ABNER DOUBLEDAY OUT - ORIGINS OF BASEBALL

Despite the recent events of the first week of the 2008 Bejing Summer Olympics that include the incredibly naive misstep by the Spanish Men's Basketball Team, the babies on the Chinese Ladies Gymnastic Team, the ongoing supression by the Chinese government of the world media and much more I had the oportunity to wax eloquent on a variety of topics. I have chosen a more mundane, discreet path that will keep me out of the politics of the aforementioned situations save a sincere, "Shame on you" admonition.

Towards that end I just received another response to my October 7, 2007 post Proud To Be a Canadian??? where I had originally responded to what were the ramblings of an egomaniacal Canadian intent to “up” the Canadian experience and “down” America by spouting some gibberish about Canadian inventions. One of those was the certainty that Canadians had invented baseball. Let it be said now and forever, I frankly don’t care who invented the game whether it be Canadian, Russian, Chinese, Scottish or for that matter, any other nationality. It’s just nice to embrace the truth.

Admittedly, since my youth I have been cursed with stories of iconic and apparently mythological import that Abner Doubleday of Cooperstown, NY had invented that most American of pastimes, baseball. I initially offered that Doubleday or the equally iconic Alexander Cartwright of Hoboken, NJ were the Americans attributed with the invention of the modern game. Along with Ken Burns I was wrong about Doubleday who has now been discredited.

This respectful Canadian (whose privacy I will protect) accurately opined to the contrary though ignoring the Cartwright connection. She offered the opportunity to further my research into this subject. Her e-mail and my most recent response follow.

“I just came across your blog. While I have to agree with most of what you write, my quibble would be with 4. The oldest verifiable use of the word baseball comes from an Ontario newspaper in 1838.

Just as you believe that ice hockey is derived from the Scottish game shinty, there are those that believe that baseball is derived from an English (Irish?) game called rounders.

As far as Abner Doubleday being the inventor of baseball, I would submit his 37 volume daily journal as proof to the contrary. Not once is the game or the idea of baseball mentioned, which would be impossible if he had actually invented the game.

A Canadian...”

Here is my response.

Thanks for your welcome response. The origins of baseball have been the subject of much debate and my opinions also continue to evolve. The observations in my Blog related directly to the modern game as we know it today though I now emphatically concede that Doubleday was not involved in the invention of baseball at all. With one American myth dispelled let's reflect further on the reality of the origins of the game.

Most now agree that Alexander Cartwright (1820–1892) of Hoboken, NJ (photo above) who founded the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York (named after the Knickerbocker Fire Engine Company where Cartwright was a volunteer firefighter) was the “Father of Modern Baseball.” The Knickerbockers had played a recreational bat and ball game among themselves called the Town Game. When the Knickerbockers lost their free playing field in 1845 and had to start paying for the privilege, they founded a paying league whereupon Cartwright and a committee first drew up rules that eventually became known as the Knickerbocker Rules. These 20 rules are believed to be the basis for and evolution of the Town Game into the modern game of baseball. Cartwright is credited for the concepts of: fair and foul territory; three strikes per out; three outs per inning; nine players per side; and ninety feet between bases. We need note that while others have also been credited, Cartwright is thought to be one of the first to draw a diagram of a diamond shaped field. In recognition of his contributions, Cartwright was officially credited by the United States Congress on June 3, 1953, with inventing the modern game of baseball and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Cartwright then and for the rest of his life took baseball to the next level.

I do disagree that your 1838 Ontario newspaper reference to "baseball" is proof positive that the game was invented in Canada. In short, your claim that the first use of the word “baseball” comes from an Ontario newspaper in 1838 bears scrutiny. Actually this supposed first recorded account of a baseball game, which allegedly occurred in Beechville, Ontario on June 4, 1838, was actually a letter apparently written by Dr. Adam E. Ford, and then recounted in a letter by Ontario resident Dr. Matthew Harris that was published 38 years later on May 5, 1886, in a magazine called Sporting Life. Whew?

In this letter, many of the elements of what was evolving into baseball were described including bases/byes (5), base lines, distance from the pitcher to the home bye, Innings, types of pitches and three outs, among others.

There is no doubt that some of the elements of modern baseball were coming together. This letter is recognized by many as perhaps first documented evidence of a baseball game in Canada not the first game of baseball

There were much earlier references to baseball. I would draw your attention to a 1791 bylaw in Pittsfield, MA which only four years after the US Constitution was ratified, "banned the playing of baseball within 80 yards of the town meeting house." The statute also mentions other prohibited games to include wicket, cricket, batball, football, cats and fives. I have seen a woodcutting depicting an American bat and ball game dated in 1833

http://www.19cbaseball.com/game.html reflects in its very comprehensive history of baseball that The Boy's Own Book first published in Boston in 1829, referred to a game called "Round Ball," "Base" and "Goal Ball" and the first documentation of a game more closely related to modern baseball. The article included a field diagram with locations noted for bases all arranged in a diamond. Other early 19th century American newspapers regularly mentioned games such as "Bass-Ball," "Base," "Base Ball," "Base-Ball," "Goal Ball" and "Town Ball." Hmm, I wonder if Dr. Ford or Alexander Cartwright saw this article?

