Category: OLD SPORT SHORTS (Page 48 of 68)

An old guy’s perspective on all sports

Old Sport Shorts: Turkey Bowl #746

November 22, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

It’s been a few posts since I’ve covered the world of sports, and what better day than Thanksgiving? The turkey is in the oven and the Bears are in the Lions den. Here in the Northwest it’s a breakfast game with an early start, as opposed to an afternoon start back home in Indiana. Today, it’s da bird and da Bears!

Turkey Bowls started in 1876 with an annual clash between college foes Yale and Princeton, but games between the University of Michigan and the Chicago Maroons (University of Chicago) in the 1890s are credited for “the beginning of Thanksgiving Day football.” Professional football games on this day also date back to the 1890s with the Allegany Athletic Association of Pittsburgh. For the Chicago Bears, “Turkey Bowls” began against the Chicago Cardinals in 1922 and then switched to the Lions in 1934. For the Lions, owner George A. Richards organized games on Thanksgiving as a gimmick to sell tickets and to continue a tradition begun by the city’s previous NFL teams. Richards also owned WJR radio and was able to negotiate an agreement with NBC to carry his games across the network. This is why the Lions are still associated with today’s holiday.

The Bears last played on Thanksgiving in 2015 and beat the Packers after losing to the Lions in 2014. However, they never played in the 60s when I was growing up. As a result, during Thanksgiving dinners with my cousins, the TV was always on in the background but without the “Monsters of the Midway” the games rarely attracted my interest. We had our own version of the Turkey Bowl in my high school years, with memories of a dusting of snow on the field where we played. It was only a victory if no one got hurt. I’ve actually also been to a college game on Thanksgiving Day between the Texas Longhorns and state-rival A&M.

With regard to other sports, the Maui Invitational Basketball Classic brings back memories of round-ball and turkey. Gonzaga won last night over a Duke team that I thought might challenge the I.U. undefeated season of 1976, a record that has stood now for two-thirds of my life. The Zags still might do it, as they savor the victory with a Thanksgiving meal by the beach. I may return for this turkey tradition in 2020, along with the Hoosiers. Also, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving weekend without the Old Oaken Bucket battle. It’s been played annually since 1920, with Purdue leading the all-time series over Indiana 73-41-6. The Boilers have won the first and last meeting but Indiana will have home field advantage tomorrow. I like to refer to it as the “Toilet Bowl,” where one team or the other barely earns enough victories to qualify for a consolation bowl game. Tomorrow is no exception, with equal 5-6 records! Who will get the gravy?

Without much rest from the Sunday Night’s huge victory over the Vikings, an injured Mitchell Trubisky, and the home field advantage for the Lions, I don’t harbor much hope. In fact, it’s one of the shortest turn-around games in NFL history. Da Bears lead the NFC North with a 7-3 record and a 1.5 game advantage on the defending division champion Vikings. We’ll start our drive to Bend before the game ends this morning, but I’m glad I got a little taste of Bears football to start my 68th Thanksgiving.

Retirement is not without Hassles: Zebra Reunion #743

November 20, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Last night, it was my wife’s turn to joyfully reconnect with an old high school friend. They were Zebras together back in Rochester, Indiana, just down the road from my high school in Elkhart. While they chatted about the good old days over dinner & wine, her classmate’s husband and I tried to establish some common ground. We had all gotten together for the first time back in Austin where all of us lived nearly 10 years ago, and I remembered very little about our initial conversation. It takes some time to loosen the rust from a school girl relationship, so we let the women catch-up while we made small talk. We politely got along, obligated to keep each other entertained while the two of them got back together again after all these years.

I have two high school classmates that live here in Portland, so I know the value of lasting friendships. We were also together at Indiana University, so our connection dates back over 50 years. My wife is 5 years younger, and at our age many former friends are lost through attrition, so getting together is often now or never. Fortunately, in every circle of friendship there’s always at least one that forms the glue that keeps everyone together. My wife’s friend is one of those people, who happened to be visiting Portland. In this case, their reunion took place over 2200 miles away from our original Hoosier homeland. It made me reflect on my own past.

