Category: OLD SPORT SHORTS (Page 37 of 68)
An old guy’s perspective on all sports
With a little touch-up yesterday, I wrote three poems in one day, ending a nearly four-week non-productive streak. They were are variety of subjects including baseball, phobia, and love, with over 200 poems now listed on this blog. In fact, about 17% of all my daily posts contain a poem, a majority of which are humorous. I try not to get too serious about life, and my writing attempts to reflect this attitude. I also like to stay healthy so I can enjoy old age.
I’m out of the apartment this afternoon to watch I.U. basketball take on Rutgers, expecting another loss. They’ve proven me wrong several times already this year, but I still can’t help being my pessimistic self. I’m returning to Buffalo Wild Wings, once a weekly hangout, but it’s been just under two months since my last visit. We typically drink Coors Light but we’re now on low- carb diets that favor mixed drinks. I’ve mockingly suggested a drinking game of a shot for each I.U. free throw missed, as the team continues to suffer with fundamentals. We’re fortunate to have thirteen wins and three losses, considering the massive offensive swings that we’ve somehow endured.
Our typically consistent Friday “Leadership Meetings” at Wild Wings have been regularly disrupted by new work, travel, and holiday schedules. I’ve got a number of gift cards and points to use, but it’s difficult to get people together at this time of year. I even scheduled a follow-up lunch with a long-lost high school friend this Friday at Buffalo Gap in Lake Oswego because it’s close to his home. It looks like future Friday meetings will have to be organized around late afternoon and weekend games, as opposed to lunch. Also, I’m now out of town at least one Friday every month. In fact, I just scheduled a family trip to Kauai, Hawaii for December to fill-out the year. It’s Vegas in February, Phoenix and Dallas in March, April in San Francisco, Bali in May, Montana in July, and Egypt in October. That leaves June, August, September, and November for trips to Florida to find a permanent retirement home and visit my grand children.
This year of retirement looks very productive from a travel standpoint. We’ll not be able to keep us this pace without breaking the bank, but my wife has sudden freedom from work and wants to take advantage of the opportunity. We’ll both eventually settle into home life, especially if it’s close to the beach. This year we just want to get out of rainy, cold Portland and see the world while we’re still old but healthy.
Poetry comes to me in streaks, and today was one of those days. As I was organizing my collection of memorabilia around the playing career of Sherm Lollar, I was somehow inspired to write this tribute. As I frequently go to baseball card shows, everyone talks about Mickey Mantle or Honus Wagner and how these players are the investment cornerstones of a great collection. Not everyone can afford to collect these gems, so I’m one to encourage starting with those who bring back personal childhood memories. Sherm Lollar was my first baseball hero and I honor this with cards, photos, and memorabilia that probably mean nothing to anybody but me. You don’t always have to make everything a financial investment, if it brings you a sense of joy:
Ode to Sherm
I never knew him,
But saw him play.
Have never forgotten him,
To this very day.
He was a catcher,
Wore number 10.
A perennial general,
Of the bull-pen.
He played with Nellie,
Luis, and Minnie.
Golden Gloves,
He earned many.
In the World Series,
Nineteen Fifty-Nine.
He hit a home run,
Became a hero of mine.
I watched on TV,
In black and white.
But the Sox fell short,
Of the Dodger might.
I wore his number,
It was lucky for me.
But the Hall of Fame,
unlikely to be.
Defense was his game,
A leader behind the plate.
But overshadowed,
By Yankees’ Number 8.
Not every team player,
Can be in the spotlight.
But some are admired,
For the things they do right.
He played in Chicago,
For eleven years.
And like me,
He had big ears.
I’ve written Cooperstown,
On behalf of him.
But hitting .264,
His chances are slim.
Over seventeen years,
Sherm’s glove was his force.
When it came to fielding,
None better, of course.
I maintain a collection,
Of his photos and cards.
I have his Rawling’s mask,
But no shin guards.
I can’t always afford,
To dabble in Honus.
But with Sherm Lollar,
The memories are bonus.
