J.R. Richard: The Human Condition

JR: He did not find me under no bridge! What happened was that a guy at a church that I was going to let a Houston reporter know that I was homeless, and it started from there. He did not find me under a bridge. Matter of fact, when the Houston reporter found out about me being homeless, I had left from out under the bridge. Friend of mine named Chris Clark had come by to pick me up. Then I started getting my baseball pension and things started getting better and better. But the Houston reporter did not find me under that bridge. That is not true. You see, people are gonna say anything, and nine times out of ten when we get to the source it's all a bunch of crap anyway.

DH: What was a day like then for J.R. Richard, being homeless in Houston?

JR: I didn't do the normal things a lot of homeless guys done. I guess it was because of pride. I didn't get out trying to wash windows or get a dollar or two or get something to eat. I had friends like a guy named Patrick Taylor, who I'll never forget as long as I live. I'd stayed at his house a couple of nights. Wash my clothes, eat, stuff like that.

DH: You've said that "The only way to understand homelessness is to get out there under the bridge and be homeless."

JR: That's right. No money, no credit cards, no nothing. Just to get out there yourself and to get homeless and you can really understand what it feels like to be homeless with no money, hunger and nothing to eat.

DH: You've also said, "I am very lucky. God allowed me to get through this to make me a better individual." Today you're a minister, working closely with the homeless and with troubled youth. What do you tell people to help them make their lives better?

JR: I realize this: You don't live in homelessness. Homelessness lives in you. You can't sit there in your life and feel sorry about what has happened in your past. Quit dwelling on it. Quit looking for it, because it's gone. Look toward the future. God will help you get out of any situation you're in, but you have to be willing to get out of it yourself. God's not going to fly a turkey to your door. You got to get up and go to the supermarket, and then God will help you. If you want to sit there in your feces and your urine, God's going to let you sit there. He said, "You make the first step. I'll help you make the rest of them." How many people out there are stepping toward God? They're stepping toward themselves, not God. And it makes a difference.

DH: What's a day like now for J.R. Richard?

JR: First thing, I get up in the morning and I pray. I read my Bible, which is a dedicated effort. I have to spend some time with God. The day don't feel complete if I don't. Then maybe I go fishing, see my daughters, go to meetings, et cetera, et cetera.

DH: Homelessness is certainly a problem in this country. When you were homeless, George W. Bush served as govenor of Texas [1994-2000]. Are there any politicians who you would recommend get under that bridge and know what it's like?

JR: I recommend all of them get under there.

Freelancer Dave Hollander has been a columnist for the maverick New York Sports Express. A book of his signature sports interviews is scheduled to be published next year by The Lyons Press.