''Her Badge''

’’Her Badge″

Hanes Hosiery Gym, opens at 9am and every Tuesday and Thursday a certain group of local ″Baller’s Meet″ and this Tuesday Morning morning, will change my Life for about 8 months.

Standing around in the gym, waiting too get this pickup, game going, we all laughing and talking bout our jobs, girlfriends, home life, Church.....and out the corner of OUR, eyes...

″.we see, the wannabe, ballplayers come in, the football, bowlers, mechanics, construction workers, roofers″

″....you name it″,

they have just arrived, some even got on penny loafers, and brogaines, work shoes....and yes, we know them well.....and we called them the ″hackers″....

they gone try too stop you anyway they can, even, clothesline you....and be ready too fight, at a moments notice, they really didn’t see, anything wrong with their style of play, they had that shut up, and play ball attitudes...″

.other than that, they were great guys″....

″might as well, call a few names, while I’m at it″

....they deserve Honorable Mention.....Hansel Hentz..[RIP] King of the Hack....Ronald Webb, Waldo Cunningham, Gilbert Moore, Jason Cardwell, Sherman Simmons, Micheal Stroud, Butch Griffin, ..″

okay, maybe they just foul, hard.....extremely hard....way too hard....″

in other words, you aint gone score on them, and if you do, ....you been Blessed″

We also, had them, offensive pure shooter’s who only come too, light you up, like a Christmas Tree,..″

.these guys could score at will...and none were selfish....″

well, that might be a possible, lie, right there″

but in my Humble Opinion...they were..the baddest , I mean the baddest, Guards/Forwards,.. of my Era.....I like writing this memory, , because it’s so, much fun and it’s so, easy and their talents, were so, Elite, and plentiful, and they are my Legends, because they entertained me, and I paid money too see, many of them play every week, for their perspective schools, some went on, to be even greater, and many stayed right here in town with me..″ all I knew was their nicknames..never knew their real, names and they never knew mine″.

I spoke, with one of my legendary friends, on the phone, Sunday night..hadn’t spoke with one another in over 20 years,...Mike Epps, Carolina..Conference MVP, 1977....he was what I called a player coach by nature...he gone tell everybody, how too play, that’s just how he was, and he himself, was a great player of the game, I played with so, many of the player’s I’m going too call by name, and many I only, had a the chance too see, play....Larry Haney, Bobby Moore, Cedric Howie, Buckeye, Headache,William Pickens, Huff, Chavis, James Jackson, James Lewis, Rock, Jessie Byrd, Micheal Byrd, Jessie Williams , Charmus Bohannon, Dwayne Sawyer, Dexter Funderburke, Gary Grace, Micheal Grace, Larry Little, Paul Cloud, Mike Ingram, Wayne Ingram, Larry Rucker, Toney Posey, Tyrone Baldwin, Charles Dennings, Robert Wilkins, Sidney Wilkins, Donny Barnes, Gary Barnes, Kenny Barnes, Rip, Wilkins, Jimmy Wilkins, PC Johnson, Wayne Johnson, Tyrone Williams, Jeff Cloud, Louis Lowery, Man Pate, Bobby Shields, Chris Williams, Tyrone Hatchett, Clarence Britt, Ronald Moore, Leon Williams, Kieth Miller, Mike Westmoreland, Mike Wiseman, Billie Highsmith, Lorenzo Wolf, Boonie, Vincent Brown, Pierre Brown, Darryl Keller, Jerry Gillispie, Fox, James Eldrington, Ken Whitmire, Bubba, Bojack, Curtis Ingram, Byron Ingram, Barry Damon, Hector, Covington, Reggie McCummings, Moon,Tobe Jackson, Dennard Gentry, Mike Howell, Ed Cole, Howard Cole, Jimmy Lomax, Mike Lomax, Calvin Higgins, Bobby Jackson, Moochie, Ben Piggott, Ikey Blue, Punkin, Mellow, Carlos Greg, Mel, Pork, Billy Carter, ...just too name a few.

Baller’s that use too bring their girlfriends with them too the gym, with nothing but the boys, playing...

″we always laughed at that″

We also, had some memorable ″heat of battle″ moments, we will never forget....

Leon Williams ..aka, Freak Master...and Sherman Simmons, altercation ..

