others. So, even if I'm an impoverished and struggling white person, I'm still allowed to feel superior to all non-white people. And in that refuge I'll feel content to my dying day.
Such people pine for the Norman Rockwell America which really wasn't as great as nostalgia suggests. Rockwell commanded 100 percent respect as an artist. His niche was to present the idyllic view of America and I think he did this without any partisan motives. It just became his "thing." His images were endearing by themselves and without any political embellishments. I think he might decry how his work would today be equated with the xenophobic strain.
The heartlanders who populate so many of our fundamentalist-style churches are scared. They fear aliens and elitists. In the Morris area they see a distinct divide between their world and the University of Minnesota-Morris. There is no reason to feel threatened, I assert while chuckling, by anyone at UMM. Mix with that community and you'll find them totally warm and caring. Give them a chance.
Trump tries selling his vision with fallacies. He pushes various buttons to seize on the fears and insecurities of the heartland. In its essence, Trump's vision to the extent it can even be distilled, is contrary to the fundamental idea of America. We can easily argue it is more in line with Russia. Sound familiar?
We in the U.S. are meant to be pluralistic. It is our destiny. America was in fact set up to be future-oriented and not to be buried in the past. This means switching to electric cars, a trend resisted by many Trump-ites who have actually chosen to try to block access to electric charging stations (with their pickups that have the "Hillary for prison" bumper stickers).
Normally we see regressive ideas die a pretty decisive death as with the U.S. Civil War. Trump-ism might be a special problem, partly because he was elected with less than 50 percent of the vote. His administration is having profound and scary effects.
 
Evangelicals, be aware
I have warned several times that the biggest dangers might not be the kind of things that evangelicals even think about. No. 1 on that list: Trump's desire to take over complete authority with the Federal Reserve. It is said he cannot "likely" do that. Well. . . Trump has a background of winning all these things in the end with sharp lawyers who constantly file suit.
Anything reaching the Supreme Court would end up 5-4 with the Trump-ites (not to be confused with real conservatives) winning. William Barr is a total Trump loyalist, a sycophant.
Why don't more of us rise up and plead for an end to these power usurpation trends? Many of us are, just not enough. Democrats need some assurance there is sufficient public support.
America has been through challenges to its unique and idealistic pillars in the past. Honestly, I really wonder if we'll get through this one. At some point I may have to give up arguing these points. Maybe it will seem like "every man for himself" and I'll have to behave accordingly.
 
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.
- Proverbs 10:12
  
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Choir concert showed Morris can be alive in summer!

Brad Miller, UMM's music man

The "I Am Music" performance at UMM Friday evening could be seen as eye-opening for more than one reason. Certainly it made an impression with its sheer quality. That was hardly a surprise given who all was involved in it.
Have we seen the pendulum swing back from the "informal" years, a stretch of time when jazz was the biggest draw at UMM and the performers often dressed in a less-than-formal way? "Less than formal" might be a generous way of describing it.
Am I passing judgment? I'm really intending to show how trends advance and then retreat. My late father was certainly inculcated with the formal approach to things, what might be termed "proper" or "legit" if you don't mind those value-laden terms.
Certainly I have respect for jazz as an art form. It ought to be treated as a valued part of the whole array of styles and not the "marquee" thing. For many years the UMM Jazz Festival seemed like the biggest annual event on the UMM calendar, across the board. We should be happy for any event that enlivens UMM or the community. We should also realize that jazz can be performed well even by young people wearing tuxedos.
Brad Miller is adorned in a most classy way in his photo for the "I Am Music" program, even with bow tie! That's terrific. So, the quality of the July 19 performance was a given. Miller's group is called "Ensemble Intersection." It performed Sunday too at Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar.
 
Rousing response to HFA performance
The concert in Morris was interesting, maybe even revelatory, for the packed house crowd it drew. Enthused too, with a standing ovation! Mind you, this is in the middle of summer, in friggin' July when the conventional wisdom among the stuffed shirt leaders of this town is that there is no hope for anything interesting happening. This is why we have seen the sad death of Prairie Pioneer Days as a summer event. People in leadership positions actually assert that too many of us detach from the town in summer by "going to the lake."
Obviously not all of us do that, because how would you explain the packed house at the UMM HFA recital hall on Friday, July 19. See? There is hope for Morris in summer. I have felt this way all along.
 
