Reid Turns 90

We had a great day yesterday at Reid’s 90th birthday luncheon. I wanted to just hang out with Reid, but felt like I’d better talk to the others there as well. Even Ceil said she had a great time. I should’ve taken more photos, but just wasn’t in the mood. Claire took a ton.

Reid Edie Claire Andrew Megan Liza Caroline Abby John & Margaret Condra Rev & Mrs Sapp George, me and Ceil, plus one other couple. When we arrived Liza came up and introduced herself. Once Abby warmed up to me, she gave me a hug. Megan sang a beautiful song, and later helped C when C spilt the contents of her purse. Reid held up the amazing map of his daily walks ever since the SPdL FLC opened some 35 years ago - far enough to cover the distance from Atlanta to Destin, then west to San Diego, north to Seattle, and back east to Chicago - and counting (above).

I bet most of the people there wanted to speak, to give tribute to Reid. Edie did a great job. I knew he didn’t want anything “funny” from me. I didn’t write anything down, but had in mind several serious things to say – but Edie covered those things better than I could have. I was able to have nice chats with Claire, Margaret, John, and Andrew. Ceil got to talk Taqueria recipes with George, who told me that to him, I am “Anna’s father”.

Of course I ate too much. Great food. Chips, salsa, queso, lemon enchiladas, and tacos made to order – chicken or ground beef. Edie brought three desserts. Didn’t eat any supper.

When we left Taqueria we took Briarcliff / Moreland all the way to I-20, then west to W&MC’s. Ceil was playing a John Piper sermon on our drive. At one point it didn’t seem like the point in his sermon to go from laid back to really preaching excitedly, but Piper’s speaking went from slow to more emphatic. Piper was speaking faster and faster – then I realized Ceil had accidentally hit something to make the recording to play faster.

Arrived at W&MC’s at 4 pm. Will was at work and MC had to pack for her trip to DC (Jenna Bush is attending her event tomorrow). We watched the movie “Happy Feet” with the girls, played, fed them supper, and gave them a bath. Didn’t get home until 9 pm.

Up early to go to the gym this morning. Cruddy drive to work in the dark and rain.

A must read: Jeff Hullinger reports: A former Tech player has curated a museum in honor of Bill Curry. (below).

Rabbi says there is no red heifer suited for the ceremony of third temple in Israel. If so, this means the end times are not quite as imminent as they could be.

It’s hard to imagine all the pure evil that’s going on in the world around us, but some stories provide a small glimpse, like: The Most Evil Man In Evangelicalism.

How to Wear a Sweater Vest.

Simple Ways to Relieve Stress and Anxiety.

Denison: the Westminster Shorter Catechism states, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” The former leads to the latter.

Top ten players (by WAR) whose last name has never been duplicated in MLB history AND whose first name has likewise never been matched by any other player on any major league roster. Full list here.

Player                  WAR

Shin-Soo Choo.....34.6

Harlond Clift.........42.1

Gavy Cravath.......33.0

Jacoby Ellsbury...31.2

Topsy Hartsel.......31.3

Orel Hershiser.....56.0

Dolf Luque...........48.1

Firpo Marberry.....30.6

Vada Pinson........54.2

Urban Shocker....58.6

Most Bunt Singles

Mickey Mantle retired with the most bunt singles in history. Sixty years later, he is still ranked tenth.

1. 189 Brett Butler 29 in 1992

2. 91 Rod Carew

3. Ichiro Suzuki

4. Maury Wills

5. Bert Campaneris

6. Pete Rose

7. Juan Pierre

8. Lou Brock

9. Kenny Lofton

10. Mickey Mantle had 7 in the World Series

Reading the national bestseller “DOPESICK: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America” by Beth Macy. How a drug company bribed doctors and politicians to prescribe addictive opiates in Appalachia, the inner cities, and eventually suburbia. Same thing now is happening with “weight loss” drugs like Ozempic. A Danish company’s drug is banned dangerous in their own country, but they’re paying US politicians to allow it in America.

Asthma inhalers. I have saved of five or six inhalers in case I were to need one some day, though I haven’t needed one in years. I am forwarding them on to Matthew, who still struggles with coughing and breathing sometimes.

