The Earth Shoes

When I lose something I usually figure it will turn up eventually. I keep saying I’m going to get a brightly colored wallet and cell phone cover so they’ll be easier to spot. Right now they’re black, so when I drop them in my car they’re hard to find. Rarely does an item go missing for a long period of time. In 1979 a pair of shoes went missing. Earth shoes. I think I left them in the apartment I moved out of. When I moved out of the Goldsboro Road apartment in 1983 I left something hanging on the wall, that at the time I had wanted to keep.

 

Three or four months ago one of my favorite pairs of pants went missing. I kept a lookout for them, but they never turned up. Looked in Ceil and Matthew’s closet. Checked to make sure they weren’t hanging on the same hanger as a shirt. Had I left them in South Carolina? Finally this week I moved a shirt hanging in my closet on a belt hook, and there they were.    

 

Thursday: work was crazy all day. Worked past 6:30 again, just because it was a fire drill was 5:30 and I had to get some regular work done. Things will be slow next week so it will be hard to get orders cut and shipped. Trying to make sure everyone knows ahead of time there’s going to be a pile of work to do.

 

Was going to meet M to eat. It was pouring rain so we decided to eat somewhere close: Moxie Burger. Tried the Texas toast bun but it wasn’t my fave. Afterwards we hit two thrift stores in Roswell. Didn’t get home until 9:30 so I didn’t do much. We reorganized M’s bed to accommodate the cat, so later when I went in his room I finally saw the cat. Watched some of the Braves, and Battle of the Network Stars. Lame.

Jay Leno's Garage

I had watched Jay leno's Garage before, but I don't remember enjoying it so much. Below Jay visits with comedian Gabriel Iglesias, who has assembled a collection of eighteen vintage VW Buses.

I'd be happy with one.

This owner bought a neglected front entry BMW "Egg", fixed it up, and bought he and his wife chicken suits to wear while driving it.

Vice President Joe Biden took exception to the no-driving rule to show off his Corvette, a wedding present from his father, who owned a Chevrolet dealership. They were later joined by former Secretary of State Colin Powell, sporting his late model Vette.

Jay visited the home of wrestler Bill Goldberg and his wife, a former stuntwoman. Goldberg has a collection of muscle cars, and his grandmother's classic car. Goldberg's wife Wanda had her father's ancient Chevy pickup restored.

The Lost Years

In January 1983 I moved into an apartment on Goldsboro Road near Little Five Points with my buddy Jim Johnson. Just bided my time during the day, and did things at night at Tech and Second-Ponce: choir, basketball, softball, youth retreats and camps and banquets, and singles retreats. I was transitioning from the college department to the singles department. Worked for a month on the graveyard shift at a convenience store on Buford Highway. Not smart. Worked for a few weeks in a warehouse with a friend from church. Worked with Mark Stephens cutting grass and landscaping. Flew to Jacksonville to interview with my dad’s company, but I hardly knew what to say. At some point I moved to the Greenwood Avenue apartment near Grady High, with Brett, Keith, Curt, and later Tom.

 

In September I signed on as a helper in the Second Ponce preschool, so that kept me busy until May 1984. Lots of fun, not much money. By then Earl and Nancy Poythress had made it their mission to help me look for a job. In June I started work at Jim Suggs’ company.

 

Things took off in late 1986. My grandfather passed away after Thanksgiving. I immediately started sleeping in his house to keep it occupied, and bought it in March 1987. In April I got engaged. In May my company announced the doors would be closing in June. In July I interviewed at Tull and I started the first of August. In September Ceil and I were married, with a honeymoon in Bermuda.

 

 

Monday night after dance class I bought a red road Dominique Wilkens jersey. Classic. My co-worker had brought me the red white and blue Braves feather giveaway cap, so when I brought them inside I was a sight to see.

