Heroes: Every day people

I was going to probably write about some actor or athlete or something for my final post about people who I admire. But I got to thinking about it, there are so many people who I admire that are not famous or recognized for what they do. The people who change the world or inspire others are just every day people. There are just so many everyday heroes that aren’t recognized for what they do. While I was driving I remember seeing this billboard by my house that was done by values.com, the billboard was very inspirational and their website has all the billboards that they have, and some of them are of famous people who have overcome so much or are overcoming things. One is about Michael J. Fox and how he is trying to overcome Parkinson’s disease. It also reminded me that some people were not destined to greatness they tried their hardest to be great because a very inspirational billboard was about Abraham Lincoln, that said, “Failed, failed, failed. And then…,” it made me realize they Abraham Lincoln was just a man but when others would have given up and stopped trying he never did and even though there was so many obstacles and failures to overcome he never stopped trying and ended up being the President of the United States and not only that he has been one of our greatest presidents and has done so much for these United States. That is a lesson I need to learn, I try hard but when failure hits me I wilt or play it safe when the call is to be bold. That is one of the things I do not like about myself but it is so hard to change it so much easier to just play it safe or stay in a rut but that is no way to go through life because after all fortune favors the bold. There are other people on the values website that are just average people who do extraordinary things. The name Albert Lexie is not a well-known name but he is a man who has donated over $100,000 dollars to help children. He gets up early travels to the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh and shines shoes and donates all the money to help kids. Lexie is a hero and has done so much. But the people who inspire me are every day people, a stranger that does a kind deed for another person, a teacher that guides young minds, a person who volunteers to help others. Those people are the real heroes.

 

 

Actor: Gene Hackman

Another one of my favorite actors is the hard-nosed everyman Gene Hackman. Hackman has made a career of playing tough guys that may or may not be soft on the inside. From being Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde to playing the sheriff Little Bill in the legendary Unforgiven and as the underdog coach in Hoosiers and as the lovable Royal Tenenbaum in the Royal Tenenbaums, Hackman has done it all and I have admired him all along the way. I like and admire him for his acting ability which he honed with his classmate Dustin Hoffman at the Pasadena Playhouse. When I picture myself as an actor, I see myself in the vein of Gene Hackman. The way he acts is so natural, never too dramatic or over the top and never catatonic just right in the middle where he is perfect. In some roles he was very menacing when he was playing the good guy like in Mississippi Burning and Unforgiven. In other roles he played the good guy that had a little sadness in him in the Royal Tenenbaums. And in other movies like Hoosiers he made us believe that a man can overcome his past and inspire others to be the best they can be. In every role he played I actually thought that was what Gene Hackman was born to do, even though I knew he was an actor he embodied all those roles so well I could see them being him. He has been rewarded for his contribution to the craft that is acting and how won some awards you might have heard of. The French Connection was a great movie in which he played Popeye Doyle and had to find who was smuggling in drugs and from where and that film also has the legendary chase scene. He also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Unforgiven. Gene Hackman is the uncommon common man, with the looks of someone you could see on the street and not remember but with an acting ability that will be remembered through the ages and for all time.

Athlete: Dennis Rodman

If I were going to be an athlete, I would model myself after Dennis Rodman because it just seemed he did what we wanted to do always and always had fun. I remember when I was younger watching the Bulls go to the Finals in ’96 and my favorite player was always the one starting junk and playing great defense. Of course Jordan making all these impossible shots and effortless dunks filled the highlight reels but for me the temperamental “Worm” was always the man to me and growing into my teens and early 20’s I came to really appreciate his time with the “Bad Boys” in Detroit. Dennis Rodman was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1986 and was the 27th pick overall. The legendary Chuck Daly coached this team hard and they were a defense oriented team that did not take any junk from anybody. Rodman played defense and his role was to rebound the ball which he did extremely well. He won two NBA titles with his fellow Bad Boys, Zeke, Dumars and Salley and Laimbeer. He was then traded to the San Antonio Spurs. He didn’t do much in San Antonio and then got traded to the Chicago Bulls and got paired up with Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen. That trio went on to win three more NBA titles. Rodman also got a little crazier personality wise and the way he dressed. I admire him for being himself and being who he wanted to be. If he wanted to dress all crazy he did, if he wanted to dye his hair all these crazy colors he did that too. I liked that Rodman played defense and that is what he was brought in for and he relished the opportunity to get under an opponents skin. He wasn’t much of a scorer but he didn’t need to be because of the way he played defense. He played with reckless abandon and lived life the same way, as for me I don’t think I could live that way but I can live vicariously through what he has done in his life. He played hard and lived even harder but he was himself through and through no matter how weird that may have been. But when he called it a career he played for 5 NBA teams, Pistons, Spurs, Bulls, Lakers and Mavericks. He won 4 NBA titles and has been inducted to the Naismith Hall of Fame.

