Gannon puts hurtful past aside to aid Bucs QBs
By JOANNE KORTH, Tampa Times Staff Writer
Published May 17, 2006
Ex-NFL quarterback Rich Gannon, right, in town to help Bucs quarterbacks, chats with Jon Gruden, his former coach.
TAMPA - Retired quarterback Rich Gannon still hasn't gotten over the beating the Bucs gave his Raiders, and him especially, in Super Bowl XXXVII. Nor has he forgotten the hit by Derrick Brooks that essentially ended his career.
But he's here to help.
Honest.
Gannon, who ran Jon Gruden's version of the west coast offense with precision in Oakland, is spending two days in Tampa tutoring the Bucs' crop of young quarterbacks. Gannon attended meetings and a light practice Tuesday and will do so again today as the team continues with offseason workouts.
"It's good to be here and good to get a chance to work with the quarterbacks a little bit," said Gannon, who played 18 seasons before retiring in August 2005.
"Jon asked me to come down and talk to them a little bit and share some things that have helped me play the position over the years. You pick up valuable tips and keys that can help these guys, I hope. I'm happy to do that."
Gannon has more NFL experience than the five quarterbacks on the Bucs bloated offseason roster combined. Starter Chris Simms, whose father, Phil, was a Super Bowl MVP, values Gannon's insights because Gannon excelled in Gruden's offense.
"It's awesome," Simms said. "If there's anybody who's perfected this offense in the last 15 years, you'd probably say him and Steve Young. It's just tremendous to hear his view on things and I look forward to picking his brain because he has so much to offer."
Gannon, 40, played three seasons under Gruden in Oakland and three under Tampa Bay quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett when Hackett was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City in the 1990s. Those ties were enough to overcome any discomfort he felt being at One Buc Place.
"I walk in the building and there's pictures of me getting sacked in the Super Bowl," Gannon said. "It will always be a sore spot. ... But it's funny, I was just showing Monte Kiffin my notes from the game. I told him it's unfortunate we couldn't get to some of this stuff because of the way the game went."
A journeyman until he signed as a free agent with Oakland, Gannon was an instant success with Gruden. He threw for more than 3,400 yards and went to the Pro Bowl three straight seasons. In 2002, Gannon was named league MVP for leading the Raiders to the Super Bowl, but they were soundly beaten by the Bucs with Gruden on the opposite sideline.
Gannon retired because of a neck injury sustained in a regular-season game against the Bucs in 2004 during a helmet-to-helmet collision with linebacker Brooks. Gannon was scrambling for positive yardage and slid into Brooks. He never played again.
Gannon said he has no intention of reviving his playing career as a veteran backup for the Bucs or in becoming a coach, prefering the schedule of his current job as CBS analyst to an 80-hour work week.
Among the points Gannon is emphasizing with Simms, Luke McCown, Tim Rattay and sixth-round pick Bruce Gradkowski is the importance of staying healthy. A big part of that is knowing when, and how, to scramble, something that made Gannon effective.
"Your biggest value to a football team as a quarterback is lining up under center every Sunday," said Gannon, citing the durability of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Brett Favre. "That's really your value to a football team, to be a consistent performer and be a guy who takes care of himself physically and mentally, a guy who understands not only his strengths but also his limitations."
Impressed with Simms' physical tools, grasp of the system and command of the huddle, Gannon suggested Simms could round out his game by becoming more elusive in the pocket.
"Adding that dimension to his game can certainly help him," Gannon said. "If it's a point of emphasis, something you work on during the offseason, it's usually something you do better with the following season, whether it's taking care of the football, not turning it over, or helping your football team by pulling the ball down on a couple occasions and maybe running for some first downs. That can make him a more complete player."
In sharing insights gained during his 18 NFL seasons, Gannon was glad to return favors to Gruden and Hackett for the positive impacts they had on his career. He drew the line, however, after a rainy morning practice when he was offered dry clothing.
"They tried to slip some Super Bowl stuff on me," he said. "I thought that was a little bit much."
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Mike Holmgren Reportedly Commits To Seahawks Through 2008 - Seattle PI
Mike Holmgren deal imminent
He commits to Hawks through '08
By DANNY O'NEIL
SEATTLE P-I REPORTER
Most of the suspense over Mike Holmgren's future was sapped last week when he said he wanted to keep coaching the Seahawks beyond 2006.
