Daily Archives: November 15, 2021

Twenty years ago today, Microsoft released the original Xbox in North America, marking its bold entry into the world of console gaming. Since then, the design of Xbox consoles have changed almost beyond recognition. What started with a piece of big and bulky 90s-style electronics has (generally) gotten sleeker and more compact, and as trends have shifted, weve seen wired controller ports, and even some disc drives, disappear.

To celebrate the anniversary, were taking a look back through each of the major Xbox consoles, from the original Xbox with its huge Duke controller, through the many iterations of the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and last years Series S and X. Microsoft may have technically only released four generations of Xbox in total, but there have been numerous smaller iterations made over the years as Microsoft has tweaked its designs and added support for emerging technologies.

Microsoft really leaned into the X branding for the original Xbox console, so named because of the Microsoft DirectX technology on which it was based. The whole console is designed around the letter, with a massive lime green logo in its center showing its name. But despite its stylized look, the console had a very functional design overall, with four controller ports on its front, an internal power supply, and of course a built-in ethernet port for Microsofts all important Xbox Live online gaming service.

Unlike in later generations, Microsoft didnt release a slim version of its original Xbox console. But its controller went through a slimming process soon after its release when Microsoft replaced the original consoles hulking Duke controller with the much more compact Controller S that had originally been the standard controller for the consoles Japanese release. Despite its unwieldy size, the Duke still has its fans, so much so that accessory manufacturer Hyperkin would later resurrect the design as an Xbox One controller.

The Xbox 360 was a very different-looking console to the original Xbox. It now came in white as standard and ditched the giant X shape in favor of minimal Xbox branding along the disc tray.

The console was a huge success for Microsoft, and it arguably became competitive with Sonys PlayStation for the first time, but the original machine was beset with problems that led to an estimated quarter of consoles experiencing some kind of hardware failure. Most common was the Red Ring of Death, so called because of the three red lights that would flash on the front of the console in the case of a problem.

Microsoft would later announce an extended warranty to deal with the issues, and over the years numerous home-brew fixes for the issues would emerge online, with sellers offering tools and replacement thermal paste to help users fix the problems themselves.

Other notable hardware features of the original Xbox 360 include memory unit slots on the front of the console and an easily removable (albeit proprietary) hard drive on select models. Oh, and of course there were the swappable faceplates, which Microsoft intended for users to be able to use to customize the look of their machines. There was just one problem with the faceplates: nobody bought them. Turns out most people were happy enough with the original consoles white color scheme.

The Xbox 360 S brought two significant advantages over the original Xbox 360, or three if you include its slimmer dimensions. First was that it offered a dedicated port for Microsofts new Kinect peripheral, which let you use the new motion-tracking accessory without needing to power it from the wall separately. And second was that it was a hardware redesign that Microsoft hoped would put the 360s hardware failures clearly behind it.

More minor changes included the introduction of the glossy black color scheme that Microsoft would continue to use well into the Xbox One generation, leaving behind the white coloring that had dominated the Xbox 360 lineup until then. It also benefitted from built-in Wi-Fi, additional USB ports, and it ditched the 360s proprietary hard drives in favor of SATA.

Microsoft released the final model of the Xbox 360 E in June 2013, just months before it would release the next-generation Xbox One. The 360 E didnt bring with it much in the way of new features, but it had a new design that was in line with the upcoming next-gen console. Microsoft also announced that it would run quieter and cooler than previously 360 consoles.

With the Xbox One, Microsoft had ambitions for its video game console to act as a central hub for all your entertainment, rather than just games. At launch it included a number of video streaming services, and there was the ability to route your cable box through the console to be able to use it to watch live TV, even while youre playing games. Early models also came bundled with a new version of the companys Kinect camera.

But buggy functionality, not to mention a dated VCR-style console design, limited the appeal of the original hardware. The Xbox One never delivered the home entertainment revolution that Microsoft promised, and in the years after its original launch, Microsoft would move away from these initiatives as it attempted to reposition the Xbox One as a gaming-first machine and close the extra $100 price gap with the competition.

Although at first glance the Xbox One S looks like a typical mid-generation slim-down, it also included some substantial upgrades over the original console. Top of the list was the addition of a 4K Blu-ray player, as well as support for 4K / HDR video streaming services, and HDR support for games themselves. By default, it also came in a bright white color scheme, which seemed to emphasize a clean break from the largely black and gray consoles that proceeded it.

Thats not to say it wasnt also a much more compact console than the original Xbox One (40 percent smaller according to Microsoft), but these upgrades were significant at a time when 4K-capable disc players and streaming devices were far less common and affordable than they are now. Microsoft would later release a more affordable disc-less model in 2019.

Originally teased under the codename Project Scorpio, the Xbox One X was meant as a way to bring 4K / HDR gaming to Microsofts Xbox One without needing to usher in a whole new generation of Xbox consoles. But despite packing in far more graphical horsepower than either the original Xbox One or the Xbox One S, the Xbox One X still managed to be remarkably compact, with a similar sharp rectangular design to the One S.