My 50th high school reunion is approaching next summer and I have mixed feelings about attending. Three of my best friends from high school have died, and I have not done a good job of staying in touch with the rest – nor have they with me! The two friends here in Portland are a year younger and therefore part of the graduating class behind me, so they are not part of this upcoming reunion plan. There were over 1000 people in my senior class and only a few that I miss or ever even think about. I was known by the nickname “Smiley” that I could never find endearing. Many probably only know me by that name, so it may not be a reunion at all but rather just another networking event, with me wondering why I never connected with all of these fellow students that also roamed the hallowed halls?

I have but only one Facebook friend out of these 1,000 in my class alone, and she was never part of my inner-circle back then. She organizes our reunions and simply uses social media to communicate with her fellow EHS Blue Blazers. I have one other indirect FB connection through the daughter-in-law of who was once my closest pal. I now know of his grandchildren, but little is left of our friendship that seemed to have deteriorated as a result my divorce nearly 20-years years ago. We’ve only gotten together on occasion since that time, with my new marriage and moves to Illinois, Texas, and Oregon. I can’t really explain what happened other than the fact that life got in the way. I have to smile when I see his grandson on Facebook because it reminds me of how he looked when we first met in elementary school- braces and all!

I have stayed in touch with the wife of a close high school friend. My wife and I had dinner with the two of them just before he passed away suddenly. We had sadly discussed the death of another best buddy before I took her to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Together we ceremoniously spread her husband’s ashes along the right field line – something I will never forget. My wife’s reunion with her friend last night was a somber reminder that neither of these great friends will be attending my high school reunion. Another close friend that I would have enjoyed seeing was found dead at his laboratory office on Thanksgiving morning long ago, so he will not be there either. I have a photo with these three lost com-padres at our 20th reunion, the last time we all got together. I could also not help but think of how close the spelling was of the last name of my wife’s classmate compared to my friend’s widow – double “pp” instead of “tt.” It was a subtle reminder of how precious friendship can be, and that some reunions unfortunately never come to pass!

Retirement is not without Hassles: Sunday #742

November 18, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I remember when Sunday was not just another day, as it tends to be in retirement. In fact, I rarely even recognize it now except as the day the trash needs to go out. For my working wife, it is still a special weekend day of not having to go to the office. She likes to start her “Funday” by giving our two pups a long walk, something she believes I am remiss on doing during the week. Since I run every morning, it’s become a ritual of compromise that we now refer to as a “Schnauzerthon.” Our 100-year old, gimpy schnauzer Tinker can’t handle the distance any more, so we bought her an Air Buggy that allows continued participation in the fun. We take turns pushing her along through the park with schnauzer-sister Tally on a leash. When Tinker is in my control, we surge ahead at my faster running pace, she gets the youthful sensation of a puppy chasing the ducks at full speed, her ears pinned back by the wind – as if I could possibly run that fast any more.

When I was a kid, I went to Sunday school, another miserable day in the classroom. Soon my stubborn resistance made life unbearable on everyone at home until they just let me sleep-in, my favorite activity as a child. Even at this age, Sundays were still an ominous signal that a week of work was soon about to begin, and I was already looking forward to retirement. Once in the job force, Sundays were all about getting ready for that Monday morning alarm, hoping to ease the pain of the worst day of the week. As far as I was concerned, the weekend was over when I finally got out of bed on Sunday. Church was still not on my agenda, only disrupting a rare opportunity to sleep-in late. Please forgive my laziness!

The only two good things about Sunday that I remember were Chicago Bears games and Murder She Wrote. There was no Sunday Night Football back then so no conflicts between these two great television events. Without fail, every Sunday night at 8 p.m. I set up the ironing board in front of the TV and pressed my suits and shirts for the week, eliminating one of the hassles of getting ready every morning. By the time Jessica Fletcher solved the murder and my clothes were laid out, I began to feel the depression of another weekend gone by! It always seemed like the time passed so quickly, despite all my efforts to savor the precious hours. Suddenly, I was back in the office and Saturday was five seemingly endless days away!

Casual Fridays were also non-existent back then, so it meant a stuffy suit every day and five to iron every Sunday. The thought of also ironing a sixth suit for church was just another excuse not to go. Later in life, I bought a steamer to take the wrinkles out of my suits, and even though church services became more casual, I still didn’t go. Football is now on nearly every day and so are re-runs of Murder She Wrote, so neither says Sunday anymore. It’s now all about trash, “Schnauzerthons,” afternoons with my wife, no suits to press, and trips into wine country.

