Author: mikeljohnston1 (Page 23 of 269)
I’m admittedly a bit bitter about this upcoming heart surgery. I want to feel sorry for myself and ask the question – Why Me? After all, I’ve sweated and strained all these years to keep myself in shape, and it seems all for nothing. However, my arteries were clear and weight gain controlled, even despite my reputation as the Cookie Monster. Diet has never been one of my strong points, since I eat everything in front of me, rarely close a snack bag once it’s open and ready for the trash and can’t get much satisfaction out of eating healthy vegetables. Give me ice cream, caramel, chocolate, or an Arby’s Jamocha Shake!
Outside of my parents and grandparents, who all lived long, healthy lives, I’ve never really lost someone close to me. If a friend passed away, they did so far away when they were not part of my day-to-day life. For example, I’m having trouble keeping track of the number of high school classmates that have recently died, but I haven’t seen or talked to them in years, outside of Facebook. All my cousins, aunts, nieces, nephews, kids and grandkids are present and accounted for. For this, I am very thankful.
There is at least a dozen of my neighbors and friends that are currently recovering from knee, hip, and rotator cup procedures. I’m not alone when it comes to repairs. It’s all a part of growing old, so it’s not surprising that the odds have caught up with me on having to go through major surgery, especially after proudly avoiding hospital stays all these years. I’m a little depressed, knowing that I will soon have to give up my running streak after fifteen years of strenuous strutting and go through painful rehab. This will be a new challenge.
I not currently comfortable in my sagging skin. I fight it with sit-ups, push-ups, and Chair Yoga, but I’ve gained some weight, especially after cutting my mileage back a third due to the hot summer mornings. Even though it’s cooled off a bit, I’m no longer motivated to go that extra mile. I’m also worried what will happen when the running addiction passes. Will I balloon into a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade attraction?
I’ve been advised that my diet will be forcibly changed after surgery. It’s probably best that I enjoy the Holiday trimmings before I turn into a skeleton. I’m thankful we have a pool that will be helpful in my recovery, and I won’t have to expose my scary scars to the public. I will have time for lots of reading, writing, and browning my relatively pale skin. It’s been cool of late, so I’m looking more and more like Casper the Friendly Ghost. A healthy tan, nutritious food, and swimming could turn me into an aging Greek God. I’m counting my blessings!
Purdue looked unstoppable, easily defending their new #1 status over Jacksonville 100-57. Everyone in the BIG seems to be routing their Holiday opponents but struggling I.U. just squeaked by Morehead State and couldn’t seem to pull away from North Alabama, leading 43-34 at halftime. Free throws continue to be an issue, finishing 9-14 from the charity stripe, while being matched by the less physical Lions in rebounding. Loose balls don’t bounce their way and the offense is subject to scoring stalls. The one positive was three-point shooting, a puzzling missing piece on this year’s team. However, North Alabama is apparently good for what ails ya’ as the Hoosiers hit a season-high twelve from behind the arc. It was the most in the Mike Woodson era, and only one off the mark from the last time the two teams played in December of 2020. It’s been three-years since I.U. has had that level of long-range production.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come rather than a blip on the radar screen. Malik Reneau led all scorers with 25, a career high for him on 4-4 three-point shooting and 10-14 overall. He even made his only free-throw. Mgbako added twelve and Walker 11, but most importantly seven different players scored from distance. North Alabama was only 9-32 afar in retaliation, an indication of our defensive improvements.
The final score was 83-66, after a Kel’el Ware dunk moved them over that magical sixty mark, 61-42 with 12:36 remaining on the clock. The up-and-down Hoosiers stand at 9-3 overall, but most importantly still on top of the BIG standings at 2-0. They next play Kennesaw State in Bloomington before returning to conference play at Nebraska on January 3rd. The three losses are against teams that are a combined 28-5: U. Conn, Auburn, and Kansas, all sure NCAA tournament selections. I.U. is still precariously on the bubble, but at least have yet to have what the committee considers to be a “bad” loss.