With the benefit of hindsight, its interesting that Microsofts initial promises that the console would be capable of VR never really came to pass. But it was tough to care given the performance upgrades the console offered over the original Xbox One, which even extended to some backward compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games.

While it wasnt the first time that Microsoft has offered two tiers of console in a single generation (like the Core edition of the Xbox 360 which came without a hard drive and had a wired controller) the Series S and Series X represent the most substantially different consoles Microsoft has ever released at the same time. The Series X looks like the future, while the Series S looks much more like an evolution of the Xbox One S.

Compared to the Series X, the Series S is smaller, targets 1440p rather than 4K resolutions, and can only play digital versions of games thanks to its lack of a disc drive. But Microsofts bet is that more budget-conscious gamers are unlikely to care when the console is available for almost half that of the more premium Xbox Series X.

The Series Xs unique design may have drawn frequent comparisons to a fridge thanks to its wide, upright design, but Microsoft doesnt seem to mind. Its even playfully embraced it with its fully functioning Xbox-themed fridges.

While its design is unlike anything that Microsoft has put out before, the Series X clearly draws inspiration from the clean lines and dark color scheme of the Xbox One X.

See the original post:

20 years of Xbox: a visual history - The Verge

This could be a Nancy Drew book called The Secret of the Old Trophy or maybe an Ellery Queen novel titled The Loving Cup Mystery.

Millie Neiman Korachs antique vase has a curious past.

For decades, the 96-year-old Akron woman has used the silver container to display fresh flowers. Thats the way it originally was presented to her. But she has always been aware of a faint inscription on its side:

PORTAGE GOLF CLUB

BOGIE HANDICAP

JUNE 18, 1904

WON BY

WILL CHRISTY

Im very interested in what you may have to tell me about my trophy, Korach told a Beacon Journal reporter.

We checked the newspapers archives and found a sports story from June 21, 1904, headlined CHRISTY WON IT.

In a sentence that could never be diagrammed, the article noted: The 18-hole mens bogie handicap, for a trophy offered by the club, which was played on the Portage golf links Saturday afternoon, was won by Will Christy with P.D. Hall pursuing him hotly. The winners handicap was 10, while Hall had a handicap of 12.

Akrons first golf club, a nine-hole course, was laid out in 1894 on the farm of Col. George T. Perkins, grandson of Akrons founder, Gen. Simon Perkins. Its clubhouse was the former home of abolitionist John Brown at Copley and Diagonal roads.

The summer of 1904 was the last season at the original location before it incorporated as Portage Country Club and moved to North Portage Path and Twin Oaks, where it remains today. Christy was one of the incorporators.

Who was he? Highland Square residents might recognize him as the namesake of Will Christy Park at West Exchange Street and Rose Boulevard. Christys wife, Rose, inspired the boulevards name.

In the early 20thcentury, Christy was one of Akrons most prominent and influential citizens. He served as president of Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Central Savings & Trust Co., Northern Ohio Traction & Light Co. and Akron Peoples Telephone Co.

In 1883, Christy organized the Akron Street Railway and Herdic Co. with John E. Metlin and Ira M. Mather. A herdic was a 25-passenger, horse-drawn car that rolled on iron rails. Christy later invested in electric trolleys and led the Northern Ohio Traction & Light Co., a forerunner of Ohio Edison.

Christy spent much of his free time on the links, competing in tournaments and taking golf trips. Harvey Firestone was one of his golfing buddies.

Will Christy was 56 when he died unexpectedly from appendicitis in 1916. Rose died in 1929 at age 61 in her pink brick mansion, Rosewill Manor, on a hill at West Exchange and South Portage Path. She lived across the street from Grey Lodge, the George Bertram Work home that now serves as the Akron Womans City Club.

They had no children. The mansion was demolished in 1966 and the hill was leveled during the development of the nearby Five Points Shopping Center.

But were straying from that trophy, arent we? The loving cup stands more than a foot tall and appears to be made of pewter. It has a floral motif with ornately molded handles. A picture of a golfer in mid-swing is etched on one side.

Millie Neiman Korach, the former owner of Regency Wine Store at Fairlawn Plaza, has treasured the silver cup for more than 50 years.

It had belonged to Akron brick manufacturer Henry H. Camp and his wife, Anna, who lived in an opulent, English-style home at 20 N. Revere Road across from Fairlawn Country Club.

Our shop was very close and they would come in frequently, Korach said. Thats when Fairlawn Plaza had just opened up.

She wasnt friends with the couple, but she knew they were good, kind people. In the mid-1950s, she and her first husband, Eli Neiman, lived a few blocks north of the Camps on Revere Road. She always admired the corner home on the way to and from the wine shop.

They lived such an elegant life, Korach said. Their home was a museum.

The couple, who had no children, employed a chauffeur, housekeeper and other workers on the huge estate.

One spring day in the 1960s, the Camps housekeeper Maddie delivered fresh lilacs to the Neiman home. Korach doesnt remember the occasion. The flowers were presented in the old trophy.

Henry died in 1956 at age 79. Anna Camp died in 1966 at age 85.

