Braves > (Falcons x 2)

Earlier this week I made the statement that over the past 25 seasons the Braves had more seasons with a better winning percentage than the Falcons. Then I figured I’d better check to make sure that was true. It is: over the past 25 seasons the Braves had a better winning percentage than the Falcons 17 times. The Falcons had better seasons than the Braves only eight times.

In fact, over the history of the two Atlanta franchises, the Braves have had a better winning percentage twice as many times (32) as the Falcons (16).

In the past 22 seasons the Braves have made the playoffs 16 times – twice as many times as the Falcons. The Braves have played in the World Series five times more than the Falcons have played in the Super Bowl.

Past 25 Seasons: Winning Percentage

.565 Braves – only 4 losing seasons

.480 Falcons – 14 losing seasons

The numbers are similar for both teams’ entire 48 year history. The Braves have made the playoffs 19 times, while the Falcons have only made the playoffs 12 times. For a many years playoff formats made it much harder for a MLB team to make the playoffs than a NFL team.

.519 Braves – 19 losing, 29 winning seasons

.435 Falcons – 30 losing, 18 winning seasons

Consecutive Winning Seasons

15 (1991-2005) Braves  

05 (2008-2012) Falcons

Consecutive Losing Seasons

7 Braves (1984-1990)

8 Falcons (1983-1990)

Since moving into their current homes:

.571 Braves – 2 losing, 15 winning seasons

.494 Falcons – 12 losing, 9 winning seasons

Before 2008 the Braves had a better winning percentage than the Falcons in 31 of 42 seasons.

Georgians on Twitter

Top 40 Georgians with the most Twitter followers. I follow two of the top 40. Used to follow the AJC, but I get their updates on Facebook.

1. Ludacris 8,513,151

2. T.I. 4,753,570

3. Tyler Perry 3,258,421

4. Coca Cola 2,095,255

5. B o B 1,899,054

6. CeeLo Green 1,702,513

7. Big Boi 875,495

8. Jermaine Dupri 879,316

9. Lecrae 756,227

10. Chris Tomlin 567,035

11. CareUSA 540,726

12. Delta Airlines 533,836

13. Atlanta Braves 421,900

14. Louie Giglio 405,086 (I follow)

15. Andy Stanley 333,206 (I follow)

16. Chickfila 310,209

17. Casting Crowns 273,863

18. Atlanta Falcons 268,778

19. David Crowder 267,237

20. Jeff Sheehan (social media pro) 250,471

21. Steven Jackson (Falcons) 229,967

22. Center for Disease Control 215,930

23. Arby’s 190,549

24. Atlanta Hawks 167,705

25. Home Depot 159,177

26. Neal Boortz (WSB) 148,372

27. Coca Cola 142,422

28. Rick Myers (TalentZoo) 126,700

29. Passion Conferences 118,960

30. Matt Ryan (Falcons) 116,899

31. Freddie Freeman (Braves) 109,104

32. MailChimp 105,592

33. Georgia Bulldogs 103,407

34. Home Depot Deals 101,482

35. Atlanta Journal Constitution 100,465

36. Mark Richt (UGA) 89,566

37. Kris Medlin (Braves) 84,459

38. TalentZoo 73,863

39. Clark Howard (WSB) 73,593

40. WSB TV 60,148

The Braves Move: Many Misconceptions

I lived near downtown Atlanta for 15 years, at Georgia Tech, Little Five Points, and Morningside. I’ve walked to games at Atlanta Stadium. I have attended Braves games my entire life -  including multiple games for the past 30 years. I am as familiar with the Turner Field area as any resident now living outside the perimeter. Every weekday I commute 40 miles back and forth to work through rush hour traffic. Like many long-time Atlantans, I know numerous routes around many parts of the city to avoid traffic.

