Fellow I.U. grad, Kyle Schwarber, hit a monster home run yesterday to assist in a Game 1 Phillies NLCS victory. It sparked memories of the Cubs World Series run six years ago where he and Anthony Rizzo, now a Yankee, made history. “Riz” also hit a bomb off of Verlander last night in a losing cause in his quest for another World Series ring. “Schwarbs” has made several appearances in the All Star Game Home Run Derby, slugging 55 home runs. Rizzo and Kris Bryant both participated in 2016, the first Cubs since Sammy Sosa’s 4th attempt in 2004. The only modern day Derby that I witnessed live was Miami 2017 with Aaron Judge winning it all. I ran across an interesting article written by Arnold Bailey about the early days of the 1960 TV show. It was a great childhood memory for me, recreating the event in our back yard with a whiffle ball and bat.
From a baseball card collecting perspective, “a set of 20 baseball cards was produced picturing the collection of sluggers the show would feature. Today, those cards have gained a cult-like following and are among the hobby’s scarcest. American Motors, the show’s sponsor, produced the cards which were handed out at the carmakers’ dealerships across the country. Created in 1954, American Motors was then No. 4 behind the nation’s Big 3 (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler), with Rambler its top car. Apparently, neither AMC’s cars or its cards were overwhelmingly popular. That may be one reason why the “Home Run Derby” cards are so scarce today.” I was certainly not aware of them.
“The cards are about postcard size (3 1/8”-by-5 1/4”) and are unnumbered with blank backs. The fronts feature black-and-white posed photos, most of which show players from about waist up. The pictured player’s name and team are in two lines across the bottom. A black circle that promotes the show with a ‘See Home Run Derby on TV!'”
“The 19 players include nine future Hall of Famers (Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Mathews, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Duke Snider) plus 10 other sluggers of that era. All but three of the players are pictured holding a bat, either resting it on a shoulder or positioned at the start of a swing. The other three – Bob Allison, Jackie Jensen and Eddie Mathews – are attempting to hold a smile while posing for the camera.”
“Fifteen of the 16 teams that then comprised Major League Baseball were represented on the show and the cards. Only the Chicago White Sox aren’t included, although the Pale Hose won the American League pennant in 1959. But the team hit few home runs despite its winning season (the team’s homer leader was catcher Sherm Lollar with just 22). While the pennant-winning White Sox have no representative in the “Home Run Derby” lineup, the lowly Washington Senators (who finished in last place, 31 games behind Chicago) have three (Killebrew, Bob Allison and Jim Lemon).”
“The other dozen teams sent one player each to hit homers: Banks (Cubs), Ken Boyer (Cardinals), Bob Cerv (Kansas City), Rocky Colavito (Indians), Jackie Jensen (Red Sox), Kaline (Tigers), Wally Post (Phillies), Dick Stuart (Pirates) and Gus Triandos (Orioles).”
“The home run totals for the 19 players would eventually reach 7,375 by the end of their careers. So the home run lineup was a powerful group, including three of the Top 10 homer hitters of all time (Aaron, 755; Mays, 680; and Frank Robinson, 586).
The 20th card (now the hardest to find) in the set pictures Mark Scott, the play-by-play broadcaster of the original TV show and one of the creators. Here’s a link to the article with even more interesting details:
The much anticipated poem to summarize our recent lengthy excursion to Alaska and Hawaii:
Cruisin’ & Boozin’
First Class to Portland,
Are we set to sail the seas?
Already second thoughts,
Do we really want to freeze?
Time with Family,
Falco and Ham.
Lunch with buddies,
Suitcases to cram.
Nike campus tour,
Former haunts to rove.
Mitch has in-law-itis,
Megan with no stove.
Vancouver Sheraton,
For a pre-cruise rest.
But Wanted in Canada,
For evading a Covid test.
First stop for Totem poles,
Mendenhall Glacial ice.
Berg bits float by,
Scenery meant to entice.
