Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, October 29, 2022

14

OPINIONOPINION

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 29, 2022

PUT THE LIGHTS ON

MOUNTAIN 
VIEWS

NEWS

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Susan Henderson

PASADENA CITY 
EDITOR

Dean Lee 

PRODUCTION

SALES

Patricia Colonello

626-355-2737 

626-818-2698

WEBMASTER

John Aveny 

DISTRIBUTION

Peter Lamendola

CONTRIBUTORS

Stuart Tolchin 

Audrey Swanson

Meghan Malooley

Mary Lou Caldwell

Kevin McGuire

Chris Leclerc

Bob Eklund

Howard Hays

Paul Carpenter

Kim Clymer-Kelley

Christopher Nyerges

Peter Dills 

Rich Johnson

Lori Ann Harris

Rev. James Snyder

Katie Hopkins

Deanne Davis

Despina Arouzman

Jeff Brown

Marc Garlett

Keely Toten

Dan Golden

Rebecca Wright

Hail Hamilton

Joan Schmidt

LaQuetta Shamblee

RICH & FAMOUS 

STUART TOLCHIN


DON'T BE SCARED - EMBRACE THE 
FEAR AND ACT


VOTE YES ON NO!

“You can lead a man to Congress, 
but you can’t make him 
think.” Milton Berle

“We would all like to vote for 
the best man, but he is never a candidate.” Kin Hubbard

“He is going around the country stirring up apathy.” William 
Whitelaw

“I do have certain feelings. My feeling is that whoever is in 
charge, I want him out.” Lewis Black

Years back on election day in Chicago, you were encouraged 
to vote early…and vote often. Ahhh, the good old days when 
Chicago election corruption was legendary. Lol!

And did you happen to know voting in Australia (and around 
30 other country’s) is mandatory? If you don’t vote you are 
breaking the law. The fine is $20. If you don’t respond to the 
Australian government’s request for a doctor’s note or other 
legitimate excuse, (no, a note from your mom won’t cut it) the 
fine jumps to $50 plus the cost of tracking you down. 

Let’s take a lighter side look at the world of politicians. I’ll 
start with a dramatic hard line stand taken by the first President 
Bush. He said (with a sense of executive authority):

“I do not like broccoli…I’m President of the United States and 
I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.” George H. W. Bush

How about a few campaign slogans and bumper stickers from 
1960s comedian Pat Paulsen:

“If elected, I will win.” 

“I can’t stand Pat… Paulsen for President.”

“We’ve upped our standards. Up yours.”

“Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a 
bridge where there is no river.” Nikita Khrushchev, premier of 
Russia in the 1960s.

“Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression 
is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter 
loses his.” Ronald Reagan (on the campaign trail in 1980)

A cornucopia of campaign slogans are regularly generated 
during high school campaigns. Here are a few:

“Vote for Rich. He’s Not Popular and He’s Not Handsome. So 
He Has Time for Student Government.”

“Just Do It. Vote for Rich.”

“Pardon Me. Can You Spare a Vote? Vote for Rich.”

“Thank Rich It’s Friday.”

“Victoria’s Real Secret. She Votes for Rich.”

“Vote for Rich. We’ve All Done Something Stupid.”

Finally, I’ll end with a compelling, deep, insightful, probing 
question. How come, in our society, we have to choose from 
just 2 people in most elections, and yet, we choose from 50 for 
Miss America?

Be sure and do your homework and go out and vote!

 First, don’t try to tell me that there is nothing to be 
afraid of. Open your eyes and look around. The Pandemic 
won’t go away and keeps mutating into other scary variants. 
Every morning, as soon as we make the mistake of turning 
on the morning news or, worse yet, Democracy Now, we 
learn of shootings and bombings and the number of deaths 
since yesterday. Corruption is reported everywhere and it 
feels like there is no one left to trust, even Dr. Fauci. Each 
day my phone messages demand contributions to causes 
and candidates as the frightening midterm elections approach like horsebacked Cossacks 
coming to pull us from our homes with the intent of torturing us.

