Dawgs Win, Jackets Lose

Good Clemson showed up this week, much to the chagrin of Georgia Tech. Earlier this week I had checked the GT QB's stats. He had been climbing up the Total QB Ranking, but man he had thrown a bunch of interceptions (14). He threw three in the second half Saturday. Still, he is the straw that makes the Jackets go. The gas that stirs their drink.

Clemson loves to throw the football. Klubnick threw his third TD pass, and spent the next 5 minutes celebrating. Then on his next pass attempt he threw an interception. When he was interviewed after the game, a little kid behind him stole the show.

I got home from work in time to watch the second half, but by then the outcome was decided. Take away Clemson's pick six, and the score was 35-21.

Of all the solid color uniforms uglying up the football landscape, Clemson's purple jerseys and pants is the best look out there. Just the right shade of purple, with just the right amount of stripes and trim. Much better than all black or Ohio State's grey-out. Even Buckeye Herbstreit was hating on those. 

Between GT and UGA I did some laundry, finished work in the garage, and raked leaves in the dark. Homemade vegetable beef soup for supper, with a grilled cheese sandwich made with homemade sourdough bread.

As usual, Penn State lost another big game. Michigan didn't throw a pass in the second half, and that's all the experts can talk about.

Oklahoma State lost 45-3 to UCF. Illinois upset Maryland with a last second field goal. LSU QB Daniels had his Heisman moment, throwing for 300+ and running for 200+ in the Bayou Bengals win over Florida. He leads the nation in TQBR. Experts act like a Heisman winner has to come from a playoff contender, which is hogwash. He has my vote. Sorry, Brock. 

Miami tackled the FSU QB in the end zone, but even after a review the refs didn't call it a safety. Even the ref in with the announcers thought it was a bad call. Noles held on to win 27-20.

Missouri blew out Tennessee, so the SEC Championship Game is set. Bama clinched the West by beating Kentucky, and UGA wins the East.

Anna and Caleb were at the UGA game. Got there good and early. Why we had Goose. Wonder what Goose's pronouns are. Can't wait to hear what they'll name their kids.

Ole Miss moved the ball early, but so did the Dawgs. Wunderkind Brock Bowers is back, taking took up where he left off. Opened up the UGA offense all the more. Caught a TD pass and a few others, ran a sweep, blocked, and was used as a decoy - all to great success.

Carson Beck has climbed to 7th in the country in TQBR, ahead of Bama's Milroe, USC's Williams, Ole Miss' Dart, FSU's Travis, the great Drake Maye, Ewers of Texas, and the ageless Sam Hartman, among others. Skinny as a freshman, Kendall Milton has bulked up. Starting to look like Todd Gurley. 

A decisive win over a ranked opponent, but many say the loss exposes Ole Miss as a second rate team. All UGA can do is win the games they play. Next up: Tennesse.

Hot Stove: Braves Starters

I agree with Mark Bradley's recent article about the Braves pitching situation (reprinted below). Fried had a blister. Wright was shut down. Charlie Morton was hurt. Ian Anderson missed the season. Soroka excelled in Gwinnett but couldn't make the lead to the big club. Spencer Strider I think was worn down from the long season. He led the league in wins and strikeouts, but wasn't a Cy Young finalist for some reason. The Braves have two top pitching prospects, but they are young. Like Glavine and Smoltz, Elder and Allard need experience. That's ten starting pitchers right there. I say the Braves will pay for more pitching – but they won't overpay.

The Braves have the best GM in baseball. He knows the rotation needs help. He will do what he can, but unlike the Mets he won't overpay out of desperation – nor should he. That backfired for the Mets. I trust GM AA to upgrade the pitching as best he can. He might not make a deal next week but that's okay – spring training doesn't start for 13 weeks, and Opening Day isn't for another 4-1/2 months. There's time. AA has to build not just the rotation but also sign relievers and hitters. What's stupid is when AA signs a middle reliever in November, and the "experts" on social media cry foul, complaining he didn't sign Cy Young.

I'm afraid no amount of money the Braves through at Max Fried will be enough. Like Freddie Freeman, Fried is from southern California. He wants to go home. No fault of AA or the Braves. The only thing that gives me a ray of hope that Fried will re-sign with Atlanta is when I see him attending Hawks games.

