New Rams Helmet?

The following NFL teams are making changes to their uniforms this off-season: Falcons, Rams, Chargers, Bucs, Patriots, and Browns. The Falcon logo is not changing, according to “sources.” Colts are somehow tweaking their uniforms, but the pants stripes aren’t changing (good). The Falcons, Rams, and Browns unis are undergoing complete overhauls.

Chargers - old bolt on top, new bolt on bottom - an improvement! Patriots and Chargers might just be minor changes. We’ve seen mock-ups of the new Bucs uniforms, similar to the red/bronze unis they wore in the Super Bowl.

The Panthers released Cam Newton. All kinds of rumors who will QB the Patriots. I’ve heard Cam, Teddy Bridgewater, Nick Foles (who just signed with the Bears), and others. Sounds like the Pats are going to rebuild, and go with Jarred Stidham or Brian Hoyer at QB.

 

Nike (and other shoe companies) have sneakers similar to my Pumas.

Busy day. Customer is busy. Let’s hope that continues.

 

I was down to two Diet Mtn Dews, so I didn’t mix one in with my fruit punch drink yesterday. I skipped on Sunday as well. Not sure if that contributed (or if it was because I hadn’t eaten much all day) but by the time I got home Monday I had a little bit of a headache. These days every little ache or pain can make your mind reeling. I took a pill and ate a hearty supper (grilled chicken tenders, English peas, some won ton things, and tossed salad). Feeling all better today.

Monday: left work around 5:20. Drove straight home. After doing the dishes we watched reruns of The Neighborhood and Bob Abishola, then a Hallmark movie. I was on my phone and laptop. Went to bed shortly after ten.

 

I’m doing a decent job maintaining my new low weight. Need to start back working out. All I’ve been doing is the Hinge Health exercises, which can be tough but don’t last very long.

 

W&MC and Anna have been trying to frequent local restaurants near them for takeout. Joel Norman is donating proceeds from Bellwood Coffee to help other local restaurants.

Saw this article that “proves” evolution – a fish turned into a slightly different fish. Far from fish crawling out of the sea to live on land, or monkeys changing into humans. Still waiting on that to happen. No explanations of how catapillars spin a cocoon, melt into a jelly substance, then pop out as a butterfly. Must be a God thing.   

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/a-scientist-just-proved-one-of-darwins-evolution-theories-161-years-later/ar-BB11BiOc?ocid=ientp

 

Rag of the day: FootJoy has a cool logo, but their golf shoes are decidedly un-hip.

Life Goes On

I suppose I had a decent weekend. Worked until almost 630 Friday evening trying to finish up several projects. Still more to do. Was after nine by the time the dishes were finished. We stayed up past midnight watching TV. Jimmy Fallon taped the Tonight Show from his house.

 

Saturday morning my small group met via computer. Ceil fixed me a big eggy-boy sandwich. Also oatmeal. She HAD to go get Bellwood Coffee, so I drove her. Joel Norman has opened a “window” so customers don’t have to go inside. Business was steady. David and Beth Norman had their baby girl up there on the Bellwood patio. We tried to keep a safe distance away from everyone. Later Becky came up to visit. Catherine Norman is visiting from Memphis, but was hiking in North Georgia with Charles & Annie.

 

Will asked us to swing by his house, so that was out next stop. He is starting work on a backyard deck. MC gave us a present: a figurine of our family. Didn’t get home until 230, and I fixed a quesadilla for lunch. Later I cut the grass, even mowing down in the woods. That always wears me out. As usual that night we watched Hallmark Channel.

Sunday morning we watched the Passion City Church service. I also tidied upstairs. Late breakfast: scrambled eggs and roasted potatoes. Did laundry and ironed six dress shirts. Watched the news. C cooked spaghetti for supper. Also tossed a salad. Watched her Sunday night Hallmark Channel shows, including When Calls the Heart..  

Last week Passion City service was pretty standard. Songs and sermon, a few announcements. This week they added an offertory time, similar to how it’s done in a regular service, with instructions on how to give on line. This week also they added video clips from the recent Passion Conference at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Not sure if that will be a regular thing. Not sure how long the whole things was. They broadcast it several times: 9, 11, 1, 5 maybe more. JFBC broadcast a traditional service, and later a contemporary service. Not sure when the Johnson Ferry service was taped. But the pastor said he watched himself preach from home.

 

I doubt the North Point and Passion City sermons are on TV but they are on line. Also JFBC. I take it the Youssef sermon was on tape, if he had an audience. Church of the Apostles is on a one week TV delay.

 

I’m trying to get C to not go out so much. W&MC and Anna were telling her the same thing. Saturday she also went to Pike Nursery. C watches the news but keeps going out. I think she is finally getting the message about staying at home. She still has her cough. She needs to pick up some groceries, so she went to Costco. Maybe the crowds are fewer on Monday with the rain. Friday she drove to Cartersville to spend the day with MC’s mom. Right now the late June wedding is still on. Now I worry about every little cough.