Copyright 2020 johnstonwrites.com
For those unlike me that work, it’s the first day of the week. It’s often difficult for me after three full years of retirement to distinguish one day from another, but it definitely felt like a Monday. Traffic was heavy and bunched together, so I had to dodge a lot of vehicles and bikes on day 4,033 of my consecutive running streak. A train made it impossible to cross a busy intersection and many stop lights were not in sync for me. As a result, a ran 3.25 miles rather than the 3.1 standard that I’ve set for myself. With snow in the forecast, it portends to be a difficult week on the streets.
The Academy Awards nominations were announced this morning, and my wife and I are relatively current on this year’s productions. This past week we streamed both The Two Popes and Marriage Story. Today, we plan to see 1917 and get back in the habit of justifying our Regal annual pass investment. We haven’t been to a movie since Richard Jewell just over a month ago. Kathy Bates was nominated for her role as his mother. We have yet to see Parasite, Little Women, Bombshell, Harriet, or Pain and Glory. With unlimited access, there’s really no excuse for not sitting through them all in the next few weeks.
Tonight is the College Football Championship with L.S.U. battling Clemson. It seems like it’s taken forever to get here, much like the drawn-out drama of each year’s Superbowl. There’s now a chance for a redo of the very first one in 1966, then called the “AFL–NFL World Championship Game,” between the Chiefs and the Packers. Admittedly, basketball is still my favorite sport, despite the lack of success by my favorite teams. The season goes by as quickly as the action on the court, unlike baseball that seems to never end. It’s still a great sport for a nap and filled with great history. I will watch football tonight out of curiosity, since most of the Vegas money seems to be on L.S.U., while title experience favors Clemson. Once again, the BIG and PAC12 conferences failed to make the finals and “The South” continues to dominate. Good thing it didn’t happen in the Civil War! I still think it’s odd that Oregon, one of the states that was least affected by that battle, uses “The Civil War” to hype the in-state rivalry in sports and academics between the Ducks and Oregon State Beavers dating back to 1894.
We’re trying to organize a Holiday family trip to Kauai to round out our travel year. It was more “affordable” to go mid-December rather than Thanksgiving or Christmas, so it now depends on the work schedules of my step-daughters and their new husbands. We can take advantage of the Marriott Vacation Club for a record fifth time this calendar year, having also already booked condos in Orlando, Vegas, San Francisco, and Bali. With my wife’s recent retirement, this is her year to celebrate and spend some of the IRA savings she has accumulated through the years. We’ll also use Marriott Bonvoy points as part of our summer trip through Glacier National Park via stops in Walla-Walla and Spokane Washington. It will then extend into Canada and three nights at the historic Prince of Wales hotel that is not yet a Marriott property. It probably will be someday!
I spent yesterday in baseball mode, despite the big games in other sports on T.V. As I was traveling to my baseball card luncheon, for example, I.U. basketball somehow beat #11 Ohio State, despite 1-17 shooting in the last ten minutes of the first half. It was better that I was in the car and didn’t witness the pathetic 20-36 free throw shooting. Later in the day, I missed both NFL Playoff games because of a lengthy Old Timers Baseball Banquet. A few beers, four speakers and two unavoidable naps later, I was ready for bed. I did however enjoy a short conversation with 82-year old Pete Ward, a White Sox teammate of Sherm Lollar back in 1962. I think that he was disturbed that I was wearing a Cubs shirt while claiming to be a Sox fan. I also won a book by Jack Dunn, From The Third Base Coach’s Box.
Today it’s raining buckets so I will definitely watch the Packers vs. Seahawks game. With the 49ers already in the winner’s bracket, West Coast fans are anticipating a Seattle vs. San Francisco match-up with the winner going to the Super Bowl. I’m also watching Purdue’s dominant first half performance against conference leader Michigan State. I’m not always a Purdue fan, but hatred is a relative thing. One of last night’s speakers was Mark Wasikowski, the new head baseball coach of the Oregon Ducks who was previously at Purdue. He talked of the in-state rivalry with I.U. In 2018 the Boilers finished 2nd in the BIG with a 17-9 record but were eliminated by Houston in the NCAA Regional. I.U. went a step further but lost to Texas, after a 14-9 conference season and a split record against Purdue. Texas failed to get through the first round of the 2018 College World Series.
