Author: mikeljohnston1 (Page 41 of 269)
We’ve come to discover that we live in a very unique neighborhood when it comes to country of origin. Last night, we were invited to partake in a Hungarian feast with foods impossible to pronounce, with the exception of goulash. The family escaped the Russian occupation in World War II, while the son at age four, our neighbor, waited many years to reunite with his parents in America. We’ve also tasted many new Italian, Greek, and Armenian dishes since moving to Florida.
We’ve cultivated a whole new group of friends here in Venice, after nearly two years from leaving Portland. It’s been the result of neighborhood meet and greets, block parties, get-acquainted dinners, Borrego Boyz luncheons, and folks we’ve met at the dog park, fitness classes, and clubs. They’ve come primarily from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. We all moved in about the same time, each “hungry” to meet our new neighbors. I can’t think of another time in my life, with the exception of high school and college, where I’ve met so many people in such a short period of time. I’ve even found a DNA cousin in the mix.
A group of us are headed to the St, Pete Indycar race this weekend, while we met other neighbors for Stottlemyer’s BBQ in nearby Sarasota this past Saturday. Friends from Ft. Wayne visited this past weekend, and we’ve always referred to each other as a “neighbor,” even though we never lived on the same block. Most of these new friends do indeed live on the same street in similar homes with the same maintenance issues. In addition, we all experienced the windy aftereffects from Hurricane Ian, although the damage to each home varied drastically. Our house was fortunately on the lucky side of the street.
There have been many pitch-in opportunities at our various get-togethers. For example, we’ve had an Indy 500 party and celebrated the Chinese New Year at our house. We’ve tried out a neighbor’s new pizza oven, danced for dinner in several lanai settings, feasted in each other’s driveways and dining rooms, plus hauled our crockpots from one house to another and brought-in 2023 together with a progressive dinner at several stops along the block. No one had to worry about driving home under the influence – it was a short walk for each of us. Many surprise meetups will certainly pop up in the future, but last night, we were all hungry for Hungary.
It was the Hoosiers that came out “Spartan Strong,” jumping to 17-10 lead on a Miller Kopp trey and didn’t commit a turnover in the first eight minutes of the game. I think both the Spartans and their fans had mixed feelings about playing in the wake of a tragedy. The lead then grew to 22-13 before I.U. was outscored 22-7 in the final minutes of the half. This collapse coincided with the exit of Jalen Hood-Schifino after picking up his second foul. Trayce Jackson-Davis appeared to be lackluster without a break and managed nine points while committing four ugly turnovers.
It seems as if Indiana is not taking advantage of the three, despite their efficiency. Tyson Walker countered with five in seven attempts, while the Spartans doubled the Hoosiers from behind the arc. It was 61-48 at the 8:24 mark, with I.U. failing to follow the “Rule of 60” in an 80-65 loss. TJD finished with 19-points, 7-rebounds, and 5-assists, followed by JHS with 16. The loss was the 24th out of the last 26 trips to East Lansing, reflecting my disappointing “O for East Lansing” fan experiences at Breslin Hall.
With foul trouble and tired legs, the I.U. bench has provided little support for the starters, offering just one basket and four free throws. Tamar Bates was again scoreless and has averaged only 2.4 points per game since his 17-point gem in the first Spartan meeting at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
I don’t like the way this season is ending. Rather than finishing strong and on a roll, the Hoosiers look tired and wounded. With no bench strength, the Purdue five looking for revenge, a rematch with Iowa, the BIG tournament, and the Big Dance ahead, it’s looking like a recipe for disaster. We also don’t know what to expect from Xavier Johnson if and when he returns? If he can give Indiana 10-15 productive minutes a game, it could be just what the doctor ordered down the stretch.
The productive Spartans also dominated the boards, out-rebounding Indiana 33-24 overall. This will be a big factor in the upcoming Boiler battle, the second of the double road test, the first of which just fell flat on its face. Purdue went 11-1 at home in 2020-21, 16-1 in 2021-22, and 13-1 so far this season. It could prove to be Mission Impossible, since no one on this team, including Coach Mike Woodson has ever won in West Lafayette.
