April Fools

On April Fool’s Day, who is your favorite sports fool? Some of mine: The San Diego Chicken. Bob Uecker. Blooper. Bill Murray. I was never a big Max Patkin fan.

The NFL will start including the records and stats from the old All America Conference, won by the Browns all four years of existence. The USFL featured many great players, including future NFL hall of famers Reggie White, Steve Young, Jim Kelly, and Gary Zimmerman. Also other great defenders like Sam Mills, Jim LeClair, Gary Barbaro, and Marcus Quinn. If the NFL were to include USFL stats, Herschel Walker’s total rushing, receiving, & return yards would be the most in history, topping the NFL leader Jerry Rice.

And the NFL is now letting teams wear throwback uniforms for 4 games instead of three. There’s a good chance the Falcons will wear their throwbacks in half their home games this season. I wish more teams would be like the 49ers and have home and road throwbacks. 

The new head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies credits Lang with helping with his basketball development.  I watched Lang’s popcorn video. I need to learn how to pop corn in a pot on the stove, with oil. So good. The hot air popper is healthy, but you got to spray on the butter and sprinkle on the salt and seasonings. I am not in Lang’s league. I quit eating popcorn in an effort to cut out snacks. I have eaten more than my share of popcorn over the years.

I’m ready to start moving some more stuff into “my” new study. Wore my Sonic the hedgehog socks with my Nike Craters.

A good small group session Wednesday night. Just as we finished, my Apple watch started buzzing with texts from coworkers about the Braves game. I was talking to the guys so I couldn’t look at my watch. Then I was on the phone with Ceil all the way home. Then I had to walk Winnie, then go gas up Ceil’s car. Then bed.

Thursday: up early to lift weights at the gym. Rough day at work. Emergencies plus all the extra busy work I have to do. After we worked thru lunch yesterday I was asked if I was leaving an hour early. Guess people don’t understand how much work I have to do.

Romans 13: engaging culture. “Those governing authorities that exist have been instituted by God, so whoever resists authorities resists what God has appointed. Those who resist will incur judgement”.

Former longtime coworker Ashley’s husband passed away from cancer this week. He was only 39. They’d been high school sweethearts. Left behind two young daughters.

 21:1-4 the widow’s offering: 1. Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering. 2. He saw a poor widow put in two copper coins. 3. Jesus said Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4. They all contributed out of abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.

Update: the Braves wore their home opener last night, so today I'll keep wearing my blue Braves / Coors Light leisure shirt for a second day.

Restaurant Week

Sunday on the way home from Costco we passed by Roasters in Sandy Springs. I pointed it out to Ceil, but she didn’t seem interested. On that same trip I noticed that how my plant is on Old Peachtree. As you head west Old Peachtree changes to Spaulding, which forks into Mt Vernon, which later forks into Johnson Ferry – which crosses Hwy 120, the road my street deadends into. I’m a nerd for stuff like that.

After CiCi’s for lunch on Monday, I worked till 630, then only ate a few cookies for supper. Watched the Grizzlies vs Celtics, The Neighborhood, and Elsbeth. Forgot to post to my blog – the second straight month I forgot to do so on the last day of the month. Hate it when I do that.

Tuesday: skipped the gym. Left work at 540. Swung by Taco Bell for their dollar deal of the week, a tiny toasted chicken taco that normally costs $3.75. Hardly worth the dollar, but it ate. Ceil fixed grass fed steak and organically grown peppers, jasmine rice, and an organic salad. Not much on TV but I followed the Grizzlies on my phone.

A&C went to Taqueria Tuesday night, and ate at the bar. Rich Morris was working that station, so A&C got to chat with him. I sent Anna the old photo of Rich and Lang visiting me and Ceil at the hospital when Will was born.

Wednesday: up early to hit the gym. Stopped by Cozy Coop on the way to work. They have a weekday deal where you get a free bacon, egg, & cheese biscuit with any purchase, so I bought a plain biscuit as well. Better than McDonalds or Wendys. If I stopped by there every morning I would die. Interesting that bacon egg & cheese biscuits were about the same price as McDonalds. Thought they’d be more expensive.

With two team members out, the boss brought in lunch from the Duluth Diner. I had a delicious chicken cheesesteak. One coworker is off this week, so I’ve got extra work to do. Also supposed to help my boss with a project. Another coworker’s wife has covid. They seem to get covid at least once a year, even though they get annual flu shots and booster vaccines. I have yet to get covid, though I never get flu shots and haven’t received any booster vaccines (my secret: vitamins, cross training, eating mostly fresh, non-processed food, and plenty of rest/sleep). Hope I don’t jinx myself.