They passed away and the vase stayed with me, Korach said. I always wanted to get it back to the owners.

But there apparently are no direct heirs.

Anna Camp was Will Christys niece. She must have inherited the trophy through her mother, Alice Metlin, Christys sister. The Christy and Camp couples had no children and Anna had no siblings.

The contents of the Camp home were liquidated in a public sale. The mansion was razed to make room for an office building.

It was really too bad that the house was torn down and made into offices, but those things do happen, Korach said.

Now she knows more than she probably ever wanted to learn about a golf trophy from 1904.

She had hoped to see it in good hands, but with no apparent Camp or Christy heir to receive it, shell hold on to the vase a little longer.

That trophy has no mama or papa, Korach said. Ill have to take good care of it myself.

Mark J. Price can be reached atmprice@thebeaconjournal.com.

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Local history: The secret of the old trophy - Akron Beacon Journal

Looking back at the most recent ties in NFL history originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Rookie running back Najee Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the latest competitor to find out an NFL game can end in a tie by playing in a tie.

The Steelers hosted the winless Detroit Lions on Sunday in what turned out to be an ugly contest. The game was knotted at 16-16 after 60 minutes, sending the game to overtime. The Lions had a chance to win it with a 48-yard kick, but Ryan Santoso missed the field goal attempt. The Steelers fumbled their own chance at a potential game-winning kick, as rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth coughed the ball up in the final seconds to give Detroit possession.

The game ended one play later, as the Lions attempted to lateral their way into the end zone. Harris thought there was more football left to be played, though.

I didn't even know you could tie in the NFL, Harris said, via ESPNs Brooke Pryor. In my mind, I was sitting on the bench saying, 'I've got another quarter to go.' But someone came to me and said, 'That's it.' I've never had a tie in my life before.

While Sundays matchup was just the ninth NFL game for Harris, ties have become almost an annual tradition in the league over the last 10 years. Heres a look at how the NFLs modified overtime rules have changed things, as well as which games have ended in a stalemate.

As of 2017, regular-season games that are tied after 60 minutes only have one overtime period of 10 minutes. There used to be a 15-minute period, but it was shortened with player safety in mind.

In those 10 minutes, if the team that gets possession first scores a touchdown, that team wins the game. If the team that gets possession first kicks a field goal on that first possession, the other team gets a shot to even the game or win it. If the team that gets possession first punts or turns the ball over on that possession, the next score from either side wins. If neither team scores throughout the 10 minutes, the game ends in a tie.

For a full explanation of the NFLs overtime rules, click here.

There is a stark difference between the NFLs overtime rules and the NCAAs overtime rules.

In college football, overtime periods feature two possessions with each team getting one chance on offense and defense. Offenses begin at the opposing teams 25-yard line and trade possessions until one team scores more in a given overtime. In previous years, teams that scored touchdowns would need to go for two-point conversions beginning with the third overtime and the game would continue that way until someone scored more in a given OT period.

In 2019, the rule was changed so once a game reached the fifth overtime, teams would no longer start drives from the 25-yard line. Instead, teams begin alternating two-point conversion plays until a winner is determined. Fans saw this play out in extreme fashion back in October when Illinois upset Penn State in a nine-overtime marathon.

Harris played an overtime game on the biggest stage in college football when Alabama beat Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 8, 2018.

Back to the NFL, 27 regular-season games have ended in a tie since 1974, when the league introduced a sudden-death overtime rule. Up until then, the NFL and AFL did not have any overtime rules in place for regular season games.

Between 1974 and 2011, the final year before the NFL first modified its overtime rule, there were 17 ties out of 494 regular-season games that went to overtime (3.4%).

From 2012 to 2016, the final year before the current NFL overtime rules went into effect, there were five ties out of 83 regular-season games that went to overtime (6.0%):

2012, Week 10: St. Louis Rams 24, San Francisco 49ers 24

2013, Week 12: Minnesota Vikings 26, Green Bay Packers 26

2014, Week 6: Carolina Panthers 37, Cincinnati Bengals 37

2016, Week 7: Seattle Seahawks 6, Arizona Cardinals 6

2016, Week 8: Washington 27, Cincinnati Bengals 27

From the start of 2017 through Week 10 of the 2021 NFL season, there were five ties out of just 62 regular-season games that went to overtime (8.1%):

2018, Week 1: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Cleveland Browns 21

2018, Week 2: Minnesota Vikings 29, Green Bay Packers 29

2019, Week 1: Detroit Lions 27, Arizona Cardinals 27

2020, Week 3: Cincinnati Bengals 23, Philadelphia Eagles 23

2021, Week 10: Detroit Lions 16, Pittsburgh Steelers 16

The Chicago Bears have the most ties all-time with 42, but all came prior to 1974.

The Green Bay Packers have the most ties since the NFL implemented its first regular-season overtime rules with six. The Philadelphia Eagles are next with five, while four teams trail with four ties.

Here's the full leaderboard for NFL ties since 1974.

