What if it had never happened?

This Sunday, Nov. 22, is the 46th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. It was Nov. 22, 1963 that John Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in the downtown streets of Dallas.

That day has always fascinated me for any number of reasons. And by the way, if anyone ever wants to read a definitive account of that historical weekend, read "Four Days in November: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy" by Vincent Bugliosi, famous for his prosecution of Charles Manson.

Anyway, driving to work I was thinking how different history would have been had Oswald never pulled the trigger, if Kennedy's limo would have driven calmly through Dealy Plaza on the way to his speech at the Dallas Trade Mart. In other words, what if Kennedy had lived?

I was talking about this with editorial page editor John Kanelis. Kennedy would have been re-elected in 1964, and served two terms. We agreed that the U.S. still would have been bogged down in Vietnam, and because of that, I think Kennedy's reputation would not be near what is since he was martyred in death.

What happens in 1968? Lyndon Johnson, not Hubert Humphrey, runs against Nixon. John K. doesn't think Robert Kennedy would have run for president in 1968 because his brother would have advised against it. So no Robert Kennedy assassination.

Nixon narrowly beat Humphrey in 1968, but I'd say Johnson wins because he would have cut into the George Wallace southern vote that year. And if that were the case, the chances of Nixon winning in 1972 aren't high.

And so there's no Watergate scandal, no President Ford. John doesn't think Jimmy Carter gets elected, and Ronald Reagan's clout becomes very muted. It's fascinating what-if stuff.

What other incidents in American history, had they not occured, would have changed America more? You might say Pearl Harbor in 1941, but the United States would have eventually been drawn into World War II anyway. Perhaps Sept. 11, 2001, and all that has transpired since then.

The one day in the 20th century that comes to mind would have been if the atomic bomb had not been dropped on Japan in 1945. That likely would have meant an invasion of Japan and as much as a million American lives lost over the ensuing years.

John's dad, who was serving in the Philippines at the time, was one of thousands and thousands who would have been part of the Japanese invasion. As he said, he wouldn't be here today if not for the bomb. So John, like many his age whose fathers were in the South Pacific at the end of the war, are big fans of then-President Harry Truman.

Elite company

The Amarillo High volleyball team is certainly in the middle of a dynasty. The Lady Sandies did a year ago what no other 5A volleyball team in the state has done -- win three state titles in a row. Beginning Friday, they go for their fourth consecutive in the semifinals of the state tournament.

Amarillo High could really move into the high-rent district should the Lady Sandies win it all again. The teams which have won at least four consecutive team titles in the state’s highest classification is not a very long list. In fact, it’s just 10 in the history of UIL competition.

No use going too far to find who leads the list. Caprock has a current streak of six girls wrestling crowns (2004-2009), tying with with Humble Kingwood, which won six consecutive boys cross country titles from 1994-99. Two teams have won five in a row — Conroe McCullough in girls swimming (1989-93) and San Antonio Churchill in girls golf (1996-2000).

Five have won four in a row. They include Mansfield in girls basketball (1999-2002), Conroe McCullough in boys cross country (1985-1988), Houston Memorial (1971-1974) and League City Clear Lake (1981-1984) in boys swimming, and Fort Worth Trimble Tech (1976-1979) and Houston Westbury (1997-2000) in girls track.

Amarillo High is among 22 teams which have won three in a row, including the football Sandies from 1934-36.

Should Randall win state in 4A and Amarillo High in 5A, that would be two state champions separated by, what, three miles?

I give up

Apparently it's who you know at People Magazine, but for the 25th year in a row, I came up empty-handed when this year's "Sexiest Man Alive" was announced by the entertainment magazine.

It was somebody named Johnny Depp. Again. He first won in 2003. In fact, this guy is one of three who have been repeat winners since People first started doing this in 1985.

There are millions of us out there, and they have to go to repeat winners? Something doesn't appear on the up and up here. Apparently, it's based on good looks and popularity and stuff like that, and not more important things like a good heart, a friendly hello and strong core values.

I wonder if I subscribed, if that might help. Mmmmmm, probably not.

