World Series < Super Bowl

Interesting video by Keith Olbermann on how a series of bad decisions caused the World Series audience to drop from over 60% of all televisions being watched (37 millions viewer) in the 1970's to less than ten million viewers today. No sporting events are scheduled while the Super Bowl is being played because no one would watch, but the World Series schedules its games up against the NFL and college football – starting games after 8 pm on the east coast…losing half its audience. This has been going on for so long that the generation of kids that quit watching has grown up and continues to not watch. Here's an article that shares the video: http://throughthefencebaseball.com/why-i-hate-keith-olbermann/39397

Didn't realize there was a World Series game until about 10 pm. Earlier in the day I had actually checked MLB.com to see when the next game was, and it obviously wasn't clear.

See where Shaq filmed a political campaign advertisement for New Jersey governor Chris Christie? There was a AJC.com blurb that mentioned it. What the AJC didn't say was that Shaq's part of the ad was filmed here in metro Atlanta, at a school near his house in Gwinnett County. My co-worker's daughter is principal of the school, and Shaq patiently posed for pictures with all the teachers and students – wearing the same outfit he wore in the commercial. Here's the link: http://www.accessatlanta.com/weblogs/buzz/2013/oct/28/shaquille-oneal-gets-politics/

Read the long interview that had been posted on Lang. Interesting website. I may read a few more interviews on there, like the shoe designer.

I'm sure having a problem keeping up with the walking. I was ready to go yesterday morning, but it was raining. Was a few minutes late on my afternoon walk, and barely saw the guy I pass every day. Worked til 5 pm. Looked for my running outfit, but didn't have a shirt to run in. I brought it today.

Stopped by Kroger on the way home. Yogurt and Tombstone pizzas were on sale, so I stocked up. Ceil fixed French toast for dinner. Also bacon. I also fixed bowls of popcorn for me and Matthew – using my new red air popcorn popper. I've had the same air popper for many years, and worry it will give out one day. The new one is ok, just smaller and louder. I'll stick with my old one as long as it lasts. While eating the popcorn I watched a JFK documentary on Netflix.

Reading List: May-October

Inferno, by Dan Brown

The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood, by Jane Leavy

Decision Points, by George W Bush

The Racketeer, by John Grisham

A Painted House, by John Grisham

The Street Lawyer, by John Grisham

Damascus Countdown, by Joel C Rosenberg

Micro, by Michael Crichton. Crichton’s final novel, published posthumously. Excellent.

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, by Bill Brison

Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson

Killing Kennedy, by Bill O'Reilly

Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero, by Chris Matthews

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President, by Candice Millard. The story of the extraordinary James Garfield, along with the roles inventor Alexander Graham Bell and Doctor Joseph Lister played in trying to save the President.

Falling Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success, by John C Maxwell

My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business, by Dick Van Dyke. Disappointing. Like the title suggests, the former church deacon spent his career making family-friendly performances, only to leave the church because of the wrong-minded opinions of others. He doesn’t have to give credit to God, but instead he goes out of his to instead claim the nebulous concept of love is the over-riding force in the universe.

Both of Us: My Life with Farrah, by Ryan O’Neal. The wealthy actor tries to explain his failures as a partner and father. Sad.

Old School Football and Faith: Played Out on the Flats, by Frank Sexton. Written by the former Georgia Tech end, Second-Ponce de Leon deacon that I have known for years. His story, from birth through college. Who knew Mr. Sexton had a book in him?

The Third Bullet (Bob Lee Swagger #8), by Stephen Hunter

Executive Intent, by Dale Brown

There may have been more - I did a poor job of keeping up.

Least Reliable Cars

Consumer Reports 10 Least Reliable Cars

1. Ford CMax Energi plug in hybrid

2. Ford Escape 1.6L ecoboost

3. Mini Cooper Countryman

4. Ford CMax hybrid

5. Nissan Pathfinder

6. Volkswagen Beetle

7. Cadillac XTS

8. Ford Explorer V6 4WD

9. Hyundai Genesis coupe

10. Ford Taurus turbo

GT Uniform Proposal

Georgia Tech’s uniforms aren’t quite as bad this season, and they did wear nice throwbacks against Virginia Tech. They did break out last season’s bumblebee unis for one road game. I realize  I am an old fogey who’s not going to get the Jackets to join more successful programs in wearing traditional uniforms (Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, FSU, Tennessee, Georgia, Stanford, Iowa State, UCLA, USC, Penn State, etc.).

Instead some doodles led to the list below. It wouldn’t be too hard for Tech to have just a few sets of uniforms and can be mixed and matched to the point where they would rarely have to wear the same uniform – keeping a traditional look for older fans while still appealing to the 17 year old recruits with new and different looks.

HOME/ROAD

…White jersey with UCLA stripes, untrimmed black block numbers. TV numbers on sleeves.

…Gold pants with black/white/black stripes

…White or gold helmet. Gold helmet with or without stripes.

GOLD

…Gold jersey with UCLA stripes, black block numbers trimmed in white. TV numbers on sleeves.

…White pants with black/gold/black stripes

…White helmet with black/gold/black stripes and gold GT

WHITEOUT

…White jersey with UCLA stripes, untrimmed black block numbers. TV numbers on sleeves.

