In 1972, Intel invented the single-chip microprocessor, the Top Song was “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack, movies included The Godfather, The Getaway, What’s Up Doc and The Poseidon Adventure. I got married for the first time in October – it stuck for 27-years. It’s been another 21 years already the second time around. Some of my friends are starting to celebrate 50-years together this year. Tomorrow is my sister’s 66th birthday. I’ll give her a call, delaying my usual Monday contact with her. Happy Birthday, Sis!
I just finished reading Defense Lawyer: The Barry Slotnick Story and am moving on to another James Patterson novel Run, Rose, Run, co-written by Dolly Parton. In the meantime, I continue to write The Magic of 60, despite the misfortunes of the Indiana Hoosier basketball team. Much of my effort is transposing what I wrote 25-years ago that somehow didn’t get saved in a digital format. It’s a very tedious process, but a project that I want to complete while I have time in retirement.
March dates are starting to fill in on the calendar. It will be our busiest month since we moved here. Four sets of guests, lunch dates with vacationing friends, neighborhood get-togethers and too many trips to the airport. We drive to Ft. Myers on Thursday and meet one of my childhood best friends at Ford’s Garage. I picked the spot because it reminded me of the Ford Model A that he restored in his father’s body shop. I have many memories of being in that shop, a private space where we could go in the evenings when no one was working. I’d sit in the cars and pretend like I was driving. It was my first experience with a clutch that I stupidly engaged, causing the Corvette to suddenly lurch forward. Fortunately, I didn’t do any damage, but it scared me. Later on in life, I owned two different cars with stick shifts – the Triumph GT-6 and a Volkswagen Beetle. This lost skill also came in handy for a rental car in Europe, but otherwise my automobiles have all been automatic since the mid 70s.
The year 1971 saw the sentencing of Charles Manson and his followers for the Tate-LaBianca murders, plus another anti-Vietnam War protest march in Washington D.C. I had made the move from Albion College to Indiana University where a new basketball coach, Robert Montgomery Knight was introduced to replace Lou Watson. I drove a brand new, bright red, Triumph GT-6 to Bloomington to live with a high school friend in my first apartment. It turned out to be a big mistake, although I did avoid going to Viet Nam.
It’s now 51-years later, as I write this from my Florida home. I’m waiting for a home inspector in preparation of my final warranty walk-through by the builder. We want to make sure that everything is in order before this house is no longer covered. We conducted the first inspection a year ago before we moved in. Over the course of this first year, we’ve had a chipped countertop repaired, painting touch-ups, lanai repairs, wiring issues resolved, plumbing re-worked, and roofing tiles replaced. We still have some caulking and molding that needs some attention, along with a ceiling crack. So far, we’ve been pleased with the service we’ve gotten and the issues have been minimal.
Yesterday, we made another trip to the hardware store for more plants, a rake, downspout covers, a hose, and some caulk. It’s not like condo life where you simply call someone to make the day-to-day repairs. I’ve had to re-purchase many of the tools I’ve given away through the years. We upgraded the lights on each side of the garage door and continue to make improvements both inside and out. I’m pleased with my new office shelves, and we have a lot more storage space in our closets and pantry as a result of that customization. We also just purchased all the elements for the outdoor kitchen that will incorporate our DCS grill/burners, including venting, sink, and refrigerator. Stone and tile will be used to finish off this exciting new addition to our lanai. Slowly but surely our new home is coming together.
Another chance for a ticket to the field of 64, but a tall order for a season sweep of #8 Purdue. The Boilermakers had won the last six in West Lafayette and it was Senior Night honoring Trevion Williams, Sasha Stefanovic, and Eric Hunter Jr. They combined for 40-points in a 69-67 victory. It was just another case of the Hoosiers not being able to hold on, up 56-52 with just under seven minutes to play. The Boilers went on a 7-0 run and hit the 60-mark at 4:33. It was similar to the previous game in Bloomington, but IU couldn’t get to sixty first this time. Rob Phinisee hit the winning three with :18 seconds remaining back in January but Xavier Johnson missed everything on his last second attempt. Purdue prevailed 69-67 and left Indiana dateless for the dance.
The Hoosiers had blown leads in their last two games and lost seven of their last nine. It brought back bad memories of Syracuse in November when IU could have won in the first overtime but couldn’t get off a shot. It was also reminiscent of the two Wisconsin games, Ohio State, and Rutgers where we didn’t execute down the stretch, just like the loss to Purdue. If IU had won even half of those six games, they would be dancing.
They will have yet another chance to redeem themselves in the BIG Tourney, but history has not been kind. Not only have they never won it, but they are 13-23 overall. IU would need to beat both Michigan and Wisconsin (make that Illinois) to turn some heads with the selection committee. However, “if it weren’t for bad luck, we wouldn’t have any luck at all.” The first Purdue game was the only clutch performance we’ve had so far this year and it prevented a 10th straight loss.
