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Saturday, June 16, 2012

The Partier, the New Renter and the Partier's Friends

Once upon a time, a partier rented and moved into a beautiful house whereupon he began holding a huge, never-ending party that lasted during the next eight years. At first, the neighbors thought the man was charming and cool. However, the partier refused to clean up the messes left from the constant debauchery. Soon, leftover trash became towering piles of garbage, which emanated an awful stench all over the neighborhood.

During his eighth year of living there, the partier announced that his lease was up. He was moving out, and a new renter was moving in. However, just before moving out, one of the trash piles ignited. Soon, a monstrous blaze was raging. It was on the verge on consuming the entire place. The partier moved out.

The new renter moved in and began working immediately on putting out this fire, which neighborhood old-timers said was the worst the neighborhood had seen during the last seven decades. The new renter attached his hose to the next-door neighbor’s outdoor water spigot and began fighting the out-of-control fire. His decision to use the neighbor’s faucet began to payoff. The growth of the fire, at first, slowed down. Then, the new renter began to make progress as the blaze was starting to show signs of abating.

At this time, the nice neighbors letting the new renter use their spigot moved out. Friends of the partier moved in. These new neighbors resented the fact that the new renter was making progress on fighting the fire. They would like nothing more than to see him fail and be evicted. They even said as much. The partier’s friends turned off the spigot. That left new renter to battle the blaze by himself.

Because he had no access to water, the new renter’s headway on the fire stalled. The partier’s friends soon began complaining about how the new renter hadn’t put the fire out yet. The new renter repeatedly asked the new neighbors if he could continue tapping into their water supply, and repeatedly, he was turned down.

Months passed. The smoldering ashes started to show signs of flaring up again. Despite having the support of most of the people in the neighborhood, the partier’s friends living next door exercised their power, once again, of blocking use of the their spigot. Soon, they began clamoring for the new man’s eviction. They said he’s had three and a half years to put out the fire. Moreover, they said he should quit blaming it on the partier who lived there before.

How will this story play out? Will the new renter get evicted? Will the partier's friends move out? Stay tuned...

THE FIRST ROAR

It was sometime during the summer of 1964; I don't remember the exact date. The hometown St. Louis Cardinals were in the middle of one o...