19cbaseball.com continues reflecting that “The first town ball club to adopt a constitution was the Olympic Ball Club of Philadelphia, founded in 1833. It was formed by combining two associations of Town Ball players. One of the Town Ball associations may have begun play in the spring of 1831, in Camden, NJ on Market Street.” And so it goes on…

Please note that my remarks in that original post were more a reaction to the mostly ridiculous rantings of someone trying to up the Canadian image, no matter the truth. Canadians don't need to cop to some false sense of accomplishment when they have so many legitimate and laudable achievements.

I absolutely agree that the modern game of baseball is based in part on earlier versions of rounders, a similar English (Irish) bat and ball game and the more formal game of cricket. But that's recent history. The Scots also had their version of a bat and ball game. As my anthropology DNA kicks in we need note that there is also evidence that the Romans played a similar game and in more recent history (the 14th century) the Russians had a bat and ball game they called Lapta.

According to highly respected Wikipedia, "Americans played a version of the English game rounders in the early 1800s which they called "Town Ball". In fact, early forms of baseball had a number of names, including "Base Ball", "Goal Ball", "Round Ball", "Fletch-catch", and simply "Base". In at least one version of the game, teams pitched to themselves, runners went around the bases in the opposite direction of today's game, and players could be put out by being hit with the ball like in Schlagball. Like today, however, it was three strikes and you're out."

It is almost amusing that the Americans at one point during the early development of baseball wanted to do everything they could to draw a distinction between rounders and baseball.

There is no doubt that whoever invented the game probably borrowed from many different versions of previous "bat and ball" games and that appropriately reflects both the Canadian and American distinguished pool of émigrés from all over the world. If the basis for the modern game was invented by someone other than those cited herein then they were obviously not well served by a lethargic media proving again that it always comes down to who timely writes the history.

When it comes to ice hockey we could give the ultimate credit to our First Nation Brothers and Sisters in present day Canada though we cannot be assured that other native peoples (like lacrosse) were not playing a similar game in other northern latitudes. Again, the Scots looking to busy themselves during the dark days of winter may have gotten the nod because of their proximity to someone who could write.

But, back to baseball. Frank Ceresi in The Origins of Baseball (Baseball Almanac, 07-2004) stated, "In truth, the game evolved over many decades, if not centuries, and its roots are, in reality, a tangled web of bat and ball games brought to this country by immigrants." It would be nice to think that there was some interaction, however subtle, between, those who were playing a similar game.

I also want to note that since Canada didn’t become a country until July 1, 1867 - well after the invention of the game - can the claim be made that a Canadian………… well, you get my drift…

We can agree on one thing- that the history of baseball can parallel the history of America. Baseball has evolved into a uniquely American pastime where according to Ken Burns, “Nothing in our daily life offers more of the comfort of continuity, the generational connection of belonging to a vast and complicated American family, the powerful sense of home, the freedom from time's constraints, and the great gift of accumulated memory than does our National Pastime.”

Even though other nations have embraced and in some cases surpassed our ability on the diamond, it’s still American. As Walt Whitman stated in a different time, “Well — it's our game; that's the chief fact in connection with it; America's game; it has the snap, go, fling of the American atmosphere; it belongs as much to our institutions; fits into them as significantly as our Constitution's laws; is just as important in the sum total of our historic life.”

Thanks for your input and note that I have already corrected my post.

All the Best, Aye

Ned Buxton

CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS - 2008

I watched in amazement at the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics also known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad of the Modern Era.

During the initial broadcast I was at another far more important function, the 30th birthday party of the daughter of a great Friend. I found myself in a sea of incredibly talented, erudite young adults who I am proud to say will hopefully be the inheritors of our planet. They appear that they will have the motivation and ability to clean up our mess. Well, I ended up waking up around 4:00 am and turned the TV on to NBC where, not to my commercial surprise, was a repeat of the Olympic opening ceremony.

It seems appropriate to use the US marketing phrase, we have been supersized! The pomp and circumstance punctuated by the colorful pageantry and costuming, fireworks, music (that included one of my favorites: Sarah Brightman), special effects and the spectacular lighting of the Olympic Torch by Chinese gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Li Ning, who appeared to run through air around the top ring of the stadium before touching off the torch (WOW!), seemed well beyond our most outrageous expectations.

The venue of this highly choreographed event is also the centerpiece of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Beijing National Stadium, which has been nicknamed the "Bird’s Nest" given its inventive and magnificent nest-like skeletal structure. There was a lot of concern about the ability of the structure to endure any of the not uncommon earthquakes that plague China. Well, it did and doubly so and not far in advance of the 8-8-08 opening. In short, the venue and the program were extraordinary.