Since the Braves announced yesterday they were moving twelve miles up the road, most of the comments I have read have been erroneous, if not ignorant. Questions with obvious answers from people from Charleston and Colorado. People without knowledge of the history and circumstances of the politics, jurisdiction, and business involved. As a fan, all this bothers me much more than it should. People aren’t reading the reason the Braves published as to why they’re moving. http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/baseball/why-are-braves-moving/nbpPx/  

NOTHING WRONG WITH TURNER FIELD: By the time the Braves current stadium lease expires Turner Field will need over $150 million worth of work merely to maintain the facility. With no hope of improving the area around the stadium, the team would invest their money in a place where their customers would feel safer and enjoy the experience more. The fact that Atlanta City Council members and MARTA board members were caught completely unaware, which indicates that they weren’t doing their job very well. The City and State are kicking in hundreds of millions for a new Falcons stadium. The Northside Drive area around the dome was never enhanced, either. The football team will use this facility about ten times per year, though a new dome would also be used for other events/games/concerts as well. The Braves stadium is used 85-90 times a year. Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed wishes the Braves well, but inexplicably says the Turner Field area will be rebuilt as a middle class neighborhood. How?

NEIGHBORHOOD BLIGHT: Many people don’t realize the Braves do not own Turner Field and don’t have the rights to develop the area around the stadium. The team has commissioned plans for development, but the City of Atlanta and the business community don’t think it’s a wise enough investment to invest. Past developments were poorly conceived and run, like the failed entertainment center / putt putt course. For some reason MARTA has tried to back out of their game day shuttle busses. For the entire length of the Braves current stadium lease the City has done nothing to enhance the value of the Turner Field area, despite the pleas of the community residents and the repeated monetary offers by the Braves organization.

TRAFFIC WORSE! Many say traffic at the new location will be an issue, forgetting the daily nightmare of traffic on the downtown connector. Getting to the new stadium will be no harder than getting to Turner Field. And since the new stadium will be closer to the majority of the ticket-buying fan base, the commute will actually be easier. Even fans coming from Gwinnett County won’t have a longer or worse commute to the new stadium. The Cobb Transit Authority runs busses that connect with MARTA, but many forget there isn’t a train station within a mile of Turner Field. For this reason only a tiny percentage of fans ever took public transportation to Turner Field.

BUT THE SUBURBS? Another misconception is that the Braves are moving to the all-white suburbs. The new site is only ten miles north of the city center. The Cobb Parkway / Cumberland Mall area is no white-bread suburb. It’s actually an area I’d rather avoid. Most of the stores currently open at Cumberland Mall are more reminiscent of an inner-city Greenbriar Mall than the upscale Phipps Plaza. Like Norcross and most of Marietta and Roswell, most of Atlanta’s northern arc has become as multicultural as almost anywhere else in the metro area. I wouldn’t mind moving further north, north of Alpharetta toward South Forsyth. There’s a good chance the new stadium will feature an even nicer Atlanta skyline view than Turner Field. The view beyond the outfield fences would include the Perimeter Mall skyscrapers, Buckhead’s impressive skyline, Midtown, and downtown. Even Stone Mountain could been seen in the distance.

SMYRNA BRAVES? People also don’t understand that the new stadium will continue to have an Atlanta address. There have been rumors that the Braves will make minor changes to their branding/logos/uniforms. I have seen nothing official, though the idea makes sense. The Washington Redskins will be changing their names after this season, the there is a move afoot for the Indians to get rid of the Chief Wahoo logo. The Indians have already quietly added alternate uniforms without the Chief Wahoo patch, and caps with a C. While the Braves tomahawk uniforms have become almost as iconic as Yankee pinstripes or the Cardinals’ redbirds on the bat, the move may be the time to drop the tomahawk in favor of the already popular cream-colored 1960’s era unis. Or not.

DAMNED OWNERS! Many are blaming the Braves absentee owners Liberty media for the move. In fact, they had nothing to do with it. When Braves officials informed their parent company of the direction they were considering, Liberty only agreed. They did not initiate or involve themselves in the negotiations. Liberty has agreed to increase payroll between 11-22% for next season, a fact also overlooked by the fans.

