It's Beginning to Feel Like Christmas

In just over 20 minutes I will wrap up my work for the year and start a needed 12 vacation.  It probably doesn't sound like much to you, but it is to me.  It has been several years since I have been able to take off this much time at once.  I worked through the Summer this year because our business continued to grow and I just had too much to do.  So, I took off a day in October and a day in November.

Now I am ready to celebrate Christmas with my family and to enjoy life.  I will spend a lot of it hanging with my family and a lot of it watching football.

I hope you are able to enjoy some time off as well.  Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Florida Bound

My beloved Missouri Tigers football team is headed to Orlando on New Year's Day to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Citrus Bowl.

Mizzou is 10-3 and got there by winning the Southeast Conference East Division and then losing the league championship to Alabama.  The Tigers got beat by the Crimson Tide 42-13.  (Yes, I know it happened a week ago but it has taken me some time to get past it).

But that's history now.  The Tigers and the Gophers will kickoff at Noon Central Time on New Year's Day on ABC.  M-I-Z

Thoughts for Mid November

I hope you are doing well.  I am OK but have been fighting a cold / flu for the past two and a half weeks.  That will teach me to get a Flu shot.  I got the shot over two weeks ago and have been coughing and felt rundown ever since.  But, I am still doing fine.

-Since I last wrote my beloved Missouri Tigers have won three more games and are now 8-2.  One of those wins was a huge victory last Saturday night on the road at College Station, Texas.  The Tigers beat the Aggies 34-27.  As I write this I am looking forward to the Tigers game tonight in Knoxville against the Tennessee Volunteers.  Should the Tigers win tonight and next Friday against Arkansas, Mizzou will be back in the SEC Championship game for the second year in a row.  The Tigers are in first place in the East and control their own fate.

-This could be a long basketball season for Mizzou.  The Tigers lost their first game of the season against UMKC at home in Columbia.  (That's the University of Missouri - Kansas City).  They've won twice since then against Valparaiso and Oral Roberts.  Missouri will get a tough test on Monday when they travel to Maui to play second ranked Arizona.

-The St. Louis Rams are showing signs of life but it is probably too late.  Since I wrote last the Rams have beaten two of the league's premier teams.  The Rams knocked off San Francisco on the road three weeks ago and then beat Denver and Peyton Manning last week 22-7.  But, they remain an enigma.  The Rams have also been beaten badly in two of the last three weeks by Kansas City and Arizona.  I can't figure out the Rams.

-The new TV season is a disappointment.  But, one program I have been watching is now on my "Record All Episodes" on my DVR.  What show is it you ask?  It's called "Madam Secretary".  The show airs at 7 pm on Sunday evenings.  I have always been a fan of Tia Leoni and she is believable as the US Secretary of State.  My only criticism of the show is the producers and writers tend to dumb things down.  I think the viewers are smarter than CBS thinks they are.   If you haven't yet watched add it to your DVR list.

-That's all I have for now.  I doubt I will have the time to write again before next Thursday.  Let me take this chance to wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving!  I know I have a tremendous amount to be thankful for this year.

Take good care of yourself and check back for updates.

I Have a Lot to Write About but No Time to Write

I would start this post with;  So...  but I have come to hate that word.  Instead I will start this post this way:

Hello there reader. There have been a lot of things that have transpired since I posted three weeks ago.

-The Cardinals are home for the holidays after being whipped by the Giants.

-My beloved Tigers are 5-2 having lost to Indiana and Georgia but winning on the road at Florida.  Florida is terrible.  The offense and special teams could work for months but they're not going to get any better.  If I were Will Muschamp I would have someone update my resume.

-Seriously, did any of you pick Kansas City as the American League representative in the World Series?  And does the fact they are playing the Giants mean they are playing to be the 9th best team in baseball?

-This new TV season is kind of a bust.  There are few new shows I think will make it but the rest are pure crap.  "Jane the Virgin" is funny and well written.  I also like(d) "Manhattan Love Story".  But, apparently no one else was watching it.  It was cancelled earlier today by ABC.

-The Saint Louis Rams are an enigma.  They have the talent but they haven't grown yet to the point they believe in themselves.  They got off to big leads against the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers and then choked.  This past week though they grew.  They jumped on the defending world champion Seattle Seahawks and held on to win 28-26.

That's it in a nutshell.  I will try to write soon but don't hold your breath. Adios.

