This goes out to my brother Brad Whitehead!!!! the University of Kentucky Wildcats college basketball team completed their regular season 31-0!!!! yep. undefeated!! Brad and I played thousands and thousands of basketball and baseball and softball and football games. And we grew up attending University of Kentucky and University of Louisville and Cincinnati Reds games. We’ve both been athletes and sports fans all our lives. Some of my favorite writers were athletes!! I don’t give a damn what anyone says, Brad and I love sports!!!! This ones for you Brad!!!!
popcorn adolf rupp larry conley tom jones and my brother brad
some folks become athletes
my brother brad was born an athlete
2 years and 12 days after the kentucky
thanksgiving when i came along
on december 5th 1952
my brother brad was born
there’s a photo somewhere of 2 year old brad
in speedo style briefs lifting weights
in baseball brad was catcher and center fielder
in football he was running back
in basketball he played guard
brad played center field like willie mays
brad danced like tom jones
brad was built like hercules
and brad loved popcorn
he was a popcorn fanatic
in 1967 brad and i attended the kentucky
sweet sixteen state high school basketball
tournament at freedom hall the same year
big jim mcdaniels from allen county-scottsville played
the same year lightning fast caneyville from grayson county
made it to the semi-finals
we were on the floor near the court when brad
excitedly said i’ve got to have some popcorn
so we headed to the nearest concession stand
and bought coca colas and boxes of popcorn
then headed quickly back to our seats
well lo and behold as we flew around a corner
we had to put on our brakes to keep from
running smack dab into adolf rupp and
larry conley adolf handed conley two 20 dollar bills
and larry walked away then as in the
blinking of an eye brad ripped the top
off his box of popcorn then pulled out a pencil
which i didn’t know he had then stepped
up and said mr. rupp my name’s brad
may i have your autograph and well
coach rupp stared at brad then grumbled
i reckon so and you know what my brother brad
now has that rupp signed popcorn box top framed
and displayed in his living room right over
the chair where he sits and eats popcorn while watching
uk wildcat basketball on tv
popcorn adolf rupp larry conley tom jones and my brother brad
ron whitehead
from blistered asphalt on dixie highway,
kentucky basketball, poetry in motion
a work in progress by ron whitehead
Copyright (c) 2014 Ron Whitehead