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Cool
Justice
The Pazmanian Devil & Johnny Too Bad
By ANDY THIBAULT, Columnist
Law Tribune Newspapers
April 19, 2004
Cut out his heart and eat it.
That was the business plan for boxer Vinny Paz, The Pazmanian Devil, in
his final professional bout a few weeks ago at Foxwoods.
I watched this match for a few lessons on will and determination. Those
who play to win at all costs pay a terrible price. But they don't blink,
and they must scare the hell out of their opponents. Hit guys like Vinny
Paz on the head with a baseball bat and they keep on coming, laughing at
you.
Paz was beaten to a bloody stump for five rounds. Other fighters would
have quit, or might have been stopped by officials. But Paz is from a
different planet. Call it Providence, or thereabouts, where win at all
costs is a way of life. Paz has a history of coming back from near death,
inside and outside of the ring.
He rebounded from a broken neck -- yeah, a broken neck -- mid-career to
come back and fight 12 months later. In a subsequent match, beaten to near
submission, Paz said to himself, "Vinny Paz, you die in this ring if
you have to before you quit." He won by knockout in the last round.
In his final bout, his 50th win, Paz taunted the opponent who was smashing
his face and body. He stuck out his tongue. He smiled. He laughed. He
chased veteran boxer Tocker Pudwill through the entire 10-round fight,
finally tiring him, imposing the Paz will and knocking Pudwill down twice
to win a unanimous decision.
The will to power of Gov. John Rowland - today I dub him Johnny Too Bad in
honor of a fallen, fictional Jamaican reggae star -- has much in common
with that of Vinny Paz. Rowland is playing to win no matter what the cost.
From the state house as a young 20-something to Congress and the
governor's mansion, that's how he learned to play.
Political success, in and of itself, can create a sense of entitlement and
invincibility. The more you succeed, the more people want to invest in
your city or state. The likelihood is more people who want to get close to
you will bend the rules. You become the kind of guy contractors will want
to get close to, even if they would have gotten the job on merit.
Demands on your time become so great you have to rely on surrogates more
and more. This opens to the door to behind-the-scenes dealmakers like Paul
Pinto in Bridgeport and perhaps Jo McKenzie in Hartford. They take care of
the small details. The leader remains the big picture guy.
The little gifts build on the sense of entitlement. Bridgeport Mayor
Joseph Ganim got lots of little gifts, little for a politician, anyhow -
wine, shirts, suits. This built the case for a state of mind open to big
payoffs.
Did Johnny Too Bad sell the state of Connecticut for a hot tub, cigars,
champagne and a sweet condo deal? I don't think so. There's still no big
punch line for Rowland.
Right now Rowland is in a 10-round fight with a mediocre opponent, the
Legislature's impeachment committee. He's cut and bleeding. But, his will
is stronger. Johnny Too Bad and the Legislature might be drag racing
toward a cliff together, but Johnny will remember to jump out of his car
and whack them on their way off the edge.
Never mind the impeachment committee.
Johnny Too Bad's ultimate opponent is someone who could take him and Vinny
Paz without missing a stride - Asst. U.S. Atty. Nora Dannehy. For all
their successes, for all their domination and endurance, Paz and Johnny
Too Bad have been defeated by strong opponents. And Dannehy would not give
either opponent the satisfaction of a smile.
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