How 'Bout Them Birds

One game does not make a series in post season baseball.  But, my beloved Cardinals just pulled off one of the most unlikely comebacks imaginable this evening as they came from five runs down to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-9.  Matt Carpenter drove in three runs with a double and Matt Holiday drove in three more with a homer to left in an eight run 7th inning.  And to make it even more unlikely, the Birds beat Dodger ace and probable Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw.

As great a win as it was for Cardinal nation it took way too long for the game to play out.  The official time of the game was 3:57.  I hate to say it but MLB that is way too long.  Make the hitters stay in the box and the pitchers stay on the mound.  Then cut back on the commercials on the TV Networks.

Still, I am excited about this series. How 'bout them Birds!

Just Do It

Its been a busy busy month to say the least.  But, this weekend Major League Baseball will wrap up its 2014 campaign.

My beloved Cardinals lead the National League Central by a game over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Pirates have won like every game in the month of September (OK I exaggerate), while the Cardinals are playing a little better than .500 during the same time frame.  Bottom line is the Birds need to win or the Pirates need to lose a combination of three games this weekend if the Cards are to win the division and avoid that nasty playoff play-in game next week.  The Birds are playing at Arizona (with the worst record in the National League) while the Pirates are in Cincinnati to play a Reds team that seems to have packed in about a month ago.

The Cardinals have gotten it done all year when they needed to.  So this weekend Redbirds "Just  Do It."

Ferguson, Missouri

I could write a book on the media coverage of Ferguson this past week. But, suffice it to say I have never seen so much misinformation and fact errors in reporting by out of town and national news media.  And there are some St. Louis media outlets who don't do news who've used the situation to send amateurs into a crisis.   Hopefully, this story has just about run its course and the reporters who report on it every day will be allowed to present a clear picture of what has and is actually transpiring.

Congratulations to the 2014 Class of the Baseball Hall of Fame

There were a total of six individuals inducted into the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame today.  In addition to the former Cardinal managers Torre and La Russa, manager Bobby Cox also made it into the Hall along with two of his pitching aces in the 90s;  Greg Maddux and TomGlavine.  They are joined by former Chicago White Sox star  Frank Thomas.

I'm proud to say I was able to see each of these managers and players in person at Busch Stadium II or other ballparks around the country. For that I am grateful.

Bobby Cox won 15 consecutive division titles with the Atlanta Braves in the 90's and early 2000's.  Sure, you might say he had tons of pitching and it was easy to win.  But, still he had to handle his pitchers and manage 25 individuals for six months each of those seasons.  Cox won one World Series over the Indians in 1995.

Greg Maddux was one of the few pitchers I would pay to see pitch. After the strike of 1994 I stopped buying tickets to Cardinals games. I said I would not buy any more tickets because the greed of players and owners had cancelled the 1994 World Series.  That's something two World Wars never stopped.  But, in April 1996 Maddux and the Braves came to Busch Stadium II and I did in fact pay to see him play.  Maddux beat the Cardinals 7-2 that afternoon.  For Maddux it was a routine outing, but he dominated the Redbirds that afternoon.

Tom Glavine was a workhorse. He wasn't overpowering but he had outstanding control and changed speed effectively.  Those two attributes led to his winning 305 games. I remember watching him dominate the Cardinals on more than one occasion.

And last but certainly not least, "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas went into the Hall earlier this afternoon. I remember Thomas playing the Royals in Kansas City a few years after he came up to the majors.  As I recall it was 1992. I don't remember who the Royals had on the mound that day but Thomas got hold of a fastball and drove it to left center field and in the directions of the fountains.  It was one of the longest home runs I have witnessed in person and for all I know the ball still hasn't come down.

Congratulations Tony La Russa and Joe Torre

As you are probably aware if you read this blog regularly, I am a big St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan.

So with that in mind let me say congratulations to two former Cardinal managers, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre who were inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this afternoon.  I wasn't always a fan of La Russa's, especially when he decided to bat the pitcher eight, but I do respect what he did and what he has done for the game of baseball.  La Russa won three World Series.  He won one of the Series with Oakland in '89 and the other two with the Cardinals in '06 and '11.

Joe Torre played for and managed the Cardinals during his career. He played third base for the Redbirds in the early 70's and in 1971 won the National League MVP award for the monstrous year he had at the plate. As a teenager I can remember going to Busch Stadium and knowing that Torre would be hitting wicked line drives against whomever the opponent sent out.  Torre, as he stated in his induction speech, was elected to the Hall of Fame for one reason; he won four World Series while managing the New York Yankees. But, he also managed the Cardinals in the early to mid '90s.  Those teams weren't very good and Torre didn't have much talent to manage.  Still, I always liked the way he handled his pitching staff and his regulars.

