Author Archives: Bok
College Football Playoff Bonus
Urban Meyer earned a $50,000 bonus with Ohio State’s dramatic win over Alabama in the first College Football Playoff. According to Bloomberg that’s one of the lower bonuses in the new world of college football.
Innocence of Muslims Review
The Interview is a satirical movie in which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gets whacked. The N Koreans allegedly took great offense at this. In retribution they hacked Sony Entertainment. So they say.
One thing the Hermit Kingdom and many critics agree on is that the movie stinks. Sony agreed to pull it from theaters. President Obama was quick to criticize Sony for this. That only increased the appeal of the movie and now it’s a pirate hit.
When the US Embassy in Benghazi was hit by terrorists the White House was quick to blame the attack on another lousy movie, Innocence of Muslims. Our own Dear Leader’s passion for free speech blazed less fervently in those days. The movie’s producer was thrown in jail.
Bush vs Clinton the sequel
It’s way early but as of now it’s Bush vs Clinton for president. Jeb is the leader the pack of Republican presidential candidates. Hillary remains heir apparent for the Democrats.
W paints a confusing picture of the royal bloodline by calling, My sweet Dad, a wonderful father to Bill and me.
The Week says embrace the dynasty.
At this point what difference does it make?
de Blasio Has Your Backside
I seem to be on a bare backside jag.
Members of the New York Police Department turned their backs on Mayor de Blasio when he spoke at the funeral of a slain officer. The number of police officers shot to death increased 56% this year. On Sunday a New York cop said, “I’m not writing any summonses. Do you think I’m going to stand there so someone can shoot me or hit me in the head with an ax?”
de Blasio
Mark Steyn says a sort of Green Zone is being erected to protect America’s elite.
The Obamas and de Blasios and Sharptons will always be inside the fence. The effects of their policies are largely on the other side.
Artful Art and Big D
My father was a big man. In fact we called him “Big D”. He encouraged it.
Dr. Arthur Bernard Bok, Jr. served 23 years as team physician for the University of Dayton. He was a pioneer in the field of sports medicine. Before that he was team physician for the Dayton Gems IHL hockey team. He was an expert face stitcher. My brothers’ mugs as well as my own were canvases for his work. The same goes for many of our friends. Dad donated countless hours of medical service to everyone from neighborhood rink rats to college athletes. Any kid trying out for any team in any sport was entitled to a free physical at Doc Bok’s office.
Artful Art
He was born in Cincinnati, grew up in Toledo and came to Dayton on a football scholarship.
He played in the first Ohio high school North/South all-star game in 1946. Notre Dame legend Frank Leahy coached the South team. Leahy tried to poach my pop for the Irish. But, this being the pre-Urban Meyer era, dad kept his commitment to the Flyers. This upset my grandmother but pleased my grandfather. It also pleased my siblings and me because Dayton is where he met a pretty cheerleader, Jeanne Stewart, who became our mother.
He really was big for a back in those days – 6’2″ 192 pounds. And fast. He ran a 10 second flat hundred yard dash. The 40 had not yet been invented.
As a 17 year old in training camp he competed against much older returning war vets and earned a starting job as a freshman. He went on to become the Flyers’ all-time leading scorer. In 1948 he averaged 6.7 yards per carry.
The papers called him “Artful Art” and “Mr. Inside Outside”.
Following a 72 yard touchdown run against John Carroll in Cleveland stadium, Paul Brown paid him a visit in the locker room. His hopes, however, of playing for the Cleveland Browns were dashed when the Baltimore Colts drafted him in 1950.
He signed a $5,000.00 contract. Today’s NFL was not my father’s NFL. The team was lousy and the equipment worse. He stuck around long enough to get mentioned in Art Donavan’s book Fatso but soon gave up football for med school and marriage.
He attended the Chicago School of Osteopathic Medicine and returned to Dayton to begin his practice and raise his family.
Everybody loved him. I wanted to be just like him. When I was 12 or so someone asked if I would be a football player too. Big D’s reply was, “he may be small but he’s slow”. That stung but not too much because it was funny. I got bigger and faster but in the end he was right. I became a cartoonist.
My dad lived a rich and rewarding life. He was surrounded by our loving mother, 5 children, and 16 of his 19 grandchildren when it came to an end. After he breathed his last we said a prayer, poured martinis and toasted him. Old number 44 was 86.
Now, back to drawing the people I don’t like!
