Head's Up

Little Miller is holding her head up.

She doesn't want her food source out of her sight.

Cool photo of Atlanta: the city in the forest.

That's the Candler Park golf course in the foreground, with Mary Lin Elementary School across the street.

The Braves players seem to understand that Weiss expects performance. Sounds like he is up front with them about playing time, etc. Weiss is a black belt in taekwondo. After both Harris and Olson got picked off first base on Tuesday night, bringing the season total to ten - equalling their 2025 total - Weiss admitted their strategy and approach was going to change. This past offseason Weiss had hired the Mets first base coach, who had helped the Mets lead the league in stolen bases. The aggressiveness has yet to transfer over to Atlanta yet. 

Rome has some cool dude alternate uniforms.

Best MLB player by uniform number. They got 96 right. Shouldn't 45 be Michael Jordan?

Been driving past this East Cobb liquor store for 30 years. Never saw a sign like this. Might need to start paying closer attention. Ducks Burger Bar is right behind this store, at Roswell and Providence.

MICKEY MANTLE  [SABR Bio] passed Babe Ruth for the most career postseason home runs. The Babe had 15, but Mantle ended up with 18 - all in the World Series, of course. Mantle won the only American Triple Crown, batting or pitching, in the 1950s. In 1956, Mantle had .353, 52 HR, 130 RBI. All three led the majors that season. It was the only year he ever led in RBI or average. He led in HR two additional times. Full list. Mantle once said, “It’s unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing all your life." He also said  “All the ballparks and the big crowds have a certain mystique. You feel attached, permanently wedded to the sounds that ring out, to the fans chanting your name, even when there are only four or five thousand in the stands on a Wednesday afternoon.” And: “After I hit a home run I had a habit of running the bases with my head down.  I figured the pitcher already felt bad enough without me showing him up rounding the bases.”

STAN MUSIAL  [SABR Bio] hit .357 and  was voted MVP at age 22 in 1943, then led the Cards over the Browns in the 1944 WS. He led the majors in triples each of the three times he won the MVP. MVP in 1943 with 20 triples; MVP in 1946 with 20 triples; MVP in 1948 with 18 triples. Stan was #2 in MVP voting in 1949, 1950 & 1951. He was also runner-up in 1957.

The Whole Duty of Man

Clay Smith JFBC 

The Whole Duty of Man 

Ecclesiastes 12:9-14…a difficult book to preach. 

In the movie Castaway, the main character looks at his life and realizes that much of what he thought was important really wasn’t. 

Three Conclusions, for the book of Ecclesiastes, but also for life. 

 1. v 9-12 we need to hear God’s word. The book bounces around…a collection of sayings, assembled together by the author, Solomon, who was known for wisdom. We’ve learned that we live in a sinful world. Lots of vanity. We live in a fallen world. We learn about the gift of work. We’re taught about the fear of God. All this was Solomon’s intent. 

Enduring phrases come from the book of Ecclesiastes: there’s nothing new under the sun. Words of truth - Gods truth. God uses these words to prod us along. Some Old Testament verses may seem outdated, but they’re there to bind us all together. Gives us stability. Comforts the disturbed, and disturbs the comfortable. 

All truth is ultimately God’s truth. He’s the great Shepherd. This is the word of God, that carries us along by the Holy Spirit. Nothing is impossible with God. Show me a Bible that’s falling apart, and I’ll show you a life that’s not. 

Movie: The Book of Eli. We had no idea what we had until we lost it, talking about not having a Bible to read. All other books pale in comparison to the Bible. 

2. v 13 Fear God’s Name. We’ve lost a healthy sense of the fear of God, and have respect in Him. 

If God never tells you no, then you follow a false God. God does give us grace. In light of what God has done for me through Jesus, what is my response? A meaningful life is to fear the name of God. 

3. Obey God’s commandments. Matthew 7 - the man’s house remained when it was built on the rock. The truth will set you free. Until you learn the boundaries of obeying God’s word, you’ll never know how to be conformed to the image of Jesus, to be set free. 

What’s the Point - of the book of Ecclesiastes… 

…Life is brief, and God is eternal - so live for what lasts. Standing before God in judgment will be a real thing. We can stand before God in complete righteousness, because of what God has done for us through His son Jesus. 