Explorer: Ernest Shackleton

A very long time ago when I had braces I was sitting in a dentist’s office that did not have a tv, I picked up a National Geographic and started flipping through it and I got to a story about the Ernest Shackleton. I started reading and got very intrigued, it was probably the most amazing story I have ever read. That short excerpt was not enough for me, later I read the book, Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. Ernest Shackleton’s goal was to cross Antarctica. He picked his crew and started South on his ship the Endurance. But tragedy struck early, the ship was trapped in the pack ice in the Weddell Sea. The pack ice soon engulfed the ship and it was trapped and eventually sank. Now the crew was on trapped in Antarctica with no way to radio home and no one to come and save them, so it was up to their blindingly courageous Ernest Shackleton to get them out of this bind. By working together as a team and crew they got out of it and endured one of the greatest survival stories of all time. After the ship sank, they were stranded on the ice flows and had to figure out a plan. The expedition to cross the Antarctic continent was over. The nearest land was South Georgia island which they left earlier in the expedition. The crew was getting restless and Shackleton had to keep them in line to survive. After being at the ice flow they decided to make their way to Elephant Island on the three lifeboats. After a week at sea they made it, but it was not an easy trip the winds were cold and they had to little to eat and were exhausted. Realizing they could not just sit at the island, Shackleton decided he would set out in the lifeboat and sail 800 miles of open ocean. They reinforced the boat and the navigator had to be absolutely correct so they would not be lost in the open ocean. They made the perilous journey and landed on the South George island but unfortunately the wrong uninhabited side. They rested for a bit and Shackleton and his crew decided to cross the island by foot it was a setback but small compared to the 800 mile lifeboat journey. Shackleton and his crew made it to the whaling station and got help and picked up the rest of the crew. Amazingly no one died thanks to Shackleton leadership. Shackleton wanted to be remembered always for crossing Antarctica but he did not achieve that. Well I think that crossing Antarctica for the first time would have been impressive but I think the story of survival that they endured is far more impressive and memorable than crossing the Antarctica.

 

Actor: Denzel Washington

One actor I really admire for what he has done in his professional life and what he has done in his personal life is Denzel Washington. He has been in such famous movies like Glory, Training Day, American Gangster, Remember the Titans and many more. He has done a lot with his acting life and has played so many varied characters from the lovable but stern Coach Herman Boone in the Remember the Titans to escaped slave in Glory to the activist Malcolm X. He goes from the very good and lovable characters to the very bad evil characters and he does that with ease and when you watch him you really think he is a great guy or if he is playing an evil guy, you think he is really evil. I really like Remember the Titans because it was about a city coming together and playing some football but I also enjoyed Hurricane where he played the legendary boxer Ruben Carter, who Bob Dylan wrote a song about entitled “Hurricane.”  He embodies his characters very well but that is just one of the reasons I like him. I also admire Washington because of his personal beliefs and the work he does with charities. Being a rich and famous actor I’m sure some people forget where they came from not Denzel Washington. He is a spokesperson for the Boys and Girls Club of America, Honorary Chairperson of Save Africa’s Children, Lifetime Founding Member of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and he also donated a million dollars to Wiley College to restart their debate team but he has also donated to and supported to many other charities. He is also a very spiritual man and believe in God. I find that very admirable that even with his busy lifestyle he is thankful for all his opportunities. He made the most of his opportunities and an interesting fact that I learned in my research is that Washington graduated with a degree in journalism and he also became an actor. Maybe that is the route I will go down in my life well hopefully it is because that is what I would really like to do. Deznel Washington is a great actor and person who has done so much to help people and make the world a better place.