The rest will evaporate when the team announces the two-year extension of his coaching contract, which could be as soon as today.
Holmgren and the team agreed to terms of a two-year extension, according to a source. The news was first reported by the Tacoma News Tribune.
Holmgren has one season remaining on the eight-year, $32 million contract he signed to come to Seattle from Green Bay in 1999. The two-year extension goes through 2008. The terms of the extension, including salary and whether there are any exit provisions, were not known late Tuesday.
The deal formalizes what became clear over the course of last week: Holmgren didn't want questions about his coaching future hanging unanswered over the upcoming season. The team already made it clear it would like to extend Holmgren's contract.
Holmgren acknowledged last Thursday he wanted to stay, and by that time his agent, Bob Lamonte, had been to Seattle at least twice to meet with Seahawks officials and do the heavy lifting in negotiating an extension. Lamonte did not return phone messages on Tuesday.
In the months since the Seahawks' Super Bowl loss to Pittsburgh, Holmgren talked to reporters at different points about the process of introspection before deciding his future. He said he had asked the team for a little time to decide on what he wanted.
His short-term plans were never in doubt because he had a year remaining on his contract.
Seattle's regular-season record is 63-49 in Holmgren's seven seasons as head coach. The Seahawks have made the playoffs four times -- including the last three seasons in a row -- and in 2005 set a franchise record for regular-season victories (13) and reached the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
Holmgren has a 2-4 record in playoff games with the Seahawks.
The question was what he wanted beyond the 2006 season. After all, he came to the Seahawks as the top man in the football food chain. He had the two-pronged job of coach and general manager and the biggest paycheck of any NFL coach.
He lost the general manager's responsibilities after the 2002 season. It was the first demotion of his career and it stung.
In many ways, the 2005 season was a vindication of some of Holmgren's personnel choices as general manager. After all, his handpicked players were the foundation for the league's highest-scoring offense. He traded for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who made the Pro Bowl. He drafted Shaun Alexander, who was named the league's Most Valuable Player, and left guard Steve Hutchinson, who was named to his third Pro Bowl.
At the league's annual owners' meetings in March, Holmgren admitted there was still an itch to try his hand as general manager again. That fueled speculation about whether Holmgren wanted more responsibility than would be possible in his current job. The Seahawks hired Tim Ruskell as president in February 2005.
Holmgren also talked of his wife's hope that the Seahawks would win the Super Bowl, allowing him to ride off on a white horse as the first man to coach two different teams to Super Bowl victories.
Holmgren took the Packers to consecutive Super Bowls after the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Green Bay defeated New England in Super Bowl XXXI, and then lost to Denver in Super Bowl XXXII.
If he stays for the length of the contract extension, Holmgren will get three more chances to return to the Super Bowl.
He commits to Hawks through '08
By DANNY O'NEIL
SEATTLE P-I REPORTER
Most of the suspense over Mike Holmgren's future was sapped last week when he said he wanted to keep coaching the Seahawks beyond 2006.
The rest will evaporate when the team announces the two-year extension of his coaching contract, which could be as soon as today.
Holmgren and the team agreed to terms of a two-year extension, according to a source. The news was first reported by the Tacoma News Tribune.
Holmgren has one season remaining on the eight-year, $32 million contract he signed to come to Seattle from Green Bay in 1999. The two-year extension goes through 2008. The terms of the extension, including salary and whether there are any exit provisions, were not known late Tuesday.
The deal formalizes what became clear over the course of last week: Holmgren didn't want questions about his coaching future hanging unanswered over the upcoming season. The team already made it clear it would like to extend Holmgren's contract.
Holmgren acknowledged last Thursday he wanted to stay, and by that time his agent, Bob Lamonte, had been to Seattle at least twice to meet with Seahawks officials and do the heavy lifting in negotiating an extension. Lamonte did not return phone messages on Tuesday.
In the months since the Seahawks' Super Bowl loss to Pittsburgh, Holmgren talked to reporters at different points about the process of introspection before deciding his future. He said he had asked the team for a little time to decide on what he wanted.
His short-term plans were never in doubt because he had a year remaining on his contract.