JFBC’s two year goal: 500 baptisms. After 4-1/2 months they've baptised 167 so far. 

36 in Sunday School today. Lesson on Genesis 20. Groundbreaking on the new building will be this fall. 

Next Saturday: climb Kennesaw Mountain with Dan, Brian, Dan, etc. Gotta start planning out what to wear. 

Me: listening to podcasts is a waste of time, compared to reading books. The podcasters spend half their time chitchatting and joking around, trying to sound cool. All that crap would never make it into a book.

Vintage Football Helmets

This afternoon I placed the eleven vintage football helmets I’ve collected up for sale. We’ll see if anyone buys them. Vikings Bears Chargers GT Auburn Dolphins Jaguars Broncos Rams Cowboys. I’ll keep my Falcons helmet unless someone overpays for it.

Speaking of Dollar Tree, I always check the sale table. I’m a sucker for the PopTarts if they’re 63 cents for the box. Went crazy and bought 5 boxes of the SMores flavored PopTarts. Might help me slow down on such purchases. 

Since it was Saturday I got to the golf course extra early. Teed off at 6:18 am using the light up balls, even though it was starting to get light out.

1. Hit two good 4 irons off the tee. "Long" and straight. Approach shots weren’t pretty but got good rolls - one up the hill to the right fringe. Hit two good chips.

2. A good "long" 4 iron to the front right fringe. One good chip, and a couple others were okay. 

3. I pulled two 9 irons left, and flubbed two right. Can’t seem to hit a good tee shot on this hole. I did hit a real good chip. 

4. Six iron off the tee sailed left. Hit two decent chips, and two poor chips. Missed the first two par putts, but sank my third try.

5. Hit a great 4 iron onto the green (below). Then a second one to the fringe. Sank my first long putt for birdie. Hit another putt - and it went in as well. Missed my third putt by inches.

6. Hit a long low straight drive that clipped some leaves on the left side of the fairway, but it still rolled way down further than I’ve ever hit a drive on this hole. Hit two more tee shots. Both sliced right, but playable. Hit one great 4 iron that got knocked down by a tree, but flubbed my other tries. Hit several decent chips and lag putts.

7. All three drives sailed right. One hit a tree and bounced back into the fairway. Flubbed two 5 irons, then hit a nice one. Hit three 7 irons decent, but they rolled off the left side of the green. My fourth attempt wasn’t pretty, but it stayed on the green. I hit three good lag putts.

8. My drives were okay, but I didn’t get good distance. I hit one chip shot, to the back fringe. Two good lag putts.

9. Hit two good hybrids. Two of my chips were good. Two putt for a finishing bogey...at 8:01 am.

After golf this morning I stopped by the Sandy Springs farmers market for Ceil. Brought the box home and then I went to the gym. Treadmill and sauna. Stopped by Dollar Tree on the way home.

The Braves Clubhouse Store is selling at least ten City Connect themed caps, including the on field version. Plus dozens of other cap styles as well as several different bucket hats. Last week I went inside the team store but hardly glanced at the caps. There’s only one cap that interests me, though I won’t be buying it. Of course if I stumble across a Braves cap at a thrift store, there’s a good chance that I’ll snap it up. 

Current cap list: 5950 home, 5950 road, 5950 road, 5950 crackers 7-3/4, 5950 crackers 8, 5950 tomahawk,  5950 tomahawk spring training, 5950 white front BP cap, 5950 speedway classic, 1950 all black, 1950 royal lower case a, 1982 royal cap, 1972 white front cap, Boston Braves Red Bill, Boston Braves grey cap, 3950 home stretch fit, 3950 Stripers stretch fit, Gwinnett SnapBack, Gwinnett St Patrick’s, Greenville Braves SnapBack, Stripers grey SGA flag cap selling, Crackers navy cap, 1998 World Series cap selling, Baseballism cap, 5950 Pelicans, Masters cap, black Titleist, navy Titleist, GT, Savannah Bananas, St Louis Browns, 3950 Braves camo snapback, 3950 royal mesh snapback, 5950 All Star Game cap.