Pitching: the Braves aren't the only team with pitching problems. Most teams are dealing with the same issue. More often than not, throwing money at the problem doesn't fix things. Look at the Yankees and Mets. Plus as Bradley says, a bad idea to trade a hitter for a pitcher. Good thing the Braves are developing so many young pitchers – but Rome wasn't built in a day. 

I can't always read AJC articles because I don't subscribe. Feel free to email me any other articles you find interesting! 

Bradley's article:                                           

Bradley's Buzz: How much will Braves pay for pitching? Credit: Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com By season's end, the Braves were half a great team. In October, they became an object lesson. When next someone invokes that hoary baseball truism – good pitching stops good hitting – the freshest example will be the 2023 Braves. They hit a record-tying 307 homers. They slugged a record-setting .501. They lost in the Division Series. They lost because their good hitters were stifled by Philadelphia's good pitchers – and because their starters couldn't solve Nick Castellanos, who hit four homers in Games 3 and 4, three off starters Bryce Elder and Spencer Strider. In the ensuing NLCS against Arizona, Castellanos went 1-for-24. To be fair, the Braves entered the playoffs with a rusty Max Fried (finger blister) and without Charlie Morton (finger sprain). That said, this team never found a rotation that, er, rotated. Fried went 90 days between turns. Kyle Wright went 99 and, on returning, wasn't himself. He underwent shoulder surgery in October. He won't pitch in 2024. In spring training, Michael Soroka and Kolby Allard – the Braves picked both in Round 1 of the 2015 draft – auditioned to be the No. 5 starter. The job fell to Elder, who soon became the No. 3 starter. He had an All-Star first half; his second half ERA was 5.11. Together, Soroka and Allard started eight big-league games. The 2022 Braves used 12 starting pitchers, five of whom took 20-plus turns. The 2023 club used 16 starters, with only three topping 15 starts. Things were OK for a while. At the All-Star break, the starters' ERA was 3.77. Then they weren't. The starters' post-break ERA: 5.10. A September series in Philly saw the Braves win three of four and clinch a sixth consecutive division title – more highlights in a highlight-reel season. Lost in the celebration was a foreboding stat.: The aggregate score of those four games was Braves 26, Phillies 22. Aggregate score of the NLDS: Phillies 20, Braves 8. Come October, Philly found ways to get the bashing Braves out. Over four games, their biggest lead was one run. Their biggest inning saw them score two runs. The intent today isn't to relitigate the postseason failure. The intent is to note that the Braves' rotation was compromised before October. This team led the majors in runs scored by a mile. It tied for 15th in runs against. It's all but certain they'll add a starter over the offseason. They might add more than one. The lineup has a hole only because the Braves chose not to re-up Eddie Rosario, which makes room for Vaughn Grissom. The rotation includes Fried, who could leave after next season; Spencer Strider, who led the majors in wins and strikeouts but who isn't a Cy Young finalist; Morton, who turns 40 on Sunday, and maybe Elder. Ian Anderson should return after Tommy John surgery, the procedure that sometimes turns good pitchers into better pitchers. AJ Smith-Shawver is the Braves' No. 1 prospect; he's also 20. Soroka could be non-tendered. There's a need for something more than an Alex Anthopoulos one-year buy. Thing is, those one-year buys – Anibal Sanchez, Dallas Keuchel, Cole Hamels, Drew Smyly – were made for a reason. (Morton was a one-year buy who keeps signing extensions.) Another truism: Long-term deals for big-name pitchers become sunk costs. The Mets entered last season with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer earning $43.3 million each; by August, each was elsewhere. The Rangers signed Jacob deGrom for $185M over five seasons. He worked six games. He's now a 35-year-old pitcher coming off a second Tommy John surgery. He's owed $155M. MLB Trade Rumors lists Blake Snell, Aaron Nola and Jordan Montgomery as the top starting pitchers available as free agents. Its projects they'll command contracts ranging from $150M to $200M. For the Braves, that's a no-fly zone. MLBTR guesses that Sonny Gray, who's 34, might sign for $90M over four years, which might be both do-able and prudent. This team needs insurance against Fried leaving. Might the Braves be tempted to trade one of their young position players under a manageable contract for a top-of-the-rotation-type? Tempted, maybe. Do I see it happening? No. That notion would be dashed by the words "young" and "manageable." One final truism: Don't trade bats for arms. Proven hitters tend to keep hitting. Even the best pitcher in the world – deGrom, say – is one twinge from a year's rehab. As much as the Braves need pitching, there are limits to how much they'll pay. That's not a criticism. That's just reality.