At this point, considering their inability to close out games, they are NIT bound. The National Invitational Tournament was Mike Woodson’s only collegiate championship as a player. As a Freshman, the Hoosiers didn’t play in the post season. In his Sophomore year 1977-78, the team lost to Villanova 61-60 in the NCAA Tournament. IU got to 60 first on his 24-point performance, but it wasn’t enough as Rory Sparrow hit the winning shot. The next year, 1978-79, only two teams from each conference could qualify for the NCAA, so the NIT was where Coach Mike Woodson as a player cut down the nets after the last-second victory over Purdue. His Senior year ended with a loss to the Boilermakers in the NCAA tournament. Woodson was 4-6 against Purdue as a player and now 1-1 as a coach.
Nixon, Woodstock, the moon landing, the final Beatles’ album, and the amazing Mets are some of the more notable highlights of 1969. I graduated from Elkhart High School and attended Albion College. Going to Viet Nam was on my mind as 250,000 protestors marched on Washington. However, 100,000 more of my generation went to Woodstock by conservative estimates. Peace, love, and drugs were influencers on my life, but I will always regret not going. I don’t even remember being aware that it was happening at the time, nor do I know any of my friends that went. I’ve been to larger events in my lifetime, like the Indy 500, New Orleans Jazz Festival, and Mardi Gras, but Woodstock remains at the top of my bucket list of missed opportunities.
In my opinion, 100,000 people in one place is a significant event. Funerals, Pilgrimages, Festivals, Marches, and Rallies top the list of events involving millions of attendees – most of these take place over many days. The venues that can accommodate these massive crowds are primarily auto racing venues around the world. For example, the Daytona 500 attracts over 160,000 spectators, making it my fourth largest event in personal attendance. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway was not far behind on my list, followed by Michigan International Speedway, Mid-Ohio, Elkhart Lake, Circuit of the Americas, Brickyard 500, Formula One Indy, the College World Series in Omaha, and Daryl Royal Stadium in Austin, Texas. At the 50,000+ level were events at the Hoosier Dome, Lucas Oil Stadium, St. Louis Arena, Coho Hall, Indy Jazz Fest, Reliant Stadium, Soldier Field, Comiskey/Cellular One/Guaranteed Rate Park, Anaheim Stadium, Minute Maid Park, Providence Park, PGA at Crooked Stick, Moda Center, Minneapolis Metrodome, Milwaukee Coliseum, Wrigley Field, Amway Arena, Tiger Stadium, America West Arena, Silverdome, Tropicana, Riverfront Stadium, Conseco, Superdome, Liberty Bowl, Independence Bowl, Oracle Stadium, Oakland Coliseum, PNC Park, Busch Stadium. Portland International Speedway, Arlington Park, Fenway Park, Marlins Park, Maui Classic, Irish Stadium, Yankee Stadium, T-Mobile Park, US Olympic Trials in Eugene, RFK Stadium. Camden Yard, Century Link Field, AT&T Arena, Citi Field, and the Great American Ballpark, to name a few.
The St. Pete Grand Prix that we just went to last week was estimated at 150,000 attendees. However, I find these large crowds to be intimidating in retirement and preferably avoided. Other missed bucket list opportunities like the Rose Bowl and Super Bowl will continue to be hard to avoid, especially if one of my teams makes the cut or I get a free ticket.
1968 was my Junior year of high school. It was a turbulent time with the Vietnam War’s Tet Offensive, riots in Washington, DC, the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1968, and heightened social unrest over the Vietnam War, values, and race. I seemed to be oblivious about all of this, focused instead on the social aspects of school. My prom date for that year got married just out of high school but her husband passed away in 1973. She was one of the top students in our class and her mother worked with my dad. I took a few minutes to do a search this morning, but I wonder what ever happened to her? She is not reported as deceased on our class website. My other high school prom date was a year younger and we have exchanged a few messages through the years.
We are going on a pontoon adventure this afternoon with Captain Bruce. It’s something we have done with several of our former house guests in search of dolphins and manatees. The weather should be great with temperatures in the 80s. We will then drive them to the Tampa Airport and prepare for our next group of visitors. I am back in my home office this morning, having given up the space to my son-in-law, who was still working during their one-week stay. Our schnauzer Tally was able to sit in the chair that she prefers, acting as his co-worker, while I used the dining room table for my monkey business. We went out to eat last night at the Venice Art Café that turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. The good news was that there was no one else there, so I didn’t have to fight the noise to hear our conversation.