 

Also stopped by Dollar Tree, so it was almost eight before I got home. C had also stopped off on the way home, so I warmed up leftovers for supper. No Braves so I watched Last Man Standing, The Middle, and some of the NBA Awards. Didn’t see Lang. Tired so I went to bed before ten. C was getting books and garments ready for a school sale.

 

Late Tuesday afternoon I was given a chicken salad sandwich from Atlanta Bread Company. I’d eaten lunch early so I ate supper early as well. Ceil was headed out to her Bible Study so it worked out perfect. I needed a long relaxing evening anyway. Watched Independence Day, one of my favorite movies that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Ceil came in and watched a little, but I changed it before a bad scene came on. Went to bed before 11.

 

Young Rachel here at work was just drinking iced coffee. I like them smell but not the taste. Not even a fan of coffee ice cream. I don’t like beer or wine or alcohol either. Just soft drinks or strawberry lemonade.

 

Aaron Rodgers was on $100,000 Pyramid with Erin Andrews. Host Michael Strahan. Battle of the Network Stars comes on Thursday.

 

Campbells Soup was conducting surveys about dollar stores. Not all are created equal. At Dollar Tree everything is a dollar, but there are few name brands. I go there for gum and powdered drink mix for my water bottle. Sometimes sunglasses, detergent, shoestrings, and shampoo. Family Dollar and Dollar General have name brands but higher prices than grocery stores (like drug stores). Shelves are close together. Not a pleasant experience.

 

Bistro Nico sounds too fancy for me.

Athlon's Top 50 College Players

Last week Athlon Sports ranked the top 50 college football players of the past 50 years, and came to the same conclusion as many have before them: Herschel Walker was the best. Athlon didn’t take the task lightly. They didn’t assign the story to some 22 year old cub reporter who might cherry-pick a couple of legends, then fill the rest with names he remembered from the past ten years in an effort to generate page clicks and reader responses. Instead they assembled a panel of experienced college football writers, and worked from a list of 300 all-Americans and major award winners.

 

I decided to type up the list not knowing who was number one, and worked my way down, adding a few of my first impressions (I figured Herschel would be near the top). Athlon should be commended for their excellent work on the thankless task. Only eight of the 50 started their career after the turn of the century, and 19 played in the 60’s and 70’s.  

 

50. 89-91 Desmond Howard Michigan WR

49. 81-84 Doug Flutie Boston College QB

48. 93-96 Danny Wuerffel Florida QB

47. 12-14 Marcus Mariota Oregon QB

46. 84-87 Keith Jackson Oklahoma TE

45. 94-97 Peyton Manning Tennessee QB

44. 84-87 Chris Spielman, Ohio State LB

43. 80-83 Reggie White Tennessee DT

42. 92-95 Jonathan Ogden UCLA OT

41. 81-84 Bruce Smith Virginia Tech DE

40. 71-74 Randy White Maryland DL should be way higher. Super Bowl MVP as a lineman. Better than Suh.

 

39. 77-80 Mike Singletary Baylor LB

38. 03-05 Matt Leinart USC QB

37. 95-98 Ricky Williams Texas RB

36. 68-70 Archie Manning Ole Miss QB

35. 81-84 Jerry Rice Mississippi Valley State WR 4693 yd should be higher than Moss and Fitzgerald.
 

34. 98-01 Ed Reed Miami S

33. 79-82 John Elway Stanford QB good in college, but deserving?

32. 84-86 Brian Bosworth Oklahoma LB

31. 89-91 Steve Emtman Washington DE

30. 10-10 Cam Newton Auburn QB (one #1 vote) one year wonder does not belong on this list.

 

29. 68-70 Jack Tatum Ohio State DB

28. 77-80 Lawrence Taylor UNC LB

27. 79-81 Marcus Allen USC RB

26. 76-79 Anthony Munuz USC OL

25. 77-80 Kenny Easley UCLA S

24. 70-72 Johnny Rogers Nebraska WB

23. 02-03 Larry Fitzgerald Pitt WR 2677 yards

22. 96-97 Randy Moss Marshall WR 3529 yards

21. 85-88 Derrick Thomas Alabama LB

20. 67-68 OJ Simpson USC RB 3423 yards

19. 79-82 Dave Rimington Nebraska C

18. 78-80 Ronnie Lott USC S

17. 70-72 John Hannah Alabama OL. The greatest lineman of all time should be ranked higher.