A familiar rodeo, as it were
It's a deja vu experience for me to be observing this. I take no delight in being an "outlier" on community matters. Yet it has been my personal destiny or fate to be perceived as outside the circle of CW (conventional wisdom) as dictated by certain local forces or leaders, leaders in their own minds anyway.
In the 1980s the contentious matters had to do with the public school district. That problem is solving itself more and more as time goes on. Back in that earlier time, our public schools were emboldened by the sense of monopoly they had, whereas today parents are increasingly being able to weigh choices. That solves everything. The day may be coming when parents will simply not be forced to send their kids to the prison-like setting of the public school.
Already schools have been taking on more "user-friendly" traits to accommodate families. The trend will continue.
So in the 1980s yours truly became a pariah in the eyes of some, because I became known as being sympathetic to the views of what turned out to be a minority - a minority but hardly marginal - its ranks included some pretty respected people. Petitions were circulated. Businesses got boycotted.
The disaffected faction made a presentation to the school board. I saw no need for controversy, as I felt the critics were merely stating some obvious truths. My handicap might have been that I had been too close to the school system for years, and could see the problems better than many others could.
When our new superintendent wanted to bring in a new basketball coach, initials C.B., I was already familiar with the coach from his outstanding work at another school. "I knew too much." It might have been my one great failing in this community.
Morris became a swamp of cliques, good old boy-ism and parochial agendas. Teacher Gene Mechelke told me to my face that I was finished at the paper. He said "I've never been wrong yet (about this sort of thing)." He asked if I had any skeletons in my closet. Well, I'm a journalist who can't help but draw conclusions about things sometimes, in the way that I now feel we can describe the Donald Trump rallies without being accused of "bias." So, the teacher thought I was finished and that was back in about 1988. I lasted until 2006 at which point my "baggage," as it were, may have caught up with me.
But as I look back, I wish I had left the job a couple years earlier because my parents had reached an age where they needed me around more. I didn't fully realize it at the time. I was close to them all the time and this prevented me from appreciating their age-related challenges that were slowly accumulating. Of course, my strident critics i.e. the good old boys would say I shouldn't have been living with them in the first place. In America you're supposed to be "on your own" starting at age 18.
If we are going to shun extended or multi-generation families, then we will have to pay more taxes for support systems to help those who lack the kind of family support they might otherwise have. We have an aging population. We should back away from a society where we are so automobile-dependent.
It's deja vu for me now because once again, I am on the outside looking in when it comes to community matters. In other words, I am arguing that Morris should have continued with the summer Prairie Pioneer Days (PPD), even trying to make it better. I do have an ally in Kevin Wohlers. We acknowledge that the event will be held in the fall now. Kevin says that a fall special event might in fact be a good thing (although we already have the welcome UMM picnic), but there's no need to erase the summer PPD. I agree totally.
If our Chamber of Commerce (of all groups) is defeatist about this, thinking there's no hope, maybe we need new input. We need a committee of people who are not "lake people" and who will pledge that they will truly support the event and not try to sabotage it.
PPD at its very best was wonderful. If it is not going to be revived, is it possible that Morris might really be on the precipice of being a "dying town?"
One thing is certain: the July 19 "I Am Music" concert at the HFA recital hall was ample proof that the town really can be alive in summer. Take it to heart.
 
Religious music and institutions
I think UMM went through a time or phase when in the interest of being religion-free, sacred works were to be avoided. Appearances at churches too.
I vaguely remember hearing talk about this in our household. Can't say much that is definitive. I just think this would be logical given the state of our society in the '70s and '80s. I think the huge outburst or popularity of jazz with its non-pretentious face, the face of the "common people" as it were, grew out of that. If my understanding is true, it would have been difficult for my father. He of course wrote sacred-themed pieces, a great many. I'm sure the possible conflict with a public institution wouldn't cross his mind.
So what gives today? There are no restrictions on sacred-themed music at UMM today.
So, my thinking is that UMM adopted the approach that sacred-themed music is not to be viewed as proselytizing. It is to be viewed as art. That's a fail-safe defense.
Oh but I have another angle on this (don't you know). I remember when I was with the newspaper, I covered the African-American gospel group at UMM that most certainly had Christian themes. I remember the standing ovation they got at Oyate. (Carol McCannon led it!)
UMM with its justified history of minority group empowerment was not going to restrict this group. So if a green light was given here, it would have to flash across the board, n'est-ce pas? And how do I feel about it? Quite content, despite the fact that I'm rather aligned with UMM's atheists.
The reason I never proposed an exhibit on my father for the annual faculty showcase - it looks like a science fair - was my concern about showing his background of religious composing. I was prepared to submit a statement as follows: "The Williams family has always respected all the world's religions." And that would be true. My parents were gentle and temperate Christians. They attended a church in the ELCA which is the non-gay-bashing synod. I can see now where the exhibit would present no problem.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Dark motives behind cancelling summer PPD?

