#NationalBobbleheadDay

Today is #NationalBobbleheadDay. In addition to the iconic Sid Slid triple bobble, other great bobbles include the Chipper Saves Freddie, the snake-draped Glenn Hubbard, the Evan Gattis El Oso Blanco, and the Brian McCann / Evan Gattis Brothers bobble.

The Brooklyn Cyclones release a new Seinfeld bobblehead every year, including the Constanza Marine Biologist, George Under the Desk, Little Jerry, the Marble Rye, the Kramer portrait, the Second Spitter, the Soup Nazi, and others.

For the record, I am officially out of the bobblehead cult. I don’t want any more. Trying to get rid of the all the bobbles I’ve got piled up all over the house. Gonna be hard. The market is oversaturated, with dozens of new bobbles being releases every month. New collectors have little interest in older bobbles. So no, I don’t want your bobblehead.

I watched more of The Man on the Inside, the last two episodes of season one and the first two of season two. So good. I was worried that season two would be different and not as good, but the transition between seasons was seamless, with several season one characters carried over - making for a more complex plotline. Ted Danson’s wife Mary Steenburgen joined the cast for season two. Also Max Greenfield. Lots of coworkers have watched it: Rodney, Brad, Leo, Angie.

Also watched Celebrity Weakest Link, the TV doctors episode. Included Dr Pimple Popper and Torrey DeVitto from Chicago Med.

Five days of football coming up…

THU Fiesta Bowl: Ole Miss vs Miami

FRI Peach Bowl: Oregon vs Indiana

SAT 430 Rams @ Panthers

SAT 800 Packers @ Bears

SUN 100 Bills @ Jaguars

SUN 430 49ers @ Eagles

SUN 800 Chargers @ Patriots
MON 800 Texans @ Steelers

Basketball: last night both GT and UGA lost.

I stuck around work past 6 pm again last night, continuing to clean up and make arrangements. Got a lot to do in the next week.

The Tuesday Taco Bell deal wasn’t available at my Taco Bells, so I drove on home and made myself chicken quesadillas. W&MC went out to the Fox Theater to celebrate their anniversary, so C was down there babysitting.

C wanted me to stay up. I turned off the lights and took a nap on the couch. She left Moseley Park at 1115 and called me, so we chatted on her 30 minute drive home. The last bedtime was my excuse for skipping the gym this morning, that and I haven’t been feeling 100% the past couple of days.

Small group starts back tonight, after being off for a few weeks for Christmas.

JFBC has a mission trip to Alaska in July. Maybe I’ll go. Always wanted to visit there.

CHRIS SALE [B-R Bio] finished in the top five of Cy Young Award voting result six times before finally winning, more than a decade after his first votes. Sale had finished 6^th, 5^th (2X), 3^rd, & 4^th with the CHW; 2^nd & 4^th with BOS; before winning the Cy Young Award in 2024 with the Braves. Sale moved on the the Red Sox in 2017 after 7 seasons with the White Sox. He also won the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2024, aka the NL CPOY. Sale reached 2500 career strikeouts in fewer innings pitched than any other pitcher ever had. It took Sale only 2026 innings to reach 2,500 K, breaking Randy Johnson’s record of 2107-2/3 innings in 1999.

Best Medicine

Watched a new show, Best Medicine. I liked it. Ceil didn’t. Annie Potts plays the doctor’s aunt. Supper was BBQ chicken, roasted potatoes, and kale. Made it to the gym this morning to lift weights.

Finished the Percival Everett novel “James” about Huck Finn’s slave friend Jim. Interesting stuff. Would make for a good movie, what with the exciting ending.

C was tied up babysitting the girls yesterday and today and has something tomorrow. So she’d been on the go Friday Saturday and Sunday, as well as several days last week. I had asked C if she wanted to go with me to Dalton on Thursday, but she said she was too busy. She loves to cook meals, but for her it takes all day to prepare a meal for someone. It’ll be all fresh organic ingredients.

Spent most of yesterday afternoon working with my replacement Leo. Got back to my desk at 430 with a ton of emails to clean out. At 5 pm I chatted with Eric and Sherryl, did some work, chatted with Sherryl, chatted with Renee. When I walked out the door it was dark. Looked at my watch and it was after 6 pm. Didn’t realize it was so late.

Trae Young has three agents. They’re working with the Hawks trying to engineer a trade.

Ate some pepper flavored potato chips the other day. They was good. Not something that I would normally eat.

Pitchers with at least one 300 strikeout seasons this century.