…White pants with black/gold/black stripes

…White helmet with black/gold/black stripes and gold GT

THROWBACKS

…Dark mustard jersey with small untrimmed white block letters. No TV numbers.

…No names on back of jersey.

…White practice pants – no stripes

…White helmets – no stripes or GT logo

NAVY

…Navy jersey w/ gold/navy repeating stripe pattern on shoulders & sleeves. untrimmed block gold numbers. No TV numbers.

…Alternative navy jersey: gold UCLA stripes, gold block numbers trimmed in white, w/ TV numbers on shoulders.

…White pants with black/gold/black stripes (or gold pants).

…Gold helmets (or white).

MISC

…All helmets: grey facemasks, ACC logo on front bumper, and American flag on back bumper.

…Helmets without back bumpers can have American flag on back middle of helmet, over stripes.

…Any player numbers on helmets to be small, placed on stripes on back of helmet.

…Top of jersey numbers come up to jersey neck collar/shoulder seam.

…Jersey neck collar to be same color as jersey.

…Names on back of jersey in untrimmed block lettering.

…Jersey to have as few extra patches, wording, wordmarks, and logos as possible.

…No logos or wordmarks on pants.

…Pants to be all one color, except for the stripes running the full length of the pants from the top of the waist to the bottom of the knee.

5 helmets (plain gold, white, gold w/ logo, gold w/ stripes, plain white)

4 jerseys (white, gold, throwback, navy)

3 pants (gold, white w/ stripes, white w/o stripes)

60 uniform combinations, at least.

Top QB's: Oct 26

In this age of media over-exposure a college football player wanting to win the Heisman Trophy can’t afford to have an off week, especially to a weak opponent. Let’s compare this weekend’s stat lines for seven of the top college quarterbacks: Tajh Boyd, Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel, Marcus Mariota, AJ McCarron, Bryce Petty, and Jameis Winston.

player att-com..%..yd/att.TD.sack.int.rating

TB LOU 25-29 862 11.9….3…3…0…220.0     

BP BAY 20-32 625 13.4….3…0…0…206.3

JW FSU 16-26 615 11.2….3…1…1…186.3

AM ALA 19-27 704 10.2….2…0…0…180.4

JM A&M 25-35 714 08.7….4…2…1…176.6

MM OR  21-28 750 08.2….1…2…0…155.8

TB CLE  28-41 682 07.4….1…4…1…133.7

Manziel backs it up on the field. Was that what Bobby Layne was like? Or Paul Hornung. Back in the day athletes didn’t have to worry about everything they did being reported in the press. But even then Manziel he doesn’t try to be the center of attention like a Dez Bryant. He’s just trying to have a good time. Others are always taking pictures of him and trying to make money off him. He’s learning his lessons. I’m sure he’d rather not have to take classes on-line to avoid the crush of well-wishers.

Manziel has the same popularity problem that Chicago Bulls guy had back in the 80’s & 90’s. I do like Johnny Football’s all-out style of play. He may get hurt, and he might not make it in the pros, but he is a great college football player. Perhaps his best two performances came in his team’s two losses, when the Texas A&M defense gave up over 40 points. It’s unfortunate that a great player has to consider cutting his college career short because of the crush of media focused on him.

This Saturday ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit mentioned how Manziel is having an even better season this year than he did last year. Even so, I doubt he wins a second Heisman. Marcus Mariota quarterback’s the #2 ranked Oregon Ducks, leads the country in passing, and has defeated what scant competition he has out West. Many won’t vote for Manziel for two reasons: (1) his off-season in the news and (2) people don’t want another repeat winner. Though Gurley and Murray and Clowney and Boyd have faded, AJ McCarron, Jameis Winston, and the Alabama running back and will rob Southern votes from Manziel.

Megatron's Latest Victim

Glad I watched the second half of the Lions/Cowboys. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson were having a huge day. It drove Dallas WR Dez Bryant crazy, and he was even madder because he only had three catches. Stafford threw to Calvin twice as many times as Romo threw to Bryant. Johnson was tackled inside the five yard line four times – he almost had five touchdowns. Johnson’s 329 yards fell just short of Flipper Anderson’s all time single game record.

I thought the Lions had lost when Dallas had stopped them on fourth down, but when Detroit got the ball back after the field goal Stafford marched them down the field in four plays. Two more huge catches by Calvin. Then at the one yard line Stafford tells his team he’s going to “clock” the ball to stop the clock – but he sees the Dallas linebackers standing back off the line, so he decides to stick the ball over the top for the touchdown. Ball game. And the whole time Johnson was so low key – making the flashy Dez even madder. Bryant was wearing huge diamond earrings in both ears. Had Dallas lost because a great running back had a great game – instead of having another receiver making him look so bad, Bryant probably wouldn’t have thrown such a hissy fit.    