How about a simple high-five?

Is this picture offensive to you? I guess it depends if you're conservative or liberal.

President Obama is being criticized by some conservative commentators for his deep bow to Japanese emperor Akihito during the weekend, accusing the U.S. commander in chief of groveling to a foreing leader.

Akihito's father ruled when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. Obama greeted Akihito with a handshake and nearly a 90-degree bow, sparking much online commentary.

Predictable, really.

According to the Associated Press, former President George W. Bush was mocked for holding Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's hand, a traditional sign of friendship in the Middle East, as they strolled together in 2005.

In 1994, former Democratic President Bill Clinton was criticized for almost bowing to Akihito. The resulting image, The New York Times wrote, was of "an obsequent president and the emperor of Japan."

Former President Richard Nixon, a Republican, can be seen in a Life magazine photo from 1971 bowing to Akihito's father, Emperor Hirohito.

Obama's awkward encounter with Akihito — bows are not meant to accompany physical contact — is not even the first time the president, a Democrat in office less than a year, has been criticized for his greeting of a foreign leader: Critics accused him of genuflecting to Saudi King Abdullah at a world economic summit this year.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters Monday that the bow was "a sign of respect to the emperor."

In an online State Department posting from 2007 titled "Protocol for the Modern Diplomat," envoys are advised to be aware of greeting rituals such as kisses, handshakes or bows and to follow a country's tradition. "Failure to abide with tradition may be interpreted as rudeness or a lack of respect for colleagues," it says. It was not clear whether the guidelines apply to the president.

I'm going to take a wild guess here and say liberals criticized Bush in 2005 while conservatives were mostly silent. And with Clinton in 1994, conservatives were outraged while libs wanted to know what the big deal was.

Maybe our leaders should just give everyone a good ol' All-American high five and call it good.

This one I understand

This country long ago went lawsuit crazy. We live in a litigious society where few accept responsibilities for their own actions. Does the New Mexico woman suing McDonald's because the coffee was too hot when she spilled it on her lap ring a bell?

But a suit filed Thursday in Potter County is not one of these. The Torres family in Bushland has sued El Paso Natural Gas Co., its parent company, El Paso Corp., and its pipeline operator, Atmos Energy, after the pipeline explosion Nov. 5.

The Torres home, according to their Lubbock attorney, was about 100 yards from the explosion. Three family members were injured, and daughter Franczeska, 15, remains in a Lubbock burn unit with serious burns on 30 percent of her body. Their home was also destroyed.

I always thought honest litigation was for the little guy who has been wronged, intentionally or not. This family had its world turned upside down through no fault of their own. Hopefully, fairness will eventually prevail.

'Balloon boy' dad will plead guilty

Richard Heene, who's a longshot to win any Father of the Year honors, will plead guilty Friday to his role in "Balloon Boy," the unbelievable hoax he cooked up to get publicity for a reality TV show.

Heene, 48, and his wife Mayumi initially reported their 6-year-old son Falcon was in a helium balloon that was flying uncontrollably over the Fort Collins, Colo., skies on Oct. 15. CNN followed the incident live, and law enforcement and rescue personnel tracked the balloon before it finally came to rest after a wild hour or so.

There was no boy. He was hiding in the garage. Family went on national TV the next day, but when young Falcon said, "We did it for the show," well, the party was over.

Heene will plead guilty to attempting to influence a public servant, a felony, his attorney told the Associated press. His wife will plead guilty to false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor.

They will both be allowed to serve probation sentences. Part of me believes dead old dad should do some jail time, but his sentencing is in the court of public opinion. It's pretty clear -- he's a grade A kook.

Lawyer talk

In defense of their clients, lawyers can say some of the most outrageous things. I wonder if half the time they believe what is coming out of their own mouths.

Case in point was a trial that concluded Monday when Garry Dale Moore, 55, of Canyon was sentenced to five years in prison and 10 of years of probation when a Randall County jury found him guility of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

In September 2007, on a country road south of McCormick Road, Moore struck two women while driving drunk. One woman, June Whitson, was killed. Another was seriously injured. Moore's blood-alcohol level was 0.14 in one instance, in excess of the legal limit of .08, and 0.12 in a second test.