Pitcher         300+K’s Year Team Yr/WAR WAR

Gerrit Cole..........  326 2109 HOU... 6.7....... 43.2

Randy Johnson .  372 2001 ARI....10.1.......101.1

                             334 2002 ARI....10.7.......101.1

Justin Verlander   300 2019 HOU... 7.4........ 81.7

Max Scherzer......300  2018 WSN .. 7.9......  75.6

Chris Sale............308 2017 BOS.... 5.9........57.3

Clayton Kershaw 301 2015 LAD..... 7.2........80.9

Curt Schilling.......316 2002 ARI...... 8.6........79.5

Article: habits of grandparents who are deeply loved by their grandchildren. By the time people become grandparents they are pretty much all set in their ways. Hard to teach an old dog a new trick. But I’ll keep trying to grow.

1. They make their kids feel seen, not judged.

2. They show up with their presence, not just presents.

3. They keep their own quirks and imperfections, and let the kids in on their story.

4. They practice “slow” time in a rushed world.

5. They coach emotions without taking the spotlight.

6. They bless who the child is becoming, not just what they achieve.

Not sure how this blog will evolve in 2026. I won’t be sitting at a desk all day, plus several other changes to what and how much I’ll be writing. Change is needed anyway. Too much mundane day to day stuff is shared. We shall see. Many start out with a blog and quickly peter out. I consider it a creative project, though it does involve a certain time commitment.

One Second a Day

Here’s my One Second a Day video for 2025. Slightly longer than 365 seconds. Kind like an art project. A lot of work, spread out over the year, though a labor of love. Much improved over my 2024 video, but still lots of room for improvement.

Christmas came late this year – the Falcons fired their head coach as well as their general manager, which means the coaching stuff will most probably be let go as well. Not sure how much can change for the 2026 season: no first round pick, high payroll, QB Phenix won’t be ready for the opener, so they’ll either have to pay Cousins or find a QB off the scrap heap. RB Algiers is a free agent. Do they give new contracts to WR Drake London (yes) and TE Kyle Pitts (no).

The Jets did not intercept a pass all season. They did look good in their throwback uniforms, as did several other teams.

Left Jefferson about 830 yesterday morning. Stopped in Lugoff at McDonalds for Ceil. Stopped for gas in Thomas, and at Starbucks in McDonough. Got home and unpacked C and Winnie, then drove M to his house in Smyrna. Stopped by the Braves Clubhouse Store and a thrift store. Back home we watched some football and the Hallmark Channel.

Back to the gym this morning. I need to get back to going every day. I didn’t check emails when I was out on Friday. Started today with 60 unread emails. Currently down to twelve.

This Thursday evening I am driving up to Dalton to meet up with my old BSU friend Steve Givens. Haven’t seen him in over 40 years. He coached Mighty Mites at SPdL. Married his college sweetheart and took a job near Beaumont, where he still lives. Sharon Langley arranged the dinner.

The only pitchers to throw multiple no-hitters in the same season are Johnny Vander Meer, Allie Reynolds, Virgil Trucks, Nolan Ryan, and MAX SCHERZER [B-R Bio]. Vander Meer in 1938 with the Reds, Reynolds in 1951 with the Yankees, Trucks in 1952 with the Tigers, Ryan in 1973 with the Angels, and Scherzer in 2015 with the Nationals on 20-Jun & 03-Oct(2). He pitched for 7 teams and in four World Series, and was on the winning side twice: 2012 WS with DET (L), 2019 WS with the Nats (W), 2023 WS with Texas (W), and 2025 WS with Toronto (L). He also pitched for Arizona, the Mets, and Dodgers. In his major league debut with Arizona, he set a record for the most consecutive batters retired for a pitcher making his MLB debut as a reliever, with 13, in 2008.

Review of the new baseball movie Eephus: Baseball, Masculinity, and America’s Vanishing Camaraderie.

People who become more difficult to be around as they age typically adopt these behaviors. I post this for my own benefit. You think about people in their 70’s and 80’s doing this, though it starts way earlier, in your 50’s & 60’s for sure. I see this a lot on the Facebook, even from those in the ministry.

1. Become increasingly rigid in their thinking.

2. Dwell constantly on the negative.

3. Withdraw from real social connections (social media doesn’t count).

4. Refuse all offers for help.

5. Dismiss the perspectives of others.  

6. Fixating on how things used to be.

7. Controlling every conversation.

8. Developing a victim mentality.

9. Criticizing everyone else’s decisions and choices.

Denison on the US strike on Venezuela.

Lost Balls

Ceil left for SC on Friday AM with A&C, and she had me running around all day doing all the things she had forgotten. I left the house at 730 am to go pick up Matthew and drive him to work. 

After I dropped M off at work, I made the short drive over to Candler Park. The starter said I was the first golfer of the new year. Teed off around 915. A recap of some of my better shots...