1. Green Bay Packers (6)

2. Philadelphia Eagles (5)

T-3. Arizona Cardinals (4)

T-3. Cincinnati Bengals (4)

T-3. Minnesota Vikings (4)

T-3. Pittsburgh Steelers (4)

7. Detroit Lions (3)

T-8. Atlanta Falcons (2)

T-8. Cleveland Browns (2)

T-8. Denver Broncos (2)

T-8. Kansas City Chiefs (2)

T-8. Los Angeles Rams (2)

T-8. New York Giants (2)

T-8. New York Jets (2)

T-8. San Francisco 49ers (2)

T-8. Washington Football Team (2)

T-17. Baltimore Ravens (1)

T-17. Carolina Panthers (1)

T-17. Indianapolis Colts (1)

T-17. Miami Dolphins (1)

T-17. Seattle Seahawks (1)

T-17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)

The Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans join the Bears as teams to never record a tie since 1974. The Texans and Jaguars are the only NFL teams to never record a tie at all.

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Looking Back at the Most Recent Ties in NFL History - NBC Chicago

I dont remember the first time I was taught that the Civil War was not fought because of slavery. I am a white Texan, so this idea was simply in the ether, as were myths about good slave owners and the Lost Cause. I knew that America had a racist history, but when I was a child, the details of what that meant were blurry and vague.

This experience is common. There is objective truth to our nations history, based in research and primary sources. But as Clint Smith describes in his book How the Word Is Passed, in America we too often tell a slanted version of our history to protect the feelings of white people. Smith highlights how an intentional disinformation campaign, which began shortly after the end of the Civil War, has altered the way much of America narrates our racial past. He looks at the convenient lies that white people often rely on to belittle the horrors of the past, the way we exclude stories that might trouble or challenge us.

In an interview, Smith discussed how a statement of fact such as The Confederacy was a treasonous army predicated on maintaining and expanding the institution of slavery is recast as a biased ideological statement. Part of what racism tries to do is turn empirical evidence, Smith said, into statements that are ostensibly reflective of someones opinion and reflective of a political sensibility or disposition, rather than one that is honest about this countrys history.

Were struggling now as a society with how to tell the truth about how white supremacy has shaped our history and institutions. Several states have recently passed laws against teaching critical race theory. The imprecise language of these laws provides cover for those who are not comfortable hearing or telling the truth about the history and state of race relations in the United States, as Rashawn Ray and Alexandra Gibbons point out in a Brookings Institution paper.

These laws, for instance, have been used by advocacy groups to try to prohibit the teaching of Ruby Bridgess autobiography for children. Other efforts seek to investigate or ban books in schools that would, in the words of one Texas lawmaker, make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex. But the actual historical facts of slavery, lynching, Jim Crow and racial inequality are likely to make white Americans with even a hint of compassion feel uncomfortable.

The question before us as a nation is simple: Are we willing to tell the truth about our history or not?

My convictions about this question are deeply shaped by my Christian faith. White Christians do not appear to be any better than the culture at large at truthfully telling the story of America. But the Christian doctrines of sin and grace require truthfulness, even if those truths make certain people feel guilt, shame or discomfort.

The Gospel presented in Scripture demands that we walk in the light, that we not try to hide or minimize the truth of whats wrong with us or our history. Christian doctrine also understands sin and evil not only as individualistic, voluntary decisions to do evil but also as a communal, atmospheric reality. We are born into communities with sinful assumptions and narratives about the world that drive oppressive and destructive behavior. However unintentionally, we give our assent to these ways of understanding and acting in the world.

Repentance for sin is not simply to feel sorry about something but to actively address and repair wrong thats been done. To repent, said Catholic theologian Remi Hoeckman, is to rethink everything from the ground up. Its a transformation of how we think and how we live. Repentance requires truth-telling, and we cannot repent for the sin of racism in the present if we are not willing to admit to white-supremacist roots in American culture and institutions, including in the American church.

Telling the truth about our history means that as a Christian, I have to wade into the emotional complexity that honesty requires. It does not mean that white people must hate everything about our ancestors or curse those who made our lives possible. It means that we cannot deny, minimize, or excuse their behavior. We have to be willing to confront the truth in ways that might make us feel conflicted and distressed, and to teach our children to do the same.

The Bible also lends us the tremendously helpful concept of idolatry to help understand racial evil. John Calvin wrote that the human mind is a perpetual forge of idols. Our loves are disordered. Our idols, which are often unknown to us, are not usually bad things in themselves, but instead are things that we have loved and exalted too much. There is, of course, nothing wrong with being white. God designed the specific amount of melanin in my skin. But America has and has always had an idolatry of white culture and power. Our history makes that clear.

The Christian tradition, with its understanding of human depravity, original sin, institutional and societal evil and oppressive powers, supports the concept of entrenched, systemic evil and cultural idolatries. Drawing from our own tradition, then, Christians should be the first to admit and explore the evil in Americas past. How can we claim to follow the God of truth and then support laws that are used to whitewash history?

Yet the white American church has sometimes conflated a sanitized story of America with Christianity to embrace loyalty to God and country. We often choose a white, American narrative over the understanding of truth, repentance and grace given to us by Christian doctrine. We reject any tension between following Jesus truthfully and denying the truth about our ancestors. We want to pretend that the story of America and the demands of biblical justice are not in conflict.