 

16. 94-96 Orlando Pace Ohio State OT

15. 05-09 Ndamukong Suh Nebraska DT

14. 03-05 Reggie Bush USC RB. Good but ranked too high.

13. 72-75 Lee Roy Selmon Oklahoma DT

12. 92-95 Tommie Frazier Nebraska QB (one #1 vote). On all but one ballot.
 

11. 95-97 Charles Woodson Michigan DB/PR. On all but one ballot.

10. 73-76 Tony Dorsett Pitt RB 6082 yards

9. 85-88 Deion Sanders FSU CB. On all but one ballot.

8. 03-05 Vince Young Texas QB. Left off two ballots. Me: ranked a tad too high. Was his college performance really better than Peyton Manning’s?

 

7. 77-80 Hugh Green Pitt DE. On all but one ballot.

6. 06-09 Tim Tebow Florida QB (three #1 votes). On all but one ballot. Had a better college career than Bo.

 

5. 82-85 Bo Jackson Auburn RB 4303 yards. On all but one ballot.

4. 74-77 Earl Campbell Texas RB 4443 yards. Listed on every ballot.

3. 72-75 Archie Griffin Ohio State RB 5589 yards in 4 years. On all but one ballot.
 

2. 86-88 Barry Sanders OK State RB (two #1 votes). Listed on every ballot.

1. 80-82 Herschel Walker UGA RB (nine #1 votes). Listed on every ballot. 5259 yards in 3 years

 

In terms of great players, I’d like to think Calvin Johnson belongs on this list. His short career playing for an average team surely held him back.

 

Interesting that no Notre Dame player made the list. But other than Joe Thiesman and Tim Brown, who else even comes close? No LSU (the Honey Badger). No Clemson (Deshaun Watson or CJ Spiller).

 

The panel: Tony Barnhart, Michael Bradley, Matt Brown, Jimmy Burch, Bill Connelly, Rob Doster, Chris Dufresne, Bruce Feldman, Steven Godfrey, Herb Gould, Bill King, Tom Luicci, Ivan Maisel, Stewart Mandel, Paul Myerberg, Bud Withers.

The Amazin' Braves

It's amazing the Braves are doing so well – winners of four straight series despite two key starters on the disabled list and one free agent starting pitcher having completely flopped. The offense is tops in baseball in the month of June without said starters. Rookie shortstop Dansby Swanson has hit .300 in June, and is among the team leaders in RBIs despite hitting eighth in the order. Rookie lefty Sean Newcomb looks like a keeper. 

 

How do you think the whole Freddie Freeman to third base thing will work? He's a good first baseman because he's good at stretching, and can react quickly to line drives. He doesn't seem mobile enough to play third. But if he can bolster the already potent offense, I guess the move is worth trying. DOB thinks Coppy can get more for Matt Adams in the off-season, and waiting until then gives us time to see if the Freddie to third experiment will work. I like Johan Camargo.

 

A shaky bullpen is bringing down and otherwise top notch Washington team. Can the Mets stay healthy? A Braves team the experts said would at best break even could very well be in the thick of a pennant race come Labor Day.   

 

Will the Braves be sellers at the trade deadline? Think Johnson will be traded?

 

Who will be the Braves all-star? Not sure Kemp has played enough. Inciarte is deserving, and perhaps Matt Adams or maybe Phillips. Seems to always come down to what positions are loaded with candidates. I wasn't sure about Phillips when he came over from the Reds, but he has fit in well.

 

ROB: Either Inciarte or Kemp, depending upon how crowded the OF is.  I also would not be surprised if it was Flowers. Have you seen the Celtics/Lakers 30 for 30?  It is really good.