Coach Knight apparently continues to support the Woodson era, reporting to practice once a week. 38-years ago he hurled a chair across the Mackey court following a technical foul. The upcoming matchup will feature two consensus All-Americans for the first time since 1992-93 when Calbert Cheaney led Bob Knight to a pair of wins over Coach Gene Keady and Glenn Robinson. They did not necessarily go head-to-head like Zach Edey and Trayce Jackson-Davis. 2013 was the last Hoosier win in West Lafayette, since then it’s been nine straight Boiler wins, a habit that needs to be stopped!
While the men stumbled, the women thrived, claiming a Big Ten title for the first time in 40-years. They topped the Boilermakers in Bloomington on Senior Day as I.U. star Grace Berger and backup big Alyssa Geary received their accolades. Mackenzie Holmes and Sara Scalia have also been in the program for four years but still will maintain eligibility. At 25-1, their only loss this season has been in troublesome East Lansing, without an injured Berger. Former Boiler player, Teri Moran is completing her ninth year in Bloomington, as the women’s all-time winningest coach. South Carolina remains the only undefeated team left in the country. Thanks to Maryland, the upcoming game at Iowa is no longer a tie-breaker, as the Hoosiers, who beat the Hawkeyes earlier this year at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, claimed the outright regular season championship.
When the men finally took to Gene Keady Court, I was not expecting what happened, as the odds were definitely against the road-weary Cream and Crimson five. For the first time since 1983, I.U. completed a four-game home-and-away sweep in men’s a women’s basketball. It still seems unlikely that both will claim a Big Ten title, as was the case 40-years ago, although the Woodson team is only 2-games behind with two to go, plus there is also the tournament championship possibility. He did finally secure his first win in West Lafayette as both coach and player in the 79-71 victory and move to 20-9 overall. Most importantly, the Hoosiers crossed the magical sixty mark first on a Trayce Jackson-Davis jumper at 9:55 for a 61-50 bulge.
Reminding me of Isiah Thomas, freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino proved his worth as a potential NBA draft pick with a career high 35-points. Trayce Jackson-Davis scored just ten but dished-out seven assists, relying on the support of long-time teammates Trey Galloway and Miller Kopp, who each added 13 points. Zach Edey proved to be a legitimate candidate for national player of the year. There is no rest for the weary in this stretch run, as the Hoosier women travel to Iowa and the men tackle the Hawkeyes at home.
I
My wife and I did our first “grand” trip to Disney World in August of 2012, with accommodations at the Contemporary Hotel, one of the Monorail stops. Granddaughter Maddux was three and grandson Gavyn five. It was our first experience dealing with a child’s disappointment of being too short to ride. Eleven years later, it’s now four-year-old granddaughter Nora’s turn to be the smallest family member, measuring 39″ in height. “Nona” and I took her to the Venice Italian-American Festival last night when the tape measure came into play, as the most appealing rides required a minimum of 42″. This is a frustration factor that little Nora Grace will also have to face in our upcoming family trip to Disney World in a few weeks.
The annual carnival and feast was advertised to start at 4 p.m. but the rides didn’t actually open until five. The Venice High School marching band performed, but an hour wait is tough for any youngster. We were hoping to beat the crowd and grab a bite to eat on the way out. Instead, a line was forming at the ticket window, so we were forced to stay longer than originally planned. During the “endless” delay, we purchased an order of dirt and worms (Oreo crumbs, gummies, and mini donuts) and decided on $20 wristbands instead of individual tickets. My daring wife agreed to be her partner on the fun house, but afterwards changed her mind when the only exit was a “filthy” spiral slide. She held up several kids during her cautious dismount. I then ended up on the giant rainbow slide, with all of Nora’s “favorite colors,” sitting on a potato sack to protect us from the friction.
