Battle of I-70

The second trip of the summer is now history...

Patty kept the pups. They generally enjoy their time with Aunt Patty and Uncle Jimmy, this past weekend was no disappointment to them.

I made my way North on 75 by way of West US 400 and 80 miles of countryside that I will hopefully never see again...

Friday night Greinke was pitching for the Royals. I'm assuming that LaRussa knew we were outmatched going up against the 2009 Cy Young award winning pitcher for the AL. So he played pretty much he second string. We lost, but Terry had a good time and since he was driving - well it worked out.

Saturday's game was a scorcher. LaRussa used the bullpen exclusively for the pitching staff - beginning with the starter. The rest of the team was the A-Team and we won!

The games were incredible. I won't go into the boring detail since you can always hop on over to mlb.com and get that for yourself.

The time spent with family was cherished. Terry has an incredible family. Three very active children, Scott, Macy and Morgan. There is never a dull moment at that house. I had the privilege of watching Scott play baseball. Louie and Aunt Ellen came also, and it was fun visiting in the 100 degree heat with them.

The weekend was too short.

Long days and pleasant nights.

Ups and Downs

Everyone that has known me for more than a decade knows that I have had my ups and downs with my weight. It is generally tied to my current emotional state and what is going on around me at the time.

Due to the events of 2009, I took a very serious look at myself. I looked in the mirror and did not like what I saw on the outside nor the inside.

The explanation to that is...

I didn't like that my clothes were getting tight and it wouldn't be long until I had to purchase a size larger.

I didn't like that all my life I had been on yo-yo diets with no real focus. There were pills and diet plans designed to drop weight fast. But I always came back to the cheeseburgers and pizza. Braums drive-thru and Mazzio's delivery are simply too convenient.

So as a Christmas present to myself, I bought a cheapo treadmill and it arrived the day after Christmas. By chance I found a co-worker that became my biggest cheerleader and unofficial coach. She is an exercise freak compared to me. The first week was hell. I couldn't even walk on the treadmill for 2 minutes without thinking my lungs were going to explode.

At the same time, I began ridding my kitchen of anything that was processed or contained white flour. Walking to work became almost the norm a couple times a week. The toughest times were those days that I had to wear three layers of clothing and hiking boots then avoid the cars sliding down the mountain on the ice. Co-workers have become so accustomed to seeing me walk that they only slow long enough for me to acknowledge the wave.

In April my employer announced a biggest loser competition. I was asked to join the first team that formed. Still not happy with my weight and the fact that the scale didn't seem to be moving.

Our team captain has been a champion in giving me pointers and teaching me how to overcome obstacles. Everyone at work that is participating in the challenge is a winner.

We had our mid challenge weigh-in last week. Today I found out that I was the second biggest loser. My goal is in sight. The next goal is set. The ultimate goal is to be healthy the next 44 years.

long days and pleasant nights

Father's Day

Today is the day each year that we set aside to say thanks to all those men that have left the fun of their lives to become a super hero, horsie, guidance counselor, t-ball coach and overall Greatest Man on Earth.

It only takes a small amount of sperm and 2 minutes to Father a child.

To be a Daddy it takes years. A Daddy is always there for the tears and the joy. Your daddy stays up all night December 24 putting together that new train set and making sure it works while eating the cookies left for Santa.

Daddy takes your dog to the vet when you notice he isn't just quite right before school. Then is waiting for you after school crying because there was nothing the vet could do to save him.

Daddy comes home after 14 hours on the road hauling plumbing supplies and spends 2 hours trying to get you to understand the concept of x=y. Then takes time to go talk to the teacher to get any pointers on how to help you get it.

Daddy gets up at 2am on Saturday morning and makes sure you are on the bus and off to the next speech competition. He is sitting in the back of the room hearing all those nights of practice run through his head as you act them out for the judges. His arms are waiting when you win to celebrate; when you are told you didn't make it to the final round to wipe the tears.

Daddy is the one that always seems to know how to make your car run better. He eats those horrible first time recipes and never complains that it isn't fit for even an animal to eat.

My Daddy made sure my values were in the right place. He is always there when I call and even when I don't know I need him, he is there.

So I say Happy Father's Day to the Greatest Daddy on Earth...

long days and pleasant nights.

stop the bullying

Last night while watching the Cardinals, the commentators told a heartbreaking side story.