Info on Rob Suggs' new book…

The Book that Conquered Time whitakerhouse.com

C left Goose downstairs last night. I had gone to bed early, but Goose's yelping woke me up. I went downstairs and slept on the couch to keep her company. Slept until 730, showered, and drove to work.

I am so out of touch about Hollywood, TV, and movies. Just realized I hadn't been watching Young Sheldon, the only TV show I watch these days, for the most part. Turns out the writers strike has delayed the season until next year. Oh, well, no big loss.

I have been watching Quantum Leap, which comes on Wednesdays at 8 pm, right after Jeopardy – the night C is at small group. Time travel, though back into the past. My kind of show. Every week is completely different. One of the original Ghostbusters is in the show.

This next week lunch is to be catered again. Monday will be Chickfila sandwiches and macaroni & cheese. Thursday will be a burger bar.

Didn't the Roman Empire fall due to internal strife? I learned that from Radar on MASH.

River Kings

Young coworker Justin is wearing a limited-edition Grizzlies-themed RiverKings hockey jersey today. I made him stand up so I could take a picture. Justin is headed to Athens for tomorrow's game, as are coworker Ben, and A&C.

The RiverKings were a defunct semi-pro hockey team that were based south of Memphis. Right up there with the Atlanta Knights and Macon Whoopies.

Picks: of course I’ll blame work for my lack of attention on what’s happening in college football.

Michigan will barely beat the spread. Penn State loses again. And fans in Happy Valley thought they deserved an ESPN College GameDay appearance more so than #1 ranked UGA.

Heck I will say Missouri beats Tennessee by more than one point. Kinda want the Vols to win so they won’t be so angry / hungry when they play UGA next week.

Saw where Lang picked Arkansas to beat Auburn. Was he trying to appeal to the Razorback fans who follow him? And / or to pick at his Auburn followers. The question is whether Arkansas can get past their big win over Florida last week. I will say the Pigs beat the War Eagles by more than four.

Ceil has always like college football. Last Sunday afternoon she asked "aren't the Falcons playing?" Sundays nights are for the new episodes of Peyton's Places. On Mondays she wants to watch the Manningcast. She's even watching the Pat McAfee Show. Gotta get her watching The Odds Couple on Grind City Media.

Listen last week’s JFBC sermon here.

Rough week for me. A blur. At least the days go by quickly. Worked past 7 pm last night. C has been stuck at home all week, in bed or on the couch. She’s getting stir crazy.

On the way home I picked her up a chicken sandwich from Moxie Burger at the Roswell Square. Then I drove over to Whole Foods for her. I was still so full from lunch that I didn’t eat supper, just a few crackers with cheese. Was after 8:30 before I was able to plop down. Didn’t feel like firing up my laptop, and I forgot to post to my blog. Having to double up today.

Might be actually sleeping better in the tiny bed in the spare room. Winnie isn’t bothering me. Skipped the gym but didn’t get to work early today. Lunch is Jimmy Johns sandwiches. Might save that extra BBQ plate for tomorrow.

ROGER MARIS   [SABR Bio] was the last player to hit an inside-the-park home run and a grand slam in the same game. In the 3rd inning on 03-Aug-1958(1), Maris hit a IPHR off WSH’s Russ Kemmerer. Maris hit Kemmerer’s last pitch that day out of the park with three men on in the 6th. The double and triple he also hit in that game almost went ignored. Maris’ feat of four extra-base hits in one game for KCA was matched only by Gino Cimoli & Elmer Valo. Maris was the Yankees’ primary right-fielder between 1960-1964. Mickey Mantle lauded Maris by claiming, "Roger Maris was the best all-around baseball player I ever saw.  He was a Golden Glove right fielder with a howitzer arm and an extremely fast runner.” Cardinal teammate Orlando Cepeda had similar comments about Maris. Teammates who commented on his baseball talent include Mickey Mantle Orlando Cepeda, Minnie Minoso. Maris played for (not in thus order) NYY, STL, CLEL & KCA. Maris is a native of Hibbing, Minnesota. Bob Dylan (Rock and Roll HOF) & Kevin McHale (Basketball HOF) were also born there.