I did have several old pair of my glasses and readers stashed here and there. I might’ve gotten rid of a few of them. Used to have a pair of drug store readers that I loved. Man lately my eyes have been dry. My eyes ain’t what they used to be, especially in my right eye after that “stroke” that I had in my eye several years ago. Hard to read with that eye, and I can’t see a baseball thrown to me. On Monday Will was strapping his girls into the car and grabbed a football and threw it to me. I really had to concentrate. Hard for me to hear in crowds as well. A couple of my friends already wear hearing aids. Will probably be in my future at some point.

One of my many bad habits / hobbies is entering sweepstakes while sitting around watching TV at night. I try to pass on those hard to enter. I look for cars, cash $10000 & over, trips to Europe, Japan, Alaska, Disney, or other interesting places, and maybe other prizes that look fun. Here are a few recent ones that I have stumbled across.

Disneyland Sweepstakes

Ireland Sweepstakes

Hawaii Sweepstakes

Bedroom Makeover Sweepstakes

$25000 Sweepstakes

Ft Myers Sweepstakes

Travel Sweepstakes

Ever see the commercials about the people who start acting like their parents after becoming homeowners? I have a coworker who acts exactly like those people in the commercial.

CHRISTY MATHEWSON  [SABR Bio] was denied the chance to pitch in his first World Series because of a personal grudge. The New York Giants cruised to 106 wins in 1904, with 33 of those wins belonging to Mathewson. But because of acrid relationship between NYG manager John McGraw and AL Founder/President Ban Johnson, no postseason games were held that year. His streak of 12 straight 20-win seasons is the longest in the 20th century. From 1903 through 1914, Big Six never won fewer than 22 games, with a .710 winning percentage, averaged 323 innings a year, and an ERA barely over 2.00. He avoided pitching on Sundays, in accordance with his mother’s wishes.

DENISON: In the book The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West, technology billionaire Alexander C. Karp and his deputy Nicholas W. Zamiska warn “abandonment of belief” has “left us unable to confront issues with moral clarity” and “an aspirational desire for tolerance of everything has descended into support of nothing”.

DENISON: a Gallup poll shows that only 22% of Americans are satisfied with the nation’s “moral and ethical climate.” Do we need to turn to religion in response?

Luke 7:1-10 Temptations to Sin:

1. Jesus said to his disciples” Temptations are sure to come. woe to the one through whom they come!

2. It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast in to the sea than should he cause one of these little ones to stumble.

3. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.

4. If he sins against you seven times in one day, and turns to you seven times, saying I repent, you must forgive him.

5. The apostles said to Jesus: Increase our faith!

6. Jesus said If you had the faith of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree “Be uprooted and planted in the sea” and it would obey you.

7. Will any of you who plowed fields or kept sheep say to him when he comes in from the field “Come at once and recline at the table”?

8. Will he not rather say to him “Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink”?

9. Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?

10. So you also, when you do all that you were commanded, say “We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty”.

R.I.P. Joe Suggs

Joe Suggs passed away this week. What a character. Younger brother of my friends Rob and Steve (and Jim). Joe was at Mercer when I worked for his father Jim Suggs at Sepco from 1983-1987. I can’t believe it’s been nine years since I met up with him to catch up. Read more about his interesting life, and his “relationship” with Jay Leno.

I watched the legendary extra inning July 4th Braves / Mets game at the Suggs house with Rob, Steve, Joe, and Franc Neal, when Rick Camp hit his famous two strike, two out game tying home run to extend the game. I went to a Braves game a few years ago with Rob. Back at Tech, I wore Steve’s tux to take Cathy Stephens to the Walton prom at the World Congress Center.

Joe was rarely seen without his signature Braves cap. In college in the early 80’s he owned an authentic wool 1969 Clete Boyer wool Braves pinstripe jersey, quite the rarity in those days. Nine years ago I asked him if he still had the jersey, but he wasn’t sure where it was. One more amazing thing about Joe: his backyard animal friends would come up and feed out of his hand. Amazing.

Jane Warren was particularly rocked by Joe’s passing. Jane was best friends with Lynn Lemmons, Joe’s longtime high school girlfriend. Lynn is currently undergoing chemo. Joe Suggs will be missed. Some great stories about Joe from friends on his Facebook.

It used to be that when something bad happened, people would say they would be praying for you. Then a few years ago that changed to “I’m sending thoughts and prayers”. When the whole “thoughts and prayers” thing started, I knew what would happen. Now people say “I’m sick – please send me your good thoughts”. Does that really help? Do people actually think about what they are saying?

Reminds me of a verse we discussed this week: Luke 17:3: “Pay attention to yourselves!” My ex-friend Paul should take heed.

