Merry Christmas!

:For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace". -Isaiah 9:6

To all of my family and friends Merry Christmas everyone!

What I am Thankful for this Thanksgiving

As I say thanks and count my blessings today I really don't know where to begin since I have been blessed much more richly than I deserve. I am thankful for the freedom to worship in the way I want and the chance to associate with whomever I wish. I am free to go wherever I like and do the things I want.

I am thankful for the love of family and so many friends. I give thanks for my home with a roof over a warm bed each night protected by men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect us. I am thankful for a refrigerator stocked with way more food and beverage than I deserve whenever I want it. I flip a switch and my home is lit at night. I turn a tap and I have fresh safe drinking water. I push a button and my home gets warmer or cooler.

I am grateful to have a vehicle that takes me places I never dreamt I would reach and I am thankful for meeting so many people along the way with different backgrounds whom I would have otherwise never had the opportunity to meet and talk.

Last but certainly not least, I am so thankful to have a good job with a great organization. Almighty God has blessed me very richly and for that I thank Him!

Fearless World Series Forecast

This is a day late and the Indians are up one game to none as I write this, but here is my prediction on the winner of the 2016 World Series.

My pick is the Cleveland Indians.

I've seen the Indians play a number of times this year on TV.  Their lineup is very productive, their starters are good and the bullpen is deep.  Granted the Cubs led the Major Leagues in wins this year but my heart is with the Indians.

You really don't expect a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals to cheer for the Cubbies do you?

No Post Season for the Cardinals this Year

For the first time in the last five years, my beloved St. Louis Cardinals will not be playing in Major League Baseball's Post Season Tournament.

The Cards ended up ten games over .500 with a record of 86-76.  Despite winning their final four games, it wasn't good enough to get into the playoffs as the Birds ended up a game back of the Mets and Giants for the Wildcard Playoff game tomorrow night at Citi Field in New York.

The Cardinals had a lot of power this year slamming 225 Home Runs.  That was the best in the National League and second best in MLB behind the Baltimore Orioles.

The Cardinals ultimate downfall was its pitching and poor defense. The Cards ended up with the fourth worst defensive percentage in the National League.  The starting pitching was spotty to say the least and the bullpen was the worst its been in five years.

When I look back at the season I see a number of games where the team blew leads and its bullpen appeared clueless.  Its hard to point to one game or one series, but back in June the Texas Rangers came to St. Louis for an inter-league series and came from behind on both Saturday and Sunday to sweep the series.  I think what might have been had the Cardinals bullpen saved one of those games.

Oh well, there's always next year.

College Football Has a Problem

If you attend college football games in person you may already be aware of this.  But, as a season ticket holder at State U I am well aware of the length of the games.  Last weekend, my beloved Missouri Tigers lost to the Georgia Bulldogs 28-27.  The actual time to play the game came in three minutes short of four hours.  FOUR HOURS!!

It used to be a college football game could be played in a little over two and a half hours and about 2:45 if there were a lot of passes.  But, now there are even more passes but that is not the problem.  The problem for the long games is television.  You can blame ESPN and FOX for loading tons and tons of commercials into every game.

If you are at home you may not realize how many commercials there are because you are getting up to go pee or go to the kitchen to get a beer or sandwich.  But, if you're at the stadium then you notice just how many there are as an official stands on the 20 yard line with his arms crossed.  Until that man unfolds his arms, there's not going to be any football for those in the stands who have paid top dollar to see the game.

I noticed it again yesterday.  Missouri took on Delaware State and it took two hours to play the first half of the game.  TWO HOURS and Delaware State never scored.  It was 58-0 at the half.  Again the reason for the length of the game is greed.  Greed on the part of the Disney Company which owns ABC which owns all of the ESPN networks and greed on the part of the FOX networks.

This has got to stop.

Congratulations Orlando Pace!

Orlando Pace has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The induction took place last night at the Hall in Canton, Ohio.

"Big O" who played 12 years with the Rams was the top pick in the 1997 draft.  I count myself fortunate that I got to see Pace play in person on many occasions and watched him pancake opponents who had the misfortune of having to line up across from him.  Pace was an Offensive Left Tackle and at that position protected Quarterback Kurt Warner and his blind side.  In addition to blocking for Warner, Pace also opened huge holes in the line for Marshall Faulk, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame five years ago.  Pace led the Rams to a win in Super Bowl 34 in late January 2000.  The team was nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf" as it racked up yardage at will and set numerous yardage and passing records.  Pace played a big role in anchoring that offensive line.  The team was coached by Dick Vermeil who is still beloved by St. Louis sports fans.