Upset Special

Clemson may still be flying high after beating Notre Dame last week. Might be ripe for GT to upset the Tigers. You heard it here first. I've been wrong before. Thursday morning I climbed up to the break room to find the other two GT alumni, including George O’Leary’s daughter Chris.

1200 GT@Clemson

1200 #8 Bama @ Kentucky

0200 App State @ Georgia State

0700 #10 Ole Miss @ #1 UGA

The vet I play golf with on Saturday mornings is going to attend the Veteran’s Day celebration in Morrow. Rocky Blier is speaking. On Saturday. He is skipping golf to get free pancakes at IHOP, and later a free meal at Applebees.

Wednesday night I worked past 7 pm. Ceil had been re-watching the Netflix Korean drama King of the Land. Mesmerizing. She was coughing hacking so I moved off the couch. Played on my laptop for a while. Slept in the spare bedroom, for the second straight night.

Thursday: skipped the gym and arrived at work at 730 am. Realized I am 17 truckloads behind – at least. Got a lot of catching up to do. Spinning my wheels. I keep getting new stuff thrown at me that I hadn’t done in the past. That wouldn’t be a problem on the old computer system, but on SAP it takes me hours to do – even with help. I am delegating as much as possible to our new employee, but even that takes extra time to figure out and get into an understandable format.

Dreamland BBQ for lunch. Brunswick stew, macaroni & cheese, potato salad. I talked to my meal coordinator friend about getting the chocolate pudding instead of banana. She had already ordered today’s meal – but she went the extra mile and ordered chocolate for me and the tubing lady.  Quite the pleasant surprise. Helped lessen my frustration. Since I was working late, my meal coordinator coworker encouraged me to fix an additional plate of BBQ for supper. I was still stuffed from lunch.

Beloved Braves third base coach Ron Washington was hired to be the Angels new manager.

More on JFK

Article: sounds like an interesting book, on why the JFK assassination still matters. Not yet available at my library, so I may have to break down and buy an actual book to read.

Tuesday: worked until 6 pm, though it was a chore. Drove south on Peachtree Industrial for 30 minutes to north Brookhaven. Took me another 30 minutes standing in line at Taqueria to order and pick up Ceil some supper. Then to Kroger on the way home. Was almost 8 before I got home.

Tuesday’s lunch was catered by Jason’s Deli. I wasn’t hungry but ate a little, less than usual. Ate a couple of peanut butter balls for supper, that Ceil had made with coconut and honey and a few chocolate chips.

I feel much better today. Slept past 6:15 this morning. I felt bad yesterday. Took a long hot shower this morning, and had to walk Winnie before leaving, then had to stop for gas on the way to work (because I had too much else to do on the way home last night AND didn’t feel like making another stop) – so I was 5 min late getting to work. Then an hour long meeting to start the day, so there’s a bunch to do.

The first Hot Stove meeting on the winter was tonight, but I didn’t go.

Lunch today is Chickfila sandwiches and CFA macaroni & cheese. And cookies. Worked past 7 pm. 

I know what to get Anna for Christmas.

TED WILLIAMS   [SABR Bio] drove in 145 runs in 1939 to lead the majors. Young teammate Walt Dropo came extremely close to surpassing Ted for the rookie ribbie record.  While sitting on 144 RBI, Dropo left eight men stranded on base during his last game of 1950. Williams hit .400 in 1952 and .407 in 1953. Williams won the AL batting title with his well-known .406 in 1941 & .328 in 1958.

The Exchange

The new Grisham sequel The Exchange is spellbinding. Doesn't take place in Mississippi like most of his other books, but it is about lawyers. Very good so far. Two thirds finished and still don’t know who or what gets exchanged - though I do have a few guesses. 

Monday: worked until 5:45. Should've stayed until 7 but we had those reservations at Houston's. But after I left work C said she wasn't up to going, so I canceled the reservations. 

Got home and did laundry and the dishes. Didn't sit down until after 8:45. Tired.

NEWS: this past Sunday, Charles Baugh was confirmed into the Anglican church by Archbishop Foley Beach, the former SPdL youth director.

Anna and Caleb went to Taqueria Monday night.

Sorry, but with this SAP conversion at work, this old blog is gonna be more boring than ever. Guess I shouldn't say that, huh?