Seattle's regular-season record is 63-49 in Holmgren's seven seasons as head coach. The Seahawks have made the playoffs four times -- including the last three seasons in a row -- and in 2005 set a franchise record for regular-season victories (13) and reached the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
Holmgren has a 2-4 record in playoff games with the Seahawks.
The question was what he wanted beyond the 2006 season. After all, he came to the Seahawks as the top man in the football food chain. He had the two-pronged job of coach and general manager and the biggest paycheck of any NFL coach.
He lost the general manager's responsibilities after the 2002 season. It was the first demotion of his career and it stung.
In many ways, the 2005 season was a vindication of some of Holmgren's personnel choices as general manager. After all, his handpicked players were the foundation for the league's highest-scoring offense. He traded for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who made the Pro Bowl. He drafted Shaun Alexander, who was named the league's Most Valuable Player, and left guard Steve Hutchinson, who was named to his third Pro Bowl.
At the league's annual owners' meetings in March, Holmgren admitted there was still an itch to try his hand as general manager again. That fueled speculation about whether Holmgren wanted more responsibility than would be possible in his current job. The Seahawks hired Tim Ruskell as president in February 2005.
Holmgren also talked of his wife's hope that the Seahawks would win the Super Bowl, allowing him to ride off on a white horse as the first man to coach two different teams to Super Bowl victories.
Holmgren took the Packers to consecutive Super Bowls after the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Green Bay defeated New England in Super Bowl XXXI, and then lost to Denver in Super Bowl XXXII.
If he stays for the length of the contract extension, Holmgren will get three more chances to return to the Super Bowl.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Layover At OHare Airport
I'm in the O'hare Hilton and it's after midnight. I arrived here from Atlanta, where I was visiting Mom for about over two weeks. Then I needed to get back to Oakland and so thought I could wait stand-by -- big error. I made it as far as Chicago, then got bumped from flight after flight. Maybe the 6:30 AM holds a prayer?
I went to a cool bar that's like walking into a 1940s variety show and speakeasy, and in the Hilton. Poor marketing. The O'Hare Hilton does nothing to sell you on this place. You have to walk in and see it.
So, I sat at the bar with some guys from Canada. They didn't know each other. I was having a great conversation with a guy named Ian. So another guy -- who was pretty drunk -- decides he's gonna by me a glass of wine; I accept (would not say no, unless I'd had too many; this was just one). But after a while, as I'm leaving, he starts into a statement: "Well, I don't care if you're black or white, I like ya. Ya know, black..."
My response was "That's between you and your therapist." I didn't give him time to finish. I just paid my bill -- well I was already in the process of paying it -- got up and left. And no, I didn't have that wine he offered.
Why is it that some white men in bars -- it's happened too many times to avoid the generalization -- have to go into racial conversation after they've had a few? What's up with that? It's really sick. I mean here I was thinking "This is a well-adjusted man," and then....Poof! Not!
I think -- well, let me put it this way: I don't care what the reason is, just put the kabash on it.
It happens way too often and I'm developing a zero-tolerance for it. And if you're white and female and see this and do nothing to stop it, you're no better. This is crazy. If I stopped to list the number of times this has happened -- in detail -- you'd puke. It even happened on the plane ride from Atlanta to Chicago. The guy I was sitting next to was well-meaning, but just launched to a commentary on blacks and interracial dating. Once I causally explained that racism is considered to be a mental illness and why this was, he chilled his words a bit and we were back on a good coversational course..
I was happy I slipped the "therapist" line in. It fit.
I went to a cool bar that's like walking into a 1940s variety show and speakeasy, and in the Hilton. Poor marketing. The O'Hare Hilton does nothing to sell you on this place. You have to walk in and see it.
So, I sat at the bar with some guys from Canada. They didn't know each other. I was having a great conversation with a guy named Ian. So another guy -- who was pretty drunk -- decides he's gonna by me a glass of wine; I accept (would not say no, unless I'd had too many; this was just one). But after a while, as I'm leaving, he starts into a statement: "Well, I don't care if you're black or white, I like ya. Ya know, black..."
My response was "That's between you and your therapist." I didn't give him time to finish. I just paid my bill -- well I was already in the process of paying it -- got up and left. And no, I didn't have that wine he offered.
Why is it that some white men in bars -- it's happened too many times to avoid the generalization -- have to go into racial conversation after they've had a few? What's up with that? It's really sick. I mean here I was thinking "This is a well-adjusted man," and then....Poof! Not!