 

Been wearing my Crocs around the house. That’s what I wore all day yesterday.

 

Another young missionary couple is arriving home today from the Far East. She is pregnant and he’s been sick before this coronavirus reared its ugly head. A couple from our class had just built a new house north of Woodstock on Lake Altoona. Their property has an older cabin on it, which will be perfect for the missionary couple. Before they’d gone overseas the missionary couple had lived near Atlantic Station, so this will be a little bit of a change.

 

MC and Anna are working from home. A coworker’s daughter is a medical technician at an Emory medical building. Her boss called and told her she needed to quarantine for two weeks.

 

Will had a patient with a Phillips head screw imbedded in his finger. All Will had was a regular flat head screwdriver. They had to send the patient to another hospital (just kidding about that part).

Noelle wanted to have us and the Earharts over to sit around the fire pit Saturday night, but that got cancelled. Nancy was sick. Their son Dixon works at Red Lobster, but is currently out with a fever. M worked until 730. Not sure where he went after that.

 

Saw a video of Michael Jordan’s first game back from baseball, and sure enough, he was wearing his shorts backwards.   

ENOS SLAUGHTER [SABR Bio] one-time Milwaukee Brave, dashed the hopes of the Red Sox faithful in October 1946. He dashed home from 1st on a single by Dixie Walker in the bottom of the 8th to win game 7 to secure the Cardinal’s win in the 1946 WS. The Yankees pawned him off on the Kansas City A’s in exchange for Sonny Dixon - 11-May-1955: Traded by NYY with Johnny Sain to the KCA for Sonny Dixon and cash. The Yankees took him back off waivers a year later. Most people knew what country he was from. Hardly urbane, he was born and raised in the small North Carolina town of Roxboro. His nickname “Country” seems quite fitting. He’s buried there as well.

 

Players whose positions on the field match their uniform numbers.

P   = 1 Young........SEA 1990

C   = 2 Hartnett.....CHC 1937-40

1B = 3 Killebrew...MIN 1957-75

2B = 4 Herman.....CHC 1937-41

3B = 5 Wright........NYM 2004-18

SS = 6 Cronin.......BOS 1936

LF =  7 Williams....OAK 1975

CF = 8 Victorino....PHI 2005-12; 2012 LAD

RF = 9 Slaughter...STL 1938-53

 

Bellwood Baby

Saturday Ceil just HAD to drive the 18 miles to get Bellwood Coffee, so I took her. In these days of closed dining rooms, Bellwood is operating an open window. hard to see, but that's owner Joel Norman wearing the cap in back. Business was constant.

David and Beth Norman were hanging out with their baby girl,

who is still fresh. Note with Bellwood onesie. 

After Bellwood we rode down to see W&MC and Anna.

MC gave us a present, a small clay rendering of our family.

 The back is just as cute.

 The rendering is based on our Christmas card photo.

Comparing Gurley's first four pro seasons to Herschel's.

07494 1438 70 TG

10246 1772 73 HW

Below: Anna's company is making masks for hospitals.

RIP Kenny Rogers

The two squared off during Kenny Rogers Classic Weekend, which aired on TV.

I'm liking this uniform.

Cape

If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed a dude actually making comments on my posts. That's David Cape, my high school football teammate. Snapped for my point after attempts and field goals. Later long snapped at South Carolina, then coached high school football. Decent, fun-loving guy. I stole this picture from him, from our football reunion a few years ago. Cape is at the back right.

Foreground: fullback Randy Rutherford in the hat. Once on a cheesehound rolling up the two lane highway from Macon to Augusta Randy Rut looked out the window and exclaimed "Hey! Look at those PE-can trees!" I thought to myself "It's pe-CAAN." 

Wingback Clement Troutman front left. 1975 AAA back of the year #11 Mike Jolly, who led us to the state championship and ran Pepper Rodgers' wishbone at Tech in 1976. To his left is tailback Ray Patterson, who later joined the Navy. #30 is partner in crime Tim Kurtz, who served with me on the school newspaper staff.

Backfield mates Rutherford and Patterson led our fabled 9th grade team to an undefeated, city championship season, including 66-0 and 96-0 victories over Georgia Military Academy in Milledgeville. They also were mean middle linebackers on defense. 

Back right: punter Johnny "Lightning Leg" Crawford, now a SEC referee (as the kicker, I was "Thunder Foot"). During practice I became adept at catching Crawford's punts, and he shagged my kicks. Once he decorated his practice helmet with lightning bolts fashioned from athletic tape. The next day I followed suit, adding two athletic tape stripes on my single bar practice helmet. Man I should've kept that old relic. Should've worn the single bar in games, but that would've just made my face a target to teenage opponents.  

