The inaugural Thread to be posted involves an actor from several long-time favorite movies of mine: Lane Smith. Please find below the trials and tribulations of the man many came to view as a villain but some came to see as just a misunderstood father who desperately wanted to find himself.
Network - Robert McDonough
Starting later in life as a VP of News at the Union Broadcasting System (UBS), Robert's professional career took off while helping oversee the dramatic change in programming while at the network, garnering much needed corporate management experience which, when combined with his earlier legal background, would prove vital in his future endeavors. Eventually, the corporate broadcasting game wore thin and Robert sought a dramatic change but one that would keep him in the same...ballpark?
The Scout - Ron Wilson
Transitioning from corporate broadcasting into professional baseball is no small task. But after the contentious changes at UBS and with a desire to start fresh, Robert shortened his name to Ron, and adopted the last name of one of his favorite ballplayers growing up, Lewis "Hack" Wilson. Baseball, while considered the "national pastime" for decades, was just beginning to strike the surface of potential that television would bring to live sports. In order to take advantage of this forthcoming revolution, the New York Yankees sought someone with corporate broadcast experience. In the midst of its nadir during the 1980's, the Yankees retained Ron to serve in its media relations department. The hire proved prescient as Ron would climb the ranks of the organization as television became a bigger part of the sport, eventually attaining the role as general manager.
During the 1993 season, the team began to shake off it's period of irrelevancy. Looking to build on the progress the Yankees had made, Ron oversaw one of the most hotly talked about, and controversial, acquisitions in modern baseball times...the signing of one Steve Nebraska to a gargantuan $55 million contract (quaint by today's standards)[1]. Steve went on to throw a 81-pitch perfect game in Game 1 of the World Series. However, the relationship between the Yankees and the mystifying right-hander was not meant to be. Despite exhaustive due diligence concerning Nebraska's psychological state, Steve proceeded to have a mental breakdown in the offseason and disappear from public view.
The fallout from the Nebraska signing would become a black mark on Ron's resume and force him out of the sport of baseball, but not out of sports all together.
The Mighty Ducks - Jack Reilly
Following the Steve Nebraska debacle, Ron Wilson was forced to retire and move back to Minnesota, a city he had worked in as a lawyer prior to his move to New York City. In order to avoid the taunts of Twins fans, Ron resorted to referring to himself by his middle name, Jack, and adopting his mother's maiden name, Reilly. In prior years while living in the greater St. Paul-Minneapolis region, he served as a volunteer youth hockey coach, leading the Hawks squad to multiple league championships. Given the disposition of people from the Midwest, they were happy to have their longtime coach back, whether it be under a new name or not; after all, it's the championships that matter [2].
Shortly after his return to coaching, a rivalry developed between Jack and one of his former players, Gordon Bombay, who was now coach of the neighboring District-5 team. The rivalry hinged on Jack's long-held grudge against Bombay for missing a wide open penalty shot in the championship game (if Bombay's father wasn't already dead this would have killed him), leading to the Hawk's sole second-place finish during Reilly's prior tenure as coach. The Ducks would defeat the Hawks in the championship, casting a pall over Reilly's newfound happiness in Minnesota. Defeated, Reilly would retire again, leaving sports forever, and move to South Dakota to make amends with a family and life he had left long ago.
Son in Law - Walter Warner Sr.
Prior to his time in Minnesota and New York, Jack lived a quite life in South Dakota with his wife, Connie, and two children, Rebecca and Walter Jr.. Wanting more out of life, Jack abandoned his family and career as a farmer and moved to Minneapolis. But now, after failing in his other worldly pursuits, Jack returned to his original home, seeking a reconciliation with those he had abandoned years ago and to return to his birth name, Walter Warner Sr..
Walter Sr. was welcomed back by his family with open arms in time to see his daughter off to college. Despite Walter Sr. and Connie's insistence, Rebecca opted to attend California State University, a small school located in the Los Angeles area. During his daughter's first semester she would befriend her Resident Advisor, Crawl [3], as a means of coping with the drastic change in her life. While Rebecca attended school, Walter Sr. would continue repairing his relationship with Connie and Walter Jr..
Rebecca's return brought new tensions to the Warner family as she and Crawl intended to marry. Despite their best efforts and eventual approval of the relationship, Walter Sr. and Connie grew to regret the decision to allow Crawl to become part of their family. This regret would fester and cause a schism in the family, resulting in Walter Sr.'s decision to abandon his family for a second time. Having failed in corporate management, sports, and farming, Walter Sr.'s last chance to find happiness would require him to seek solace in the arms of a long lost love...justice.
