Next sacrifice please

Washington City

Sitting around a neighborhood Establishment last night with some of the other people from the paper and the discussion got around to the sad state of affairs the heavyweight boxing division is in these days.

Au Contrere my friends.....I contend that it is just in a transitional state between generations.....and by golly I'm going to prove it.

With the new commission in place and a the absence of dozens of "alphabet" wanna Be's you know what I mean, the fact that with I don't really know how many rival sanctioning bodies for boxing...almost everyone out there was "Champion" of something or another.....big deal...so Joe Shmuck was the heavy weight champ of Lower Central North Slobbia.....who did he beat to earn that fancy belt that probably cost $1.86?

It has taken a couple of years but, most of the old generation has retired and finally gone away...in their place is a (for the most part) younger and quite talented generation of heavy weights from around the world.

Hey, Jack Dempsey is the undisputed World Champ with 21 wins and a draw under his belt.....from there...we have almost a log jam of talented younger men that all want to take him on.....

Dempsey's people are saying that he will stage his first defence of the title next month and the opponent will be named later this week.... and there a quite a few North Americans that could be chosen....

A quick and short list has to be headed by the man Dempsey beat to win the title...young Sam Langford ....word is that after the brutal title fight of 3 months ago, neither fighter wants this fight right now.....I believe them...

Next up...well, several highly rated American boxers ... Young Stribling with a record of 12wins and 3 losses, Max Baer has been impressive in getting to 13 and 2, King Levinski at 14 and 3, Fred Fulton sits at 12 and 2 with 9 KO's....then you have Ezzard Charles 13 and 5, James Jeffries at 11 and 4, Doug Jones has been winning against some decent opponents to get to 12 and 3.....a couple of undefeated heavyweights are the young Cuban, Pedro Agosto at 16 - 0- 1 and Jack Johnson 11 and 0......the problem with them is not many are sure of their opponents skill levels... Agosto has been fighting in the Caribbean and Johnson both in South America and Australia.....

Add to these some good young Europeans and the list gets impressive...Bob Fitzsimmons is (in my not so humble opinion) the best of the lot over there the bandy legged Englishman is undefeated with 13 KO's in 16 fights...some others to watch, Henk DeBest from the Netherlands, the Germans Max Schmelling and Franz Diener, an Italian by the name of Francesco Damiani and the Frenchman Taofik Belbouli....all of these guys are knock out artists that would fit more in the "Slugger" catagory of fighter.

My guess as to the next opponent......well since you asked....I'm betting that he stays in the US group of fighters and will call out either Levinski or Fulton....they have the skills to put up a decent fight, but I can't see either one taking away his crown......

Until tomorrow......this is Specs Keller putting away his type writter.

The State of the World

Dateline: Washington City

A reporters Odyssey......

This reporter started out covering the crime scene both here in Washington City and a little to the north in Metropolis....from there it was local wars in the Raj, Africa, and South America....then to the real bloodletting of politics here in North America...

So the Publishers of this paper (you know, the people that sign my pay vouchers and expense cheques) have decided that a background of crime, war and politics makes me uniquely suited to cover the world of sports for you. Well, that and the fact that I have really offended many of the political leaders of this great country......

So, Dear readers....here goes the first of my columns covering the world of sports..at least the ones that I enjoy.....hey, if I don't care for it, I can't write about it.....so anyone out there who wants to find in depth and snappy commentary of curling or down hill skiing or how fast they can run around the cinder track....go away now....this ain't for you..

However....if you like a good heavyweight boxing match, a double header between the Red Sox of Bean town and the Kansas City Monarchs.....the latest from Belmont...or what's going on with college football.....

Buy your paper and read it here.

As to the above....last I looked Jack Dempsey is still the World Champion of the sweet science.....the White Sox are in 1st place (but it's still early in the season), the Nats are not in last place (but it's still early in the season), and it's going to be a long summer before the football season starts.....

But, as the lady says "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride"....

This is Specs Keller signing off for now

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor

Well, that wasn't the way I had intended this to start out, but oh well, will have a thread for another time line story anyway..