When you have a totalitarian Communist government and millions (one-fifth of the worlds population) of compliant though apparently very proud citizens, you can pull off such a spectacle and especially one that had to endure many last minute changes in personnel and costume. There has never been a more lavish and exciting opening ceremony in the history of The Olympic Games, period. I noted that they apparently are in love with the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipes which were piped in with some regularity as the countries entered the stadium.

Amidst all this breathtaking (more later) celebration of our Humanity we have seen the pall of the continuing suppression and crackdown by the Chinese Government of those who would protest (among many other issues) the incredible human rights violations against Tibet and her Citizens. I witnessed the removal of three US Citizens and journalists from Tianammen Square who were protesting restrictions on religious freedom in China and apparently forcibly sent back home. Others who from a Chinese perspective might cause unrest just didn’t have their visas approved and were denied entrance to China. It would certainly appear that China has reneged on its pledge to the International Olympic Committee to allow the media to freely report the news.

Whether self fulfilling prophesies, all sorts of groups are now pledging to take this opportunity to express their perspectives about Tibet and a variety of other issues relating to China’s totalitarian regime. A Chinese Al Qaida group as well as Tibetan nationals have pledged in their own special way to disrupt the Olympics to include violence of the first order. With this new Muslim extremist threat it would appear to allow the justification of a more intense crackdown by the Chinese.

While much of this has been heartbreaking and, understandably, very real issues, I suspect that we can pick and choose better ways to try and deflect and eventually stop the slings and arrows of this repressive society. One of the tenets of the ancient Olympic movement was the suspension of war and controversy to even include the guarantee of safe passage of athletes and citizens bound for the Olympics. Though our world has changed, we need to embrace those ideals as best we can. Yes, it takes two cooperating sides…

For fear of coming off as another form of Dixie Chick dissidence, my first reaction is that President Bush’s comments while in Thailand on the eve of the Olympics and his visit to China while absolutely right on, were ill timed. True, while he admonished the Chinese he also praised them for their market reforms further tempering his remarks by saying that China had the right to choose its own course. That immediately brought about a Chinese response that bluntly told Bush to mind his own business and stop meddling in Chinese internal affairs.

We need to let China host the Olympics and then work closely with them to facilitate the change and freedoms that their people and the rest of the world embrace. Methinks that by goading this giant with an electric prod is not as effective as attempting a more covert diplomacy.

That said, what about the pollution in Beijing? The answer is under the careful watch of the Chinese Bureau of Weather Modification? They have even created a forest preserve on a 1,750 site just north of the Olympic Village ostensibly to raise oxygen levels in the area?

Even after pulling half of the city’s 3.3 million automobiles off the road and shutting down scores of factories, pollution levels remain high as witnessed by yesterday’s gray shroud that hung over the city.

Athletes have expressed concerns about their health and their ability to perform at a high level under these conditions. Some have already worn dust masks and respirators even though the Chinese have expressed their offense at this practice. Too bad.

Through all of this a sense of humor especially in the United States seems to prevail. If you haven’t already done so surf on over to YouTube and view the following video - The Onion: The Beijing Olympics - Are They A Trap?

Bottom Line: As messy as this is, these Games are all about sport not politics. The Olympic Games are intended to be competitions between athletes in individual or team events and not between countries though we have all gotten caught up in the overall team medal standings. We must respect the rights and sovereignty of all nations and the Olympic charter.

"Citius, Altius, Fortius" - "Faster, Higher, Stronger"

Aye

Ned Buxton

MY FIELD OF DREAMS

When my Dad died on March 21, 1984 at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas it was the culmination of his long and courageous battle with cancer. While my emotional psyche was in overdrive, I was able to overcome public (and private) demonstrations of the terrible grief that I felt. I was strong during that trying time and given that failure to grieve, some Friends back in Atlanta rightfully sensed that I was in trouble, well at least emotionally. So when was the big fall going to occur? We all knew that it was just a matter of time…

I had been very close to my Father when I was young and literally battled the rest of the Family after my parents divorce and what I felt was a forcible exile from Dallas to Pawtucket, Rhode Island where I lived with my Brothers, my Mother and her parents at their “Cottage”. This divorce was exceptionally cruel…

Dad had been an athlete in prep school (St. George’s in Newport, RI) and college (Brown University & Babson College) and had played football and soccer and encouraged me to pursue what appeared to be some promise in the athletic domain. I developed into a football player of some note and was even invited to play the game at Ole Miss by the legendary coach, Johnny Vaught. Dad and I tossed footballs and baseballs back and forth and he helped hone my athletic skills. Those were the best of times in my youth.

Dad was charming and entertaining though always rather matter of fact in his interpersonal style with his kids. He operated at a high intellectual plane and I suspect that I may have disappointed him with my mostly mediocre academic record. Athletics were another aspect, however, and allowed me to hone my leadership skills and prepared me for my career.

While my Mother did a hell of a good job raising us kids, I think that we suffered not having the male influence of our real Father. Grandfather Littlefield proved to be a great surrogate Dad.