An 11 year-old die-hard Cardinals fan had been bullied at school relentlessly for most of the school year. Parents complained but the bully's were never punished. Supposedly the teachers nor administration ever saw what was happening to this child. A couple weeks ago the boy had reached his limit and fought back. What do you know, adults actually saw the retaliation. The boy that had been a victim was suspended from school - his parents called in - the instigators were not punished.

The parents took the child home and went back to work. When they got home from work they found his body in his room. He had put on his Pujols jersey and blown his head off. Yesterday would have been his 12th birthday. Instead of buying a birthday cake, the parents asked the Cardinals for permission to use their logo on his headstone.

If you have a child in school or are associated with children... please talk to them. Relentless teasing is just as bad as physical abuse - could even be worse.

long days and pleasant nights

Who Told the Reds They Can Win...

What an interesting year 2010 is turning out to be.

Not a bad year by any stretch of the imagination. The year actually can almost be called "magical."

Nicole and I had the best time in Birmingham. Steve and I have solidified what can only be considered a wonderful cousin relationship. The trip to the mountains has given me new friends and introduced me to possibly the most wonderful man since my Dad... more on that in the coming months.

To explain why it's an "interesting" year I have to take you to major league baseball. Stop complaining this is TammieLand and you know you will hear baseball stuff...

This is the year the Cardinals began with a healthy, impressive starting pitching rotation. We have Pujols, Holliday Molina, Ludwick, Rasmus and Ryan - we began the season exploding past everyone in the NL Central Division. Then May came... Two starting pitchers were unexpectedly placed on the DL. LaRussa resorted to the bullpen and a rookie for starting pitching rotation. That hasn't worked out very well. Pujols and Holliday can't seem to see the ball.

Let me explain, Pujols not being up to par on batting means he only has a .309 average - which is still way above most players. LaRussa had to pull Ryan out of a few games because all of a sudden he couldn't bat or catch or throw or even seem to stand without causing an error. I know it's only June, but the Reds have been able to take over the lead in the division. The REDS who haven't been able to win anything since Johnny Bench was catching and Sparky Anderson was managing. That's the 1970's for those of you that don't know.

On the AL side the Rangers are actually winning games and have been in the lead most of the season.

I just want to know who told the Reds and Rangers that they can win baseball games...

long days and pleasant nights to ye

Rocky Mountain High...

Just got back from a very productive business trip to the Rockies. Valerie with WeatherCall has been trying to get me to Colorado for a couple years now. Finally she accomplished at least that goal.

I had never been to Denver or the area around it. I was given all kinds of advice on how to avoid the altitude illness and still keep up my workout routine for the News Channel 8 Fitness Challenge. Drinking twice the normal amount of water was a good trick. Ibuprofen didn't hurt either.

The first night I met Elizabeth and Bill. Elizabeth and I have become friends thru the past couple years in our joint WeatherCall adventures. They have a beautiful home with a McCaw (sp) parrot named Duchess that insists you say Hi Baby before talking to anyone else in the home. Also living there is a lizard, turtle, two rats, 2 yr old poodle, baby healer and a cat. Forgot to mention the 18 yr old daughter and 2 sons ages 10 and 8. We had a wonderful time Saturday night. Bill grilled salmon, Val and her daughter came over. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday we packed up all the cars with more food than I have ever seen outside a grocery store and headed up the mountain. The cars were so full of supplies I was afraid that some of us would be walking. The question was asked "how did Louis and Clark travel cross country with only mules?" The vehicle I was in had a Hell Pony sticker on the back. So all was good.

The atmosphere and surroundings were breathtaking.

Monday and Tuesday were jam packed with business and information overload. The only real thing that needs mentioned here is the way I dazzled the NWS man with all my weather knowledge. Pretty sure Frank will not let me venture out to another seminar with fellow Chief Meteorologists unless he is with me... Did I mention I dazzled the NWS guy?

The week was good. Met some wonderful people, ate like a Queen, made some new friends... Can't ask for anymore.

Long days and pleasant nights to ye...

hmm

I don't know if this is a Texas Ranger or a Border Patrol person... what I do know is he has a uniform, handcuffs and horse. That defines just about the perfect man in my book....

Just sayin I can't wait for Texas Mecca...2010 Pilgrimage Home

Dream Summer

After the last year my friend and I are really looking forward to a few months of total relaxation and fun.