Our lobby at work has a new video playing, describing what we do in Norcross. There’s a super short clip of me. Some fun facts: 300 employees, 800,000 square feet of warehouse space, 100+ trucks coming and going each day. We ship 1,500,000 pounds of steel a day. We process metal on 3 burn tables, 12 saws, 9 tube lasers, 3 tube mills, 2 tube benders, 2 cut to length lines, 2 plate saws, 2 shears, and a slitter. Stop by and I’ll take you on a tour. Worth the trip just to meet Roger.

Studied hard for small group. Our teacher is sick, so I had to lead. Big shoes to fill. Stay tuned for what happened. 

Thursday: cashed in the Wendy's double stack deal.

Now reading the Malcolm Gladwell book “Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering”. Next I guess I’ll have to go back and read Tipping Point. Learned that at one point in history the cheetah population was very likely reduced down to a single pregnant female. Her offspring were forced to mate with each other, so all cheetahs in the world today have the same common ancestor.

Article: The Rapture And The Second Coming do not go hand in hand. Now you know.

Denison with more details about the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Because truth is unpopular does not mean that it should not be proclaimed.” —Billy Graham.

Saw where Drew and Nancy Kelly went to the Mercer concert.

The Brave Yankee

No team has ever started the season 0-7 and then rallied to make the playoffs. But remember, no team had ever made the playoffs with so many starters missing so many games – until the Braves did it last year.

Question: as a Mercer fan should you be disappointed if they lose 60-0 in Tuscaloosa to the University of Alabama?

2025 payrolls:

330.5 Dodgers

323.1 Mets

212.8 Braves rank 8th (includes 45.8M for injured players)

I’m not going to waste time expecting the Braves to be able to compete against teams that pay tens of millions to every reliever in their bullpen. Kinda like college sports with NIL and the transfer portal. We’ll see how it all shakes out in September. Atlanta’s GM is the most proactive in MLB, but he can only do so much. Snitker was managing last night like the 7th game of the World Series. Easy to second guess. Not worth it to get all worked up about a loss on April 2. 

The Braves can finish in last place for all I care. I’ll still be a fan. I’m not going to complain.

After being swept by the Padres, the Braves put a starting pitcher on the disabled list, and suspended their new free agent left fielder for using steroids. So now they’re missing two starting outfielders and two starting pitchers. No one should expect much success this week against the Dodgers, the best team that money can buy. Everyone forgets that last year the Braves made the playoffs despite so many injuries: Acuna, Strider, Riley, Albies, Harris, Murphy, etc. Plus Fried had an off year, and didn’t show for the playoffs. Hard to just say, “yeah, but they should’ve won anyway” when they had to cobble together a roster of replacements they found on the scrap heap – guys who’d been cut by lesser teams.

I have only watched parts of two Braves games. The GM AA has already made at least three roster moves, and it is only April 2. Freddie Freeman was back in the lineup after tweaking his surgically repaired ankle at home when slipping in the shower.

According to MLB, the Braves were going to wear their red-billed home caps on the road, and not wear their all navy caps at all any more. Well they’re wearing the all navy caps already. I’m sure you noticed.

Yankees use of those new torpedo bats has baseball buzzing. The Braves ordered a batch. Aaron Judge tied the record of most home runs in March. It must be the topedo bats - who knew he could be a power hitter? I need me some torpedo golf clubs. Yankees changed their logo to include the torpedo bat. Last night the Yankees debuted a new torpedo glove: super big to catch more flies.

Are you going to watch the Augusta National Women’s Amateur golf tournament this week? I’m rooting for Stanford’s Rachel Heck, a military veteran. Loved her in The Middle. Almost time to compile our Masters 10+10 lists.

JOHNNY BENCH  [SABR Bio] is the only catcher to lead the majors in home runs for a season and then do it a second time. Bench led the NL (and MLB) in 1970 with 45 HR and in 1972 with 40. Only a handful of catchers have ever led the majors in homers once. Bench was NL MVP in 1970 & 1972. The Cubs’ Billy Williams came in second both those years. Bench’s MLB-leading RBI seasons were ’70 & ’72 with 148 & 125, as well as 1974 with 129. His childhood friends nicknamed him “Hands”. He could hold 7! baseballs with one hand.

Denison: Roman Catholic bishop Robert Barron, in a First Things article titled “It’s Always Open Season on Christianity,” writes: “…the elite media can be counted on to write pieces debunking Christianity precisely at the holiest time in the Christian calendar.”