Outdoor kitchen taking shape,
But mighty Ian on the way.
Helpful neighbors chipping in,
While out cruisin’ Glacier Bay.
Suddenly no power,
As hurricane winds blow.
But we’re got full stomachs,
At another onboard Show.
Taking in Munch Moments,
Seeing a Brown Bear live.
Sea Lions and otters,
As flooding rains arrive.
More Manfredi’s pasta,
Or a Chef’s Table treat.
When we get home,
There’s nothing to eat.
We still have a pool cage,
As we tour Valdez.
Another glass of wine?
Just find Tally please!
Cooking classes,
Champs at Bridge..
But spoiling food,
In our bad fridge.
Alaska is so beautiful,
From our comfy deck.
But our resort community.
Is an awful wreck.
Russian churches,
Grey Whale bones.
Mountain views,
No web or phones.
Puffins and eagles,
So much beauty to see.
Even some blue skies.
Where’s your ID?
The whales are jumping,
The ship badly rocking.
Hold on tight,
Seven days without docking.
Once we left Alaska,
The wildlife took passes.
The only Big Fish spied,
Were thru 3-D glasses.
Fake ABBA and Beatles,
Films on the BIG screen.
Surrounded by water,
Nothing green.
Land ahoy,
Kauai catamaran.
Surfing Dog,
Still fading tan.
Vacation Club scout,
Movie scenes.
Frig out at home,
Shorts not jeans.
Maui WOWIE,
Fleetwood memories.
Tender to Oahu,
Calm seas, Palm trees.
Last Stop,
Aloha Clock.
Red Eye home,
Jet Lag Shock.
But with our credits,
We Booked another.
Using Father Viking,
And Marriott Mother.
Copyright 2022 johnstonwrites.com
This morning was hectic for a retiree. Up early, doctor’s appointment, and not enough time to get in the full 3.1k. I did not sleep well last night, still reeling from jet lag. My appetite is not good and energy levels low. I spent the afternoon trying to get through the final season of “Sons of Anarchy,” disgusted with all the violence and unsavory characters that seemingly get away with everything. SPOILER: A son that murders his step-father/club leader with a mother that kills his wife. It’s a twisted tale of bloodshed.
In two weeks, I go under the knife for the first time in my life, disturbed about sleeping upright, swollen features, black eyes, and stitches. I’m also not supposed to exercise for 10-days, so “The Streak” may once again be in jeopardy. I’m very lucky to have avoided injuries in the nearly 14-years of running every day, so why I would want to go thorough this voluntary misery is unexplainable? I will undoubtedly disregard the doctor’s orders and at least cover the daily mile to keep this silly record intact.
We did get to a movie yesterday afternoon. Amsterdam was surprisingly entertaining, with a great team of actors, despite the reported pans. It was another reminder of how fortunate my life has been. I’ve avoided war, loss of property, discrimination based on race or religion, tornados, flooding, and now a hurricane. I haven’t had anything of value stolen, watched my parents live a good life into their nineties, found love/marriage twice, traveled the world, and have healthy grandchildren. Somehow, I’ve skirted tragedy (knock on wood) into my seventies, despite religious beliefs that are shaky. I do not want to give myself credit, while not really sure who to properly thank for my fortuitous existence. When so many suffer, my main question in life is why me?
Property values in our area have obviously dropped dramatically following the storm. It will take time to rebuild our community, as many suffered greater losses than we did. As it turned out, we did have some roof damage, but the great guy who’s building our outdoor kitchen repaired the tiles, so this is why the inspector found no issues. He also braced our front door to prevent more water from getting into the house. It was fortunate that he was here when the winds started to blow. The refrigerator repair was moved to Friday from this morning, so I was able to complete my 3.1 mile course uninterrupted. I also called the builder to assure that the warranty was in place and that I had called an authorized KitchenAid agent.