 

ME: I've only seen bits and pieces of the Celtics/Lakers but want to watch more.

 

Seems to be a different crowd flow dynamic at SunTrust. At Turner gates opened at 4:30 so they crowd steadily drifted in between then and game time. At SunTrust due to parking the Chop House gate doesn't open until 5:30 and others at six, and there are long lines to get in. For the Dansby game I think all gates opened at 5:30, making the bobbles go even faster.

 

The Dansby game was Ceil's first at SunTrust Park. She had a good time, but I'm not sure when she'll go back. Since we were overlooking third base, we had a good view of the start of Beat the Freeze. When they announced the race, it was funny to see the entire Marlins bullpen rush outside to watch. Yesterday I saw the Braves relievers doing the same thing.

 

Drives me crazy how so many players are wearing white shoes these days, for so many teams. Are A's players wearing dark shoes instead of white?  

A co-worker brought me a feather cap from this past Friday night's game. Looks pretty good for a giveaway. Of course it's too small for me.

 

I still have only gotten a glimpse of Matthew's cat. Spends most of its time under M's bed. Barney has yet to meet the cat. M has had a couple of co-workers come over to serve as cat-whisperers. M stays gone so often that C finally went in and cleaned his room, which is rare for her. I will get his dirty clothes when I'm doing laundry. Found M's KISS t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, that I need to wear at the beach or Peachtree Road Race. M's band played two gigs last week, and yesterday played in Norcross.    

 

On Father's Day Ceil and I drove down to Destin. Good weather Monday but the tropical storm rolled in that night. With three days of rain forecast, C talked me in to driving home Wednesday. Still is was fun to get away. We might go back in the fall. I worked half days Thursday and Friday and helped as she painted the downstairs bedroom. So I've been on the go since the Dansby game. This week will be catching up, then next week getting ahead – we go to Myrtle Beach on July 8. M is scheduled to go, and W&MC for a few days.

 

Might have everyone home next weekend. Will & MC are due in, and Anna has a break from camp. They had a breakout of head lice last week, but supposedly that's been eradicated.

 

Took another half day of vacation on Friday afternoon to help C as she painted the downstairs bedroom. On the way home I made several stops: Taco Bell, RaceTrac, the paint store, Dollar Tree, and Home Depot. Watched some of the Braves replay, as well as some of the game that night. Coworker Chris brought me one of the hats they gave away, which looks pretty nice for a giveaway.

 

Saturday I cleaned upstairs. Ceil had me take some food to a friend's house, and on the way I picked up a cake to take from Noelle. Then I took 75 to 285 to 400 to Tower Place to pick up a bike rack. Stopped at McDonalds on the way. Took Roswell Road home, stopping by three thrift stores on the way. Later Ceil had to run to Roswell, so I drove her and dropped the key off at Claire's. We had a nice visit. Swung by RaceTrac and then split a chicken sandwich at Moxie Burger. Listened to some of the game on the radio, and watched some on TV. Later I drove C up to the Avalon. Gassed up at BP and grabbed a drink at RaceTrac, and stopped by a thrift store on the way home. Then we watched a movie on the Hallmark Channel.

 

Went to Sunday School and church at JFBC. C cooked a Mexican casserole for lunch. After my nap we pulled a bed out of the attic, to put in the newly painted bedroom. I was also able to get caught up on a good deal of stuff on the computer, for the first time in two or three weeks. Watched the Braves, then saw the golf was on but I really wasn't feeling it. Still haven't seen the replay of Spieth's shot. Good for him, he was due. After a Sunday afternoon nap I turned on Toy Story 3. Hadn't seen it in a while. Toy Story is one of the few movies where all three episodes were good. Guess you can add Star Wars and Indiana Jones to that short list.

 

Dance class tonight.

 

Guess you heard about Fred O ending his ministry at Clairmont Hills and moving to the old church in St. Augustine – and Jim Haskell taking over as the interim pastor at Clairmont.