I spent the past two days putting together the Barbie Dreamhouse for my five-year-old granddaughter. I was glad I had plenty of time, unlike years ago when you stayed up all night trying to get things organized under the tree. I ate my own cookies rather than save them for Santa Claus. I’m worn out from having to get up early since my industrious wife is substitute teaching this week. She does all the work, but I feel guilty enough just sitting at home watching TV, and certainly don’t want to lay in bed while she gets ready. It was too dark to let the dog out or run, so I checked all my news and sports sites and finished the daily Wordle puzzle. School is closed for the next week so there will be no early morning calls or scrambling to get ready. Our dog Tally will be back in her normal routine, and no longer depressed without “Mom’s” presence.
Gifts are wrapped, just a few gift cards to buy. We had a Winter Solstice party last night and have a cookie exchange on Friday night. She’s taking a neighbor’s family on a Christmas light tour of the edition on our golf cart tonight, while I have a Blue Breaks card shop Holiday party and Trade Night on Saturday. Date Night will follow. Christmas Monday will include a brunch and the Johnston family get together in the late afternoon. I still have several days to get the Dreamhouse finished and complete some last-minute shopping. Tis The Season.
Tuesday night I joined the Rinella Street gang for a Holiday toast at the Oak and Stone in downtown Wellen Park. These are guys that I see and wave at on my daily morning run, so I’d been invited as a welcome outsider. Even though I don’t officially live on the street and am identified as part of the next-street-over Borrego Boyz, I’m as visible as any of their neighbors. After a few drinks and appetizers, I stopped at a house just down the street from us for a “Stooge-A-Thon.” We watched several “Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk” short films together while our wives conducted their monthly Book Club meeting nearby. Curly, Larry, and Moe were a great diversion from the traditional Holiday songs and movies.
I’m pretty sure that everyone within a mile radius, if not world wide, is now aware of my upcoming heart surgery. It’s exhausting answering questions or discussing rehab. There are two last neighborhood get-togethers before they “crack me open like Humpty Dumpty.” A New Year’s Eve progressive dinner and a Clubhouse Meet-And-Greet will certainly mean additional good-spirited curiosity about my looming hospital stay. Fortunately, we have guests from Portland, Indianapolis, and Decatur arriving next week, so they will make the time pass quickly, as I count down the days until January 15th. My running streak will end early that morning at 15-years and 17-days. (5,496 consecutive daily runs). It’s been long, strange trip!
Some of this information I repeat from previous posts, but on November 1, 2023, the Hoosier Nation bowed their heads in acknowledgement of the passing of Robert Montgomery Knight, the original architect of my “Rule of 60,” that has never been the same since the Fall of 2000 following his ugly dismissal from the University after 29-years.
He went on to coach at Texas Tech from 2001-2008, resigning mid-season of the final year while putting his son Pat in charge. He showed some defensive magic in the first game he coached for the Red Raiders topping William and Mary 75-55. The team went on to finish 23-9 holding their opponent to sixty or less points seven times. Year two it happened nine times with a 2-13, while year three peaked at 11 times to end the season at 23-11. In total, 49 of his 138 victories at Texas Tech held the opposition to 60 or less.
Bob Knight, the defensive genius, had come to Bloomington from Army to coach basketball just after I arrived as a student, at an age of only 11-years older. I watched many of the specials on his life after his death. The most touching moment was his return to Assembly Hall for the first time in twenty-years to be honored at half time of the Purdue game in 2020. I was watching from a Las Vegas Casino, just before Covid shut everything down. Otherwise, it may never have happened!
I only talked to him twice in my life. The first was a short exchange during the 1998 Maui Classic that my wife and I attended. The last was a lengthy conversation at a private affair in the kitchen of a Texas politician that he supported back in 2012. It was the night that Neil Reed died, and his speech was abruptly interrupted by that urgent phone call. He quickly left the event without an explanation. A friend of mine who played for him remained close after graduation and attended several reunions with him and his teammates. He credits Coach Knight for getting his career started.