To my left is tough as nails offensive coordinator Roy McWilliams, looking great for his age.

The tree next to our house had perfectly circular blooms.

Falcons & Gurley: Thumbs Down

The Falcons signed former UGA RB Todd Gurley to a one year contract. Dumb move. Gurley has a lot of miles on his chassis and is oft-injured. The Falcons are great at signing offensive skill position players but continue to fall short in assembling a solid offensive line to block for all these great skill position players. They also need a bunch of help on defense. Meanwhile Bucs head coach Bruce Arians has put together one of the best offenses in the NFL down in Tampa. Look for the Falcons to finish third in their division.  

 

These days for the most part drafting a running back or wide receiver in the 3rd or 4th round is not much of a drop-off as a RB or WR drafted in round one or two. At least that’s the way teams playing in the Super Bowl do it.   

 

Things are crazy right now. Work. Finances. Coronavirus. Walking around like a zombie. I don’t want to tangle with this virus either. C is out having lunch in Cartersville. MC’s brother was scheduled to graduate in May and get married this summer. Not sure if this will be delayed (it's not). Virginia wedding scheduled for 5-10-20 has been postponed to November. At least W&MC and Anna are staying at home, when Will isn’t at the hospital working (today he went to Bellwood Coffee).     

Thursday: Taco Bell wasn’t open for breakfast so I cashed in a BOGO coupon next door at Wendy’s. Big mistake. Their bag says “America’s Favorite Breakfast.” What a joke. I usually don't want to rag on anyone, and Wendy's has been berry berry good to me over the years, with their "dollar menu" and such, but they've gone off the deep end with this breakfast stunt.

Thursday: busy at work all day. Had to compile a recap of the moves we’d made the day before. Drove straight home last night. Crashed on the couch. Supper was black beans and rice. Also kale. And fresh fruit.

 Watched Last Man Standing and a Hallmark movie. M got home at 830 because grocery stores are closing at eight. He said their shelves are bare. Could be easy for him to get the virus, being in contact with so many people. Ceil doesn’t stay home. I am a sitting duck for this thing. At least Hallmark Channel is running Christmas movies, huh?

 

I have a copy of the first ever Sports Illustrated for Kids with MJ on the cover. Probably not worth much. Don’t know where it is, in a box with my Sports Illustrateds. I still have almost every SI issue published since 1983, though they’re not organized. May be missing one or two. Last fall I cancelled my subscription. Nowadays Sports Illustrated writes more about politics and social issues than sports. Subscriptions are down because they changed, and lost touch with their readers. SI is teetering on going out of business. With all sports cancelled, this could be the final blow.

 

GABBY HARTNETT  [SABR Bio] was the first catcher to hit 18 home runs in a major league season. He was also the first catcher to hit 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, & 37 home runs in a season - 37 HR in 1930, breaking his own record of 24 set in 1925, which had broken the record of 17 by the Phillies’ C Jack Clements in 1893. He was the last catcher to hit a triple in the All-Star Game. Tripled off Lefty Grove in the 1936 ASG in Boston. He was behind the plate when Babe Ruth “called his shot” in game two of the 1932 World Series.

 

What I Have in Common with Michael Jordan

  

When Michael Jordan returned to basketball after playing baseball, he wore number 45 for the rest of that first season back. But did you know that in his first game back against the Pacers, MJ wore his uniform shorts backwards? Usually the Bulls shorts had the NBA logo on the front right leg. MJ’s NBA logo was on the back left leg. Guess I'm not the only one to wear shorts backwards.

Wednesday: busy at work. Plenty to do for at least a few days. Conference call at 4:15 lasted until 545. Didn’t leave the office until 630. Drama. Drained. I was a zombie the rest of the evening. At least traffic isn’t bad. And gas prices are low. 

Ceil started a chicken soup, then switched to muffins and tossed salad. I made a quesadilla with some of her chicken.

Was after nine before I finished the dishes. Watched Chicago Med. MC and Anna rode their bicycle built for two on the Westside Beltline. 

Last December my office’s 2020 sales slogan was revealed: “Unleash the Beast.” Little did we know what that would come to mean. 

Yesterday I was cutting numbers with my boss, who is my age and remembers the same classic movies, TV shows, and sporting events. It reminded me of the movie Dave, when the impersonator President calls his creepy accountant friend Murray Blum (Charles Grodin) to help cut the budget. Grodin quips “I'll tell you, Dave. I've been over this stuff a bunch of times. It just doesn't add up. Who does these books? I mean, if I ran my business this way, I'd be out of business." Then the President (Kevin Kline) goes into his cabinet meeting and cuts $680 million from the budget. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZARAldXlSyA   
Working on a list of the best memories I’ve had in each state.