John 12:42-43: Many even of the authorities believed in Jesus, but for fear of the Pharisees did not confess it, so they would not be cast out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.  

…that’s what I think of sometimes when I’m scrolling through social media posts.

Update: My Bracket

I successfully picked 85.8% of the NCAA tourney, the same as Dick Vitale and better than Stephen A Smith’s 74.7% and Hannah Storm’s 72.6%. More than Scott Van Pelt and Mike Greenberg and Jason Kelce. I picked the Final Four, though since all four #1 seeds advanced, so did over a million others. I am third in my office pool, out of nine. Both the guys ahead of me also picked Duke to win, so third is where I will finish.  

Golf Saturday morning. I wanted to recap my round to remember all the good shots I hit. I’m improving right when the course is closing down. I teed off at 7 am. 

1. Tee shot faded left. Great 6 iron. Chip took off right. Lag putts weren’t good. Double.

2. Decent 6 iron off tee. Poor chips. Double.

3. Mulligan got a great roll to the fringe. Lags weren’t that great. Bogey.

4. Great 6 iron onto the green, with a lightball ball (which doesn’t carry as far). Two putt for par.

5. Hit both my tee shots onto the green, both lightup balls. Glorious. Lags weren’t the greatest. Bogey.

6. Hit a great hybrid past all the rough, near the 150 yard marker. Flubbed two lightup balls with my 5 irons, then rocketed my third attempt to the distant fringe. I was putting for birdie. Missed, so I had to settle for a par.

7. Hit another good hybrid, most of the way up the hill. Then two 5 irons that weren’t the greatest. I was under a tree, so I pulled out my 3 iron to hit a low shot, knowing it was too much club. Hit a nice shot, but wasn’t surprised when it rolled off the side of the green. Call it a double.

8. Hit an okay drive. Hit an 8 iron onto the green, though it settled at the opposite end of the hole. Long lags. Bogey.

9. My tee shot felt good but I couldn’t find it. Two terrible chips. Lags weren’t good either, on the sloped greens. Double. Finished at 8:10 am.

Back home I puttered around the house. At 6 pm Ceil asked if I was ready to go. Where? I asked. I wasn’t ready to go anywhere.

Young Jimmy Ewing’s birthday party. They’re selling their house on River Springs Court, down the street from his dad’s house and Jim and Suzi Voyles. Mary Hurt was there. David Hurt had lost a tooth and didn’t come. When I told this to Ashley Corbitt, he said “So?” Ashley was talking mostly to older Jim Ewing, but I had a nice chat with Ashley’s wife Diane. Their condo in Vinings has a great view. I had forgotten that Ashley had gone into business with Steve Suggs and Steve’s friend Reid Meyer, who I’d worked with at Jim Suggs’  company.

Spoke for a while to Jim Voyles, who’s working on a deal to renovate five castles in Spain and Portugal. Suzi talked to Ceil and Mary. The Voyles' daughter arrived with her three daughters, who Ceil teaches at Veritas. Lots of good Jets Pizza to eat, those I ate only two squares. The Ewings are moving four miles south, still in Sandy Springs. Young George Ewing also made an appearance.

After church Sunday we walked to our cars with Scott and Robin Condra. Then we drove C to Costco, where we saw Kelly Curran. I grabbed a Costco hot dog and soda. Lazy Sunday after we got home. I did hit the gym this morning, and cranked the incline up higher than usual.

C spent Monday night at W&MCs to keep the girls. I went to CiCi’s Pizza for lunch. Shouldn’t have. But then I didn’t need supper.

The Six Players who can win the Masters. I shouldn’t share this.

Links to info on The Committee of 300, the World Economic Forum, the New World order, “overpopulation” control, etc. Scary stuff.

Article: phrases you say that tells others that you are out of touch – according to some kid just out of college. Thank goodness I already make an effort to refrain from saying them. Number one is sharing articles like this one. Just kidding. Number two is say “just kidding”. I need to compile a list of things that 20-somethings say that shows that they’re out of touch, but instead us older wiser folk just shake our heads, realizing that they’re just going to have to learn these things for themselves, since they’d never try to learn from an older generation (that’s #3 on this kid’s list).

Before Alfonso Soriano in 2000, MIKE GREENWELL [SABR Bio] was the last player to hit home runs for each of his first three major league hits, on 25-Sep-1985, 26-Sep-1985 & 01-Oct-1985. From 1985-1996, Greenwell played only for Boston. He was an All-Star in 1988 & 1989, and was a Silver Slugger in 1988. In 1997, he signed with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan — but his stint ended after seven games when he fractured his foot. He returned stateside, saying he’d had enough. He was replaced on their roster by Darnell Coles, playing the last professional baseball season of his career.

