Downtown Tommy Brown

DOWNTOWN TOMMY BROWN

Tommy Brown had become a local small town hero. His ability on the basketball court was talked about all over town. He was famous for his consistent three-point scores. The nickname “Downtown Tommy Brown” became a frequently heard expression.

A local radio announcer had originated the slogan in a broadcast from the press booth during one of Tommy’s successful games. Every time Tommy was handed the ball there was a moment of dead air as the announcer let anticipation build. When the ball sailed through the net, the radio audience would hear a resounding: “Downtown Tommy Brown” as the cheers from the crowd echoed over the air waves.

Eventually, at future games, the crowd took up the slogan. Every time Tommy scored a three-pointer the auditorium echoed “Downtown Tommy Brown.”

Not only was Tommy good from the three point line but he was also good at taking the ball to the inside. At six foot six he was a good rebounder as well. The small town team went all the way to the State championship on Tommy’s shoulders.

With only twelve seconds to go in the game, Tommy’s team was down two points. The opposing team worked hard to prevent Tommy from getting into three point territory. Their strategy was to allow a two pointer and push the game into overtime.

Tommy threw the ball to one of his team mates who had an easy pass to the basket.  However, the team mate quickly turned and threw the ball back to Tommy. The opposing team was caught off guard and Tommy was open from the three point line.

Before anyone could blink, Tommy let the ball arc over the heads of the players scrambling on the court. From the public address system came a resounding: “Downtown Tommy Brown” and pandemonium erupted. The small town team had won the State championship, bringing the opposing team’s three-year winning streak to an abrupt end.

*   *   *

At eighteen years of age, Tommy was elated with the accolades he was receiving. His mother worked hard to keep his feet on the ground, but secretly he thought she was just being a wet blanket. He had won a basketball scholarship with free tuition for the first two years. His folks, having a bit of experience, realized that although they were off the hook for the first two years, they might have to come up with the last two years tuition for Tommy to finish college. Tommy felt they were worrying needlessly, but, being a good-natured kid and out of respect for them, he went along with their wishes.

When they suggested a summer job, Tommy was very agreeable. They started investigating their options. One of the opportunities that presented itself was that maybe Tommy’s uncle Tony could find a job for him at the company where he worked. This company sometimes hired college kids for the summer.

Tommy’s mom called her brother. She and Tony had a good relationship and had shared all of Tommy’s exploits on the basketball court. Tony had played high school basketball and really loved the game. When the slogan “Downtown Tommy Brown” became popular, he couldn’t help sharing the pride he had for his nephew with his coworkers.

*  *  *

When Tony introduced him as “Downtown Tommy Brown” at the jobsite, Tommy was welcomed with a degree of affection. The workers usually called him Tommy, but every so often someone would call him “Downtown”.

Tommy was not an experienced physical worker. The most physical work he had ever done in his life was mowing the lawn. He hadn’t realized the intensity of physical effort that was expected on the job. He quickly made it known that he was going to be above this physical work because he was going to college and get an education. Tommy didn’t realize how offensive his attitude was until his coworkers began displaying a little bit of annoyance in his presence.

The job that they were on had five different crews working on the site. Tony was the foreman and Danny was second in command of their crew. It wasn’t unusual for Danny to direct Tommy to do something. He directed Tommy go to the other crews and ask to borrow a 24” left-handed pipe wrench. He was sure that one of the crews would have this tool.

Tommy took off on this errand. When approaching members of the first crew, he made his request. After checking their tool boxes, they told him they didn’t have one but maybe one of the other crews would. Tommy sensed something strange when he noticed they all had big grins on their faces.

Finally he came to the last crew. George, a veteran in the business said, “Well, let’s take a look.” Reaching into his tool box he took out two 24” pipe wrenches. He laid them on the bench, the open jaws facing each other. He then told Tommy to take the left handed one. Tommy reached for the one on the left. George interrupted him, saying, “That’s not a left-handed pipe wrench.” Tommy reached for the other. George asked, “What’s the difference between the two?”

Tommy looked at both of them. “I don’t know the difference,” he admitted.

George smiled, “Son, you’ve been sent on a fool’s errand. There is no such thing as a left-handed pipe wrench.”

Tommy was hurt. He had spent the last few years admired by people. Now he was being made a fool of. When George saw the pain in the young man’s face he decided he was going to get one up on Danny for instigating this game. George affectionately said, “Downtown, you take this wrench to Danny and you tell him that this is the left-handed pipe wrench he sent you to get. Now, no matter what he says, you say that it is a left-handed pipe wrench because George says it is.”

Tommy caught on. When he got back to Danny he played the game by insisting that this was a left-handed pipe wrench. No matter how Danny protested that there was no such thing as a left-handed pipe wrench, Tommy said that George had assured him it was. After a few minutes, Tommy grinned good-naturedly, admitting that he knew there was no such thing as a left-handed pipe wrench.