He was a complex study who was adamant with his players about attending classes and ultimately graduating (most did), supported the I.U. library, and numerous other educational causes. He was both tough and personally supportive of those around him. He threw a chair, hit a policeman, supposedly head-butted a player, and had his hands wrapped around Neil Reed’s neck. It was hard to defend these actions, whether true or not. The public perception was that he was a bully with a quick temper, but privately he was much loved. He expected to win, but never crossed that line of inappropriate recruiting or violated NCAA rules, as was too often fashionable at the time. At Indiana, he insisted his base salary not exceed that of other professors. At Texas Tech, he sometimes gave back his salary because he didn’t think he earned it. Coach Knight expected players to exceed expectations on the court and in the classroom.
He was a winner and a brilliant basketball strategist and described by most as larger-than-life, although he did not appear that way at that only Assembly Hall public appearance. He looked fragile, reminiscent of my father in his final days. as he tried to shake his fists to fire up the crowd. His complexion was ruddy and voice a bit hoarse, but it was still a great moment. We all knew that he wouldn’t be with us for long, and now just three years later he’s gone. He reportedly made some Mike Woodson practices, spent time with Gene Keady, and began to show signs of dementia. We were lucky to see him again in Bloomington after the way he was treated during the firing. It should have been handled differently and, if so, it would already be Bob Knight Court with a statue out front that would all have been celebrated with him. Instead, it’s Simon Skjodt Arena, with videos of Knight’s numerous achievements, and the players now wearing a RMK uniform patch.
Many more Coach Knight tributes will obviously come as time passes, but the last few decades have been miserable for me without his presence. These are honors that I care more about than he probably ever did, giving all the credit to his players while drawing all the attention away from them to allow them focus on winning, as they did a lot! We’ve gone through coaches like sand through the hourglass, have lost our winning edge, and can no longer find our way in even in the BIG Ten Conference, let alone become a factor in the national picture. Hopefully, Coach Mike Woodson, one of his numerous prodigies, can channel his presence and return the Hoosiers to former glory. He’s the future – Rest in Peace Coach Knight.
At this point in the season, there were seven teams practicing the Magic of Sixty. Ironically, at the top, allowing an average of only 49.7 points in 10 games was former I.U. coach Kelvin Sampson. Virginia was at 53.2 through the first nine, McNeese 56.5 in 11, North Texas 58.4 in 9, UCLA 58.8 in 8, Iowa State 59.2 in 10, and Weber State 60 in nine games. It’s still possible in the modern era of basketball to play Knight-like defense. However, according to sportsrec.com in January 2023, the NCAA DI average for men is 67.875 and women 60.937.
With defense in mind, it was time to the Hoosiers to regroup with a 7-3 record after the Kansas disappointment, but instead the wheels nearly fell off. If Coach Knight had watched the Morehead State game, something would have been thrown. Coach Woodson, however, appeared to remain calm while I could definitely hear some boos from the Assembly Hall crowd. It was 36-25 at the half in favor of the visiting Eagles, as the Hoosiers came out flat. After I.U. closed the gap to three, but Jordan Lathon was unstoppable. His 4-pt shot put Morehead State over 60 with a 14-point lead at the 8:47 mark and the margin grew to 15 at 9:29 for his 30th point but failed to score from that point on thanks to stellar defensive pressure from Trey Galloway. Miami transfer Anthony Walker had a breakout game with a team-high 18 and hit a layup at 4:11 to finally move the Hoosiers over sixty and once again within 3. It was part of a 17-0 run that led to a 69-68 victory, despite 10 3’s from the Eagles. Lathon had six of those, but his final attempt to score at the buzzer was blocked by Malik Reneau just after he missed 2 clutch free throws and leaving the team’s precarious single point margin vulnerable in the waning seconds.