My Cousin Vinny - Jim Trotter
Walter Sr.'s fondness for the law may have ebbed for a period of years but it never left him entirely. Taking up the law again while at the same time hiding from his family would require relocating to Alabama. Given his time in Minnesota as a lawyer, Walter Sr. was able to pass the bar exam in the Yellowhammer State and soon took a position in the district attorney's office under his new name, Jim Trotter (the name change necessitated by the need to allude his family who, despite having been abandoned twice, still desired his presence).
It was soon after his hire that two utes...excuse me, youths...were arrested for the murder of a local convenience store clerk. Despite his best efforts, Jim was forced to dismiss all charges after the defendant's attorney, Vincent LaGuardia Gambini, deftly proved their innocence. Shortly thereafter, Jim did manage to obtain a guilty verdict against the two actual murderers.
With his first major case behind him, Jim managed to find a modicum of tranquility in his newfound home to live out his remaining days.
Wrapup
The many twists and turns of his life took him to Minneapolis, New York City, back to Minneapolis, South Dakota, and Alabama where he would live out his remaining days.
Best Quote Nominations
"You did good out there today, Yankee. I like the competition." Spoken by Jim Trotter; notice the sly reference to his earlier days with the New York baseball franchise.
"It has nothing to do with the phone, I just like yelling at you." Spoken by Ron Wilson; he was kind of a jerk his entire life, wasn't he?
"Why'd you turn against me, Gordon? For six years, I taught you how to skate, I taught you how to score, I taught you how to go for the "W". You could have been one of the greats! And now look at yourself. You're not even a has-been. You're a never-was." Spoken by Jack Reilly; I know, why not go with the articles title quote? Because this particular quote goes at the heart of his failures. He gave Gordon his all, just like he did everywhere else, and it wasn't enough.
Stray Notes & Observations
[1] For reference, the highest paid player in the American League at the time was Joe Carter, making $5.5 million that season. The highest paid player in the National League was Bobby Bonilla (I don't have to remind Mets fans how that one turned out).
[2] Jack Reilly's coaching career resulted in at least six Pee Wee championships (and two second place finishes).
[3] Check back for the eventual link to our Pauly Shore thread (hotly anticipated, I know).
Network - Robert McDonough
Starting later in life as a VP of News at the Union Broadcasting System (UBS), Robert's professional career took off while helping oversee the dramatic change in programming while at the network, garnering much needed corporate management experience which, when combined with his earlier legal background, would prove vital in his future endeavors. Eventually, the corporate broadcasting game wore thin and Robert sought a dramatic change but one that would keep him in the same...ballpark?
The Scout - Ron Wilson
Transitioning from corporate broadcasting into professional baseball is no small task. But after the contentious changes at UBS and with a desire to start fresh, Robert shortened his name to Ron, and adopted the last name of one of his favorite ballplayers growing up, Lewis "Hack" Wilson. Baseball, while considered the "national pastime" for decades, was just beginning to strike the surface of potential that television would bring to live sports. In order to take advantage of this forthcoming revolution, the New York Yankees sought someone with corporate broadcast experience. In the midst of its nadir during the 1980's, the Yankees retained Ron to serve in its media relations department. The hire proved prescient as Ron would climb the ranks of the organization as television became a bigger part of the sport, eventually attaining the role as general manager.
During the 1993 season, the team began to shake off it's period of irrelevancy. Looking to build on the progress the Yankees had made, Ron oversaw one of the most hotly talked about, and controversial, acquisitions in modern baseball times...the signing of one Steve Nebraska to a gargantuan $55 million contract (quaint by today's standards)[1]. Steve went on to throw a 81-pitch perfect game in Game 1 of the World Series. However, the relationship between the Yankees and the mystifying right-hander was not meant to be. Despite exhaustive due diligence concerning Nebraska's psychological state, Steve proceeded to have a mental breakdown in the offseason and disappear from public view.
The fallout from the Nebraska signing would become a black mark on Ron's resume and force him out of the sport of baseball, but not out of sports all together.
