Halls of Fame

Last month, as the newest members of the Baseball Hall of Fame were announced, I recalled meeting two of them, and getting their autographs - Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez. I'll admit that other than closely following the Phillies from 2008-2010, I haven't watched much baseball, but with these latest hall-of-famers, there probably aren't more than a handful of those playing now that I could name. I used to know every player and their stats. I was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge when it came to baseball. I'd been a serious baseball card collector from the age of 10. When I tuned in to the 2016 World Series games 6 and 7, it was exciting, from a historical stance, because the Cubs and the Indians had such a history of futility (which as a Phillies fan I could relate to). But I didn't know a single player from either team. I felt lost. I realized that a significant part of my life had been devoted to this game, but that I'd moved on. Even football doesn't hold the appeal it once did. With Peyton Manning retiring, I have no one left to root for there either. The sun is setting on the careers of Dirk Nowitski and Paul Pierce, my last remaining basketball favorites. Neither even played in the 2 games I attended this year.

Cheating is now glorified. Many a cheater has been denied entrance to the Hall of Fame. Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire... all hold records that may never be touched. But not Hall of Fame material because of cheating. So yeah, I do get irked when Tom Brady can be called the greatest quarterback ever. A known, convicted cheater. 

So maybe it's time to stop looking to sports for our heroes. And let Hollywood give each other their own awards (provided they can keep the envelopes straight) . Maybe we should make our own personal "Halls Of Fame." Lets include there people whose lives are worthy of emulation. Those we can look up to, who are free from scandal, who are humble, who go through life day to day without fame or recognition, but who in every respect should be called heroes. Of course, you may find these attributes in some famous people, who haven't let that fame make them a different person. Michael J. Fox comes immediately to mind. 

There are so many who have influence in our lives to choose from. Parents, siblings, teachers, friends, co-workers... Who would make your Hall of Fame? 

Oreos

It is certainly no secret that I love Oreos.

Even when I was on a strict diet, I still allowed myself 2 Oreos as a treat. But how did I get hooked on "Milk's Favorite Cookie"?  Well, it's certainly possible that I'd have fallen in love with them anyway, but it was my grandfather who introduced me to Oreos. He was a delivery driver for Nabisco, and stocked shelves all over Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey with these yummy cookies, along with Fig Newtons, Triscuits, Chips Ahoy, and Ritz and Saltine crackers. Whenever a package was damaged, he was allowed to bring them home.

The first Oreos were produced in 1912, and are now available in various flavors, as well as limited edition flavors - some of which were quite tasty, others, I wasn't as impressed with. I believe my favorite may have been the Blueberry Pie cookies.

I totally missed out on the Caramel Apple and Root Beer float versions - which I will for sure try if they ever come back. Some I outright passed on, like Toasted Coconut....  Just yesterday, I found yet another crazy concoction, probably released just in time for Easter...

But no matter what flavor or how you eat them, dunked in milk, twisting and licking the creme, or just taking a bite, there's no denying that they are America's best selling cookie.

Lady Gaga

Can't say I was ever Gaga about Lady Gaga. I never really paid much attention to her, I just knew she sang and was known for extravagant outfits. My wife told me Lady Gaga was like the modern day Cher. OK, well that explains it, 'cuz I was never Gaga about Cher either!

But then she sang the Star Spangled Banner at Super Bowl 50. Holy crap! This lady can sing!

I'll admit when she was announced to sing at halftime for Super Bowl LI, I still wasn't sure if I'd like it. Adding to that hesitation were stories that she'd make this into some sort of political statement. 

But, again, all I can say is Wow! This lady can sing! 

Even after all that, we still have people saying she did make a political statement by singing "This Land Is Your Land". They say the 4th and 6th verses were a direct attack on Donald Trump. OK, well, even if they were, I don't think he knows about those verses. The 6th verse was never included on any recording of the song. 

None of that changes my opinion. Lady Gaga can SING!

The verses in question:

There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me.

The sign was painted, said ‘Private Property.’

But on the backside, it didn’t say nothing. 

This land was made for you and me.

One bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steeple,

by the relief office I saw my people.

As they stood hungry,

I stood there wondering if God blessed America for me.

Super Disappointed

Now that I am over the shock of a 25 point comeback by the Patriots to beat the Falcons in overtime... I can state my feelings without as much anger as I was feeling last night. I can't say I ever really liked the Patriots. I know for a fact I disliked them when they beat my Eagles in the Super Bowl, a game that Philadelphia by all means should have won. I disliked them more when I found out about "Spygate". 

 And that dislike grew after "Deflategate". 

So why was I so mad last night? No, I'm not a Falcons fan. It is more to not being able to agree with Tom Brady being called the best quarterback ever. Not even close - and the reason it makes me so sick, is how much it tarnishes the legacy of Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw - 2 quarterbacks who won 4 Super Bowls each - WITHOUT CHEATING. 

How Old Am I?

I guess I'm not too old, because there are a lot of things I remember. I haven't gotten to that stage where I am forgetting things, at least not most of the time :-)

However, I am old enough to remember - Walking across the living room to turn up the volume on the TV or to change the channel... Only being able to move several feet from the rotary telephone because of the short cord... Using a telephone booth... Woolworth's.... Richard Nixon resigning on live TV... The day Elvis died... Fisher Price toys were made of wood... When Donny & Marie were teenagers... When Bruce Jenner was a guy... When baseball cards came with bubble gum... When the Brady Bunch wasn't in re-runs... When Gordon on Sesame Street had hair...

When William Lee Golden of the Oak Ridge Boys didn't have a beard...

When Oscar The Grouch was orange...

So yeah, I'm old. I still own vinyl record albums and 8-track tapes!

Punxatwany Phil

So on Wednesday night, my son Phil predicted that he would see his shadow and we'd have 6 more weeks of winter. This has been a running joke with us ever since he learned that he shared a name with that famous, weather-predicting groundhog from Pennsylvania.

But I sure wish he didn't see his shadow. I've had enough of the snow and freezing temperatures. I'm ready for some Spring already!

Fry Sauce

If you are from Utah, or have spent any amount of time in Utah, you know what fry sauce is. And from my perspective, it seems like Utahn's eat fry sauce by the gallon! Just walk into anyplace that serves french fries in Utah, and watch the reaction on the customers face when told they don't have fry sauce. Why, you'd think they were told their best friend got run over by a Mack Truck. The shock, the utter disbelief, the anger, and then the sadness... 

So for those of you outside Utah - what is fry sauce, and why is it so popular?

Fry sauce is much more than just a condiment to the people who consider it a beloved staple of Western American comfort food, says Kasey Christensen, the chief operating officer for Arctic Circle Restaurants — the fast food chain where it was invented.

The most basic recipe is mixing ketchup with mayonnaise, but after that, interpretations vary.  There are obviously seasonings involved, but Arctic Circle, the fast food chain where fry sauce was invented in the 1940's, is tight-lipped about what they put in their version - preferring it to remain unique, even though most restaurant chains in Utah do offer their own version just to stay in competition. 

"Some other chains and restaurateurs also claim as well that they created fry sauce, but we’re confident in our history and knowledge here that Arctic Circle was the birthplace of fry sauce before it ever became popular anywhere else." he says the restaurant chain goes through nearly 50,000 gallons of the sauce annually in the chain’s dining rooms, where self-service pumps are going through two gallons a day on average.  "That’s not even considering the drive-thru!"