Again, congratulations Joe Torre and Tony La Russa!

Post Season Baseball Projections

As you may know I watch a lot of baseball.  (I particularly like DirecTV this weekend because its opened up MLB Extra Innings for free viewing).

Granted it's just the middle of July but based on what I've seen, my picks to win each league are the Oakland A's and the Los Angeles Dodgers. This would be a repeat of the 1974 & 1988 World Series.  The A's won in '74 and the Dodgers in '88.

The Western Divisions of both leagues are the toughest in baseball.  I see the Dodgers beating the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS and the A's beating the Anaheim Angels in the ALCS.  I just heard the announcer on Fox Sports 1 say if these four teams make the playoffs it would be the first time four teams from California ever made the playoffs in the same season.

And my pick to win it all is: the Oakland A's.  Oakland can do it all.  They have pitching, defense and hitting.

But, thank God there are still two plus months of baseball left to enjoy in the regular season.

American League All Star Team

Two weeks ago I selected the players I would have on the National League All Star Team if I were doing the voting.  Well, now that the fans have mucked it up as usual, here is the list of guys I would like to see starting for the American League on Tuesday night.


 C      Kurt Suzuki     Seattle Mariners
1B     Jose Abreu     Chicago White Sox
2B     Ian Kinsler     Detroit Tigers
3B     Adrian Beltre     Texas Rangers
SS     Erick Aybar     Anaheim Angels
OF     Mike Trout     Anaheim Angels
OF     Nelson Cruz     Baltimore Orioles
OF     Jose Bautista     Toronto Bluejays

As  you know the masses were smart enough to elect only a few of these guys to start on Tuesday night.  And there you see why giving the winner home field advantage for the World Series is a joke.  Hopefully, the game to played at Target Field in Minnesota this year will produce an interesting game.
  

Happy Independence Day 2014!

I have frequently criticized the leadership of the nation I live in.  It is the United States of America.  I believe the polarization in the US House and Senate is as bad now as I have ever seen it.  I also believe despite good intents the President of this nation, Barack Obama is becoming a lame duck with two and a half years left in his second term.  And it seems at times as if the Supreme Court has thrown out common sense when interpreting the constitution.

Now having said that I am blessed to live in this nation.  It is still the richest and most powerful nation in the world.  But more importantly I am allowed to express myself and to criticize our leaders as I did in the first paragraph of this post.

Today marks the 238th birthday of the United States of America.  It is one of the longest running democracies in the world.  This has been accomplished through the sacrifice of thousands going back to the Revolution against the British to today with our troops deployed in Afghanistan and other Middle East hot-spots.  These brave men and women paid the ultimate price for our enduring freedom.  I have no way of expressing my gratitude to them and to those who have served in conflicts such as World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  Today I say thank you to all of our armed forces past and present.  Because of you I am able to live in what I truly believe is the greatest nation on Earth.

Happy Birthday America!  Long may you stand!

National League All-Star Team

Major League Baseball is back at it again asking its fans to select the All-Star team.  This is a ludicrous idea because most baseball fans can't name many more players than those on the team they support.  Which is why you have moronic selections each year.

I'm no expert, but after watching the game for 55 years, I know who can play and who isn't living up to their hype.  So, with that in mind here are my National League picks for the upcoming All-Star game which will be played in Minneapolis at Target Field on July 15th.

C      Jonathan Lucroy          Milwaukee Brewers
1B     Paul Goldschmidt        Arizona Diamondbacks
2B     Anthony Rendon         Washington Nationals
3B     Todd Frazier               Cincinnati Reds
SS     Troy Tulowitzki           Colorado Rockies
OF     Giancarlo Stanton       Miami Marlins
OF     Yasiel Puig                  Los Angeles Dodgers
OF     Andrew McCutchen    Pittsburgh Pirates

Of these players only\Tulowitzki, Puig and Stanton are currently leading at their positions.

Happy Summer!

Today marks the first day of Summer 2014.  It is a warm sticky day where I live, but I'm not complaining.  After this past cold wet Winter and cool wet Spring I am glad it is finally warm.  Here's to you Summer!  May you have a nice long warm run this year!