We as a church and a nation have a choice: Do we twist the truths of history or do we let the truth set us free?

Have feedback? Send a note to HarrisonWarren-newsletter@nytimes.com.

Tish Harrison Warren (@Tish_H_Warren) is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America and the author of Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep.

See original here:

Opinion | Is America Willing to Tell the Truth About Its History? - The New York Times

John J. McDermott with his U.S. Open trophy.

The year is 1913, and a young and brash two-time defending U.S. Open champion has some choice words for the visiting Brits who have traveled across the ocean to try to dethrone him. After he wins a local tournament in the run-up to the U.S. Open, the American makes some remarks that are, to put it mildly, not well-received.

"We hope our foreign visitors had a good time," he says, "but we don't think they did, and we are sure they won't win the National Open." A newspaper reports it thusly: "The Open champion, with a sneering twirl of his mouth, jumped on a chair and said the visiting English golfers may as well go back home, as their quest of the American championship honors will get them nowhere in particular."

The impetuous American quickly realizes that hes created a storm. The New York Times later notes that the young star is "worried greatly over the affair and has almost broken down under the strain and that he claims he was misquoted, his words taken out of a joking context.

USGA officials, publicly off-put by his arrogance but more likely offended by his lack of social standing, threaten to ban him from the next U.S. Open, but cave to public pressure and allow him to play. He then disappointingly (for him) places eighth at that U.S. Open, a huge come-down for the man who had won the previous two.

--

The man was John J. McDermott, all of 21 years old in 1913. He made his remarks after running away from the field at the Shawnee Open, then a big tournament. He finished in eighth place at that 1913 U.S. Open at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass. which would go down as the one of the most famous in history as American amateur Francis Ouimet won in a playoff over British legends Harry Vardon and Ted Ray.

Ouimet may have had the greatest public relations team of all time. For to this day pretty much everyone halfway knowledgeable about golf will tell you that Francis Ouimet was the first American to win the U.S. Open, and that he was a well-deserved subject for the movie about his win, The Greatest Game Ever Played.

They might as well have named that movie Stolen Glory.

Because it was McDermott who was the first, and today remains still the youngest, American to win the U.S. Open (19 years, 10 months, 14 days in 1911). And he won it again in 1912. He was the second-youngest player to win any of golf's four major tournaments, after Young Tom Morris.

And then, tragically, by the age of 23 he was gone from the game and public view, committed by his family to the State Hospital for the Insane in Norristown, Penn. With occasional stints at rest homes and at home with his sisters, he lived in that hospital until he died at age 80, almost 60 years after being committed.

Neither of his sisters married, and though their brother was consigned the rest of his days to Norristown, they would take him out on many weekends, almost always to play or watch golf. But history was not so kind, thereafter consigning him to its dustbin, his extraordinary and pioneering accomplishments sunk under the waves of oblivion all those years ago. And all the while, Francis Ouimet continues to be regarded as the fair-haired American golf pioneer.

Contrast the fate of McDermott with what might have been had he lived and played today.

Today he would be considered colorful, perhaps John McEnroe-like, outspoken and with millions of Instagram followers. And with todays focus on the mental health of athletes, with Michael Phelps hawking Talkspace OnLine Therapy, and with Simone Biles receiving national sympathy for her emotional travails at the recent Olympics and her courage to confront them, McDermott might have for exampleannounced he was taking a six-month sabbatical from the game to work on his emotional well-being. He would likely be praised for it.

The PGA Tour might have made McDermott the leader in the clubhouse for the $40 million bonus pool for its most popular players, as his colorful remarks above at Shawnee would have played well on social media. He would be a sought-after guest on PGA Sirius XM radio.

Look no further than Matthew Wolff for a young phenom golfer who stepped out of the crucible for a while this year. He appears to have returned to the show with a better frame of mind.

Last week Bubba Watson confirmed that his own eccentricities, visible clearly over the years, are in fact a manifestation of mental health struggles that fortunately for him and his fans, he is able to manage (see his just-released book, Up and Down: Victories and Struggles in the Course of Life)

How did this all come to pass, the meteor that was John J. McDermott?

McDermott was born into a working class Irish family in West Philadelphia, the son of either a railway conductor or a mailman (there are conflicting reports on his fathers livelihood). McDermott began caddying at age 9 and was apprenticed to the shop at Aronimink, where he was a hard worker and completely in love with the game. Contrary to his familys desire that he learn a trade, as opposed to the frivolity of golf, he made something of himself quickly.

Standing but 58 and 130 pounds, he had large and powerful hands. "He had a long, loose, flowing swing," according to golf historian Robert Sommers. "Somewhat like the old St. Andrews swing of the feather-ball period, but with more body turn. An extensive search turned up photos of McDermott but no videos.