PL  G rec yards TD long avg yd/game

CJ 99 535 8467 61  96 16.2   87

DB 51 245 3512 35  85 14.3   68

The ageless Jay Feely (37) was kicking for the Cardinals. His 13th year in the league. I quickly turned off the Falcons and watched the NBC Football Night in America pregame, then the World Series. I just didn’t feel like doing anything. Anna and Matthew ate at Fellini’s Pizza. Ceil cooked pumpkin waffles, grits, bacon, and scrambled eggs. I sneezed a few times this weekend, but that was because it was chilly.

Took off Friday afternoon. Stopped by Wendys on the way home to use a coupon. Blew the driveway, cleaned some upstairs, and washed the CRV. After I armor-alled the wheels, Ceil drove off and ran over my bottle of armor-all.

Cleaned upstairs more Saturday morning, and folded laundry and did dishes during the GT/UVA and Clemson/Maryland games. Ceil planted some bushes, and Matthew and his friend Sarah went to the dollar movies. Afterward Ceil and I ate with them at El Porton, next to the stinky Kroger. The restaurant had pink chips for breast cancer awareness – and elaborate Halloween decorations. After dinner we drove Sarah home to Canton. Got back in time for the end of the SC/Mizzou and Cards/Red Sox games.

Sat with Becky and Joel Norman at church. Went home, ate a sandwich, and took a nap. One of the boys in Sunday School class that Joel teaches was Dan Uggla’s son.

Oct 26 College Football Roundup

Tech played about as bad as they could and still won the game. Penalties, turnovers, fumbles, interceptions. After Lee lost the fumble I think Johnson benched him for the remainder of the first half to teach him a lesson. Backup QB Thomas just runs the plays without reading the defense. He threw two passes to wide open receivers on the sidelines, then threw a third with the DB standing in front of the receiver. I’m glad Johnson has simplified the offense – the two QB’s have a ways to go before they run it smoothly and efficiently. Lee still throws off his back foot. That has to look terrible in the film sessions. Happy to see Robbie Godhigh and Nick Laskey have big games. Those two are much more productive than the more talented and talked-about David Sims and Synjn Days duo.

With all the turnovers the Tech defense was on the field the whole game. They never gave up too big of a play – just the long drives. Part of that was the fatigue from staying on the field so long. They did make Virginia’s quarterback (ranked 88th in the country, much worse than Vad Lee) look good. The roughing the kicker penalty was unnecessary, as was the time the DB made the hit out of bounds. Couldn’t believe Johnson didn’t immediately take him out of the game – I would have.

I suppose I should be happy that Tech won the game. Had I not known anything about the game and saw the final score, I would’ve been happy. In baseball a team can’t win every game in a blowout. But football is different. How can a team commit zero penalties one week, then nine the next? In a year that Georgia might be beatable, I don’t see this Tech team doing it.

Same deal with Clemson. The offense sputtered, but the Tigers stuck with it and the final score looked decent. But compared to six other top college QB’s, Tajh Boyd had by far the worst day: throwing an interception and getting sacked four times. The competition for the Heisman Trophy is so crowded that a player cannot have an off week, especially against a team proven to be as bad as Maryland.

I’m not a fan of South Carolina nor Missouri, so I was glad both teams had such a hard time winning. The SC win helps Georgia.

After that game finally ended I turned over to the World Series in time to see the fateful (and correct) obstruction call. Even though intent doesn’t matter, the only reason Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks had for raising his feet in the air was to block the runner. If he wanted to get up he would’ve kept his feet on the ground. I’ve seen the same thing happen in so many levels of baseball and the umpire never calls it, but it took the best umpire in baseball to make the right call. Joe Torre says baseball will review the rule in the off-season, but I think he knows that it was the right call. No way any team should win a World Series game because they tripped the runner. I’d rather baseball deal with terrible umpires, like Angel Hernandez.

To me, the third-baseman’s feet up in the air was the “intentional” indicator. He wouldn’t ever admit it if he did it on purpose. But the rule states that intent is not a factor. The runner looked out at home, but the plate umpire didn’t signal. Instead he pointed toward third, where Joyce had signaled the interference right when it happened. Interestingly, the rule also states that if the interference was called, but the runner hadn’t tried to score, but instead retreated to third, the runner would’ve stayed at third. He only scored because he continued on and tried to score.

Other games: Reid’s take, and my comments:

  

Loved Ala over Tenn – me too. I guess it’s good that Tennessee is stronger this year, but they were starting to get the big head after beating SC.

Hated UL Monroe over Ga State – me too. Bring back Bill Curry!

Hated Miami over Wake Forest – not me. I figured Miami would pull out the win. For some reason I’m not a Wake fan. Ugly uniforms. Announcers talk about how great the QB is, but he’s rated 81st in the nation. Miami will lose to FSU. As much trouble as the Canes had with both Tech and Wake, there’s no way they can beat the Seminoles.

Loved Central Fla over U Conn – me too. Co-worker Chris drove down for the game. Hopefully the Knights can win out and win the conference championship. They’ve beaten Penn State and Louisville, and gave South Carolina a run for their money.

Hated Texas A&M over Vandy – not me. Like Tennessee, Vandy was getting the big head. They had a harder time against a team playing their first string.  

Loved Duke over VT – me too. I loved VT’s stripes, but perhaps the loss will help people recognize what a bad QB VT’s Logan Thomas is. People love his size and athletic ability, but a QB he is not. Ranked 75th in the country - worse than Vad Lee. But some NFL team will draft him. Probably the Raiders.

