Frankly Speaking-Bet I'll always remember
Frankly Speaking
The bet I will always remember
It was a typical Saturday fall afternoon at my grandparent’s home. Typical in that every Saturday afternoon in the fall gave cause to turn on, tune in and watch THE football game. Basically you had two choices. Either watch THE football game or turn the TV off. While I can’t remember who was playing I am rather certain we were watching WKY in Oklahoma City (as I recall that was my grandfather’s station of choice; or was it the only television station he could receive and therefore it was the station of choice by default).
For those that don’t recall television in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s consider these facts. First, there were three primary colors that existed in the television industry. These colors were black, white and an infinite number of shades of grey. TV was highlighted by static, ghosted images and regular loss of audio and video signals. Back then we had to adjust the antenna about as often as today’s viewer uses the clicker to change channels. But hey, it beat listening to the game on the radio. TV was state of the art and the state of the art was a live broadcast. I mean no instant replay, no slow motion, no illustrators; no breaking away to focus on what was going on in another stadium and believe it or not NO TV timeouts. What you saw was what you got, and you got it once and only once so you’d better pay attention.
Under those circumstances we parked ourselves to watch the game. I was in my normal place on the floor, as close to the TV as I could get without damaging my eyesight. My grandfather was in his recliner with his ashtray and coffee cup holder next to the recliners left arm. In those positions we watched the game progress almost spellbound by the fact that any inattention on our part might result in our missing THE PLAY.
I am not sure who was playing, but I‘m sure I had a favorite team in the game. At some point in the game the opposing team got the football on their 5 yard line. Without hesitating Grandfather Walker boldly predicted, “I bet they go for a touchdown on the next play.” Well, they were playing MY team and they had to go 95 yards to score a touchdown. In my mind it was not going to happen. I took my Grandfather up on the bet. I don’t recall what the stakes were and at the time it didn’t matter. Hey, they had to go 95 yards on the next play. What were the odds?
The opposing team broke the huddle and came to the line of scrimmage. The ball was snapped then handed off to either the fullback or a halfback. He gained some yardage but he did not go for a touchdown. Well I was excited! I had just won a bet with my grandfather and I let him know it. Calmly he asked, “What do you mean?” My reply, “They didn’t go for a touchdown!” His reply to me still resounds in my mind, “Well Frank, what do you think they were going for?” At the time I was sure I had been tricked but the lesson wasn’t over yet. He then wanted me to make good on THE BET. The stakes didn’t matter; I didn’t have a cent to my name. Here came the next and probably most valuable part of the lesson. His comment to me was, “Frank, when you bet make sure you know what you’re betting on and even then think about what happens if you lose.”
Well, it has been 40+ years since that afternoon. I don’t remember anything else about it; who played, who won, who lost, what the final score was or whose star shined brightest. But I have always and will always remember the bet and the lessons it taught.
The bet I will always remember
It was a typical Saturday fall afternoon at my grandparent’s home. Typical in that every Saturday afternoon in the fall gave cause to turn on, tune in and watch THE football game. Basically you had two choices. Either watch THE football game or turn the TV off. While I can’t remember who was playing I am rather certain we were watching WKY in Oklahoma City (as I recall that was my grandfather’s station of choice; or was it the only television station he could receive and therefore it was the station of choice by default).
For those that don’t recall television in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s consider these facts. First, there were three primary colors that existed in the television industry. These colors were black, white and an infinite number of shades of grey. TV was highlighted by static, ghosted images and regular loss of audio and video signals. Back then we had to adjust the antenna about as often as today’s viewer uses the clicker to change channels. But hey, it beat listening to the game on the radio. TV was state of the art and the state of the art was a live broadcast. I mean no instant replay, no slow motion, no illustrators; no breaking away to focus on what was going on in another stadium and believe it or not NO TV timeouts. What you saw was what you got, and you got it once and only once so you’d better pay attention.
Under those circumstances we parked ourselves to watch the game. I was in my normal place on the floor, as close to the TV as I could get without damaging my eyesight. My grandfather was in his recliner with his ashtray and coffee cup holder next to the recliners left arm. In those positions we watched the game progress almost spellbound by the fact that any inattention on our part might result in our missing THE PLAY.
I am not sure who was playing, but I‘m sure I had a favorite team in the game. At some point in the game the opposing team got the football on their 5 yard line. Without hesitating Grandfather Walker boldly predicted, “I bet they go for a touchdown on the next play.” Well, they were playing MY team and they had to go 95 yards to score a touchdown. In my mind it was not going to happen. I took my Grandfather up on the bet. I don’t recall what the stakes were and at the time it didn’t matter. Hey, they had to go 95 yards on the next play. What were the odds?
The opposing team broke the huddle and came to the line of scrimmage. The ball was snapped then handed off to either the fullback or a halfback. He gained some yardage but he did not go for a touchdown. Well I was excited! I had just won a bet with my grandfather and I let him know it. Calmly he asked, “What do you mean?” My reply, “They didn’t go for a touchdown!” His reply to me still resounds in my mind, “Well Frank, what do you think they were going for?” At the time I was sure I had been tricked but the lesson wasn’t over yet. He then wanted me to make good on THE BET. The stakes didn’t matter; I didn’t have a cent to my name. Here came the next and probably most valuable part of the lesson. His comment to me was, “Frank, when you bet make sure you know what you’re betting on and even then think about what happens if you lose.”
Well, it has been 40+ years since that afternoon. I don’t remember anything else about it; who played, who won, who lost, what the final score was or whose star shined brightest. But I have always and will always remember the bet and the lessons it taught.
posted by Frank at 11:38 AM
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