Kirk Cousins 2.0

The Las Vegas Raiders produced a funny schedule release video with QBs Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins. Many Atlantans don’t like Cousins after he didn’t reveal that he was injured late in the 2024 season. He obviously thought he gave the team the best chance to win. The team had really messed up by signing Cousins to a huge contract, then drafting another QB with the #8 pick in the draft - a move that eventually cost the GM his job. 

But I’m a big Cousins fan. He’s a hard worker, loves Jesus, is a family man, and establishes deeper than usual relationships with his teammates and coaches. In fact, Fernando Mendoza may just be Kirk Cousins 2.0.

Heard someone say that Vans are the new dad shoes. Also Hokas. In fact it doesn’t matter what brand of sneakers an old white guy wears - he’s not going to look cool, even if it’s the same exact sneaker the cool 20-something’s are rocking. 

Speaking of the cool 29-something’s, looks like they all wear golf shirts and kaiki shorts to Braves games, and probably to everywhere else. It wouldn’t be cool for them to be seen wearing a Braves jersey or cap. They gotta stick to their uniform. Now get off my lawn. 

Reminds me: I need to check eBay and Poshmark for one of those cool dude golf shirts with the tiny Bloopers or Braves feather designs on them. 

BREAKING NEWS: "Numerous Residents are furious after dozens of empty Waymo autonomous vehicles reportedly flooded an Atlanta neighborhood, circling a cul-de-sac for hours without passengers and causing major frustration among locals". ME: I love how the media uses words like "furious" and "major frustration".

Yesterday afternoon Matthew stopped by to visit. We watched the Braves game last night. 

This morning Ceil and I went on a walk after 10:30 am - 1.75 miles with Winnie. Then I cleaned out her car and drove over to the CarSpa on Windy Hill and Cobb Parkway. Ran it through the wash and detailed the inside. Stopped by Taco Bell on the way back for a free burrito and free senior citizen soft drink.  

Article reveals the actual source of covid, which also answers the question of why. The truth is out there.  

TED WILLIAMS  [SABR Bio] was the AL MVP in 1946 & 1949. However, he led in WAR four other years: 1941 (10.4) 2^nd; 1942 (10.5) 2^nd; 1946 (10.6) 1^st; 1947  (9.5)  2^nd; 1949  (9.0)  1^st; and 1951 (7.3) 13^th. – Ordinals indicate AL MVP voting position. He led the majors twelve times in on-base percentage and ended his career as the all-time OBP leader. His lead in OBP, .482, will not be challenged any time soon. His memorable home run in post-World-War-II Fenway Park has been scrutinized extensively. In Boston on 09-Jun-1946(1), he hit a ball that stands as the record distance, 502’, for any home run ever hit there.  A good explanation here:  SABR. 

Denison: more details come to light about the 2024 sinking of the Russian 'ghost ship". 

Rivals

Question of the day: who is your favorite comedic rival? The obvious answer...Newman!

Article: The Passions of Jerry Seinfeld. Baseball, comedy, and Porshes. 

Two hantavirus patients are being treated at Emory Hospital in Atlanta (where Will works). Both test positive, one is showing symptoms.

I skipped the Stripers 11 am game Wednesday and hit the gym. Wore my new black Hoka Clifton 10's, which I'd picked up on the way to the game yesterday. Tried them on, and wore them out of the store. 

After the gym I drove down to Sandy Springs for a free burger with purchase at Sonic. Just so so. C was still feeling poorly. I offered to go out and get her dinner, but she fixed herself beans and rice. I fixed myself a sandwich for Wednesday supper and today's lunch. Watched the Braves beat the Cubs.

C took Winnie to the vet, but no tooth extraction was needed.

Thursday: up early to golf. Nice not teeing off in the dark. Teed off at 6:50 am and hit the ball well - even on chips and wedge shots. When I was finishing the first hole, two guys were getting ready to tee off on one. I was able to take my time the whole round without them getting close behind me.    

Then I drove straight to the gym. Treadmill and sauna. Ceil is visiting with Miller this afternoon. She just passed the one month mark.