 

Very interesting baseball story today: BILLY HERMAN  [SABR Bio] is the only player to appear twice on the list of Top Fifteen Twelve most doubles hit in a major league season. Herman hit 57 2B in each of 1935 & 36 and remains tied with himself and Carlos Delgado at 11th on the all-time list. For the Cubs, he has their franchise all-time lead all by himself TWICE! Herman is the only player to be taken out of an All-Star game, then reinserted into the lineup later in the same game. In the 1934 ASG in the Polo Grounds in NYC, Herman pinch-hit for Carl Hubbell in the 3rd [Hubbell’s famous strikeout string had just been in the 1st & 2nd] and promptly popped out. Since he was in the 9th spot in the order, he was then pulled so Lon Warneke could come in to pitch. OK. Good so far. Then, however, in the top of the 7th Herman replaced Frankie Frisch playing 2B batting 1st and collected a double in the 9th, the final hit of the game. Notwithstanding, the AL won 9-7. He was the last player for his 130+ year old franchise to ring up more than 215 hits in a season and it’s been more than 75 years since he did it. Amassed 227 H for the 1935 Cubs. Only fellow Hall of Famers Rogers Hornsby (229 in 1929) and Kiki Cuyler (228 in 1930) ever collected more while calling The Friendly Confines home.

The Killer Cough

If you cough in your sleeve, don’t be forearm bashing other people to greet them. Before the recent Democratic debate that’s what Bernie had done before forearm bashing Biden, trying to infect him. You heard it here first.

 

Twenty must-try Atlanta area sandwiches, according to Atlanta Eater.

 

1. The Mad Italian’s cheesesteak.

2. Tortas Factory Del DF 5781 Buford Hwy Doraville

3. Heirloom Market BBQ 2243 Akers Mill Rd SE Korean BBQ

4. Quoc Huong Banh Mi 5150 Buford Hwy Doraville BBQ pork

5. Pan American Bakery 3671 Clairmont Rd Cuban

6. The Po’Boy Shop 1369 Clairmont Rd

7. Momonoki 95 8th St NW Japanese

8. Brick Store Pub 125 E Court Sq Decatur meatloaf

9. Victory Sandwich Bar 913 Bernina Ave NE cheap

10. Wrecking Bar Brewpub 292 Moreland Ave pastami

11. Fox Brothers BBQ 1238 DeKalb Ave

12. Fred’s Meat & Bread 99 Krog Strret NE burgers, Italian subs

13. Ticonderoga Club Krog Street Mkt fried clam roll

14. Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks 57 Forsyth St downtown

15. Pantry & Provisions Gourmet Sandwiches 57 Forsyth St hot dogs

16. Lloyd’s Restaurant & Lounge 900 Dekalb Ave fried bologna

17. Noni’s Deli 357 Edgewood Ave SE meatball sub

18. Elliott Street Deli Castleberry Hill pastrami or French Dip

19. Chic-A-Loes 2879 East Point St oversized chicken sandwiches

20. Grecian Gyro 855 Virginia Ave

 

https://atlanta.eater.com/maps/best-sandwiches-atlanta

When I started this post I typed what day it was in the subject line. I typed Monday. Took me a while to figure out it was Wednesday.

Tuesday: was at the office past six. Trying to not make any stops on the way home. Didn’t eat supper – just a few chips. Wasn’t in much of a mood to do anything. Plopped on the couch and turned on Family Feud. Later I did another Hinge Health session. Watched New Amsterdam and went to bed.

 

Ceil went to her women’s shelter. Largest crowd ever. Many of those women are waitresses, and are not getting to work or earn tips. Our church is posting updates every day. Our Sunday School class is meeting on line every day to pray.

 

Can’t believe your friend Tom Brady signed with the Buccaneers. Their coach Bruce Arians is one of the best, and the offense is loaded with weapons. Nut sure about the offensive line or defense. Lots going on in the NFL. Philip Rivers signed with the Colts. TE Austin Hooper signed with the Browns. Falcons get a tight end from the Ravens, and release RB Freeman and CB Desmond Truffant. Vikings trade a RB and Houston trades their best WR. These days its as much about the salary cap as accumulating talent.    

BILLY WILLIAMS  [SABR Bio] hit more home runs off Bob Gibson than any other player. He took Gibson deep 10 times. Hank Aaron was next w/8. Twice was he second in MVP voting, twice to the same future Hall of Fame catcher. Second behind Johnny Bench for NL MVP in 1970 & 1972. Neither time was he close. He hit his 400th career home run playing for the A's - 400th HR = 12-Jun-1975, one of 34 he hit for OAK. The other 392 he hit for CHC. His namesake spent his entire career with the Seattle Pilots. The other Billy Williams played 3 G for SEP in 1969.