The old college try.

The June Polish American Journal lists a number of “Polish Days” at various major league baseball parks. So you know, every game is “Polish Days” at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Everyone wears red and white with the Polish red cardinal on their chest.

Sources say the term “the old college try” was originated with major league baseball veterans and managers referring to the shortcomings of young players coming up from the college ranks. Like Frankie Frisch for example, “The Fordham Flash” in his rookie year prompted Christy Mathewson to remark “he was taking a long hold on his club and the old college try at the ball” (http://ask.metafilter.com/14557/Source-of-the-expression-give-it-the-old-college-try). Trying is a good thing.  Never stop trying Mike Ditka said: “you’re never a loser until you quit trying.”

Here is a multiple choice question: “winning is to trying” as a. “knowing is to praying,” b. “knowing is to studying,” c. “it takes one to know one,” or d. “knowing is to guessing.” If you picked b. “knowing is to studying” you would be correct, however, for me, d. “knowing is to guessing” was the appropriate answer for the torturous time I had taking the Scantron multiple choice tests all throughout by academic life but primarily in college. Scantron is the standardized test where the individual uses a number two pencil to fill in the dot next to the correct answer or in my case, the guessed answer. Guessing was a major part of my strategy with any Scantron test and true to the hackneyed expression giving it the “old college try.”

Scantron brings back many memories. A write-up appeared last month in Yahoo (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/michael-sokolski-creator-scantron-dies-85-234636091.html) that the creator of Scantron, Michael Sokolski, passed away at the age of 85. We can now add Sokolski to that long list of notable Polish inventors, thinkers, and Poles with interesting lives. Here is an excerpt from an article by Mike Krumboltz, Yahoo News:

Born in Poland in 1926, he left his homeland at the age of 16 after his house was bombed and his mother killed during World War II. He served as a tank driver in the Polish Forces. Following his time in the military, he moved to the United States and became a U.S. citizen in 1963.

Eventually settling in Orange County, California, Sokolski founded Scantron in 1972. The Scantron forms, though reviled by many a student on exam day, revolutionized test-taking around the world. The obituary states that Sokolski held a number of patents relating to his creation. In his free time, he sailed, fish, and flew as a private pilot.

Students (some of them) are morning the death of Sokolski. The other 90% of us now know who to blame for not being accepted into Law School.

Ethnic garb.

I wrote in the June 2010 issue of the Ponder Pole that it is nice to have someone dress up in costumes at the ethnic events. Celeste Bonwich, the daughter of St. Louis Post-Dispatch Food and Restaurant critic Joe Bonwich (Boncewicz), dressed in a Polish folk costume for the St. Stanislaus Kostka Church summer picnic. It really added a nice touch to the event as she greeted guests and had her picture taken numerous times.  She is an intelligent, attractive, and lovely person and thank you Celeste for doing that. You were one of the highlights of the festival.

Polish or not?

Anthony Sedlak, bestselling author, former host of Food Network Canada’s show “The Main,” and former celebrity judge of the “Family Cook Off” (http://www.examiner.com/article/anthony-sedlak-dies-canadian-celebrity-chef-s-cause-of-death-pending). Is Anthony Polish?

Dzienkuje Bardzos go out to Ed Kwiatkowski for the information on the actor Tom Tyler (Vincent Markowski – Captain Marvel) and to Edward Grocki, poet and Polish culture promoter. He promotes to the first and most important group of people in his life: his children, grand-children, and great grand-children. If you have a thought about this month’s topic, an answer to the question, a question of your own, or have interesting facts to share, contact me at: Edward Poniewaz, 6432 Marmaduke Avenue, St. Louis , MO 63139 ; eMail alinabrig@yahoo.com.

N.B. If you send eMail, reference the Polish American Journal or the Pondering Pole in the subject line. I will not open an eMail if I do not recognize the subject or the sender.