 This last image of approaching Cossacks comes from, “My Life By Golda Meir”, 
the book I was reading as I fell asleep. As an eight year old child, newly arrived from 
Kiev, Golda and her family attended their first American parade and were horrified by 
the sight of uniformed men on horseback. I immediately they thought of the Cossacks 
and the pogroms that caused them to leave the Ukraine. The Golda Meir book 
reminded me of some other frightening, inevitable occurrence—CHANGE. Soon after 
their arrival the father who barely knows his eight year old daughter warns her on 
page 41,”It doesn’t pay to be too clever. Men don’t like smart girls.” In these intervening 
years I believe things have changed, sort of. It is impossible not to recognize that 
change has occurred but my double negative is a reminder of how difficult the changes 
have been and how so many of us do not want to recognize these inevitable changes 
and are frightened by them.

 I realize that many of my own attitudes, recognized or not, are based upon a fear 
of Change. The big question in Sierra Madre today concerns referendums allowing the 
beloved monastery to be sold to developers and fears of future development. I want the 
whole thing to go away. I want no change period and I know this will not be the case. 
I want things to stay the same with the world needing to adapt to me rather than me 
adapting to the world. This attitude is much like that of Holden Caulfied, the hero of 
J. D. Salinger’s novel the Catcher in the Rye. Reviews of the novel describe Holden as 
permanently immature and unwilling and unable to adapt to changes. Nonetheless, I 
completely identify and sympathize with him notwithstanding that by the end of the 
book it is clear that he has been institutionalized.

 A couple of years ago I went to a local bookstore to see about another writing 
by Salinger. I asked the worker to look into books by J.D. Salinger. The clerk said if 
you don’t know the author’s first name “I can’t help you.” I do need help as was made 
even more obvious when in connection with my desire to have a book of my articles 
to be published in the hope that my granddaughter might be interested in it at some 
future time when she can actually read more that the letter “J” (remember she is only 
three years old). Anyway, I had some vague recollection of the poem “Ozymandias” 
by Percy Bysshe Shelley which dealt with the human wish to be remembered. I went 
to a local library (not Sierra Madre) and approached THE RESEARCH LIBRARIAN 
asking her to direct me to the section where I could find poetry by Shelley and she 
actually said, “Shelley who?” Her lack of information greatly disappointed me and was 
reflected in my expression. The RESEARCH LIBRARIAN condescendingly explained 
that literature that was current in my era was probably not remembered today. I asked 
if she was familiar with Frankenstein which of course was written by Shelley’s wife. 
That the librarian knew about that.

 Speaking of Frankenstein that brings me to the plethora of frightening Halloween 
displays all over town. Frankly I have never understood the great desire to 
be frightened or to frighten. Recently, after her swimming lesson, a large costumed 
monster-like creature appeared at the poolside to entertain the 3-5 year old kids. My 
granddaughter was at first very frightened and clung to my wife for support and safety. 
Almost immediately she announced that she raised her arms to indicate she was now 
“big and strong” and attempted to follow the creature up the stairs.

 This is my final point about fear and fear of change. They are both constancies 
within our lives that do not go away. “The more things change the more they remain 
the same.” But as FDR (I hope you know who he was) reminded the nation eighty 
years ago, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Fear must be recognized but 
it cannot be allowed to paralyze us into denial and inaction and Holden-like despair. 
Sorry, you MAGA fans the America that never was cannot be retrieved. Fearing the 
future and longing for the past, imagined or not, is never a solution. I believe that it is 
necessary to stay informed, recognize the truth, face our fears, and take appropriate 
individual action. Don’t despair! There are at least two-sides to everything. Start by 
voting (for the candidates of my choice-that’s what Holden would want.) I have not 
completely changed. 