Five years passed and still no real grieving as I pursued life as best I could.

In 1989 some incredible films were released to include When Harry Met Sally; Glory; My Left Foot; Born on the Fourth of July; Henry V (Kenneth Branaugh); Batman; Driving Miss Daisy; Sex, Lies, and Videotape; Dead Poets Society; The War of the Roses; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; Crimes and Misdemeanors and one of my personal favorites, Field of Dreams. While Field of Dreams didn’t win any awards it was nominated for Picture of The Year, falling like several other great films to the genius of Driving Miss Daisy.

Field of Dreams was a baseball fantasy though based on some real life characters to especially include one of my personal heroes, Shoeless Joe Jackson, now vindicated after being tainted by the infamous Black Sox Scandal of 1919. It was a film adaptation of W. P. Kinsella's novel Shoeless Joe about an Iowa farmer who builds a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield and ends up attracting all the great (though deceased) players of the game circa 1919-26 save the Ty Cobb who the players, “hated as much in death as life.”

The plot of the film revolved around the enigmatic whisper “Build it and HE will come.” That HE turned out to be the Father to the movie’s title character, one Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) who never really had the opportunity to know his Dad. Well, the baseball field that Ray Kinsella built in his cornfield also attracted his Dad, John, who had a fleeting major league career. With the help of Shoeless Joe Ray recognizes his Father as one of the players and initially introduces him to his Family simply as, “John.” With the formalities over and as his Father is heading towards the outfield and the corn to join the rest of the players, Ray asks his Father to play catch, finally calling him "Dad". It was an incredibly poignant and supercharged emotional moment as they tossed a baseball back and forth while a long line of automobiles wind their way to the cornfield ostensibly to end the Kinsella’s financial woes.

Well, when Ray asked his Dad to play catch the dam burst. I totally lost it right there in the movie theater. Off and on for the next two days I paid the piper as I and my Friends knew I would. That scene brought back the moment when my Father and I shared that same experience which became for me the epitome of our relationship.

I certainly learned that emotions can be incredibly powerful and many times unpredictable. The bottom line is that we will all be ultimately accountable for losses such as that in our lives. Though I would certainly advise, sooner than later, I don’t know if we really have any choice over the timing of those events.

Through episodes such as these we reflect the feelings that we have for those special people in our lives. A Mother once advised her daughter, “Don’t trust a man that can’t cry.” Aside from being emotionally and physically destructive, the failure to emote throws one into an unfeeling Neanderthal state that will never fully allow one to appreciate his or her humanity. Don’t be afraid to put it all on the table. No doubt there is a risk of hitting lower lows though those highs are absolutely stratospheric. No regrets…

Aye,

Ned Buxton

CHANGE AND THE OPEN DOOR

In our world society where change sometimes just for the sake of change seems to be increasing, it shouldn’t be surprising that change (or its imminent prospect) is now dominant in every aspect of our lives. We who have seemingly paid our dues and think that with our maturity we can sit cross-legged on our haunches and contemplate life from a Tibetan mountaintop whilst drinking a Coke® (OK, a Dr. Pepper®) are delusional. The journey isn’t over until we are planted and can contemplate no more.

With an ever volatile world economy and the harbinger of the effects of global warming, our lives are getting set to change even more. It’s going to be a calamitous, mind-bending experience with no end in sight. It will be well beyond scrapping those big gas guzzling SUVs in favor of the more economical scat backs that will most assuredly litter our highways in the near future. That will just be the start.

The changes that we will ultimately see will be mind altering, sweeping and affect our overall quality of life. We need to be prepared at least for the prospects of change so we can act appropriately and with vision when the time comes for action (yesterday?). Plant your gardens now.

As one who had just gone through some major changes in my life, I thought it appropriate that one Alexander Graham Bell, the Scottish born, American inventor and educator thought to pronounce that, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” No, there’s not a lot of luck going on. The Boy Scouts have it right.

Bell was also the genius who noted that, “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” Your writer and host is a hopeless idealist who will long ponder the foibles of life though he needs to be ready to recognize that open door and slip through to the other side. The path is well trodden with the words of long gone poets and philosophers extolling us on to accept that change. I get the message.

After all that, though, we must resist the selfish temptation of frivolous change and the prospects of an even more disposable society where at a whim or at the point of midlife crisis at the exclusion of all others we turn our world and others in it on their heads because we feel that we might have or will miss something. More often than not we find out that there’s more to life than transitory hedonistic ramblings that offer no future comfort and probably only ultimate regret. Nothing wrong with being comfortable...