Last night I worked past 6 pm. Had a discussion with my boss about the issues with my job. He’s already wanting me to stay on for 20 hours a week. I asked what would be taken away, considering my current job is 60+ hours a week.

Ceil was worn out on the couch when I got home. I plopped down and we both fell asleep. At 745 she finally cooked some stir fry.

Up early this AM to play golf. So nice that I had to pull off my quarter zip. Arrived “late” and didn’t tee off until 645 am.

1. Mulligan was good. Third attempt at a fairway shot was good. A so so chip. Great lag putt. Double.

2. Worm burner off tee got a decent roll. Chip was a wormburner that rolled off the back of the green. There was a guy playing behind me, so I didn’t hit as many shots.

3. Tee shot drifted left. Two decent chips.

4. Tee shot drifted left. Cruddy chip followed by a better one.

5. Great 7 iron off tee to the front fringe. Poor lag putts.

4. Doubled back behind the guy behind me, to play 4 and 5 again - only to find another guy playing the 3rd hole. Chip didn’t look good, but it rolled to the fringe. Two putt for bogey.

5. Another decent tee shot to the front of the green. Two poor chips. So so lag putt from the rough. Two putt. Double.

6. Great hybrid off the tee, to the 150 yard marker. Great 6 iron to the front off the green - shot of the day. Then a pretty good chip. Couldn’t sink the par putt. Bogey.

7. Another great hybrid, most of the way up the hill. Flub, then a 7 iron to the left rough. Bad chip followed by a good chip. Decent lag putt. Double.

8. Didn’t hit the driver great. Not sure where it went. With the golfer behind me, I kept playing. Great 8 iron to the back of the green. I hadn’t realized it had had made the green, so I dropped a ball and executed a great chip. “Par”.

9. A good straight hybrid off the tee. An okay chip to the right of the sloped green. Tried to putt out of the rough. Bad idea. “Double”.

Finished at 750 am. Tonight the time changes, so no more weekday morning rounds for several weeks.

Drove to the office to catch up on some work. By working extra, I am less stressed during the week. That’s what I tell myself anyway.

Spelling: my company has recently added “AI” autofill to our email, where it suggests the word you are trying to type. In some cases it will autocorrect a misspelling. But I rarely notice because I am looking down at my fingers typing on the keyboard. Then when I am done typing I will look up and sometimes catch a misspelled word. I can not ever see me asking AI to write for me. I enjoy writing too much. Back in high school I made an A in typing, then I rarely typed until like 25 years later when I got a computer. Now I type with just one finger on each hand, staring down at the keyboard. I’m not super fast but maybe not too slow.

Denison on the Department of Education: Reagan campaigned on dismantling it the following year, and seeing the department dissolved back into its disparate elements has been a goal for many ever since. States pay for 90% of education expenses.

Bryson & Brady

Watched a video of Bryson DeChambeau and Tom Brady trying to break 50. Brady wasn't much help, but he did ask Bryson some good questions. Many questions that Bryson and the cameraman asked Brady, Tom would later ask Bryson the same question. I might've heard that Bryson is turning down millions from LIV to return to the PGA tour. Bryson said that since he is on a LIV team he wears the team cap, instead of the derby he used to wear like Byron Nelson and Payne Stewart and others.

Tuesday: worked through lunch, then past 6 pm. Stopped by Dollar Tree on the way home. C hadn't been feeling well but fixed baked chicken, baked potatoes, broccoli, and salad. I went up to bed around 945 pm.

Wednesday: wanted to play golf as the temp was 52 degrees, but in the middle of the night my back started aching bad. Couldn't go to the gym so I came in to work early. Another day full of stress. Ny boss's boss's boss wanted to know why something hadn't been done – it's because I am up to my ears trying to keep our customer from shutting down. When I was asked why, this was my quick reply…

I am buried with other work. VMI still is waiting on 5 parts so they can rec. Dennis is out today so I have to enter the 44 PO's so VMI can rec. Got a hot PO at Georgia Plating. Need to give five PO's to Collier. Got to answer purchasing about something. Need to enter several SIOP requests. Brad is waiting on me so Feb shipments can bill. I haven't told Mowbrey what did and didn't ship. The plant is waiting for me to update an order. I got the Fanello call. Need to tell stampers what to ship tomorrow. Plus lots more.

Used to be people would stay in one job their entire career. Nowadays young people hop from job to job. WANT TO KNOW WHY? It is because when you get in a job you might get promoted once or twice, but eventually you plateau, and the company is happy to keep you stuck in the same job year after year.