Nora went solo on the revolving rabbits, choo-choo train, flying dragon, and spinning boats. “Nona” joined her on the mini-rollercoaster and another faster-spinner that I was glad to miss out on. We all stopped for spaghetti and meatballs, along with mac & cheese, but there was too much excitement in the air for total cooperation. Finally, we got a few bites of chicken nuggets into her stomach after threats of no cotton candy. My wife took her to the face painting booth for a mermaid mask, where she laughed when the artist gave me pink cheeks. After a few more repeat rides, she sank a basket (with a little help from the concessionaire) to win a giant unicorn that she renamed “uni-horse.” It appropriately matched the outfit she was wearing for glitz day at pre-school. The last stop before driving home was for blue cotton candy. I had not been to a carnival since the 2016 Sarasota County Fair and hope that last night’s will be my last.
Trayce Jackson-Davis surpassed his coach, Mike Woodson (2,061), for fifth place on the all-time Indiana University basketball scoring list (2,081). After the narrow Illinois victory, his total stood at…. Calbert Cheaney leads the pack at 2,613, followed by Steve Alford at 2,438, Don Schlundt at 2,192, and A.J. Guyton at 2,100. TJD needs just 20 more to top A.J. Most likely that will happen in East Lansing.
Coach Michael Dean Woodson was I.U. player Woodson from 1976-1980, under the watch of Coach Bob Knight. That team won the 1979 NIT over rival Purdue 53-52 on Tourney MVP Butch Carter’s dagger. Carter was also the hero with two seconds to go against Ohio State when he sank two free throws to get them to finals. Woodson was named to the first team All-Big Ten and went on to win a 1979 Pan American Games gold medal as captain of the U.S. basketball team. His senior year at I.U., Woodson, along with Isiah Thomas, won the conference title, was named the 1980 Big Ten Player of the Year, recognized as a NABC All-American, and ultimately awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball. Purdue evened the score with Woodson, upsetting the #2-seeded Hoosiers 76-69 in the 1980 NCAA Sweet 16. He then went on to play and coach in the NBA, winning a championship ring with the 2003-2004 Detroit Pistons as an assistant during the 2003–04 season.
The number 60 probably means little to Coach Woodson. He was born in 1958 and turned 60 in 2018 while serving as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers. The Atlanta Hawks hired him as a head coach in 2004, where he served in that capacity for six years before moving on to guide the New York Knicks 2012-2014. It’s now his second year at Indiana University.
Coach Woodson was undoubtedly proud watching TJD score 26-points, grab 12-rebounds, and block five shots in leading the Hoosiers over the Illini 71-68. It was the senior’s fourth 25-10-5 game. Per ESPN Stats and Info: “No other player in the Big Ten has more than one such game in the last 25 seasons. In fact, the rest of the Big Ten has recorded 5 such games combined over that span.” It took that kind of effort to pass his coach on the list of I.U. scoring greats.
With the score tied 59-59 against Illinois at the 5:59 mark, I thought about how much this Woodson coached team has tried to defy my Rule of 60. The first team to 60 usually wins but in two of the last three games the opponent has crossed that line ahead of Indiana. Matthew Mayer hit a free throw 16-seconds later and then the back end to make it 61-59 in favor of the Illini. However, they lost in the end 71-68. Last game, Northwestern got there first, 60-56 with 2:26 remaining and went on to win 64-62. Previously, Michigan hit 61 on a Hunter Dickenson jumper at the 5:19 mark, then lost 62-61. Rutgers barely got to 60 at the buzzer and saw the I.U. side of the scoreboard turn over to 60 on a Trayce Jackson-Davis layup at 2:26, leading the Cream & Crimson to a 66-60 win.
The Hoosiers surpassed 60 against Purdue to lead by 11 at 11:45 and held on to win 79-74. Maryland left Woodson & Company 5 short of 60 for a 66-55 victory. You can begin to see how my magic number 60 consistently comes into play in the Hoosier game. Sixty is really an arbitrary defensive goal that I monitor during every game I watch or go to. It seems to be an effective barometer to an I.U. victory, especially if the opponent is held to under 60-points. Wisconsin only managed only 45, Minnesota 57, Kennesaw State 55, Jackson State 51, Miami OH 56, Bethune 49, and Morehead State 53, accounting for seven Hoosier victories. On the other hand, Rutgers held I.U. to 48 in the first game, while Maryland allowed only 55, equating to two losses. The fact is that when I.U. reached 60 first this season so far, they’ve won 18 games and lost one to Iowa, after allowing 91-points, not their best defensive performance.