(Morris MN Tourism image)

Did you sense a void this past weekend, the weekend when Prairie Pioneer Days (PPD) would have been held? The weekend wasn't a lost cause, because Heartland Motors went ahead and had its classic car show, an event that would normally be promoted as part of PPD. I rode bike through their lot just to observe, and it appeared that attendance and interest were good. Kudos on that. Always helps to offer free food, eh? I did not avail myself, mainly because I don't want to come across as a cheapskate.
There's at least one local resident with a reputation of showing up wherever there's free food. Well, funerals are in that category. Nothing illegal of course but it can become a question of propriety, especially if the individual in question has other issues.
Thinking of Heartland, I'm reminded that my 2004 Chevrolet vehicle might be on its last legs. Had a substantial repair issue recently. It might be proper now to just use the car, a Malibu, for in-town driving only. Buy a new car? Well, that would light up the eyes of the Heartland folks, surely, but there's cause for restraint. We are going through a big transition to electric cars now. If that's the route to take, I ought to wait until the new system is better established.
Let me make an analogy: I don't want to make a decision like buying a big stereo record player for vinyl records right at the time that CDs were coming out. Oh, here's another one: buying a fancy film camera at the time that digital cameras were entering the mainstream.
I'll probably donate my 2004 Chevy Malibu to Kars for Kids. They'll probably ask what kind of shape it's in. I'd like to be able to tell them that I can at least get it to roll downhill. I have always been the kind of person who will stick with a vehicle longer than I should. It's probably the Depression sensibilities that were instilled in me by my parents. They were classic examples of the sensibilities groomed by the Great Depression. Scholars have noted how this trait gets passed on to the next generation. That's me.
I'm on a different planet from the millennials or "generation iGen" who pay with plastic and never have a sense of actually having any money. I think it would be good for them to experience the latter.
 
OK, more on the decision re. PPD
I write about PPD at the risk of flogging a dead horse. I have made the point several times that Morris has lost something valuable with the cancellation of the summer PPD. Within the last few days I have gleaned new background on this decision. This new background, sad to say, is disturbing.
It appears that certain influential people in Morris pushed for an end to the summer PPD for self-interested reasons, reasons narrow or selfish in scope and not related to community interests. I'm inclined to believe my sources on this.
Some community leaders have their own "lake places" in summer, away from Morris of course, and don't want to be burdened by having to stick around here to attend to PPD obligations. Are the "lake people" a sort of upper crust of Morris? Do they not want to bother with the needs or interests of the non-lake people (like me)? I don't need a lake because if I seek summer recreation, I'll go out to the biking/walking trail on both sides of the Pomme de Terre River. Living in Morris is not all that bleak if you happen not to have a "lake place" somewhere like on Minnewaska or in the Alex area.
Is having a "lake place" a sign of high social status? I hope not. Is it possible that the PPD summer skeptics tried making it seem like the event was in decline? A member of the Morris community band tells me the band was not even asked to play at the park on Saturday of the last PPD. That's incredible. The Killoran stage at the park was built to accommodate precisely that kind of musical group. The band is just the right size for fitting on the stage. The acoustic panels enhance the sound in a terrific way.
That stage was not cheap to build. We should honor the memory of the late Eleanor Killoran. I remember writing about Eleanor for the paper when she was instrumental in restoring the old "rest cottage" at the Stevens County Fair. Some might describe her as a wee bit eccentric. Well, you can describe me the same way.
Did you all sense a void on Sunday morning when the firemen's pancake breakfast would normally be held? I used to suggest that the Hancock High marching band, fresh from its July 4 performance in its own town, should come over and march for PPD. Might be a political problem, though, because some might say it would embarrass the Morris school. Let's not worry about such things. Politics and Morris have always been inseparable. And now we hear reports about how some people did not have the best motives in ending our summer PPD. They may have made the cancellation a self-fulfilling prophecy. Did you notice that Cyrus had a quite fine summer celebration?
 
