Falcon QB Dennis Claridge

I never knew: Falcons QB Dennis Claridge was their best QB during the 1966 expansion season, though the team was dead set on making number one draft pick Randy Johnson the face of the franchise. A favorite of head coach Norb Hecker, Claridge served as Bart Starr’s backup in Green Bay before Hecker drafted the former Nebraska Cornhusker in the expansion draft. After the 1966 season Claridge asked to be traded, then kept turning down trades to the Saints, Bears, Lions, and other teams. An informative video, but not the greatest presentation. As with many young sports fans, this guy is prone to exaggeration. The story could’ve been half as long, if not shorter. Great highlights. My accountant friend Rob shared this with me.

Thursday for lunch a grabbed a burger and fries from Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar. Worked until almost six. Ate a leftover burger and fries for supper. Watched Jeopardy. Watched the Red Sox edge the Royals. I’m enjoying watching more baseball lately, and listening to the announcers, particularly Francoeur and Smoltz. Not a fan of the Red Sox bright yellow and blue uniforms. Boston had former Brave Adam Duval, who had a big night. Also two former Braves relievers. Was looking for former Braves on KC but didn’t spot any.

A good trade strategy would be to build up a minor leaguer and have a bobblehead night for him. Then everyone will think he is a top prospect, and will bring value in trade. Seems like the Braves have done that at least once, with a kid they traded to KC. He might’ve gotten hurt in spring training.

Lifted weights at the gym Friday morning. A rainy drive to work. Lunch from Checkers: BBQ bacon chicken sandwich.

Pet peeve: grown-ass people asking a question, but not using a question mark at the end of the sentence. Is that a cool dude young person thing? Reflects poorly on them, on their employer, on the college they graduated from. These days young people might suffer from anxiety when bombarded with a question with a question mark at the end, felling pressure to have to answer (though often they don’t). Asking a question without using a question mark is a demand: tell me what I want to know.

DENISON: I need to make a confession: when news outlets first began reporting on the Hawaii wildfires on Maui, I should have prayed for a miracle, but did not. I prayed for the safety of those affected by this devastation and for the families of those killed by the inferno. While answers to such prayers could be classified as miracles—extraordinary events manifesting divine intervention in human affairs—I did not ask God to intervene by stopping the wildfires themselves. I did not ask God to supersede the laws of nature, as Jesus did when he stilled the stormy Sea of Galilee. I did not ask him to calm the hurricane-force winds fueling the conflagration, send torrential rain to douse the flames, or otherwise act to stop the wildfires. Did you? We should.