He was a phenom from the moment he held a club. He dropped out of West Philadelphia High after ninth grade and caddied at nearby Merion and Aronimink. At 17 he finished 49th in the 1909 US Open; the following year he lost the Open in a playoff. And then he reeled off back-to-back U.S. Opens wins in 1911 and 1912. At the latter victory he became the first player to win with a score under par.

His accuracy was legendary. He was the toast of the game in America, winning $1,000 dollar challenge matches (about $27,000 today), endorsing products for pay (a first for a golfer) and charging $100 a guest to play with him at resorts (about $2,700 in todays dollars).

But it all fell apart, and fast. Even at his peak it was not easy to like him, what with his pugnacious and proud demeanor and chip on his shoulder. Sympathy for him was scarce.

Some say his demise was hastened in 1914 when a ship he was taking home from England was rammed and he had to hop into a lifeboat. He also lost most of his fortune around that time after some poor stock investments, and he was rumored to have broken up with a young lady in Boston. What we do know for certain is that he suffered some sort of breakdown in 1914, and he never played in another major.

His career results in the majors:

U.S. Open, 1909-1914: T49, 2, 1, 1, 8, T9.

The Open Championship, 1913: T5

And then he was gone.

While clearly his words before that 1913 U.S. Open are extremely tame by todays standards, his eruption at Shawnee was indeed deemed offensive. With the benefit of hindsight, his outburst was a signal that he likely had he had emotional or mental issues that went barely diagnosed and certainly untreated. It was sadly customary at the time.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 20 percent of adults experience mental illness each year and five percent have whats deemed a serious mental illness. Its a huge cause of suicide.

A layman might speculate that McDermotts emotional and mental well-being were too fragile to handle by himself the challenges including his successesthat life tossed at him.

But today its easy to imagine that McDermott probably had something in common with others who are now, thankfully, unashamed of being open about their mental challenges, and who have sophisticated medical, pharmaceutical and therapeutic assistance available to address and overcome their challenges and enable a return to competition.

I stumbled across McDermotts story while researching young players with multiple majors. He won seven tournaments (two U.S. Opens, three Philadelphia Opens and a Western Open then considered a majorand the Shawnee Open). His story touches me. White-hot genius that needed some care and feeding and instead received an official state designation of being a Lunatic and residing in an institution for almost 60 years. He is not enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame which, I submit, is an omission needing to be rectified.

The coda to McDermotts life struggles came in 1971, when his sisters and some hospital attendants took him to the U.S. Open at Merion that was won by Lee Trevino, another star not to the manner-born and in 1971 at the peak of his powers.

One can only imagine how McDermott was beheld by the swells at Merion, how they might have wondered why this small, shriveled, old, oddly dressed man was allowed access to the Merion locker room and clubhouse and they surely wondered who he was.

If they only knew.

But one man did know. As relayed by golf historian John Coyne:

At Merion because of his dress and appearance, he was ordered out of the golf shop and told not to go near the clubhouse where he had hoped to visit the players. With his hospital attendants, he turned away and started to leave, to go back to the hospital when Arnold Palmer [the King was a keen student of golf history], of all people, recognized the old man, this two-time U.S. Open Championship winner, and put his arms around Johnny McDermott. They talked golfer to golfer, champion to champion, and Palmer then arranged for McDermott to stay at the tournament as his special guest, with all clubhouse rights and privileges.

Just weeks later, at 80, John McDermott, the first American to win the U.S. Open and still the youngest, passed away in his sleep, with very little notice taken.

Read this article:

John McDermott Won Back-to-Back U.S. Opens Before Succumbing to Mental Illness. Its Time to Remember Him - Sports Illustrated

History You Didnt Know But Should is a podcast by locals Christopher Carroll and Ray Sheppard. The two men have a love for History, and their goal was to share it with others, all while teaching them something new.

Bladen Online asked the brains behind the podcast a series of questions on the podcast. The questions and answers from Carroll and Sheppard are listed below.

Q: Describe your podcast to us What is it about? What is it called?

A: The podcast is called History You Didnt Know But Should. It focuses on various historical topics and people. We try to focus on those aspects of history that most people dont know. We have recorded episodes on local history such as Governor John Owen, the FFA Camp at White Lake, national history, and a few episodes on ancient history.

Q: What inspired you to start this podcast? What was your goal?

A: Chris was the one who had the idea of doing a podcast. As we talked about what we wanted to do with the podcast, we came up with the idea of history you didnt know. Our goal is to help people learn about history and to share our love of the subject with our audience. We want that passion for the subject to come through on every episode. Individuals have become involved with the importance of history and how history defines and shapes our identity and how it impacts current events. Our desire is to make history engaging, exciting as we take a fresh look at historical topics.

Q: How do you determine what topics you discuss? Tell us about some of the topics you have covered previously.

A: We put together topic lists based on what interests us or something we have recently learned about. At this point, we have released 51 episodes. Our latest episode looks at the history of Veterans Day. We also recently released an episode on Samuel Jocelyn who was (according to legend) buried alive in Wilmington. We did an episode on the Battle of Elizabethtown and an episode on Moores Creek. The most listened to episode is on N.C. Governor John Owen (The Governor Who Could Have Been President). Of course, Owen Hill Road is named after John Owen. For me, the aspect of his story that is most interesting is how close he came to becoming President. We also try to take events that have become familiar and explain how they came to be. For example, we have reflected on 9/11, recently completed an episode of how Veterans Day came to be and the fight to keep it on November 11.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourselves.