Traveling home with his uncle Tony, Tommy listened as his uncle explained why the left-handed pipe wrench incident had occurred. Tommy had annoyed some of the workers by indicating that he wouldn’t have to do this work for long because he was going to college. This was the men’s way of putting Tommy in his place.

Tony said, “I’m sure your mother has tried to teach you the same things your grandfather taught us. He always said, ‘Do not exalt anyone; especially yourself.’ Basically we should view everyone as equals. The biggest factors differentiating people are circumstances and opportunities.

“Now, Tommy, you’ve just come out of a couple of years as being exalted as ‘Downtown Tommy Brown’. Let’s consider if you had been one of those players who never got off the bench. Would there have ever been a ‘Downtown Tommy Brown’? Just opportunity and circumstance created the exalted ‘Downtown Tommy Brown’. Yes, you did take advantage of the opportunity and were successful. I’m proud of you for that.

“Would Tom Brady have gained the recognition that he has if Drew Bledsoe hadn’t been injured? I’m saying this so that you can understand that circumstances and opportunities play a very vital part in life. There is really no reason for anyone to exalt.

“Now, Tommy, think hard. I’m sure there were other players on your team who spent most of their time sitting on the bench. If called upon, possibly they might have accomplished what you did, except they never had the opportunity. Just realize that: it required the opportunity. No one knows what the others might have accomplished if given the opportunity.”

“Yeah,” Tommy said, “my best friend, Sam, could have been one of them. When we play one-on-one he almost always beats me -- at least 40/60. But, you’re right; he was never really given a chance. We both made the team. I ended up as a starter. Looking back, it might easily have been him.

“Part of the reason for my success with the three-point shot was what I learned from Sam. His father, like Dad, had played high school and college basketball. Dad’s hopes for the NBA were cut short due to a knee injury. Sam’s dad had hopes of the NBA, too, but he never made it because he got stuck on the bench.

“Sam’s father told him that some individuals have natural abilities without having to train or practice but for the most of us we have to develop a technique that can be established with practice and training. He encouraged Sam to develop three or four special shots that he would be comfortable with; practice until it became automatic, he said. He told him that his shot had been shooting from the corner. Any time he had a clear shot from the corner it was automatic.

“Sam had taken a great interest in the three-point shot. When we weren’t playing against each other, I wasn’t even aware of this until later, Sam was home practicing. He started out practicing the three-point shot immediately in front of the basket. When he felt comfortable that he had the timing and the arc just right he moved to the left and then the right. He practiced hours on end. Once he had accomplished this flat footed, he converted it into a jump shot.

“Next, he developed some maneuvers in order to shake free from any defender. With his back to the basket, he would fake right and left, slowly working himself toward the basket. At just the right position he would take a giant step over the three-point line, turn, jump and execute his three-point shot before any defender would have the opportunity to gain position on him.

“This is what I ended up practicing, too, and as you know, I did gain quite a bit of success with it.

“One day in a game, Sam executed the same maneuver he had shown me. But he missed. The coach was upset that Sam would even try this shot.

“Because we were best friends, I could see this hurt Sam deeply; he was really discouraged. He was only hoping to show that he deserved to have more playing time. The discouragement moved to a near depression. He had hoped to fulfill his father’s dream of playing in the NBA.

“When his father realized how serious the situation was he took time to help Sam. At that time I didn’t know exactly what his father had told him, but it certainly changed Sam’s approach to life. Sam’s attitude then became anything for the team effort. He would do anything, even foul out, if it would benefit the team. Sam and I had been real close and it bothered me he wasn’t getting much playing time. One time when we were alone I expressed my feelings.

“He said, 'Don’t think it doesn’t bother me, but Dad showed me that in life you have to adjust to reality and learn to love what you have, not love what you don’t have.' Then he told me some of the conversation he had with his father.

“His father had been concerned that Sam had taken on the attitude that many in the community had: that he was a victim because he was black. His father reassured him that there was racial injustice; however, making that a focus in your life can stifle your ability to advance. His father also pointed out that the coach was black, too, which pretty much negated that reasoning.

“However, they both shared the observation that Stanley Zwicker was getting plenty of playing time. Even though he was a good player, he wasn’t exceptionally good. In both their judgments, Sam was the better player, and I had to agree. The interesting thing was that Stanley’s father owned Zwicker Chevrolet Sales. They both thought that the new Chevy the coach drove, although probably not an outright gift had possibly been a sweet deal.

“Then Sam brought to my attention that both my parents taught at the school and that might have given me an advantage. Then Sam reassured me that this didn’t make him bitter; he was glad that at least one of us had had the opportunity. I had to think that he was the better person. Sam’s father, mother and grandparents, as I look back, certainly knew how to adjust to reality.”

Tony said, “That’s exactly what I’m saying, your grandparents and Sam’s grandparents, in my opinion, are the nobility of America. These are the people that confronted the reality of life and adjusted to it, realizing that they would have to create their own path. Your grandfather use to say, ‘Life is not always easy. You’re going to have to work. Life does not meet you half way. If you burden yourself that life is unfair, you’ll never take the first step.’ This is the attitude that built America.