″well it really wasn’t much of an altercation, both had been verbally arguing back and forth, then came face too face yelling and Sherman, grabbed Leon, by the shirt, and Leon, just gently, laid Sherman, down on the bleachers and it was over″

...and another morning.

Abdul, came in the Hosiery, with this long trench coat on just as we were getting ready too play a game, of pick up....WSPD, police officers, came in right behind him, and took him back outside, for a lil chat...truly funny, it turned out that Abdul had just robbed a bank and ran in the Hosiery for refuge.....we no doubt had our share of character’s ....″

Jimmy Lowery, misses uncontested lay ups, all the time...pisses Rob Little off....

Hentz, fouling me, hard, and politely giving me the ball.

Lorenzo Glenn, can’t throw his hat in the ocean without missing....and Rob Little, yelling,

″Lo, take your time, damn″

Waldo Hauser and Sherman Simmons, scuffle, Waldo, shirt get ripped off, and Waldo, goes too his car, trunk, get his shotgun, and Rob Little, intervenes , much needed, he my opinion Rob, saved Sherman’s life that day. we saw this brewing during the course of the game, you take two stubborn bulls, going at it things gone escalate fast.

Walter Funderburke, Gym Director, , always had too come out the office and yell, ″alright, keep up this arguing, everybody go gone home″

....few minutes, later, here come Funderburke again...

″that’s it, gym, closed everybody out″....

I can remember, as a child, living in the Projects,

″Oak Street″

........we had neighbors in the Projects, that had the Police, come too their house a lot, I mean a lot, and sometimes, one would be hauled off too jail, and be back, in a week, or 2 days,.... ″we all be out on ours porches, soon as we hear, doors start too slam and somebody run out the house too another neighbors, too call the Police″,.....

″here we go again, same neighbors every week, fussing and fighting″

I even wanted too be a Police Officer, at one time, I was intrigued with the Badge and Gun, and having my own squad car, and doing street duty, twirling my baton, and protecting the Community..... but a ride a long, changed all that″...however, I loved seeing a Woman in Uniform.

I’m living with my Aunt, after a bad, break up with a woman, I, was living with, should have never gave up my apartment, she and I, briefly had met both of us lived in the same apartment complex, decided after a short, relationship too live together, ″shack up,

″ what the hell was I thinking, I put my belongings in storage we stayed together for exactly 6 months before″,

I found out, she had a

″pen gal″....not pen pal″......no, ″Pen Gal″... in the Army, found a box of letter’s in the bottom of the closet one day, being nosy, the letter’s didn’t really reveal anything, too prove my case, I remember her, always talking bout her best friend,

″Jan″

Never gave it a second thought, until, one night, I got off early like 3am, knock and waited on her too take the chain, off the door, I, hear, rumbling.

″well if it aint, Jan″

home too visit, from, a tour, I felt as though I interrupted something, but again, no clear evidence, but my mind was already made up, I, stayed a while longer, .needless too say, I, moved out while my GF, was at work, one day,

″yes″

″I’m moving on with my life, got me a part time job, along with my regular, full time, saving for a condo, or a house″,

..meanwhile, living with my Aunt, and on this, typical morning headed, too the gym, Hanes Hosiery.

I’m battling with some homies and many were comrades of the Police force, and my good friends Duane Akiens, Harrison Davis, aka, ″Harry ″O″, Mike Jennings, Delray Anthony, Thurman Carter, aka, ″Tee″ ...Thurman, had recently been promoted too Sargent, all these street division officer’s played the game, at a high, level of competitiveness, physical and fast,...west coast style, score and get back on defense, from end too end, 15 minute running clock, no stop for fouls, keep playing, team with the lead at the sound of the buzzer wins, we mixed it up, hard, back too back.....″next″....you get the right mix, of baller’s you can stay up, all day...

″we had a lot of other Badges, Fire Department, player’s like, Conelious Holmes, aka, ″Corn″ Gary Brown, aka, ″Fonz″, Eddie Jordan, Willie Griffin, Sam Smalls, Pierre Brown, and the Sheriff Department Ballers , Dean Hargrave, William Burch, Chuck Shore, ″Chilly″ Joe Bunion, and The Prison Correctional Officer, ..James Miller, always wore dark shades, actually glasses, ..we mixed it up, against these badges for 3 hours, every Tuesday and Thursday,...that’s how real this story is″....