Photo Sunday

Wise words...

I usually see one or two late 70's red Murphy BP jerseys every time I go to SunTrust Park. A nice sentiment, but not my favorite.    

Not sure what I want to do with my Craig Sager shirt.

Dale Murphy finished his career with the Rockies.

Gil Brandt's Top RB's

Former Cowboys GM Gil Brandt helped build the Dallas dynasty of the 1970's. He remains a living encyclopedia on NFL history. Lately he's been publishing lists of top players by position. If anyone would know, it would be Brandt.

 

His lists aren't perfect. Some claim he ranks his Cowboys higher than deserved. One Cowboy he omitted from his list of the greatest 27 running backs in history retired with the second most all-purpose yards in NFL history. But he did add rookie Ezekiel Elliott to the list. To his credit Brandt did include ten backs who played before 1970, and 19 from before 1990.
  

rank.rush.all-purpose.years  

27. 05173 12799 1952-1958 Ollie Matson

26. 01631 01994 2016-2016 Ezekiel Elliott

25. 08597 10539 1958-1967 Jim Taylor

24. 01696 04720 1946-1955 Marion Motley

23. 08378 12532 1948-1962 Joe Perry

22. 12243 17648 1982-1992 Marcus Allen

21. 06323 12173 1967-1975 Floyd Little

20. 08081 08901 1968-1974 Larry Csonka

19. 07607 08880 1995-2001 Terrell Davis

18. 13662 15113 1993-2005 Jerome Bettis

17. 12074 16532 1988-1999 Thurman Thomas

16. 06803 08346 1954-1966 John Henry Johnson

15. 11352 13435 1971-1986 John Riggins

14. 02782 03184 1987-1990 Bo Jackson

13. 11747 14108 2007-2017 Adrian Peterson

12. 14101 17421 1995-2006 Curtis Martin

11. 12280 19190 1994-2005 Marshall Faulk

10. 18355 21564 1990-2004 Emmitt Smith

09. 12739 16326 1977-1988 Tony Dorsett

08. 15269 18308 1989-1998 Barry Sanders

07. 09407 10213 1978-1985 Earl Campbell

06. 13259 15411 1983-1993 Eric Dickerson

05. 13684 18456 2001-2011 LaDainian Tomlinson

04. 04956 09435 1965-1977 Gale Sayers

03. 11236 14368 1969-1779 OJ Simpson

02. 16726 21803 1975-1987 Walter Payton

01. 12312 15459 1957-1965 Jim Brown 

 

00. 08225 18168 1986-1997 Herschel Walker 

New Old Miller High

Old Miller High School in Macon has finally been refurbished.

Instead of an eyesore, the classic building looks good again.

Used to attend pep rallies on these steps.

Would make for a good location for one of those movies they're always filming around the state.

I worked four hours on yesterday. There was plenty to do. Left work at 11:45 and was on the go the rest of the day. Stopped by Taco Bell on the way home. Got home and then ran over to the paint store. Also Chickfila for C and M, so Ceil could keep working painting the downstairs bedroom. Got back with the paint, but then it was time to pick up Barney from his grooming. Also gassed up the CRV. Got home and unloaded the rest of the beach stuff from the CRV. Also unpacked, put stuff up, and did lots of odds and ends.

Did laundry and turned on the replay of Wednesday night's extra inning walkoff win. M went to work. Ceil painted until almost 8 pm. We'd talked about the Tom Hanks movie "That Thing You Do" so I turned it on so Ceil could watch that. At 9 pm I ran to the store. Took longer than I expected. Came back and turned on the Braves. Watched them score five runs to make the score 11-6, then I went to bed. Glad I missed the rest of the 12-11 win. Some say trade Matt Adams now, as his trade value will never be higher. Dave O'Brien says the Braves may get more in return after the season, when several teams will be bidding. Carmargo is also hitting well. Rico Ruiz was sent down to get at bats.