If you would like to see Orlando Pace's induction speech into the hall you may click on this link.

Pace is the second member of the Rams Super Bowl teams to enter the Hall of Fame.  Next year Warner should join him and the year after that Isaac Bruce should also be elected into the Hall.

Those Rams provided a lot of excitement on Sunday afternoons.  The fact they won a Super Bowl as the Saint Louis Rams is something I will never forget.  Congratulations #76 Orlando Pace!

The Class of 2017

Congratulations to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2017.  Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza become the 311th and 312th members of the National Hall of Fame.

I consider myself fortunate to have seen both Griffey and Piazza play in person.  I saw Piazza when he played for the Dodgers early in his career and then later in his career when he was with the New York Mets when he would play against my beloved St. Louis Cardinals.  Piazza had a .308 lifetime average over his 16 season career.  I initially questioned his election to the Hall.  This was his fourth year on the ballot and he made it with over 80 percent of the vote this time around.  I think his election may help other catchers with similar numbers make it into the Hall.














I saw "The Kid" play in Seattle in the early 90s at the old King dome when vacationing in the Pacific Northwest and then later in his career when he and the Reds would come to visit the Cardinals.  Griffey was elected on the first ballot and there is no doubt he belongs in the Hall.  Griffey's 630 Home Runs were all natural unlike many of the juicers of his era.  Griffey was always fun to watch in the outfield and would make the difficult look routine.  I can remember watching Junior go above the wall in the old Seattle ballpark and rob more than one player of what looked like a sure home run off of the bat.  Griffey is one of the best outfielders I have seen and to me his talent and likeability brought many fans back to the game after the strike of 1993.



In addition to Griffey and Piazza two other men joined the Hall of Fame this afternoon.  Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe was the recipient of the J.G Taylor Spink Award and was enshrined into the writers wing of the Hall in Cooperstown.

Joining him in the broadcaster's wing was the late Graham McNamee who is the recipient of this year's Ford C. Frick  Award.  McNamee was a well known announcer of the 20's and was among the first to broadcast a World Series on the radio for the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).

Congratulations to all four of these gentlemen on their selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Happy Independence Day USA!

This weekend marks the 240th birthday of the United States of America.  It is one of the longest running democracies in the history of the world.  This has been accomplished through the sacrifices of thousands going back to the Revolution against the British to today with our troops deployed in far outposts battling terrorist organizations.  Our citizen-soldiers have paid the ultimate price for our enduring freedom.  I have no way of expressing my gratitude 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 this planet!

Happy Birthday America!  Long may you stand!  Let freedom Ring!

Happy June

It's hard to believe we're almost halfway through the year. Where I live in the middle of the United States it has gotten hot after a wet and cool Spring.  As always I have been busy with work, church, volunteer work and taking care of family and home.  Still, I know that's no excuse for not posting more frequently.  And I will (well at least that is my intent).  Here are some of the topics I will write on as time allows:

-Why assault weapons sales should be banned in the United States.

-My thoughts on a mediocre season by the St. Louis Cardinals.

-Anything else that happens to pop into my head in the coming days.

Stay tuned, I will be writing soon.  Thanks for your patience.

Random Thoughts on a Mid May Day

With apologies to Todd Rundgren..."Hello, yeah its been a while".  It's been over a month since I last posted and I am doing just fine.  I hope you are too.

My last post was that North Carolina would win the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.  They didn't and Villanova did.  Congratulations Villanova.  You were good.

Now onto something I care about...baseball.  My beloved Cardinals have been mediocre thus far this season.  As I write this they are two games over .500 and 7 1/2 games behind their rivals the Chicago Cubs.  The Cardinals don't seem to have the hitting this year to win the National League Central or earn a wildcard spot.  I hope I'm wrong but at the end of the year I suspect they will be right at the .500 level.

Speaking of the Cardinals the Birds seem to have some power this year but so do a lot of other teams.  I think the ball is juiced and this article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch might make you think the same thing.

