Three Strikes

Well this morning went well. Slept late then unpacked and cleaned upstairs. Left out early to meet you, and had just enough time to stop at a store on Roswell Road near Powers Ferry. Found two really nice shirts – one a fancy Braves polo. Like shoes, I have too many clothes. Then lunch at Waffle House.

After lunch I hopped on 400 North to Holcomb Bridge, then east to get my oil changed. I had just driven up when the lady came out to say “no oil changes for the next hour”. Ugh. Strike one.

Then I stopped by Dollar Tree to replace my broken sunglasses. Then west through Roswell. Stopped at RaceTrac for a drink, then QT to top off the air pressure in my tires. Then to Burger King for a snack deal – but that BK didn’t participate in the BK app. Ugh. Strike two.

Then I stopped by to get a haircut. Had a nice chat with my friend Denise. Then to another oil change place, manned by “kids”. Not my first choice but I wanted to get it done. Dropped off the car and went inside. The “dude” came in and said the latch to open my hood was broken. What? It hadn’t been broken before, that I knew of. Had they broken it? I wasn’t 100% sure. Now after being off work for over a week, I’m going to have to see about getting my car fixed. Ugh. Strike three.

Went home and crashed on the couch. Turned on the Memorial. Did some laundry.

Caitlin Clark Could Generate $1 Billion for WNBA in 2025 - if the other players don’t kill the goose that laid the golden egg. And why isn’t Nike - whose earnings ain’t what they used to be - marketing her more tenaciously? Some theories from an ex-Nike employee.

John Steinbeck, The Art of Fiction.

Intimacy: Types, Examples, and Overcoming Fears. Figured I could use a refresher.

JACK MORRIS [SABR Bio] pitched for the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars in college and for the Detroit Tigers for 14 seasons in the majors, including the 1984 WS Champs. On his way up to the majors, Morris played for the AAA Evansville Triplets team in 1977. In his 15th MLB season, he returned home to Minnesota and played for the 1991 Twins. He was the first Toronto Blue Jays pitcher to win more than 20 games in a season. Morris had record of 21-6 in 1992, a significant contribution to TOR’s first World Series championship.

Oldest players to win a World Series Most Valuable Player Award.

WS  Player Age @ WS MVP win WAR

1971 Clemente 37 yrs 83 days..... 94.9

2001 Johnson..38 yrs 61 days.....101.1

1963 Koufax.....37 yrs 312 days.... 48.9

1993 Molitor.....37 yrs 79 days...... 75.7

1991 Morris......36 yrs 177 days.... 43.5

2013 Ortiz.........37 yrs 357 days.....55.0

1979 Stargell....39 yrs 248 days.....57.6

Superman or Fireman?

Last night C turned on not a Hallmark movie but instead “I Do (But I Don’t)” starring Denise Richards and Dean Cain. I looked the movie up to get info, and saw that it wasn’t the only movie where Dean Cain played a fireman - he's been a fireman in several movies. When the movie ended, I turned on the talk show Gutfeld – and Dean Cain was a guest on the show, for the first time ever. Weird coincidence.

Since I have today off, I slept in, then went to the gym later than usual, arriving at 850 am. Lots of cars in the parking lot. Ran / walked for three miles and had a pretty good time, considering that I didn’t want to tax myself too hard. Then I decided to walk a 4th mile, raising the incline level on the treadmill. Saw several of the regular early birds, plus my other friend Reid and C’s friend Nancy.

C was happy to be back home from the beach. 

I had some errands to run today, but wanted to wait until the rain passes through first. Not trying to do any work today, but have been clearing out my emails. Will start next week with over 50 emails in my in box, but will be able to clear out 15-20 pretty quick.

Took Ceil's car thru the carwash and also cleaned out the inside and vacuumed it out real al good. Got my drink at RaceTrac and two ice creams at Burger King. Total cost of the excursion? One dollar.

John Grisham's Camino Ghosts is pretty good. I should finish up tomorrow. Next up: Big Dumb Eyes, by comedian Nate Bargatze.