I think -- well, let me put it this way: I don't care what the reason is, just put the kabash on it.
It happens way too often and I'm developing a zero-tolerance for it. And if you're white and female and see this and do nothing to stop it, you're no better. This is crazy. If I stopped to list the number of times this has happened -- in detail -- you'd puke. It even happened on the plane ride from Atlanta to Chicago. The guy I was sitting next to was well-meaning, but just launched to a commentary on blacks and interracial dating. Once I causally explained that racism is considered to be a mental illness and why this was, he chilled his words a bit and we were back on a good coversational course..
I was happy I slipped the "therapist" line in. It fit.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
EA Sports Sued Over Madden NFL Game Feature - I Know The Person Who Filed The Suit; He Has A Case
I just saw this web information while in search of something else:
"EA sued over Madden feature
Electronics Arts, the world's largest game publisher, is finding itself in a legal battle over one of the features of its popular Madden NFL 06 game. Pernell Harris, owner of Virtual Jam, has sued the game maker over breach of contract and confidentiality violation.
According to Harris, he met with EA in 2003 to discuss some ideas he had concerning a football game titled Heart of a Champion. In the game, players take a high school athlete from the preps to the pros, making sure they get passing grades and even picking their parents to assure an optimum gene pool.
Legal papers flew when Harris noticed some of these features were included in this year's edition of Madden NFL 2006. Harris is seeking unspecified damages, restitution, and lawyer's fees.
EA doesn't seem bothered by the allegations. A company spokesperson told Reuters, "We have read the complaint and the allegations are completely without merit."
Madden NFL 2006 was released in August, and is one of the top-selling games of the year."
Actually, the EA spokesperson is wrong. I know the person who fied suit. In fact, I just wrote about him. He's ex-24 star Pernell Harris.
EA sports isn't taking Harris seriously and I believe it's for a set of reasons that boil down to race and style. Pernell's African American, and not of the style one would associate with a game-making geek. That's less true for me. But the point is that's no reason for EA to doctor the truth, yet that's what they did.
Pernell showed me the evidence EA presents as valid: an email they gave to his attorney that's obviously doctored in such a way that the contents of some email was placed on another sheet of paper, but leaving off the date the email was written and the email adress. This email is suppose to show that the person Pernell talked to who was with EA gave the other staffers some idea but before he met Pernell. But the trouble is the email has no real date on it -- it has a doctored one. Some content was copied onto another sheet of paper, and the paste job is obvious.
In other words, you know what an email looks like when it's printed out. It's got not only the information you need, but all of the other code information, too and a date that doesn't appear in memo form. Microsoft outlook's date stamp doesn't appear as if it were a form letter. This doctored paper does.
EA should be ashamed. They basically think Pernell and his attorney can be had by a simple shop job like that. Fortunately, Pernell has friends who understand how the game works, and -- as a game maker -- I'm one of them.
EA should stop haging with Tiger Woods and pay attention to this case. Pernell has a gripe, and EA's statements to the contrary are without merit. That I can state, because someone in their office is playing fast and loose with the truth.
Stay tuned.
"EA sued over Madden feature
Electronics Arts, the world's largest game publisher, is finding itself in a legal battle over one of the features of its popular Madden NFL 06 game. Pernell Harris, owner of Virtual Jam, has sued the game maker over breach of contract and confidentiality violation.
According to Harris, he met with EA in 2003 to discuss some ideas he had concerning a football game titled Heart of a Champion. In the game, players take a high school athlete from the preps to the pros, making sure they get passing grades and even picking their parents to assure an optimum gene pool.
Legal papers flew when Harris noticed some of these features were included in this year's edition of Madden NFL 2006. Harris is seeking unspecified damages, restitution, and lawyer's fees.
EA doesn't seem bothered by the allegations. A company spokesperson told Reuters, "We have read the complaint and the allegations are completely without merit."
Madden NFL 2006 was released in August, and is one of the top-selling games of the year."
Actually, the EA spokesperson is wrong. I know the person who fied suit. In fact, I just wrote about him. He's ex-24 star Pernell Harris.
EA sports isn't taking Harris seriously and I believe it's for a set of reasons that boil down to race and style. Pernell's African American, and not of the style one would associate with a game-making geek. That's less true for me. But the point is that's no reason for EA to doctor the truth, yet that's what they did.