Let's Go Blues!  Congratulations to the St. Louis Blues on advancing to the NHL Western Conference Finals.  The Blues eliminated the Dallas Starts four games to three last night with a 6-1 win in Dallas.  Prior to that they knocked off the Chicago Black Hawks in 7.  Up next its either the Nashville Predators or San Jose Sharks.  LGB (Lets Go Blues!)

I will write again when I have some time and will try to make it before another month passes.  Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading.

Another Who Cares Final Four

As I write this I am watching the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four.  Of the four teams who are playing I really could care less who wins.  In year's past I have always thought of this as one of the nation's top sporting events.  But, tonight because of the makeup of the field I just don't care who wins. There is a team from the Big XII, two from the ACC and one from the Big East.

I have no use for the Big XII and Oklahoma in particular because of its idiot Athletic Director Joe Castiglione.  I'm sure Villanova is a perfectly good University from an academic point of view but I have no use for its so called "student-athletes".  Syracuse was only the 6th best team in its league and its coach, Jim Boeheim is a known cheater having sat out a month this season as punishment.

I guess if I have a team I will cheer for it is North Carolina.  I have a lot of respect for Roy Williams and hope he is able to pick up another national title with the Tar Heels.  Ideally, Villanova will beat Oklahoma and then Carolina will knock out Syracuse.  In the title game I would like to see the Tar Heels beat the hell out of Villanova.

I guess we'll see how much of this happens as the Final Four plays out.  In the meantime I think I'll change the channel and go watch "The Big Bang Theory" instead of these games.

Alleluia! He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

This is the traditional Easter greeting in many Western Protestant Churches.  It was the greeting this morning where I attended Easter Morning worship at Sunrise.

Whatever you and your family are doing today may you have a Happy and Blessed Easter knowing that Christ has risen from the dead and because of that we have eternal life!

Alleluia!  He is Risen Indeed!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

I hope this day finds you well.  Where I am the temperature is about 65 degrees, the Sun is shining brightly and there's not a cloud in the sky.  I have been at work most of the day but am getting ready to leave the office shortly and go enjoy the rest of the day and drink some Green beer.  So, without any further ado let me wish you a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy Leap Day

I missed Leap Year Day the last time it happened in 2012 so I decided I wanted to post something today on the topic of Leap Year.

So, without any further ado...Happy Leap Day!  I hope you and yours have a great day.  Where I'm located it's a beautiful day.  The sun is shining brightly and the temperature is supposed to make it into the mid 60s.  In honor of the day I am headed out for a walk.  Talk to you soon.

Congratulations Broncos

Congratulations to the Denver Broncos football team on their 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.  I had really thought Cam Newton and the Panthers might win the game in a blowout.  My mistake was underestimating how good the Bronco defense was this year.  I had seen them play on TV a few times but didn't realize how quick the Bronco linebackers were.

I am happy for Peyton Manning and expect him to call a news conference in the next few days to say he is retiring.  Manning is a class act and while he could have announced it after Super Bowl 50 he held off so his teammates and Bronco nation could enjoy the moment of the victory.

Newton and the Panthers are good.  Newton's pure athleticism is good enough to help the Panther offense win some games.  Once Newton matures he will become an even better quarterback and that will cause NFL defenses even more problems.

16 Million Dollars Wasted

It's been less than a week since the NFL voted to let the Saint Louis Rams move from the Gateway City to Southern California.  St. Louis politicians tried to put pressure on the NFL to allow the Rams to stay in Saint Louis coming up with a "pie in the sky" proposal for a new stadium on the city's North Riverfront.

That proposal wasn't created out of the kindness of civic benefactors kindness.  In fact several firms made out like bandits in the process.  The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (which also benefited from the call for a new stadium) published a story this morning detailing how over $16 million dollars was spent by the task force assigned with trying to keep the Rams in St. Louis.  The story can be found here.

In retrospect, St. Louis knew it had little chance of the Rams staying.  My question to St. Louis leaders is why did you throw away that much money when you have residents who can't pay their heating bills and children who are hungry?  I doubt anyone ever answer those questions.

