And my father didn't have money for me to go to college. And at that particular time they didn't have black quarterbacks, and I don't think I could have made it in basketball, because I was only 5' 11"". So I just picked baseball.
quote by Willie Mays

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Related quotes
Father Boy
Oh Father Boy, Oh Father Boy
You didn’t see the signs
You didn’t hear a thing did you
Oh Father Boy, my dear
You didn’t see, you didn’t look, you didn’t listen either
You didn’t try to understand
You didn’t take the time
You weren’t a Father, Father Boy, you weren’t a Father, Father.
Oh Father Boy, Father Boy
When a Father has a Boy
To be a Father, Father see
You have to see the Boy
The Boy inside the Father
And the Father in the Boy
But Father Boy, Oh Father Boy
You just didn’t pay attention
For a Boy to be a Father, Father
He cannot be a Father Boy.
(Previously published in Megaera, #4, Fall 2000)
poem by Laurence Overmire

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The Letter My Father Will Never See
if only one last time i could see you. if only one time i could tell you what i think. if only one time i could say what i've been thinking for all these years. if only i could just not care. if only it didn't hurt so much. if only i could say that you dont matter. if only i could tell you. if only one time you'd listen. if only you knew. if only i could tell you your an ass. if only i could say and put into words what you've put me through. if only you were around to say good job.
as a father you have failed. as a father you were never there. as a father you never held me. as a father you never cared. as a father you never gave me praise. as a father you never brushed my hair. as a father you didn't teach me about life. as a father you didn't teach me how to care. as a father you never showed me love. as a a father you you let me cower in the corner. as a father you scared the hell out of me every night of the week. as a father you came home drunk. as a father you didn't put me to bed. as a father you never gave me a hug as a father you were my worst night. however, for some reason i cant fathom your my father. and for the same reason i cant fathom how you earned the title when being a father was one thing that you never were and dont seem to want to be.
I played baseball, and that's pretty much it. Basketball came late, this was, basketball was the sport that I tried to master, I kind of mastered baseball, so basketball was one of those things where I wanted to master this game, so that's why I probably play it the way I do.
quote by Eric Williams

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And from the first time I picked up a basketball at age eight - I had a lot of difficulty when I first picked up a basketball, because I was a scrub - there were things that I liked about it.
quote by Julius Erving

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I wanted to be an actress. In college I was a serious feminist and very political. I was determined to get one thing out of my career and that was respect. I didn't want money. I didn't care about fame.
quote by Christine Lahti

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Didnt Know
Didn't know what you had
Until you lost it
Didn't know what you own
Until you got it
Didn't know of your sins
Until you fought it.
Didn't know what you needed
Until you sought it.
Didn't know your lies
Until someone spoke them
Didn't know of the truth
Until someone wrote them
Didn't remembered your dreams
Until someone awoke them
Didn't know they died
Until someone chocked them.
Didn't know you had guilt
Until you cried
Didn't know you felt sadness
Until you tried to hide
Didn't know you felt shame
Until you lied
Didn't know you believed in GOD
Until you asked him why.
Didn't know you felt sorrow
Until you shed a tear
Didn't know that you were scared
Until I saw your fear
Didn't know that you hated
Until you were near
Didn't know that you were unhappy
Until you looked in a mirror.
Didn't know who you truly were
Until your ways you sewed
Didn't know that you were evil
Until the truth was showed
Didn't know you did this before
Until I saw all of your woe
Didn't know who you really were
Though I wished then I did know.
Randy L. McClave
poem by Randy McClave

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Field Of Yellow Daisies
We met in a field of yellow daisies
Wild and young and free
And she picked a bouquet for me
She loved me...she loved me not
The daisies didn't lie
They knew better than I...she'd go away..yeah
But they didn't say why
Have you ever been in a field of yellow daisies
Where the air is warm, pure and sweet
Just as if the world is at your feet
She loved me...she loved me not
The daisies didn't lie
They knew better than I
She'd go away.....yeah
But they didn't say why
I may fail like petals from a daisy
But for her love I'll always yearn
Each year when yellow daisies return
She loved me...she loved me not
The daisies didn't lie
They knew better than I
She'd go away.....yeahhhh
But they didn't say why
They didn't say why
They didn't say why
They didn't say why
They didn't say why
They didn't say why
They didn't say why.........
song performed by by Tom Jones