PAYROLL TOO LOW! Uneducated fans are always saying the Braves need to increase payroll in order to win World Series championships. While payroll and championships are not directly related (otherwise the Yankees and Dodgers would win every year), these fans should welcome the move: higher attendance and increased revenues means a higher payroll. Comments also call the Braves losers, despite their 96 wins this season. Over their entire histories, the Braves have consistently won a greater percentage of games than the Falcons.   

While I will enjoy following every story about the move, I do dislike all the misinformation and uneducated comments.

Baylor: Over-Rated

Last week I was watching Baylor/Oklahoma. Wanted Oklahoma to win, but all the breaks went Baylor’s way. On Facebook some people root for Baylor too much. They’ve been running up the score against people like Wofford. I want to say something about their strength of schedule (93rd) and all the personal foul penalties, but held my tongue. When Baylor finally plays someone they are going to have a hard time, like they did Thursday night in the first quarter against a very average Oklahoma team.

Matthew loves Zaxbys, but we rarely go. Last Thursday night we ate leftovers from Nuevo Laredo, and Friday I had the last of those leftovers. Then C and A and M went to the mall. I thought it was going to be a short trip, but they were gone until 9:45 or ten. I cleaned up the kitchen and checked emails, and went to bed at 10:30.

TUESDAY: Sold my last Oregon jersey. Read some in my baseball book and also getting toward the end of Frank Sexton’s book. The Sexton book disappeared for a couple of weeks, but finally reappeared.

Too cold to walk outside this morning. Hopefully it will be warmer this afternoon.

Interesting JFK special scheduled for Thursday night, but we’ll be watching the Tech game.

Weekend

I always forget what happens on Friday. Seems like I watched TV. Anna went out Friday night, to Chickfila and a high school football game.

Saturday morning I cleaned some upstairs before all the football started. Organized three containers of clothes to sell, and another to give away. Ceil cooked hamburgers Saturday night. I had one for lunch on Sunday. Pooped corn on both Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday morning I picked up Will at the airport at 9 am. At 1 pm I drove Matthew down to PCC. Had to go pick him up at 7 pm. Folded laundry and read my three books: World Without End, Alternate Histories, and a baseball book. 

Since 2007 I've been looking at this three-finger throwback baseball mitt. When I finally saved up enough Amazon gift cards to buy it, the left-handed model was unavailable. Friday the glove had become available, so I ordered it. Perhaps I'll take it to Braves games in case a foul ball comes my way. An hour after I placed the order I remembered all the other things I wanted to use those Amazon giftcards for. Murphy's law.

Braves Move to Cobb

Traffic will be no worse than that mess downtown. This summer I would leave Duluth at 3 pm to go to Turner Field. By the time I got to Atlantic Station, traffic on the downtown connector was already bumper to bumper, going 5-10 mph.

The new stadium will actually be closer for fans making the drive from Gwinnett. But all Gwinnettians can talk about anyway is how much they like going to Gwinnett Braves games more than Turner Field.

The move sounds like a good business deal to me – gives the Braves more money to spend on players. Turner Field is great, but the area around it isn't. Things would only get worse between now and 2037. The Braves came up with a plan to fix up the area, but no other businesses were interested in locating there.

Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed didn't seem to be shedding too many tears. Must be more of a Falcons fan. Now the city can tear up all those parking lots and plant trees and grass. Then we won't have to worry about global warming any more.

And how many fans take MARTA to the game anyway? Far less than ten percent. Do the math: the Braves average 30,000 per game. It would take 60 busses to shuttle 3000 fans. I walk past the line of busses to my car, so I don't have to pay the city $15.00 to park. Ain't no 60 busses in that line. More like 15 or 20. (Nerd that I am, I count them!).

I'm just worried the Braves will stop selling the one dollar Clark Howard seats!

In other news, today Brian McCann turned down the Braves' contract offer. The Braves could stay put if all these greedy ballplayers wouldn't demand so much money. It's a vicious circle.

Huge news day. As usual, fans are making completely erroneous statements. Can't blame the team. They make the move not only to make the fan experience better, but also to increase revenue so they can field a better team. Of course, the fans who say the team should increase payroll are too busy saying they shouldn't move.

