DIEGO

 First of all, Diego, the following rebuttal is your finest display of writing in our humble opinions. We at The McHale Report have found from years of experience that we have produced our best prose in emotionally charged states. In response to negative criticism you received in a previous provocative article, you poured your ire into this commentary and in the process you took a step forward as a better writer. The harder somebody hits you, the harder you have to counter. Through years of trading punches, you become better and better at your craft and you emerge as a champion. That doesn't mean that every day there won't be a challenger who attempts to knock you off your pedestal, but with your improved skills and hardened chin, you more often than knock this pretender back into anonymity.

There isn't a day that our founder Dr. G.F. McHale-Scully isn't utilized as a convenient punching bag. And his wife and children don't escape the cheap shots either. His writing has blessed him with a formidable reputation, but it hasn't come without the loss of several teeth, a broken nose, scar tissue over both eyes and cauliflowered ears. As a result of his undaunting dedication to his art, the BISD tried to fire him once, TEA tried to strip him on his credential twice and in the end, after 39 years of outstanding teaching and coaching through which he had gained the respect of his colleagues and the love of his students and athletes, Superintendent Dr. Esperanza Zendejas issued him an ultimatum: "Either you quit writing your stories or you will face termination." He chose to retire, devote his energies to writing fulltime and narrated, with a few pushes of his own, Zendejas' fall from grace in the BISD.

As this is only the tip of the iceberg of the many attacks and conspiracies launched against him in order to silence him. And what is the end result of this daily mano-a-mano with a faceless public. He is more respected than at any time in his life for his uncompromising commitment to his writing. He turns negatives into positives by sitting at his keyboard and imagining that the words appearing on his screen are the improvisational notes that he is blowing from his saxophone. The crowd can be booing, but as long as he is tooting his horn, he couldn't be happier. And he feels that he is making the best music of his career.

Regardless of the number of years that you have been in the ring, a punch is a punch and it still stings, but you develop a resilience that explodes in lyrical prose and poetry. They may knock you down, but that is their mistake. You are going to rise to your feet and unleash a fury that your cowardly foes have never known in their lives. And when you're pugilistic days are over and your record stands at 103-5-2 with 90 knockouts, you graciously bid adieu and retire to a little Portuguese town with a balcony that overlooks the main square. You scribble down on a piece of paper the thoughts that enter your head and determine if you have written a poem or a story or a novel. Or if you have penned a pile of nonsense and you hit a three-pointer with a swisher into a wastepaper basket 25 years away.

You are a good writer, Diego. You think about each sentence. Unlike Doc Scully who can turn nasty if he's hungover, the wife has been bitching at him and some detractor hiding in the shadows has infuriated him, he can be downright mean. He has been known to exceed the bounds of propriety. It works for him because that is his nature. On the other hand, Diego, you are a gentle soul. You want to record your observations and let them speak for themselves. You have a clear eye, a keen wit and an objective perspective. Since you don't insult people, you are more sensitive to the brickbats that some nobody is hurling from the peanut gallery. Brownsville needs your contributions, but never forget the moment that you raise your head, there is going to be somebody who is going to try to chop it off. Use the meaningless bullshit to energize you. You have talent and your following response illustrates your skills. Un abrazo.