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Winters Over
I made it through.
Another winters over.
She was bitter.
At one point I didn't know if I could make it.
Yet I did.
I made it through.
Another winters over.
She was bitter.
At one point I didn't know if I could make it.
Yet I did.
Time for some repairs.
Make it even better for the next year.
I must be prepared.
For the harsh realities that bring so much despair.
I made it through.
Another winters over.
She was bitter.
At one point I didn't know if I could make it.
Yet I did.
I made it through.
Another winters over.
She was bitter.
At one point I didn't know if I could make it.
Yet I did.
Stipping off all these cloths.
I was so overloaded.
Like a snake I'm shedding my skin.
Replacing it with something better then.
Putting out my sign soon.
Home made and hand crafted.
So green all I used was my surroundings.
I made it through.
Another winters over.
She was bitter.
At one point I didn't know if I could make it.
Yet I did.
I made it through.
Another winters over.
She was bitter.
At one point I didn't know if I could make it.
Yet I did.
Still their is no single silver bullet when it comes to life.
No antidote to some difficulties.
Sometimes you must face things headon with a little sweat and hardwork maybe you'll come out on top.
Provide a helping hand to those who still have not.
Just because your better off doesn't mean so is everyone else.
poem by Ace Of Black Hearts

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I Remember, I Remember
I remember, I remember
The house where I was born;
The rent was thirty-two a month,
Which made my father mourn.
He said he could remember when
His father paid the rent;
And when a man's expenses did
Not take his every cent.
I remember, I remember--
My mother telling my cousin
That eggs had gone to twenty-six
Or seven cents a dozen;
And how she told my father that
She didn't like to speak
Of things like that, but Bridget now
Demanded four a week.
I remember, I remember--
And with a mirthless laugh--
My weekly board at college took
A jump to three and a half.
I bought an eighteen-dollar suit,
And father told me, "Sonny,
I'll pay the bill this time, but, Oh,
I am not made out of money!"
I remember, I remember,
When I was young and brave
And I declared, "Well, Birdie, we
Shall now begin to save."
It was a childish ignorance,
But now 'tis little joy
To know I'm farther off from wealth
Than when I was a boy.
poem by Franklin P. Adams

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No Chance
It must be nice to be steady, it must be nice to be firm
It must be nice never to move off the mark
It must be nice to be dependable and never let anyone down
It must be great to be all the things you're not
It must be great to be all the things that I'm not
I see you in the hospital your humor is intact
I'm embarrassed by the strength I seem to lack
If I was in your shoes
so strange that I'm not
I'd fold up in a minute and a half
and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
It must be nice to be normal it must be nice to be cold
It must be nice not to have to go oh up or down
But me I'm all emotional no matter how I try
you're gone and I'm still here alive
and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
No - I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
There are things we say we wish we knew and in fact we never do
But I'd wish I'd known that you were going to die
Then I wouldn't feel so stupid, such a fool that I didn't call
And I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
No there's no logic to this - who's picked to stay or go
If you think too hard it only makes you mad
But your optimism made me think you really had it beat
So I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
I didn't get a chance to say goodbye
song performed by by Lou Reed

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Jealous Guy (Live)
(John Lennon)
What we really came back to play was this number - Jealous Guy
I was dreaming of the past
and my heart was beatin' fast,
I began to lose control
I began to lose control
I didn't want to hurt you
And I'm sorry I made you cry, no
I didn't want to hurt you (no I didn't care)
I'm just a jealous guy
I was feeling insecure
You might not need me anymore
I was shivering inside
I was shivering inside
I didn't want to hurt you
And I'm sorry I made you cry, oww
I didn't want to hurt you (no I didn't care)
I'm just a jealous guy
I'm just a jealous guy
I'm just a jealous guy
I'm just a jealous guy
I'm just a jealous guy
I don't want nobody messing with you, oh no
Jealous guy
Goodnight cheers. Drive carefully home.
Thank you for your time, and your money.
song performed by by Rod Stewart