Welcome to Washington City.....the world is much like ours of the period from 1930 thru 1955.....as you have read, many differences in the history and circumstances though... And I can guaranty that people from all eras are going to be passing through...

This is a world that in many ways will be like the "noiresque" films of that time period.....if there is a championship fight...I can tell you that somewhere in the city there is going to be a private eye that is going to miss it and be really ticked off that his ringside seats are going to waste.

At the same time you just know there is a new opera making its debut across town and at least half the audience would rather be a) watching the fight b) at a jazz club or c) have gone out with that fun loving guy/girl that asked too late...

Since this is my world...we will have the stuff I like, and it don't have to make sense or be historically accurate....hey....get your own world....they're cheap...all you need is brain cells and idle time....

So.....

the credits and opening song have faded to dark......

ACT 1
Scene 1

Aerial Shot: above a large city.....somewhat a clear day,

The camera zooms downward....faster and faster, at about a thousand feet it starts to slow and the blur of the world starts to focus......

Center Screen.....large skyscraper..light grey marble, Gothic style, maybe 40 or 50 stories......

As the camera zooms in closer, it starts to focus on the 23rd floor.....

Pigeons on the ledge ignore the zooming camera as we go though the large window (how'd they do that?)... a large room maybe 40 feet by 100 feet.....20 foot ceilings.... a busy newspaper office..... filled with desks and bustle.

Far right in of the room.....a row of several larger desks.... At the desk nearest that window....a middle aged man sits glaring at his typewriter......he has just lit an unfiltered cigarette and blows the smoke towards the ceiling...dressed in a suit, with the jacket off and his tie loosened. Craggy face, well worn, small moustache, spectacles, laugh lines at the corner of his eyes (hint picture a Clark Gable that looks more like me).......

Meet our hero......writing his first column for the

NORTH AMERICAN DAILY OBSERVER

....

a few hours later

Ahh, I see you've woken up. You look refreshed, I know that the transfer does take it out of you quite a bit....quite like a flat-lander going to the higher mountains.

Oh, more history....surely .... of course it's no trouble.

I believe you will find that the world is still in many ways, as it was in your universe...just different events have lead us to where we are.

Of course the "War to end all wars" did no such thing. After the Armistice in 1918 and the realization that the revolution in Russia had gotten out of hand...an alliance of England, Her Commonwealth, The United States, Japan, Turkey and a few smaller countries invaded Russia both from the east and west.

It took 5 years of ferocious fighting and a terrible toll on humanity, but the Bolsheviks were put down once and for all. Russia was a disaster but the Czarina Anastasia has been wonderful with her people and an inspiration to the world. They are well on their way to being a respected member of the community of nations.

Germany of course has had some very difficult times. There was the crushing sanctions put upon them by the French and British....and just when things were starting to look up....that mad man tried a coup .....didn't work of course and now they are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The mad man? Oh, I don't really remember his name....some insignificant, funny looking little Austrian... If I remember correctly, he was killed in a fight in some little pub in ....Munich I believe. Neither here nor there though.

Much the same here in the States.....the Mexican thing was a trifle scary I must admit.....revolutions are touchy things don't you know. But since the partitioning we are doing well by the States we acquired.....what? Oh really....well there is Lower California (they still call it Baha I believe), Sonora, Durango and of course the new one of Southern Texas. It's going to take a long time, but they are certainly going to be productive. Although I must admit that seeing the Stars and Stripes with 52 Stars is odd, and now we are hearing that Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and Mindanao want to join our country as states.....Does give one pause.

Me, oh I'm a police officer.....no, in Washington City.... Been there about 12 years now.....hmmm Chief of Homicide Detectives actually.....oh , I'm so terribly sorry..... Bradley St. Claire at your service....well, so nice to meet you Mr. Watson...oh, a Doctor....of medicine? Very good, what speciality sir, if I may be so bold? Neurology. Well, that is certainly a new one on me.

Ah, the porter....yes? Oh, certainly...coffee and toast for myself....Dr? make that 2 porter.....

Here's to a good day and new friendship...Dr. Watson.