LOU GEHRIG  [SABR Bio] first career stolen base in the majors was a steal of home. In his  third year with the Yankees, on 24-Jun-1925, Gehrig stole home off Washington catch Allen Russell and pitcher Muddy Ruel. Gehrig had sips of coffee with the Yankees in 1923 & 1924 and then never missed another game. Gehrig’s 185 RBI in 1931 is topped only by Hack  Wilson's 191 in 1930 with the Cubs. Among players who walked more than 100 times in a season, no one ever had more hits in the same year. Not only is Gehrig the leader with 220 hits and 101 BB in 1930, he’s also 2nd, 7th, 8th, and 11th on the same list.

    Quote for the day: “It is not your business to succeed, but to do right: when you have done so, the rest lies with God" - C. S. Lewis.od.” —C. S. Lewis

Braves 5 Cubs 2

I had fun at the Braves game last night. I was sitting around and decided to drive over early. Walked around The Battery and was able to go into the Braves Team Store. Forgot to look for a new keychain. I did see a fun Blooper shirt.

Checked out the memorial to Bobby Cox and Ted Turner - both their jerseys on display. Flowers on the Bobby Cox statue. I saw my old friend Darrell. Hadn't seen him in over a year, I don't think, but he recognized me. Walked down to the red parking deck, but the Ford Bronco display hadn't opened yet. 

Walked back and sat in the shade near the Roxy Theater to people watch. I was wearing my 1977 Ted Turner #27 Braves road jersey, and at least four people went out of their way to compliment me on it.

I got in line way too early, but still was able to people watch, and chat with the fans around me. Super fan Norman Warrick walked by, and he stopped to chat. He was dressed out in all his Chocolate Papa gear. The fans around me were impressed. 

All sorts of fan gear, and lots of Cubs fans. Quite a few Dansby Swanson jerseys. I only saw one Speedway Classic cap all night.

Got inside and took a clockwise path around the ballpark. Stopped in the A List office for a bag for the giveaway Hawaiian shirt and game program. I'd been given two pairs of pink sunglasses, that I saved for Shivonne and Millie. Scored a white Braves t-shirt at the Chevy display, and a free designated driver Coke. Later I received a free Dr Pepper Zero as well.

The Cubs were taking batting practice, so I thought about taking a seat in the bleachers - but I was ready to sit in the shade. Kept walking clockwise and eventually up to my seat in section 412. The breeze made it kinda chilly. Lots of people were wearing their Hawaiian shirts to keep warm. 

A nice pregame tribute to Turner and Cox. Both teams lined up on the baselines to watch the tribute videos. A man with a bagpipe played Amazing Grace. Terry McGuirk announced that the Braves would wear a number 6 on the back of their caps. Fans were upset that the team hadn't mowed a huge number 6 in the outfield grass, forgetting that today's celebration was for Turner as well.  

This was also Breast Cancer Awareness Night. There was a pregame parade, and the mother in law of Braves reliever Dylan Lee, a breast cancer survivor, threw out the first pitch. Interesting that Lee was wearing a red belt, instead of navy.

A good game. The Braves only allowed one hit (a home run).

Riley and Yaz slugged homers for the Braves.

It was my first time at a game for a pitching change, when the lights are turned off, the fans do the tomahawk chop, and a spotlight is trained on the relief pitcher coming out of the bullpen. 

The Braves bullpen has a 3.20 ERA, the best in baseball. They shut down the Cubs for the final five innings.

Braves have the best record in baseball, and lead the majors in batting average and runs scored. All this despite Strider having only made two starts, Acuna and Harris missing time, and no contributions from Schwellenbach, Smith-Shauber, and Profar. Catcher Sean Murphy just returned, but now will miss another 8 weeks with a hand injury. But some fans still complain.

Fans were mad when the Cubs overpaid for Dansby. He's hitting .200 and batting eighth. Braves fans were made when the Yankees overpaid for Max Fried. He's out of the rotation with a sore elbow. He breaks down every year.

Greatest Sitcoms Ever

Greatest Ever Sitcoms, in order starting with the best.

1-10: Seinfeld, The Andy Griffith Show, MASH, Newhart, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Cosby Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Modern Family.