Fox Midwest Broadcast is Un-Watchable

As I write this I'm watching my beloved Cardinals play the Philadelphia Phillies.  The game is  ugly and so is the announcing.  The Cardinals broadcast crew on Fox Sports Midwest is comprised of Dan McLaughlin and retired (fired) Fox Sports analyst Tim McCarver.

McLaughlin is the biggest homer in the world and seems clueless at times as to what is happening on the field.  McCarver is retired from FOX sports and well, should have stayed retired.  Case in point the two are talking about the World Cup and making mistakes and in the process ignoring the action on the field.

Please FOX please, have a talk with McCarver and ask him to stay away from Cardinal broadcasts.  And while you're at it, find someone who has a knowledge of baseball to replace McLaughlin.

Rant from A Baseball Traditionalist

I have been watching Major League Baseball for going on 55 years now.  I have been treated to some of the greatest games and greatest players you can imagine.  I have been fortunate to be a Saint Louis Cardinal fan and have seen them play in nine World Series in my lifetime and to be lucky enough to see the Cards win five World Series.

But, on the other hand MLB continues to tinker with a game that is already the best sport out there.  So here goes my latest old man rant:

1.   Get rid of the Designated Hitter.  It serves no purpose except giving old out of shape players a chance to extend their careers.  Instead, it takes away from the strategy of the game and artificially raises batting averages and ERAs.

2.   Get rid of inter-league play.  I could care less about seeing the Kansas City Royals play in St. Louis and then have to see the Cardinals play in Kansas City each year.  I would much rather see the Cards play three more games against the Dodgers or Giants or Mets than the Kansas City Royals or Tampa Rays.  Yuck.

3.   Restore the All-Star game to what it really is; an exhibition game between the best of each league in mid-season.  To say the winner gets home field advantage in the World Series is ridiculous.  Home field should go to the team with the best overall record for the season.  But, unfortunately the mental midgets in suits at MLB have come up with the All Star Game win in response to the demands of Fox TV.

Thanks for reading my latest rant.  I promise you there are more coming.

Maybe the Cardinals Bats are finally Warming Up

As you may or may not know it was a very cold winter and cool wet spring in Saint Louis.  Perhaps that's why the Cardinals have been hitting so poorly thus far this year as compared to last year.

But, this weekend the Birds swept the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium III and showed a little pop in their bats.  Cardinal First Baseman Matt Adams homered in each of the game and gives St. Louis a legitimate power hitter now that he is off of the DL.

Hopefully, the warm weather has warmed up the bats and the Cards are on their way.  As I write this they trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 3.5 games in the National League Central Division and are only three out on the lost side.

Now that the Cardinals are hitting let's hope the pitching continues to be just as strong as the last few weeks.  Oh did I say that includes four shutouts of the opponent in the past eight days and a strong start this afternoon by number five starter Jaime Garcia.

Where did May Go?

Its been a good month, but it seems like it was just May Day.  I have been busy with work, volunteering for several organizations and then taking care of two homes and yards. I've also been keeping up with three kids who are playing baseball this summer.

I am also a die hard St. Louis Cardinal fan and have been disappointed by their lack of hitting, particularly timely hitting. I still believe the Cardinals have the pitching to get them to post season, but the hitting is suspect. As I wrote last month I hope the bats warm up as the weather gets hotter.

Finally in this look back on May, I want to thank all veterans who have served the United States.  Thank you to all who have served or are serving abroad or at home be you active, reserves or retired.  And thank you to all of our men and women and their families who made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation.  I sleep easy at night time knowing you are protecting me.

Have a good one and I promise to post more quickly next time.

The Post Dispatch Fails...Again

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, owned by Lee Enterprises, has decided to implement a paywall for its on-line publication, stltoday.com.  A paywall is designed to charge readers for the privilege or reading the publication's editorial content.

Apparently the managers and IT Staff at the paper didn't give too much thought to setting up the paywall.  It took less than a day for a former Saint Louis area resident to find a hole in the paywall that circumvents the entire process.  Mike Flynn has published his findings on circumventing the Post's attempt to charge for its content.

Perhaps instead of paying the CEO a $700,000 bonus Lee Enterprises should spend some money on its core business operations.

Random Thoughts in Mid April

Here it is the middle of April and it is finally getting nice outside.  I celebrated Easter with my family and the weather was finally gorgeous.  We spent the day outside playing and eating.  So with Spring finally here I have a few thoughts on my mind...