Interesting that the deal was announced just after the mayoral election. Based on the JS video, it seemed like striking a favorable deal with the stadium authority just wasn't going to happen. Cobb Transit can bus fans just as easily as MARTA, who will feel the sting of future lost revenues. I didn't know how I could watch/listen to the JS video. Watched on my phone while I walked to the other building.

Talked to the Chief this weekend at Kroger. When I asked him what he was doing during the off-season he replied "I'm getting married next weekend!"

Yesterday I picked Will up from the airport at 9 am and drove back home. Drove M down to PCC at 1 pm. had to go pick him up at 7 pm. C brought A back after youth group so she could study. Since noon Saturday I've put 200 miles on my car – pretty much just from those three trips.

Will was worn out from his early flight home, so after the wedding he took a nap and hung around the house. Didn't drive back to Athens until this morning.

CFB Roundup: Nov 9

Loved Ga over App St…Agree. Georgia / Appalachian State: At halftime so many Georgia fans were irate because the Dawgs weren't blowing out the Mountaineers. The fans forget that App State is a quality program, certainly no cupcake, who beat Michigan just a few years ago. By late in the third quarter they should've been happy with the 38-6 score. Murray didn't even have to play in the fourth quarter. Things look good for next year: Hudson Mason looked great, even surrounded by second-team players. He engineered a 95 yard touchdown drive. The Bulldog defense only allowed two early field goals, though App State missed at least two more. Hopefully the defense can continue their good work against Auburn.

Loved Aaron Murray…Agree. Another record-setting day.

Hated Missouri over Kentucky…Agree. I'm not crazy about Kentucky football (basketball is ok), but I wished Missouri would lose for Georgia's sake.

Loved Auburn over Tennessee…Agree. Volunteer fans are obnoxious. Now Auburn has the big head going into the Georgia game. Auburn does look tough, but their QB isn't the best.

Hated Texas A&M over Miss St…Disagree. I'm not a fan of Miss State, though Dan Mullen seems like a good guy. But it will be ok with me for A&M not to be any good once Manziel and their coach leave College Station.

Loved Vandy over Fla…Disagree. Georgia needs Florida to do well now so Muschamp will stay on as coach, so Georgia can keep winning. Plus I'm no fan of Vandy. Ugly uniforms. The Vandy QB is ranked 90th in the nation and has a prissy non-football name: Austyn Carta-Samuels. I do hope Tennessee beats Vandy.

Hated Seattle over Atlanta…Agree. What amazes me is that after every loss all the Falcons fans are shocked – "A new low!" they say. Real fans shouldn't be surprised that with the year the Falcons are having that they can't beat one of the best teams in the conference. Last year when things were great the Falcons lost to Seattle. The Falcons won't win as long as they keep adding high-priced playmakers and sign bargain-basement offensive linemen. They need to parlay their high draft pick into two or three real good offensive linemen.

Loved Mississippi over Arkansas…Agree.

Loved Central Florida over Houston…Agree. Great game, though UCF missed several chances to blow the game open. Co-worker Chris woke up early Saturday and drove down to Orlando for the game, then drove back to Atlanta on Sunday. Right now she's looking up the targeting rule on the internet. If UCF wins out they'll go to the Orange Bowl. If not they could play in the Fiesta or Sugar Bowl.

Loved Va Tech over Miami…Agree. The Hokies win helps out GT, though its highly unlikely the Jackets will make it to the ACC Championship Game.

Loved Alabama over LSU…Agree. Great game. The Tide have solidified their hold on the number one spot in the rankings. Doesn't look like anyone is going to beat them.

Loved AJ McCarron…Agree. Funny after the game when AJ patted Saban on the butt. Looked like AJ's girlfriend didn't get too dolled up for the game. Funny that they showed her Hardees commercial during the game – where she takes off the number 10 Alabama jersey and eats the burger.