Thanks to a dear Friend from North Carolina I found out years ago that some country music can offer solace, refuge and even some good advice. That’s certainly the case with the triple sensation, The Osborn Sisters, now known as Shedaisy. In Another Door Opens they wax eloquent,

It takes time (here in this crazy life)
To find what I've been looking for
This dream of mine (burnin' inside)
Has seen its share of slammin' doors
I get closer everyday
With every single step I take

[Chorus]
Oh one door closes another door opens
Love or money it all keeps going on
World keeps spinnin' and I'm beginnin' to find my
way (find my way)
Smart moves, mistakes, big breaks, heartaches
They've all made me who I am today
(I'll keep going on) One door closes another door opens

Just when I believed (I've really got it all)
I'm right where I wanna be
It's not as it seems (I tend to fall)
And when I get back on my feet
Before the tears dry on my face
I see I'm in a better place

I don’t know about you, but I’m already through the door and walking towards the light.

Aye,

Ned Buxton

PROUD TO BE A FRIEND OF CANADA

On October 7, 2007 I posted a commentary on my Blog entitled Proud to be a Canadian??? in response to a piece of sophomoric rubbish generated for worldwide consumption on the Internet. It’s purpose was to denigrate Americans and up the flag for Canadians at whatever expense by citing ad nauseum a bunch of half truths, outright lies and absurdities about so called Canadian inventions, accomplishments, etc that included everything from the Zamboni to Smarties. The article was sent to me by a dear Canadian Friend who was as non-plussed as I. I had positive responses to my commentary until I received an anonymous reply on July 9, 2008 as follows. I took the liberty to correct the misspellings.

“Assuming your facts are accurate, it looks like there is not much for a patriotic Canadian like me to me proud about in terms of invention and their impact on society. However seeing as though the title of this article questions the legitimacy of Canadian pride, then there is much to be argued.

I’ll keep this plain and simple; the thing about being Canadian that makes me proud is being able to say that almost everywhere I go on this vast planet of ours, I am greeted with smiles and open arms. Since there is not many physical differences between Canadians and Americans, I am often mistaken for an American while in a foreign environment. If not for the Canadian flag that I bear proudly on my shirt or backpack, then I would most likely be seen as an enemy or a target to hate upon. Yes, Americans have much to be proud about as you guys were on the forefront of the industrial revolution, have maintained superpower status for quite sometime, and, of course, have the right to bear arms.

In the end, being able to proclaim that I am a Canadian on every corner of the Earth without being the subject of hate is more that enough for me to be proud about.”

It’s regrettable that the author of this piece chose to remain anonymous and apparently failed to read the context with which my post was written. I usually don’t respond but I happen to have many dear Canadian Friends and cherish those relationships and my close lifelong association with Canada. By the way, the tartan you see heading this piece is the proud Maple Leaf Tartan of Canada.

This back handed slap at America’s stand against world wide terrorism was equally offensive. In addition, for this so-called proud citizen of Canada to summarily concede (tongue in cheek or not) that there is nothing about Canada save to be able to be befriended by the Community of Man without being killed is the ultimate cop out. Canadians have distinguished themselves in many arenas and their accomplishments are legion. They have a right to stand proud!

Canadian Guy Cramer, President/CEO of HyperStealth Biotechnology Corp made a great point about inventions and the attribution conundrum in 2007 when he stated that, “With the Internet we find any Joe can write a story and their incorrect interpretation of history can make its way into the general population if the story is picked up by other sources and used as reference for further stories or articles. We also find prior to the internet, claims of historical significance of one nation could be unheard of in another country. Thus you will get two or more nations claiming to have done something first.”

The big lesson here is that when you see something that doesn’t seem to jive with reality or just deserves some additional scrutiny, don’t hesitate to go to snopes.com or poke around and do some independent investigation on your own. The truth is generally just a click away.

Don’t let some false sense of pride diminish your ability to always seek out and embrace the truth.

It’s nice to know that in some circles that the United States is so highly regarded for their part in the Industrial Revolution which commenced in Great Britain in the 1700’s and spread to North America in the 19th century. It’s also gratifying to be a major superpower (?) and of course, embrace that old standby - the right to bear arms.

Think I’ll go and in a Kum Ba Yah spirit count my bullets.

Aye,

Ned Buxton

SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS - NATASHA

I was born in 1943 and at about aged ten fell head over heels in love with an older woman, one Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko who was born in 1938. That five year difference was probably too vast a chasm to navigate and surely points to the maturity gap between ordinary male and female of the same age which is estimated to be from ten to twenty years or more and greatly in favor of the fairer sex. No doubt Natalia was proof that the male of the species remains an inferior life form. Natalia understood this when she stated, “The only time a woman really succeeds in changing a man is when he is a baby.” Must be like training a puppy…

Since I was ten and she was fifteen and our first real cogent relationship was the result of the viewing of a still highly replayed Miracle on 34th Street, I seemed to always be at least five years behind this blooming star. I finally did catch up to her by the time West Side Story was filmed and released in 1961. I was doomed from that point on.

As you have already guessed Natalia evolved into Natasha Gurdin and eventually morphed into Natalie Wood courtesy of director Irving Pichel via of producer Bill Goetz who announced to an eight year old Natasha while she was filming Tomorrow Is Forever (1946) that her name was being changed for “marquee value”. We understand that Natalie apparently never legally changed her name from Natasha for as an adult she would sign letters to Russian Family members and old Friends as Natasha.