Goodbye Saint Louis Rams

Good bye Rams. You were fun to follow for about ten years of your time here.  I never thought I would see a Super Bowl Champ in Saint Louis but the "Greatest Show on Turf" with Faulk, Warner, Bruce, Holt, Pace, Fletcher and Jones were among the most exciting football teams I have ever seen. But, the past ten years haven't been that great. In fact to be honest you were terrible but we still loved you and sold out the dome until the end when Stan Kroenke made known his plans to move you out of town. Am I sorry to see you leave. Of course. But, I will get past you. There are 31 other teams in the NFL we can watch. And Mizzou will always be in Columbia with fans more loyal than most NFL franchises will ever know.

So goodbye Rams, and good luck supporting this poorly managed franchise to the fans in Southern California who will now cheer for you in their second chance. As far as you Stan Kroenke; you could have just kept your mouth shut and not gone scorched earth policy on the St. Louis region. You don't have a lot of fans here and my advice is leave quickly and don't let the door hit you in the butt.

A Look Back at 2015 - What a Year

I hope this finds you well and that you all had a nice Christmas.

My 2015 was good with the highlight coming in September.  I made a journey through 13 states and drove 3,000 miles to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, the Green Mountains of Vermont, Boston and its Freedom Trail and Fenway Park and then up the coast of New Hampshire to Maine.  I had a blast visiting places I had only read about previously.  The Hall of Fame  was awesome and I've attached a photo of the plaque of my favorite player as a child.  The plaque of Stan Musial.

Boston was nicer than I expected and the Freedom Trail brought the Revolutionary War to life as I visited the likes of Paul Revere's home, the Old North Church, the USS Constitution, Bunker Hill, the site of the Boston Massacre and Boston Common.  I was impressed with most of what I saw there, but the USS Constitution (in dry dock) was a highlight of walking the Freedom Trail.  On my way back to the burbs (where I stayed because Boston hotels are too darn expensive) I visited Fenway Park and took a tour of the facility.  I got down on the field while the Red Sox were taking batting practice, got to touch the Green Monster and then got to sit in the seats on top of it.  It is old but to me was in better shape than Chicago's Wrigley Field.   (It also doesn't smell like urine as does Wrigley).

The ocean in New England was different than anywhere else I have been. I drove through Seabrook and Portsmouth, NH and then into Maine.  The rock on the beach looks like lava.  The beach was rugged but beautiful in its own way.  After leaving Maine I made it home in two days.  The day I started back was 9/11 and it took me about four hours to get around the suburbs of New York City.  I made it as far as Hershey, PA.  (Somehow I had never heard of this place before arriving there late that night.. What a pleasant surprise!)  The next day I drove 850 miles and got home late evening.  After sleeping in hotels and motels for a week it was nice to sleep in my own bed.  It was a lot of miles and time in the car but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

This past football season was unlike any I have ever seen in almost 50 years of watching Mizzou.  As  you know the football team joined campus protests which ultimately led to the resignation of the University President and Chancellor.  And head coach Gary Pinkel resigned at the end of the season because he is battling a form of Leukemia.  On top of this throw in the starting QB getting suspended mid season and then being suspended for the rest of the year after he got into a fight while being heckled at the Fieldhouse the night after he was initially re-instated.  Maty Mauk has now been re-instated to the team by new coach Barry Odom.  My guess is Mauk won't be back to Columbia.  While, Mizzou's offense struggled, the new QB true freshman Drew Lock learned under fire in the SEC.  His offensive line was not very good and his receivers dropped passes they should have caught.  In reality the Tigers were lucky to go 5-7.  I am glad they made the decision not to pursue a bowl berth because they would have just embarrassed themselves.  Still, I am glad to have my season tickets and have a lot of good times going back to tailgate each week

In my spare time I followed the Cardinals and Rams, who are apparently not long for St. Louis.  I also hacked around on the golf course when time allowed and I watch the kids play tournaments on travelling teams in the summer time.  One is 14 and the other is 12.  I also spent a lot of time visiting craft breweries when I could.  I have developed a liking for craft beers after drinking the pee water that came out of the AB plant in St. Louis for the first 40 years of my life and now know there are a lot more styles and flavor to choose from.  I live in an area that now has about 35 breweries and I have to support the local economy..

Well reader. I have told you more than you probably care to know and did not mean for this to become such a long post.  I hope 2016 brings you peace, health and prosperity!

Happy New Year 2016!

Here's hoping that 2016 brings you the best of everything. May your year be filled with peace, health and prosperity. Happy New Year to you your family and friends!