A voice we should heed
I agree with Kevin Wohlers that PPD was vital for injecting some special life into town in the otherwise quiet summer months. I dined at Stone's Throw Cafe Saturday afternoon and I believe I was the only customer in there the whole time I was there. We need the injection of a little vitality, n'est-ce pas?
Some people will say of course that we'll still have PPD in the fall. I told Kevin that the UMM welcome picnic could just be expanded, if a big fall event is what people want. Would there be a political obstacle to that? What I mean is, UMM increasingly has a reputation of being populated by "liberals," progressives, gay activists and the like. I'm just talking about popular perception, which I know is out and about.
I'm 100 percent fine with UMM. As a quibble, I might point out that society is more likely to go along with basic gay rights if it isn't made such an up-front cause.
There are a lot of pickup-driving Hillary-haters in the Morris area who wouldn't be good with a big UMM-flavored event. These are the kind of people who might park their pickup to block access to an electric charging station - this actually happens - for political reasons. I learned about this problem listening to WDAY radio. I gave City Manager Blaine Hill a heads-up about it.
Well, good luck to UMM for its upcoming academic year. Is the institution too "liberal?" Well, I'm sure the very well-paid U of M president will have her finger on the pulse and know exactly what kind of mission to assign here.
Do I wish the "new" PPD well in the fall? No point in being negative I guess. But I greatly miss the whole East Side Park atmosphere with its Luther's Eatery. My late parents loved it. It's for the time capsule I guess.
 
Addendum: Trying to synthesize my thoughts on all this, here we go: Morris can be a strange town sometimes.
 
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Gates Brown was Greek god of pinch-hitting

"I'm square as an ice cube, and I'm twice as cool."
- Gates Brown in 1968
 
Is reform school the same as prison? In the case of Babe Ruth, we're talking reform school, specifically the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, Baltimore MD. In the case of Gates Brown, the Detroit Tigers' pinch-hitter of renown from the 1960s, we're talking prison. Another Tiger of that general era - Ron LeFlore - had the same background.
I remember watching the made-for-TV movie about LeFlore that had Billy Martin playing himself. All these souls had troubled aspects to their lives and that includes Martin, for whom alcohol was his demon.
It's unfortunate that Babe Ruth was cast as a "heavy" in the Billy Crystal movie about the 1961 baseball season, "61*." Thomas Jane as Mickey Mantle referred to "that fat f--k," i.e. Ruth. "We're playing in his house," the Mantle character said, that place being Yankee Stadium.
Mr. Crystal, your biases here were generation-based. Crystal like yours truly was young to follow the late '50s and early '60s generation of Yankee players. It was the last chapter of Yankee greatness in that era. There is no substitute for a boy's baseball heroes from when the boy was in his early and mid-teens. I'm aware of the bias and like all biases it's irrational.
 
Heroes can seem irreplaceable
I clung to the 1960s Minnesota Twins as if they'd never leave us. And, who were those "imposters" coming on the scene to replace the likes of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays as baseball heroes? Who does Andre Dawson think he is? I'm joking of course, actually seeking to resist the irrationality of such inclinations.
Let's focus on 1968 and "the year of the pitcher." That phrase suggests boredom. Surely it must have been boring to a degree, nevertheless my friends and I digested all the baseball news with delight. No, my Minnesota Twins would not make a strong run that year. Our year was 1965. The Baltimore Orioles rose to the apex in 1966, led by Frank Robinson who they "stole" in a trade. Then came 1967 and the Red Sox's "impossible dream." My Twins came within a whisker in 1967 - devastating to observe in the end. Life went on and we got 1968, a year when there was so much unpleasantness bubbling up in America. The issues of the day were vital, definitely, but what could us adolescent boys do about it? I consumed the evening network news with interest and concern. But we all needed an escape outlet, so bring on baseball!
In 1968 the Detroit Tigers rose to the top. Looking back, I'm happy they got their turn in the spotlight during the 1960s. Always competitive and interesting, like my Twins, they won a single pennant in the decade, just like my Twins. They won it all in the World Series, unlike the Twins who were stymied by Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers. Speaking of dominating pitchers, Detroit had the one and only Denny McLain, "one and only" not only in terms of being able to win an incredible 31 games that year, but also in the sense of being a star professional athlete with a raw criminal nature.
McLain and Lolich were the foundation of Detroit's pitching in their banner summer.
 