Saturday I watched ESPN College Gameday, then the Georgia game. Bob Neal is an OK announcer – I have always liked him. But his sidekick was terrible – whoever he was. During the game I drove Ceil over to my office to pick up Will's Jeep. Normally I might run an errand or two while I was out, but I wanted to get back to watch football. After the Georgia game ended I watched Texas A&M / Mississippi State while I did laundry.

At 7 pm I flipped over to Central Florida / Houston, but when the Alabama / LSU game came on Ceil didn't want me changing channels.

Hopefully Bama and FSU can win out so they can face each other in the championship game. Other bowl projections from the experts:

Orange: Clemson vs. Oregon.
Fiesta: Baylor vs. Central Florida. I'd like to see O'Leary shut down Baylor.
Sugar: Auburn vs. Wisconsin or Fresno State
Gator: Georgia vs. Iowa or LSU vs. Minnesota
Outback: Missouri vs. Nebraska or Michigan State
Belk: Georgia Tech or Duke vs. Houston
Chickfila: Georgia vs. Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech vs. Texas A&M. The Hokies have already played in the Georgia Dome once this year, but this would be the most prestigious bowl they could get to. The Aggies could easily hang 60 on the Jackets. Better for Georgia Tech to go to the Belk Bowl.

Total QB Rating w/ Nov 9 Games

1. 93.3 Marcus Mariota, Oregon

2. 93.3 Bryce Petty, Baylor

3. 92.8 Jameis Winston, Florida State

4. 88.5 Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M

5. 87.6 Zach Mettenberger, LSU

6. 86.6 Aaron Murray, Georgia

7. 85.6 Daniel Sams, Kansas State

8. 84.1 Braxton Miller, Ohio State

9. 83.3 AJ McCarron, Alabama

10. 82.2 Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville

11. 81.6 Taylor Kelly, Arizona State

12. 81.5 Joe Southwick, Boise State

13. 79.8 Brett Handley, UCLA

14. 79.5 Tajh Boyd, Clemson

15. 79.4 Stephen Morris, Miami

16. 79.4 James Franklin, Missouri

22. 77.8 Blake Bortles, Central Florida

23. 77.1 Nick Marshall, Auburn

33. 71.5 Connor Shaw, South Carolina

42. 69.9 Chase Rettig, Boston College

43. 68.3 Byne Renner, North Carolina

46. 66.2 Blake Bell, Oklahoma

48. 65.5 Terrel Hunt, Syracuse

49. 65.1 Tom Savage, Pittsburgh

51. 64.8 Brandon Connette, Duke

60. 61.9 Devin Gardner, Michigan

70. 58.0 Anthony Boone, Duke

73. 57.5 Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech

83. 51.7 Pete Thomas, NC State

87. 48.9 Vad Lee, Georgia Tech

90 48.0 Austyn Carta-Samuels, Vandy

91. 47.1 David Watford, Virginia

104. 41.0 CJ Brown, Maryland

109. 38.8 Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

110. 38.8 Tanner Price, Wake Forest

College Bowl Schedule 2013-14

Date

21 Gildan New Mexico Bowl – Albuquerque – Pac12 vs MWC  

21 Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl – Pac12 vs MWC

21 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise – MAC vs MWC

21 R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – ConfUSA vs SunBelt

23 Beef O’Bradys St Petersburg Bowl – ConfUSA vs American

24 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – ConfUSA vs MWC

26 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl – Detroit – Big10 vs MWC  

26 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl – Army vs MWC

27 Northrop Grumman Military Bowl – Annapolis – ACC vs ConfUSA

27 Texas Bowl – Houston – Big10 vs Big12

27 Fight Hunger Bowl – San Francisco – BYU vs Pac12

28 New Era Pinstripe Bowl – Yankee Stadium – Big12 vs American

28 Belk Bowl – Charlotte – ACC vs American

28 Russell Athletic Bowl – Orlando – ACC American

28 Buffalo Wild Wing Bowl – Tempe – Big10 vs Big12

30 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl - Ft Worth – NWC vs Navy