Old Sport Shorts: Round Ball Rainbows #734

November 11, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

There has been surprisingly little rain here in Portland in October and November, so far. Yet, I continue to see Rainbows, at least the variety my good friend equates with a positive attitude. I had struggled with a lot of black clouds in my world of sports, starting with the shortcomings of the Cubs in the Wildcard playoff, and a disappointing last-minute Brett Favre touchdown pass to beat my Bears. There was a rare 3-0 loss by the IU soccer team against Kentucky and another miserable stretch of IU Football to darken my spirits. To add to my despair, the once-hated Purdue Boilermakers were having some success on the gridiron, including an envious victory over the even-more-evil Ohio State Buckeyes. The Oregon Ducks, my adopted team on the West Coast were proving to be a bad choice for a favorite, and Notre Dame, an equally detested IU foe, remained undefeated. I can’t seem to get behind the Seattle Seahawks, but that would prove to be just another losing personal cause. My sports mood was clouded with emotions of envy, jealousy, loathing, and dislike, as my teams continued to falter. There might have been rainbows, but I couldn’t see them.

In the past few weeks, the sun has broken through and the birds are beginning to sing. Basketball season has tipped-off with the Hoosiers, Ducks, Indiana Pacers, and Portland Trailblazers all off to fast starts. The round ball has led to rainbows, and that good fortune has extended to other sports. After that brief Wildcat soccer set-back, the IU soccer team rebounded with nine straight games and completed the BIG Ten Double as both regular season and tourney champs with a perfect conference record. Even the perennially pathetic IU football team is now 5-5 thanks to a victory over Maryland. Unfortunately, they face-off against Michigan in Ann Arbor next, but can still be bowl eligible if they can somehow get by PUrdue for the Old Oaken Bucket. To make the rainbows even brighter and the beer taste better, the Portland Timbers advanced to the MLS Conference Championship against Kansas City that they won just 3 years ago on their way to the title. It all came down to penalty kicks over the arch-rival Seattle Sounders. The miraculous finish happened on the same day that streaking IU defeated Maryland in a similar penalty-kick scenario. Double Rainbows thanks to another round ball!

As icing on the rainbow cake, the Chicago Bears just won their third straight game to stay on top of the Vikings and Packers. The Indianapolis Colts also won their third straight game against the Jaguars. Purdue football has slipped back to reality, the 8-5 Pacers bested the Heat, and the Trailblazers topped the Clippers to go 9-3. It’s chilly here in Portland but the sun is shining on all my teams right now. It doesn’t even matter if it’s a round ball or a sphere, it’s still bouncing my way. For once, it’s good to be me when I’m surrounded by rainbows!

Old Sport Shorts: Streaks #728

November 6, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Today marked 3600 consecutive days of my current running streak, approaching the ten year anniversary of when it started in Austin, Texas. It’s been a much cooler experience these last few years in Portland without the 100-plus degree days. It’s the first thing I do every morning, so I finished my 3.1 mile run, joined my wife for breakfast, and got the painters started. College basketball starts today and I’ll join some friends at Buffalo Wild Wings this afternoon where we are regulars. The good thing about watching sports on the West Coast is that the games start early, so I’m not wasting my evenings by the TV or missing anything when we got out.

I’m in the midst of a travel-free streak of now 23-days, but my daily routine has been constantly interrupted by contractors. There are painters in our home from 8 to 5 every day, so this means very little “me time.” It’s not like I’m working hard, but I still have to answer questions and move things around, resulting in very little privacy. Our dogs are also restless, with strangers in the house and their napping areas disrupted with tarps, paint cans, and ladders. I seek refuge in my office, but that area is about to be painted, as well. They are just going to paint the ceiling so I can avoid having to take down my prized sports memorabilia collection. In other rooms, pictures and mirrors are scattered about and my once tidy garage is littered with plants, glassware, and furniture. By next week, I should be able to continue this travel-free streak, expected to extend another 17 days. That will mean 40 straight days at home; a retirement record, and time to enjoy the sports-related memories that surround me every day.