Sidebar: In order to further engage this cathartic post I will have to admit that in the mid 1950’s I had a short though well documented fantasy affair with Annette Funicello (another older woman by seven months) who in 1955 started her Disney career and evolved as the most popular of the Mouseketeers on The Mickey Mouse Show. To this day I remain forever indebted to Annette for her presence on this planet and the incredible work she has done to combat and find a cure for neurological disorders. God Bless you, Annette.

I never really strayed too far from Natalie though. Her incredible beauty seemed summed up in her haunting brown eyes, incredible laugh and that turned up perky smile that charmed generations of gawky adolescents like me. She acted with an unbridled passion and commitment to her characters that seemed to consume her to the point of exhaustion and breakdown.

In 1961 Splendor in the Grass was filmed and the public saw yet another mature look at Natalie, punctuating her critical success in Rebel Without a Cause. That was followed one year later by Love with the Proper Stranger, probably one of the finest films ever made. As Angie Rossini, a Macy's sales person, she finds herself pregnant and while trying to extricate herself from that predicament finds love. Her interaction with Steve McQueen remains a classic film relationship. Two years later came Inside Daisy Clover, and though the movie was panned Natalie was nominated for the Golden Globe for best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical.

The fact that while she was recognized many times for her exemplary body of work, Natalie never received an Academy Award despite three nominations. Orson Welles’ early observation that, “She is so good, its terrifying.” seems to be right on and sums up her persona and career. She never did anything half way. Much of the failure to recognize her incredible talent seems to have been the hypocrisy of a patronizing Hollywood hierarchy who envied her success and was eagerly awaiting this child star’s inevitable sink into oblivion.

Like many child actors Natalie had been victimized by her overbearing and self-serving Mother, Maria, who would stop at nothing to market her meal ticket. I remember one of Natalie’s quotes that seems to punctuate how her Mother victimized those around her. When asked what her Father died of? she replied: "My mother, I think."

Her Mother would stop at nothing to pursue Natalie’s career and in the process feed the phobias that would haunt Natalie for the rest of her life. During the filming of The Green Promise (1949), an eleven year old Natalie was called on to cross a footbridge over turbulent waters. As part of the plot the bridge had been rigged to collapse and Maria agreed that Natalie shouldn’t be told because, “It might frighten her.” Well, the bridge broke on cue and Natalie nearly drowned and suffered a disfiguring wrist injury and a deep lifelong fear of drowning that literally consumed her. The irony seemed that according to Natalie, “I've been terrified of the water, and yet it seems I'm forced to go into in on every movie that I make.”

Ironically, it was an accidental drowning in the dark, nighttime waters off the coast of Santa Catalina Island on Thanksgiving weekend 1981 that ended Natalie’s life at aged forty three - just when she seemed to be restarting and evolving her life and career. She was on her yacht Splendor appropriately named after the movie believed my many to be her greatest performance.

A piece of me died that day though we are left with her stunning legacy and body of work that will once again take us back to more simple times and remind us all what a great actress she really was.

We will always have to return to Splendor in the Grass in order to properly rekindle our relationship with this special Lady. William Wordsworth in 1807 provided the inspiration for the film with his romantic Ode, Intimations of Immortality from Reflections of Early Childhood that presages her ultimate passing and sums up our feelings for this special Lady.

Though nothing can bring back the hour

Of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower

We will grieve not, but rather find

Strength in what remains behind.

CNN.com best summed up Natalie’s life, “Reduced to its basics, Wood's life followed a familiar show-biz arc: Obscurity is swept aside by fame and fortune. That turns up the heat on personal demons. Then a hopeful new beginning is cut short by cruel fate. “

Maybe she really was Zenda’s Prisoner, after all…

Aye,

Ned Buxton

IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED – CALEDONIA

As we contemplate July 4, 2008 and the 232nd anniversary of the United States of America's Declaration of Independence we realize even more the power of the written word. Companion documents to our own Declaration include the Declaration of Arbroath and the Iroquois Constitution which have literally inspired the birth of nations. Pair meaningful lyrics together with a good melody and you magnify the emotions that it evokes and its overall effect on society and, aye, the Community of Man.

Songs that come to mind without much pondering (and for different reasons) include The Star Spangled Banner, Amazing Grace, La Marseillaise, The Lord’s Prayer, Imagine, We Shall Overcome, Dixie, Battle Hymn of the Republic, The Eyes of Texas, Highland Cathedral (written by a couple of Germans), Ireland’s Call and the incredible The Minstrel Boy, among many others.

Music can be a great unifier and one song born innocently in the seventies could some day join the august company invoked above. Once in a great while someone approaches the alter and that’s what this piece is all about.