30 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Nashville: ACC v SEC

30 Valero Alamo San Antonio Bowl – Pac12 vs Big12

30 National University Holiday Bowl - San Diego - Pac12 vs Big 12

31 AdvoCare V100 Bowl - Shreveport – ACC vs SEC

31 Hyundai Sun Bowl - El Paso – ACC vs Pac12

31 AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Memphis – SEC vs ConfUSA/American

31 Chickfila Bowl: Atlanta – ACC vs SEC

1 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Jacksonville - SEC vs Big10

1 Heart of Dallas Bowl – Big10 vs ConfUSA  

1 Capital One Bowl - Orlando – SEC vs Big10

1 Outback Bowl - Tampa – SEC vs Big10

1 Vizio Rose Bowl - Pasadena   

1 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - Phoenix

2 AllState Sugar Bowl – New Orleans

3 Discover Orange Bowl - Miami

3 AT&T Cotton Bowl - Arlington – SEC vs Big12

4 BBVA Compass Bowl - Birmingham – SEC vs American

5 GoDaddy Bowl in Mobile – MAC vs SunBelt

6 Vizio BCS National Championship Game - Pasadena

Rounding Third's Trip

For some reason my earlier post on the Rounding Third blog has become one of the most visited posts on my own blog. Muneesh Fain visited all 30 MLB ballparks this summer. He constructed the blog and traveled the country in ways quite similar to the way I would take such a trip – including plenty of statistics about each game, miles traveled, money spent, what he ate, and the like. Though he is not quite finished with his blog (his post about Fenway Park was yet to be posted), one thing the blog does not have is one overall day-to-day recap of his trip. For the past few weeks I read through his blog and recapped the day, date, miles driven, dollars spent, and what he did.

Muneesh made sure to get his rest and eat right, and tried to stay caught up on his writing as he went. That helped him remember any small details that may have been forgotten. He also did a great job taking pictures, something I might struggle with. What I would do differently: I would try to complete the trip in a shorter time period. Three months is a long time. That said, it would be hard to cut the trip down to two months. I would need extra money for hotels, as I would find it hard to impose on acquaintances for accommodations. I’d also want to make use of any time not at ballparks or highways for sightseeing. Muneesh had previously traveled to several of these cities – perhaps that is why sightseeing was not as important to him. I would also drive a car that got more miles to the gallon.

As a member of the press, Muneesh plans to write a book about his trip. Next summer he plans to take a similar minor league trip. Nice work if you can get it. This summer’s trip:

