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“Don't let yesterday use up too much of today.” —Will Rogers

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— MY TWO CENTS WORTH —

Good morning, it’s Oct. 14, and the month is racing by. Today’s Dispatches feature a couple of stories about Old West gunfights. One involved a 16-year-old, who went on to a career as one of the frontier’s elite killers.

Other dispatches include stories about iconic advertisements, Halloween, a new tomato, and the world’s coolest grandpa. 

But first, a quick-hitter:

Over the weekend, Penn State fired football coach James Franklin, who had suffered three straight losses, after being touted during the preseason as a possible national championship contender. The news of his dismissal wasn’t shocking. However, what was eye-opening is that he will receive a $ 49 million buyout. 

This isn’t unique today. High-profile coaches are successfully negotiating for these buyouts, even in light of the diverse and high operating costs universities face. Perhaps it would be wise for the university's negotiators to enroll in a “How to Negotiate” course for a semester.

Someone on Facebook posted: “There is not a single better job  in America than being a big-time College Football Coach who is fired.” 

The FB poster is right as rain. It’s mind-boggling to understand why universities agree to these massive buyouts.

Where’s the incentive to win? It seems to make more sense as an incentive to lose. “Please fire me so I can live the rest of my life in the lap of luxury and not have to be accountable to anyone.”

That’s my two cents’ worth.

— DISPATCHES FROM THE OLD WEST — 

(1) When two gamblers faced off in the streets of Trinidad, Colorado, cooler heads intervened to stop the gunplay. But the long-running argument was far from over. “THE TRINIDAD GUNFIGHT.”

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(2) Two men on the main street of a small Texas cow town walked toward each other, aiming to settle an argument over a poker game. One man, the town bully, didn't realize the 16-year-old coming his way ranked as one of the deadliest gunmen in the southwest. "SHOWDOWN.”

— DISPATCHES FROM HERE & THERE —  

(3) “Think Small,” “Pee Here,” and “I Want You,” ranked among the most innovative and iconic advertisements of all time, according to the American Marketing Association. Here are all 19. 

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(4) Researchers at Rutgers University spent more than a decade developing a new tomato. It’s sweet and crack-resistant, and called Scarlet Sunrise. 

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(5) In the decade between 1905 and 1915, Americans mailed 900 million postcards each year. During that span, an estimated 3,000 unique Halloween designs were produced. 

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(6) Rather than go door-to-door, a lot of kids these days get their Halloween candy by going car-to-car. Read all about Trunk or Treating.

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(7) Kurt Zimmerman became the coolest grandpa in the world when he built characters from Star Wars. Here’s his version of R2D2.

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(8) Ever heard of a hamburger cake? Check out this video.

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“The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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