-Its nice to see "Mad Men" back on AMC.  I'm not sure its as good as it was the first few years.  But, it is still very good for television.  I will watch the remaining five episodes scheduled for this year.  Oh, and have you noticed Peggy has become "one of the boys".

-"The Americans" on FX is the best show on television right now.  I find myself cheering for the Russian spies even though I am American.  This season is just as good as when season one left off last year.  If you haven't seen it do yourself a favor and watch or DVR the program.

-It's been a rough month for my beloved Missouri Tigers.  First Coach Gary Pinkel kicked super star Wide Receiver Dorial Green-Beckham off of the team.  It will hurt the Tigers but in the long run it sends a message to every student / athlete on the Mizzou campus; behave yourself or else.  The other development was the resignation of Men's Basketball coach Frank Haith. I say good riddance to Haith and advise him not to let the door hit him in the butt.  He was a fine recruiter but not much of a game coach as evidenced by his inability to control his team.

-My favorite baseball team the Cardinals are off to a .500 start.  Adam Wainwright has been lights out so far this year.  But, the rest of the staff has been mediocre and the batters have not yet started to hit consistently.  Hopefully that will change as the weather gets even warmer.

-Last but not least congratulations to Albert Pujols on his 500th career home run.  Albert I wish you were still a Cardinal but I still respect your decision to move on to Anaheim a few years ago.

Have a great afternoon and I will post again soon (or well, whenever I have time).

Congratulations to the Huskies

Congratulations to the University of Connecticut on its NCAA Men's Basketball Championship last night.  If you were in a coma the Huskies beat the Kentucky Wildcats 60-54.  I didn't watch the whole game because I don't like either team.  And I watched less of the NCAA Men's Tournament this year than in the past because my beloved Missouri Tigers played like crap down the stretch and didn't make it to "The Big Dance".

To UConn I say job well done!

An Open Letter to Spring 2014

Dear Spring, I hope you are doing well and are busy ushering in warm weather elsewhere.  As for me I am cold and getting very tired of this long wet winter.  Once again this weekend it got down to near zero degrees where I live and we received about a quarter inch of ice and three quarters inch of snow.  The TV talking heads tried to tell us we would get nine inches of snow but we all know they are morons.  But, alas, I digress.

Spring, wherever you are could you please hurry?  My front yard is starting to look like the frozen Tundra of the great White North.  And I have no idea how deep the frost line is now.

You are not officially supposed to arrive until March 21st which is like three weeks away.  But, I and several million others in the area would be overjoyed if you decided to arrive early and stay for quite some time.  Thank you and I really hope to see you very soon.

One Cold Midwesterner

P.S.  When Summer tries to arrive please don't feel obligated to leave.  And please do not feel intimidated by that hot headed season.  Every year summer tries to intrude on your wonderful season by wanting to go to 90 degrees in May.  But, let me assure you, everyone here likes you just fine and wants you here for as long as possible.

Its Still Cold Here

The Beatles sang "Little Darling, its been a long cold lonely winter" in their classic "Here Comes the Sun". It hasn't been lonely but it sure has been a long cold weather.  I know, I know, everyone has been suffering from the extended sub-freezing temperatures.

Last week the temperature got up to 70 degrees once and 60 on two other occasions.  And it faked me out.  I thought just maybe we would finally get past the sub freezing and single digit temperature readings. But, wow was I wrong.  This week it is again below freezing and it's not supposed to warm up above freezing until early next week.  And then there's the chance of snow and freezing rain that making driving to and home from work so much fun.  Temperatures here are supposed to be about 15-20 degrees warmer than this at the end of February.

I'm sure I'm not the only one saying this but I am sooo ready for Spring.

Terrible Loss in T-Town

My beloved Mizzou Tigers shot themselves in the foot last night in their efforts to make it to the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  Mizzou went down to Tuscaloosa and lost to a terrible Alabama Crimson Tide hoops squad 80-73.  The problem last night was Mizzou played no defense.  Even in the weak South East Conference you have to do more than wave at the offensive player as he goes by.

Mizzou is now 7-7 in the SEC and 19-8 on the season. Mizzou has four games remaining before the conference tournament and by my count will need to win three of them and then go deep into the SEC tournament to get into the NCAA.  I have my doubts that will happen based on what this team has done away from home this year. Can you spell N-I-T?