I last saw I.U. Baseball lose to defending National Champion Oregon State at T-Mobile Stadium in Seattle last year. Back in 2013 with Cubs’ star Kyle Schwarber in the line-up, Indiana made their first College World Series but also lost in double elimination to Oregon State. I followed University of Texas while we lived in Austin, and the success of I.U., U.T., and O.S.U. inspired me to attend the College World Series two years ago in Omaha. Texas was there, but I.U. failed to return. Oregon State emerged as the Champion in dramatic fashion. It was a sports bucket list accomplishment for me to attend the games. It was a lot more exciting than last night’s speakers that included another pep talk on luring Major League Baseball to Portland. I have a sinking feeling that I’ll really be an “Old Timer” when that finally happens!
In a few weeks, we’ll be in Las Vegas at the Westgate Resort. At first, I was disappointed that this was the best choice that I had when it came to timeshares near The Strip, but I was grateful to just be able to use my Marriott Vacation Club points at all. I had failed to properly bank them and after pleading with organization officials was given the option of transferring them to Interval International. It cost me $300 for a week’s stay at a resort that I was not at all familiar. However, yesterday, I was listening to the radio and they had on the director of their Superbook, the largest in the world. I was suddenly excited to be staying in a sports haven that also features Barry Manilow to entertain my wife.
I’m not much of a gambler, but you would think that I’ve absorbed some knowledge with all the games I’ve watched or attended. However, the teams that I choose to follow have not been very successful of late. The question is would I pay big bucks to see them win? Also, are sports for pleasure or profit? For example, I could bet on Indiana University Basketball to lose and knowing my luck they would win. In this crazy scenario, I would be paying for a victory. Certainly, if I bet on them to win they would lose for sure – the double whammy. This strategy reflects my overall pessimistic mindset with regard to sports. If I become personally interested in a team, they typically lose.
Last night, I became excited about Oregon women’s basketball team and their chance to become #1 after the University of Connecticut home winning streak of 98 consecutive games finally came to an end. The Ducks were poised to take their lofty position atop the polls with a victory over Arizona. Instead, they opened the door for in-state rival Oregon State to capture the cat seat. Thanks to my support – they lost. As further proof, with me on their side, the Bears, Colts, I.U. football, I.U. soccer, Oregon State baseball, Cubs, and White Sox all saw disastrous endings to their seasons. Could betting have changed some of these outcomes?
Right now, I’m watching I.U. Basketball off to a great start against Ohio State. As has been typical this year, they will soon go into a long shooting slump. I probably should bet on it! They barely got by Northwestern the other night and failed miserably at Maryland. It’s getting embarrassing to watch this team miss free throws, turn the ball over, and slack-off on defense. They at least have a chance to win at home, but on the road these problems compound. Before this game is over this morning, I’ll be in the car on my way to a baseball card luncheon. The good news is that I won’t have to watch them fall apart in crunch time. Odds are that they won’t disappoint when I’m not watching. Go figure?
I was so impressed with the Duck women last night. They played like a team, hit their shots, and took advantage of free throws. I wished the Indiana men could consistently perform like that. The I.U. women’s team is also playing well, ranked in the top 12. As I pay more attention to them, they will probably struggle, as did the Ducks in the last half. Right now, as predicted, the men have gone cold and their lead has suddenly evaporated. They’re missing free throws and are 1-17 with an air-ball from the field in the last ten minutes. Is this a self-fulfilled prophecy or just a sure bet?
You try to plan a nice family outing and what happens? The frickin’ flu bug strikes. My son and youngest daughter spent the day near the toilet ride at Universal Studios, while the rest of us worried about catching it. For three days, we had fought through peak crowds, rain storms, massive traffic jams, power outages, mechanical breakdowns, and temper tantrums, hoping to enjoy our final day of precious family time. We were even able to get to the park early before the first set-back of the day occurred. My oldest grand daughter was too short to get on the Hulk roller coaster. This must of been a huge relief to my son after his first trip to visit the porcelain god. He soon left the park to go back to our Marriott Vacation Club condo for the day. In the meantime, several rides were shut-down and the kids were getting frustrated. We also had a stroller that prevented access to many areas, and my wife’s purse added even more complications since it required storage on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter rides. Finally, we were able to have the privilege of waiting an hour-and-a-half for our first ride. Now, are you sure you don’t have to go to the bathroom?