Today my plan was to repeat yesterday. Plenty to do around the house. Had to go by the paint store again.

Anna might come home Saturday. She's had a rough week at camp.

I hadn't told you about last weekend. Took C to the Braves game Friday night. Saturday was spent getting ready for the trip. Took a load of stuff to donate to Atlanta Union Mission. Snuck in visits to four thrift stores. Saw Holly Mullen. Got my hair cut. Gassed up the CRV. Did laundry. Cut the grass. Wore me out. Sunday morning I packed the car and we shoved off at 11 am, which is good for us. C wanted to drive through downtown, which was jammed as usual. Stopped at McDonalds in Lafayette. Rained from Montgomery to the Florida line, but was beautiful after that.

Fun fact: Jerry West's brother played in the NFL.

Ceil packing for the beach "Have you seen my glue stick?"

Dream Car

VW is coming out with this bus in 2021. All-electric. Cool. Named the I.D. Maybe I'll be able to afford it by then.

Surely UGA isn't serious. The last time they wore black helmets they were embarrassed by Florida.

Cowboy Joe West recently called his 5000th game. He is from the same hometown in eastern NC as AJC beat writer Dave O'Brien.

We got home just before 7 pm last night. Drove by the ballpark - no rain. Then the rain started there around 7 pm. At 9:30 I went out to get air in my tire, and was listening to the game. Got home and went to bed - I was tired from the long day. Did the entire drive without caffeine.

M came home so we talked to him some. He had played in the two shows with his band. A major radio station in London is playing one of their songs. M had the recording where the DJ introduced the song, calling them the "Super Swim Moms" and naming the four members of the band. Not sure what this does to his status with the band, though M had brought home his bass speaker.

Barney is getting a haircut today. I will work four hours and go home and help Ceil paint.

Work went on without me. Was probably that I was out, as a few issues came to a head and were addressed.

Nice shorts for sale at hawks.com:

Tropical Storm Cindy

Monday we stayed out on the beach until 2:30. Lots of helicopters and jets and planes. Clouds threatened in the distance. Drove to Seaside and Rosemary Beach. Ate at Pizza by the Sea, where we'd eaten several times before. Took home half the pizza.

Discovered a chapel in Seaside. Pastor is a guy I know from years ago in East Cobb / Johnson Ferry.

Tuesday: we beat the rush to Silver Sands. Went to get Will a birthday present. Walked from the Nike store on the south end three quarters of the way to the other end, dodging the teenagers stopped on the sidewalk staring at their cell phones.Then it was gridlocked, as were the roads back (above). Ate lunch at Chicken Salad Chick. Bowling Alley was jammed. Rented a movie (Me Before You, below) and Ceil picked up fixins at Publix for her beloved spaghetti. Then back to The Pad watching the weather. Rain really wasn't been heavy, but has drizzled all day.

We'd been on the go ever since we got there so I didn't had much time to do many of my little routines. Didn't bring my scrapbook calendar. Good thing. I can play on my laptop from now til midnight and still not get "caught up."

Decided to come back today instead of riding out two more rainy days just so we could have maybe one nice day on Friday.

Bad rain and wind this morning. Tornado watch until 10 am but the bad weather didn't slack up until almost eleven. Heavy rain most all the way back, until just south of the airport. As on the way down, we stopped north of Andalusia for gas. Then Chick-fil-A east of Montgomery.

Also drove around the Auburn University campus.

Sounds like Atlanta was getting even more than we got at the beach.

C didn't mind going home. She has a room to paint. Has a luncheon to attend June 29. Has to go to SC June 30 for a wedding on July 1st. Anna is coming home that day for a few days, and W&MC are coming for the Peachtree Road Race. Then we leave for Myrtle Beach July 7th.

Father's Day Uniforms

Another holiday, another uniform. Stripes on the jersey but not the pants.

A tomahawk would be cool. Or the 72 sleeves with feathers.

Dee Gordon of the Marlins rocking some crazy socks.