While football was not going my way yesterday, I was able to catch up on “House of the Dragon.” This morning I will watch episode 9 that was released last night and call my sister. It’s “Matinee Monday,” so we’ll get back into that routine with the showing of Amsterdam. The grandkids are also invited over tomorrow night for pot pie since my antsy wife was thankfully able to get to Costco while I lingered on the couch. Most of the outdoor furniture has been moved from the garage along with the yard art. We’re slowly getting back to normal.
It was good to see all the regulars along my running course this morning. Life goes on despite the setback. We signed up for a Hallo-wine event at the clubhouse that will also need to undergo some repairs. Tomorrow, I have an appointment with the eye surgeon for my upcoming blepharoplasty, a procedure that removes excess skin from my sagging eyelids. I will experience some serious bruising around the eyes like I’ve been in a barroom fight once this minor operation takes place in a few weeks. My face will then sadly look like some of the damaged homes in our neighborhood.
We’re safely back home and watching live sports once again, although I’m not happy with what I’m seeing. I.U. football blew their opportunity for a win, Alabama was upset, and the Braves have been eliminated from the playoffs, while the Bad News Bears have the day off after losing by inches on Thursday night. I was much better off without TV.
My internal time clock is still on Hawaiian time and my legs have yet to adjust to solid ground. I did get a full 3.1 mile run in this morning, the first of that distance in 27-days without the balance challenges of an on-board treadmill or unsteady ship’s deck. It’s been tough to get back into the routine after just three nights back. Memories of Alaska and Hawaii have been replaced with damage concerns for our home and neighborhood.
We’re hearing some of the horror stories about Hurricane Ian and seeing the damage that surrounds us. Neighbors had to literally nail their front doors shut with the massive winds that tore apart pool cages, damaged siding, and stripped trees. I just had an inspector check our roof and attic and got a report of minimal damage. We were lucky, as I look across the street at a pile of twisted metal to be discarded. Broken roof tiles, strips of sheet metal, rubbage, and tree limbs are scattered everywhere, not to mention the uprooted palms that line our streets. Lanai screens at both our neighbor’s homes are ripped and left flapping in the breeze. How we escaped damage I’ll never know, but there will certainly be an HOA assessment charged to every resident, so financial loss is inevitable.
On top of fees for the inspector, gift cards for neighbors who helped ready our home while we were absent, food loss, service costs to repair an inoperative refrigerator, pool chemicals, and landscaping replacements, we’ll all be paying for this storm damage for some time to come. I’m just glad we weren’t around to experience the terror that many endured with window and door damages, leaks, flooding streets, and no power. The only turbulence we felt was the bobbing and weaving of the ship as we tried to fill our plates. There’s a definite sense of guilt in missing this neighborhood bonding experience that will be talked about for years. We have our share of heroes to thank in minimizing our losses while we were thousands of miles away.
We got to ride on the Viking tender into Maui this morning, reminiscent of Santorini, Greece. A tender is a boat used to service or support a larger ship, accessible where that ship is not. In this case, all passengers were able to get into Maui even though there were not enough local workers to enable us to utilize a dock. We anchored just outside of the island and as I ran this morning I could see these tenders beginning to transport both fellow passengers and departing crew members into shore.
Since we’re on a cruise ship where we’re entertained every night by performers, I also couldn’t help but think about Elvis and imagining him on a tender like ours singing “Love Me Tender.” I know this is a stretch of the imagination but I’m a bit stir crazy after all this time at sea. It’s been both relaxing on boring, so bear with me as I present these lyrics:
Love me tender, love me sweet
Never let me go
You have made my life complete
And I love you so
[Chorus]
Love me tender, love me true
All my dreams fulfilled
For my darling I love you
And I always will
[Verse 2]
Love me tender, love me long
Take me to your heart
For it’s there that I belong
And we’ll never part
[Chorus]
Love me tender, love me true
All my dreams fulfilled
For my darling I love you
And I always will
[Verse 3]
Love me tender, love me dear
Tell me you are mine
I’ll be yours, through all the years
‘Til the end of time
[Chorus]
Love me tender, love me true
All my dreams fulfilled
For my darling I love you
And I always will
Our vivacious Aussie cruise director led us in songs of ABBA, The Beatles, Broadway tunes, and Jersey Boys, to name a few of his selection, plus I’m quite confident there were some Elvis tunes and gyrating hips in the mix. I also read about the death of Elvis while aboard in the book, Killing the Legends, by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, so all these influences have me singing “Love Me Tender” as we depart from Maui and head to Honolulu for our final day on the ship.