According to Facebook, several other of our friends were in the park, but we were never able to hook-up. However, my wife started a conversation with a young man wearing a Purdue Boilermakers sweatshirt during our long wait at Forbidden Journey. As it turned out, he was the grandson of one of her hometown classmates, and they were able to contact him for a “Small World” reunion at the end of the ride. They talked while I rushed the “about to explode” kiddies to the Diagon Alley bathroom. We then took the busy Hogwarts Express to the next massive line at The Escape from Gringotts. Lunch was at Circus McGurkus in Islands of Adventure, with the loss of lunch shortly after by baby Nora. She and her mother then reluctantly left the park to join her sickly father back in the room.
The remaining four of our original seven stayed in the park for another three hours, while packing and puking took place at the condo. We did the Woody Roller Coaster, Cat in the Hat, E.T., Despicable Me, and bought some souvenirs. My “hangry” wife insisted on food but the lines were far too long to suit my limited patience, so she finally agreed to exit Universal in favor of her fast food favorite, Freddy’s Frozen Custard. Afterwards, my flu-stricken son, his wife, and my three sleepy grand kids made the two-hour drive home late at night so that they could meet work and school schedules. My wife and I have two more days at Disney World.
After 28,000 steps yesterday and an aching back, I once again cut-back to the minimum mile on this morning’s run. I was also feeling a little queasy and sure hope it doesn’t develop into dreaded influenza. We have two model homes to tour before we return our rental car and head for the park on a shuttle. At least the spending frenzy of our family Florida trip is now over, and we can eventually settle into a more frugal lifestyle. However, I certainly didn’t help yesterday by booking another March baseball trip, this time with the boys to Dallas. Now, flu – stay away, don’t even come another day!
As I look back over the past 21 New Year’s Eve celebrations with my wife, 2 have been spent in the hospital, 3 with family & friends, 12 in fancy restaurants, and 4 at home with the dogs. Allow me to reflect on just this past year of memories that have been both good and bad, in no particular order of importance. Only two, including tonight, have ended with a relaxing night in a hotel room.
The Year in Review:
My son turned 45
Two of my wife’s daughters wed great young men, so I’m now twice a step-father-in-law, joining my expanded family of a daughter-in-law of now over ten years
The two very different ceremonies were at The Presidio in San Francisco and Powell’s Rare Book Room in Portland.
Both newlywed couples took gift honeymoons from us in Hawaii, while my son and his wife enjoyed our time-share condo in Orlando
We sold our stand-alone Portland condo in twelve days and at a profit.
My oldest grandchild turned 12 and he took up golf
My middle grandchild turned 10 and we help her with dance lessons
My youngest grandchild celebrated her first birthday and I started her college fund
My wife joined me in retirement just a few months ago, while I just enjoyed my third full year
We traveled together to Thailand, Florida, Phoenix, Tucson, San Francisco, Walla-Walla, New York, Indiana, Maui, Vancouver, Chicago, Steamboat, Seattle, and McMinnville.
We saw Elton John, Pink, Goo-Goo Dolls, and Train in concert
I grew my Ancestry family tree to include over 18,000 relatives
We helped free a Jeep stuck up to its front axle in deep Panama City Beach sand
I donated blood on several occasions
I finished with over 15,000 Buffalo Wild Wings points to use for future “Leadership Meetings”
We moved to a downtown apartment and started using public transportation
We lost cat Frankie and schnauzer Tinker to old age
We attended our 7th Outstanding In The Field in Vancouver, BC – our first international dining event
My wife’s mother sadly died at age 97
We saw Beetlejuice, Moulin Rouge, and Tootsie on Broadway
I missed my 50th high school reunion
I lost two college fraternity brothers
We saw the 60th annual Twilight Zone movie presentation on the big screen
I.U. soccer lost to I.U. Santa Barbara and failed to reach the National Championship like last year
We watched I.U. baseball win and lose in Seattle and Oregon State beat I.U. the same weekend. The Beavers were not able to return to the College World Series
I.U. football earned a spot in the Gator Bowl
I.U. basketball failed to make the tournament again
The Chicago Bears failed to make the playoffs
The Cubs did not win the Division or make the playoffs. The White Sox didn’t come close
The Portland Trailblazers enjoyed playoff success but fell short to the eventual champion Warriors.