If the opponent gets to sixty first, then the IU defense is not doing its job. This was the case in all the other I.U. losses this year: Arizona, Kansas, Northwestern twice, Rutgers, Penn State, and Maryland. Iowa has already been discussed. In those eight losses, the defense allowed an average of 78.2-points per game and the offense only scored an average of 67.5-points. Defense<60 + Offense>60 = WIN. It’s the magic formula for Hoosier basketball success.
College baseball season has started, just as catchers and pitchers report to spring training. Our neighborhood stadium featured Indiana State, Iowa, U. Conn, and Ohio State in last night’s Snowbird Classic, while Braves players are welcomed back to town this weekend as part of an open house. The first Grapefruit League game here is Saturday when the Red Sox visit Cool Today Park, just a mile from where we live.
I.U. basketball suffered another setback this past week, losing to Northwestern in the series that dates back to 1908. The Hoosiers lost that game 21-18, but at one point won 26-straight against the “Mildcats,” as they were once known, with an overall record of 119-56. The two teams have split the last ten matchups, but it’s a rarity when I.U. fails to win in both Bloomington and Evanston the same year. When this does happen, as it did this season, you can expect bazaar circumstances. All we can do is perhaps look forward to another opportunity to redeem ourselves in the BIG Tourney, although this year it’s in Chicago.
After storming the court against the Boilermakers last Sunday after the program’s first win over an opponent ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, the suddenly well-respected Wildcats (19-7, 10-5 Big Ten) jumped out to a 21-point bulge but needed a Boo Buie basket with two seconds left to ultimately put the Hoosiers (18-8 9-6) away.
I.U. was only able to score a season-low 20-points in the first half and trailed 39-20 at the break. They watched Northwestern attempt 18 3-pointers, mostly uncontested, plus gave up five dunks or layups and twelve perfect trips to the line. From this fan’s perspective, the worst moment was when two technical fouls were called on the I.U. bench, protesting a missed traveling call. Here’s how another obviously bitter fan reacted on the Inside the Hall website:
“Coach Woodson should absolutely file a formal complaint to the Big 10 about official Larry Scirotto. He has demonstrated a clear bias against IU in every match he has officiated (most notably the Iowa game and yesterday vs Northwestern.) He is an alumni of Northwestern University school of police and command which is a clear conflict of interest in any game they are contesting and he has a checkered past in which he was fired from the Ft. Lauderdale police department for discrimination in hiring practices. If the Big 10 conference is serious about cleaning up the myriad problems it has with their officials it should start with the dismissal of Mr. Scirotto who is clearly not impartial , doesn’t address issues which may endanger players from certain teams and appears to be on a power trip of his own. Enough with officials like these!”
Besides the team’s gutsy resilience in this game, the most positive factor was Race Thompson, no longer sporting a brace, looking like his old self, while hitting 4-for-4 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line to finish with 15 points. Trayce Jackson-Davis had a game high 23 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two blocked shots after playing for all but one minute of this come-back effort. Disappointment is all I can say for Northwestern transfer Miller Kopp, who in three games against his former team has only managed a total of 11 points on 3-for-15 shooting from the field. Jalen Hood-Schifino added 13-points but could have made the Hoosiers hysterical if his half-court, last-second shot hadn’t bounced off the iron with the scoreboard reading 64-62.
Once again, I.U. lost the critical race to 60 at the 2:26 mark just as they did against Michigan, but in this case the ball didn’t bounce the right way at the end. The hapless Hoosiers had 13-turnovers while forcing only four, but they shot better from the field than the Wildcats (48.9% vs. 36.8%). One more basket would have positioned the Hoosiers just one-and-a-half games back of Purdue, who lost to Maryland. Instead, Northwestern took over sole possession of second place with a chance to catch the Boilers. “Mildcats” no more! The Illini are next on the schedule.