A: We are both history teachers. I teach American History and Government for Bladen Community College. Chris teaches history and civics (government) for the Bladen Early College High School. He also teaches history and humanities classes as an adjunct instructor for the College. Im currently working on my Doctor of Education Degree in Organizational Leadership from Abilene Christian University. I hold graduate degrees in Religion from Liberty University and History from UNC Pembroke. Chris holds a Master of Divinity Degree from Campbell University and a Master of Arts in History from Liberty University. He is currently working on a Doctor of Education in Administration and Supervision degree through Liberty University.

Q: What are your plans for the podcast in the future?

A: We are hoping to do more interviews with other historians and local people. We are interested in learning about lesser known historical events or persons and bringing them to the attention of our listeners. We plan on hosting a live event at the community college in the future along with incorporating video into our podcasts. Our podcasts are available through Google Play, Spotify, Sounder, and other places where podcasts can be found. We are hoping to add it to YouTube in the near future.

Q: What kind of feedback have you received?

A: We have received positive feedback from listeners and would encourage our listeners to follow us and share with their friends. Also, we love listener recommended topics and have had a few shared with us that recently aired. Weve had a few listeners recommend topics. Most of our episodes will get somewhere between 50 100 streams within the first month. We have listeners all over the world (including Ireland, Australia, Norway ).

History You Didnt Know But Should is a great opportunity to expand your history knowledge and learn interesting local history that you may have never known. Click the link below to access the podcast:

https://historyudidnotknow.sounder.fm/

The rest is here:

Q&A with Christopher Carroll and Ray Sheppard on History You Didn't Know But Should Podcast BladenOnline.com - BladenOnline.com

A look at the history of Jim Thorpe and Native Americans in football originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Native Americans have made several important contributions to NFL history. In fact, one of the first athletes that helped shape the foundation of American football was a Native American named Jim Thorpe. Thorpe's athleticism changed the way the game was viewed in the early 1900s. He was also an Olympic gold medalist and professional baseball player.

Thorpe was the first Native American to play in the NFL. Thorpe was born in 1888 near Prague, Okla. His father was Irish while his mother was a member of the Sac and Fox Native American tribe. As a teenager, Thorpe attended Carlisle Industrial School in Carlisle, Pa., in 1907. His athletic ability was on full display at Carlisle, as he set numerous track records.

Thorpe decided to try football in 1911 and was coached by one of the pioneers of the game, Glenn Pop Warner. Thorpes agility made him instantly one of the most versatile athletes on the field.

He played at running back, defensive back, kicker and punter and helped Carlisle beat some of the best teams in the nation like Army, Harvard, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Nebraska. In 1912, Thorpe broke out, rushing for 1,869 yards and 191 carries and 27 touchdowns. He was named a first-team All-American in both the 1911 and 1912 seasons.

After completing his final collegiate season, Thorpe participated in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden, and won two gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon.

Thorpe started off his professional sports career playing baseball from 1913 to 1922. While playing in the major leagues, Thorpe also played football for Canton Bulldogs from 1915 to 1919. In 1920, the Bulldogs and 14 other teams joined together to form the American Professional Football Association, which would later become the NFL. Thorpe would become president of the APFA.

Other Native Americans such as Joe Guyon, who was Thorpe's backfield mate, also made an impact on the game. Guyon was another special talent that could run, pass and kick efficiently.

When Thorpe became the first Native American to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963, Guyon joined him in the Hall of Fame shortly after in 1966. Guyon was from the Chippewa Tribe and was born on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Minnesota.

Guyon only received a sixth-grade education and used his athletic skills to gain a college education and reach a Hall of Fame football career. After playing on the national championship-winning Georgia Tech team in 1917, Guyon signed with the Canton Bulldogs and played alongside Thorpe in 1919.

Guyon went on to play with the Kansas City Cowboys and New York Giants in the 1920s. Following a championship season with the Giants in 1927, he retired to continue to pursue a baseball career. His professional baseball days came to an end in 1928 after he suffered an injury.

The Oorang Indians were a Native American team in the National Football League that played during the 1922 and 1923 seasons in LaRue, Ohio. Jim Thorpe served as a coach and player and recruited the members of the team. Players came from the Cherokee, Mohawk, Chippewa, Blackfeet, Winnebago, Mission, Caddo, Sac and Fox, Seneca, and Penobscot tribes.

The franchise was originally put together by Walter Lingo as a way to promote his Oorang Dog Kennels. The team roster featured Thorpe and three other captains of the Carlisle school team and included names like Long Time Sleep, Joe Little Twig, Big Bear and War Eagle.

While the Oorang Indians weren't a very good team, winning just three games in two years, the team provided much of the pregame and halftime entertainment for fans in addition to playing games.