Prison: a positive catalyst?
Now let's turn the attention to Gates Brown whose stock in trade was pinch-hitting. His real name was William but his mom called him "Gates" for reasons he never knew! He grew up in a disadvantaged setting in northern Ohio. He got in trouble and was sent to a reformatory in Mansfield OH. The institution had a baseball team.
So I'm wondering, did people like Brown and Babe Ruth further their baseball skills due to exposure to the game in the institutional setting? Did they find baseball a productive outlet compared to other ways they'd spend their time?
Furthermore I'd like to suggest that another "benefit" of being in an institution like this, is a guaranteed three nutritious meals a day. Let's note that such nutrition would most likely be elusive out in the normal world. I'll assert that it can be elusive even for many people of means, people who ought to know better but just aren't attentive. How many of us skip breakfast or just grab a quick biscuit or donut with a cup of coffee?
In an institution, whether a prison, reformatory or hospital, we can assume there are provisions, even in a bleak place, for the regimen of three meals a day, right? The future baseball stars got fed right, I presume, and got an outlet for playing baseball in a place where their options for spending time were highly limited.
If Ruth had gone through a normal public school education, with baseball perhaps having a more limited role, the outcome would be what? We don't know for sure. Many famous people have simply dropped out of school. School stifles creativity and pushes conformity in a way tamping down real talent. We can't assert that prison is "better," or can we? In the case of Brown, Ruth and LeFlore, they emerged from the surroundings primed for major league baseball stardom.
I have bleak memories of school so consider my bias.

Gates Brown! The crowd in Detroit always became animated when the name was announced as pinch-hitter. As I reflect on Twins' history, I come up with Rich Reese as a particularly effective pinch-hitter. It's quite the specialty and in Reese's case, he hit three pinch-hit grand slams!
The Tigers sent scouts to the prison to see Brown in 1959. Brown was on legal probation when he joined the Tiger organization to play in Duluth MN. He starred immediately. He climbed the ladder to land with the big club in 1963. It was hard for him to push aside his criminal background. He hit a long home run in his first big league at-bat - the fodder for movies. It was in Boston. Already the big guy was in his pinch-hitting specialty.
 
Bring on 1968! Brown bats .370
The magical 1968 season for Detroit began with uncertainty about what Brown could accomplish. The doubts led to the team acquiring Eddie Mathews. Year of the pitcher? Well, Brown had six hits in his first ten pinch-hit at-bats. He ended up with an American League record of 18 pinch hits for the season.
Sunday, Aug. 11, dawned with a doubleheader on the slate against the Red Sox. What a marathon: Game 1 went to 14 innings. Brown strode to the plate at Tiger Stadium to a rousing ovation, as fans loved "the Gator." The cheers then got considerably louder. "The Gator" hit the game-winning home run. OK so "let's play two" as Ernie Banks would say, and in the second game, Brown came up in the ninth. Mickey Stanley was at third. Brown rapped a single to right for the winning run. Two game-ending hits on the same day! Nirvana!
So well was Brown hitting in '68, he got into the starting lineup for 16 games. His batting average for the Tigers' title campaign was a sizzling .370! But his biggest contribution might have been to break up a fight between the volatile McLain and Jim (the "Silver Fox") Northrup.
Brown later became the Tigers' first designated hitter in 1973. Personally I was down on that rule. I suspected it was created to lift the American League out of a state of doldrums, which I felt they caused for themselves by years of falling behind the N.L. in terms of signing and promoting non-white players.
Detroit fell on hard times for 1975 - 102 losses - and Brown decided to retire. He was 36. He became a scout. He had highs and lows since then. But the memories of his clutch hitting are sealed in our consciousness, never to be surpassed by anything else this gifted if challenged man did. Time in a reformatory? It might have held a key to it all, eh?
A character in "Moneyball" described someone on a video as "the Greek god of walks." Getting on base was everything. Brown, the "Greek god of pinch-hitting," showed us that timely pinch hits ought to get the attention of Bill James too! Carve out a spot on Mount Olympus.
Brown left us to wield his pinch-hit bat in heaven, on Sept. 27, 2013, in Detroit.
Gates Brown, "the Gator," RIP. Square as an ice cube? Maybe. But "twice as cool."
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Tiger Stadium, Detroit