"Worst TV Show Ever"

There is a program the Fox Network airs on Friday nights called "Enlisted".  To put it mildly, it sucks.  I watched it once and have never watched it again.  Nor will I willfully watch it again.

This excuse for a show had a contrived plot, poor acting and mediocre sophomoric writing.  I don't know how many channels of TV you get where you live, but I have to believe you could pick one of those channels at random and the programming would be more entertaining.  I guess Fox has to have something to fill a half hour of airtime on Friday nights, but reruns of "Bob's Burgers" would be more entertaining than "Enlisted".

Tony LaRussa

Since, I last posted, former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa was elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.  Congratulations to you Mr. LaRussa on your selection.  I was not a big fan of yours while you managed the Cardinals.  In fact I publically was critical of some of your moves such as hitting the pitcher eighth.  But, I do respect you and what you accomplished in Saint Louis by winning two World Series championships.

I wish you had chosen the Cardinals hat on your HOF plaque, but again I respect your decision in not wanting to short the fans of Oakland where you also managed a World Series champion and the Chicago White Sox where you got your start as a big league skipper.

Congratulations on a job well done!

Stats on this Web Site

If you are reading this you are one of only several thousand people to hit this page in the past several years. In fact it appears that based on monitoring metrics there are as many bots hitting this blog as there are actual live people.

I guess from what I have read about blogs, I am doing just about everything wrong that needs to be accomplished to build readership.  But, that is not the reason for this blog.  It is to point out the crappy journalism being foisted on the general public where I live.  So I will continue to post as time allows and then on whatever I wish.  It's not as if people are going to stop reading.

Now having said that I am going to try to post a little more regularly.  There are a lot of things I have read, seen and heard that are deserving of articles.  But, the bottom line is time or the lack of it that I currently have.  So, if you are a living breathing human being thanks for taking the time to read this.  If you are a bot well, you just wont get it.

KSDK pulls bonehead move

Thursday this week a local TV station sent an "undercover" reporter to Kirkwood High School and in the process caused the school to be locked down for several hours.

KSDK-TV in Saint Louis sent it's reporter to Kirkwood to "test" the High School's security system.  But, rather than announcing his presence to School administrators this moron continued on his way and failed to identify himself on several occasions.  The "reporter's" actions resulted in anxiety for students, teachers and administrators as well as countless parents who were texted by their children.

The move was bonehead, KSDK should pay for the lost time of the students and faculty and the disruption of classes.  And the FCC should fine the station for it's irresponsible behavior.  But, none of this will happen and KSDK will continue on it's merry way of intruding in people's lives without thinking things through.

I could continue on with how un-professional the people in the News Department are at KSDK but this article in a suburban paper named the "Kirkwood Call" sums it up pretty clearly.

"Snow Day"

How did you spend your day today?  I spent mine at home from work on a "Snow Day".  Yep, one of those days when your school or business closes because of inclement weather.  We got about a foot of snow at my house and the temperature early this morning reached nine below zero with a Wind Chill index reading of  -34.

Yesterday my company announced about 6 pm it was closing today.  I got to thinking and realized it was the first time in 40 years I knew ahead of time that the weather would get me a day off.

I spent today working around the house and about two this afternoon finally went out side and shoveled out the sidewalk and driveway.  By, the time I got outside the temperature had warmed up to zero and the wind chill reading was up to a manageable negative 22.  I also realized when you are working and sweating you really don't notice the temperature too much.  But, at this point the sun is starting to set and the temperature is back to one below.  I sure am thankful to have a roof over my head and a nice warm bed in which I will sleep tonight.

Happy New Year

This is only four days late but I want to wish you and yours a Happy New Year!  May 2014 bring you and yours peace, health and prosperity.

Mizzou Wins Cotton Bowl

My late Dad took me to my first Missouri Tiger football game in 1969.  I have been hooked ever since.  Over these past 45 years I have seen a lot of bad football and bizarre events, such as the 5th down game against Colorado in the early 1990s.

But Friday night my Tigers beat Oklahoma State 41-31 in the Cotton Bowl.  I have never been more proud to be a Tigers fan.

I was nervous as could be as Oklahoma State was driving down the field late in the 4th quarter towards a touchdown that would have given them the lead.  Instead Mizzou unanimous All-American Michael Sam stepped up and forced a fumble that was recovered by his teammate Shane Ray.  Ray took it 75 yards for a touchdown that sealed the victory.  With the win the Tigers end the season at 12-2.

How 'bout them Tigers!  M-I-Z!