Denison: the less we understand God’s will, the more we need to trust it. Oswald Chambers observed, “Faith is not intelligent understanding; faith is deliberate commitment to a Person where I see no way.” Bishop Charles Henry Brent agreed: “Pray hardest when it is hardest to pray.” When our circumstances are most difficult, we are most likely to question the love and power of God in our lives. That we require his love and power the most.

April Bobbleheads & SGAs

Back by popular (?) demand, my humble list of bobblehead & other interesting major & minor league SGAs. A work in progress. What did I miss?

The April bobble of the month is a three way tie: Chris Sale Triple Crown, the Rome Schwellenbach, and the Angels Big A Millennium Falcon. Wow.

QUESTION: the Rome Schwellenbach is the first bobblehead for the young pitcher, right? Will that make it hold a high value should he fulfill his promise, kind of like a rookie baseball card? Discuss. Talk amongst yourselves.

Man isn’t it great that teams just give away all these bobbleheads, just for the price of a ticket? For most minor league teams trying to break even, bobbleheads are a loss leader. I try to remember that teams don’t have to give away anything, so I try to not complain when every SGA isn’t a never seen before talking race car triple bobble with real wheels and a motor. Sure the giveaway is an effort to attract fans who may normally not attend, but for us collectors, it’s a treasure (or a money-maker). For instance, this year the Braves have at least 45 promotions in 81 games, and they continue to add. #THANKFUL   

3.27 THU Predators Jelly Roll BH

3.28 FRI UGA t-shirts students only

3.29 SAT UGA Charlie Condon BH

3.30 SUN UGA Charlie Condon sherseys 

4.01 TUE SEA Julio Rodriguez BH

4.01 TUE SEA Woodstock BH special ticket

4.04 FRI WSH 20th anniversary rings

4.05 SAT WSH 2005 replica jerseys 

4.05 SAT Daytona Elly De La Cruz BH

4.05 SAT Rome blanket

4.06 SUN ATL deaf awareness spec tix

4.06 SUN ATL chris sale triple crown 3000 kids

4.07 MON BOS Jarren Duran ASG MVP BH 

4.08 TUE WSH Hello Kitty BH special ticket

4.08 TUE ATL los bravos cap spec tix

4.09 WED ATL chris sale cy young BH  15000

4.10 THU ATL hello kitty figure spec tix

4.11 FRI UGA throwback hats students only 

4.11 FRI Balt clear stadium bags

4.12 SAT Balt Cedric Mullins t-shirts

4.12 SAT CIN Elly De La Cruz switch hitter BH

4.12 SAT Inland Empire Angels hoodie

4.13 SUN UGA throwback sherseys 

4.13 SUN Balt Oriole bird plushie kids only

4.14 MON SD Padres aloha shirts 

4.17 THU Rich stadium figurine 

4.18 FRI Balt hockey jerseys 

4.19 SAT Balt Davis Rubenstein BH

4.19 SAT Rome Spencer Schwellenbach BH

4.19 SAT Gwinnett Chopper BH & rare Dave Murphy appearance

4.19 Angels Big A Millennium Falcon BH

419 SAT ATL girls night out cap spec tix

4.20 SUN ATL los bravos cap spec tix

4.20 SUN ATL mascot security t shirt 3000 kids

4.21 MON ATL los bravos cap spec tix 

4.22 TUE WSH James Wood BH

4.22 TUE ATL los bravos cap spec tix

4.22 TUE ATL Chipper Jones BH 15000

4.23 WED ATL los bravos cap spec tix 

4.23 WED WSH James Wood BH

4.24 THU UGA sherseys

4.25 FRI UGA beer bats students only

4.26 SAT UGA cowboy hats  

4.26 SAT WSH 20th anniversary hats

4.26 SAT Inland Empire Sugar Skull BH 

4.27 SUN WSH t-shirts kids only

4.27 SUN ATL Peachtree Street Festival

4.29 TUE Gwinnett Black Crackers XL shersey 500

Sermon Notes

Stephen Bonham JFBC

Romans 6:1-14, a blend of position and practice. Don't let what's already been paid for go to waste.

Know your position, rely on Gods power, and take your part seriously. We are surrounded by sin. Today people don't even believe in the concept of sin.

Jerry Bridges book Respectable Sins. So often we think about the sins of others, but not our own.

It's not that we should aim to live a sinless life. This is more of a call to take sin seriously.