day/date/miles/dollars

00. 5.19 Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY

01. 5.29 000 134.34 Mets/Yankees

02. 5.30 000 105.60 Yankees/Mets

03. 5.31 210 047.00 drive to Baltimore

04. 6.01 030 128.34 Orioles/Tigers

05. 6.02 030 094.95 Orioles/Tigers

06. 6.03 065 126.21 drive to Washington

07. 6.04 008 120.44 Nationals game

08. 6.05 713 068.61 drive to Jacksonville

09. 6.06 232 162.83 drive to St. Pete thru storm

10. 6.07 020 148.95 Ray/Orioles

11. 6.08 050 068.00 off day

12. 6.09 265 141.77 drive to Miami

13. 6.10 020 100.00 Marlins game

14. 6.11 068 000.00 off day

15. 6.12 675 151.32 drive to Atlanta

16. 6.13 042 118.66 off day

17. 6.14 040 101.35 Braves/Giants

18. 6.15 120 121.18 off day

19. 6.16 569 200.19 drive to St. Louis

20. 6.17 050 198.00 Cardinals/Cubs, rain delay

21. 6.18 050 181.75 tour Arch, Cardinals/Cubs

22. 6.19 268 192.87 drive to Kansas City, camera trouble

23. 6.20 050 123.77 off day, back pain

24. 6.21 055 111.50 Royals/White Sox

25. 6.22 717 127.94 drive to Houston

26. 6.23 015 051.31 off day

27. 6.24 050 031.07 off day

28. 6.25 020 083.68 Astros/Cardinals

29. 6.26 291 097.38 drive to Dallas

30. 6.27 020 032.22 off day

31. 6.28 040 162.92 stadium tour, Rangers/Reds

32. 6.29 693 154.07 drive to Pueblo

33. 6.30 109 023.43 drive to Denver

34. 7.01 109 117.02 off day

35. 7.02 020 097.25 stadium tour, Rockies/Dodgers

36. 7.03 778 146.86 drive to Flagstaff AZ

37. 7.04 188 146.86 drive to Phoenix, fireworks

38. 7.05 040 181.33 Dbacks/Rockies

39. 7.06 010 156.83 stadium tour, Dbacks/Rockies

40. 7.07 355 164.99 drive to San Diego

41. 7.08 040 221.04 Padres/Rockies

42. 7.09 561 266.09 drive to SF

43. 7.10 080 162.00 Giants game

44. 7.11 120 050.53 tour AT&T Park

45. 7.12 075 127.60 Athletics/Red Sox

46. 7.13 050 091.85 Athletics/Red Sox

47. 7.14 045 049.48 off day

48. 7.15 379 097.30 drive to LA

49. 7.16 000 000.00 All Star break

50. 7.17 000 000.00 All Star break

51. 7.18 000 000.00 All Star break

52. 7.19 070 153.40 Angels/A’s game

53. 7.20 777 265.64 drive to Roseburg, Oregon

54. 7.21 369 081.18 drive to Seattle

55. 7.22 030 112.83 Mariners/Indians

56. 7.23 000 000.00 off day

57. 7.24 678 176.50 drive to Sacramento

58. 7.25 486 075.14 drive to LA

59. 7.26 046 156.19 stadium tour, Dodgers/Reds

60. 7.27 684 216.06 drive to Salt Lake City, lunch in Vegas

61. 7.28 664 237.69 drive to Rapid City SD, Mt Rushmore

62. 7.29 599 196.72 drive to Minneapolis

63. 7.30 050 395.53 Twins/Royals

64. 7.31 050 206.12 Twins/Royals & Target Field tour

65. 8.01 332 060.86 drive to Milwaukee

66. 8.02 037 124.90 Brewers/Nationals

67. 8.03 119 110.65 stadium tour, drive to Chicago

68. 8.04 000 107.23 Cubs/Dodgers

69. 8.05 000 108.71 White Sox/Yankees

70. 8.06 000 111.09 Wrigley tour & White Sox/Yankees

71. 8.07 320 029.90 drive to Cincinnati

72. 8.08 213 191.82 tour Louisville Slugger Factory

73. 8.09 020 213.13 Reds game

74. 8.10 272 098.14 stadium tour/HOF/drive to Cleveland

75. 8.11 040 178.26 Indians/Angels

76. 8.12 242 030.73 stadium tour, drive to Detroit

77. 8.13 000 000.00 off day

78. 8.14 020 264.19 off day

79. 8.15 040 122.25 Tigers game

80. 8.16 340 096.37 drive to Pittsburgh

81. 8.17 040 113.50 Pirates/Diamondbacks

82. 8.18 000 000.00 off day / write

83. 8.19 333 204.02 tour PNC Park, drive to Philly

84. 8.20 000 132.70 off day

85. 8.21 055 252.18 Phillies game

86. 8.22 000 129.00 off day

87. 8.23 416 248.76 stadium tour, drive to Buffalo, flat tire

88. 8.24 098 000.00 Buffalo to Toronto, border patrol

89. 8.25 000 000.00 off day

90. 8.26 000 106.98 Blue Jays/Yankees

91. Drive to Boston?

92. Red Sox game?

Busy Wednesday

Interesting afternoon/evening yesterday. Will's last class didn't go exactly like he planned, so he had to hang around Athens and do Friday's homework before he could leave. He arrived at my office just before 2 pm. I dropped him off at the airport just before 3 pm. I drove back to East Cobb and had the Jeep's emissions tested at the car wash. Made it to the tag office just before it closed. On the way home I gassed up the Jeep.