The 2023-24 Hoosiers got off to a slow campaign start, eking out victories over FGCU, Army, and Wright State before being outclassed by defending National Champion U. Conn. and then rebounding against Louisville. In disturbing fashion, through the first five games, Indiana ranked 351st in 3-point percentage and 358th in attempts per game out of 361 D1 teams. Following the Wright State game, 61% of points allowed had been 3’s.
To end the month of November, even Harvard led them 40-39 at halftime, after drilling 8 three-pointers. The Hoosiers limited them to one in the second half and went on to win 89-76. Were they really ready for BIG play?
To get things started in the conference, Maryland went 2-16 beyond the arc and Michigan was 4-17, as they started the BIG 2-0 for the first time since 2018-19. They still couldn’t hit from long range but at least they stopped the defensive bleeding.
Next, in unfriendly Ann Arbor, after a first half with 10 turnovers, Indiana cleaned up its sloppiness as the game progressed. Michigan, typically a good 3-point shooting team, knocked down some critical 3-pointers in the first half, but Indiana’s defense limited them to just one in the second, same as Maryland.
After 18 ties and 12 lead changes, the game restored my fading faith in the Rule of 60. Down 59-53 with 8:59 remaining, Mgbako and Reneau each made jumpers while the Wolverines failed on three attempts. This set the stage for CJ Gunn’s triple, as the Hoosiers hit 60 first with 7:30 remaining and went on to win 78-75. Do you believe in Magic?
I do – and this is further proof of Sixty Magic! Could this be the turning point for the season? It was C.J. Gunn’s fourth career 3-pointer and couldn’t have come at a better time. He hit two of IU’s three baskets behind the arc. Are there many more in his future? We will need it, considering we’ve only hit 34 total so far in 8 games. However, we still stood 7-1 with the only loss against a Top 10 team.
So as Indiana sits at 7-1 and 2-0 in the Big Ten, why did they find themselves all the way down at 65th in the country on the rating service, KenPom — 15 spots lower than they started? Well, their stats sadly proved correct in Atlanta against favored Auburn. Although IU jumped out to a 14-point bulge after 4-straight threes, they quickly faded to a 52-37 halftime deficit. The Tigers made more adjustments during the break and hit 60 with 15:45 remaining. Auburn had 14 threes and forced 12- turnovers, routing the Hoosiers at the buzzer 104-76.
Then, in Bloomington the Magic of 60 fell short against #2 Kansas. Has Coach Knight taken the magic with him? Assembly Hall was rocking in a Stripe-Out atmosphere. It was an opportunity to put the Hoosiers in the tournament spotlight with a nationwide audience, instead they will once again struggle to even get in. The Cream and Crimson led at halftime 40-32 but could not get over that fifty-to-sixty-point hump, passing 50 at the 15:07 mark, struggling over the next nine minutes to finally surpass 60 and what would normally lead to a win. In that same time frame, Kansas knocked down 18 and erased a 13-point deficit. Gabe Cupps eventually made a layup with 6:23 remaining, while the determined Jayhawks quickly took the lead shortly after. The final score was 75-71 in favor of Kansas, despite a career high 28-points from Trey Galloway and another double-double by Kel’el Ware. Hunter Dickinson had 17 in victory and Kevin McCullar, Jr. was deadly from the free throw line down the stretch to finish with a team high 21.
It was time to regroup with a 7-3 record.
I’m not sure when I began collecting ticket stubs, a hobby that is a recent victim of the digital era. Tickets are now distributed electronically, so it’s rare these days to get an actual one. I have a collector’s box mounted on the wall with a glass front that I drop such mementos into, a container in the master closet with movie tickets, and notebooks full of sports memories. A few are framed in my man cave. None of them are likely valuable to anyone else but me since they date back only to the 1980’s. I wish that I’d kept the stubs for the 1970s when I went to the majority of my concerts. I simply wasn’t sentimental at that time in my life.
