Jimmy the Jerk

Jimmy always hung around at the edge of what others were doing. I cannot remember one time that he joined into the baseball games or anything else that we played in the community.

But Jimmy did get involved – he was a BULLY. Wherever and when ever he could he would bully someone. It was a nightmare to live with Jimmy in the community.

We tried to hang together so that he couldn’t get to one person and do his thing.

His thing was sometimes to hurt the younger kid – or maybe just pester them with words or a slap or by stealing something of theirs. He would use words to pester someone older.

I was his age but not as big as he was. My brother Glen and his one friend would hang around with me and my friend as well. We may not have liked it, but with Jimmy around we were their protectors. My brother and I fought some – but when it came to some one picking on him I protected Glen. Being that he was five years younger than me, I WAS HIS BIG BROTHER.

Jimmy would always wait till the opportune moment to inflict the damage that he so enjoyed. He would find you and then come after you.

This one day we were enjoying a good game of pick up baseball using the four guys and a few gals that wanted to play. Then another couple of guys came along as well.

Jimmy wasn’t one of them. I am not sure that he knew how to play baseball. He likely didn’t because it meant acting as a Team Player – and that he wasn’t. He was a loner.

I was pitching as I usually did. I could throw very straight and also fast. When little kids came up to the home plate to bat – I could also slow down the balls to let them hit.

The game was going well. Kids were cheering each other on. They were making lots of noise.

Perhaps when the game was at its best and the most noise was being made, became the reason for Jimmy to arrive and make his presence known. The BULLY IS HERE and he wants some attention!

My sister called me, “Murray, look whose here…”

I looked up and saw him walking toward the opposing team’s sideline – where the younger kids waited for their turn to bat. There was that gut feeling that there would be trouble – and that he was about to hurt someone again.

The younger ones closed ranks together to avoid his possible attack by standing closer together. It was almost animal like. Jimmy sensed their fear and closed in for the “kill”. No one had any idea what he would do – and I doubt that he did either – he just needed to hurt someone right then. I mean- they were all having too much fun and he wasn’t involved in the fun – so he had to hurt someone. That was Jimmy… the BULLY.

The kids looked at me for help.

I yelled at Jimmy to knock it off and leave the kids alone. He sneered at me and said back, “Who is going to make me…!?”

The challenge was on. The bigger Jimmy the Bully and little Murray – oldest but not the biggest. There wasn’t time to consider my options to lay a carefully devised plan of escape out. No body was going to run this day. We were trapped by the Tyrant Jimmy – and he knew it. The smirk on his face was like icing on his cake.

I had been standing on the pitchers mound – that wasn’t a mound but rather a depression. Every pitch was executed by stepping around the mud puddle that had been left after yesterday’s rain. Though it makes little sense to you – it was good Saskatchewan, Gumbo Clay, MUD – the sticky kind that makes super mud balls… a weapon of choice for any child soldier.

I glanced down… quickly stooped to pick up a hand full of mud that could quickly make perhaps four good mud balls. The size and distance to be thrown is all in the calculation of Mud Ball construction.

Jimmy taunted again, “I said… Who is going to make me…!?”

I looked at him straight in the eye and answered shakily, “I am…” To which he took one step toward the pitcher’s mound.

By that time the first two mud balls were ready and already in my pitching hand.

I wound up and threw as hard as I could at Jimmy. My aim was good – always – but with the tension and the possible beating that I was about to get – I held my own breath as the first mud ball flew fast toward the enemy.

SPLAT it hit and stuck – right on the target. And it stopped the enemy dead – right between his eyes – just a tad above his eye brows.

The second mud ball was now ready and the arm was cocked. The next was aimed at his mouth or either eye…which ever he preferred to find out…

The arm was ready and pulled way back to fire… but it was not needed… Jimmy backed away like a sacred rabbit… not a powerful BULLY that he was a moment before.

My team and the other team cheered – “David had killed Goliath”… which made Jimmy glare back at me and scream, “I am going to get you…!”

Though Clint Eastwood had not yet uttered his famous words, Murray Lincoln thought them, “Go ahead…Make my day!”

I will never forget that day and that moment. Jimmy was stopped by one good, well thrown, well placed and very sticky mud ball. Oh that felt so good. Now even 53 years later I can still feel the weight of that wonderful mud ball as it left my hand… and delivered that blow.

A BULLY never impresses me. They are insecure little jerks that try to get their own way. And when they think they can control the situation – they will. They will hurt – they will harm and they will destroy others… by attacking their confidence… their ideas and their very person.

YESTERDAY…
53 years later I have met another “Jimmy”. I won’t give you his real name as the jerk works at an important job here in the city.

He had been “picking on people” in public meetings. In one case he derided a young lady in a meeting of approximately 12 people. Everyone sat and listened to “Jimmy the Jerk” chastise the young lady – who had done nothing at all. “Jimmy the Jerk” was attacking the other group that she represented and making sure that she was the target.

The attack went on for about three hours I was told… an evening meeting full of “Jimmy” – yikes!

Yesterday I was asked to attend a meeting that would address “Jimmy the Jerk” and his actions in the previous few meetings.

Dear “Jimmy the Jerk” didn’t know I was attending this meeting. He had one friend to back him up meeting against two of “them”. That made it a “two on two” fight. But little Murray Lincoln made it a “three on two”…! Not fare.

“Jimmy the Jerk” refused/was reluctant to go on with the meeting because I was there.

What would you do if you had been there?

I carefully reached down… and placed my coffee cup in the sink and walked out. I didn’t need this kind of crap. I am retired. I have had that kind of thing happen in my working career and I didn’t need it again.

My ‘walk out’ yesterday was my 2009, Saskatchewan Gumbo Clay sticky mud ball. And guess what… it landed nicely.

I can now walk away and watch another way to take care of the “Jimmy the Jerk” kind of guys.

The sad part in 2009 – this present “Jimmy” is still doing the same kind of thing that like the Jimmy I knew 53 years ago.

My guess is that… this new “Jimmy” will not be allowed to continue what he is doing. I think that his surrounding buddies – a Board of Directors may get the hint – that these kinds of actions ‘Dear Jimmy’ are simply not acceptable.

Now I have to go wash my hands again… Oh yah!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
www.murraylincoln.com/