The Lost Art

Scorekeeping: a lost art these days for sure. So glad I learned how to score basketball games. When Will played in high school I got plenty of practice. The coach liked me to keep the books because I charted assists and rebounds in addition to shots, both made and missed. But it got to the point where I like not working the scorer’s table so I could keep my own running score system (a little like yours) so I could write a game recap afterwards.

When I buy a ticket to a Braves game I usually get one in the upper deck behind the plate, where lots of older Braves fans have season tickets. Good loyal long time fans. Many keep score. This past year the people on both sides of me were interested in me, asking me lots of questions about why I’d chosen to sit there.

Article: the Hawks official scorekeeper has been at it for 57 years, since the late 1960’s. Says the team is cursed ever since they traded Lennie Wilkins for Walt Hazzard.

Hawks made it to Vegas to continue on in the tournament. The Grizzlies get a much needed break by not advancing.

NEWS: back in the late 1990’s when Will was a kid, a Braves employee gave him a life-sized Chipper Jones growth chart. A long time ago I put it for sale on eBay and pretty much forgot about it, as I don’t sell much on eBay any more. Every few months would lower the price. This week a guy made me an offer, and it sold for $90.00. A Christmas miracle.  

Never knew Reid Whitaker was an artist. That sketch with the rain was great. I bring mail to work, and the sketch got shuffled in with other mail until I opened it. Then I took it back home to show Ceil. She loved it too. I need to get into the habit of at least opening the mail at home, since I’m already sorting thru and throwing away the junk mail.

I usually get gas at the RaceTrac near work since I stop there every morning anyway. It is crowded in the morning with landscaping workers fueling up for the day – both gas and food and drinks. I see a few regulars, and know the employees. If I forget to get gas in the morning, I usually stop on the way home at the BP on the corner of Medlock Bridge and Spaulding. Gas is cheaper near work than in East Cobb. Usually I will fill up Ceil’s car at the BP across from Pine Straw Plaza, since it is closest to the house.

 I receive the informational emails about senior events at JFBC.

At both JFBC and North Point both Clay and Andy often ask people to not leave until the service is completed. So many use the end of the sermon as a time to stand up and walk out. BUT the good thing about North Point is they know how to not drag out the end of the service with a bunch of “…just one more thing” and “let me remind you of the announcement printed in the bulletin that we already reminded you of two times already”. Some churches will drag out the end of the service. It’s great to worship and praise, but all the “one thing after anothers” just turns people off.

HACK WILSON [SABR Bio] set an offensive record so far ahead of the pack that Babe Ruth predicted it would never be broken. In the offense-happy season of 1930, Wilson had 191 RBI (reported then as 190). Researchers later discovered the record had been underreported. MLB is hesitant to change any historically accepted number unless overwhelming evidence is submitted. Looks like this one whelmed sufficiently: Hack Wilson / MLB. Wilson’s 56 home runs in 1930 stood as the NL standard for 68 years, until both Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire broke it in 1998.