Hated Arizona over Falcons – I almost asked “why are the Falcons playing so bad?” but then I realized that I knew the answer. The injuries to the wideouts have really thrown Matt Ryan for a loop. The cardinals John Abraham might’ve been fired up to play the team that didn’t re-sign him, but he seemed to be hurt the entire time he was here. Abraham was old when he came to the Falcons, and he’s even older now. He might’ve had a good game yesterday, but can he hold up for the length of his contract?

Oct 26 College Total QB Ratings

ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating for the top ten college QB’s, plus most of the other ACC and SEC QB’s. Updated to include the October 26th games.

1. 95.5 Marcus Mariota, Oregon

2. 95.4 Bryce Petty, Baylor

3. 92.6 Jameis Winston, FSU

4. 89.7 Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M

5. 87.8 Aaron Murray, Georgia

6. 86.3 Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville

7. 84.8 Zach Mettenberger, LSU

8. 83.6 AJ McCarron, Alabama

9. 82.9 Blake Bortles, Central Florida

10. 82.8 Daniel Sams, Kansas State

12. 80.4 Braxton Miller, Ohio State

15. 79.0 Dak Prescott, Mississippi State

26. 74.5 Stephen Morris, Miami

26. 74.5 Tajh Boyd, Clemson

29. 74.3 Anthony Boone, Duke

30. 74.2 Bryn Renner North Carolina

30. 74.2 Blake Bell, Oklahoma

32. 73.7 Connor Shaw, South Carolina

35. 72.5 Jalen Whitlow, Kentucky

39. 70.4 Tom Savage, Pittsburgh  

47. 87.0 Terrel Hunt, Syracuse

48. 66.8 Bo Wallace, Ole Miss

52. 65.2 Justin Worley, Tennessee

53. 65.0 Tyler Murphy, Florida

54. 64.9 Nick Marshall, Auburn

60. 63.1 Chase Rettig, Boston College

64. 59.7 CJ Brown, Maryland

71. 56.4 Vad Lee, Georgia Tech

75. 54.3 Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech

76. 54.2 Pete Thomas, NC State

79. 53.1 Brandon Allen, Arkansas

81. 51.6 Tanner Price, Wake Forest

88. 48.3 David Watford, Virginia

89. 48.1 Austyn Carta-Samuels, Vanderbilt

Trivia, From Long Ago

Old trivia notes that I never wrote up, from long ago…

1. LOTH: What is my name? Xanna. Five points.

2. GEOGRAPHY: World’s smallest ocean? Arctic. One point.

3. ARITHMETIC: Square root of 25? Five. Three points. This is when I arrived, and stole the score sheet from Denise.

4. GEOGRAPHY: What continent is Greece a part of? Haley knew: Europe. Five points.

5. MOVIES: Who played Catwoman in the 2012 Batman movie? Elizabeth knew: Anne Hathaway. Three points.

6. FAMOUS PEOPLE: Who invented the telephone? Alexander Graham Bell. One point.

7. HISTORY: Who defeated the Aztecs? I said Cortez. Three points.

8. TECHNOLOGY: AOL stands for? Five points.

9. MERICA: The Civil War began when? Denise answered 1861.

10. HALFTIME: What company’s ad line is…

…Moving Forward? Toyota (we said UPS)

…Are You in Good hands? Allstate. Two points.

…Rethink Possible? Microsoft (we said AT&T)

…Eat Fresh? Subway. We got the food one, of course. Two more points.

11. MERICA: What was the 14th state to enter the Union? Only three teams answered Vermont. A two point miss. 

12. HISTORY: Who invented the assembly line: I answered Henry Ford. Six points!

13. ART: The first Crayolas had how many crayons? We said six. The answer was eight. A four point miss.

14. POT PORRI: Ponce de Leon went to Florida to find? The fountain of youth. Six points.

15. PRESIDENTS: Reagan was the governor of what state? California. Four points.

16. SPORTS: Who had the most walks? I knew: Barry Bonds. Two points.

17. CARTOONS: Which Peanuts character is always dirty? Pigpen. Six points.

18. SPORTS: Which NFL team was the first to hire cheerleaders, in 1972? The Dallas Cowboys. Four points. Actually, there might’ve been a team that had cheerleaders before 1972.

19. LITERATURE: Who wrote the James Bond novels? Ian Fleming. Two points.

20. FINAL: Name the five highest selling vehicles of all time. We got (1) Corolla, (2) F150 pickup, and (4) VW Beetle. We missed on (3) VW Golf and (5) Ford Escort.

MLB Career Leaders: Walks

I still do not acknowledge that Bonds is the all-time Walk King.