I saw Oregon basketball beat Memphis at the Moda Center
Oregon earned a spot in the Rose Bowl
I’ve added to my Sherm Lollar baseball collection while drastically downsizing my Cubs memorabilia to accommodate our much smaller living space
I gave-up my once-framed I.U. jersey to its rightful owner Kent Benson #54
We had Portland visits from my wife’s Indy girlfriends, my wife’s youngest daughter, and our Decatur friends
We reconnected with many old friends around the country
We paid off all our credit cards and the balance on our Decatur, Illinois mortgage
We eliminated most of our wine club memberships
We invested in more Marriott Vacation Club points
We planned and paid for many trips next year including Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Spring Training, Alcatraz, the Great Pyramid, and Glacier National Park
We bought the Regal Unlimited movie pass for next year and can easily walk to the theater
My wife’s oldest daughter and husband bought their first house. They also adopted Falco to play with now lonely Tally, our 10-year old schnauzer
My wife’s youngest daughter took a new job with Stanford Hospital and moved with her husband to San Francisco
We’ll end the year and day #7,861 together with dinner at Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa and start the New Year with theme park visits with my grand children
We looked at retirement properties along the Gulf Coast of Florida
We celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary at Joel Palmer House in Oregon wine country
We met my cousin in Phuket, Thailand
I finished Game of Thrones
We went to the King Tut exhibit at OMSI in preparation for next year’s trip to Egypt
I completed the 11th consecutive year of my daily running streak
I had just one minor cold this past year
I just now finished my 1,178th blog post
Happy New Year to all!
The Florida weather has been similar to Portland with gray skies, cool temperatures, and rain showers. I think we were hoping for a warmer welcome. We’re in Panama City, witnessing some of the remnants of last year’s hurricane Michael. I’m sure the local residents are leery of anyone or anything named Michael – like me. The Sheraton Beach Golf and Spa Resort where we are staying just opened again after 10 months of repairs. There is no beach, just a lagoon, no openings at the spa, and we don’t play golf, so there’s little for us to do. This morning we meet with another realtor to explore some beach condos, and will end the year in this deserted massive resort with lots of pelicans. It’s also been two straight nights without a visible sunset.
I was excited to see the downfall of “The Ohio University,” in both basketball and football, with some personal issues at stake. In return, I got some of my own vengeful medicine through watching I.U. basketball fall apart against Arkansas. I was stuck trying to follow the game on my phone, since the BIG Ten Network was not available on our T.V. My wife watched Dirty Dancing and then Kingsman 2 out of boredom while I silently brooded about the ineffective Hoosiers and drank a bottle of Merlot. I got up and ran around the golf course this morning to take out my frustrations. I.U. football in the Gator Bowl against Tennessee is next on my sports agenda. Hopefully, that game too won’t be a disappointment, and I won’t be a double holiday loser like Buckeye fans.
It’s day 7,680 since I first got together with my wife nearly 21 years ago. Our relationship is almost at the legal drinking age. We’ll celebrate in Las Vegas, where we were also married at the Bellagio over 18 1/2 years ago. Our upcoming stay at the Westgate will be much less glamorous that our honeymoon night, but at least neither of us will have to attend corporate business meetings the next day. This will be our first trip there jointly retired, and we’ll do a side-excursion to the Grand Canyon. We also hope to see the Neon Boneyard & Museum where we’ll take in some of the colorful history of The Strip. My wife will soon book some shows, but unfortunately Lady Gaga is not in town. She has her sights on the Michael Jackson ONE Cirque Du Soleil performance.
Tomorrow, we’ll head to Tampa and more property shopping before our New Year’s Eve dinner at Bern’s Steak House. It was founded in 1956 by Bern Laxler and continues to stay in the family; currently operated by his son David. They also established the Epicurean Hotel across the street where we’ll be spending the night. We’ve been practicing staying up late, hoping to finish dinner at midnight and then conveniently stumble to our bed. (Even though it will only be 9 p.m. back home in Portland). This will be my third dinner at Bern’s, dating back to an Advertising Federation convention many years ago when I was President of our Indianapolis Club. My wife and I also had a meal there to honor our 2nd wedding anniversary. It will be a great way to celebrate our love, accomplishments, retirement, and the new decade ahead. As I think about it, today was my last day of work three years ago.
