The Death of Spiderman
"Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”
I was here before you and I will be her after, for legends never die they merely fade away.
"Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate."
10 years have passed now, and yet it was like yesterday that we first met. I swung into action in the fall of 99’ at first just sticking my big toe in the water to gauge the temperature. It was not long however before I caused an uproar and with that I found a home on the internet and a forum to say what I wanted to say, all with the security and impunity of anonymity.
"No! No different. Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned."
What exactly did I say? A complex question out of context, but simple if you take it all in and break it down. I simply said what you were saying, to each other, in the bleachers, at the corners of mats, during the off season tournaments, in steamy practice rooms, on your way to an event, at the years end banquet, out with your wrestling friends, and to those with interest and who understood the sport.
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning."
I never abused my anonymity, for I treasured it as a privilege and I understood that with responsibility comes credibility. My arguments were well reasoned, well argued, and logically sound.
"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the North, general of the Felix legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
You could hate me for saying what I was saying, but you could not negate it’s merits. My opinions were my own, and I always made it clear what was fact so as not to confuse them with my personal feelings. 10 years later and countless arguments behind me, no one can say that I misrepresented the facts, but you may surmise as you like in regards to my opinions.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
Brandon was a major point of contention at first, all you could do was spew about their “Streak” and it’s lack of legitimacy, but I was the one who brought it to the forefront, legitimized the argument, and gave your objections spirit and teeth. I brought the pressure with your support and eventually Brandon could not but relent, for after all is said and done the pen always proves mightier than the sword. It took only 5 years to get Brandon to wrestle a representative schedule, and it was a mere 4 years later that the “Streak” was finally put to rest.
"Surely you can't be serious." - "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley."
Miami was another focus, I am the proud fanatic of Dade County Wrestling, it’s spirit of competition, and the superior level at which our kids keep each other with the instruction and dedication of some of the best coaches in the state. I made no bones about Dade being the wrestling Super Power in Florida, I accurately predicted year in and year out our supremacy in Lakeland, only to have Joe Blow from Orlando (or some other city with delusions of grandeur) run and hide the week after states because he could not stand to listen to the “I told you so”
"Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!"
Individuals were my delight, I followed the studs of South Ridge, Ralph Everett, Mike Rio, Eddie Blue, and Carols West. I Followed the legends of South Dade, Patrick Williams, Alex Hernandez, Danny Perez, and more recently Rat, Tico, and the Freak. Braddock and South Miami Had some studs as well; Braddock with the Chandler Brothers, Chris Ripple, Andy Perez, and Sergio Hernandez; South Miami with the Estopiñan Brothers, Shropshire, Turner, and Kakrah. Krop and their lunatic of a coach turned my head with Greg Joseph, Chris Thorne, and Giovanni Harris. Hialeah burst on the scene late but made a quick impact on me with Ariel Mederos and Frank Celorio. My focus in Dade was the South, it is where I reside after all but I did take notice of some other top dogs around the county; Alan Herrera of course, but also Anders Cupas, Julio Lopez, Marques Coleman, and Michael Dominguez to name a few.
"Funny like I'm a clown? I amuse you?"
My greatest memories of this endeavor always comes from the laughter it brought me quite frequently. It was after all my main motivation in breaking away from the other site. Here you were free to mock, parody, make fun of, and pick on anyone you wanted so long as it was not profane, what more could you ask of a place than that it makes you laugh till your sides ache.
"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."
Dr. Doom you are genius, I will miss the Dade Wars and your song lyrics.
PlaysWithDogs I never laughed so hard as when you had something peculiar to say.
"I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum."
The rest of you were funny at times, but none as consistent or as prolific as these two (though PWD went missing on 08-09), but I would like to extend my appreciation to the rest of you that had a hand in the success of my site. KW goes without saying, Mooney, The Ref, Galactus, Venom, The Devils Advocate, Paladin, and I hope I am not forgetting anyone.
"What we've got here...is failure to communicate."