I had many reasons why I've stayed in my job for so long. I've been able to do many things, but basically for the past 19 years I've been stuck in the same position. My company is thrilled that I do the very difficult job that I do. To say that I am taken for granted is a huge understatement.

It's hard to not care as much about doing a good job. Seems like the only way to not be given more work is to do a bad job. When the weather warms I will be playing golf in the morning once or twice during the week. Dang time change is coming at just the wrong time.

The whole world is set up to go go go go and busy busy busy. It's a constant fight to dial back. Believe it or not, I am better than many people at not being so busy.

Thursday: worked past 6 pm. Ceil fixed BBQ, cole slaw, spinach with onions, and roasted French fries.

Friday: lifted weights at the gym this morning. I've lost a couple of pounds, but have a long way to go.

It was great that C was available to babysit so much when she was needed last week. Wished I could've helped out more than I did. As was the case last week, oftentimes I have to take over some of the other commitments Ceil had. Other people rarely see that.

OREL HERSHISER  [SABR Bio] holds the record for most consecutive scoreless innings pitched. On 28-Sep-1988, Hershiser broke the record set by Don Drysdale 30 years earlier. Hershiser's 59 straight scoreless innings bested Drysdale's mark of 58-2/3. He dropped out of college after failing to make the baseball team as a freshman, but later hitchhiked back to Bowling Green to resume his studies. He was the 1988 NLCS MVP for LAD and the 1995 ALCS MVP for CLE.

Denison: when politics replaces religion: The Hill called Democrats' actions "an extraordinary display of partisan scuffling even by the standards of the polarized modern era."

Affairs of the Heart Rate

Believe it or not, lately I have been concerned about my heart rate. Currently 76 which isn’t too bad. But lately its been over 80. This morning I woke up, laid in bed for a few minutes. Stood up out of bed and then checked my heart rate. Over 100. Seemed high for the circumstances. At 5:30 this morning I was googling resting heart rate info. Evidently 70-100 is normal. Lower than 60 could cause concern, though elite athletes will have low heart rates. Usually my blood pressure is on the low side.

This morning on my walk at the gym my average heart rate was 113. Need to get it up higher. One article said that to lower resting heart rate you need to cut out caffeine. I drink my daily Mtn Dew in the morning, and yesterday also had a small Mtn Dew on the way home, plus sipped on a Coke Zero. More caffeine than normal. But I am having a few minor chest pains from all the stress at work, so I am trying to remain calm and take more breaks.

 Caffeine – my free daily soft drinks at RaceTrac goes all the way thru Dec 31. Maybe then I can wean myself off soft drinks. I am not a big water drinker.

I joined a men’s small Bible Study group that meets weekly. That means that if at all possible, I plan on attending every meeting. It’s not optional in my book - I plan on going whether I feel like it or not. And every time I go, I am glad that I went, like last night. When we started our leader mentioned how he liked for us to start on time. I try to be early. When my group started it was originally supposed to be on Tuesday nights, but then it was changed to Wednesday. I didn’t originally think about it, but that meant this winter I missed my monthly Hot Stove meetings in Nov, Jan, Feb, and March. Hated missing, but I had a previous commitment – my small group. Next year I’ll try to get in a group that doesn’t meet on Wednesdays.

Ceil had told our Sunday School teacher Brian that she wanted to finally join JFBC (we never moved our membership from SPdL). We had gone to a JF membership class back in 2023 but C has yet to fill out the form, which really is just two easy questions. I filled out the form in 2023 but saved it, waiting on Ceil. Last week I finally sent my form to Brian. Still waiting on Ceil. Would be good to be a member if I ever go on a mission trip.

Speaking of JFBC, last Friday at the BBQ dinner I ran into Danny Downing. He’s looking good. My son in law Caleb used to work as intern for Danny in the JFBC recreation department.

I am not big on Ash Wednesday, though I’ve seen one or two coworkers over the years come to work with ash on their foreheads.

Last Tuesday C cooked ALL Day getting ready for our dinner with our friends from India. Wore her out. She always cooks all organic grass fed healthy food. She made a big pot of Mexican rice, and only 25% was eaten. We still have some in the fridge over a week later.

Wednesday: worked until 545. Stopped by RaceTrac and Taco Bell on the way to small group. Luke 16 & 17. Lazarus and the rich man.