Nice for me to be able to have two Saturdays this weekend.

Here’s a good review of Hog Heaven BBQ, the place I want to visit if I ever return to Pawley’s Island.

Forced to Give Up His Football Dream, Arch Manning’s Father Admits Tough Conversation With Son Over $6.5M Reality. A good article showing how normal and well grounded both Arch Manning and his father Cooper are.

SHOCKING NEWS: there’s been a marked decline in semicolons in English books and novels, a study suggests.

SANDY KOUFAX [SABR Bio] is the only pitcher to lead the major leagues in the pitching Triple Crown in consecutive seasons. Koufax led the NL and AL in wins, strikeouts, & ERA in 1965 & 1966, his last two seasons in the majors: 1965 - 26 W; 382 K; 2.04 ERA and 1966 - 27 W; 317 K; 1.73 ERA. As a rookie in the majors, Koufax bumped pitcher Tommy Lasorda down to the minors. Lasorda would never play for the Dodgers again. The Dodgers sent down pitcher Tommy Lasorda to make room on the roster for Koufax who never played a game in the minors. Lasorda liked to say, “It took the greatest left-handed pitcher in baseball history to get me off that Brooklyn club – and I still think they made a mistake.” Lasorda played 18 games for the A’s in Kansas City the next year. Koufax was the first pitcher to win at least two World Series rings, win at least two Cy Young Awards, and throw at least two no-hitters. Koufax played on WS champs in 1959, 1963 & 1965. He won the MLB Cy Young Award in 1963, 1965 & 1966. His no-hitters were: 30-Jun-1962 vs. NYM; 11-May-1963 vs. SFG; 04-Jun-1964 at PHI; & 09-Sep-1965 vs. CHC. Tim Lincecum, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer have since matched his feat of 2+ WS rings, + Cy Youngs, and 2+ no-hitters.

Seattle mayor blames Christian rally for inspiring violent 'anarchists' who 'infiltrated' counter-protest.

Scientist gives ominous message after UFO covered in strange writing is discovered.

Homeward Bound

Well we made it back home. Spent all morning packing up. The car was just 40 feet from the front door but I walked a mile back and forth packing things up. C fried the last two eggs for my ham & egg & cheese breakfast sandwich. I also made a ham & pimento cheese sandwich to take for lunch.

Pulled out at noon and stopped by one place C wanted to check out. Passed by Hog Heaven, and it was packed. Maybe next year.

Then south from Pawley’s Island to Georgetown, then west to Santee, through tiny Alvin (Joe Hamilton’s hometown), to Orangeburg, to Wagener up to I-20 west. Bad bad rain around Aiken. There was a wreck in the eastbound lanes that backed up traffic for 5 miles. Stopped in Augusta for gas and Ceil some Chickfila. Pulled in the house at 730 pm and unpacked.

First Bite: Hanser House

Another beautiful sunny day at the beach. The beach was not crowded at all. Took Winnie out there for a little bit, then took her back home, ate a sandwich, then went back to the beach for the rest of the day. I even went out into the ocean to cool off.

Photo below taken from the parking area next to the ocean, looking west down a lane toward the marsh side of the island.

When we got back from the beach today we sat around like slugs. Didn't leave out for supper until almost 8 pm, with no reservations or idea where to go. 

Headed north on the main drag. Drove just a couple miles to Litchfield Beach and pulled into Hanser House, a family run restaurant. The nice young waitress said that Granny had already left for the evening.

C ordered a cup of shecrab soup and another cup of clam chowder. She liked them better mixed together. The menu was mostly seafood with not many options to suit my allergies, so in honor of national burger day I got the burger. It was good - a large wide smashed burger with an equally large tomato slice. The toasted bun was tasty. Fries only so so, but the little cup of slaw was good. They brought out a free basket of well done hush puppies as well. 

Gassed up for tomorrow's trip home.

 

Yes today was national hamburger day. I get lots of emails from burger places but didn't see any great deals.

