Political Rally

Herschel had an appearance this afternoon just a block from my office, so I stopped by on the way home. 

Pretty decent crowd for Friday afternoon at 6 pm. Right on Peachtree Industrial between Spaulding and South Berkeley Lake, at the Asian Pacific American Community Center. A diverse gathering of many nationalities and ages.

After the Pledge of Allegiance, a moving opening prayer, and a local candidate made opening remarks, the big red bus rolled and and Herschel popped out. He gave an engaging speech without notes, first giving credit to God, mixing in several stories as well as a couple of jokes.  

Before Herschel arrived I overheard staffers pointing out where the photo op line would be, so I stationed myself in position to be first in that line. After the speech an old dude broke in ahead of me, so I was second. That allowed me to get home ahead of the crowd.

Had a chili cookoff at work today. Also two different dips, chips, cookies, crackers, cupcakes, and soft drinks. I brought a crockpot with Ceil’s million-dollar grass-fed low-fat beef chili. Hand chopped and grilled peppers and onions.

Shivonne ate at Chickfila yesterday.

Braves bits: Soroka is out for the year. Not sure if Albies can return for the playoffs. Acuna was scratched from last night’s lineup. Ian Anderson continues to struggle in Triple A. Jansen is far from lights out as a closer. Luke Jackson has missed the entire season. Yet the Braves remain a game and a half out of first place, on track to win a hundred games. Trade deadline pickup Robbie Grossman has been a valuable addition. The Braves have drawn three million fans for the first time in 22 years.

Yesterday was the first day of fall. After today schools are going on Fall Break.

Beatles bits: when he was ten years old, Paul McCartney won a prize for his essay on the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. As a boy he sang in the choir at church. His dad was a musician, but wanted his son to talk piano lessons to learn the right way. After Paul agreed to join John Lennon’s band The Quarrymen (named after Lennon’s high school), Paul went off to Boy Scout camp before his first appearance with the group. On bus rides to school Paul developed a friendship with the son of the bus driver, a younger boy named George Harrison. George attended Quarrymen concerts, and his superior guitar playing eventually landed him a spot in the Quarrymen as well, despite his youthful age and appearance. John’s constant scowl was actually a squint, as he had bad vision. Only when Buddy Holly popularize eyeglasses did Lennon start wearing them.

JACKIE ROBINSON [SABR Bio] was the first major league player depicted on a U.S. postage stamp. Robinson’s stamp was issued on 02-Aug-1982. He has been on U.S. stamps more than any other player: 1999, 2000. He was the first player to win the Rookie of the Year Award at one position, then MVP at another. He was the first ever ROY following the 1947 season for his play at first base. He was the NL MVP in 1949 as a second baseman. Jackie was briefly on the UCLA swim team, as well as baseball, football, basketball, and track & field. 

DENISON: SF QB Trey Lance fractured his right ankle and had season-ending surgery. Lance posted on Instagram, sharing an image from his hospital bed and quoting Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” On Twitter he calls himself a “child of God” before he describes himself as the “49ers QB”. Lance toldYahoo! Sports, “Football is not who I am, it’s what I do. I’m obviously going to put everything possible into it because that’s what I love to do. But at the end of the day, I think God put that in my plan to use it as my platform.”

Friday night movie. Filmed in Texas. Sandra Bullock's production company's first feature film. Directed by Forrest Whitaker. Young Mae Whitman plays Sandra's daughter.