1. 2558 Barry Bonds

2. 2190 Rickey Henderson

3. 2062 Babe Ruth

4. 2021 Ted Williams

5. 1865 Joe Morgan

6. 1845 Carl Yastrzemski

7. 1747 Jim Thome

8. 1733 Mickey Mantle

9. 1708 Mel Ott

10. 1667 Frank Thomas

11. 1614 Eddie Yost

12. 1605 Darrell Evans

13. 1599 Stan Musial

14. 1566 Pete Rose

15. 1559 Harmon Killebrew

16. 1512 Chipper Jones

17. 1508 Lou Gehrig

18. 1507 Mike Schmidt

19. 1499 Eddie Collins

20. 1475 Gary Sheffield

21. 1464 Willie Mays

22. 1456 Bobby Abreu

23. 1452 Jimmie Foxx

24. 1444 Eddie Mathews

25. 1420 Frank Robinson

26. 1412 Wade Boggs

27. 1402 Hank Aaron

28. 1401 Jeff Bagwell

29. 1391 Dwight Evans

30. 1381 Tris Speaker

31. 1375 Reggie Jackson

32. 1357 Jason Giambi – active leader

40. 1317 Mark McGwire

50. 1249 Ty Cobb

53. 1440 Alex Rodriquez

Shopping Trips

Ran after work Wednesday. Supper was ready when I got home: burgers, fries, and baked beans. Something the kids will eat. Ceil had dinner ready because she was taking Anna out to look for shoes. They didn’t get shoes, but did get a dress on sale.

Matthew decided we needed to go shopping, so we went to Roswell. I’ve spent a ton this month, and wasn’t in a buying mood. One store had a bunch of good caps, but I passed on two Masters caps and a throwback Phillies cap. Saw some fishing shirts, but they weren’t the right brand. Saw a Thrashers goalie figurine, but didn’t bite - not a bobblehead. Matthew wanted flannel shirts. We saw a nice one, but I couldn’t talk M into getting it. He thought it was too big. Looked small to me. At the third store I saw a nice pair of Timberland pants, but their credit card machine was down. Store number four had a nice golf jacket, but I passed. Might go back for it. Went to the ATM and got cash for the pants, but when we went back Store #3 had closed 15 minutes early. Then I took M to Chickfila to get him a milkshake.

Back home to watch Duck Dynasty and the World Series. Early in the game the Cardinal 2B or 1B threw to the SS covering the bag to start a DP. The throw hit the top/side of the SS’s glove and glanced off…an obvious no catch. The umpire was watching, but called the runner out. The Boston manager came out to argue, and the 5 other umpires came over to huddle and changed the call to safe. Fox talked about it the rest of the evening. No one they interviewed on either team thought it was a big deal – only Fox. Ken Rosenthal interviewed Joe Torre, who said the umpired have silent signals that indicate several things…whether or not to huddle, etc. The other 5 umpires signaled each other that the call had been missed. Since they all agreed, they huddled up and changed the call. Nice that they changed the call, but Fox acted like baseball history was reversed. Didn’t seem like that big a deal.

Later when Boston SS Stephen Drew was batting the announcers mentioned how the Cards had traded with the Braves for “former #1 pick” Adam Wainwright. They said the Cardinals GM should be commended for the trade. What wasn’t mentioned was that the trade helped the Braves extend their record streak of division championships several more years. The announcers also did not mention what Wainwright said earlier this year: that had he not been traded he probably wouldn’t have worked to become the pitcher he is today.

I am told that Cynthia Briscoe is running for the Board of Education. I keep up with Cynthia’s little sister Laura on Facebook, though Cynthia is probably closer to my age. I will have to follow her campaign/election results. Laura has run the Peachtree Road Race the past couple of years, but I think she lives in Pennsylvania.  

Guess I’ll have to get out the winter clothes this weekend. The house is a mess, and I can’t put up the summer clothes if the laundry hasn’t been done.

Missed out on a Brewers Sausage Race bobblehead last night. We were still at store number three, so I had to watch on my phone. The auction has started at a penny, so I thought I’d keep tabs on it. I’ve bought so much this month that I didn’t need to go at it whole hog. I placed a bid, but someone bid much higher to win. Later Matthew asked what my plans were with these bobbleheads in his room. I joked that I’d move them to Anna’s room.

Without End

Didn’t even turn on the TV last night. Went by the library and checked out “World Without End.” Last night I stumbled across a book called Top of the Order: 25 Writers Pick Their Favorite Baseball Player of All Time. It has a forward by W. P Kinsella. Amazon only had paperbacks (that I could tell), so I bought a new copy for a penny plus shipping.

Can’t believe they scheduled Game One opposite the Duck Dynasty Season Finale.

Might’ve mentioned reading a fellow’s website who visited all the MLB ballparks this summer. I started reading it and making a list of the miles, dollars, and what he did every day. When I finish with the list next week I will publish it. I liked some of the stuff he did, but I would do some stuff differently. This morning I made a list of what my route would be, including possible extra stops. I’ll post that as well.

Saw John Parkes at a Braves game this summer. We were standing in line together for tickets and he told me about getting his money stolen. He has been doing some traveling around lately as well. Parkes said he had recently went out to sing in John Condra’s choir when Condra was subbing out east of town.