Day Trip to Charleston

C wanted to go to Charleston today but it took her forever to get out the door. Then she kept saying we could do other things. I kept driving to Charleston. Arrived at 1130 and walked through the Charleston City Market then on to King Street. 

C went to a dress shop so I grabbed a snack at Target and people watched. The people who disobeyed the walk / don't walk signs, cutting in front of cars - they all had the same thing in common. One young man also got hit by a car while crossing against the light - and acted like it was the car's fault. Then later he violated the don't walk sign again. 

After 30 minutes C came out of the shop and sat down, feeling woozy. She had scarcely eaten all day. She said my chips would've made her throw up, so I went back in Target for an energy bar. We walked back to the car and went to eat lunch.

Ate at Lewis BBQ, a Texas style BBQ place near downtown. Good stuff. I had a pork sandwich, potato salad, and these interesting French fries. Ceil had one big slice of brisket and another of turkey (both quite tasty). Also collards as well as slaw. We were stuffed, and hardly ate any supper.

After BBQ, I dropped C off at an art shop and later a jewelry store. Then we drove through downtown down past the old houses to the water's edge, to the tree lined park with war memorials.

There was road construction going on, and I joked that Charleston was still rebuilding from the Civil War.

Stopped at a few more shops on our way out of town as we passed through Mt Pleasant. Shouldn't have, but I bought a pair of black ECCO loafers. Kinda needed them, just a tiny bit.

Made it home by 7 pm. No rain in Charleston today, but we missed the rainy day on Pawleys Island. 

Checked my work emails today. Pretty depressing. They were begging me to suggest computer enhancements, but person after person (who have no idea what I do) keep saying what I've suggested. Complete waste of my time. Good thing I'm on vacation or I would've given them a piece of my mind. 

I try to do my job the way management has asked me to do it, which means the first work day that I've been gone I'm getting emails asking for help. I know I shouldn't be so sensitive, but this crap bothers me. 

Hobcow Barony

My day could've been worse. It was sunny this morning, so we went to the beach. Arrived around 1030. Took Winnie, who enjoyed being there with us. Got cloudier and cloudier. The breeze kept getting gradually stronger. I had my feet and legs under a towel.

Finished my book on the 1966 World Series. Next up: Kostya Kennedy's "56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports". Not sure if I had started reading it - there's a bookmark on page 154, an old Stripers ticket stub from 2018.

A light drizzle started around 230, so we packed up and headed back. Ate a sandwich.

We drove down to the Hobcow Barony, a privately owned nature area across the river from Georgetown. Clemson and USC have research centers there.

In the 1800's the area was several different rice plantations before an 1800's  millionaire bought up the land shortly after the turn of the 20th century to use as a southern getaway. FDR and later Churchill visited. Later the daughter designated the land as a nature preserve, never to be developed.

Afterward we stopped off at various stores. Since our dinner reservation wasn't until 8 pm, I grabbed a donut at a bakery. Then Ceil saw our restaurant had an earlier opening, so we made our way there. 

Chive Blossom is a fancy place just off Hwy 17, the main drag. A table for two was available, instead of the spot we had deserved at the community table. Ceil ordered flounder over a bed of potatoes, I got a salad topped with grilled chicken. Not quite the dining experience as last year. 

While we were eating there was a TV at the bar right behind where C was sitting. Angels vs Yankees in NYC - from a few years ago. Angels lineup featured Trout, Justin Upton, Albert Pujols, and Ohtani. 

Came home and got the TV working, so C could watch a Hallmark Channel movie. 

Misty Sunday

This morning out on the cloudy beach C said how much she liked it with so few people out there. I reminded her of that, and how a cloudy day at the beach is better than most days anywhere else. 

We sat around in the quiet condo all afternoon, just reading. 

At 5 we went to Gio's, the Italian restaurant in Pawleys Island. C got a chicken dish, and I had the lasagna. Pretty good. Drove the ten miles down to Georgetown so C could pick something up at WalMart. 