1. Hit driver. A decent tee shot. Decent approach and chips and lag. Bogey. Lost one ball on the hole.

2. Tee shot faded left. Couldn't find it. Two of my three chips were okay. Two putt for bogey.

3. Both tee shots faded left, and a third right. Two of three chips were okay. Two putt. Lost my third ball in 3 holes. Harder to see with the sun shining.

4. Hit one tee shot way right, flubbed one, and hit one nice and straight. Couldn't find one of them. Hit 2 good chips out of three. Two putt.

5. Hit two tee shots. One got good distance. One good chip out of two. Two putt. Lost my fifth ball in as many holes. Didn't have that many in my bag.

6. Hit driver off the tee. First one was decent, but since I was having such a hard time seeing where the balls were going, I hit a mulligan - into the woods. Then I lost two of the next three fairway shots that I hit. Chipped two balls: one short then a nice shot that rolled off the back of the green. Double bogey.

7. Hit a worm burner, then a drive long and right. Hit a 4 iron from the fairway that stayed straight. Then a chip to the fringe, and three decent chips. Two putt. Double.

8. Hit two drives. Couldn't find either of them. Chipped a nice wedge onto the green. Two putt.

9. Hit a real nice hybrid off the tee, straight with decent distance. Two okay chips. Two putt. A decent round, except for all the lost balls.

Matthew and I had an uneventful drive to SC. Left downtown Decatur around 615. Stopped at the Zaxbys in Madison for takeout. Arrived in Jefferson at 1050 pm. A long day. 

 

Spent all day Saturday at Ceil's brother's house. Bacon grits biscuits for breakfast. BBQ for lunch. 23 in attendance...me & Ceil, A&C, Matthew, Rusty Kelly Ben Lisie Kit Katherine Joe Jordan Ted Donna Zane Laura Beau Baye Vic Dic Dac Debbie Grant. Phil & Teresa stayed home, sick. Chuck & Jackie stopped by later.

Bowled Over

Exciting Citrus Bowl. The Texas QB passed for 2 TDs and ran for two more, including a 60 yard TD run to put the game out of reach. The Michigan QB was supposed to be great, but he threw at least two interceptions.

A pretty good Cotton Bowl. Miami outplayed Ohio State. The Orange Bowl was pretty one sided: Oregon shut out Texas Tech.

Sad to hear this announcement before the Rose Bowl game: "We invite those who are willing and able to stand for the playing of the national anthem." I understand that some might not be able to stand, but otherwise, standing for the national anthem shouldn't be an optional thing.

Sugar Bowl: Ole Miss playing better in the second half, after making numerous mistakes in the first half. Dropped passes, then the receiver failed to run out of bounds at the end of the half.

Gunner taking a beating. Chad Eaton thought one of the hits was targeting. Dawgs lost a player to a targeting call. Not sure. I wasn't at the game. I was home watching the slo mo replays on the hi def wide screen. Did the defender lead with his hands?

On New Year's Eve I considered purchasing the last print edition of the AJC at RaceTrac but didn't. I did say goodbye to my friends at RaceTrac, as my daily free drink status ran out at year end. 

Our office closed at 3 pm Wednesday. I'd been busy all day with personal stuff for the most part. Then to the post office. Got to Perimeter Mall at 345 and learned they were closing at 4. So I didn't stay long.

Stopped by three thrift stores on the way home. Bought two pairs of sneakers: some gum soled New Balance 727s like so many people are wearing these days.

Also some classic Nike Air Max 90's with red trim. Christmas presents to myself. Plus I just sold a pair of Nike Air Marinos.

Ceil wanted me to pick up a pizza from Pizzeria Lucca but it had closed early. Picked up Moxie Burger instead.

C cooked breakfast Thursday morning, then steak and baked potatoes for supper.

Longest TD Passes

Fun fact: former Bengals and Florida wide receiver Chris Collinsworth shares the NCAA record for throwing the longest TD pass in college history, with a 99 yard throw as a Gator freshman. The play was supposed to be a simple down & out pattern, but the senior told the freshman Collinsworth that he was going deep instead. After Collinsworth’s freshman season, Steve Spurrier was hired as the new Florida head coach. Spurrier’s first decision was to move Collinsworth to receiver, where he blossomed into All-SEC and All Pro. I remember back in the day when the Gators played at Grant Field, and Collinsworth was Florida's bell cow. Collinsworth told the story on the latest episode of Peyton’s Places.

Any win by the Falcons is a good win. They went up 21-0 then 24-3. The Rams came back and tied the game, but Atlanta kicked a late 51 yard field goal to win. Still, the Falcons need to fire their head coach and GM. 

Not sure that I would re-sign TE Pitts. He had a “big” year because Drake London and Michael Phenix were hurt. No one else for Kirk Cousins to throw to. If Pitts manages to catch a pass, he falls down when he sees someone is about to hit him. On one play Monday night Pitts didn’t run hard because he didn’t think Cousins was going to throw him the ball. When Kirk’s first two options were covered, he threw to where Pitts was supposed to be, but Pitts had stopped running. Many say Pitts just doesn’t like football, and finally played hard this year just to get a new contract.