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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My father worked hard, but we were still very poor; and I didn't want anybody arguing about money, so I became the entertainer - the one who wanted everyone to be happy. I didn't want there to be any problems.
quote by Diana Ross

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Make It All OK
You threw away the ballast and you rowed your boat ashore
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
You made your ultimatum too big to ignore
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
So you worked out your excuses,
turned away and shut the door.
The world's too vast for us now,
and you wanted to explore
It's a long, long long road
And I don't know which way to go
If you offered me your hand again I'd have to walk away.
When I saw you at the street fair, you called out my name
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
You said we could start over, try and make it all okay.
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
So our past has been rewritten
and you threw away the pen.
You'd said that I was useless,
but now you'll take me in again
Well Jesus loves me fine.
And your words fall flat this time.
Was it my imagination, or did I hear you say,
"We don't have a prayer between us."
Didn't you believe that I have finally turned away?
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
Anything to hold onto to help me through my day.
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
Jesus loves me fine.
But his words fall flat this time.
It's a long, long long road
And I don't know which way to go
If you offered me your world, did you think I'd really stay?
If you offered me the heavens, I would have to turn away.
Was it my imagination, or did I hear you say,
"We don't have a prayer between us."
Didn't you, now? Didn't you, now?
Didn't you?
song performed by by REM

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Make It All Okay
You threw away the ballast and you rowed your boat ashore
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
You made your ultimatum too big to ignore
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
So you worked out your excuses,
turned away and shut the door.
The world's too vast for us now,
and you wanted to explore
It's a long, long long road
And I don't know which way to go
If you offered me your hand again I'd have to walk away.
When I saw you at the street fair, you called out my name
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
You said we could start over, try and make it all okay.
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
So our past has been rewritten
and you threw away the pen.
You'd said that I was useless,
but now you'll take me in again
Well Jesus loves me fine.
And your words fall flat this time.
Was it my imagination, or did I hear you say,
"We don't have a prayer between us."
Didn't you believe that I have finally turned away?
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
Anything to hold onto to help me through my day.
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
Jesus loves me fine.
But his words fall flat this time.
It's a long, long long road
And I don't know which way to go
If you offered me your world, did you think I'd really stay?
If you offered me the heavens, I would have to turn away.
Was it my imagination, or did I hear you say,
"We don't have a prayer between us."
Didn't you, now? Didn't you, now?
Didn't you?
song performed by by REM