It's not a fable: Mickey Stanley at shortstop, 1968

The years 1965 through '68 were a refreshing time of re-balancing for the American League. The Yankees dynasty had gotten retired with surprising and shocking quickness. The Yanks had been such a fixture at the top.
The East coast media acted like they weren't quite ready to let go of the Bronx Bombers mystique. The Bronx was Roger Angell's point of reference when he devoted a chapter to our Minnesota Twins. Angell's publication? "The New Yorker." His book was directed to a mass audience. But the New York City fingerprints were most in evidence. His chapter about 1965 was titled "West of the Bronx."
Yes, Minnesota is quite to the west of those Gotham-like environs with its elevated trains. Minnesota's pennant in '65 decisively marked the end of the Yankees' primacy of that era. And then in the subsequent three years we got Baltimore, Boston and Detroit, three cities that assuredly had been salivating for such glory. They were richly deserving.
Baltimore took advantage of a one-sided trade, the one that got them Frank Robinson. Boston's team in 1967 was called "the impossible dream" because the rise to the top could hardly have been foreseen in the early part of the decade.
Then in '68 we got Detroit's year. I'm recalling it because of an unusual managerial decision made by Mayo Smith. The Detroit skipper would surely have been derided - heck, run out of the managerial ranks - had the decision appeared to fall through, which most certainly could have happened. I'm not sure managers were paid the "big bucks" but if they were, Smith would be richly deserving based on his edgy infield decision. We're talking about the shortstop position.
My Minnesota Twins sailed in '65 with the league MVP playing shortstop, Zoilo Versalles. The Cuban Versalles broke our hearts after that. He slid into decline based on some shortcomings in managing his life, or so Minnesota sports lore tells us. Versalles was removed from the picture for the '68 season and there was no obvious replacement. We used a tandem (of four) as the team basically flailed away some, then we acquired the solid solution for '69 in Leo Cardenas.
 
Detroit's puzzle at shortstop
Meanwhile in Detroit, 1968 was clearly their blessed summer. But there was an issue looming with October beckoning. My goodness, Detroit had gone through its banner campaign without an offensively capable shortstop! That's a head-scratcher. Certainly Ray Oyler could field capably. He had better, considering that when he was in the lineup, it was like having two pitchers in the lineup.
The Tigers were on their way to their first pennant since World War II. They climbed into first place in the middle of May. Their grip was firm. This was the year that Denny McLain won 31 games. Mickey Lolich was the other stalwart starting pitcher. Detroit had so many ingredients in place. But at shortstop they faced a quandary. Would the team want to do battle with the vaunted Cardinals of the N.L. with what amounted to two pitchers in the batting order?

Smith had the luxury of focusing on this quandary because of the large lead his team amassed in the A.L. race. He looked at the three shortstops: Oyler, Tom Matchick and Dick Tracewski. Oyler had the best glove. At bat he seemed a futile proposition and let's cite his stat: a .135 average. Matchick and Tracewski were pedestrian at bat too. It seemed none of the three could pass muster for a World Series team.
Manager Smith pulled a rabbit out of the hat for the last two weeks, assigning an assuredly good athlete but not a shortstop by specialty. Mickey Stanley typically had "OF" on his baseball card. So the guy was an outfielder. A switch to the infield would seem most irregular. And to shortstop? Surely this calculation would invite skepticism.
Stanley had his best season in '68 even though he was never one to knock the cover off the ball. His batting average was a modest .259 but keep in mind this was "the year of the pitcher." He was a Gold Glove outfielder. But my, a switch to the infield for the World Series? To shortstop? "Balls" would describe this nicely. My, it seems rather a fable.
Stanley was parked in centerfield after a broken arm sidelined marquee player Al Kaline in May. Kaline was going to be ready for the World Series. To get Kaline back to his standard outfield position, some strings were going to be pulled. And, this involved Stanley getting moved to shortstop to ensure the best possible offensive lineup. Smith was blunt when he informed Stanley of the news: "You are going to be my shortstop in the World Series." There was no back and forth. A decision had been made. Its fruits or lack of fruits would unfold in front of the national TV audience.
 