More Yoga

More yoga poses from Shivvy.

Sunday I left the office at 1 pm. Grabbed that milkshake from Steak & Shake on the way home.

MC's mother was visiting with C when I arrived, discussing the funeral arrangements, grandkids, etc. When Regina left C asked "Is there a football game we can turn on?" Odd for her to ask on Sunday.

We turned on the Falcons, but I went outside. The workers had finished the garage on Saturday afternoon, so I had to (1) clean out all the dust, and (2) move all the stuff back inside the garage. Cleaned the windows, and washed down the doors and doorframes and the garage door. Then move back the shelves and stuff. Was after dark before I finished, almost 7 pm. Wore me out, especially the cleaning. Looks good, no?

Had to go to Publix and gas up C's car after that.

Was sore but still lifted weights at the gym before work. Forgot my belt so had to stop by the house on the way to work. Made me late to arrive, but I was taking work calls for the 30 minute drive to the office.

Pretty much chaos here in the office. The days will go by fast, but I won't get much done.

So true.

Future Yoga Instructor

Shivonne has a Yoga ABC book that she likes to read, and act out the alphabet poses for each letter.

Sunday: played golf. Teed off before 7 am. Could've gone off earlier.

1. Hit a straight, low, long drive. I could actually see it. With a golfer getting ready in the parking lot, I didn't hit a mulligan. Two cruddy worm-burners short of green. Two chips went left. Two okay chips, both left. Third chip much better. Two putt.

2. Hit a decent 7 iron off tee. It faded left, and though all the rough had been cut, I couldn't find it. Poor chip, then a better chip. Two putt for "bogey".

3. Hit several poor 9 irons off the tee. Lost two balls. Finally skidded one straight that rolled most of the way down the hill. Worm burned a chip that rolled to the back of the green. Mulligan bounced off the side of the elevated green. Three good lag putts. "Bogey".

4. Two poor tee shots. One veered left, though long. Mulligan a worm burner with a decent roll. Chipped one short and right. Mulligan to the left fringe. Three lag putts. "Bogey".

5. Tee shot pulled into the woods. First mulligan long, low, and slightly left. Third try better: long, low, that rolled off the left side of the green. Good chip. Sank the 12 foot putt for "par".

6. Flubbed two hybrids off the tee. Third try better, but left into the brush. Fourth try longer, but also into the brush. Played my first ball. Hit a decent hybrid, decent distance but left into the rough. Played it where it laid (behind a tree). Hit two left, into the brush. Third shot better but the tree knocked it down. Last try sailed through the tree to the fringe. Found the two balls I had hit into the woods, a tranquil place with a creek. Chipped three balls. Two putt. "Double".

7. First drive off the tee was dent. Started slightly left and feded right. Not the longest but in the middle of the fairway. Hit three more. None good. Hit four hybrids but only one was good. Hit two good 9 irons to the back of the green. Third try was terrible. Hit two lag putts, then two more putts to finish the hole. "Double".

8. Decent drive off the tee. Hit a wedge low, but it rolled onto the green. Frist lag putt was decent. Hit two more for practice. Sank the putt for an actual par.

9. Three wood off tee. First shot was decent. Two mulligans weren't. Played all three balls. One of the second shots rolled to the fringe. Putted three balls. Sank my third try for a "par" – the first time I had ever played that long, uphill par three with a wickedly sloped green in three shots.

To celebrate I stopped by Wendys on the way to work for a breakfast biscuit. After work I stopped by Steak & Shake on the way home for a milkshake.

Clemson Shocks Irish

I worked from before 8am until 4 pm today. Was tracking GT@UVA and Notre Dame. Shocked by Clemson. Irish almost came back, no? Sounds like Clemson finally went back to running the ball. The pick six (above) turned out to be the difference in the game. Ceil called it her birthday miracle.

Irish might've won had they showed up wearing their usual gold britches. QB Sam Hartman must've been having flashbacks to his days at Wake Forest.

Jackets did what they were supposed to do. At 5-4, they need one more win to become bowl eligible. Can they do it?

Came home and watched Mizzou@UGA and now LSU@Bama. 

Rutgers stayed even with #1 Ohio State for three quarters before fading at the end. Dawgs could re-claim the top spot in the new Playoff rankings come Tuesday night.