I’ve already written some about my life in the media business, starting with the Middlebury Independent and Crystal Valley Express, a newspaper and shopper that I sold ads for just out of college. My boss was David Summerfield, who was an executive with Coachman Industries for many years before buying the state’s oldest newspaper and the Square Nail restaurant next door. My title as Advertising Manager was certainly a step in the right direction towards getting involved in the business that I studied in college. I had previously worked fulltime as a supervisor for FORMEX, a Styrofoam company in Elkhart, while finishing my degree. Both of my bosses were named Charlie, if I remember correctly. I was hired by Coppinger as a production worker, advanced to be a supervisor under Bartlett, and eventually was laid-off. A headhunter then found me the job in Middlebury.
All the work before this were odd jobs. One summer, while home from college, I worked part-time for Speedgrip Chuck, a manufacturing company. They made “chucks,” just as the name implies, that firmly grips a rotating drill bit, for example. My friend Bob Grove had a girlfriend whose father owned the place, and we were hired to clean florescent lightbulbs. Bob and I used a forklift to raise us to ceiling height, cautiously removed the glass bulbs from the fixtures, cleaned them with soap and water, then replaced them and moved on to the next set of lights. It was tedious work with no supervision and thankfully no cameras to monitor us. Naturally, as teenagers, we spent a lot of time goofing off and it was difficult to see which ones we had cleaned and those yet to do. Hours were wasted flinging wet sponges into buckets of suds, like a basketball game, and each other. After we were done cleaning each night, we lounged around the main offices that were airconditioned and poked through the drawers of employees, finding all their hidden contraband. It was probably never reported when things were undoubtedly found out of place, since they shouldn’t have had these things at the office to begin with. Fortunately, we were not thieves, just curious young men discovering the unmentionable!
Two summers I spent working for Phillips Irrigation, putting in sprinkler systems and farm irrigation equipment. It was owned by two brothers, and I would arrive half-asleep each morning at 7 a.m. We would load our trucks with supplies each morning and usually be at the first job by 8 a.m. It was the first structured job that I ever had, and my mentor, Odie, was a mean S.O.B., with a slow southern drawl. He was probably some relation to the owner and lived on their property in a rusted-out mobile home, so he was always early. He hated college kids since he was probably only grade-school educated, but I managed to earn his respect through the years to the point that we worked together all the time. At first, he hovered over me, taking great delight in pointing out each error that I made. However, in the process, he taught me how to use tools properly and how to operate a Ditch Witch, a machine that laid plastic pipe under the sod or would dig trenches to bury this same type of flexible irrigation pipe. I also did a lot of shovel work on this job and would install what they called a “saddle” at points where the pop-up sprinkler heads would attach. The process involved carefully burning an opening in the pipe to allow water to flow to the surface and adjusting the “heads” to properly cover a specific grassy area. I learned all about pumps, wells, and various types of sprinkling systems, like the Rain Bird brand my dad had installed at our home. Odie was very careful about treating each man’s lawn like it was the 18th hole of the Master’s, so I learned well. I often wonder about what ever happened to Odie, my first real boss?
The next temporary job I held was painting a house between my freshman and sophomore years at Albion College. The house belonged to a friend named Alan Harper’s uncle, who made the mistake hiring two sloppy college students to paint his pristine, country club home. We rushed through the job, took the cash, and ran off to California, the most memorable journey of my life. I would go on to live with Alan at I.U. the next few semesters in two different apartments, after he convinced me to transfer schools.
Once Alan and I stopped being roommates, I worked briefly at the Indiana University library, a place I never visited as a student but should have. I stayed in Bloomington the summer between my junior and senior year and collected only a few paychecks before unexpectedly returning home to Elkhart, getting married, and finishing my degree at I.U. South Bend. I did enjoy the aura of being amongst the stacks of books, learning the Dewey Decimal System, and returning used books to their proper places on the shelf. With the quiet nature of the library setting, it was not the type of social experience that I might normally desire, interacting with customers and fellow workers, but that would come with future jobs. My boss was a woman, although I don’t remember her name, the first of many mostly positive experiences working with the opposite sex.
