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The Weekend Desk Report

By Steve Rhodes

Non-tronc edition . . . because tronc is coming.
Amidst the reams of material pouring out about Muhammad Ali, the Beachwood makes its tiny, miniscule contribution:
* The Contradictions Of Muhammad Ali.
I picked up this piece from The Conversation (and re-titled it) because I liked how the author didn’t whitewash the man either way – and by either way you’re getting a lot of this kind of nonsense today that utterly ignores the man’s essence but also a lot of reminders of how Ali was once deemed dangerous to the U.S. government that ignores his later endorsements Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush for president.


There is a throughline, of course; as a one-time (perhaps all-time, I do not know) Nation of Islam member, perhaps Ali liked the individualistic, pull-yourself-up, do-it-yourself messaging of Republicans that gibed with the admonitions of Louis Farrakhan to “stop asking white people for things” more than the Democratic offers of modest “help” in return for electoral support.
I see tremendous fallacies in that line of thinking, and I’m only speculating here, having not researched the matter further, but it’s hard to blame anyone for abandoning Democrats. It’s also easy to blame anyone who embraces Republicans. You don’t have to choose.
Anyway, that’s just a sentence or two in the piece, but I put in a couple links on those sentences that were quite fascinating, thank you very much. (Ali also supported Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch.)
* Song Of The Moment: Black Superman.
Everything – well, a lot of things – you wanted to know about this infectious single from 1974-75! I love this song, and even more, I love the cover by one of my all-time favorite bands, the Gear Daddies. Sadly, I was not able to find the ‘Dads version online, but if I have time later I’ll make an mp3 I can post here, or post it through Soundcloud.
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Previously in Muhammad Ali:
* What I Watched Last Night/By Scott Buckner, April 21, 2007:

When it comes to boxing, I can take it or leave it. Not because it’s violent and has an underbelly with all sorts of unsavory characters, but because for me, it’s not as exciting as, say, Ultimate Fighting. But last night’s The Best Damn Sports Show Period turned into the best damn boxing show period with a 10-round women’s bout between Holly Holm and the extremely scary-looking Ann Marie Saccurato.
“Before last night, the only exposure I’d had to women’s boxing was seeing Muhammad Ali’s professional-boxer daughter Laila once and thinking she was pretty damn sharp. I came in halfway through the Holm-Saccurato bout, and these two were brutal – but not in that sort of aimless, drunken brawling way you normally see during boxing exhibitions featuring washed-up child stars. No, these two knew how to administer a professional Grade A ass-kicking, and the only thing missing was the slaughterhouse freezer with sides of beef hanging from huge hooks and Saccurato glaring at the camera and snarling, “I predict . . . pain.”

Yes, that’s right – Holly Holm was in the Beachwood seven years ago.
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* The [Tuesday] Papers/By Steve Rhodes, October 23, 2007:

Mayor Daley called Muhammad Ali yesterday “a great Chicagoan and a great human being.”
I like Ali’s politics too, but since when has Richard M. Daley been onboard?

This was when Daley was using a boxing tournament to impress the Olympic committee.
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Which reminds me of this Ali anecdote, which includes Daley but is really about The Defender author Ethan Michaeli:

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Back to the Beachwood archives:
* A Tribute To The World’s Greatest Cornerman: Remembering Angelo Dundee/Feb. 2, 2012:

It was here [in Las Vegas] the famed entourage lived together like frat boys: Gene Kilroy, the personal business manager and camp facilitator, keeper of the checkbook, restorer of order, fierce guardian of Ali’s integrity; Pat Patterson, the Chicago cop turned security chief; Angelo Dundee, the trainer who usually arrived the last week before they broke camp for fight; Drew Bundini Brown, the witch doctor/cheerleader who coined the phrase “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” and Wali Muhammad, the bucket man and timekeeper.

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* Muhammad Ali Jr. Living On Food Stamps In West Englewood?/Jan. 25, 2014:

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* SportsTuesday: If Only Kirk Hinrich Couldn’t Breathe/By Jim Coffman, Dec. 9, 2014:

[F]or a long time after Michael Jordan’s “Republicans buy shoes too” remark during his playing career, it has seemed as though prominent athletes in America took avoiding controversial comments addressing issues outside the world of sports to a different level. Certainly no one picked up the mantle from Muhammad Ali as he receded from the public eye in the 80s. And Jordan made the ultimate statement about his determination to put material concerns (selling more shoes) ahead of all other considerations.

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* Kobe Bryant’s Fatuous Farewell Tour/By Roger Wallenstein, Feb. 23, 2016:

What has happened to dignity? It was absent when a depleted Willie Mays tried to hang on at age 42. Or Muhammad Ali, just shy of his 40th birthday, squaring off against someone named Trevor Berbick.

It wasn’t all grace, sadly. It rarely is.
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Beachwood Radio Sports Hour: Quantum Baseball
Higgs to Boson to Chance. Plus: The Cubs Are The Best Baseball Team On Earth; Fat Albers; The State Of The Standings; The Pride Of Peoria Could Be The NBA Finals MVP; ICYMI, The Stanley Cup Finals Are Happening Right Now; Elena Delle Donne’s Silent Supremacy; and The Chicago Fire Did Not Do Anything This Week.
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School Choice: Trading One Bad School For Another
“[A]mong those who transferred to another Chicago public school, fewer than 5 percent moved to a school that ranked in the top quarter of schools in the city. Only 22 percent transferred to a school in the top half. Meanwhile, 74 percent of the transfers ended up at a school in the bottom half.”
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The Sound Opinions Weekend Listening Report: “Jim and Greg conclude their two-part celebration of American icon Bob Dylan as he turns 75. This week, they explore the recording of Blonde on Blonde through his late career renaissance.”
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Weekend BeachBook
Hired! Chicago’s ’90s Tribute Band.

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How (And Why) Athletes Go Broke.

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Campus Rapist Lightly Sentenced To Avoid ‘Severe Impact’ On His Life

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Weekend TweetWood


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The Weekend Desk Tronc Line: Built to spill.

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Posted on June 4, 2016