One of the dozens of "coaches" on the Falcons sidelines negated a big play by being in the restrictewd area of the sidelines. What do all those guys do, anyway?

This past weekend’s top NFL passing leaders, including ten QB’s who didn’t start the season as his team’s starter. Fourteen of these 16 highest rated QB’s did not throw an interception.

Rating.YD.TD.INT

157.0 256 5 0 Drake Maye NE

142.7 333 2 0 rookie Tyler Slough NO

134.6 288 1 0 backup Malik Willis GB

129.1 305 2 0 Joe Burrow CIN

118.6 303 3 1 Brock Purdy SF

118.0 172 2 0 rookie Quinn Ewers MIA

105.6 107 1 0 Browns castoff Tyler Huntley BALT

100.3 330 2 0 Caleb Williams CHI

099.2 126 1 0 backup Kirk Cousins ATL

097.5 307 2 0 Dak Prescott DAL

093.5 346 2 2 Baker Mayfield TB

092.3 198 0 0 backup Josh Johnson WSH

091.9 207 0 0 rookie Jaxson Dart NYG

091.3 212 2 0 backup Jacoby Brissett ARIZ

088.6 251 2 0 rookie Cam Ward TEN

088.0 262 0 0 Josh Allen BUF

084.9 236 1 1 Justin Herbert LAC

080.1 244 2 2 CJ Stroud HOU

079.0 066 1 0 backup Chris Oladokun KC

077.3 147 1 1 Sam Darnold SEA 

076.9 182 1 1 Bo Nix DEN

075.6 186 1 2 rookie Shedeur Sanders CLE

My adventure project this week is to visit as many Champs Sports locations, in an effort to upgrade my new Braves cap from snapback to fitted. Last night I stopped by North Point Mall. Headed to Sugarloaf Mills at lunch and perimeter Mall on the way home from work. Maybe Cumberland as well, but I don’t think they have what I’m looking for. Friday I’ll try Decatur, Lenox, and Town Center. Maybe Southlake if I’m desperate. We’ll see.

Denison: cultural scholar Ian Tuttle reports that philosopher and cultural theorist Dr. Byung-Chul Han “suggests the possibility of an Other who is something outside ourselves that restores us to ourselves; something that transcends us and yet embraces us.” Dr. Tuttle concludes: “We might consider the possibility that the remedy for our broken world will require a different kind of physician. Han writes “every age has its signature afflictions” and identifies ours as “depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, borderline personality disorder, and burnout syndrome.”

Peach Bowl Speedway

I looked up the old Peach Bowl Speedway. Did you ever go? Was at 1040 Brady Ave near Howell Mill, just a stone’s throw south of Westside Provisions, where Lang had his wedding reception. Closed in 1971. Amazing stuff. Never heard of it before. Once my dad spoke about a brick warehouse building where he may have worked, at Howell Mill and 14th. I also read a little about the Lakewood Speedway, which I remembered a tiny bit about from years ago.

Tuesday: at lunch I walked all over Sugarloaf Mills shopping mall. A huge place. Walked 2 miles (one lap!) trying to find different shops, then get back to my car. Checked out the Nike Outlet, the Puma store, Champs Sports, two different Lids stores, and a few other places. Didn’t find what I was looking for.

NEWS: while talking to the Lids employee about the yet to be unreleased new 2026 Braves City Connect caps and uniforms, the employee hinted about them not being peach colored as some had wondered – but instead more similar to the old early 1970’s Hank Aaron feather uniforms than the old City Connects were. That would be a sight for sore eyes. I expect the Braves will reveal the new uniforms in February or March.

Watch the Grizzlies on Tuesday night? Network TV.

Came back in to work on Wednesday. Worked on clearing out old stuff, etc. C was babysitting. Nothing was on the agenda for New Years Eve.

RANDY JOHNSON [SABR Bio] was who Nolan Ryan said would be the next great strikeout pitcher, in an interview following Ryan’s 7th no-hitter on 01-May-1991. Johnson’s passion for photography, developed in college but put on hiatus during his baseball career, came back into focus in retirement. He photographs wildlife & NFL football games among other subjects. He is the last pitcher to walk more than 150 batters in a season, with 152 for Seattle in 1991.

The 2026 calendar that I ordered online has been “delayed”. Just checked, it finally shipped.

March 20-21 JFBC men’s retreat at JFBC

March 27-29 Appalachian Trail mission trip $100

Texas Tech mascot Raider Red looks like he may be related to Western mascot Bushy Bill in the latest Dr Pepper Fansville commercial.