Later this month we’ll head to Bend, Oregon with the dogs, followed by Los Angeles and Disneyworld. I just got my annual maintenance bill from the Marriott Vacation Club, a timeshare arrangement we have yet to take advantage of using. Our first experience will be Thailand in the spring, but right now I feel like I’m paying for nothing. It’s supposed to be a travel investment that will eventually pay-off, but I’m having some regrets. It will not be until my wife retires that we will have enough time to fully benefit from what is currently just a financial hassle. Our plan is to sell our residence, reinvest the proceeds, and rent. This will relieve some of the cost concerns about this “second home,” that we can utilize anywhere in the world when the time comes. Sporting events on my bucket list are a major part of my retirement travel plans.

I went to an unofficial old-timers baseball breakfast yesterday morning, if for no other reason to get away from the contractors for a few hours. It’s interesting to hear all the stories about players from the past and to share the love of baseball with others my age. Each of us collects something different in the way of memorabilia, and we often exchange gifts. I came home with a 1950’s era Luis Aparicio glove and a Chicago White Sox pin-back. I also have his autographed Louisville Slugger as part of my collection. One guy brought some old pictures of the Dodgers team as they transitioned from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. The father of a friend of my wife and I pitched for that 1955 World Series champion team by the name of Karl Spooner. He still holds the record (tied with J.R. Richard) for the most strike-outs in a Major League debut, but was credited for the loss in his last World Series appearance in a promising career hampered by injury. I was also excited that the Indiana University baseball team is coming to Seattle in March for a tournament, including a game against College World Series champion Oregon State. I will probably add that to my travel plans for next year, fulfilling another item on my list of 67 things to do before I’m 68. (See Post #642).

67 years and 3 months of continuous breathing is my most important streak of all at 24,543 days or 589,032 hours. Within this fortunate vein of longevity are all these other streaks that I often write about. To me, maintaining a streak is motivation to continue. However, I certainly wouldn’t want a streak of bad luck or a losing streak. I’ve been pretty successful at avoiding these in life. When I think of streaks, I mostly think of sports and the statisticians that keep track of these things. Even my hapless Chicago Bears have a current two-game winning streak. Here are the ten considered to be the greatest and perhaps the most unbreakable in sports history:

1. Cal Ripken Jr.

Baltimore Orioles’ legend Cal Ripken holds the record for the most consecutive games played in MLB history. His record is 2,632 games straight over a career of more than 16 years. September 6, 1995 marked the day Ripken passed the previous record of 2,130 made by Lou Gehrig. Ripken still holds the record today and is MLB’s Iron Man.

2. Doug Jarvis

Former NHL player for the Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals and Hartford Whalers Doug Jarvis holds the record for the most consecutive games started. Between 1975 and 1985, Jarvis started in 964 straight games. He surpassed the Garry Unger’s previous top record of 914 in the 1985-1986 season.

3. Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is an especially dominate played on clay courts, and between 2005 and 2007 he won 81 consecutive games on clay. Player Guillermo Vilas held the previous record of 53 that Nadal largely passed, and no one has come close to beating his record yet.

4. UCLA Basketball

Under head coach John Wooden, the UCLA Men’s Basketball team made some impressive records. In the 1970’s, they won 88 consecutive games. They also won ten NCAA championships in Wooden’s 12 years of head coach, and hold the record for the most consecutive NCAA championship titles, winning seven in a row from 1967-1973.

5. Joe DiMaggio

New York Yankees player Joe DiMaggio holds the record for the longest hitting streak of at least one base hit in 56 straight games from May 15, 1941 to July 17, 1941. His record is still unbeaten. DiMaggio beat Willlie Keeler’s 1897 streak of 45 games, and the closest anyone has gotten to either record since was Pete Rose’s streak of 44 games in 1978.

6. Brett Favres

NFL player Brett Favres holds many NFL records, including the most consecutive starts by a player. Favres started in 297 straight games between 1992 and 2010 during his time on the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings. He has also won the Associated Press NFL MVP Award three years in a row (1995-1997) and holds the record for the most career pass completions.

7. Glenn Hall

NHL player Glenn Hall, also known as Mr. Goalie, holds the record for the longest streak of games started by a goalie. During his career he started in an impressive 502 consecutive games, a record left untouched.

8. Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs hold the record for the longest World Series drought, playing 108 seasons before finally breaking it and winning in 2016. Other MLB teams have experienced long droughts as well (such as the Red Sox, 85 years before broken), but none come close to the Cubs’ record.

9. Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano retired as the World Heavyweight Champion with a record of 49 straight wins between 1952 and 1956. To end a career undefeated is an impressive feat and one envied by many athletes.

10. Oklahoma Sooners Football

Between 1953 and 1957 under head coach Bud Wilkinson, the Oklahoma Sooners won 47 games in a row and also two national championships. No team has beaten this winning streak, though University of Southern California recently game the closest with a 34 game winning streak from 2003 to 2005.

Credit TBA by Seat Geek

Retirement is not without Hassles: Un-collecting #727

November 5, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I’ve spent a lifetime collecting memories, souvenirs, keepsakes, and other tokens of remembrance. In many cases, even though I paid for them, they really have no value other than personal. They are all only worth what someone else is willing to pay, even those that might have appreciated in value. My wife collects Broadway posters & programs, Fiesta dinnerware, Limoges, signed cookbooks, silverware, jewelry, magnets, and china. She’s inherited Hummel figurines and antique crystal glassware from her mother. My mother left me a stamp collection and lots of photographs. She also collected sewing thimbles and miniatures, that inspired some of my interests in collecting, whereas my father was not a collector, disturbed by anything resembling clutter. Later in life, he put together a small collection of walking sticks, but kept them neatly organized in a corner of the house.

My neighbor growing-up collected baseball cards and coins, so I became interested in these items. Any hobby can get expensive especially if you’re collecting money, so I limited my enthusiasm to pennies. I have yet to finish a collection of Lincoln head cents dating back to 1909. In the last couple years, I’ve gone back to baseball cards as a retirement project, but I’ve tried to stay away from Hall of Fame players because they logically command the highest prices. I’ve also built collections of cuff-links, ties, and suspenders in keeping with my Dapper Dan business image that I tried to maintain while working. With any type of collecting, it’s all about supply and demand; if something is wanted and there are few in existence then the value increases. Thanks to all those moms that threw out childhood baseball card collections from the 1950’s and 60’s, prices on Mickey Mantle cards, for example, have gone through the roof. In the case of collecting pennies, worth is solely determined by the number of coins that were originally minted and current condition.

I’ve spent time in retirement organizing my collectibles and adding to them, even though I should probably be divesting. My son will be interested in some of my baseball memorabilia, but my extensive Sherm Lollar collection is probably not of interest to anyone. He was my favorite player growing up, a catcher for the Chicago White Sox in the 60’s and early 70’s. He will probably never be a Hall of Fame inductee, even though he was arguably the greatest defensive catcher in history. Cooperstown seems to be reserved for great pitchers and offensive powerhouses that often made good pitching look bad. He was my retirement foyer into collecting baseball cards again since most of his cards and memorabilia are affordable. It gave me a good sense of the variety of cards that were produced over the 17-year span of his playing career followed by several coaching stints. He touched the lives of many HOF members along the way from Yogi Berra to Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson. Who was that Masked Man? (See Post #5) and how to eventually get rid of this collection?

At this stage of life, we should be un-collecting rather than collecting, divesting rather than investing. Otherwise, my heirs are going to be stuck with a bunch of stuff that they don’t want. As I’ve learned, it’s much easier to collect things than to get rid of them. I know our family won’t be interested in items like stamps, magnets, cookbooks, photos, porcelain boxes, and even silver service. They take up a lot of space and are a dime-a-dozen on e-Bay. Ideally, we’d like to find people that value these things as much as we do, but without the joy of collecting throughout the years, they are nothing but a pile of junk. It’s a shame that in as we get older, we finally develop the financial resources to buy things we are passionate about, only to realize that they are items that nobody else wants. As they say, “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure,” well it also goes to prove that one man’s treasures are another man’s junk!

Old Sport Shorts: Rainbows #720

October 28, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I feel that my Sports fortunes changed today, so I experienced the overwhelming need to gloat or at least rejoice. I tuned into Indiana University soccer just in time to watch them win an overtime thriller over Michigan State. I had just sent a note to my college friends to remind them that the game was on and they, in turn, warned me not to watch in the interest of the team. I texted back that it was too late, I actually saw them win live, so my luck had certainly changed. I’m sure my skeptical friends were caught by surprise, especially after listening to me bitch about the misfortunes of my favorite teams, and knowing that I could could once again watch and win.

