Good Bye My Trusted Companion and Friend!

There have been a few times, over the last year or so that I have sat here and typed an obituary, or some sort of honor to a fallen friend, or someone I admired.

However, this is a little more difficult. This is about, not just a friend, but a companion, and who is not human.  In fact, it was a canine.

My friend, my companion of 13 years, was a Siberian Husky.  Her name was Sasha, and for some of you, you’re aware of the closeness that this dog and myself, had for the last 13 years.

I found Sasha, in the spring of 2000, where she was at a pet adoption in front of a pet store in North Dallas.  She was in a crate, and all I saw through the bars were blue eyes, and a white face that was framed in black! The perfect “opera mask” as they call it on Huskies. She was beautiful! However, the name they gave her was “Sugar Bell”..,. to which, when called by that name, she would not respond… I whispered “Sasha” in her ear, and she sprang into my face and licked me like we were long lost friends.

Now the humor behind this, is that, I had put to rest another animal six month prior to this, and I had promised the woman I was dating and her children, that, when the time came I would purchase another dog and return to Dallas from deep East Texas (Lufkin). Well it took another year and half before that happened, but Sasha and I began our journey together. From the Deep East Texas area, to bringing her to Dallas, and through a marriage, and then a move from one house to another, to a mental break down that I had in 06, to moving again, to another home, to a divorce, a heart  attack in 08, to my 50^th, in 09 and now to losing her, because of an injury, that caused the both the Doctor and myself to choose to humanly to put her to sleep and let her suffer no futher!

The human in this story lost his friend, the one that knows all the secretes, the tears from fighting off the demons in his dreams, the hurt that they felt when they lost love, but Sasha was always there, by my side. Giving her unconditional love to me, day in and day out.

I am not the only person in the world to have put a pet to rest, however, for every time a person has to do that, it is always amazing to me, how many people come out and offer their condolences, and best wishes, and even for some to check up on me to make sure that I am ok!

I miss my friend.. I will miss her jumping on me to tell me that she missed me during the day or at night after a game, or to greet friends when they could come to the house! HER love, her sparkle in her eyes, and her kisses, those dog kisses will be missed!

I loved that big beautiful wolf! My 60lb fur coats with fangs! My Sasha!

Rest in peace my friend, my buddy—my puppy—my Sasha!

Mr. Magoo! You’ve Done It Again! NCAA!

What in the world is the NCAA thinking?

Penn State has been stripped of their victories dating back to 1998—they have now tarnished every STUDENT Athlete that put on the Nittany Lion Blue, and for what? Because the NCAA think that its best to penalize the entire program and not those who were or ARE involved!

They take away scholarships, they take away bowl appearances, they take away the wins, they take away Bowl victories, they take away the statue of the long standing coach—they take away all the things that we connect with Penn State!

BECAUSE LARRY SANDUSKY is a moron! Sandusky is a Pedophile! Not the kid who lined up on the gridiron against his opponent every week and played the game, he didn’t hold the children in the showers, he had nothing to do with the problem of ONE man—and one system that protected him.

The Administration, the Athletic Director, the Coach, the President of the University, they all should be thrown in jail, they all should be taken to the wood shed… and let the penalty be stiff!

BUT to make the kids that go to school, because of the education, and the tradition of what Penn State has been, and to throw all of that away, because of this one person’s psycho background these kids are going to suffer!

And for those others who have the rings from their bowl championships, or their trophies, that they won—they are now gone!

When SMU was given the death penalty—it sorta made a bit more sense, mainly because it was the program that was corrupt—THE PROGRAM—this is not the PROGRAM—this is one PERSON who is corrupted, and because of his mental problem of wanting to take showers with little boys—the entire program will suffer! NO! that’s not whats suppose to happen! NOT THE PROGRAM!

Attack the school! Go after those in charge, take those to task—but leave the kids alone!

No where in the NCAA BY-LAWS does it state, that the action of the administration should be taken out on the student athlete that had nothing to do with the crime! In short—when a recruiting violation takes place—the School must forfeit its scholarships and then have sanctions placed upon it, because the program as a whole failed. This is NOT the case—this is about a MAN who has a sickness, and illness, and it was with adolescents, who could not speak for themselves!

This will never be reversed, and for those athletes who played for, and are still at the school are now told what you did during your time there doesn’t matter! It was all for not! It just sickens the soul, and worse, it gives these former players and students a sense of LOSS that they can never get back! Your records mean nothing now!

SMU for the most part, hasn’t fully recovered from those days, and its been almost 25 years since that happened! How long is it going to take Penn State? No one knows!

Joe Paterno’s name has been removed as the coach with most wins in a career, his statue taken down, however the University says that his name will remain on the School Library…. Don’t know if that is a good consolation or not, but none the less, what does need to happen is for the School to police itself, and let the court system run its course.

The bottom line here is, the NCAA got this one wrong. The Penalty should not have taken ANYTHING away from the student athlete, it should have left the program in-tact, and let those involved been dealt with by the proper authorities.

Its just a thought!