Matthew went to youth group with a friend, so I picked him up at seven. Didn't leave for dinner until 7:50, and didn't arrive downtown at Nuevo Laredo Cantina until 8:30. Anna was starved, but it didn't take long for them to bring our dinner. We had so much left over that we took home three to-go boxes full. Got back home at 9:30.

Will flies back to Atlanta Sunday morning. One of his friends is getting married Sunday afternoon.

Matthew talked to the operator of the Roswell Chickfila yesterday about a job. Last night he was excited about the opportunity.

My Road Trip History

Thinking about long road trips made me realize that I have been on a few long trips already. Here’s a sampling:

Cooperstown New York Trip

303 04:43 Atlanta to Jefferson SC

781 11:56 Jefferson to Cooperstown

240 03:57 Cooperstown to Staten Island

225 03.40 Staten Island to Washington

061 01:10 Washington to Fredericksburg (526)

423 06:32 Fredericksburg to Knoxville

204 03:02 Knoxville to Atlanta (627)

2237 miles 35:00 hours total

1996 Olympic Torch Relay Trip

679 09:53 Atlanta to Auburn Indiana

138 02:53 Auburn to Gary Indiana

033 00:42 Gary to Chicago Illinois  

097 01:37 Chicago to South Bend

098 01:37 South Bend to Auburn

179 02:49 Auburn to Detroit

742 10:51 Detroit to Atlanta

1966 miles 31:22 hours total

Little Rock Work Trip

163 02:32 Atlanta to Birmingham

238 03:34 Birmingham to Memphis

137 02:04 Memphis to Little Rock

538 08:10 Return trip

1076 miles 16:20 hours total

Orlando Work Trip

466 06:39 Atlanta to Orlando

085 01:21 Orlando to St. Pete

551 08:00 Return trip

1102 miles 16:00 hours total

Will’s East Cobb Baseball Bus Trip

976 14:12 Marietta to Omaha Nebraska

1952 miles 28:24 hours total

SPdL Choir Tour

509 07:24 Atlanta to West Monroe LA

317 04:35 West Monroe to Fort Worth

342 05:15 Ft Worth to Amarillo

364 05:30 Amarillo to Colorado Springs

070 01:10 Colorado Springs to Denver

521 07:15 Denver to Wichita Kansas

577 08:21 Wichita to Memphis

450 06:30 Memphis to Atlanta

3150 miles 46:00 hours total

1976 Missouri Trip

400 05:55 Macon to Hopkinsville Kentucky

245 03:45 Hopkinsville to St. Louis

365 05:25 St. Louis to Tarkio

262 04:50 Tarkio to Winterset (& back)

569 08:20 Tarkio to Dyersburg TN

496 07:15 Dyersburg to Macon

2237 miles 35:30 hours total

1982 Sugar Bowl Trip

133 02:35 Macon to Auburn Alabama

112 02:00 Auburn to Birmingham

344 04:55 Birmingham to New Orleans

495 07:10 New Orleans to Atlanta

1084 miles 16:40 hours total

Maybe Don can help me remember where the Rochester NY choir tour stopped. I know we went to Niagara Falls, Samford NY, a cave in Kentucky, and Lexington Kentucky. I’m not exactly sure I got the Colorado choir tour stops right.

In college we traveled to Elmira NY, Sevierville TN, and Terre Haute Indiana for mission trips, as well as Knoxville, Chapel Hill, Birmingham, Athens, and Auburn for football games. Brett Freemon and I road-tripped to Kitty Hawk NC to check out a summer opportunity. There were actually two choir tours to Colorado Springs. In the early 90’s Ceil and I drove to Chicago for a vacation, stopping off in Ladoga IN to visit Dic Dac’s family. We’ve also taken two car trips to Washington and others to Richmond, Destin, Rosemary Beach, Panama City, St. Georges Island, Lake Guntersville, Memphis, Charleston, Hilton Head, and Nashville. We’ve been on shorter Living Science trips to Jekyll Island, St. Augustine Beach, Merritt Island, St. Georges Island, Gulf Shores, and Tybee Island. As a kid we twice drove to Tarkio Missouri to visit family.