1. as you sin, grace will abound. My position in Christ is one who has died, been buried, and now living a new life, justified, as part of the body of Christ.

v 3-4 we can be buried in baptism. At JF we talk about baptism a lot. Should this not be talked about a lot in a Baptist church? We emphasize baptism because it is a result of our position in Christ: dead to our former life, now living a new life in Christ.

Already 20 will be baptized on Easter Sunday. JFBC senior pastor Clay Smith was in attendance but did not preach.

Many don't like to watch scary movies. Vampires are dead but come back to life. Living in sin means we are constantly dying over and over again each time we sin. v 9-10 Being in Christ means never having to die again.

v 6-7 we old self is crucified with Christ, so our position is living a new life in Christ.

2. God's Spirit gives us the power to say no to sin - one of the all-inclusive benefits of living in Christ.

Romans 8:13-14 all who are being led by the Spirit of God...who is like an usher that shows you where your seat is. How reassuring to be led by the Spirit.

Things we can do: use unhurried time to spend time with God. Logan prays Lord, broaden my shoulders to withstand what's coming my way.

3. As I participate with God, my part matters. When I die I will become glorified, receiving our new heavenly body. Until then God sanctifies us, growing closer to God each day. He who became a good work in Christ will perfect it.

We play our part. Jesus is the main character. We seek to shine glory on him, by confessing our sins, being accountable, erecting guardrails against sin, seeking help when needed. God is concerned about our hearts. We need to do our part.

v 12-13 sin is not to reign in our bodies. Be mindful of how I spend my time. We talk about sin a lot. Jesus has something better for us.

25 in Sunday School.

What a Day of Rejoicing That Will Be

My job is like Newman’s – it never stops. It just keeps coming and coming. Why they call me the Assassin - they’re worried that I’ll come in and shoot up the place (for the record, I don’t own a gun). And then the SIOP requests get rejected, and…

I have been wondering about what my routine will be once I retire, should that day ever come. I want to sleep later into the morning, like until 7 or 8 instead of waking up at 530 am. I want to work out for an hour at the gym, and then get in the sauna for 30 minutes. Wondering if I want to walk / run to the gym. Not sure. I’ll want to have computer time, work on selling my bobbleheads and sneakers a little each day, and work on other projects around the house.

Not sure if my boss will want me to stay on as a “consultant” for 10-20 hours per week after retirement, like a few other retirees have done. The money will would be nice, but it would cut in to all the other things I’d like to do. Might be fun to try working at Truist Park, but working 70-75 nights might turn into a chore. We’ll see. Also sign up for mission trips. I’d like to go on a mission trip to NYC and Alaska, and maybe other spots in the US. Would be good to go see friends in India and Pakistan and Spain.

Play golf 2 or 3 times a week. I hate driving downtown during the week. Traffic bad even super early with all the dang high achievers speeding downtown at breakneck speed. Its not like they don’t see you up ahead of them, they drive fast until they’re right behind you, and then slam on their brakes and look to change lanes. Why not see the slower car ahead and change lanes earlier? So dumb. So perhaps I will continue to play early on Saturday mornings.

I used to think I’d like to take road trips when I retire, but with all the crazies out there, I’m not a big fan of driving any more. Used to think I’d like to visit other MLB ballparks, but that’s not as much a thing for me. I would like to see a Packers game in Lambeau Field.

For a while I was going to baseball games downtown and in Rome, Chattanooga, Gwinnett, Macon, and Augusta. I’ve pretty much gotten those out of my system. Might be fun to plan some “adventures” from time to time. The old Hot Stove guys will occasionally take trips for games, and it might b fun to tag along with them once or twice. They usually go to Birmingham, and to Thursday day games at Gwinnett and Rome. 

I want to dial back my phone use in retirement, as opposed to increasing it. I see some retired guys who spend all day on social media. I don’t need that to be me. Work on unsubscribing from junk emails. Ceil would want me to drive her places. Would finally have time to better manage out finances and bills and insurance, etc. Take Anna to lunch, and spend more time with Will and Matthew and the grand-girls.

I do want to try and write a book in retirement, about our 1975 state championship season. Would need to spend time talking to teammates and classmates. Would go game by game, plus have info on what they guys have done after high school. Sections on the marching band, plus the seasons before and after 1975. How I came to be a kicker. Memories of classes and teachers. Considering teaming up with noted Macon sportswriter Bill Shanks. He may be too busy to deal with a nobody like me, but it wouldn’t be too much work for him.   

Nothing is written in stone. I learned long ago to be flexible. Would be nice to go to Pawley’s Island more than once a year. And eat pizza, like we did last night.