Scots and most Scottish-Americans are well familiar with Dougie MacLean the former teenage musical prodigy who played off and on with the august and seminal Scottish groups Silly Wizard and the Tannahill Weavers. Those folks were part of his adolescence and we correctly surmise they remain good Friends as he approaches his maturity. A multitalented and prolific composer, singer, songwriter and musician (guitar, fiddle, harp, banjo, mandolin, viola, bouzouki, bass, didgeridoo, keys, whistle, bodhran, harmonica and percussion, for now), Dougie went solo in 1981 and then formed his own independent record company, Dunkeld, in 1983 and hasn’t looked back. With his own record label, recording studio, publishing company and now Pub and Hotel, Dougie and wife Jennifer remain very busy.

We luckily can’t seem to get too far away from Dougie mostly because of his great body of work that beckons us to meet frequently on radio, TV, computer, CD, MP3s and in person. Dougie has been described as the mainstay of the modern Scottish Folk scene though his music is appreciated across all genres. It was an easy predict for me to embrace MacLean given my appreciation for the offerings of James Taylor.

Dougie MacLean’s music is emotional and he writes endearingly of his Perthshire home and native Scotland. He has written many songs that have received great play in the United States. In 1989 Dougie embarked on a tour of the United States in conjunction with Fiona Ritchie's National public radio (NPR) show, Thistle & Shamrock. If the members of the US Scottish Community didn’t know him before, they sure knew him now. The Thistle & Shamrock remains one of PBS’s most popular shows and Fiona one of the lynchpins of the US Scottish Community, music and otherwise.

Dougie has toured the United States since then to include stints with Grammy Award winning country singer Kathy Mattea who has blossomed further as a performer since this West Virginian “discovered” Scotland. MacLean has co-produced albums and written songs for Mattea while also playing guitar and singing harmony on Mattea’s 1993 Christmas album, Good News.

Most folks don’t know it but one of MacLean’s most recognizable works is The Gael which appeared on his 1990 album The Search, a collection of instrumental works originally commissioned for the opening of the Official Loch Ness Monster Exhibition. Adaptations of this piece by composer Trevor Jones were used as the main theme for the 1992 Last of the Mohicans soundtrack and another in the Mohican Promontory piece which made a later notable resurgence as part of a Nike advertisement entitled Leave Nothing. The advertising world has been good to Dougie as we shall learn later. In 1993 MacLean received a gold record/disc in recognition of his achievement for the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack. The recognition given MacLean is too numerous to note here and will ultimately be addressed by his biographers.

Dougie MacLean has become a Scottish icon and International star - the stuff that legends are made of. I have always been a fan and have been mostly content to listen to his CDs and especially to appreciate now how other artists interpret his music. That brings us to the core and purpose of this commentary.

In 1979 MacLean released Caledonia on an album of the same name. Though no one seems to know for sure when Dougie wrote the song (Wikipedia states, “somewhere between 1974 and 1977”), from what I have been able to piece together MacLean wrote the song in 1977 while in Brittany touring (busking) with two Irish lads. In today’s world it seems ludicrous that we don’t know for sure though I haven’t found any more specific references in any of my searches. Dougie, if you read this, thanks for letting us know when Caledonia was written.

It does seem fitting that he wrote the song off Scottish soil evoking emotions not unlike Scottish Soldier which was adapted from the pipe tune The Green Hills of Tyrol written during the Crimean War (1853-1856) by John MacLeod, a Pipe Major in the 93rd Highlanders who was yearning for the auld sod. The river runs deep as the emotions evoked here mainly by Scots away from home are similar to those put to paper by Dougie MacLean. One thing we do know is that Dougie MacLean’s personal testimony and lament at being away from home helped launch his solo career and created what seemingly has become, “the new voice of Scotland.”

Quite a few artists and groups to include Frankie Miller, Dolores Keane, Lisa Kelly of Celtic Woman, Derek “Fish” Dick, Celtic Thunder, Aoife Ní Fhearraigh, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Mary Black, The Stationary Willberries, Amy MacDonald, Paolo Nutini (terrible!) and Alex Beaton, among many others have attempted Caledonia with varying degrees of success. As a side note Paolo Nutini and Amy MacDonald, even though MacLean protégés, offered two of the worst versions I have heard. Nutini tries to emulate a stoned Dylan while MacDonald appears detached and/or should fire her sound mixer. The earthy and very Irish Keane is very good though her version drags badly at the end. Aoife’s version was a bit ethereal with her flutter vibrato though I liked Brendan Monaghan’s uilleann pipes.

Caledonia first went to number one on the Scottish Music Charts when it was sung by Scottish rocker/singer and MacLean Friend and Confidante Frankie Miller in 1992. Ironically, the great success of that recording of Caledonia is partly attributable to the impetus prompted by the airing of a Scottish TV commercial for Tennent's Lager, where Frankie Miller's rendition was first aired.

No one is surprised that Dougie’s original version is far superior to most all other singers. There are a couple, however, that have equaled and even surpassed the author.