I’ll be back in Tampa next Friday to drop my wife off at the airport for her trip to San Francisco/Oakland to be with her two daughters, one of which is here this week. At the same time, I’ll also pick-up my hometown high school friends that we left behind in Oregon for what I thought was going to be Spring Training at the neighborhood Braves Park. The owner’s strike has squashed that plan. We’ll certainly find other things to do like concerts, pickleball, and drinking in the sun. It will be a fun time of indoor camping with just the boys.
I don’t think anybody’s counting on IU to beat Purdue again this season, especially at Mackey on Senior Day. Most Indiana fans would be content with simply a win over Rutgers and an elusive invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Maybe we could even get revenge over Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa or Purdue in the conference tourney to put some extra icing on the cake.
Last year, IU lost to Rutgers a record three times, including 61-50 in the Big Ten tournament; Archie Miller’s last game as coach. The Scarlet Knights returned five of the eight top players from that time that reached the second round of the bracket, after making the field for the first time in 30 years. They were in the Final Four when IU won it all in 1976, losing to Michigan.
Going into the Rutgers game, we knew that no lead was safe since the Hoosier offense was prone to stalling, starting with the official Woodson era opener that saw a nearly disastrous collapse against Eastern Michigan. Up by 11 the lead painfully shrunk to 1. It was a similar story against St. John’s losing a 14-point lead before winning by 2. A 10-point lead to Marshall was cut to three, but the Hoosiers showed fight against Syracuse, making up a 16-point deficit to take the Orange into two overtimes. However, they then blew a 22-point lead at Wisconsin and a 7-point advantage over Iowa. When the Badgers came to Bloomington, I.U. had them on the ropes for the second time before once again falling short. The rollercoaster took another dip, to make Hoosier stomachs woozy with the Minnesota near-nightmare. Would this disturbing pattern of momentum shifts continue in the battle of the bubble teams?
On Senior Night against the Scarlet Knights, the Hoosiers squandered two ten-point leads, after Coach Pikiell moved his defense into a crafty zone and shut down the hot-shooting Jackson-Davis. After 15-points in the first half, he was limited to only four from that point on, including two free throws. He had no baskets in the last 19 minutes and nine seconds of the game. IU got stuck at the 52 mark with an edge of seven but failed to score for over 4-minutes, allowing Rutgers to tie the game. They got to sixty first with 41-seconds remaining on two Clifford Omoruyl free throws and won 68-63 on a last second shot by Ron Harper, Jr.
IU’s Miller Kopp made a pair of free throws, forced a turnover, and got the ball to Parker Stewart for a tying three before Harper sealed the win. Sadly, it was another tale of two halves with the Hoosiers not making plays down the stretch. 6 for 21 from three-point range with Stewart at only 2-9 was the difference in the game, as we failed to shoot over the zone. Rutgers is headed to the Big Dance, while the Hoosiers may have to settle for the NIT. The frustration continues with Purdue up next and even an upset probably won’t make a difference.
Back in the year 1966, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution, top song was “I’m A Believer” by The Monkees, movies to watch included Alfie, The Sand Pebbles, The Professionals and Fantastic Voyage, while the most famous person in America was probably Walt Disney. I was a freshman in high school at North Side where I ran the 60-yard hurdles for the track team. I only did that because they eliminated the 50-yard dash that had always been my best event. Apparently, those extra ten yards and a few obstacles in my way were not a winning combination. I hated running long distances so it’s even more remarkable that I can make it 3.1 miles even today. The result, however, is the same – slow.
Major League Baseball has officially cancelled the first week of the season, but there’s been little mention of Spring Training. Will it be pushed back or cancelled entirely? This has to be a pain for our local Atlanta Braves facility that relies on these games for revenue. My understanding is that it will not affect the team owners since it’s owned by the city of North Port. Workers will certainly be without paychecks, hotels will face cancellations, and restaurants will not benefit from the influx of fans for Grapefruit League games. My friends and I will have to find other options to entertain us when they come to town.
It’s millionaires vs. billionaires and the fans and local businesses will be the only losers. I’ll get another ticket credit, as was the case when Covid cancelled Cactus League Spring Training two years ago. I’m still waiting to use those credits for Santana/Earth, Wind, & Fire. Now I’ll have more to deal with. Between disease, fire, war, and now strikes, all of my recent plans have been disrupted. I’m just glad to have a vacation-like home in a warm spot with plenty of recreational opportunities. I’ll never suffer by staying home!
Today is another special Tuesday. Last week it was Two-Two-Tuesday while today is Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras is in full swing and I’m sure we’ll see some tutus on Bourbon Street today. I’ve already discussed being there for the celebration 50 years ago (See Post #1950). However, in 1965 I was only 14-years old when Ford Motor Company first introduced the Mustang (actually 1964 1/2). Two years later I would take my driver’s license test in a Mustang convertible that my dad bought the year before. For this reason, 1965 will always be memorable for me, and a model of the car sits on my office shelves.