Walked both am and pm Monday, then ran/walked after work at the soccer fields. It was raining Tuesday morning, so I only got in my 2 pm walk. Will go back to the soccer fields after work for 2 more. Didn’t get in Wednesday’s morning walk until noon. Was ten minutes late starting my 2 pm walk. My boss got cake for the two most recent office birthdays – including me (yes, mine is in August). I figured we couldn’t cut the cake until three, so I headed out at 2:05 to walk. Every afternoon I pass the same fellow just arriving for the second shift. We’ve started swapping greetings, but today I missed him. At the halfway point I checked my time, as usual. I was a half mile away from the office, and my co-worker was calling. The boss was ready to cut the cake. I try to walk fast, but I had to walk back extra fast. Only ate one small piece.

I mentioned how I discovered one of the CRV shiny wheels somehow wasn’t shiny any more. I figured I had missed that fact when buying the car at the dealership, even though I was sure I had checked all the wheels to make sure they matched. When I discovered the dull wheel I checked the tires – which were all the same model tire, in the same excellent condition. Last week I noticed that both front wheels were dull. Only then did I figure out the shiny wheels were hubcaps. Either Ceil/Anna hit a curb and they fell off, or someone is stealing them one at a time. I really didn’t like the shiny hubcaps anyway.

Like Paul Johnson said, Tech always struggles up in Charlottesville. Tech should win, but you never know. Virginia played Oregon tough for a quarter or two, and GT is no Oregon.

I had a headache Sunday and Monday, and wasn’t feeling too good last night. Took some pills before I went to bed, and have felt ok ever since. But just ok. Ceil cooked pork tenderloin Monday night. I also had broccoli and later yogurt and popcorn. Passed on the mashed potatoes. Tuesday Ceil cooked wings for the kids and chicken and salad for us. For lunch Tuesday I had the last of the chili. Wednesday it was leftover pork chops.

Monday night a Bob Uecker bobblehead auction was ending, and I wanted to watch. There had already been 8 bids, and I figured there would be a flurry at the end. For fun I prepared one bid slightly higher than the current bid, and I bid it right as the auction closed. No one else bid, so I won. Now I’m tracking a few similar items to see if I overpaid. Since I’m so into bobbleheads, I bit the bullet Tuesday and bought a Three Stooges “Moe” bobblehead. Now I have 51 different bobbleheads. Includes a couple of statuettes and nesting dolls. Running out of room on Matthew’s shelf. I have a bunch of Coke bottles as well. Would be tough to sell (and ship) the bottles on eBay. I may try selling on Craig’s List. Mine are packed away under my bed. Olympics, Braves, Falcons, etc. I also have several special six-packs of cans. Over ten years ago I finally quit getting every new bottle that came out.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

In school I learned about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and ever since I sometimes wonder if I am affected in any way in regard to them. Maslow theorized that the more basic needs must be met before an individual could focus on the higher levels needs. Since his work was published there has been much debate, further study, and alternative theories, though this hierarchy is a good basic outline to go by. The needs are, from lower to higher…  

PHYSIOLOGICAL: breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion

SAFETY: security of body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health, property

LOVE/BELONGING: friendship, family, sexual intimacy

ESTEEM: self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, respect by others

SELF-ACTUALIZATION: morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts

Makes me wonder if people may “peak” – eventually achieving some or all of the higher level needs, then perhaps backsliding as they age. Sometimes I wonder if I’m not as creative or spontaneous as I used to be. Much less as moral, unprejudiced, accepting, or as good a problem solver. Or as good a driver.

Then I remember that the only thing I need to God. He is the One who can meet my every need.

Vandy Edges UGA's 3rd String

Two of Georgia’s three losses can be traced back to two plays: both bad center snaps. Vandy’s coach didn’t seem too evil, but I hate what the Commodores have become, an over-celebratory bunch wearing head-to-toe all black. They seemed to forget that Georgia was still playing without five of their top offensive weapons, and that Georgia’s top defender was thrown out on a highly questionable call. If the rule outlaws blow to the head and neck, Georgia’s defender Ray Drew pushed the Vandy player’s shoulder pads/upper chest with his hands. His helmet wasn’t even part of the hit. Vandy scored on a fake field goal and after the ball was snapped over the punter’s head. Georgia could’ve won by two touchdowns. Vandy was lucky to win, and shouldn’t have celebrated so much. Of course, their expectations are much lower than UGA’s.

Tech could’ve run one play (fullback dive up the middle) and beaten Syracuse. Johnson was smart to only run six or seven different plays, and only pass five times. Also smart to pull Vad Lee and give his lightning-quick backup some reps. Good game, but how did Syracuse get so bad?

Once again Clemson laid a huge egg in a big game. FSU looked as good as Clemson looked bad. The game reflected each quarterback’s national ranking: the fantastic Winston (#3) and fumbling Boyd (#35). The poor performance probably cost Boyd a seat at the Heisman Trophy table. Clemson’s kicker had to make the tackle on the second half kickoff. No close-up slow-motion replay, but I worried the helmet-to-helmet hit would result in the kicker getting thrown out of the game. Hard for luck to go Clemson’s way when Dabo’s tiger paw pin was turned upside down.    

Auburn’s upset of A&M bodes poorly on Georgia hopes for beating those Tigers. Unfortunately, Auburn’s often-misfiring quarterback will be eaten up by the Alabama defense. Some say that A&M’s second loss dampens Manziel’s Heisman hopes, but he wasn’t the one giving up 45 points on defense. I still say Oregon QB Marcus Mariota wins the Heisman.