Said Jesse Quackenbush, Moore's attorney: "He really did nothing wrong in terms of driving. These women were violating the law by walking in the road."

Well, nothing wrong except for that, you know, drunk part.

Premium Frosting Mix

The media forever has received free stuff from marketing/public relations firms looking to peddle a product for their client. The hope is to get free publicity by giving something away. It's been going on for years. Most find its way into File 13 (the trash).

Got something last week from Imperial Sugar. It's the All Natural! Baker's Supreme Premium Frosting Mix. Classic White, of course. And there's the obligatory letter with it extolling the benefits of the product:

"Just in time for the holidays, Imperial Sugar has introduced a new line of all-natural Baker's Supreme Premium Frosting Mixes..."

Hyuna Lee, brand manager, goes on to say it only takes five minutes and three simple steps to make a great tasting frosting.

It's a one-pound box inside a mailing box. The postage to send this is $7.60. I can't imagine how many they sent out nationwide or the cost in this.

My problem is what do I do with this frosting? It's not canned frosting in that I just can't stick my finger in it and have at it. You have to add some water and butter.

I guess I could re-gift as a Christmas present for my wife but she would be overcome with emotion (none of it good). Not a good idea.

Tell you what, I've always wanted to do this, but if you're the third caller at 345-3318, you can have ABSOLUTELY FREE a complimentary box of Baker's Supreme Premium Frosting Mix.

Playoff fever, catch it

I'm going out on a limb and say Pampa head football coach Heath Parker was not doused with Gatorade following the Harversters clinching a Class 4A playoff berth Friday night -- even if it was Pampa's first playoff berth in five years.

Pampa gave up nearly 500 yards rushing in losing at home to Palo Duro, 35-13, to finish the regular season with a 2-8 record. But in a weak six-team District 3-4A where four teams get into the postseason, Pampa qualified fair and square. Beat 1-9 Randall and 4-6 Caprock to get in. Strike up the band.

Two of the other four playoff teams, PD and Dumas, are 4-6. In all, 20 teams in the Class 4A playoffs have losing records. Manor joins Pampa as two teams with 2-8 marks.

The thing is, most people aren't fooled by this. Pampa fans know what's up, and to a large extent, so do the Pampa coaches. They're 2-8, losing 80 percent of their games. There shouldn't be any playoff feel or atmosphere. It would be hard to have any real sense of expectation or postseason excitement. It is what it is.

Sure, you put your best foot forward and go play a bi-district game, in this case, against 9-1 Hereford Friday night at Dick Bivins Stadium.

As was said last week, if four teams are going to advance from each district, try to get as many 8-team or more districts as possible. Pampa is only playing by the rules, but playoff berths aren't supposed to go to 2-8 teams.

Huge, but not that huge

The fire created by the natural gas explosion around 1 a.m. Thursday in Bushland was no doubt a huge inferno. I saw it around 1:30 a.m. and it was a sight to behold.

But I took issue and still take issue that flames were 700 feet high. That was pretty much the standard line repeated in media reports Thursday. So if you repeat it enough, people take it as fact.

Granted, I did not get there at the time of the explosion, but there's no way flames were that high. I got a little criticism from some because I doubted the fire was that high, but I stand by that. I don't think people realize when talking vertical distance how high up is up, if you will.

A total of 700 feet is nearly 2 1/2 football fields straight up. That's a long way. Take a look at this photo. There appears to be a telephone pole at the left. How high is a telephone pole, 40 feet max? That would more than 17 telephone poles high -- and then some -- to reach 700 feet.

Put it another way. A standard story in a building is approximately 12 feet. So 700 feet is more than a 58-story building. The Chase Tower in downtown Amarillo is 31 stories. Are you trying to tell me that flames leaped nearly twice the height of Amarillo's tallest building? There's no way.

That doesn't mean it wasn't a huge explosive fire, but for the sake of accuracy, it wasn't 700 feet high.