This will be my final post until we get home and I wrap everything up about this voyage in a poem. Aloha from Hawaii and Love Me Tender. Good Day!
I felt steadier on my feet today, mainly because the boat was docked for the first time in a week by the time I rolled out of bed. I drank a bit too much red wine last night as we stayed up late in the Explorer’s Lounge talking to new friends. My wife and her partner had won the onboard Bridge tournament so that was part of our late night celebration. At some point in the middle of the night, my phone clock returned to normal, no longer showing a confusing 2-hour difference. As I double-and-triple checked the time throughout the night, I grew restless as the alcohol prevented me from getting back to sleep. When I finally left the prone position, rain was in the forecast and the deck was wet and slippery, forcing me back on the boring treadmill. However, I didn’t have to fight the rocking of the boat in addition to a slight hangover, as had been the challenge many previous mornings aboard ship.
We had several hours prior to our afternoon catamaran excursion and filled the time with a shuttle ride and walk around Kauai. We were able to locate the Marriott Vacation Club’s Lagoons resort in Kalanipu’u where we will be staying in just six short weeks. I had worn sandals in preparation for the boat ride so I only made it half-way to the complex with sore feet and waited for my wife as she continued on to check the place out. Satisfied, we returned to the ship for lunch with our late-night pals. They are from Connecticut and frequent travelers with lots to share about travel until it was time for us to meet the tour guide.
Another bus took us to the catamaran that was really more of a tourist pontoon boat rather than a sleek racing machine. Somewhat disappointed, we took our seats for a ride down the river that was the site of many a movie adventure: Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, King Kong, and South Pacific, as well as the golf comedy, Happy Gilmore were referenced by our guide. Wildlife was scarce on this particular tour but the unique tropical vegetation and green, mountainous backdrop was worth the price of admission. We then watched some surfers, including a dog, show their skills in the Pacific swells. We topped off the afternoon with a dip in the Deck Seven Pool after we returned to the ship. It was good to temporarily experience solid ground before the short commute to Maui tonight.
It’s day #21 of the cruise and 27 days since we left our Florida home. We’ve left behind our schnauzer pup, Tally, and some storm casualties including our roof tiles, refrigerator, and frozen food. I’ve called an inspector and the Kitchenaid warranty department about potential repairs we’ll have to deal with once we get home this Friday and back to reality – just four days away. This morning was the first outdoors run I’ve enjoyed since downtown Vancouver just before the boat left the dock. I finally able to get out on the main deck that is four laps to the mile. It had been too cold, too windy, or too slippery to step foot out there until today, as we approach Kauai. I’ve been stuck on the treadmill every morning as we bobbed and weaved our way along, but “The Streak” persists after 5, 034 consecutive days. I could feel the strain of the harder surface on my heels, as I counted the number of times through the engine room tunnel. Also, in trying to maintain my balance with the constant movement of the ship, the outside muscles of my legs are sore. It’s a challenge to run at sea, and I’m proud that I never gave up or took a day off despite the temptation.
Yesterday was definitely the most boring of the trip, as I drifted off to sleep early. I have yet to get sea sick but the lack of sunshine and fresh air coupled with too much food & drink has taken its toll on my stamina. I have to remind myself that I am no longer a spring chicken but rather a 71-year old senior citizen that wears himself out every single morning. I’m stuck with the same crew, the same people, and the same restaurant choices every single day with no land in sight. Everything is starting to run together, while laying in bed while the boat rocks is the most comfortable position without a doubt. I’m also never really sure what time it is with all the time zone adjustments that we’ve been through. My phone still shows it to be two hours later than the ship clocks.