The team was a popular attraction during its first two years, but Lingo realized that the novelty of the franchise wore off following its inaugural season in 1922. Lingo stopped backing the team financially in 1923, forcing the Oorgan Indians organization to shut down for good.

Todays NFL includes several Native American players. Kansas City Chiefs long snapper James Winchester is a member of the Choctaw Nation. Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen is of Lumbee descent.

Former Chicago Bears QB Tyler Bray is Potawatomi and former Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles QB Sam Bradford is Cherokee.Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has also mentioned that he is part Native American, although he never specified which tribe he is from.

Read more here:

A Look at the History of Jim Thorpe and Native Americans in Football - NBC Chicago

Buttercream frosting may not be the first thing most people associate with Kim Janey's eight-month stint as Boston's acting mayor. But it's top of mind for Lisa Mackin, who recently launched a baking business through the residential kitchen program created under Janey's administration.

She had looked into commissary kitchens and commercial space, but realized it was very expensive, Mackin said. Instead, for a few hundred bucks, she got the training and permits she needs to operate Boston Baked Blossoms out of her house in South Boston.

She fills about a half dozen pickup or delivery orders a day, and she says the option to sell out of a home kitchen which didn't exist legally before Janey was mayor could help future entrepreneurs get the low-cost start they need.

"I think there's an opportunity for a lot of people to get going in this business," Mackin said.

Janey, who leaves office Tuesday, willbe remembered as the first woman and first person of color to lead Boston. But her legacy may be more extensive.

She piloted a free bus route between Mattapan and Ruggles, and Mayor-elect Michelle Wu hopes Janey's experiment leads to fare-free public transit throughout the city.

Even if that doesn't happen, some of Janey's other changes appear likely to endure.

She formalized Boston's recognition of Indigenous Peoples' Day on what traditionally has been Columbus Day. And she expanded Boston's diversity program for city contractors to include LGBTQ-owned companies.

Janey touted these and other moves in her farewell address.

"We distributed vaccine information through community groups and worked with our hospitals and health centers to make sure vaccines were readily available for all residents," she said. "We established mask mandates indoors and in our schools and a vaccine verification process for city employees."

Janey's vaccine verification process was notably different from the one laid out by Gov. Charlie Baker, who required all state workers under his authority to get the jab unless they qualified for a medical or religious waiver. Janey allowed city of Boston employees to decline vaccination if they agreed to weekly testing.

The merits of Janey's and Baker's approaches are debatable, and the long-term consequences remain unknown. But in the short run, Baker's hard line prompted lawsuits from unions, while Janey's flexibility brought labor groups on board.

"Being included in the discussions, being included in the decisions" was meaningful, saidErik Berg, executive vice president of the Boston Teachers Union. "For instance, we negotiated time off to get vaccinated or tested and so forth. Those are all important things to our members, and we think that the policy is more effective and our schools are safer because of it. And that's a tribute to Mayor Janey's approach, frankly."

Janey's tenure wasn't all success and praise. The ACLU of Massachusetts has criticized her administration's handling of the tent village at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, and is suing the city. News outlets, including WBUR, also sued the city for withholding records of police misconduct. And Janey failed to win enough public support in the preliminary election to earn a full term.

Still, there is more to her turn as mayor than the racial and gender barriers she broke.

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Janey made history as mayor of Boston, but there's more to her legacy - WBUR

Robert J. Christman, Luther College professor of history, has received the Gerald Strauss prize for his book "The Dynamics of the Early Reformation in their Reformed Augustinian Context."

The Gerald Strauss Book Prize is named in honor of Gerald Strauss, the influential scholar of the German Reformation and long-time distinguished professor of history at Indiana University. The prize recognizes the best book published in English during the preceding year pertaining to German Reformation history.

"This book is the product of more than seven years of hard work, so it is deeply gratifying that my peers have recognized it as meritorious with this award," said Christman.

"The Dynamics of the Early Reformation in their Reformed Augustinian Context" explores the incident on July 1, 1523, when two Augustinian friars from Antwerp were burned on the Grand Plaza in Brussels, becoming the first victims of the Reformation for adhering to "Lutheran Beliefs." The book recounts the events that led up to these executions and their subsequent impact on the Reformation. Among other things, the deaths prompted Martin Luther to write his first musical composition, a twelve-stanza ballad entitled "A New Song Now Shall be Begun" that narrates the arrest, interrogation and burning of the two men.

"As a child growing up in a Lutheran household, I came across the ballad and was quite taken with the story of the two friars. In many ways this book has its origins there and is my effort to understand this historical event," said Christman. "But over the course of writing it, it also became an effort to describe the unfolding of the early Reformation, not in retrospect as a watershed spiritual and historical event, but as it happened in the moment, and as it was experienced by the real people who were involved in it. My hope is that it will help to humanize the Reformation for its readers."

The book is the product of three extended research stays in Europe supported by grants from the Fulbright Commission, the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation, and Luther College, in particular, The Marilyn Roverud Endowed Fellowship in Lutheran Studies.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

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Luther College history professor receives the Gerald Strauss Prize for his new book - Luther College News