The highly successful “Celtic Woman” show which aired on Public Television (PBS) in 2007 took America by storm. Sales of their Celtic Woman: A New Journey DVD and CD have been monstrous. Brother David gifted me with this album last Christmas and it remains a much appreciated and well used gift. No doubt that the Riverdance phenomenon and artists like Enya and Clannad and the resurgence of the world Celtic Community helped prop open the doors for this group and their success. The album opened at #4 on the Billboard’s Album Chart, selling 71,000 copies in its first week. The album later hit number one on the World Music Chart. Shouldn’t we take pleasure that Simon Cowell wasn’t involved with the formation of this group?

Performers in Celtic Woman include classically trained Dubliner Lisa Kelly who sings this most popular song on the album. Amazon.com stated, “There is just something about this song you just can’t put your finger on. It is filled with warmth, love and romance…” The bottom line is that Lisa nails the song and you have to give kudos to the arrangers who kept the sprit of the song intact tweaking it enough to keep it “fresh.” Her performance, though, is almost too perfect, too choreographed. If you haven’t noticed, she is also drop dead gorgeous. We also noted that she is very happily married and the Mother of three. Gees…

But just as we run Lisa up the proverbial flagpole I have to nominate another artist who performs the song even better. Not possible you say? It does seem improbable though one Alexander William MacLeod Beaton does just that. Yes, I’m talking about baritone Alex Beaton. This native Glaswegian who born to a Scottish father and an Irish mother, immigrated to the United States in 1965 after beginning his musical career as a member of the highly acclaimed The Cumberland Three, one of Britain's top folk groups in the early 1960s.

Alex served in the U.S. Army, entertaining troops in Germany. During the 1970s, he wrote and achieved success performing “American” country music like another good Friend and accomplished Scottish singer, Colin Grant-Adams. Though he would have been a great success in that genre we thank God that Alex has since focused on Scottish folk music. He has become a highly sought after entertainer at Scottish Highland Games and Celtic Festivals around the United States, Canada and the rest of the world. He has collaborated with such luminaries and good Friends as Margaret Gravitt and Alasdair Fraser.

Alex has worked hard for four decades and in that interim has created his own label, Glenfinnan Music, nineteen very successful albums and a triple feature DVD, Alex Beaton's Scotland: A Musical Travelogue of Scotland.

Wherever Alex performs, he brings another huge element into play. He personally engages his audiences with a great sense of humor, a rich baritone voice, impeccable timing and right-on interpretations of both contemporary and traditional Scottish songs that seem to carry from his soul. And that leads us to Dougie MacLean’s Caledonia.

During a performance, Alex may share some fascinating bit of Scottish history to bring the music to life. Alex did just that when he was kind enough to play Caledonia for me at the most recent Glasgow, KY Highland Games explaining to a large and appreciative group that “Caledonia” (Wooded Land) was the Latin name given by the Romans in the first century to that northern part of Great Britain that was later applied to that area we now know as Scotland

Answers.com further comments about Caledonia and their capital Dunkeld, “As its name implies, Dunkeld was a ‘capital’ of the Caledonii, a Pictish-Celtic people. Kenneth MacAlpin made Dunkeld one of two capitals, along with Scone, when he united the Picts and Scots in 844 CE.” Aye, that’s the area where Dougie MacLean was born and raised.

Alex sings the song deliberately though with great passion and bravado. His baritone voice seems perfectly suited for this song. His timing and delivery combines the best of Dougie MacLean and Lisa Kelly and brings the song home. Caledonia is on Alex’s 1995 album, The Water is Wide.

One of the wonderful aspects of Caledonia is audience participation. Wherever the song is sung, audiences from Scotland and Ireland, to California, Texas, New York, Canada and the rest of the world sing along. They know the words to what has fast become the unofficial national anthem of Scotland. In short, this song has inspired a nation! In a recent conversation the multi-talented musician, singer, music historian and Director of Music at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, Flora MacDonald Gammon, explained that, "Caledonia has literally synthesized the feelings of a nation."

Believe it or not, Scotland has no national anthem and those that outrageously offered God Save the Queen are now disgraced and out of power. Flower of Scotland and Scotland the Brave remain the two most popular choices. Caledonia doesn’t seem to be in the mix though the folks at Holyrood need to properly poll their Scottish constituents. I might add here that, not surprisingly, Dougie MacLean is a very active dues paying member of the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) and strong adherent of Scottish independence. With his gift of song he continues to inspire a nation and the Scottish Diaspora.

Thanks to all the entertainers who perform Caledonia and appreciate its significance to native Scots and those of Scottish origins. As one Scot has stated, “This is powerful, emotional stuff. It’s enough to make any Scot, ex-pats in particular, weep into their beer.” I can testify that this Scottish-American cried in his Syrah.

In 1703 Andrew Fletcher, Scottish writer, politician and patriot who opposed the 1707 Act of Union between Scotland and England demonstrated his consummate understanding of the power of music by commenting, “…if a man were permitted to make all the ballads, he need not care who should make the laws.”

Thanks, Aye, especially to Dougie, Lisa and Alex.

Ned Buxton