Tennessee’s coach is doing a great job in Knoxville, though perhaps Connor Shaw’s injury was a factor in the upset. I’ll be rooting for the Vols to beat Vandy. Should be a good game this year.

Central Florida’s big win exposed Louisville as a national title pretender – as well as Teddy Bridgewater’s Heisman hopes. I see Bridgewater making the top three. I do love his high completion percentage, though I’m not convinced he has the big time arm needed to be the number one pick in the NFL draft. I wouldn’t draft South Carolina’s Clowney number one either. Perhaps the Jaguars should trade the pick.

Will Georgia State ever get good? Seems like they’re getting some recruits.

Updated ESPN Total QB Ratings w/ Oct 19 Games

ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating after this weekend’s games:

1. 96.6 Marcus Mariota, Oregon

2. 95.1 Bryce Petty, Baylor

3. 92.5 Jameis Winston, FSU (ACC)

4. 90.2 Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M

5. 89.0 Aaron Murray, Georgia

6. 87.7 Daniel Sams, Kansas State

7. 86.9 Zack Mettenberger, LSU

8. 84.6 Dak Prescott, Mississippi State

9. 84.3 Derek Carr, Fresno State

10. 83.4 Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville

11. 82.3 Anthony Boone, Duke (ACC)

16. 80.6 Blake Bortles, Central Florida

18. 79.6 AJ McCarron, Alabama

19. 78.2 Bryn Renner, North Carolina (ACC)

21. 78.0 Jalen Whitlow, Kentucky

23. 77.4 Stephen Morris, Miami (ACC)

27. 76.0 James Franklin, Missouri

33. 73.4 Brandon Connette, Duke (ACC)

35. 72.5 Tajh Boyd, Clemson (ACC)

37. 71.9 Connor Shaw, South Carolina

42. 69.5 Blake Bell, Oklahoma

47. 68.6 Justin Worley, Tennessee

48. 68.2 Bo Wallace, Missouri

50. 67.8 Tyler Murphy, Florida

51. 67.4 Terrel Hunt, Syracuse (ACC)

52. 67.1 Tom Savage, Pittsburgh (ACC)

54. 65.9 Chase Rettig, Boston College (ACC)

55. 65.7 Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (ACC)

65. 59.8 Nick Marshall, Auburn

66. 59.1 CJ Brown, Maryland (ACC)

69. 57.8 Vad Lee, Georgia Tech (ACC)

78. 53.6 Pete Thomas, NC State (ACC)

83. 51.3 Brandon Allen, Arkansas

84. 51.3 Austyn Carta-Samuels, Vandy

97. 41.8 David Watford, Virginia (ACC)

99. 40.7 Tanner Price, Wake Forest (ACC)

Life in the Adjoining Room?

Went I got home from work Friday Anna came out and drove off, and she was come pretty much from then until 8 pm Sunday night. Spent the night at two different friend’s houses. She did get some studying done. Saturday night she spent the night at the Hargreaves, who hosted a swing dance party. Even Matthew went to that.

Friday afternoon Ceil drove down to look at fabric at IKEA and other places. We took Matthew to eat at El Porton in the stinky Kroger shopping center. We used to go there a lot, but eventually started eating at healthier places. El Porton was super crowded, perhaps because it was a Friday with warm weather. Back home Ceil sewed herself a new purse. She didn’t finish until almost 2 am. I was checking on the Central Florida/Louisville game, but also watched the movie Money ball. Ceil watched it as she sewed.

Saturday morning we watched ESPN College GameDay. Bill Murray was hilarious, wrestling with Lee Corso, throwing the FSU spear, hitting golf balls. I did laundry and watched football, particularly Georgia Tech. Ceil shopped for groceries, and I made two trips up to the Hargreaves, taking M to the dance. We had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.

Sunday I met Ceil at the 12:30 Passion service. Louie told a good story about his first plane trip/hotel stay. He was speaking at a youth conference that wanted to treat him well. All they could talk about was the great hotel room he was getting. He checked in and saw it was nice, but still couldn’t understand why everyone was talking about it. After he spoke he went back to the room and ordered a room service cheeseburger. When the burger was late Louie heard a knock down the hallway, but not at his room. Thinking they had the wrong room, Louie opened the door to tell the waiter where he was. The waiter left the burger at the other door, came down to into his room and opened an inside door – that led to the rest of Louie’s suite. Kitchenette, dining room, a door to another bedroom. Big gift basket and event T-shirt. The guy at the desk at cut a key not to the suite’s main door, but to the adjoining bedroom door on the side. Louie almost missed out on the tremendous blessing. This was Louie’s analogy to Ephesians 3:20, that God wants to do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” – to not live life in the adjoining room.

