Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Let's all 'pull a Rose' for America

What if an entire country "pulled a Rose" this week?

Would that be it? Would America fall apart, descend into chaos, plummet into an economic death spiral?

Or would we regain a slight semblance of national sanity for the first time since,
oh . . . about 1938.

SO, WHAT'S "pulling a Rose"?

This is "pulling a Rose" -- Jim Rose being the now-former radio play-by-play announcer for Nebraska football and baseball -- as reported by the Lincoln Journal Star
:

Jim Rose spent Saturday at home with his family, watching the Nebraska-Kansas game on TV.

It was strange, yet it wasn’t, he said.

He missed announcing the game on the radio, but relished the time he had with his wife and two children, ages 11 and 7.

“I enjoyed it … really enjoyed it” the “Voice of the Huskers” said Tuesday.

In the end, it was his family and his health that prompted Rose to give up his “dream job.”

Rose, 44, resigned after six years as play-by-play announcer for the Nebraska football team, citing personal reasons.

“I think the demand of the job, of six years of getting up at 4:30 in the morning and working until late at night … it was beginning to take its toll on me,” Rose said. “I wasn’t feeling very well.”

Rose made the announcement on Omaha radio station KFAB, where he co-hosts a morning show.

Greg Sharpe replaced Rose on Saturday’s Nebraska-Kansas football broadcast and also handled Rose’s duties as host of Sunday’s televised Bill Callahan Show.

“Last week, it got to the point that there was really something tragically wrong with me,” Rose said. “I had to stop everything and figure out what it was.

“I wasn’t ready for the KU broadcast. I put in the time, but I wasn’t ready.”

Sharpe will handle Rose’s duties for the rest of the season, said David Witty, vice president and general manager of the Husker Sports Network.

(snip)

Rose will remain with Husker Sports Network in the sales department. He also will continue to co-host the KFAB morning show.

He has given up all his on-air responsibilities for the network. In addition to calling Husker football games, he appeared on various pre- and post-game shows and handled play-by-play for the Nebraska baseball team.

(snip)

Adrian Fiala, who worked with Rose as a color analyst, said he understood Rose’s decision.

“His health and well-being is much more important than the sports things we’re talking about,” he said. “I told him last night he needs to get some balance back in his life and get better.”

Rose called his time as Nebraska’s announcer rewarding and exciting.

“But I was always doing a little of this and a little of that,” he said. “There always was a phone call coming in, an interview to do, a banquet to emcee …”

“I loved doing that stuff. It wasn’t work for me. I just regret the toll it was taking on me and my family.”

GOOD ON JIM ROSE. Our status-obsessed and materialistic American culture tells us -- told him -- that he's losing money, losing prestige, losing the chance to climb to greater "heights."

Even now, the Nebraska rumor mill is debating what really caused Rose to walk out on a sweet gig. That very conventional "wisdom" says Jim Rose switched on his mic
this morning, then lost face.

I guess you could look at it that way. Even if you do, good on Jim Rose.

And I think that great quartet of philosophers -- John, Paul, George and Ringo -- will back me up on that. In a seminal work on the socio-psychological underpinnings of Western anomie amid great material wealth and professional achievement, the four opined in "Can't Buy Me Love" that absent spiritual and emotional fulfillment, great wealth and achievement -- to use the rather crude American vernacular here -- "ain't all it's cracked up to be." To wit:
Can't buy me love, love
Can't buy me love

I'll buy you a diamond ring my friend if it makes you feel alright
I'll get you anything my friend if it makes you feel alright
'Cause I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you love me too
I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so
Can't buy me love, no no no, no

Say you don't need no diamond rings and I'll be satisfied
Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so
Can't buy me love, no no no, no

Say you don't need no diamond rings and I'll be satisfied
Tell me that you want the kind of things that money just can't buy
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

Can't buy me love, love,
(Can't buy me) love
THE WORLD SAYS Jim Rose: Husker Play-by-Play Guy, threw away a great job. I say Jim Rose: Husband and Dad regained a better family.

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