A ride on a train

Good evening stranger. Sure, come on in and sit down.....it's a mostly free world and I always welcome a little company on long journeys. Especially at night like this....

What, oh...a newcomer eh. You are certainly to be made welcome then....you're lucky, only a few of us know of the rift and potential.

I can see you are full of questions so let me begin with a statement.....You have been fed up with your "modern" and out of control world......ah, yes I thought so.....had a bad day and went to sleep thinking of how the world used to be better? Right again, no, just a lucky guess on my part...because I am like you.....to quote an old novel that hasn't been written yet...I too was a stranger in a strange land. I've decided to stay here, pretty much full time now...the choice will be yours also....

But, I'm getting ahead of myself...first a little background on this ...hmm...alternate universe if you will.

Here, we are different yet in many ways the same as the world you left behind.

Some background on what you will see in the next few hours....we're on the Sunrise Special.....for some reason all newcomers, come in on this train. It's running from Chicago to Washington City in the District of Victoria. Don't laugh, it's quite simple and very complicated......ok, now you can laugh.....

The United States is a fully independent country, England granted us our Independence in 1820. No, there was a rebellion that started in the late 1700's but, some of the wiser men in the Colonies got together in Metropolis.....what, oh, about where your Philadelphia is now......south of New York, but north of Washington City.....

Anyway, these men, led by Sir Benjamin Franklin and Mr. Jefferson put together a proposal to the King of England that would avoid any more unseemly bloodshed and still give us a level of Independence that would be increasing over the next few decades.

They enlisted young George Washington to lead a small and select delegation to visit King George and make their proposal....timing was everything for this....and thanks to the Great God Almighty we had that timing. George was quite rational and even more importantly, some of his advisers were not in London at the time.....how that happened is a tale that would take several volumes to tell, and quite frankly alot of the story still very hush hush, even after 2 centuries.

George (the King that is) granted us our request to have our own Parliament and to impose our own taxes, both for us and for him. In exchange we stayed full Independence for a period of 30 to 50 years......worked out wonderfully for both sides.

Now the world you are in is undoubtedly a great deal different than the one you left....if I may inquire what year did you go to sleep in?

Oh my goodness 2008, my time has really flown. Myself, I took a nap one afternoon in the spring of 1911. Oh I've been home several times....after all it is 1940 now, and one does want to catch up on old friends. That's no problem, ask away.

First of all, in your jacket pocket there should be an envelope with the railway's logo upon it. Yes that's it.. The Royal Continental Rly. Inside are two tickets....one that the conductor will punch in about an hour or so, and another....yes, the green one....that's an open date ticket...you can go home...er back to the future, (that has a nice ring to it, eh what?)....if you spend the next year here, you will find that when you go back.....time has only passed you by at the rate of maybe two or three seconds per day lived here...you will wake up, having lived a full year here, and been in your bed at home for only a half hour or so! Oh, and when you wake up back home, there will probably be a return ticket to here in your pocket....that is if you' behaved yourself....somehow really bad people who try to act out their darker impulses never come back....alive. Which is quite fine for me.....we have enough baddies here... that we've raised ourselves.

Well, you will find that the here and now is quite different... I've got a dear friend who came over from 1994 and was amazed at the differences and similarities.

But I can see the strain of transfer is weighing on you, why don't you take a nap and I'll cover more of the day to day life in an hour or so....

In my world

Welcome to the past, sort of.....this is the world that I've been playing in (my mind) for many idle moments over the last few decades. It has grown little by little and provided many ideas and insights into myself.

My creativity has been very limited over the last few years and as a consequence I had stopped writing, even just for myself.....with this blog I hope get the juices flowing again and to have lots of fun at the same time.

This will take the form of a newspaper column that is published intermittently in the capitol city of my world. The columnist is a jaded world events and political reporter... delegated (against his wishes) to the sports page! In between covering his favorite sports and lamenting the state of the world, he will give you insights to the universe around him.

The sports (at least initially) will be boxing and baseball...he will be covering the games and bouts of my simulated games (APBA baseball and Title Bout boxing)......I hope you enjoy.

My next entry will be a brief overview of the world and maybe a little of how it got there.