“You know, Tommy, here on the job it’s a team effort. You can learn from Sam’s example of being a team player: whatever it took to advance the team, Sam was willing to do. You were hired to do the grunt work here; you don’t have the skills that the others have acquired from experience. So whenever you see something physical that needs to be done, address yourself to it. It’s all in support of the team.”

Tommy understood the counsel and took it to heart: before long the others began to notice. Tommy smiled when he began hearing his nickname being used more frequently on the jobsite. He began feeling that he was part of the team.

Friday was payday and Tommy and Tony were the last to pick up their paychecks. When the secretary handed Tony his, she said, “You make good money. My husband has a degree and he doesn’t make what you do.” The intimation was that Tony, without a degree, should feel fortunate to make this kind of money.

Tony, being jovial and good-natured, grinned and responded, “Well, send him down to the jobsite. We’ll teach him how to do work that’s worth something.”

It probably took a day or two before Betsy realized that she had been put in her place by Tony’s comment.

*  *   *

The job was coming to an end and Tony’s company had finished the job well ahead of schedule. Everyone was proud of the team effort that had accomplished this in nearly record time. The company had developed the practice of giving bonuses in these situations. When everyone received his bonus, Tommy was surprised, since he wasn’t one of the regulars, to see he received a bonus as well. Tony reassured him, “You worked hard. You deserve it.”

The next day they were at a new jobsite. Tony and Tommy went into the office to get the blueprints and plans for the new job. As Tony looked over the job plan, he muttered, “Damn”, noticing the Chief Engineer on this site was Joshua Ingles. He had worked with Ingles before and they had a testy relationship. On that previous job Ingles had just become Chief Engineer, when the previous Chief Engineer had retired.

Tony apologized for his comment, “I just get so tired of working with these educated fools. You see, Tommy, you have individuals who are very intelligent. Problem is, people tell them how intelligent they are so often they begin thinking their reasoning is divine and if anyone dares to question or challenge them they view these people as heretics or apostates. This happened on a previous job where I worked with Ingles.

“When I pointed out a serious flaw in his design he became very upset and viewed me as not having the qualifications to question him. The flaw was going to create a serious cost overrun if we moved forward according to his design. I took it to my boss and, fortunately, he believed that I knew what I was talking about. As a result, my concern got the attention that it demanded. Other engineers concluded that my concerns were justified and the corrections were made before it caused a great problem. However, Ingles took it personally and our relationship was tested for the rest of the job.

“As you know, I learned my skills from my father, your grandfather. He used to say that no one should think they were so smart that they shouldn’t question their own reasoning. In fact he insisted that I question everything. It is easier to make corrections in your head or on paper before you get to the jobsite. It saves a lot of time and money.”

Tommy understood this and would apply this reasoning to his life after graduating from college. As a result, he would earn the reputation of being a very competent and thorough engineer.

As they were talking, the door opened and Joshua Ingles walked in. Tony’s face was easy to read: he wasn’t sure how this meeting was going to go. But Ingles walked up to Tony, held his hand out, and as Tony reached out to shake his hand, Ingles commented, “I’m certainly glad you’re on the job, Tony.” Tony was really surprised. He had anticipated a continuation of the animosity.

Later he learned that Ingles had been on another job that had serious overruns because of engineering designs. When Ingles asked one of the old timers if he was aware of these problems, the old timer acknowledged that he had been. When questioned why he hadn’t come to Ingles with this his comment was, “Well, you didn’t ask. And besides, my wife needed a new car, so the extra work served me well.” Ingles had almost lost his job because of these overruns. He was thankful to have Tony on this job, knowing that Tony would be honest with him.

This was the beginning of Tommy’s understanding not to exalt. Every member on the team was vital for the team effort.

Tommy went to college and spent his summers working with his uncle. Each summer he was greeted warmly by the regulars. He really was a nice kid. However, Tommy’s hopes of a basketball career ended pretty much the way his father’s had with a knee injury. His education as an engineer, as well as the hands on experience he had received under his uncle’s tutelage, contributed to his success.

*  *  *

Tommy had just finished a large job as Chief Engineer when he got a call from one of his college friends. Andy Monahan said he understood Tommy was between assignments. When Tommy acknowledged he was, Andy said he had a project that Tommy might be interested in; the pay was pretty good. Andy had received a grant to do some research in establishing a historical record of global temperature using the study of tree rings.

Initially, Tommy thought this might be something that would be interesting. He told Andy that he would think about it and get back to him the next day.

As Tommy started thinking about the project he began to realize there were too many variables in the growth of trees to be able to establish an accurate record of temperature using this data. He wasn’t even sure there was any substantial correlation between temperature and tree growth.

He began to feel déjà vu: This time he would know better than to go on a “fool’s errand”.