Sure, I know the Olympics brought some of you a lot of pleasure. The opening ceremonies were nice. I guess. The hosts (The city of Paris) were gifted with a two week non-stop exhibition subsidized by people like NBC and willing spectators who were looking for a good reason to go to Paris anyway. Actually, I might say right here that there’s enough to see and do in this beautiful and historic city in between spectacular events such as the Olympics to keep their pricy hotels fully occupied. It’s probably a better place to visit when there are no Olympics there than during all the games.

But the Olympics were a grand excuse to cause “sports fans” such as me to watch a lot of other socalled activities such as basketball, football and baseball. Not to mention the many of us who have developed a love for women’s softball. Those sports sort of stand out in popularity in that they have a beginning and an end. Scores are kept on both sides in any of these games that add joy and thrills for the spectators, whether they be on the field or just listening on radio or TV. Some one usually wins by some sort of understandable score. Understandable even to the dumbest layman.

I used those three sports as an example since we are all familiar with them. We sort of have an idea how they work and are familiar with many of the subtilities and rules of the game. I say all this to remember something else. When I was a kid, I ran the projectors over at the Main Theatre in Stonewall. This smalltown wonder-movie house ran seven days a week and was the center of attraction in that little town except when there was a basketball or baseball game going on.

The little movie house published a monthly calendar which was well read but just about any movie seemed to appeal to these patrons during WW-II. Roy Rogers or Hoot Gibson or John Wayne. It made little difference to fans who loved the “Durango Kid.”

Sure, some griped about the late at night Saturday night previews which often featured some boring Hollywood musical of excess length but they bought the tickets anyway and showed up. But there was this. A lady named Esther Williams made a lot of movies featuring herself and a bunch of “clones.” How Esther got anyone to make these long boring synchronized swimming shows was just as puzzling as wondering who would buy a ticket to watch it. But we see special attention to such at the Olympics.

I usually enjoy the opening ceremonies (but I got busy and missed most of them this time) but the question remains: How did gymnastics get to be so big time? Yes, I watched them and inspite of myself enjoyed them very much. Ballet dancing? Skeet shooting? Has Corn Hole made it yet? I see that the programs most boring sport of all are thriving, Fencing. Tennis? Long distance running down rural roads? Break dancing? Target shooting with rifles? Bow and arrows. What were they thinking?

Oh well, they will be done and finished before you read this so I guess I’ll just settle in and see if I can find out when the winter Olympics start. My wife says I watch too much news but Channel 4 in Oklahoma City has been virtually on a news blackout so I don’t even know who we have as our Vice-Presidential nominees. Don’t tell me! I’ll have to read the paper. Oops! Not many of those left either.

Have a good week and be sure and go to church. Someone must have prayed for rain so if you went last Sunday I hope you didn’t step into a deep water hole like me. It was over my shoe top. Boy did it ever rain!

Wayne Bullard, DPh cwaynebullard@gmail.com