11-20: Cheers, I Love Lucy, The Big Bang Theory, Happy Days, The Beverly Hillbillies, Family Ties, The Honeymooners, The Middle, Designing Women, Friends.

21-30: Home Improvement, Gomer Pyle, Laverne & Shirley, All In the Family, I Dream of Genie, The Office, Everybody Loves Raymond, The King of Queens, The Brady Bunch, The Simpsons.

31-40: Sanford & Son, Gilligan's Island, Get Smart, Taxi, Welcome Back Kotter, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Murphy Brown, The Wonder Years, Square Pegs, Two and a Half Men.

41-50: The Jeffersons, 30 Rock, Room 222, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Golden Girls, Three's Company, Sgt Bilko, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, A Different World.

51-60: Barney Miller, Different Strokes, Good Times, Bewitched, Mork & Mindy, Roseanne, Perfect Strangers, The Nanny, Full House, Night Court.

HM: Wings, Frasier, How I Met Your Mother, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine Nine, New Girl, Will & Grace, Scrubs, Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Married With Children, Schitt's Creek, Malcolm in the Middle, Boy Meets World, Mad About You, That 70's Show, Black-ish, Young Sheldon, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, Happy's Place, The Neighborhood, A Man on the Inside. Fresh Off the Boat. The Kids Are All Right. Police Squad.

Saw this crappy list on line (below), that had left out numerous great shows, and had other hits ranked far too low. Inspired me to quickly cobble together my own list. I probably spent about as much time on the list as he did.

I like me some meatloaf. When C makes meatloaf, she always fixes mashed potatoes and English peas. We'll have meatloaf about four times a year.

On Sunday evening Caleb grilled prime rib roast and a couple of steaks. He also prepared the mashed potatoes and grilled broccoli, both from scratch. Ceil took a tossed salad, and Caleb’s mom Mary brought three pies: an onion pie, a key lime pie, and a lemon pie. Reminds me, she sent a piece of each one home with me.

Baby Miller was been a little fussy the past few days. We didn’t get home until after 9:30 night. I’d spent the warm afternoon trying to organize the garage, so I was tired and sore from using different muscles than usual. 

I had loaded up my pressure washer and an iron bench that had been taking up space in our garage, and took them over to A&C’s big garage. They’ve set up a home gym in their garage, with a large yoga mat, treadmill, and rowing machine. They have a shed behind the garage for the lawnmower and other tools. 

Monday morning C took Winnie to get a haircut. Winnie may have a sore tooth, so she’ll have to go to the vet this week. Wednesday is Ceil’s last day at school. I went to the gym. Treadmill and sauna.  

I'd had leftovers for lunch yesterday. C had leftovers for supper, and she fixed me a toasted turkey sandwich with leftover tomato parmesan soup. 

This morning we woke up at 5:15 am and drove down to W&MC's. MC was out of town and W had to get to work. We woke up the girls and walked them the 3/10ths of a mile to school. Took Winnie with is. 

We ate lunch at The Daily, a fancy place off Howell Mill next to the water works. Steak Shapiro had been raving about the breakfast sandwich, so that's what I'd ordered. A fried egg, cheese, bacon, and onion sauce on a sesame seed bun. Usually at places like that the bread is hard or weird, but this bun was soft and tasted okay. Didn't really fit on a breakfast sandwich. 

Ceil ordered the breakfast burrito, then ordered a plate of bacon to add to the burrito. I wound up eating a third of hers. Lots of egg. C of course got coffee, but she said it wasn't good. She says we don't have to go back. They had a cooler by the cash register, so instead of water I got an 8 ounce bottle of Diet Coke to drink. 

On the way home we stopped by to early vote. No wait. Got home and took a nap.

LUKE APPLING [SABR Bio] - Ans. “Lucious Luke” was one of his nicknames. His better-known nickname was “Old Aches and Pains”. Appling finished just beind NYY pitcher Spud Chandler for the 1943 AL MVP. Both men were tied for WAR that year with 7.3 but Chandler’s team had won the pennant and the World Series. Then Appling reported for military duty at Camp Lee, Virginia in January 1944. Between Al Simmons in 1931 and Ted Williams in 1941, no one had a higher qualifying batting average than Appling's .388 for the White Sox in 1936.