My working career slowly progressed from mowing lawns, into irrigation, light bulb cleaning, librarian assistant, and Styrofoam production before selling newspaper and radio ads. I then took an Account Executive position with B.J. Thompson Advertising in Mishawaka, Indiana. We handled the Burger Chef restaurants account, so my responsibilities centered around local store marketing. I assisted various store managers in their efforts to support their local communities, utilizing the Burger Chef and Jeff characters for promotions and appearances at key events. There were times when I even had to put on the costume or flip burgers in a restaurant. I learned a lot about the restaurant business from my female boss, Tacy Hendershot, but ultimately decided to go back into the media business.
Just before retirement, I spent a year selling men’s suits and accessories at Joseph A. Banks in their downtown Austin, Texas location, and worked part-time for the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Joseph Yazbek, was the tough-minded store manager who spoke with a Lebanese accent. Robert was my Chamber boss who I never saw eye-to-eye with, but soon moved on to the Austin Business Journal, going full-circle in the newspaper sales business. I did earn several sales awards while with this company under two women managers, starting with Lynne Chastine who hired me. When we moved to Portland, Oregon, I finished my career at Alpha Media, selling ads for six radio stations under several different managers. Likely, there will be more odd jobs in my future.
I went to visit my sister a few days ago at her winter home, a double-wide near Leesburg, Florida. She bought it just last year and will save me the trouble of lengthy trips back to Elkhart to visit. Hopefully, her kids will come to see her and me, their only uncle. They are the only family left in northern Indiana. As soon as we got comfortable around the dining room table with conversation, she placed two small boxes in front of me.
The first box contained a Waterford Crystal thimble (labeled #298) that I gave to my mother many years ago. I apparently spotted it at Bloomingdale’s in Chicago. She always had a knack for organization, so I’m sure there is a detailed list, documenting each addition to her collection. The second box was for me to give back to my son and held a glass thimble etched with Mickey Mouse ears (#279), a memory of the Disney gift he once gave his grandmother. My sister has a whole garage full of our parent’s stuff, but she chose only these two items to deliver. Neither of us have room for much, but fortunately most of my mother’s keepsakes were miniatures. My sister must have finally gotten to the point emotionally where she can begin to reluctantly part with these family treasures. Perhaps other items will be delivered on her next trip here.
My mother collected stamps and thimbles for fun, along with her other hobby of photography. I already sold her collection of postage stamps started by her father when he was the Elwood, Indiana Postmaster. She always had a fond appreciation of small things and maybe stories like Tom Thumb. She did some sewing, but I don’t really know where this fascination with thimbles came from. It certainly gave me something to look for when we traveled, bringing her back a souvenir from our journeys. I had also wrapped some up as Christmas gifts including a porcelain thimble as part of a hinged Limoges Box. It’s now part of my wife’s collection of these pricy, hand-painted trinkets, that like my mother have kept a numbered log of each special prize.
My mom’s interest in dollhouse miniatures and love of photography eventually grew into a small business called the Calico Cottage. She would personalize dollhouses with framed photos of family members, like you’d find in a real home, and shrink them to fit where Tom Thumb might live. She would convert a normal-sized family photo into a scaled-down version and build a tiny wooden frame around it to be hung in the bedroom, living room, or kitchen of a dollhouse. She also used antique jewelry settings as decorative frames and had metal frames manufactured in various small sizes. In retirement, she and my dad would travel to miniature shows all over the country.
As more of these thimbles that I gave as gifts come back into my life, I’ll certainly have many more memories to share. As a sidenote, there were some miniature room settings that she crafted with some of my personal photos, hanging on the walls of their retirement home. These rooms could have been part of a dollhouse but were designed for people that don’t want or can’t afford an entire miniature house. There were also cases filled with never-used photo-less frames and files of photocopies that customers sent to shrink down to fit these custom frames. She always sent the originals back as promised.
A faint memory of my mom that I’ll close with is a visit over 60-years ago to the Thomas Edison home in Ft. Myers. We were staying with my grandparents in nearby Englewood and went to the historical compound for the day. All of us were astounded with the massive dollhouse that he built for his grandchildren, complete with miniature working light fixtures. Perhaps, this was an inspiration to my mom long before she started her business. I went back to see it last year, but the scale-model home was no longer there. I could only imagine it filled with tiny framed Edison family photos.
