Memories

Odd news:

Madonna has received much flack for all her attempts as an actress in front of the camera. But being the fierce performer that she is, the criticism has not stopped her. Madonna is about to turn the camera around and attempt a go at directing.

Her directorial debut will be attached to a film entitled Blade to the Heat. The movie is a real life story based on the boxer Benny Kid Paret.

Know the story of Benny "Kid" Paret? When I was a kid you could watch boxing on free TV, well, up to a point you could. You could watch boxing on free TV until I made my first bet on a boxing match. I bet 5¢* on Benny "Kid" Paret. Paret did ok early in the fight but was knocked out in the 12th round. The problem was, he got tangled in the ropes and couldn't fall down. So, Emile Griffith just kept wailing on him. The Kid never woke up from the coma. He died a week or so later.

Oh, I forgot to say, Spoiler Alert. I just told you how it ends. Well really, it can't be a secret, the story is about how the ref should have stopped the fight and how you could only listen to the fights on the radio after that. You could. I couldn't. I never felt the same about boxing again. Being a kid, I assumed that my bet is what killed him. I've never cared much for boxing since. Though I did go to a Muhammad Ali fight late in his career. That was when he was fighting bums and I knew nobody would get killed. Most people hated those last Ali fights because he was just sparring with the guys. Not me. Sparring was fine with me.

* I know 5¢ sounds like a terribly small bet but I was just a kid. Plus, back in those days you could get a good used car for a dime. (with a full tank of gas)