Serendipitous Friendships: In Springsteen and in Sports

I repeat the quote by Matthew Kelly in every class I teach and with each team I coach. He has said, "the friends you keep are more important than the books you read." I have yet to encounter any resistance to his words. Rather, I find an audience nodding in universal agreement. We know we can't choose our family, but we do have a say when it comes to choosing friends. And let's be honest, some of us get lucky—really lucky—when it comes to them. My mom always says "you make your luck," but I think there is something serendipitous about certain people that enter into our lives. 

I've made some of my closest friends through school, work, sports and my faith. Many of these relationships are nourished by common values, similar interests and a shared passion. But I would by lying if I didn't admit that some of my favorite people in the world have become my friends because of one particular preoccupation: American singer, songwriter and performer: Bruce Springsteen. And, watching the CBS Sunday Morning show's interview of the Boss offered me more than another opportunity to reach out to those buddies with whom I love to "speak Springsteen." 

From the conversation between The Boss and Anthony Mason, I was reminded that the miracle of friendship that can be born between two unlikely people, at unsuspecting time or in inconspicuous places. And, it is shaped, formed and sustained through sharing our talents, abilities and ourselves.

In what may be one of the more beautiful treatises on friendship, when asked “How would you describe your relationship with Clarence?” Bruce said:

“It was very primal,” he replied. “It was just, ‘Oh, you’re, you’re some missing part of me. You’re some dream I’m having. He was this huge force, you know? While at the same time being very fragile and very dependent himself, which is maybe what the two of us had in common. We were both kind of insecure down inside. And we both felt kind of fragile and unsure of ourselves. But when we were together we felt really powerful. 

“We were very different people, you know? Clarence lived fast and loose and wild and wide-open, you know? And I tended to be a little more conservative.” 

“You said offstage, you couldn’t be friends.” 

“I couldn’t because it would ruin my life!” Springsteen laughed. 

“But Clarence could be Clarence excellently. He was very good at it.” 

Until Clemons’ health went into a long decline. In 2011 he suffered a stroke and died days later. “Losing Clarence,” Springsteen writes, “was like losing the rain.”

I thought of the rare and wonderful chemistry that existed between Bruce and "C." At 6"5" and somewhere close to 280 pounds Clemons was a force, but that force was magnified by who it met and what it became on stage. It wasn't just part of the show, it was a gift for all who love both men and their music to witness the dream. 

Springsteen is indeed a poet, a performer and a musician...so I shouldn't be surprised by the loveliness of his words. His insight into friendship invited me to think of others who might share this type of gift. My mind considered former teammates like Steve Young and Jerry Rice, Chris Mullin and Manute Bol or Kareem Abdul-Jabar and Magic Johnson. These friendships pair two very different men who collaborate and create something greater than themselves. And then I realized perhaps that's exactly why Elie Wiesel said, "Friends are the jewel of life." 

True friendship asks us to be nothing more than we are...if we are fragile, we should be fragile. If we're insecure, a friend lets us be insecure. He or she may actually get what that means. And if the other is loose and larger than life, let him or her run with it. Know who you are, what you can do and delight in the other half. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 

All Springsteen fans are grateful that part of Clarence lives on with the E Street Band in Jake Clemons, the new saxophone player. But, we also know that change that was made uptown when the Big Man joined the band, formed something "really powerful." Losing the rain has left us longing for the day when there's a Reunion tour of another kind....thank you brother man.

Photo Credits
Force
Jerry Rice & Steve Young

A Nugget in the Gold Rush: The Niner Museum

Tonight, thousands of Grateful Dead fans will descend upon Levi's Stadium for the "Fare Thee Well" Tour. If you know anything about the band or the venue, you can't help but find it strange. Perhaps that's fitting. What a long strange trip it has been for the San Francisco 49ers who now call that $1.3 billion dollar complex home.

Brian Murphy of KNBR's Murph and Mac show said it well when he admitted, "it's popular to hate on Levi's Stadium." I'm a nominal fan and his words resonated more deeply with me than they should have. As someone who has lived and worked in the City by the Bay for 15 years now (I can't believe that!), it's unfortunate that our team now plays in a venue 40 miles south. Miles! minutes might be another...?... For Niner fans, the (hate) list is long. But I would like to offer a nugget in the gold rush that has hit Silicon Valley and San Francisco for the Forty-Niner Faithful: The 49er Museum.

I don't know why, but I entered with little to no expectations. I am a sports enthusiast and American Studies major, so I should have held high hopes. I guess Murph's words have removed the rose in my colored glasses. But that rose, or Niner red is back and with this posting, I would like to offer three insights I gained that will stay me with!

1. The Forty-Niners are the first professional sports team born and bred in San Francisco.
The Giants came to town in 1958, but that was by way of the Polo Grounds in New York. So when the Morabito brothers bought the franchise—a dream that allegedly began over many lunch breaks at the Saint Francis Creamery—what is now also the oldest professional sports team from the West Coast became a reality.

Of additional interest might be the purported story behind the Niner's team colors. Victor and Tony, two graduates of St. Ignatius (where I teach) played football at Santa Clara University. They adopted the colors of their collegiate alma mater for their team. NB: today Santa Clara goes with a maroon and white and like many other schools—black. As I've said before "black is the new black." 

