One of 1370 WSPD’s sister stations, Fox Sports 1230, recently launched a new show, meticulously named “It’s Just Sports.” I say “meticulously” because Program Director Eric Chase knows how people get when it comes to talking ball. Any argument can become very, very overheated. Who should have won AL MVP? Who’s the better running back in college ball? Could Mike Ditka wrestle a bear? Especially in the talk radio world, people elevate these topics to levels of importance that rival some political topics. Combine that with the type of ego that would work in a business where you speak into a microphone, only to hear it fed back to you in your headphones … and you can see how an inane topic like sports can start to sound self-important.

This past week, the world of sports sent me a message that it can be important. Not necessarily on the field, but in the community.

There are the obvious reasons — the economic benefit of people working at the stadiums, a reason for people to come to town and eat at restaurants or pay for parking. There is also the intangible: civic pride. When we put our name on a team, we expect it to represent us. Win or lose, it exemplifies the city. When people talk about our baseball team, sure they can talk about “the Mud Hens,” but they can also simply say “Toledo,” and that means more than just the guys on the team.

These civic organizations made their voices clear this week after the tragic events in Boston. One by one, organizations stepped up in support of their brethren. It started Tuesday when teams across baseball took time out of their games either for a moment of silence or to play a few bars of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” a Boston Red Sox favorite. The Cleveland Indians hosted the BoSox on April 16, and showed their respect by flying their flag at half mast. Even the New York Yankees, hated rival and “evil empire,” took time to sing those “So Good, So Good, So Good!” lines in the middle of the third inning. If anybody could sympathise with what Boston was going through, it would be New York.

The NBA and NHL also followed suit. The Bruins and Celtics each canceled games on Monday and Tuesday for security purposes, but many teams that were playing observed moments of silence. On April 17, the Bruins played at the TD Garden in Beantown, coming out of the locker room to the powerful chants of The Dropkick Murphys singing “For Boston” (look it up, it is amazing). After the game, despite losing to Buffalo in a shootout, both teams came to center ice to salute the fans. The Celtics were on the road in Toronto, but the Raptors also took heed, playing “Sweet Caroline” as they announced the starting lineup. A message shone on the scoreboard: “Tonight, we are all Boston fans.”

These gestures don’t mean that we’re actively rooting for Boston’s teams to win against our favorite guys. No, once the game starts, then Pedroia is a bum, the Celtics are old and the Patriots are a bunch of cheaters. There is a difference, though, between rooting against the Red Sox and cheering for Boston. Again, we expect these teams to represent our cities, whether collegiate or professional, and so when the visiting teams come into town, we treat them as we would treat the regions they represent.

Yes, it’s just sports. But when the nation needs to heal (an all-too often occurrence these days), it’s these athletes who reach across borders to tell those who may be hurting “We’re with you, and we got this.” They put on a show that distracts us from our worries, at least for a little while.

We may not be Red Sox fans, or Bruins fans or Celtics fans … but we are all Boston fans.

Matt “Shaggy” Culbreath is sports director at 1370 WSPD. Email him at shaggy@wspd.com.

Tags: Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, boston marathon, Cleveland Indians, Eric Chase, Fox Sports 1230, Matt "Shaggy" Culbreath, Mike Ditka, NBA, Neil Diamond, New England Patriots, NHL, Shag on Sporyts, The Dropkick Murphys, WSPD 1370

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 18th, 2013 at 5:37 pm and is filed under Shag on Sports, Sports.
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About 10 years ago, Theron Denson was working at a hotel in West Virginia. He was informed by human resources that he had to stop singing to the guests.

“My first thought was to say, ‘Oh, that’s fine.’ Because I figured it was just a matter of time before some guest complained about my constant serenades,” Denson said. “And they said, ‘No, no, no, actually it’s not the guests that are complaining. They love it. It’s your co-workers.’”

Instead of bowing to the pressure, Denson decided to give his two weeks notice.

“They said, ‘We figured you might say that, so here’s your final check, and you don’t have to bother coming back tomorrow.’ I walked out of that hotel, and I suddenly realized that I have no income, no insurance, no medical, no dental, no check coming in each week,” he said. “So, I looked up at heaven and I said, ‘God, it looks like it’s you, Neil Diamond and me.’”

'Black Diamond'

Wait. Neil Diamond? Oh, yes. On the day Denson walked out of that hotel in 2000, the “Black Diamond” was born.

Denson holds the unique distinction of being the only African-American Neil Diamond tribute act in America. In this unusual guise, he has toured the country, opened for major entertainers and even performed a nightly show in Las Vegas. On July 15, “The Black Diamond Experience” will make its debut at M.T. Loonies in Temperance.

Denson said he never had any desire to be an entertainer growing up. The son of a career military man, Denson and his family naturally moved around a lot. He was the middle of five kids, and “all of them probably sing better than me,” Denson said with a chuckle.

He also had no idea who Neil Diamond was. The soundtrack of his childhood was provided by acts like the Four Tops and Donna Summer. So the exploits of the famous sequin-clad crooner were far off his radar.

“I ended up going to a predominantly Caucasian church, where the members would hear me singing and they would turn around, kind of stunned, and say, ‘My goodness, young man. Anyone ever tell you that you sound like Neil Diamond?’ And I thought, ‘Who is Neil Diamond?’ I thought he went to my church,” Denson said.

The years of comparisons led to a budding admiration for the famous singer and after a few karaoke experiences, the seed of an idea was born — one which bloomed after his hotel career ended. For 10 years now, he has made a living as the one and only Black Diamond.

Denson is nothing if not hard working — a typical Black Diamond performance features a full set list of Diamond’s most popular songs, numerous costume changes, audience participation and more. The goal, he insists, is always for the audience to simply have fun — even if, at first, they don’t know what to make of him.

“If they haven’t seen the show before, the initial response is to just cock their head over to one side and squint their eyes incredulously. And that’s usually for the first five minutes,” Denson said, laughing. “But after that, it tends to be well and warmly received.”

His ability to win over his somewhat puzzled audiences has led to some remarkable opportunities for Denson in his career, from performing for Sen. John Kerry to opening for acts like Boyz II Men, Taylor Dayne and “professional mentors and personal friends” the Pointer Sisters, to an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in 2003.

“I got to meet some really cool people in the deal,” Denson said, mentioning Macy Gray and Pat O’Brien, among others. “And then, after the show, [Kimmel] took me bowling!”

But the highest compliment of all came from King Errisson, a percussionist who has played conga drums with the real Neil Diamond since 1976.

“He took me to dinner in Las Vegas and has basically expressed interest in sitting in on a Black Diamond show! Can you imagine what that would be like, for me to have Neil Diamond’s own percussionist sitting in at a Black Diamond show?”

Perhaps that would bring Denson even closer to one of his biggest dreams — a performance with Diamond himself. He speaks with awe-filled reverence at the mention of such an idea. “Here’s a man whose name I have heard most every day of my life since I was 11 years old. And little did I know that his name, and his music and his career would have such an effect on my life, personally and professionally.”

Tags: Black Diamond, Jeff McGinnis, M.T. Loonies, Neil Diamond, Pop Goes the Culture

This entry was posted on Friday, July 9th, 2010 at 12:00 am and is filed under Arts and Life, In Concert, Pop Goes the Culture.
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