Pernell showed me the evidence EA presents as valid: an email they gave to his attorney that's obviously doctored in such a way that the contents of some email was placed on another sheet of paper, but leaving off the date the email was written and the email adress. This email is suppose to show that the person Pernell talked to who was with EA gave the other staffers some idea but before he met Pernell. But the trouble is the email has no real date on it -- it has a doctored one. Some content was copied onto another sheet of paper, and the paste job is obvious.
In other words, you know what an email looks like when it's printed out. It's got not only the information you need, but all of the other code information, too and a date that doesn't appear in memo form. Microsoft outlook's date stamp doesn't appear as if it were a form letter. This doctored paper does.
EA should be ashamed. They basically think Pernell and his attorney can be had by a simple shop job like that. Fortunately, Pernell has friends who understand how the game works, and -- as a game maker -- I'm one of them.
EA should stop haging with Tiger Woods and pay attention to this case. Pernell has a gripe, and EA's statements to the contrary are without merit. That I can state, because someone in their office is playing fast and loose with the truth.
Stay tuned.
NFL / Disney Collaboration Produces "Invincible" - Video Of Press Conference For Movie
As part of the events for NFL Draft week in New York, a press conference was held at Gustavino's and on "Invincible", a new Disney movie about Vince Papale, a walk-on who became a star for the Philadelphia Eagles. Mark Walburgh (who plays Vince), Papale, Grer Kinnear (who plays Dick Vermiel), and producers Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray (The Rookie) are in this, as are the NFL's head of marketing, Phil Guarascio.
I was part of the media covering this event, and so arrived a bit early. With few people around, I decided to get some scenes of the set up before the press conference. After it, I was able to talk with Guarascio and one of the film's producers, Gordon Gray.
Here's the video:
I was part of the media covering this event, and so arrived a bit early. With few people around, I decided to get some scenes of the set up before the press conference. After it, I was able to talk with Guarascio and one of the film's producers, Gordon Gray.
Here's the video:
A Walk In New York From Chelsea Piers To Gustavino's In The Queensborough Bridge
While I was in New York City for the NFL Draft, I decided to take a walk to Gustavino's from the NFL Draft luncheon at Chelsea Piers. Because it was a warm late April day, and I had about 20 blocks to go, I hailed a cab. While in the cab, I spotted some bald guy in a top-down Mercedez driving with a dog almost on the steering wheel. Finally, I got to this neat place called Gustavino's which is built into the base of the Queensborough Bridge.
All of this is on video here:
What I like most about the video is New York City: the noise, the architecture, the feel of the World's Greatest City.
All of this is on video here:
What I like most about the video is New York City: the noise, the architecture, the feel of the World's Greatest City.
Sen Barbara Boxer Calls For End To NSA Spying Program - Oakland Tribune
Boxer rips into NSA at Mills graduation
Senator says U.S. security agency's phone spying must be halted
By William Brand, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Sunday, May 14th, 2006
OAKLAND — The National Security Agency telephone spying program must be stopped, Sen. Barbara Boxer told graduating students Saturday morning at the Mills College commencement.
"If our government begins spying on our telephone conversations without any reason, then the terrorists have already won — because we will have lost the essence of America. If we allow this to continue ... we will have lost what makes us free," Boxer said.
Later, Boxer, D-California, and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, spoke to reporters about the vast telephone project.
Lee said she intends to introduce a resolution of inquiry in Congress. "We want to know whose phones were involved and we want the administration to give us reasons for that," she said. "The problem is, we justdon't know what the facts are right now and we need answers."
Boxer told reporters that the Senate will have its first opportunity to inquire into the NSA project when Gen. Michael Hayden appears before a Senate committee over his nomination to head the Central Intelligence Agency.
"Gen. Hayden has a lot of questions to answer; we have to be very challenging," Boxer said.
Hayden is believed to be the architect of the operation, which involved searching phone calls made by millions of Americans for patterns relating to terrorists.
Boxer said she believes the operation clearly violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. "People are not allowed to be searched without a proper warrant issued by a judge," she said.
She said she believes if the operation had been taken before a judicial panel for approval, a warrant would not have been granted.