The greatest WR & QB in Niner history

2. It's all about chemistry.
Anyone who has ever been in a romantic relationship knows this is true, but chemistry is never limited to a love interest. A good team has great chemistry. Friends "click" or they don't. When my roommate and I asked a new priest why he chose to be a diocesan priest rather than one in a religious order, he admitted that he didn't find the right chemistry with the religious communities he visited. "I liken it to a relationship, I didn't find the right chemistry" he confessed. "Everyone understands it when I put it that way." Indeed.

Look up to the ceiling when you are inside the Niner museum and you will see footballs hanging midair—206 of them. This display plays tribute to the 206 passes that Jerry Rice caught for touchdowns, as a Niner. 19 of those pigskins were for TDs in the post-season. According to #80, the majority of those were made possible because of the great chemistry he shared with quarterback Joe Montana. In the introductory video, Rice says "I always told Joe, if you were a woman I would date you."  I have a feeling a lot of men might feel that same way.

As I heard that, I thought of all that great chemistry has made possible. Chemistry is a factor we cannot control, as much as we would like to. Give thanks to the Creator for those with whom you share great chemistry.

The image in the video is up close and hard to believe!

3. The role of the Superbowl Championship in 1981.
I love history and I love it that much more when it includes the context of sport.

I recommend that you take the 10 minutes to watch the introductory video inside the museum as it sets the tone for what you will see decade by decade. Many stories, profiles, facts and accomplishments have stayed with me, but a poignant one was the impact of the Niner's victory in their first Superbowl.

The Niners had struggled in the late '70s. They were the laughing stock of the NFL and even coaching Bill Walsh didn't make the switch overnight. The city itself had seen very dark days with the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk. Racism and crime were tearing neighborhoods apart.

But times began to change. Dwight Clark and "The Catch" led to a win over the hated Dallas Cowboys and an entry to Motown for Superbowl XVI against the Cincinnati Bengals. With the 26-21 victory, the city had something to rally around and celebrate, as oppose to mourn. 

There is an image that captures the victory parade. Players, politicians and coaches wave from their respective cable cars to thousands upon thousands of adoring fans. The image looks like a cartoon it is so incredible...whimsical...supersize. It made me wish I had been there.

Forty-niner fans have much to be grateful for. I have only written but a few observations from my brief visit with a friend in town from Washington, DC. We both enjoyed interactive presentations as well—I tried my stint as a Niner cheerleader (a member of the Gold Rush) and he at the NFL combine.

Maybe it's appropriate that the Dead are playing at Levi's. A band that lived in the Haight and whose music has underscored the energy of the city by the bay has another chapter in its book. One worth learning and celebrating...even if it is 45 miles south of Shakedown Street.

The Body: Temple of the Holy Spirit vs. The Norovirus

The survey reports that 935 students and 68 faculty members at St. Ignatius College Prep were infected with the Norovirus. This “group of viruses that cause the 'stomach flu' or gastroenteritis” prompted the school’s closure for three days.

I wanted to return to the classroom with a clever yet meaningful way to get students to discuss all that had happened during the past week. I wanted call attention to my increased appreciation and respect for the body—both as a survivor of this virulent airborne virus, but also as a spectator of athletic feats in Super Bowl XLII.

The first passage of scripture that came to mind are the words of St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians (6:19-20). Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.

Indeed the temple had been taken hostage for 48 hours by the Norovirus. In no way did I feel or believe that I was my own; I felt little control over my illness. I slept, waited and hoped in anticipation that my immune system would eventually triumph.

As the battle finally began to lean in my favor, I watched the New York Giants and New England Patriots, modern day gladiators wage their own warfare. However, these men, both healthy and strong were purchased at a price. A price that I think we need be critical of in our society. Still, I am sure they believe when they play, run, hit, tackle, pass and receive at the highest level they have a unique opportunity to glorify God in their body. This year's Super Bowl may not have revealed that in the way other games have, but Manningham's catch that put the G-men in the position to take the lead merits some consideration.

If there is one Super Bowl MVP who was able to glorify God in his body, it was without a doubt Jerry Rice. Jerry had such command of his temple that he once said he was at his best when he maintained a body fat of 8%. When he was at 9% body fat, he ran a little too slow; when he was at 7% he was just a little too lean. Recovery time for the Hall of Fame wide receiver took longer when he was at 7% body fat. Talk about precision and discipline!

While few of us need command of our body in the way a professional athlete does, ultimately St. Paul delivered a message we still need to hear today. Because we belong to God, we are holy and integral parts of the Body of Christ. His concept of responsibility to the Body includes taking care of our physical bodies and those of one another. Richard T. Ritenbaugh writes "Under the Old Covenant, God is mysterious and distant and dwelling in the Temple. Under the New Covenant, we become the Temple, and God becomes knowable and personal." It shouldn’t have to take the flu to remind me that the body is indeed sacred. We say “life is a gift!” quite often. In this past week, I am humbly reminded that so too, is good health.

Photo Credits
Jerry Rice
Manningham's Catch
Norovirus