My good friend always speaks facetiously about rainbows. Seeing them in his mind’s eye is how he supposedly maintains his cool as our teams often falter. He always encourages me to “think rainbows” instead of spouting profanities, as I often do. He’s the optimistic alternative to my pessimistic ways. He follows similar teams that I do, and has watched our I.U. football consistently forget there’s a fourth quarter, our basketball team stumble the last ten years, and the University of Oregon Ducks fall short too frickin’ often; not to mention the Cubs, Mariners, White Sox, Pacers, and Trail Blazers, so there must be merit in his words. I, on the other hand, don’t see how it really matters how I react to a loss – it’s still a damn loss! Rainbows – Schmainbows!

We’ve all had to to go outside the traditional boundaries of our interest growing-up to end the losing drought of the past few years, although the Cubs brought some relief with a long-overdue World Series Crown two years ago. We put our support behind the Oregon State baseball team to celebrate a National Championship, and have had to find solace with soccer through the Portland Timbers and our Alma Mater. The problem is that Hoosier soccer has seen great success these past few years but there are few trophies to show for it. The Timbers won it all in 2015, while I.U. lost the National Championship with only one loss all year! I saw no rainbows in that! To make matters worse, despite 35 consecutive BIG Conference victories, it was the ties that cost us the hardware. How does a true competitor react to a worthless tie that only soccer sees as an appropriate way to settle a match?

The storm has apparently passed and today marked the first signs of a rainbow. The Bears, Colts, and Hoosiers all won today, and as icing on the cake, the Packers lost. I.U. won the BIG regular season trophy for the first time in eight years going a perfect 8-0. For 31 consecutive years, the team has appeared in the NCAA Tournament, and 10 straight years before that one off-year in 1986. They have not won the BIG tournament in five years, and have never won it in basketball, that finally starts again this week. I’m hoping this optimistic rainbow over my head leads to many victories in 2019. Unfortunately, the National League could not prevail in the World Series, so my Cub’s favorites were never really in serious contention. This will have to change in years to come!

Here’s to rainbows throughout the remainder of 2018 and into 2019. 2018 has been a tough year, so I’m looking forward to future prosperity in my world of sports. I don’t expect the Bears to win the Superbowl, but I’d like to see an end to the endless criticism about draft choices, and I’d like to see the Colts see a full year of benefits out of Andrew Luck. Maybe more in 2020? Furthermore, I’d like to see freshman Romeo Langford exceed all expectations at Indiana on the basketball court, and lead the team to a pot of gold. In addition, I would wish for another Hoosier NCAA soccer title, their 9th and first in 6 years. I’d like to see another I.U. football bowl bid, and back-to-back Oregon State College World Series titles. I’d also like to see the Timbers take it all, and the Cubs or White Sox back in division contention. The Ducks and Trail Blazers are not necessarily a priority for me personally, but local favorites certainly deserve success. At least, providing a fall-back if my other favorites fail. I’ve certainly seen enough rain here in the Northwest, but not enough rainbow aftermaths to make it all worthwhile. Show me the colors of the Rainbow!

Retirement Is Not Without Hassles: The Moon #711

October 21, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

This Post #711 on the 7th day of the week reminds me that Seven and Eleven are deemed to be lucky numbers, with 7 known round the world to bring the most good fortune. Eleven was certainly lucky for enabling Neil Armstrong’s famous walk on the moon, after watching the movie First Man last night. Apollo 11 safely rocketed the Mission Commander, along with Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins into history. The movie features a rare moment when the three astronauts are each totally alone in space, with Collins in Columbia, the command module, Aldrin in the lunar module Eagle, and Armstrong on the surface. All three returned to Earth as conquering heroes. In sharp contrast, Apollo 13, bearing the unluckiest number in the world, resulted in tragedy, even though it was the 7th manned mission in the Apollo space program. Perhaps they should have skipped #13 like the buttons in many elevators? The successful moon landing of Apollo 12 seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle, as Pete Conrad and Alan Bean became the third and fourth U.S. men to set foot on the moon’s surface. A total a twenty-four men, including 12 Soviets, have walked on the moon, but only the name Neil Armstrong stands out. The last two from the U.S. were Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17 in 1972. As far as the future is concerned, China is now the third country to do a soft-landing on the moon with expectations of putting a crew there by 2036.