I feel confident that I saw The Association live back in the early 70’s but I don’t have a ticket stub, or a date listed on my Concert Log that has grown to nearly 300 bands. I was thinking that they played for Homecoming at Albion College but the memory is faint. Their Greatest Hits album is part of my music playlist that keeps me entertained while running in the morning. These past few days, I’ve been reminded of their song, “Windy,” with gusts here in Florida expected to reach 50 mph sometime this weekend. I’ve cleared out the potential projectiles from our lanai in anticipation:
Windy
‘Who’s peekin’ out from under a stairway
Callin’ a name that’s lighter than air?
Who’s bendin’ down to give me a rainbow?
Everyone knows it’s Windy
Who’s trippin’ down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees?
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment?
Everyone knows it’s Windy
And Windy has stormy eyes
That flash at the sound of lies
And Windy has wings to fly
Above the clouds (above the clouds)
Above the clouds (above the clouds)
And Windy has stormy eyes
That flash at the sound of lies
And Windy has wings to fly
Above the clouds (above the clouds)
Above the clouds (above the clouds)
Who’s trippin’ down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees?
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment?
Everyone knows it’s Windy
Who’s trippin’ down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees?
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment?
Everyone knows it’s Windy
Who’s trippin’ down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees?
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment?
Everyone knows it’s Windy
Who’s trippin’ down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees?
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment?
Everyone knows it’s Windy
Who’s trippin’ down the streets of the city
Smilin’ at everybody she sees?
Who’s reachin’ out to capture a moment?
Everyone knows it’s Windy’
Songwriter: Ruthann Friedman.
The word “trippin” is a good indication that this song was written in the mid-1960’s. We rarely use that term anymore, as this particular song was categorized as Psychedelic Pop.” “Windy” rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1967. It followed the popularity of their #4 hit “Cherish” in 1966. I was in high school in Elkhart, Indiana at that time, more worried about tornados than Florida hurricanes. Although our weekend gusts will hardly compare to Ian, certainly everyone knows it’s windy.
Years ago, I wrote a poem called “Bathroom Beast,” poking fun at my messy tendencies around the house. My tidy wife usually found a few things out of place whenever I left a room. (See Post #453). It was intended to be a children’s book, but I could not find an illustrator to do justice around the Pigwhalea character. Well, things haven’t changed, and I’ve since written a sequel called “Mikey’s Been There,” once again inspired by my wife, that I will introduce below, once I refresh your memory on the former silly classic:
Bathroom Beast
Pigs are messy,
Smelly and crude.
Happy in slop,
Rooting for food.
Whales are slimy,
Giant and wet.
Splish, Splash,
Have you got a net?
Pigs live in sties,
Whales in the sea.
Where did they meet?
How could this be?
Somehow it happened,
That two became one.
This mythical creature,
Weighs more than a ton.
Is it a whale?
With a pig’s snout.
It lives in our bathroom,
And I want it out.
It’s there every morning,
Don’t know where it hides?
Perhaps in the drain,
It boldly resides.
Snout or Spout?
Pink or Blue?
I’ve never seen it.
Have you?
Hogfish?
Moby Swine?
Pig-Whale-aaa,
Works just fine.
Water on the floor,
A ring around the sink.
Towels everywhere,
Don’t know what to think.
Clogged drain,
Counter all wet.
Help me get rid,
Of this unwelcome pet.
Puddles all around,
Not a dry spot in sight.
Little rubber ducky,
Are you all right?
Cap off the toothpaste,
Bottles askew.
Pigwhalea was here,
There’s clue after clue.
I’m very neat,
Each thing has its place.
I look in the mirror,
And see your face.
Brush out of place,
Cosmetics askew.
You’ve done all this,
Pigwhalea is Y-O-U.
Copyright 2010 johnstonwrites.com
Mikey’s Been There
You can always tell,
That Mikey’s been there.
Enter any room,
Only if you dare.
A cookie crumb trail,
Mess and clutter.
And those around Mikey,
Can only shudder.
There’s a Warning sign,
On the bedroom door.
