This Wouldn't Have Happened in Baltimore

Last Friday night, two men, wielding Mexican flags protesting
Arizona's immigration law, strutted across the grass during the
seventh inning stretch, as the Arizona Diamondbacks played the New
York Mets. They were associated with a few dozen protesters across
the street from the stadium, who were chanting, "Boycott Arizona!"
and "Oppose Racism!"

As the protesters were escorted off the field, fans in the stands
chanted, "USA! USA! USA!"

Let's get into the old time capsule.

In 1971....the Baltimore Colts were playing the Miami Dolphins in
old Memorial Stadium, in Baltimore. A drunken fan ran onto the field
and picked up the game ball, while both the Dolphins and the Colts
were in their respective huddles. Suddenly, like a bolt of blue
lightning, Baltimore linebacker Mike (Mad Dog) Curtis bolted the
Baltimore huddle and laid out the drunken fan with a smashing hit
that I still remember, 40 years later.

After the game, some of Curtis's teammates told him he shouldn't
have hit the guy. Curtis was unapologetic, saying, "He walked on my
field." No teammate ever broached the subject again and the hit gets
played on the NFL highlight reel, almost every year. (Also of note,
no fan ever traipsed onto the field again.) Curtis isn't in the Hall
of Fame, but he should be. He was every bit as good as the guys who
are presently enshrined.

And just a thought...

What do you think would happen to a U.S. citizen, carrying a U.S.
flag, who interrupted a Mexican soccer game, protesting the Mexican
government? You think the Mexicans would uphold his freedom of
speech rights?

Speaking of real men, like Mike Curtis...how about a Top Ten List of
the Real Man movies?

Here's mine:

10) The Usual Suspects
9) Porky's
8) Seven Samurai
7) Spartacus
6) Slap Shot
5) Full Metal Jacket
4) The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
3) Reservoir Dogs
2) Deerhunter
1) Braveheart

Honorable Mention to: Scarface, Raging Bull, Gladiator, Die Hard,
Gran Torino, Unforgiven, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Godfather, Predator
(Get du da chopper!), Platoon, Fight Club.

I'm sure there's some more, but that's all I can remember off the
top of my head.

And here's the other thing. Real men take fish oil, especially if
they want to hang around some, and see some manly TV, like TNT's
Dark Blue (starts tomorrow) and the great return of Sons of Anarchy
(September). Better than sex, but a notch below football. (Just
kidding.) But if you take the fish oil, you can have it all.