From a personal standpoint, it’s rewarding for a Hoosier like myself to note that both the first and last man to walk on the moon were Purdue University alumni. Purdue had a BIG football victory yesterday over #2 Ohio State that made me envious, as my Alma Mater Indiana once again fell short against Penn State. The unexpected upset by the “University of the Astronauts” over the perennially powerful Buckeyes was indeed out of this world! Indiana and Purdue will play Thanksgiving weekend for the Old Oaken Bucket and a potential bowl bid. With Purdue’s recent momentum, it will be a long afternoon for the Cream & Crimson faithful. Just for the record, Ohio State has won 20 straight against the Hoosiers and that steak has been anything but luck. It will be at least until the “Moon is in the Seventh House” and our country puts another man on the moon before Indiana wins another football game against The Ohio University.

Eleven days from now college basketball season starts and the 11th month begins, so I consider that to be lucky. Someday, Indiana will hopefully capture their Seventh NCAA Championship Banner. Plus, I’m Seven years into my 60th year, a sure sign of another good year. 10 was always my favorite number, so it’s also fortunate to have several lucky numbers to choose from. If I decide to play the Mega Millions game this week, it will take six lucky numbers. Last week, the Mega-ball was 7. The stars and moon will need to be in alignment for someone to win. Who’s that Lucky?

Old Sport Shorts: Post Season #707

October 17, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I could have, or rather should be watching the Cubs play today. I’ve got the Post Season Blues! My wife and I were in LA last year at this time, to watch them be painfully eliminated by the Dodgers. This year was even worse, losing the Central Division to the Brewers in a Tie-Breaker game and then falling to the Rockies in a Wildcard showdown to quickly end the season. As a result, the Brewers have claimed their Championship trophy as well as their dugout seats at Chavez Ravine, and I’m watching at home. I’m certainly glad they have afternoon games for the benefit of us retirees.

I haven’t written about sports in two weeks now since nothing positive has happened in my world, and I’m still probably in mourning. Even the always reliable I.U soccer team gave up an unprecedented three goals in a loss to Kentucky. In fact, it’s been more than two years since Notre Dame beat them 4-0 in 2016. I.U. Football got off to a good start, but sputtered badly these past couple weeks. My Chicago Bears have lost their last two games. Basketball season hasn’t officially started yet, and I would need to stretch my interests to include the Portland Timbers to find any recent promise. The only news out of the Cubs was the firing of their hitting coach, John Mallee, and consequential hiring of Anthony Iapoce – if that’s anything to get excited about?

I continue to root for the Brewers, despite my sour grapes tendencies to be a bitter loser. It’s easier to stomach since the Astros, Red Sox, and Dodgers are not among my team favorites. The Milwaukee Brewers have never won a World Series, and the franchise has been deprived since 1957, so they continue to have my sympathetic support. Also, it’s nothing new but I’m not optimistic about the I.U. Hoosier football chances against Penn State this week, although they are still on-track for a minor Bowl bid.

Regarding the top-heavy NBA, the Portland Trailblazers will probably have another underwhelming season, while the Indiana Pacers are too far away to generate any sustained interest. Despite my current pessimistic view about sports in general, I actually have high expectations for Coach Archie Miller and his much-talked about recruiting class at Indiana University, my Cream & Crimson Alma Mater. It’s only 15 short days until their exhibition debut against Southern Indiana and anticipation is running high.

To cover one more aspect of my sports interests, we’re starting to receive some wine shipments from our recent visit to Napa Valley. The one I’m anticipating the most is from the Andretti Vineyards. I had no idea the Mario and his family were in the wine business, but it makes sense with the Sonoma Raceway in his back yard. I’m adding a couple of Andretti-produced Indy 500 100-year anniversary bottles to my sports collection that already includes some Cubs wine celebrating the 2016 World Series Champions. I did enjoy going to the Portland International Speedway a few months ago, and seeing the impressive Andretti garage and hospitality set-up. Unfortunately, nephew Marco Andretti was eliminated in the very first turn of the track, a familiar curse that has plagued the family on race day. Son Michael, a current team owner, is related to one of my wife’s co-workers. Mario was great at qualifying and still holds a record with 67 poles, but experienced a lot of misfortune on Sundays. The classic announcer line was always, “Mario is slowing down!” Although he is one of my racing heroes, I once wrote this silly but short poem, that I’m sure the family wouldn’t appreciate:

Mar-i-o

Mar-i-o,
Oh Mar-i-o.
Please tell me,
It Ain’t so.