Throwing out Lou Brock: no sweat
Stanley was tested right away in Game 1 of the Fall Classic, yes the first inning as he was challenged to throw out speedy leadoff hitter Lou Brock of the Cardinals. Stanley did so on a close play. He ended up handling 30 of 32 fielding chances in the World Series with the two errors not costly. Detroit took the world championship. This was the World Series where Jose Feliciano sang the National Anthem in his stylized way, causing controversy (a shock to remember today).
The Tigers' success lifted their city's morale in a summer of considerable discord there. Discord of various kinds reverberated across the U.S. The Vietnam war and civil rights were flashpoints. Oh, but we always had baseball, right?
FDR insisted that baseball be kept going through WWII. It would underscore the resilient nature of the American spirit, but he could not have foreseen what happened in 1994: the extended players strike that seemed like a dagger to the sport. (It was a dagger to me personally - my enthusiasm has never really rebounded.)
Jim Northrup (the "silver fox") hit a famous triple in the Series' final game. It has been said of Stanley, whose image as a player was not exactly flamboyant, that he had "15 minutes of fame" in the '68 Series. Surely this is his niche in baseball history, as the "accidental shortstop."
But one can look deeper to see how else he stood out, like with sheer longevity with the Tigers. He played 15 seasons for Detroit! Let's consider his four Gold Gloves. And, his contributions with the 1972 team that won the A.L. East. In sum, Stanley was an asset with sheer athleticism, versatility and fielding. He was most at home roaming center field. He had an innate sense of knowing where the ball was going when it left the bat. He set an example with his character and approach to the game. Columnist Joe Falls called him a "throwback" with his attributes.
 
A part-time Al Kaline: no sweat
The Tigers like my Twins had just one pennant to show for the 1960s, despite always having a strong sheen. The likes of Kaline and Norm Cash impressed. So, Detroit had its big year in '68 despite Kaline missing a good chunk. My Twins took the '65 pennant despite Harmon Killebrew having an extended injury layoff. And in '67, Boston had its fabled season despite losing Tony Conigliaro to the tragic injury from beaning.
It goes to show how team chemistry can trump the presence of two or three superstars. But of course, Detroit was thrilled having Kaline back for the Fall Classic in their stellar season of '68. Stanley's adjustment to shortstop and Smith's willingness to answer for the decision were hallmarks of the winning commitment. Hats off to Mr. Stanley.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

How mid-1960s New York Yankees dropped the ball

He got hurt playing touch football

The name "New York Yankees" still had allure for me through the latter 1960s. The name evoked legend and greatness. We watched the grainy black and white highlight footage of Babe Ruth. The footage was not "speed corrected."
It was clear the Yankees were mortal after 1964. The speed of their decline was stunning. I watched as a typical boy fan between age ten and high school graduation. The Yankees had such a long reputation of dynasty. But it was the generation of players of the late 1950s and early '60s that endeared themselves to my generation of the boomers. It was fitting that Jim Bouton wrote the book that broke the mold at a time when my generation was seeking to break the mold with everything.
Bouton was an exhibit in how the Yankees lost their luster over such a short time.
Billy Crystal fell in love with the Yankees of the late '50s and early '60s. His movie about Roger Maris was partly a personal expression about how he clung to those memories. The Yankees fascinated me too, even though my team was the Minnesota Twins. It was Harmon Killebrew of my Twins who with one swing of the bat, just before the All-Star break in 1965, sent a message that the Yankees were fading.
But let's go back to 1964. Lyndon Johnson would be elected president. The Yankees surged from behind to take the '64 American League flag, their 29th over a span of 45 years. So let's yawn, right? Only in New York City could something as silly as the Phil Linz harmonica incident enter the treasured lore. Yogi Berra, the great Yankee backstop (and character) was manager. He was criticized for not winning easier. But the Yanks survived the hard-fought race and took the World Series to seven games.
One could hardly guess that a collapse was imminent. But holy cow, the collapse set in mighty fast. Perhaps there is a lesson about complacency in all this. Do you suppose they thought they could win because of the uniforms? In '65 they had the same lineup as the '64 A.L. champs. The '64 win total was 99.
The Yanks' problems became chronic. There would be no immediate relief. The '65 Yankees won 77 games. The return of Ralph Houk as manager was no relief. My, the '66 Yanks went 70-89 and placed tenth! And in '67, ninth place. How do we interpret such a drastic fall from glory?
Misunderstandings have abounded. The team was getting old? Not really. Even wise guy Bouton who felt he knew it all, fell for this one. Any team has a couple guys on the older edge of the spectrum, and in New York's case we can consider Elston Howard, catcher. Whitey Ford was up in years but was still effective in '65. Mickey Mantle at age 32 - hardly a baseball senior citizen yet - was the only regular other than Howard over age 30! Maybe Howard and Ford were going to be phased out, but historically the Yankees had a system easily capable of finding replacement parts.
 
