I just watched the news briefing by the Santa Monica Police Department on the shooting spree today that ended at Santa Monica College. The incident has attracted nationwide coverage not only because we are dealing with another mass shooting, but because President Obama was in Santa Monica today at the time of the incident. At this point, there does not appear to be any connection. The police are confirming that 4 shooting victims are dead plus the shooter, who is not yet officially identified.
This terrible incident strikes home to me personally. I was a student at Santa Monica College from September 1963 to January 1966. I also played on the baseball team there for 2 years. They say the shooter was shot dead in the library. I am trying to remember where on campus the library was. I don't think I ever set foot in the place.
I give Obama a week then listen for the call for Gun Control.
ReplyDeleteNever let a crisis go to waste.
It would be most unfair to take advantage of this post to make a comment about spending all your time in college playing baseball, and never setting foot in the library...
ReplyDeleteSMCC shut down their baseball program years ago to fund some women's sports. What was once the field is now a big building. Maybe that is the library.
ReplyDeleteNow come on, Gary. I saw you in the SMCC library at least twice between late 1963 and early 1966 and we were both on the baseball team.
ReplyDeleteAh, no money for the library until they shut down the good manly sports to fund women's sports. So women's sports promotes good study habits? Before Title IX there was no library, or at least, Gary wasn't aware of it if there was.
ReplyDeleteWrong Dallas. You were a pitcher on the SMCC team the year before I arrived. They were still talking about that home run you gave up that landed on the roof of the building beyond the right field wall.
ReplyDeleteOr was it the library?
Ah, yes - the home run. If you are going to discuss my pitching exploits, why don't you mention the 13 inning game I pitched against Arizona State Frosh in 1963that set a SMCC school record going back to 1929 for longest game and longest tie. That Frosh team went on to win the NCAA Baseball Championship a few years later. Guess that's not as interesting.
ReplyDeleteDallas,
ReplyDeleteBecause the big boys never told me about that one. They only talked about that home run.
Dallas,
ReplyDeleteLooking at the SMCC map. it looks like the present-day library is right where the baseball field used to be.
http://www.smc.edu/campusmap/printable_maps/SMC-2D-Map_12-Clr_2-11.pdf
Hey, if Gary said he went through college without ever setting foot in the library, I'm not going to dispute that.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Gary. Google Earth confirms it. When that home run was hit off me by some Bakersfield College farm boy batting clean-up, it went into low earth orbit, circled the globe once, and landed on the roof of the classroom building that stood beyond the old right field fence. The present day library sits right on top of the old baseball field. That shattering home run was the reason I ran off and joined the Navy :^)
ReplyDeleteThat's better than I did even with that short right field ivy covered fence and the wind blowing out. I never hit one out. In two years the only homer I had was at ELA College and they didn't have a fence, which is why. Maybe that's why I ran off and joined the Army.
ReplyDelete