Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, August 6, 2022

OPINIONOPINION 13 Mountain Views-News Saturday, August 6, 2022 OPINIONOPINION 13 Mountain Views-News Saturday, August 6, 2022 
MOUNTAIN 

VIEWS 

NEWS 

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Susan Henderson 

PASADENA CITY 
EDITOR 

Dean Lee 

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Patricia Colonello 
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WEBMASTER 

John Aveny 

DISTRIBUTION 

Peter Lamendola 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Stuart Tolchin 
Audrey SwansonMeghan MalooleyMary Lou CaldwellKevin McGuire 
Chris Leclerc 
Bob Eklund 
Howard HaysPaul CarpenterKim Clymer-KelleyChristopher NyergesPeter Dills 
Rich Johnson 
Lori Ann Harris 
Rev. James SnyderKatie HopkinsDeanne Davis 
Despina ArouzmanJeff Brown 
Marc Garlett 
Keely TotenDan Golden 
Rebecca WrightHail Hamilton 
Joan Schmidt 
LaQuetta Shamblee 

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PUT THE LIGHTS ON

STUART TOLCHIN 



THE DODGERS, VIN, MY DAD AND ME 

May 7, 1959 was the date my love affair with the Los 

Angeles Dodgers and Vin Scully began. This was the date 

that I attended my first official Major League Baseball game. 

Actually, it was not an official game but rather was an exhibi


tion game being played in the Los Angeles Memorial Coli


seum prior to the actual opening of the season, the Dodger’s 

first season in Los Angeles. The game was called Roy Cam


panella night honoring the Dodger catcher who was para


lyzed in an auto accident during the off=season. Campanella 

was a three time Most Valuable Player, of course a future Hall 

of Famer, but this night wasn’t just for him. Included in the 
record breaking crowd of 93,103 were my dad and me in one of the few games we ever 
“saw” together. My Dad could still see then, his diabetes caused blindness was still a 
few years away. We did not sit in a seat but because of the huge crowd we were placed 
on the field behind a wire fence in the peristyle end of the Coliseum. We sat right behind 
the Center fielder Duke Snider. He turned to glare at me as I screamed his name,
Edwin Donald Snider. A real live famous person had acknowledged me welcoming me 
into the real world; at least, that’s what I felt and still remember.

Another well remembered moment occurred between the fifth and sixth inning 
when the Public Address announcer (I wish it was Vin Scully but I don’t think it 
was) informed the crowd that all lights were to be put out and the gigantic crowd was 
instructed to light matches. The sight was electrifying. The Coliseum suddenly burst 
into a mass of blinking stars. In my mind’s eye which, unlike my actual eyes, does not 
need glasses, I can still see the matches burning in the darkness.

Why do I choose this particular time to tell this story? Of course it is all brought 
to mind by the recent passing of Vince Scully who called the Dodger games for 67 years 
beginning even while the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn. For my dad and me and 
for so many others Vince Scully was more than the voice of the Dodgers. He was the 
Dodgers. Already I have received 6 emails describing the importance of Vin Scully 
to my friends. They, like me and my Dad listened to him on transistor radios as he 
told humorous stories still managing to keep track of the game. He was an old friend 
whose voice, listened to on warm summer nights in our non-air conditioned apartments 
made life tolerable, even fun. Go Dodgers!

After my Dad lost his vision we listened to Vin every night of the season and 
believe it or not we were pretty happy. Sure we had to get up at 5:00 a,m to begin mydad’s route, but it was fine as my Dad couldn’t see my questionable early morning driving. 
It was actually a pretty wonderful time for me as my Dad and I would discuss the 
previous night’s Dodger game and remind each other about the humorous stories that 
Vin had constructed during the game. Of course I also had the opportunity to hear myDad’s stories about growing up in the Ukraine and surviving life-threatening times. I 
want you to understand that there was sometimes humor in these stories like my dad’s 
adventures with his constantly wandering cow. These stories were always mixed in with 
our discussions of Dodger games and how Vin Scully’s wonderful voice and tone allowed 
us to feel like we were right there at the game and pretty pleased with our self as 
we coped with a very difficult situation It sort of reminds me of today. 

Sure we live in a capitalistic society which is all about money and I recognize 
that the Dodgers have been awfully good at the money game. Inadvertently or not, the 
Dodgers are responsible for wonderful consequences which have broken racist, ethnic, 
and gender barriers. Perhaps Jessica Mendoza, the female Latina super-star now calling 
the Dodger games from Vin Scully’s old seat, or right next to it, is a harbinger indicating 
the potential bring down the sexist gender barrier presently preventing females 
from playing in the major leagues. You never know but if there is money to be made it 
could happen. 

Meanwhile enjoy the games. The Dodgers are doing great this season. 