Team: The Philadelphia Flyers

One of my favorite sports teams of all time are the Philadelphia Flyers. I love this team for so many reasons it all started off because of my dad he is from Pennsylvania and he would tell me all the stories of what the Flyers did when they played other teams and the way they dominated and wouldn’t be pushed around. In high school the librarian of the school was Canadian and he renewed my interest in hockey and regaled me with stories of Dave “The Hammer” Schultz, Bobby Clarke and the Broad Street Bullies. So with my dad being from Pennsylvania and the way they played hockey this was to be my team. The Broad Street Bullies were the Flyers in the 70’s. They were an expansion team and were sort of pushovers until they drafted and got some players that would not be pushed over they would do the pushing. The Flyers played an international game with the Russians on January 11, 1976, the Russians had beaten NHL teams but the notoriously bruising Flyers were a little too physical for the Russians liking. The Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975. Bobby Clarke was one of the best Flyers during that time and he could score but was also a wild one. Bobby Clarke was referred as the “cold-blooded capo of the Flyers family” in a HBO documentary about the Broad Street Bullies because he was a good player but would antagonize other players because he was protected by his goons.  The Flyers were ruthless and toothless and I liked the way the played hockey in the 70’s and the way they would do things their way and impose their will on opponents. And in an episode of the show The Simpsons entitled “Tree House of Horror IV” the starting line up for the 1976 Philadelphia Flyers  are mentioned as members of the jury of the damned as a reference to the unforgiving violent but succesful way of playing hockey. And the Flyers as of late are doing pretty good they went to the Stanley Cup in 2010 but lost the series to the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2. And they traded my favorite player Daniel Carcillo to the Chicago Blackhawks so that was another blow for me. But I admire the Flyers because they are who they wanted to be, they didn’t take no guff but gave plenty and broke some rules and some bones and won some games including 2 Stanley Cups and endeared themselves to the City of Brotherly Love.

Athlete: Jim Plunkett

Jim Plunkett is many things to many people to fans of the Patriots and 49ers he is a bust to fans of the Oakland Raiders he is a 2 time world champion. Jim Plunkett was born to two blind parents but even though that was something very tough to deal with he persevered. In 1971 he was drafted overall number one in the draft, but his initial foray in to NFL was not very successful. He was very good his rookie year but then was not very good with the Patriots and 49ers and Al Davis the legendary owner of the Oakland Raiders took a chance on Jim Plunkett and traded for him but he was mainly a backup. He was when Dan Pastorini got hurt Jim Plunkett became the starter. I admire Jim Plunkett for overcoming so many obstacles he was born to blind parents but tried hard to good so he could help them. Even though the pressure was too much at first being a number one overall pick and not winning he did things that few people in football do, he was a two-time world champion. It must have been very hard for him to deal with not succeeding initially in the NFL after winning the Heisman Trophy in college, but he had heart and didn’t give up people may have given up on him but he never did. He stuck out the tough time and was very courageous. To a less extent I also admire the Raider quarterback that preceded Jim Plunkett, by the name of Ken Stabler. Ken “The Snake” Stabler not only had a great nickname he was a clutch quarterback that liked to have fun on and off the field. He liked to party and he liked to win, and the legendary coach John Madden let Stabler do what he wanted to because he always won. I would also like to talk about how much I have enjoyed Oakland Raiders teams of the past when they were the only franchise to take on any troubled athlete, head case, and criminal in the NFL, for them it didn’t matter where you came from as long as you could produce as a team. John Madden took all of those outcasts and made them into a team. But I am a San Diego Charger fan and as a result even though I may have liked pat Raider teams I only support the Chargers. But to wrap it up I admire people who don’t give up when things are not going their way, Jim Plunkett never gave up an deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

 

Actor: Paul Newman

One actor I really admire is Paul Newman and not only was he a great actor he also a great philanthropist. Paul Newman has been in some of my favorite movies ever, I really enjoyed Hud, The Hustler, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and The Sting. He really brought a lot of emotion and gravitas to the roles he played. The way he played characters in the movie was so natural and you could really believe that he was actually the characters. In Hud you could actually believe that he was the bad guy he did whatever he wanted to and didn’t care what anyone thought even if it was his own family members. In the Hustler you could actually believe that he was a Fast Eddie Felson the pool shark that wanted to be the best and beat Minnesota Fats. Even though in the last part of the movie he lost sight of was really important. Roger Ebert did a great review on the movie. Ebert wrote, “The pool shark played by Paul Newman in “The Hustler” (1961) is indelible–given weight because the film is not about his victory in the final pool game, but about his defeat by pool, by life, and by his lack of character. This is one of the few American movies in which the hero wins by surrendering, by accepting reality instead of his dreams.” Just a fabulous movie and the pool playing was magnificent. The movies he did with Robert Redford were marvelous, my two favorites are Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. He played Butch to Robert Redford’s Sundance Kid, the movie was good they were often on the run but Ebert was right in saying that it would have been a better picture if it wasn’t so cute. The Sting on the other hand is masterful the whole premise of that movie is fantastic. Two con men trying to fleece the mark is the premise and Newman sure delivered. I like Paul Newman because he is such a cool guy and a jack of all trades, he also raced cars briefly. I admire him for his great philanthropic efforts and through his Newman’s Own foundation he as donated over 300 million dollars to charity. He also helps kids and also makes great salad dressing. Paul Newman was a great actor and a great human being. It just hit me he was in Cool Hand Luke, that is one of my favorite movies every. His performance as Luke Jackson was amazing, he did things his way even it would cost him a night in the box.