I think I convinced C to go to the beach tomorrow. Since it will be cloudy we can take Winnie. That stupid weather forecast will say it's going to rain on a day it only rains for an hour at 1 am, so you really can't go by that.

C wants to go to Charleston, so we may go there on Tuesday if it does rain. Better than coming home. Our aunt wants us to visit Hobcow Barony, a historic site just north of Georgetown. Another rainy day activity. I'll see how long I can keep us here.

Yesterday at the beach I only got sunburned on my feet. They're pretty red. 

 

Looks like our vacation is pretty much ruined. Threat of rain all day today. Cloudy tomorrow. I don't mind hanging out on the beach on a cloudy day. 

Anna decided to go home today. I told Ceil she could ride home with Anna but she said she couldn't leave me here. We said goodbye to Anna and she drove off.

Looks like L was enjoying a sunny day down in Destin. 

 

Good meal at Rustic Table last night. C and A got the salad topped with grilled salmon. My smash burger had lots of meat. Good fries and slaw.

Slept better last night, past 7 am. Goose woke everyone up.

Walked another 2 miles on the beach with the dogs this morning. Started off with a light drizzle that soon stopped. The tide had gone out enough at the northern tip of the island for us to walk out on the little spit of land. Winnie and Goose followed Anna out there - then took a shortcut back through "deeper" water. Not as many people on the beach this morning.

After spending her entire lifetime as a leash dog, Winnie had enjoyed the freedom of running around off the leash, and making friends with other dogs and people. She's been living her best life.

Yesterday Goose drank too much ocean water, and Anna had her outside walking around several times getting it out of her system. No accidents though. At one point on our walk this morning Goose came running right toward Ceil, with Winnie hot on her trail. Goose ran right into Ceil, knocking her down. Later when Goose came charging at her, Ceil screamed and about fell down again while Goose passed by. Ceil wasn't happy that I happened to be filming the incident.

Parked a block away, near the marsh side of the narrow island near where pickups back their trailers to launch their boats. The tide came in, leaving our car in a foot of water. Oops.

Then back to the condo for grits and eggs. Light rain off and on throughout the day. Didn't stop some beach goers or golfers.

In the baseball book I'm reading "Black and Blue: Sandy Koufax, the Robinson Boys, and the World Series that Stunned America" my old fantasy camp friend Moe Drabowsky plays a prominent role as the Orioles top relief pitcher, even setting a record in game one. While I knew Moe had been born in Europe, I did not know that his mother brought him to America to escape from Hitler. Lots of detailed stories in the book about Moe's practical jokes, including giving the commissioner of baseball the hotfoot.

Fun in the Sun

Woke up before six and couldn't go back to sleep.

We are 2 miles from the beach so we drove the dogs over to the beach at 7 am.

Walked a mile up to the north end of the island and then back. 

The water was warm.

Lots of dogs out on the beach.

11am: We went back to the beach without the dogs. Breezy and chilly under the umbrella. Read 140 pages of my book about the Orioles / Dodgers World Series in 1966.

Eating a late dinner at the Rustic Table. Look it up!

Will sent us a video of the girlies singing songs from the Sound of Music.

We were getting gas in Georgetown SC just before the Braves game started. I was checking my phone seeing the buzz about Acuna's return. Got back on the road and my phone buzzed, a text from my old boss about Acuna. At first I thought he was just talking about how Acuna was back, but then I thought maybe he had led off with a home run. I checked, and I was right.

Long day Friday. Didn't leave the house until almost 1130 am. Took over an hour to get down to W&MCs. Had a nice visit with the whole fam.

We got on the road about 115. Bad traffic. Stopped in Covington for Chick-fil-A and gas. Bumper to bumper almost all the way to Madison. Drove 4-1/2 hours without stopping, before gassing up in Georgetown.

Then had to stop at two grocery stores before getting to the condo at 9 pm, so a long 9-1/2 hours in the car. Anna arrived at just about the same time. 

