Growing up at Herman Junction was exciting and we never found ourselves with nothing to do. I don't remember anyone talking about being bored or complaining because there wasn't anything to do. We made things to do. We had more games than you can imagine that youngsters today would think were stupid, but they weren't stupid to us.
Most of the things that we did involved competition. We wanted to see who could win. Every one that I knew would expend every effort to win whatever we were competing in. Second place finishers were losers. When one would climb up on the concrete storm cellar and proclaim himself 'King Of The Hill' he gave everything that he had to keep from being knocked off there by the others. When roller skating on the old highway, every person was determined to be the fastest, most stable, and creative skater there was. If you lost in any event it broke your heart and drove you to do better the next time.
When I observe some of the things today in sports I am surprised at how people feel about winning and losing and their attitudes toward their opponents. At high school basketball games when the players are introduced they run to the other end and shake hands with the opposing coach. After the game they all line up and shake hands or give hugs to each other and extend congratulations to one another. Can you imagine me running up to one of those Herman Junction boys and wishing him luck in opposing me in some contest? Or, can you imagine one of them coming to me after the contest is over and congratulating me for beating him? It ain't never gonna happen!
No, Sir that would not have happened at Herman Junction among the Knight boys or any of the others who came to our house. If an opposing player came over to shake hands before the game and say, "Good Luck", he would have been considered to be out of his mind. If I were a Coach today and some opposing kids came running down to shake my hand I think that I would tell him to get back to the other end because my team was about to whip his team from end to end. And, when that game was over and I had lost, don't come running down there to tell me how good a game we played and offer congratulations! We just got beat! Get out of here before I melt and pour all over you! I see these Tennis players work for several matches and then when the game is over they meet at the net and hug each other, etc. Not me! If I met him at the net I would hit him in the head with my racket! He just beat me and that is not acceptable to me. Old Peyton Manning walked off the field after losing the 2010 Super Bowl and people got all over him for not being a good sport. Phooey! He just lost the biggest game of the year. Let him go off and work it out in his own mind and then maybe later he can tell the victors how good they played.
Sportsmanship. Well, it is good but only to a degree. Give me time because the Herman Junction in me isn't all gone yet so leave me alone before the game because I am going to try to beat you as much as I can. And, when that game is over, stay away from me. I ain't going to congratulate nobody for whupping me!!
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