Of course thanks to all the anonymous posters as well, they were a big part of making the site fun and relevant. You could always count on my anonymous posters for the hate, controversy, and attacks that fueled the site and ultimately drove it to get banned from MDCPS. But that is of no consequence, I may not have agreed with what you said, nor may I have liked the way you said it, but I would defend to the death (the death of this site) your right to say what you want to say.
"Always two there are, no more, no less: a master and an apprentice."
Who am I you ask? But why do you ask if you already know. I am you I am your voice, your conscience, your representative and your advocate. I am your complaints, your affirmations and your integrity. I am your brother, your father, your neighbor, and your friend. Why would you want to know the magicians trick? Isn’t it better to believe in the Great an Powerful Oz than it is to pull back the curtain and see a guy pulling levers.
"If into the security recordings you go, only pain will you find."
If I told you who I was you’d knock yourself on the forehead and say “Of Course” and then you’d wish you did not know, it just more fun that way. So I am happy that after 10 years I can leave you with this mystery that will endure beyond what it ever could should I be exposed before my departure.
"Your mother's in here with us, Karras. Would you like to leave a message? I'll see that she gets it."
I am one of you and none of you. I am some of you some of the time, and none of you all of the time. I sit next to you, behind you, in front of you, and in some cases in private with you. I attend some of your meetings, some of your socials, and some of your events. I am there when you think I’m not, and not there when you think I am.
"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."
I am a Patriot at heart, I love my country and my city. I am a Spartan in defending myself and my interest. I am a Pirate for information and I get it where I can. I am a Cobra when cornered and I will inject my venom if attacked. I am a Panther on the prowl when there’s something I want to know. I am Explorer when seeking out the truth. I am Bulldog in defense of my own. I am a Sting if your intention is to tread on me. I am a Knight when someone needs help. I am a Bronco if some think they are getting the better of me. I am a Trojan when it suits me, I get into things when I have to.
“I see dead people.”
But now the time has come to say goodbye, to let someone else take the reigns if they so desire; and if not you may die of boredom with info on who beat who and who is ranked where and you can leave all the truth out of the equation and just concentrate on stroking each other and masturbating to your successes and the failures of your foes.
“Stop trying to hit me and hit me!”
Dade County schools blocked my site once before, I fought through with some allies and had the Blog restored. But this time I will not bother, they teach our children that censorship is better than the truth, and that opinions can and may be suppressed. That’s fine, it’s their server and I can respect that they have the right to do as they see fit, but since most of my readership lies within that entity and they will no longer be able to enjoy the blog throughout the day I have chosen instead to hang up the costume and bow out gracefully, still on top, never having been discovered, with the trust of many, and with an integrity built solely on my word as a man.
"Always in motion the future is."
You may yet come to see and hear from me again, but you may not know it, if circumstances change, or inspiration brings me back around I hope that we can once again partake in the verbal duels we’ve had these last 10 seasons.
"And in the morning, I'm making waffles!"
So I’m outta here, I hope you all find a substitute. I will now take leisure in my first love, that’s for you to figure out, and if you do it might just reveal to you the face of SPIDERMAN.
"I know what you're thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"
If you still want to know who I am despite my advanced warning, I have included in the text here in, all the clues necessary to decipher my identity. In other words, everything you need to figure out who I am is spelled out in the body of this text, but it will take a true sleuth to figure it out. Find the primer, use the code, and you will find the Spiderman. Good Luck!
“He's supposed to be Turkish. Some say his father was German. Nobody ever believed he was real. Nobody ever knew him or saw anybody that ever worked directly for him, anybody could have worked for Soze. You never knew; that was his power. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. They realized that to be in power, you didn't need guns or money or even numbers. You just needed the will to do what the other guy wouldn't. And like that, he's gone. Underground. Nobody's ever seen him since. He becomes a myth, a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night. "Rat on your pop and Keyser Soze will get you." But no one ever really believes."
For the Last Time
SPIDEY