TOM PURCELL 
THE KEYS TO LIVING WELL 


Comedian 
Carl Reiner 
was good at 
living well — 
and he lived 
well until the 
age of 98. 

I recently watched his 2017 
HBO documentary, “If You’re 
Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast.” 

It introduces viewers to several 
people who are flourishingin their 90s — running races 
at 100, doing yoga at 98, playing 
the piano professionally at 100 — and it really does inspire people of all ages to get off 
their duff and take life by the horns. 


Average life expectancy has taken a hit in the past few years due to COVID which claimed 1 
million Americans, and opioid overdoses, which claimed 100,000 in 2021, reports Fortune. 

It’s particularly heartbreaking that so many of the opioid deaths were young people, who had 
their whole lives still before them. 

What a loss of human potential. 

Despite recent life-expectancy setbacks, however, the truth is, technological innovation will 
continue to extend our lifespans. 

According to the World Future Society, advances in nanotechnology and cell and gene manipulation 
may eventually keep humans alive for 120 to 500 years. 

I have zero desire to live 500 years, but after watching Reiner’s wonderful documentary, I am 
inspired to dive into life with more passion and gusto right now, at age 60. 

Living well and living an active life has nothing to do with age, but with the decisions we 
make every single day. 

And choosing to live with greater vitality is not so hard to do. 

Reiner says the key to having vitality in your life is to do something that makes you eager to 
get out of bed every morning. 

In his case it was writing. He wrote a book every year in his 90s. He found a way to share his 
legendary humor with the rest of us. 

I am finally embracing such wisdom. 

I wake now at 6 a.m. and once I get my lovable lab, Thurber, situated, I go to a writer’s nook I 
created in an unused bedroom and work on a new dog-related blog and a book about my first 
year as a new dog dad (www.ThurbersTail.com). 

Such simple writing brings me tremendous joy and gives me a burst of energy to manage the 
often stressful communications consulting work I do for corporate clients during the rest of 
my working day. 

Reiner’s documentary says that another key to vitality is to keep moving. Get up. Get out. 
Meet friends. Make eye contact. 

We are social animals and eye contact, conversation and a hearty laugh shared with friends 
are the foundations of vitality. 

If there is something you’ve always wanted to do, there’s no time like the present, so get off 
your butt and do it. 

Reiner explains how his wife Estelle didn’t start her jazz singing career until she turned 60. 
She recorded seven albums and performed in jazz clubs until she passed away at the age of 94. 

It’s easy to let unpleasant current events — inflation, recession, political bickering — weigh 
our spirits down. 

It’s important to follow what is happening in our government and exercise our right to vote. 

But what is even more important is that we choose to live fully doing something meaningful 
and doing something we love every single day, no matter how old we are. 

We become better sons and brothers and neighbors and citizens that way — to the benefit of 
us all. 

Tom Purcell, creator of the infotainment site ThurbersTail.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 
humor columnist. Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com. 


RICH & 
FAMOUS 

PARAPROSDOKIANS, 
PART ONE REVISITED 


This is a rerun of a column that ran a year ago. I choose to rerun 
the column as the topic, paraprosdokians are such a wonderful, 
unusual and clever part of our literary culture. My and Famous’ 
personal goal with this column is achieved when we share bits of 
anecdotal fun that you, in turn share with friends enjoying the 
same good feeling we experience in improving someone’s quality 
of life by making them chuckle. So please enjoy, and pass it along. 

Paraprosdokian: A figure of speech in which the latter part of 
a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected, usually in ahumorous or dramatic way. Sounds like your dubious columnist 
here has spent a lifetime spouting paraprosdokians without 
knowing exactly what they were. You might have favorites of 
your own. Here are some that caught my attention. 

We’ll start with the paraprosdokian that best defines the essence 
of …Rich Johnson: 

“We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public.” 
Unknown 

“You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing – 
after they have tried everything else.” Winston Churchill 

“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.” 
Groucho Marx 

“A modest man, who has much to be modest about.” Winston 
Churchill 

“The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it’s still on the list.” 
Unknown 

“I didn’t say it was your fault; I said I was blaming you.” Unknown 

“You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute 
to skydive twice.” Unknown 

“Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won’t expect it 
back.” Unknown 

“You’re never too old to learn something stupid.” Unknown 

“War does not determine who is right – only who is left.” 
Unknown 

“I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not sure.” Unknown 

“A Freudian slip is when you say one thing, but mean your mother.” 
Unknown 

“Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear 
bright until you hear them speak.” Unknown 

Next week I will regale you with part two of my two part series 
on “paraprosdokians”. 

My intrepid 60’s and 70’s fun rock band, JJ Jukebox, is performing 
at Nano Café, August 20, 6:30-9:30pm. 322 West Sierra Madre 
Blvd, Sierra Madre. Best time to make reservations is to call (626)
325-3334 after 4:00pm on a Wednesday through Saturday 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 
Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com