Round and round,
You’d quickly go.
Then suddenly,
You’d start to slow.

Became a fan,
In Sixty-Nine.
When your Lotus,
Ran just fine.

Granatelli’s kiss?
Is this curse true?
They took Eighty-One,
Away from you.

Bad Valve?
Or out of gas?
You had to sit,
And watch them pass.

You’ve lost a wheel,
Burned your face.
Mechanical failures,
Cost many a race.

Exhaust pipe,
Or another crash.
Indy became,
A Mario bash.

Could you win,
Another crown?
No, Mar-i-o,
“Is slowing down.”

Mar-i-o,
Oh Mar-i-o.
Please tell me,
It Ain’t so.

Retirement is not without Hassles: Socrates Says #689

October 6, 2018 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I can safely say that after 67 years of life that “I know quite a bit about nothing important.” It sounds like a country song to me, so I’ll work on some rhyming lyrics. After searching for similar phrases via Wikipedia, I found “I know that I know nothing”, “The only thing I know is that I know nothing”, “I know one thing; that I know nothing” or “I know that all I know is that I do not know anything,” called the Socratic paradox, is a well-known saying that is derived from Plato’s account of the Greek philosopher Socrates. That ain’t country.

The phrase is not one that Socrates himself is ever recorded as saying, so I can begin to take credit for my own variation of the philosophical words. At this stage in life, I have many more questions than answers. I’ve also forgotten more than I remember. This I know I know! I do, however, remember knowing nothing, rather than being like some people who think they know everything. The humbler approach is more befitting of my personality. Let’s examine this lack of knowledge that I possess and will continue to accumulate.

We can safely start with ten things that I definitely don’t know:

I don’t know there’s a heaven
I don’t know there’s a God
I don’t know who will win the World Series
I don’t know there will be a tomorrow
I don’t know there’s an end to the Universe
I don’t know that our retirement funds are enough
I don’t know what our dogs are thinking
I don’t know who my birth father is
I don’t know if I can actually get two cars in my garage

Others only think they know some of these answers. Since this is a pros and cons discussion, here’s ten things on the “do know” side of the ledger:

I know that “knowledge perception” is a subject too deep for this blog
I know that I’m no Socrates
I know that I love myself and feel satisfied with my accomplishments
I know I love my wife & family and that they love me
I know that Tinker is hungry right now
I know Ohio State will come back to beat Indiana for their 24th straight
I know that it will soon start raining in Portland
I know that I’m an adopted child without answers
I know that I have a lot to learn
I know that I know nothing

All of this knowledge is mostly unimportant to anyone but me. I’m sure that my wife and family are glad that I’ve confirmed their importance in my life, but I’m pretty sure they already had that knowledge. With the exception of my birthmother, I do know that no one has the knowledge to know what I don’t. I also know that “nothing” is a relative thing, and every thing else I know is trivial with respect to life and death.

Socrates was once told by the Oracle of Delphi that he was one of the wisest men in all of Athens, and his response was to not boast or celebrate but rather try to prove the Oracle wrong. If you know? Please feel free to prove me wrong. In the meantime, I’ll continue to compare my questionable knowledge to the guy who knew nothing:

Nothing

When Socrates spoke,
They’d lend their ears.
Yet he knew nothing,
It plainly appears

He must have known,
More than he thought.
His words of wisdom,
Were widely sought.

He wisely taught,
That he knew nothing.
But people thought,
He was something.

In modern times,
I think the same.
And know as little,
My knowledge lame.

I know nothing,
And nothing more.
It closely matches,
My IQ score.

Nothing here,
And nothing there.
If it’s something I know,
Does anyone care?

Of nothing important,
I know quite a bit.
Of life and death,
I don’t know sh*t!

Category: OLD SPORT SHORTS (Page 48 of 68)

Old Sport Shorts: Turkey Bowl #746

Retirement is not without Hassles: Zebra Reunion #743

Retirement is not without Hassles: Sunday #742

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