Friday

In Grisham’s Camino Ghosts there is a character named Nola.

Worked past 630 last night. Dropped off donations at Goodwill. Ceil was ironing when I got home. I hung up clothes and started packing. At 830 I fixed me a ham & cheese quesadilla. Finally she ate and put on a Hallmark movie. M arrived at ten, just after C had gone upstairs. By the time I went to bed my lower back was hurting, so I skipped the gym this morning.

Got my work emails down to 26, the lowest in a few weeks. Several are personal reminders.

PAUL MOLITOR [SABR Bio] tied Monte Irvin and Reggie Jackson for the most runs scored in a single World Series. Irvin scored ten runs for the Newark Eagles in the 1946 Negro League World Series (NLBWS). Reggie Jackson scored ten times in the 1977 WS for the Yankees. Molitor scored ten in the 1993 WS for Toronto. Molitor was named Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year in 1978, and AL Manager of the Year in 2017 when he led MIN to an 85–77 record and a Wild Card berth. Molitor is among the most productive DH’s, with 1,457 career hits as a DH – 44% of his 3,319 career hits.

A new report reveals the previous administration delayed revealing the myocarditis risks linked to COVID vaccines.

Denison: hate crimes against Jews have risen in the US by 344% in the past 5 years and by 893% over the last ten. But they have been part of the Jewish story from the time of their slavery in Egypt to today. Speaking about the murder of a pregnant woman by a terrorist, Netanyahu said, “This vile act reflects the difference between us—those who cherish and bring life—and the despicable terrorists whose very purpose is to kill us and cut lives short.” Hamas lauded the shooting, which it called “heroic.”

Why so many hate the Jews: (1) Critical theory taught on university campuses brands Israel as a colonial oppressor of the Palestinian people. (2) According to historians and scholars, antisemitism is deeply rooted in destructive envy of Jewish culture and success. (3) Racial prejudice has plagued Jews throughout their history. The Qur’an calls them “apes” and “swine” (cf. 5:60; 7:166). Hamas blames them for the French Revolution, the Communist Revolution, World Wars I and II, and wars around the world today. Adolf Hitler convinced millions of Germans that they were the source of all the problems confronting their nation.

Billy Graham: “Heaven is real and hell is real, and eternity is but a breath away.”

Matthew's Smashburgers

I was good for breakfast and lunch the past three days. Ate little. Yesterday I worked past 530 then stopped by Zaxbys to try their half price chocolate milkshake. Good thing I did. Got home at 630 and then C went to the grocery store to get supper. Then Matthew cooked it. C went outside and was planting all the new plants she had bought.

M cooked delicious smash burgers. Warmed up the buns, added cheese, grilled onions, and cooked up a tasty potato dish with leftovers from Kimball House. A great meal. There were two burger patties so I made mine a double burger, which was a little too much. By the time we were finished cleaning up and taking out the trash it was 845. Watched Cash Cab and one of M’s cooking shows.

Up early to lift weights at the gym this morning. Ate lunch at Longhorn with the team. Details tomorrow, if I remember.

Question of the day: who's the most unique sports character?  Many named Uecker. My answer: Casey Stengel. Once doffed his hat and a bird flew out.

ROBERTO CLEMENTE [SABR Bio] was the first Latin player inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the HOF without the usual waiting period following his untimely death in a tragic aviation mishap on New Year’s Eve 1972. He led his team to two World Series championships, but won MVP in a season his team finished third in the standings. The Pirates were WS champs in 1960 and 1971. Clemente was NL MVP in 1966. He was once presented with a scroll signed by 10% of Puerto Rico’s population. The scroll of 300,000 signatures was a heart-felt tribute from the people of Puerto Rico to him for (1) his athletic excellence (notably reaching 3,000 career hits at the end of the 1972 season), (2) his humanitarian efforts, including advocacy for civil rights and aid to Latin American & Caribbean communities; and (3) his role as a cultural ambassador for Puerto Rico on the world stage.