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Monday, January 20, 2020

Earphones

I was never a fan of earphones, but started using them since I started at the Y. Everyone there has them. The cool people have the wireless earphones. Danny Downing has some he wears in the Peachtree Road Race. I would never do that. I did break down and ordered a cheap pair. We'll see how they work out.
 
Friday: BBQ lunch meeting. Lifted weights. Then drove Ceil to Perimeter Mall. While she was shopping I zipped over to Costoc for a$1.50 foot-long hot dog and soft drink. Checked out the back packs. Then to Goodwill. Then back to the mall to pick up Ceil.
 
Busy Saturday. Slept late, which was great. Bought a cashmere sweater and warm Braves pullover. Picked up my two Edwards pies from the focus group place - chocolate cream and peanut butter and chocolate. Also went down to Westside to the eyeglass place to get my glasses tightened. Also Taco Bell.
 
Ceil went to a baby shower for David Norman's wife Beth. The first Norman grandchild.
 
Met friends for dinner in East Cobb at Fresh to Go, across from Trader Joes and California Pizza Kitchen. Not my favorite place, but we had a good time. Had a turkey panini.
 
Got Super Bowl plans? We accepted an invitation to one party. Prediction: this means we will also get invited to another party, where the new Johnson Ferry pastor will be at. We'll see.
 
Sunday: not much from me. Didn't get to sleep as late as usual. Had to meet with my small group at 830. Met until 950 then went over to Sunday School. Then worship.
 
Matthew 5:18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. When new pastor Clay Smith read this he paused to remind everyone of his pet peeve: people calling the church "Johnson's Ferry" and how the "'s" needs to be removed.
 
Lunch was grilled chicken, black-eyed peas, tossed salad, and rice. Watched football and later the Hallmark Channel. Went to bed early. M worked.   
 
Over the years I've owned a red #16 Chiefs jersey, two red #8 Steve Young jerseys, a red #80 Jerry Rice jersey, and a red #32 OJ Simpson 49ers jersey. All have been sold.  
 
John Smoltz won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions yesterday, whatever that was. Won by 5 strokes over the usual celebrities and former athletes. Here are some that I recognized.
 
150 John Smoltz ATL P
130 Derek Lowe ATL P
126 Eric Gagne LAD P
124 Jack Wagner Hallmark Channel
121 Case Keenum MIN QB
118 Sterling Sharpe GB WR
115 Tim Wakefield BOS P
115 Justin Verlander HOU P
114 Josh Donaldson ATL 3B
113 David Wells NYY P
108 Larry Fitzgerald ARIZ WR
101 Tom Glavine ATL P
098 Greg Maddux ATL P
098 Brian McCann ATL C
098 Roger Clemens NYY P
095 Mark DeRosa ATL SS
047 Larry the Cable Guy
WD Grant Hill ATL Hawks owner
 
RALPH HOUK  [SABR Bio] was the first manager of the Denver Bears, who began in 1957 w/ Mgr Houk. Houk played for the PCL Angels. In addition to managing himself that year, he also managed 24 future major leaguers including six future All-Stars, two World Series MVP-winning pitchers and a Hall of Famer. The '55 Bears boasted future MLB players Johnny Blanchard, Mike Blyzka, Wally Burnette, Al Cicotte, Rip Coleman, Jim Fridley, Billy Hunter*, Woody Held, Whitey Herzog**, Darrell Johnson, Steve Kraly, Tony Kubek*, Johnny Kucab, Don Larsen, Jim McDonald, Johnny Pesky*, Herb Plews, Bobby Richardson*, Lou Skizas, Marlin Stuart, Ralph Terry*, Dick Tettlebach, Marv Throneberry and Jack Urban.
*MLB All-Star
**Hall of Famer (as a mgr.)
 
As a young player, Houk was signed out of high school by Branch Rickey after his American Legion team won a national championship, the same California high school where a Red Sox Hall of Famer had played earlier. Houk and 7 of his teammates from the 1942 American Legion team signed major league contracts. He initially signed w/ BRO out of Fremont High School, Los Angeles where Bobby Doerr had attended in the 1930's. A noted quotable manager, he once said that, "The worst thing is the day you realize you want to win more than the players do." Baseball legend (or… speculation) holds that if Houk had managed players who were more competitive, he'd today be in the Hall of Fame. There exist a plethora of quotes about him too, e.g., "(He) was known as a sharp tactician who loved the sacrifice bunt and the pinch hitter. His detractors faulted him for overmanaging and for giving more signs than the Coast Guard." Houk favored the base-to-base game, much less glamorous than Earl Weaver's approach.

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