Many times, I’ve thought about buying a Mustang of my own, but even the 50th anniversary model was not to my liking. In retirement, I don’t feel like I need a new car, so the 2008 Solara will have to do for now. My wife’s 2005 Lexus SC 430 is also a popular ride down here in Florida. She’s had several offers to buy it, but it’s not a good time to buy a new car even though we really need a vehicle that can hold four or more passengers comfortably. We still plan to rent for our three-week drive to Upper Michigan this summer.
Our house guests want to play pickleball this afternoon, so I’ve reserved a court and plan to buy some equipment later this morning. We took them to Fin’s last night for dinner, a great spot for the sunset unless it’s hidden behind clouds as was unfortunately the case. We did some whisky tasting afterwards, so I woke up in a bit of a fog. As a result, this morning’s run (day 4,811) was a bit more of a challenge. Also, I stepped on the scale afterwards and found that I had gained a few pounds, so it truly was a Fat Tuesday.
For Indiana basketball this season, no second-half lead ever seems comfortable. It was a 27-point margin at the 13:49 mark after a Jordan Geronimo dunk with the score at 53-36. Minnesota scored an incredible 43-points from that moment on, one every 19.3 seconds, including 6-threes in the last seven minutes. It was nearly another Hoosier collapse, this time at Williams Arena, maybe even greater than against Wisconsin in Madison, except this time they held on for victory. IU even reached the magical sixty mark at 11:55, up by twenty-two. but it all came down to Xavier Johnson free throws for a narrow 84-79 win. The Golden Gophers had cut it to three, a one-possession game, with :05 remaining.
Regardless of the final score, IU got its third conference road win and evened their BIG record at 9-9. Most tournament experts considered them to be one of the last four teams in, with two regular season and at least one BIG tourney game remaining on the schedule. Both IU and Rutgers (10-8), sitting on that scary bubble, would meet in Bloomington next to earn a decisive edge from the selection committee. Michigan at 9-8 was also a factor in the overall scheme of conference opponents that might make the Big Dance. Was there room for nine BIG teams?
I don’t think anybody’s counting on IU to beat Purdue again this season, especially at Mackey on Senior Day with the conference title on the line. Most Indiana fans would be content with simply a win over Rutgers and an elusive invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Maybe we could even get revenge over Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa or Purdue to put some extra icing on the cake.
I admit to having a checkered past, after living in the Indianapolis area for over 25 years. I couldn’t help but become a race fan, but now I’m a spoiled one. I’ve traveled to most every Indycar track in the U.S. The last race that I attended was September 2, 2018 at the Portland International Raceway. In 2017, I took my grandkids to the Daytona 500. 2018 was the inaugural Formula One race in Austin, and in 2002 & 2004 I last attended the Indy 500 after years of practically living at the Speedway. Being in the media business, I always had total access to the drivers and I couldn’t remember the last time I paid for a ticket – until yesterday at the St. Pete Grand Prix. I went with a couple of neighbors, but felt left out without credentials or special seating. We sat on the metal bleachers with the other common folks on the airport straightaway and the only familiar face I saw was Mario Andretti.
I stood at the pit access entrance for an hour, hoping for an encounter with an old friend. I was cheering for Conor Daly, a friend’s son, but he had a disappointing day. Most of the drivers I had never heard of, except for the sons and grandsons of those from my era. Parnelli Jones’ grandson was on the podium for the Indy Lights competition. Graham Rahal was competitive most of the day. Jimmie Johnson made the transition from NASCAR. Teams from Andretti, Penske, A.J. Foyt, and Ed Carpenter Racing created some sense of familiarity. As the cars flashed by, I couldn’t recognize their color schemes or sponsors since it was the first race of the year. Scott McLaughlin scored his first career Indycar victory, after winning Rookie of the Year in 2021. I was a stranger in a strange land of about 150,000 spectators.
I wore an old Red Bull racing shirt that was purchased at the Austin Formula One event, but that team is not even involved in Indycar this year. As a result even my clothing choice was out of date. I’m apparently now a dinosaur, even as a fan, with little association with the sport any more. For years, I sold sponsorships and knew the players, but yesterday I was just part of the crowd. I didn’t have a stinking badge for VIP access or a suite seat to get out of the sun, and even had to pay for a beer. I didn’t arrive by helicopter as was the case for one Indy 500 or in a custom motorhome. I also wasn’t part of the pit crew or hang with the team. There was no police escort, special parking pass, or golf cart. I was just a regular, old race fan for once, but with a checkered past.
