Another MJ story: one game opponent Jim Jackson started trash talking MJ after a strong first half. Finally Jordan had enough, and quipped “You’re gonna talk like that while, wearing MY shoes?” That shut up Jackson, and the Bulls came back to win.
The NBA and ESPN are working on televising players playing HORSE, with each player in their own home gym. They ought to include current players but also legends like MJ, Larry Bird, Dominique – and the recently named HOF players like Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.
ESPN had a “tournament” to determine the greatest college basketball player in history. They chose…not Lew Alcindor or Bill Walton or Christian Laettner, each who won multiple national championships, not Pete Maravich, the greatest scorer and passer the game had ever seen, but Michael Jordan, who won one national championship and left school early for the NBA. There was a huge outcry when the results were published. Larry Bird finished second.
Interesting article about the Ponce de Leon Park magnolia tree (actually two trees!). Did not know the Braves planted a magnolia at Turner Field, or that Trees Atlanta bred saplings from the Spiller magnolias to plant around the Beltline and city. In the shadow of today’s Ponce City Market, the Ponce Springs area transformed into a pond, a ballpark, and then a shopping mall, as two grand trees witnessed it all.
This article below gives a few clues about the Falcons new uniforms, set to be unveiled this month. If an old geezer like Falcons GM Rich McKay likes them, perhaps they won’t be too bad, We’ve seen mock-ups of the new Tampa uniforms. The Rams unveil their new unis this week. To follow: will the Browns go back to grey facemasks? Also the Patriots and Chargers will be making announcements as well.
Watched several episodes of Peyton’s Places, with host Peyton Manning talking about the history of the NFL. He interviewed Joe Namath, Tony Dungy, Deion Sanders, JJ Watt, and others. Hit wedge shots with Tom Brady in Jim Nance’s back yard at Pebble Beach. Two way players: a photo from Peyton’s visit with Sammy Baugh from years ago. Dungy said he’d appreciated Peyton coming in as a rookie, telling Dungy to “coach me.” As a Steeler, Dungy is the last player to make an interception and throw an interception in the same game. Back in the day, several players (like Sammy Baugh) accomplished the feat.
Had never seen the ESPN commercial with Archie Manning taking a tour of the ESPN studios, with Peyton and Eli lagging behind the group, dressed as kids, picking on each other like brothers do.
The Braves rebroadcast their home opener from ten years ago when rookie Jason Heyward homered in his first at bat. Braves fans on Twitter were complaining about the moves Bobby Cox was making: not pinch-hitting for a woeful Derek Lowe in the 6th with a runner on first (Cox saved a pinch hitter. Lowe advanced the runner to second).
Friday evening I drove C to Kroger but I stayed in the car, as I usually do when driving her to the store. Supper was burgers without buns, and French fries. M worked Friday and Saturday. W&MC and A assembled puzzles and played games, including a board game they’d bought last December named PANDEMIC.
Saturday I slept past eight. My small group met via video. Ceil and I worked in the yard for a long time. She cleared and replanted the back flower bed. I hauled debris to the back, pulled vines off trees, and mowed the lawn. My watch battery went out but I still got my 10000 steps.
Brush with death: at one point I was on the steep bank behind our house, pulling vines off trees. Wearing old sneakers as usual. Had both hands full of vines, I tried to climb up the bank. My feet slid out from under me – and my forehead slammed into the trunk of a tree. I have a nice red souvenir from the encounter. After all the work I could hardly walk. When we were out working in the backyard we noticed our neighbor out working down by the creek with his young sons. They cleared a space, pitched a tent, and camped out there on Saturday night.
Ceil cooked Minestrone soup for supper. Afterwards we were watching a movie “The Nanny Express.” Toward the end of the movie the TV messed up. We just watched the movie from the start again.
I slept late Sunday as well. Later Ceil played the Passion City service on her laptop. Saw where our friend’s the Cho's son Daniel was home from college, playing his cello in the JFBC service (below). Small group member Buddy’s son worked at the Chickfila on Johnson Ferry, which had to shut down because an employee may have coronavirus. M said a Whole Foods employee may have it as well.
C cooked hash browns and scrambled eggs for Sunday brunch. Later I fixed a chicken quesadilla for a late lunch. Crashed on the couch. Watched Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and Rob Riggle: Global Investigator from the Discovery Channel. Sunday afternoon I also watched Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood on CBS, taking requests for songs and donating the proceeds to coronavirus research. Trisha sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to close out the show. You know she is related to my old roommate Jeff Yearwood. They used to attend the same family gatherings. Was years before I ever asked Jeff if they were related. In college at Young Harris, Trisha dated a coworker of mine, Todd.
Ceil sewed up masks for the women at her Tuesday ministry. Supper was leftover burger and fries. Ceil watched her two Sunday night Hallmark shows. I played on my computer.
My customer is shut down all this week. Two team members are having to take vacation. I’m working for a different department this week, doing some similar things but for different people. My company usually doesn’t close for Good Friday, but we are this year. Swapping the New Year’s Eve holiday.
Sleep update
total.quality.deep
..900...650…400 FRI
..855…740…435 SAT
..745…500…150 SUN
..855…740…435 SAT
..745…500…150 SUN
Well this morning I can’t get my keyboard or mouse to work, but I did accidentally get the info on my screen to appear larger, so it is easier to read everything now.
BILL VOISELLE [SABR Bio] was the only player whose uniform number was also his hometown. He hailed from Ninety Six, South Carolina In his first full season in the majors, no other pitcher placed higher in MVP votes. In 1944 NL MVP voting, Voiselle at 21-16 w/3.02 ERA & 161 K tied w/CIN’s Buck Walters for the league’s MVP. He was one the Braves who fans often got instead of rain. Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain were the front half of the Boston (now Atlanta) Braves’ rotation in 1946-51. Spahn became the winner of more career games than any left-hander in history and Sain was a 3-time All-Star. Positions 3 & 4 at the back end of the Braves’ rotation were occupied by several hurlers, notably Bill Voiselle and Vern Bickford. They were both solid but didn’t give Braves fans the feeling of confidence that Spahn and Sain did and so the famed rhyme “Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain” was introduced into popular culture. This saying was actually truncated from a poem composed by Gerald Hern, sports editor of the Boston Post and published 14-Sep-1948 in full as:
First, we’ll use Spahn,
Then we’ll use Sain,
Then an off day,
Followed by rain.
Back will come Spahn
Followed by Sain
And followed,
We Hope,
By two days of rain.
The couplet strongly implied that a soggy delay was the best approach until these two star Braves hurlers could get back on the mound and take care of business. Surprisingly however, the winning percentage for the 1948 Braves was actually LOWER when Spahn and Sain (a combined 39-27, .591) started a game than when the other pitchers on the staff (mostly Voiselle and Bickford) started (52-35, .598). These other starters had nothing to apologize for, but no rhyming scheme leapt to mind.
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