AND THE SURREAL PLAYS ON
SFHomeless
-parma,ohio
For the last four years I have quietly submitted variations of the below
article to mostly THE CHRONICLE and EXAMINER. Also, to SFBG, The Tribune, SF
Observer, The Independent. etc. They have all put it in their circular file,
never to be read by the public to decide it's merit. By posting the article in
the closest associated ng at least around 45,000 people will read about what
could be considered a 49ers half time act.
If you like this article then act like a newspaper reader(consumer) and ask The
Chronicle and Examiner to carry this product(article). So that the 650,000
non-Internet citizens can enjoy. Print this ng posting now. Then fax it to
Open Forum, Examiner Letters. Or copy and paste to email. Or best yet
personally deliver. The contacts are all in your Chronicle and Examiner. All
free lance rates are to be donated to my homeless programs (OPERATION
CONVERSION) bio at http://members.aol.com/SFHomeless/index.html.
for faxing cut at below bottom line
------------------------------- THE ARTICLE NO LONGER CENSORED
----------------
STEVE BAYT Copyright 1999
2814 Dellwood Drive
Parma,Ohio 44134-4208
SFHom...@aol.com
AND THE SURREAL PLAYS ON...
In the summer of 1973:
The Oakland Athletics won their 2nd of its 3-peat World Series. Lyndon
Baines Johnson died. Watergate lived. Spiro T. Agnew died. BART commenced.
King beat Riggs. Roe beat Wade. Oakland's John H. Redding beat Black
Panther Leader Bobby Seale for Mayor. "The Young & Restless" debuted. Chris
Evert began Ladies competition. Monica Seles, Neve Campbell and Tori Spelling
were born.
Billboard's #1 song was "The Morning After." Drum Corps #1 song was
"Fiddler On The Roof."
On nearly simultaneous 1973 anniversaries a person called Harvey arrived
on Castro Street. In Ithaca,New York 13 girls from Santa Clara performed a
"Bottle Dance."
While Milk and Randy Shilts made The City the Gay and AIDS Awareness
Capital. The surrealism of Concord's Blue Devils and Santa Clara Vanguard have
made SF THE (#1) CITY in any sports genre.
Through "The Mayor", Montana, Matrix I and DaMayor. From the first
directors: SCV's Gail Royer to Jerry Koester and Devils' Jerry Seawright to
Dave Gibbs. Not Candlestick,3-Com, Kezar Stadium, Oakland Alameda, KTVU, KRON,
KGO or KPIX have ever been host to any trancending of Bay Area Drum and Bugle
Corps Surreality.
Possibly next to a Madison,Wisconsin corn field in August 14th either
front runners Devils or Vanguard(aka SCV) will win their 10th or 6th World
Championship. Not to the backdrop of either Golden Gate or Bay Bridge etc.
The only legitimate yearly challenger comes from THE CADETS of Bergen
County, New Jersey. The night before 32,000 people were in AIDS WALK SF 1999.
SCV and Devils both beat THE CADETS in their first all inclusive confrontation:
SCV 87.1, Devils 86.0 CADETS 84.1 (of 100)
Since the mutually agreed Drum Corps International Championship in 1972.
SCV and Devils (est. 1974) has each but one Finals ranking below 6th.
Enduring over two vastly different scoring systems. The 1989 SCV and 1982
Devils own both all-time high scores. A network of other competitive marching
units also own many records and accomplishments.
Each corps has had many undefeated seasons. Many seasons each corps only
defeats were against each other.
While The City's supremacy via The 49ers, Brian Boitano, Kristi Yamaguchi
(even AIDS concern)is frequently overthrown by The Packers, Kurt Browning, Tara
Lapinski, Kate Shindle etc.
All generations of 128 Bay Area youths have curshed possible coup d'etat
from: Revere,Massachusettts; Bayone,New Jersey; Atlanta Georgia;Madison,
Wisconsin;Anaheim, California; Rockford,Ilinois; Bloomington, Indiana and
Chicago suburbs.
About 5,300 youths over 26 years have created a drum corps simile of a
49ers/Raiders Super Bowl. Practicing about 1,300 hours a season, paying and or
raising thousands of dollars. Yet, they never recieve any financial rewards.
The 49ers and OAKLAND Raiders have never been in same year post seasons.
When THE GIANTS and A'S Battled in The Bay. The Earth did indeed move.
My first blessing of seeing the surrealism of SCV was in Marion,OHio in
1974. After and including drum corps days. The inspiration of SCV then Devils
and THE Brook Park Rangerettes (an article for Cleveland media) have inspired
my 12 years being a 6 time sub 3:27 marathoner -for THE HOMELESS.
Sprts heroes like Steve Young, Steffi Graf, Jerry Rice, Nancy Kerrigan
et al are enjoyable. But after their heroics there are big checks waiting
Benecia's Steve Hammill was in THE Devils first title contention. His
daughter/ member will probably soon share championship stories.
Stories of championships in cities BART, CAL TRANS, and Muni don't
transport.
Besides The Devils and SCV's surrealism (that's "my word") are other Bay
Area Drum Corps successes. Sacramento's Free Lancers and Mandarians, Stockton
Commodores, San Francisco's Conquistodors et al.
San Francisco is THE CITY. The Devils and SCV is THE DYNASTY.
More obscene than Bath houses not being ETERNALLY closed after Shilts'
first article. Is either 3-Com or Pac-Bell Park not permanently hosting THE DCI
CHAMPIONSHIPS, live on KTVU and Fox nationally.
Aesthetically, for 5 days residents and tourists would enjoy everywhere
"The hills being alive with the sights of music." Members could practice in the
nation's only August heat proof city. Every corps would have some breathtaking
view.
The 40,000 spectators and 10,000 members and family would spend about $22
million. Members' families would, en masse, plan annual post-season/ pre-back
to school vacations.
The marquee value of THE CITY could lead to national coverage for
funding, recruiting. Similar to the inevitable effect from THE X-Games.
Going off on a tangent of Ken Garcia's May 21st editorial. Harvey Milk
associating THE CITY with Gay Rights was spurred by 3 defeats and then November
27,1978 (11:05 am). Via Milk the nation musically associated THE CITY with
"YMCA", "Macho Men",. "It's Raining Men" etc.
The Devils have associate their surrealism with "Channel One Suite", "La
Suerte de Los Tontos". SCV with "Fiddler On The Roof" and "Phantom Of The
Opera."
My "San Francisco song" when I see The Golden Gate Bridge? "When A Man
Loves A Woman." Not by Michael Bolton, Bette Middler or Percy Sledge. But by
The 1992 Blue Devils.
In an average day in Cleveland I see about 3 or so people wearing an
"80", "8" or "16" 49ers jersey. Universal responses to occasional "What About
Them Blue Devils?" are "Great Basketball Teams."
Even in my 8 months over 5 years in THE CITY regarding Homeless
programs promoted ad nauseum on THe Internet (SFHom...@aol.com,
Parma...@aol.com) I have never noticed anyone wearing a SCV of Devils attire.
Or found a single pamphlet file inclusion in "The Whale", any branch or new
Main Library. Assisted by 14 Librarians.
Shilts' book wrote of how AIDS was nationally ignored until Rock Hudson
and October 2,1985.
This article and hopefully series leading to a 15th Bay Area National
title is so called in honor, "AND THE SURREAL PLAYS ON."
WE'LL FIND TOMORROW......
STEVE BAYT