″so many can attest, I’m not lying″,

'This is how we do it''

work hard, and Play hard,....''I was working full time and part time, and playing on 2 teams, and running the streets, chasing them ''Skirts''....

however, this particular day at the gym, I, went out on a limb, too chase this certain, Female Senior Officer, who, I , had my eye, on....I, knew, sometimes she would come and watch, from the wall at the gym, entrance, and, I , purposely, staged and schemed, during the game, too let the ball, roll towards where she were standing too get, a word in, on the sly, but she just looked at me, I choked and smiled not saying a word, she soon walked out, during the game, and never returned″.

I’m still, determined, to speak, with her, so, what do, I do, next well, I called the station and left a message, with the Watch Commander, have her, return my call....

″oh, yeah, I aint playing″,

I’m on a mission, I never been a Rapper kind of guy, I use what I, have and that’s good ole conversation ″yep″, that, I know I can do, because, I’m silly, and she had a very pretty smile , and a gold tooth, that’s.

That’s a big turn on for me, it’s ″my thang″ a woman, with a pretty smile an a gold overlay, that too me,

″is hot″

anyway, my rap game was weak, and , I practice what, I would say too her, too get over my nervousness, she called, and whatever I said″.

However..

I do, remember her, saying,

″yes, I, remember the slick, one″

Our first date was, K&W cafeteria, a two hour long conversation I’m trying not too be so, excited,

It was so, exciting too me, too land a Woman, with Power, a Woman, with a Badge, fascinates me......why, ″

″Hell, I don’t know, but it does, and I’ve been, fortunate enough too know, one and she was, truly, something special, and the only thing I truly regret, was we didn’t get too know each other’s pass, and where we came from, stuff like that....family, siblings, ..″

.we didn’t get around too any of that , probably because she only, wanted the physical part of me, although, I wanted much more because of who, she was and what she represented, and I was really into her, but she had other plans.....

so,″ she kept me in her sandbox″,

she was very spontaneous, very aggressive, love role play, ''kinda liked that part myself''

....once she get off duty,, she wanna make out, no talk, no caressing, she drinking wine out the glass and the bottle, ..it’s almost like I don’t know this person, right now......she never gave me the chance too fall in love with her, instead of her ″Image″ ....she was in a ″Let’s Go″ mode.

″bring it on″

I felt abused....misused .......confused, I really didn’t sign up for this....she pimping me, she taking the lead in everything....I might have too knock this MF, out...she rough in bed, it’s okay, sometimes.....but damn,

″ the script, been reversed on me″

I know at work, she had too deal will these crazy ass, lawyers, case workers, and ass hole judges,

'' I’m gone close this out, like this, in essence, too everything, this GF, took, me through it '',

''and the last straw, was when she pulled me over one night on Reynolda Road, about 12 am, I was heading too my third shift, job, she in a playing mood and pulled me, over, it really pissed me off, ''

''I had just woke, up, and got 8 hours, ahead of me, not for this, $#!+″

''I played it off she thought I was leaving some Woman's, house''.

I know, how she is,....we, were, coming too the end of this relationship, and other, clues kept surfacing on her, end, like letter’s from a NFL, player for the Miami Dolphins, and all these trips too Miami, she was actually playing harder than most men, I knew this, after our very first date, I knew exactly, what I was getting into, and it was fun, the role play, the games, the free smoke, oh, yeah she was dirty, she kept, confiscated weed at times I had heard all kind of ...″$#!+″, about some officers on the force, she was no different, she couldn’t confirm one story, I heard but her, smile on her face told me, it was true.....rumor had it, the officers, had a hide out party, trailer, down at Patterson ave, AAA Mobile Homes inventory lot , all, and all, we have fun, until feelings get involved and things surfaced, it was time to go, yes, it was time, .....she, shortly moved too, Miami.

we, lasted, about 6 months, this woman, was a Trip, in the end. I, knew, I should, have expected some, crazy, happenings, I understand, these street division officers, see the worse of the worst, and it affects them, at some level, hell, my ride along, somewhat scared me, so I know they have too unwind differently after 10 hours of the streets, I swear I couldn’t do it..

however, I wanted her for ''Her Badge''