I’m ready to get on solid ground tomorrow, although it’s for a catamaran tour of the Kalapaki & Hule’ia River, but still a calmer body of water. Only three more nights at sea and then a miserable overnight flight from Honolulu to Houston to Tampa. It’s been a month-long journey of planes, trains, automobiles, taxis, and boats. We’ll be home soon! No more endless buffets, luxury accommodations, or First-Class seats as we head back to reality!
Last Monday, six days ago, we set sail from Dutch Harbour, Alaska and haven’t been on solid ground since. We have another full day to go before we reach Kauai. It’s the longest stretch of my life at sea that will probably never be matched. I’ve been bobbing and weaving my way around the ship to the point where the outside muscles in my legs are sore trying to maintain balance. The treadmill has been another story of holding on while battling ocean swells. At the same time, the Pacific Ocean looks peacefully blue with no sign of land on either side. Fuel and food storage have I’m sure been a challenge for crew members, as none of us expected a month ago that we would be at sea this long. Initially, stops were scheduled for Russia and Japan. Those that aren’t debarking in Hawaii will go on to Australia for another long stretch of ocean travel. No one signed up for this level of torture.
A week from now, we’ll be home with only faint memories of this excursion that got me to my 49th of 50 states. I mentioned my need for a live sports fix in yesterday’s post, but it will also be over a month without my regular TV habits like House of the Dragon and Sons of Anarchy that I left behind on this journey. I’ll have a lot of catching up to do, and some maintenance to perform on our Ian damaged property. We don’t know yet all that we missed, like the fact that our neighbor just reported that the power never returned on our main refrigerator even after reactivating the breaker.
There isn’t much new to report on activity other than night after night of fine dining, wine & whiskey tastings, movies, lounge shows, and chocolate, but not much in the way of fresh air or sunshine. However, I’m now witnessing a blue-sky day with white puffy skies and smooth sailing, for once, as we near a full week at Sea.
I’m Jonesin’ for a sports fix since I haven’t been in front of a TV for 20 days now. Plus, the game I last watched was the Packers beating my Bears, leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Today, is Game Day and I.U. lost another football game that I couldn’t thankfully see, while the nemesis Boilers stayed on track for a Bowl game invitation. The baseball playoffs are going on but all I can do is monitor the play-by-play on my phone. We’re in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a cruise ship, and live TV or streaming is not available. The MLB app can’t figure out where I am. To make matters worse, both the White Sox and Cubs did not make it to the postseason. Even my high school team games, the most likely to win each week, is limited to just a score. Yes, the Elkhart Lions did win – 35-0.
I.U. Basketball’s annual “Hoosier Hysteria” event was yesterday, and although I’ve never been, at least at home there are opportunities to see some of the action. Can’t See at Sea! Right now, the Rays and Guardians are scoreless after 14 innings in a game of potential elimination, but I’m limited to the ESPN app updates. It will be another few days when I finally can get on shore in Hawaii to sit in a bar and watch a live game. I thought that might happen a few Sundays ago in Juneau when I stepped inside the swinging doors of the Red Dog Saloon. However, for some reason, there was no live TV, just monitors showing beer commercials. Our fantasy team also lost this past week, with spotty access to scores on the internet. I need a fix!
It’s college football Saturday and at least I have scores to monitor. It’s five hours earlier than our Florida Eastern time zone, so I don’t have to stay up late, but all I can do is check my phone. Friends are headed to the ballpark, while others have checked in from Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Everyone else that I know is watching at home or on their phones. I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere, no land in sight, with access to plenty of on-board bars showing nothing but boring monitor programming. There’s even a whisky tasting later today, but I’ll have to do it without a game in the background. It just doesn’t seem right – I’m Jonesin’!