Asked about the Iraq war, Boxer said America needs to withdraw, starting by sending National Guard troops home to their families and jobs. "The fact is, our presence in Iraq now is nonproductive. Our presence is feeding the insurgency."
When you have Iraqis saying it is better that you leave, it is time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
to go, she said.
Boxer, the Mills commencement speaker, drew cheers from the moment she arrived.
Mills President Janet Holmgren awarded her an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and noted that Boxer has been a courageous advocate for the rights of women, children and families. "She sponsored the Violence Against Women Act and shepherded it through Congress," she said. "As Democratic chief deputy whip, Ms. Boxer is poised to be the president of the United States, don't you think?"
Graduates — 217 women received bachelor's degrees and 194 men and women received master's and eight were awarded doctorates — stood and cheered.
Boxer, 65, is in her third term in the Senate. She was elected to the Marin County Board of Supervisors in 1977, then served in Congress from 1983 to 1992. She graduated from Brooklyn College in 1962 with a B.A. in economics.
Holmgren told Boxer she would like the Mills podium, which she had shortened so the senator would not have to stand on a box as she often does at speaking engagements. Both Boxer and Holmgren stand 5 feet tall.
She said Boxer demonstrates that if your goal is to change the world and make things better, size is not important.
Lee, a 1973 Mills graduate, introduced Boxer. She noted that when set out to run for the state Assembly in 1989, Boxer backed her strongly when she was unknown.
"If the White House and the administration were run by a woman like Barbara Boxer, we'd be in greater shape than we are today," Lee said.
Senator says U.S. security agency's phone spying must be halted
By William Brand, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Sunday, May 14th, 2006
OAKLAND — The National Security Agency telephone spying program must be stopped, Sen. Barbara Boxer told graduating students Saturday morning at the Mills College commencement.
"If our government begins spying on our telephone conversations without any reason, then the terrorists have already won — because we will have lost the essence of America. If we allow this to continue ... we will have lost what makes us free," Boxer said.
Later, Boxer, D-California, and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, spoke to reporters about the vast telephone project.
Lee said she intends to introduce a resolution of inquiry in Congress. "We want to know whose phones were involved and we want the administration to give us reasons for that," she said. "The problem is, we justdon't know what the facts are right now and we need answers."
Boxer told reporters that the Senate will have its first opportunity to inquire into the NSA project when Gen. Michael Hayden appears before a Senate committee over his nomination to head the Central Intelligence Agency.
"Gen. Hayden has a lot of questions to answer; we have to be very challenging," Boxer said.
Hayden is believed to be the architect of the operation, which involved searching phone calls made by millions of Americans for patterns relating to terrorists.
Boxer said she believes the operation clearly violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. "People are not allowed to be searched without a proper warrant issued by a judge," she said.
She said she believes if the operation had been taken before a judicial panel for approval, a warrant would not have been granted.
Asked about the Iraq war, Boxer said America needs to withdraw, starting by sending National Guard troops home to their families and jobs. "The fact is, our presence in Iraq now is nonproductive. Our presence is feeding the insurgency."
When you have Iraqis saying it is better that you leave, it is time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
to go, she said.
Boxer, the Mills commencement speaker, drew cheers from the moment she arrived.
Mills President Janet Holmgren awarded her an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and noted that Boxer has been a courageous advocate for the rights of women, children and families. "She sponsored the Violence Against Women Act and shepherded it through Congress," she said. "As Democratic chief deputy whip, Ms. Boxer is poised to be the president of the United States, don't you think?"
Graduates — 217 women received bachelor's degrees and 194 men and women received master's and eight were awarded doctorates — stood and cheered.
Boxer, 65, is in her third term in the Senate. She was elected to the Marin County Board of Supervisors in 1977, then served in Congress from 1983 to 1992. She graduated from Brooklyn College in 1962 with a B.A. in economics.
Holmgren told Boxer she would like the Mills podium, which she had shortened so the senator would not have to stand on a box as she often does at speaking engagements. Both Boxer and Holmgren stand 5 feet tall.
She said Boxer demonstrates that if your goal is to change the world and make things better, size is not important.
Lee, a 1973 Mills graduate, introduced Boxer. She noted that when set out to run for the state Assembly in 1989, Boxer backed her strongly when she was unknown.
"If the White House and the administration were run by a woman like Barbara Boxer, we'd be in greater shape than we are today," Lee said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)