The workers were here all day finishing the garage and upstairs bath. Tomorrow afternoon I'll have to clean up all the dust and move back all the stuff back into the garage. At least we have gotten rid of some of the junk.

I've got to go in to the office tomorrow morning and knock out a few hours of work. With the time change I'm going to sneak in an early round of sunrise golf before work.

I finished the novel that Tom Hanks had written. Started the new Grisham novel, the sequel to The Firm. I haven't read The Firm yet.

Top Ten Days I'd Like To Relive

Not in any order, here are ten of my top days. I think we did this once before.

 

1. My wedding day. Sept 12 1987 & Bermuda honeymoon

2. Will's wedding day Jan 2016

3. Anna's wedding day. March 2023

4. Aug 2006 family trip to SF

5. July 2002 trip to NYC with Ceil

6. Dec 1975 when we won the state football championship

7. Thanksgiving 1993 completed the Atlanta half marathon

8. 1996 torch relay outside of Chicago

9. March 2020 trip to Memphis with Bruce Ambrose

10. March 1985 drove to Macon to watch a GT basketball game on TV not broadcast in Atlanta

 

One time the Whitakers brought me back an Ocho Rios t-shirt when I house sat while they were on vacation.

 

Busy. Just learning, so not as stressed as the past few days. We do have a chunk of orders to enter before Monday.

 

Predictions:

 

Florida will be let down from their loss to UGA. Boston College is tough, and will win by more than 2-1/2 points.

 

Notre Dame will beat Clemson by more than 2-1/2 points.

 

Bama will beat LSU by more than 3-1/2 points.

 

Long Thursday. Got to work at 730. Constant work on project with several interruptions from others. Finished at 5:15 then spent another hour tying up loose ends.

C cooked meatballs, ravioli, tomato sauce, broccoli, and her sourdough. Finished washing dishes at 8:45. Tired.

I got back to the gym this morning. Then meetings about what we'll be doing on the new computer system.

Lunch Thursday was Dreamland BBQ. Pork, Brunswick stew, potato salad, macaroni & cheese, banana pudding. Friday lunch was Willys Mexican. I fixed a salad with everything on it.

Finally watched a few innings of the World Series last night, but went to bed before it was over.

MC's grandfather's funeral is next Friday Nov 10, in Greenville SC.  

 

ROGERS HORNSBY [SABR Bio] owns the highest season batting average for any National Leaguer in the Modern Era. Hornsby's .424 in 1924 leads all in the NL and is just barely behind PHA's Nap Lajoie's 1901 .426, in organized baseball. In a ten-year span, he averaged more than 200 hits per season, leading his league four times and the majors twice. From 1920 through 1929, there was no other player more productive. During part of that run, from 1920 through 1925, his cumulative batting average was .397.

He once stated, "I had much rather be known as a team-play man than as a Home Run King, Monarch of Swat or any of those high-sounding, but to a winning ball player, meaningless titles." Seldom shy about discussing his prowess on the diamond, but could back it up with consistent, highest‑level performance. If Babe Ruth ever heard the remark, he was doubtless unruffled.

 

 

 

 

Trick Or Treat

One of our trick or treaters last night was a ten year old girl in a burgundy STATE jersey. I asked if that was a Mississippi State jersey. She held up a Dr Pepper bottle – she was from Fansville! Costume of the night. We had a decent amount of trick or treaters. Gave away most of the candy bars and pretzels but not all.

Left work at 4 pm Tuesday. Heavy traffic home. Got home and raked leaves. I had raked leaves Sunday afternoon, but the driveway was already covered again. Finished up just as the trick or treaters started their rounds. Ceil carved a jack o'latern.

C cooked grits and eggs and bacon for supper. I took by bowl to the front to watch for trick or treaters. Just then three tall boys came to the door. I held up a fried egg with my fork like I was going to put it in their candy bag. One of the boys said he would take it.

Back 5 years ago Johnson Ferry Baptist would have a huge “Fall Festival” the Saturday before Halloween. Rides, food, candy, etc. The whole community would pack it out. Hundreds, probably over a thousand. Eventually they stopped. Not sure why. I noticed yesterday JFBC pastor Clay Smith posted about Reformation Day on social media, in honor of Martin Luther nailing his thesis on the Whittenburg Door.