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Validation Made
I wasn't voted Most Likely To Succeed,
In high school.
Afterall...
Who would declare,
In 1965 a desire to find success as a writer?
A doctor, a lawyer, a minister?
A fireman?
A basketball or a football star?
Okay!
'What did he say...
A 'writer'? '
Are they laughing at me?
I didn't declare that to get attention.
I knew what I was.
Today I hear 'kids' with wishes to be...
A movie, rap or singing star.
Baseball, basketball...
Or a football great.
Nurses and doctors too.
Afterall, they make 'money'...
That's what I hear them say.
But a writer?
And of poetry?
Are they laughing at me?
'Medic?
We've got one over here.
Delusional and hallucinating.
See what can be done.
If nothing...
Forget it! '
Well...
Very few writers make money,
Doing what they do.
And my name aint Twain, Langston...
Or Maya Angelou!
I did know Zora Neale Hurston's family.
Her brother Edgar, his wife and kids,
Lived in Bellevue Square in Hartford....
As me and my family did.
I grew up with their children.
And Robert, the second eldest son...
Was a good friend of mine.
Oh...
How I hate to name drop!
And fame?
Who said anything about wanting to be famous?
I said I was a writer.
Aint nothing about that has changed.
But I wish I had some bucks for my efforts.
Especially as I've age with a validation made.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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From the Lips
Excuse:
'I didn't want to see them like that.
That is why I didn't come by to see them,
Before they passed away.'
Excuse:
'I know I should have asked you
How you were doing!
But I was told you were doing fine,
And that's why I hadn't called! '
Excuse:
'Even though I know most of our relatives
Attended.
I didn't get an invitation.
My father got one.
I should have received one too! '
Excuse:
'I really didn't tell lies on you and things you did.
I just told them what I heard.
And when I saw you the other day,
You didn't speak to me.
But I didn't tell them you didn't see me...
And what I heard came from someone,
Who hasn't seen you at all! '
These excuses come from the lips,
Of those who will swear they know you!
Everything about you...
And more!
Why they stay amazed,
You would rather keep away from them...
Day and night to remain in peace,
Will not stop a dropp of their gossip!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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You Didn’t See
You didn’t see
the love in my eyes
and the hurt you caused
with your little lies.
You didn’t see
the breaking of my heart
every time you came home
and said we would have to part.
You didn’t see
what you were doing to me
as you spun your web of deceit
or how my life would ebb away
the minute you were gone.
You didn’t see
or didn’t want to see
how much you were hurting me.
How much love
you were willing just to toss away.
You didn’t see
until it was too late.
poem by David Harris

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New Day
What we gon' do right now is go back, way back
Bring in the groove
I wanna dedicate this to those who never made it
>From kindergarten to the 12th I never graduated
Yo but college wasn't for some of us
So we joined the service
I seen a kid get murdered in Nam listening to Elvis
But on the out looking in
Things stay the same
But at the same vein
Looking out the whole world's changed
So keep your head up
Don't get caught up in the fast bucks
And find your mom crying while your lying in a black tux
Trust me
We don't need no education says a young man
Sitting in class (sitting in class)
School is out 3 o'clock on the dot
He had beef with some kids and he got shot, oh Lord
Turn on the television
I'm watching Martin Luther King who had a dream, oh
So take this dream and apply it to your life
Even though we know the ghetto's rough
But we got to
1 - Keep your head up
(Uh keep your head up)
Cause a new day will come
(Uh-huh, uh-huh)
And look towards the sun
(Look towards the sun)
Even when the darkness shall come
(Ooh) It's real son
(Ooh) To my people living Life it's real son
I turn the page
What's the news today
People getting fired, walking on a wire
Looting on the streets cause the kid's gotta eat
Oh, oh turn around and look at the hour glass
I gotta get it straight
Before it's too late
Cause I don't wanna be behind that gates
Keep your head up
(Uh keep your head up)
Cause a new day will come
(Uh-huh, uh-huh)
And look towards the sun
Even when the darkness shall come
2 - All my people in the back
Mama, mama
You know you raised me with no father figure
(Didn't ya)
I wanna take this time to thank you
For giving me life, oh yeah
Mama, mama
You know you raised me with no father figure
(Didn't ya)
I wanna take this time to thank you
Even though I'm doing Life
Alright
(Ooh) It's real son, alright
(Ooh) Can't flee
(Ooh)All my people doing time
(Ooh)People in the back playing cards
(Ooh)Don't lose your money yeah
Yeah tell them don't lose your money, c'mon, c'mon
Repeat 1
Repeat 2
(Ooh) For my people doing time (alright)
(Ooh) For my people doing time (alright)
song performed by by Wyclef Jean

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Maybe
Maybe i did it,
Maybe i didn't;
Maybe you did it,
Maybe you didn't;
Maybe he did it,
Maybe he didn't;
Maybe she did it,
Maybe she didn't;
Maybe they did it,
Maybe they didn't;
Maybe we did it,
Maybe we didn't;
And like a raiser of naked Sheep!
But behold, a basket full of summer fruits lay next to you.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis

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I always thought that there was going to be life after baseball, and so I designed that in my life I would have other interests after baseball that I would be able to step into. And I didn't realize the grip that baseball had on me and on my family.
quote by Nolan Ryan

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