Boxer: Joe Frazier

One of my favorite boxers is the legendary Joe Frazier, unfortunately Joe Frazier died late last year of liver cancer. Frazier was a very accomplished heavyweight boxer that had a punishing left hook that made his opponents feel the pain. His career was intertwined with the transcendent Muhammad Ali, but even though they were friends at one time they were also enemies. Frazier and Ali were the two participants in the legendary Thrilla in Manila. That fight took place in the Philippines at on a very hot day. My dad said he listened to the fight when he was stationed off of the coast of the Philippines and he said the fight was unforgettable and it surely wasn’t neither of the two pugilists would be able to forget their historic fight. According to many articles that I have read those two fighters were trying to murder each other in the ring. Ali and Frazier had fought twice before but this fight was something different. The fighters went at it as hard as they could and the fight was stopped before either of them died. Frazier’s trainer stopped the fight. So the fight was Ali’s but it was very hard fought and a war of attrition. I always liked with Frazier more than Ali, Frazier was undersized measuring about 5’11” and was always fighting for respect and made people with respect him with that left hook.  Ali was more of a show off and Frazier coming off the farm was not as savvy as Ali, and Ali always made fun of Frazier calling him and “Uncle Tom” and always called him ugly and a gorilla Frazier never let it on but he was hurt by that and made Ali feel his pain in the Philippines the black community also turned against Frazier.  But Joe Frazier is my favorite because he did things his way, he didn’t take no junk from Ali and even though Ali won Frazier taught him a lesson in the ring in the Philippines. Frazier let us also know what he learned in his life. His quotes about the legendary fight in Manila gave me chills when I read them. “”Man, I hit him with punches that’d bring down the walls of a city,” said Frazier. “Lawdy, Lawdy, he’s a great champion.” Then he put his head back down on the pillow, and soon there was only the heavy breathing of a deep sleep slapping like big waves against the silence.” Frazier was a great champion and didn’t let anyone get him down even if it was the greatest of all time.

Actor: Mickey Rourke

I admire many actors like Tommy Lee Jones, Dennis Hopper, Ed Harris, Paul Newman, Charles Bronson, Gene Hackman and the list could go on and on, but one of my favorites would have to be Mickey Rouke. I admire Mickey Rourke for his acting ability and the way he could really get so into the roles and make us feel the way he was feeling in the movie. Like in “Rumble Fish“, he could make us feel his sad and loneliness and detachment, like he was being himself on the screen. I admire him for always being himself, I read a biography about Mickey and he was always true to himself even though more often than not it got him into trouble. “To thine own self be true,” Shakespeare once said and for better or worse Mickey Rourke has been. We tend to admire people that are like us in a way, and Mickey’s mouth mouth has gotten himself into alot of trouble and I guess for better or worse my having a big mouth has ruined alot of opportunites for me as well so I guess I sort of understood what he went through with all those wasted oppotunities over almost nothing. Still he was always true to himself and to boxing. Mickey has made some amazing movies in his career, such as “Diner”, “Pope of Greenwich Village” but he slowly dropped out of the spotlight and started making movies that were not as good and didn’t have the same feel to them like “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man” with Don Johnson. He was too true to himself and was out of the movies almost completely in the 90’s. He was a shell of himself but then came the movie that changed it all again for the better, “the Wrestler”. This movie was Mickey’s Hollywood Journey about a wrestler that had it  all and then didn’t have it anymore and was working some dead end job wrestling on the weekends. It won him acclaim and the story that is his life continues. Mickey made his life more difficult because he was true to himself but on the other hand he made it far more interesting. Here is his interview with James Lipton for the show “Inside the Actors Studio”, I chose to add the part where he talks about how important his brother was to him.