A costly failure to respond
The Yankees were hurt very suddenly by an inability and insensitivity when it came to handling player injuries. This is not only revealing but it's profoundly sad.
Why the carelessness? Was the organization asleep at the wheel? Roger Maris got hit by pitch in his right hand in May of 1965. Following X-rays, the team pronounced him fit and said the exam showed nothing amiss. Except, the reality was that Rodg had a broken bone. He played with bone chips, plus there was a detached ligament. His vaunted power was gone. Maris became justifiably bitter. We can be thankful his career was given a reprieve by the St. Louis Cardinals for the '67 and '68 pennant-winning seasons.

Bouton is quite the exhibit for appreciating the Yankees' collapse. In '64 he pitched through a sore arm and in fact impressed greatly in the second half, and he won two games in the World Series. In '65 he reported another sore arm. The team hoped he could deal with it again, but no. He was essentially done at age 26, notwithstanding his later attempted comeback with the knuckleball.
I have always felt that Bouton would readily trade all his success as an author for two or three more seasons in his prime as a pitcher. I think there was an undercurrent of bitterness in "Ball Four," a feeling that something had been taken away from him.
Now let's move on to Tom Tresh. The '62 rookie of the year was a cog with the pennant-winners up through '64. He even continued with the upbeat performance through '65, but in spring training of the following season, he had a fateful injury. It was torn cartilage in the knee. The Yankees were struggling and desperate to have Tresh in the mix. Same mistake as with Bouton - playing through pain and courting permanent damage. Tresh sought to be a trooper but his stats waned along with the whole Yankee franchise.
The ship was sinking. Tresh was essentially done at age 27. It almost seems criminal what happened to Maris, Bouton and Tresh. Young fans at the time weren't in the know about this, and young fans are handicapped by the "invulnerability of youth" syndrome anyway - we failed to appreciate the delicacy of the human body. Look what happened to Tony Conigliaro of Boston. Jimmie Hall of my Minnesota Twins had a beaning that many have led to his decline.
Shortstop Tony Kubek of the Yankees had a back injury while playing touch football with his National Guard mates. Kubek had to be written off at age 29. So the Yankees were getting "old?" Not really.
 
Too many abused pitching arms
My boyhood of following baseball was full of young pitchers who had meteoric careers due to throwing their arm out. Yankee pitchers Ralph Terry, Bill Stafford and Rollie Sheldon went down this way. Whitey Herzog has observed that throwing a pitch in baseball is an unnatural physical act. A pitcher literally injures his arm every time he throws a pitch, Herzog says.
Concerning? Yes, but it's not as bad as football. Us young fans had little or no grasp of the physical risks being taken by pro athletes.
Horace Clarke is a name that has come to be associated with the Yankees' nadir period. Ironically, a close analysis shows it was a "push" between Clarke and his predecessor, Bobby Richardson (a personal hero of mine).
We can consider the trade of Clete Boyer for Bill Robinson (who?). Well, all teams stumble like that with decisions from time to time. The Yankees were supposed to have the assets to overcome. Alas, the mid-1960s would not be such a time, so in '65 my Minnesota Twins brought me glee with the American League pennant, lifted by that dramatic Killebrew homer at mid-season off Pete Mikkelson, whose sinker ball must not have sunk quite enough.
 

And, what would you like for dessert?

How to order pie
Jake Gibbs came along as a celebrated prospect at catcher for the Yankees - he had a "name" because of his quarterbacking for Ole Miss. Gibbs was more deserving than Clarke of being a symbol of the Yankees' nadir. I smile as I remember an anecdote shared by Bouton in "Ball Four," about Gibbs ordering pie a la mode in a restaurant and then asking the waitress to "put a little ice cream on it."
The Yankees averaged less than 85 wins between 1966 and 1975. That covers my teen years. The Yankees seemed largely a ghost in my mind, a team kindling memories but little else. Billy Crystal gave us a paean with his movie.
In 1976 a whole new chapter opened. I was in my 20s and losing some of my baseball interest. The designated hitter was a turn-off for me. Player strikes sapped my interest, not that I didn't feel players deserved to be treated better. And then in 1994, the whopper of all strikes happened and I lost all emotional connection to the game. But I still relish watching the Billy Crystal movie. How about a movie about the harmonica incident? Just kidding.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com