A&C hung out at their place for trick or treating, with Goose. At work Rachel, Lauren, and Angie wore costumes. Usually Rache and Ange-o can be found on my shoulders, representing good and evil. So appropriate. 

Sidney Marcus is not in my comfort zone for driving !!! I do like how my car has a 16 gallon tank, and can go over 500 miles on a fillup.

We are in the middle of the danger zone at work – the big conversion time. Wednesday and today were the busy days for me. Not sure what I will be doing Friday (meetings), Saturday,   and Monday. Tons to do.

Didn’t realize the GT QB is only a sophomore. He could own all the records by the time he graduates. Hopefully he doesn't leave for greener pastures. Maybe I will even learn his name. 

R.I.P. FRANK HOWARD [SABR Bio] who is the only player to win the American League home run title while playing for the expansion Washington Senators. In 1968, “The Year of the Pitcher”, Howard led the majors with 44 HR. The next season he hit 48, but weas edged out by the Twins Harmon Killebrew who had 49. Howard led the AL in 1970 with 44. Howard was the first Los Angeles Dodger to win the Rookie of the Year Award, in 1960, 2 years after the Dodgers moved out west. LAD has had 13 more since then. He once hit ten (10!) home runs in a calendar week (Sunday-Saturday), between May 12- to 18-May-1968 including victims Mickey Lolich (3X), Sam McDowell (2X), and Dave McNally. Just before & shortly after the streak, also homered against that year’s CYA/MVP Denny McLain. In that streak, he became the first player to homer ten times in a 20-at-bat span.

Howard hit 116 HR at RFK stadium. In second place is Don Lock with 51. Some of his clouts were so monumental that they hit the seat in the far upper deck. Fans and the media wanted to how far they had really been hit. Ever modest, Howard responded with, “The distance of every tape-measure home run depends upon your press agent” - a possible reference to Mickey Mantle’s HR off Chuck Stobbs in Washington a decade earlier. Eventually, some of the seats that his longest home runs struck were painted a separate color and stood out until the stadium was demolished in June 2023. Twenty of the HR Howard hit into the upper deck were painted and easy to spot. His nickname was taken from a John Wayne film. One of his nicknames was “Hondo”, in reference to The Duke’s 1953 film of the same name. Also the “Capital Punisher” & “The Washington Monument”.

Barehanded Catches

Saw an old video where the Angels Chone Figgins popped a ball straight up, then backed into catcher Jorge Posada as the Yankee tried to catch the ball.

The collision knocked Posada’s mitt off his hand – so Jorge had to catch the popup barehanded.

This Saturday Georgia Tech plays on the dreaded CW Network, so I won’t be able to watch. The next step for the Jackets is to win back to back games, and to beat a lesser opponent on the road. Tech has won a couple of road games, so hopefully the trend will continue. 

1200 Notre Dame 7-2 @ Clemson 4-4 ABC

0200 GT 4-4 @ UVA 2-6 CW Network

0330 Missouri 7-1 @ UGA 8-0 CBS

0330 James Madison 8-0 @ Georgia State 6-2

0730 LSU 6-2 @ Alabama 7-1 CBS

MC’s paternal grandfather passed away last night. Every time I think about him, I get tears in my eyes.

Yesterday I worked past 6:30 pm, in preparation for today’s month end and this week’s computer conversion. Shepherd’s pie for supper. Watched the new episode of Peyton’s Places after Jeopardy. ESPN’s Pat McAfee joined Peyton to discuss the coffin corner kick. Footage of punters Ray Guy, John James, Jeff Feagles, Sid Luckman, Sammy Baugh, Norm Van Brocklin, Dan Pastorini, and others.

Cleaned everything out of the garage Monday night and Tuesday morning. Workers are fixing the ceiling. Garage looks large with nothing in it. Skipped the gym Tuesday morning because I had so much to move: ladders, bikes, mower, carpets, shelves, etc.

Got off at 4 pm today for Halloween. I resisted the urge to wear a football jersey to work, but did wear my Nike Air Marino sneakers.

Denison: should Israel seek a cease-fire with the Hamas? The Palestinian death toll has passed 8000, mostly women and minors. Many doubt the veracity of the numbers since it is run by Hamas, who have hidden weapons under hospitals, schools, and mosques while disguising its fighters like civilians. Hamas strategy is intended to escalate Palestinian deaths and provoke an international backlash against Israel.