Saw Dan Gastley at Passion, and his wife Jennifer. Should’ve asked him if he always goes to that 12:30 service. After the service we gave Ceil’s friend a ride home, then went back to IKEA. Then Ceil wanted to see if any Switchfoot tickets were available that that evening’s sold out concert. I let her off and parked on a shady spot. I noticed the tour bus, and Ceil got to see two members of the band. She got tickets, and we went home. By then (4:30) I was hungry and had a headache. I ate leftover spaghetti and took a quick nap. Later I watched the Bruce Willis movie RED – very good. Also watched some football highlights and Peyton’s return to Indianapolis. Also Modern Family. Worked on the computer and went to bed.

M and C stayed for Switchfoot lead singer Jon Foreman’s after concert. Then they took David Norman and Rob Kelly back to their car at the Lindbergh MARTA station. They didn’t get home until after 1:30 am.

Back walking today. Friday I got in both my miles.

Shoes by Month & Year

Another list of shoes, this time by month of purchase. It seems like I buy lots of shoes, and I do. Some wore out. Will took some of the shoes. Others didn’t work out, or I gave them away. Some are rarely worn, but are nice to look at. I’ve been able to sell a couple pair on eBay. For the most part this list only encompasses the shoes on my thrift store list, plus others I remember.  

2013

October: navy Jordan RCVR shoes
September: black New Balance 310 running shoes

July: red Puma Liga indoor soccer shoes

June: grey Crocs flip flops

April: navy New Balance 993 running shoes

February: navy New Balance tennis shoes

January: black ECCO chukka boots

2012

December: black Cole Haan Santa Barbara Nike Air loafers

November: black Cole Haan Nike Air loafers (gone)

October: black Reebok Fury Insta-Pump running shoes

August: black Converse all stars (gone)

July: brown Cole Haan Santa Barbara Nike Air loafers

May: brown Merrell loafers

February: navy Puma canvas sneakers (Joel)

2011

September: blue Nike Blazer court shoes

August: black dress shoes  

July: white Air Jordan basketball shoes

January: white Puma Pele Brasil indoor soccer shoes

2010

November: Puma Voltaic running shoes (Will)

August: brown Nike Air Moc low camp shoes (sold)

July: brown Nike Air Moc high camp shoes (sold)

June: black driving shoe loafers (still have)

May: grey Timberland Adventure Front Country shoes (still have)

April: red Puma California tennis shoes (tore up)

March: grey Puma California tennis shoes (tore up)

February: grey New Balance 992 running shoes (still have)

January: grey New Balance 993 running shoes (still have)

2009

December: black New Balance 993 running shoes (still have)

October: black wing tip dress shoes (still have/wore out)

August: brown Dockers topsider boat shoes (tore up)

July: burgundy Puma running shoes (Joel)

March: silver Nike Air Zoon Moire running shoes (Will)

February: navy Crocs water shoes (still have)

2008

December: grey Nike Free training shoes (Will)

November: grey New Balance 991 running shoes

June: black Nike Free running shoes (Will)

May: white low cut Converse Chuck Taylors (still have)

April: black adidas coaching shoes (Will)

February: black Bass loafers (long gone)

January: white adidas Tour Traxion golf shoes (still have)

2007

October: brown loafers

September: blue Puma track shoes (sold)

July: brown Timberland sandals (still have)

February: navy New Balance 991 running shoes (Will)

January: black high-top Converse Chuck Taylors (Joel)

2006

December: black Timberland loafers (tore up)

September: blue adidas coaching shoes (still have)

February: white Puma Roma shoes (still have)

January: black loafers

2005

June: white Footjoy golf shoes

March: grey new Balance 991 running shoes (Will)

January: brown Timberland loafer (still have)

2004

December: white Puma Roma shoes (still have)

October: black Oakley flip flops (still have)

August: cordovan Rockport loafers

March: black dress loafers

February: brown J Crew dress shoes

January: white adidas Illie Nastase Millennium tennis shoes

2003

October: navy Nike Presto running shoes

September: brown Merrell Winter Moc camp shoes (still have)

July: brown outdoor shoes

June: red Puma Suede court shoes (still have)

2002

December: brown New Balance trail shoes (?)

August: yellow Reebok Fury Insta-Pump running shoes (still have)

March: white Nike huarache running shoes

February: black Kenneth Cole loafers

2001

October: black Sketchers shoes

September: blue Nike Swingman basketball shoes (Will)

August: white Nike golf shoes

July: black Nike Presto running shoes

June: blue Converse One Star 2000 basketball shoes (tore up)

January: grey Nike cross-training shoes (Will)

2000

December: brown Merrell hiking shoes (sold)

November: black shoes

September: brown Sketchers shoes

August: white Nike basketball shoes

June: brown Polo loafers

February: blue New Balance running shoes

Pre-2000

Brown Nike Air Moc camp shoes (still have)

Black adidas Samba soccer shoes

Outdoor boots

White Reebok basketball shoes

Black Reebok basketball shoes

White Nike Air Flight Lite basketball shoes

White Converse basketball shoes

Black Converse One Star basketball shoes

White Air Jordan basketball shoes

White Nike cross training shoes

White Fila court shoes

Black Nike all-court shoes

White Nike all-court shoes

White Tretorn tennis shoes

Lands End chukka boots

Nike Huarache running shoes

Grey Nike Air Pegasus running shoes

White Nike running shoes

Gold Pro-Keds basketball shoes