The Braves wore the Father's Day unis twice, and won both times.

Good shot of the Marlins' unis.

Hit king Ichiro opted for his usual black socks.

Five Cubs homered in the Father's Day unis.
Unlike the Braves and Marlins, the Cubbies wore baby blue belts.

Spent the Day on 30A

This afternoon we cruised 30A and stopped off in Seaside.

The place keeps getting bigger.

I explored a park just north of the main area.

They've even built a chapel, perfect for weddings, I'm sure.

Turns out Gary Wingo is the pastor. Why am I not surprised?

Next we fought traffic around the corner to Pizza by the Sea.

We skipped all the good eats in Seaside.

Then on to the far end of 30A to Rosemary Beach,

where there was plenty of action as well.

Looked like a Chevy Suburban convention.

Building on the left is for sale for $5.5 million.

Ever notice the peanuts in chunky peanut butter rise to the top of the jar

like rocks rise to the surface of the earth?

Father's Day Weekend

The Braves should wear their Father's Day uniforms every day.

They won two straight in them.

Friday night the Pirates wore Homestead Grays Negro League uniforms.

Their opponent, the Cubs, wore these...

Barney thinks there's a cat in Matthew's room. He's right.

Told co-worker Brad (right) to look out for my good friend Reid at Seagrove last week. Didn't think they'd become bosom buddies.
Pretty sure that was a plot from a movie or TV show.

Monday and Tuesday the Southern League All Star Game and Home Run Derby take place at scenic Blue Wahoos Stadium in downtown Pensacola. Might be fun to shag homers outside the park, but it's an hour away.

Bobbleheads: the Steamy Underside

I love bobbleheads. I hate bobbleheads. I like going to games. I'm don't like breaking in line, or sneaking through the bobblehead line more than once, or sweet-talking an usher for free extras. Perhaps the bobblehead life is not for me.

I don't mind going early, and being the first in line, and all the waiting. The whole thing is kind of an adventure.

But for some people it's a racket. Most all of us could use extra money. Bobbleheads are a way to make money. Attending sporting events is expensive, and selling extra bobbleheads is a way to pay for attendance. Since I jumped in with both feet I have come out ahead financially.

I don't have a basement. I don't have a man cave. I don't have a place to display two hundred bobbleheads. I'm pushing sixty years old. It's high time I start getting rid of some of the stuff that I've accumulated over the years. Actually I've already started.

Still, going to games is fun. The bobblehead life has helped me make new friends - something I wouldn't have done previously. It's helped me get out of the house. It's been a good ride, but perhaps it's time to hop off. 

Bobbleheads are an addiction. Bobbleheads are like a cult: once you're in it's hard to get out. I could quit cold turkey, but then when would I ever go to a Braves game again?

SunTrust Park is a wonderful place. SunTrust Park is an expensive place. Being in the bobblehead world grants me access to Atlanta Braves games I wouldn't be able to attend otherwise. I can trade relatively inexpensive Gwinnett bubbleheads for tickets to Braves games at SunTrust Park.

For me going to a Braves game means leaving work at two in the afternoon, beating traffic to get to a free parking space. Walking a mile and a half to The Battery in 90 degree heat. Being first in line to get in. Going to a Braves game means my paycheck at work is a little less than usual.

By the time the game starts at 7:35 I have already invested five hours of my time. I see friends and experience the ballpark, but I'm ready to head out before the seventh inning stretch. At least I beat traffic going home. Going to bobblehead games is a lot of work. It's been a labor of love.

After getting the Dansby bobble last night, today I added yet another to the collection: this year's UGA men's baseball bobblehead: Jeff Keppinger (above). I could've left work early and driven over to Athens early one Friday afternoon and scoped out three or four Keppingers (and sold them) but I passed. It never ends.


The Warriors might boycott their visit to the White House. I don't blame them. I don't like to hang around people that share different viewpoints than I do either. But is that the best? Should we not expose ourselves to different opinions?