Mountain Views News 
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Case number GS004724: 
for the City of Sierra 
Madre; in Court Case 
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Madre, California, 91024. 
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HERITAGE MONTH: THE ALL-BROTHERS BASEBALL TEAM

In 1997, the Cooperstown Hall of Fame honored the Acerra family, an 
all-Italian, 12-brother semi-pro team that played .700 winning baseball 
from 1938 to 1952.

Between 1860 and 1940, 29 baseball teams were made up entirely of brothers; 
the Acerras played longer than any other.

Honored isn’t the same as inducted, so the brothers didn’t join the powerful 
Italian-American contingent that has Hall of Fame plaques, which 
includes Joe DiMaggio, Tony Lazzeri, Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto.

Among the Italian-American baseball standouts born too soon to benefit 
from today’s watered-down Hall of Fame standards were Sal “the Barber” 
Maglie, a New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers and Yankees pitcher, and 
Rocco Domenico Colavito, a nine-time All-Star with 374 career home 
runs.

The Acerras’ wonderful story is one of strong family ties and exceptional 
baseball skills. Louis “Pop” Acerra coached his sons, part of his family of 
17 children. The team consisted of Alfred and Edward as catcher, James 
and Robert on the mound, Charles at first base, Louis Jr. at second base, 
Fred at shortstop, Richard at third base and sharing outfield duties, Paul, 
Joseph, William and Anthony.

Back then, girls didn’t play baseball, so Pop’s five daughters rooted from the sidelines along with the family dog “Pitch.” Neighbors couldn’t remember 
a time when the brothers weren’t out in their yard playing catch or hitting fungos to each other.

The age difference between oldest brother, Anthony, to the youngest, Louis Jr. was 25 years. While being scouted by major league teams, their playing 
ages were as young as 17 and as old as 40. For 22 consecutive years, the Long Branch High School baseball team fielded an Acerra brother.

Officially formed in 1938, the team played throughout the East Coast for 14 years. In 1948, the sibling squad challenged the New York Yankees to an 
exhibition game, an offer the Bronx Bombers rejected.

During World War II, the team temporarily disbanded. Defending America’s freedom was more important than baseball. At different times, six brothers 
enlisted; when they all returned, the team resumed playing. The brothers turned down college scholarships and offers to play professional baseball.

Alfred, the catcher, continued to play after losing sight in one eye. Attempting to bunt, the ball bounced off Alfred’s bat, and struck him directly in the 
eye. Within months, Alfred was back behind the plate. Brother Freddie said: “He was a pretty good catcher for a guy with one eye.”

In 1946, the Acerras joined the Long Branch City (New Jersey) Twilight Baseball League, and during the next six years, won the championship four 
times. When the Acerras played, the stands were always packed with fans.

Along their road to success, the Acerras became the talk of the town. In 1947, Life and Look magazines and Ripley’s Believe it or Not ran features on 
the brothers. The Acerras also appeared on the popular “Once in a Lifetime” nightly radio program.

By 1952, the brothers had married and were raising children. The team’s playing days were over. 
But 45 years after their last game, the seven still-living brothers accepted the Hall of Fame’s invitation 
to participate in its annual ceremony. James M. Accera, pitcher Jimmy’s son, donated his Dad’s 
uniform and glove which now are in the same museum with the artifacts of the lives of Babe Ruth, 
Ty Cobb and Willie Mays.

Acerra said, “This just touches the surface of a family that stayed a family, behind all the baseball 
and athletic achievements. A family that never allowed sibling rivalry and infighting or success to 
tear them apart. Their team was a reflection of something greater, something that 14 years, many 
hardships, the lure of professional contracts, and even a World War could not destroy.”

Acerra’s loving memory stands as a reminder that the team’s accomplishments were more about 
family values than baseball, and how the national pastime unified them in brotherly love.

Joe Guzzardi is a Society for American Baseball Research and Internet Baseball Writers’ Association 
member. Contact him at guzzjoe@yahoo.com.


Mountain Views News

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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