The Mighty Ducks - Jack Reilly
Following the Steve Nebraska debacle, Ron Wilson was forced to retire and move back to Minnesota, a city he had worked in as a lawyer prior to his move to New York City. In order to avoid the taunts of Twins fans, Ron resorted to referring to himself by his middle name, Jack, and adopting his mother's maiden name, Reilly. In prior years while living in the greater St. Paul-Minneapolis region, he served as a volunteer youth hockey coach, leading the Hawks squad to multiple league championships. Given the disposition of people from the Midwest, they were happy to have their longtime coach back, whether it be under a new name or not; after all, it's the championships that matter [2].
Shortly after his return to coaching, a rivalry developed between Jack and one of his former players, Gordon Bombay, who was now coach of the neighboring District-5 team. The rivalry hinged on Jack's long-held grudge against Bombay for missing a wide open penalty shot in the championship game (if Bombay's father wasn't already dead this would have killed him), leading to the Hawk's sole second-place finish during Reilly's prior tenure as coach. The Ducks would defeat the Hawks in the championship, casting a pall over Reilly's newfound happiness in Minnesota. Defeated, Reilly would retire again, leaving sports forever, and move to South Dakota to make amends with a family and life he had left long ago.
Son in Law - Walter Warner Sr.
Prior to his time in Minnesota and New York, Jack lived a quite life in South Dakota with his wife, Connie, and two children, Rebecca and Walter Jr.. Wanting more out of life, Jack abandoned his family and career as a farmer and moved to Minneapolis. But now, after failing in his other worldly pursuits, Jack returned to his original home, seeking a reconciliation with those he had abandoned years ago and to return to his birth name, Walter Warner Sr..
Walter Sr. was welcomed back by his family with open arms in time to see his daughter off to college. Despite Walter Sr. and Connie's insistence, Rebecca opted to attend California State University, a small school located in the Los Angeles area. During his daughter's first semester she would befriend her Resident Advisor, Crawl [3], as a means of coping with the drastic change in her life. While Rebecca attended school, Walter Sr. would continue repairing his relationship with Connie and Walter Jr..
Rebecca's return brought new tensions to the Warner family as she and Crawl intended to marry. Despite their best efforts and eventual approval of the relationship, Walter Sr. and Connie grew to regret the decision to allow Crawl to become part of their family. This regret would fester and cause a schism in the family, resulting in Walter Sr.'s decision to abandon his family for a second time. Having failed in corporate management, sports, and farming, Walter Sr.'s last chance to find happiness would require him to seek solace in the arms of a long lost love...justice.
My Cousin Vinny - Jim Trotter
Walter Sr.'s fondness for the law may have ebbed for a period of years but it never left him entirely. Taking up the law again while at the same time hiding from his family would require relocating to Alabama. Given his time in Minnesota as a lawyer, Walter Sr. was able to pass the bar exam in the Yellowhammer State and soon took a position in the district attorney's office under his new name, Jim Trotter (the name change necessitated by the need to allude his family who, despite having been abandoned twice, still desired his presence).
It was soon after his hire that two utes...excuse me, youths...were arrested for the murder of a local convenience store clerk. Despite his best efforts, Jim was forced to dismiss all charges after the defendant's attorney, Vincent LaGuardia Gambini, deftly proved their innocence. Shortly thereafter, Jim did manage to obtain a guilty verdict against the two actual murderers.
With his first major case behind him, Jim managed to find a modicum of tranquility in his newfound home to live out his remaining days.
Wrapup
The many twists and turns of his life took him to Minneapolis, New York City, back to Minneapolis, South Dakota, and Alabama where he would live out his remaining days.
Best Quote Nominations
"You did good out there today, Yankee. I like the competition." Spoken by Jim Trotter; notice the sly reference to his earlier days with the New York baseball franchise.
"It has nothing to do with the phone, I just like yelling at you." Spoken by Ron Wilson; he was kind of a jerk his entire life, wasn't he?
"Why'd you turn against me, Gordon? For six years, I taught you how to skate, I taught you how to score, I taught you how to go for the "W". You could have been one of the greats! And now look at yourself. You're not even a has-been. You're a never-was." Spoken by Jack Reilly; I know, why not go with the articles title quote? Because this particular quote goes at the heart of his failures. He gave Gordon his all, just like he did everywhere else, and it wasn't enough.
Stray Notes & Observations
[1] For reference, the highest paid player in the American League at the time was Joe Carter, making $5.5 million that season. The highest paid player in the National League was Bobby Bonilla (I don't have to remind Mets fans how that one turned out).
[2] Jack Reilly's coaching career resulted in at least six Pee Wee championships (and two second place finishes).
[3] Check back for the eventual link to our Pauly Shore thread (hotly anticipated, I know).
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