Panama City is showing some signs of sunlight and patches of blue sky. We’ll soon be touring a couple of condos in a beachfront high-rise. We can’t decide if a view of the ocean is a priority, but at least in this area there are places in our price range. It would be nice to step out in the sand every day, but we’d be living in a isolated area inundated by tourists. Today, that’s all we are here in Florida, as we continue to explore the Emerald Coast. The “Toes in the Sand” tour continues….
“On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me”….a last-second win over Notre Dame. The up-and-down Cream & Crimson are winning ugly, with gut-wrenching twists-and-turns that simply wouldn’t happen with a good team. This I.U. group will be lucky to return to the NCAA tournament after several years of frustration. It’s all I can expect in their quest for twenty victories. Win number eleven is now in the books with “pipers piping,” in celebration, as Arkansas awaits its chance to knock-off the undefeated home Hoosiers later this month. Unfortunately, a really ugly loss at Wisconsin is keeping fans like me more than humble. It clearly explained why Indiana is considered a second-division BIG conference team by most of the experts.
It was the “can I buy an extra vowel?” freshmen tandem of Armaan Franklin and Trayce Jackson-Davis that were responsible for today’s win, along with Butler graduate transfer, Joey Brunk. None of these three players were on last year’s squad, but the same shooting problems still haunt the team’s overall performance. We were comfortably in control and up by seventeen with fifteen minutes left, and then suddenly five down as the clock was winding down. Two three pointers by Franklin and a bucket by Jackson sealed the gift-like comeback. It was hard to believe that they lost that much ground, considering the slow pace of the game. Honestly, I expected it to be a close game between two mediocre teams, and certainly did not anticipate the I.U. bulge. We needed it!
On a football note, I’ve decided not to attend the Gator Bowl while we’re in nearby Tampa on January 2nd. The gridiron Hoosiers had unexpected success this season with 8 overall wins, but I was not enthralled with the prospect of a pricey ticket, long drive, parking hassles, and maybe even a loss. I’ve lost confidence in I.U. basketball, but have never had it for I.U. football. I’ve been to two other I.U. bowl games in my life and saw a Liberty Bowl victory and an Independence Bowl loss. Their opponent, Tennessee, has a rich football history, and I expect them to rise to the occasion and their fans to turn out in droves. Other than the Rose Bowl appearance in 1967, this is the most prestigious post-season invitation our team has ever accepted. My wife set up a dinner with a long-lost girlfriend that night, and they’ve promised to at least have the game on for me to watch.
I bought myself a new pair of I.U. socks for Christmas this year. That will probably be the extent of my Hoosier gifts under the tree. I consider the Crossroads Classic victory my best present so far, gift-wrapped by the two freshmen sensations. As my wife pointed out, if they hadn’t pulled off the comeback, I would have been in a “pissy” Scrooge-like mood for tonight’s holiday dinner with my hometown Hoosier friends. I had to watch the televised action with a lot of signal interference through our cable service that only added to the second-half frustration. It didn’t seem to bother me when they were pulling away just after the break. The last fifteen minutes were all Notre Dame until the final minute rescue.
I can end the year with one more basketball victory, and start the New Year with a bowl championship, along with an unprecedented nine in the win column. It’s the first time in many years that both sports are still in contention for January wins. In the second game of the Crossroads, Butler seems in control against Purdue. Even though the Bulldogs look impressive, I.U. actually has a chance this year to be the best team in Indiana, a small concession in the whole scheme of things round. The two rivalry games against the Boilermakers will likely end in a split, with each team prevailing at home. So far, a BIG conference team has yet to win an away game, and I expect that any road win will be considered a major upset. Will the Butler do it again? Can the Hoosiers do it again and go a “drummers-drumming” 12-1? So far, it’s been a “Christmas Miracle” of overtime and final-second gifts on the court.