Clothes scattered,
All over the floor.
Don’t trip over,
The broken toys.
It’s sadly true.
Boys will be boys.
Cabinet not shut.
Toothpaste in the sink,
Something out of place.
What do you think?
In the Living Room,
What’s that in the chair?
If Mikey’s been there,
It might be underwear.
The refrigerator’s open,
And a puddle down below.
Then Mikey’s been there,
You just know.
Dirt on the carpet,
Fingerprints everywhere.
It’s very clear,
Mikey doesn’t care.
Mikey doesn’t listen,
Mikey won’t learn.
He won’t get an allowance,
Respect he has to earn.
Do you have a Mikey,
At your house, too?
Look in the mirror,
It just might be you.
Copyright 2023 johnstonwrites.com
I provide these details so you can understand the poem that follows, a tradition on my family travels.
We arrived late Wednesday in Oakland after a minimal fog-related delay on our Delta flight. Following a good night’s sleep, we lunched at the Hog Island Oyster Company, took the ferry to Alcatraz, walked by Fisherman’s Wharf, rode the trolly up to Chinatown, and squeezed into a packed BART back Oakland, stopping by Arthur Mac’s on the way home for pizza to go.
Friday was equally busy, beginning with brunch and a wine tasting in Sonoma at Jacuzzi and then more wine sampling at Gundlach Bundschu. Dinner was at the house. Oh, and my body staged a gaseous revolt against the generic Whole Foods cola that they served me instead of my regular Diet Coke morning caffeine boost.
On Saturday morning, I met some college buddies at The Oakland Athletic Club and watched IU get humiliated by Auburn. Butler beat Cal in overtime on another overhead monitor as the Hoosier game tipped off. We then did some shopping in downtown Oakland and at a local Holiday Mart, had dinner at Jo’s Modern Thai, and watched the Pacers lose to the Lakers in the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Championship, followed by the movie, “Last Christmas.”
Sunday morning we enjoyed a Dim Sum brunch looking out over the Bay from the Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood restaurant. My son-in-law, Ben Lumm, then stood in line for two hours but failed to get a limited-edition BART Holiday Sweater. His wife, my wife’s daughter, was between 3-day shifts as a cardio PA. She had urged me to come to her Stanford employer for my upcoming heart surgery. The evening concluded with a bottle of Jacuzzi Montepulciano wine and games of Euchre and Code Names.
The girls went to Sausalito on Monday morning while Ben worked and I finished the book Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell. With my alarm set for a 2a run, we ate in and played more Euchre. Our first flight to Salt Lake took off on time at 6a, finally arriving home at 1:00a.
Oakland
Three flights there,
And three more back.
With barely enough time,
To do laundry and re-pack.
Time went by fast,
After gaining three hours.
Alcatraz Solitary,
Avoiding rain showers.
Pigged out at Hog Island,
Plus, Thai and Dim Sum.
Oakland hospitality,
From Ro and Ben Lumm.
Sonoma Wine Tasting,
And boy did it flow.
Met at AC with college buds,
But The Hoosiers didn’t show.
Rode the cable rails,
Up to Chinatown.
Stopped by Gumps,
And took BART down.
‘Last Christmas’ Movie,
Montepulciano and Port.
Binx was a hit,
But The Pacers fell short.
In line but no sweater,
After Holiday Mart.
Whole Foods Cola,
Makes me fart.
Maintained my streak,
Before morning light.
Working off more pizza,
From Thursday night.
Niners a winner,
Butler prevails.
Paint to dispose of,
The dishwasher fails.
Baking some brie,
New wreath on the door.
Mother and daughter,
Both I adore.
A poem about Mikey,
A night of games.
A family battle,
Of Euchre and Code Names.
Girls to Sausalito,
While I recap our stay.
Plane snacks and layovers,
As we fly home all day.
Our PA tried hard,
But not ‘leaving my heart.’
I’ll bring it back though,
For a fresh new start.
Copyright 2023 johnstonwrites.com