Thursday: another rough day. This job sure is hard. So many things to remember. Spinning my wheels. They keep saying they are going to take work off me, but month after month its still all on my plate.

Denison on the US / Ukraine negotiations.

Pitching for DET in 1968, DENNY McLAIN [SABR Bio] set the record for wins in the Expansion Era with 31, making the cover of TIME magazine. Then in 1971, he led the majors with 22 losses for WSA’s last year in Washington. Time featured his story in their 13-Sep issue after his 29th win. He played for ATL in 1972. He led the majors for three straight seasons in home runs surrendered, giving up 42, 35, & 31 from 1966-68. He remained in the headlines long after his playing days. Watch here.

Before I forget: new strategy to make up for missing my Feb 28 blog post. Instead of making 32 posts in March,I'll make 31 posts in both March and April. If I remember.

Culture Change

Tuesday morning at the East Cobb YMCA something happened that bugged me. I usually aren’t a big talker when I work out, though I will nod and say hello to the people around me. I say hello and goodbye to the ladies at the front desk, and chat a little with them. I try to stay out of people’s way as they work out, to give them their space. I don’t plop down on a machine and stare at my phone like some do. Today I was on the end treadmill, closest to the front door, so I could see people coming and going. There were several open treadmills to my left.

An Indian man came in, and walked past over to the weightlifting area. He never speaks or nods to anyone, which is okay. A few minutes later a mother came in with her two daughters, aged about 11 and 14. They were headed back around me to the treadmills when the Indian man barged past them, and got on the treadmill two down from me. He just about knocked one of the daughters to the ground. I should have said something. In some cultures men look at women and children as s lower class than men. We don’t need to let that be the case here in the United States. Since there were no longer three open treadmills in a row thanks to the rude Indian man, the mother and her daughters had to turn around and use three treadmills facing the other way. Might not have been a big deal to them and they may have not realized what had happened, but it was still sad.

Probably would have been a good morning to play golf. But I had been out yesterday so I figured I’d better arrive on time to catch up. Sure enough my teammates had to work late on Monday because the customer order came in hours later than usual – and then it still didn’t deliver Tuesday morning. Started the day with 91 emails (58 unread). Took 2-1/2 hours to get down to 28 emails – the ones that will require more research to resolve. Man all this stress sure makes me want to eat. Finished the day with 24.

Sunday afternoon I pulled out the lawnmower. All the winds on Saturday blew down thousands of those little prickly gumball things. Could hardly see the driveway and yard. Very dusty. By the time I was finished my black outfit was covered in dirt. Will need to get up more next weekend.

Sunday night Ceil fixed ground beef with grilled peppers and onions, with roasted potatoes and broccoli. Good stuff.  

Charlie Woods struggled in a junior tournament this past weekend, against top competition. Video of his round.   

Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan were presenters at the Academy Awards. Conan called Crystal the greatest host in Oscar history.

Denison on the Oscars: the Atlantic headlined, “The Oscars Have Left the Mainstream Moviegoer Behind.” NPR reports that the more popular the movie, the less likely it is to win awards. One critic alleges that Hollywood’s pivot to “woke” content and advocacy has “killed the Oscars.” Many in Hollywood haven’t gotten the message. They know, as actor Gabriel Basso said recently in criticizing politics in his industry, that they’re “there to entertain” and that their work makes no appreciable difference in the world on its own merits. Denison: “I believe it grieves God deeply when movies lambast biblical faith and glorify sexual immorality, antisemitism, and self-reliant egotism. But it glorifies him when movies promote people and stories that honor him and advance his kingdom”.

Pitchers with the most recent thirty-win seasons

Pitcher                     W in Year  Team   WAR

Pete Alexander.......30 in 1917...PHI.....119.6

Jim Bagby...............31 in 1920...CLE..... 30.8

Jack Chesbro..........41 in 1904...NYY.....42.7

Jack Coombs..........31 in 1910...PHA.....26.7

Dizzy Dean..............30 in 1934...STL......46.2

Lefty Grove.............31 in 1931...PHA.....106.8

Walter Johnson......36 in 1913...WSH....166.9

Christy Mathewson 37 in 1908...NYG.....106.7

Joe McGinnity.........35 in 1904...NYG..... 59.0

Denny McLain.........31 in 1968...DET...... 19.3

Ed Walsh.................40 in 1908...CHW..... 66.5

Smoky Joe Wood....34 in 1912...BOS...... 40.2

Cy Young................32 in 1902...BOS.....163.6