For me it began Easter weekend with the Dellinger Tour of the South in Birmingham, AL... What a fun way to begin an epic journey through 2010.

Next on the list is a 5 day trip to Denver, CO. Three days will be work related, however, the trip begins with a couple of relaxing days with girlfriends in Colorado... Can't wait. The pups will get to spend that time on the farm with Nanna. Millie always totally enjoys the time with Nanna. She doesn't have to mind, gets to run everywhere over acres and acres of land. And the first thing Nanna does when Momma leaves is take off the harness.

Then just a couple weeks later the baseball begins. I know I'm getting my share of Double A at the new OneOK field (aka Driller's Stadium) but this year brings some magical baseball. All the stars seem to be aligning. My cousin called to let me know that in addition to the Saturday game we will see (KC vs St Louis) he has obtained tickets for Friday's game also! He wanted to know if that would be too much baseball. There is no such thing as too much baseball, especially if the Cardinals are involved.

Then the very next weekend it is the Texas Mecca...2010 Pilgrimage Home. For those of you that don't know, I am a disciple of the Great State of Texas. No, I will never give up my citizenship to Oklahoma. Primarily because if I were to move to the Great State of Texas I would discover that it has flaws. So, that being said, Jo and I will be spending some much needed R&R in the epicenter of the Dancehalls. On the agenda are... well we are Orange and Blue so honestly the agenda is wide open.

The summer's final (so far) trip is the best for me. A trip to Busch Stadium in St Louis. We will pretty much have full access to everywhere in the stadium... more on that in the future. My superstitious nature keeps me from talking about it too much...

So sit back and soak in the Summer of 2010... it is looking to be a ride full of fun and totally worth taking!

Long days and pleasant nights...

Tour of the South

Nicole and I left the traditional for a little bit of Southern charm this year.

We normally go to Easter Sunday service together. I love Easter because it means Spring is really here and it's the holiday that Nicole and I almost always celebrate together. She likes getting an Easter basket from her Momma...

This year we went to Birmingham, Alabama. Why? Well that's a long story...

Steve and I had been trying to plan a "get-together" ever since I made the trek to Tucson that he couldn't make. Easter 2010 became the target date for the visit. Jeff found out we were planning a fun weekend and invited himself. Then we found out that his son, Sam and son's girlfriend Stephanie wanted to join in on the fun. Next their Steve and Jeff's mother, Joy was invited to have fun with us. Finally, Nicole agreed to make the drive with me. Sadly, Ryan couldn't get off work.

We had the most fun. We had Steve's studio apartment aka The Boys Room or 9. Steve arranged for the model apartment to become a temporary home for the "Girls" otherwise known as 5. We slept on air mattresses.

We made the drive up to Montgomery for one day. That wasn't enough time. There was so much we wanted to see and do - but everything closed at 5pm. If you have never been to the South... Steve is an excellent tour guide. I also highly recommend the restaurant that Wade works at. He is the BEST waiter...

Thanks Steve for allowing us to visit. Next Easter is already in the planning stages.

Long days and pleasant nights.

Mother's Day

I've been away too long...

This is a pretty emotional Mother's Day... and in honor of my Mom who has battled and overcome pretty tough odds.

Last mothers day we were a little somber. We were still reeling from the sudden death of Skylar. Mom had begun chemo for bladder cancer and we were all in shock.

What a year it has been. Mom endured the chemo very well. She never became ill and kept working throughout the whole process. Then Sept 15 her bladder was removed. Just days later her oncologist declared her cancer free!!!

The next battle was with her body accepting the fact that it needed to send the fluids out a different way. Patty placed more than 100,000 miles on her car between Sept 2009 and April 2010. I spent every weekend with my parents October thru December. Patty and I decided neither one of us will ever be a nurse for hire...

Now I can happily say that my Mom has faced and defeated the cancer. She is back living a full life almost like before. She and Dad have been smoke free since September 2009. The cancer is gone. Life is good.

Give your mom a hug every day and thank the Lord for your blessings.

Long days and pleasant nights to ye...

patience has it's rewards?

If you are a black panther and you have been admiring the birds from a safe distance behind a window and you were allowed the opportunity to hunt... what spot would you pick?

Well my black panther chose to sit in the middle of the bird feeder. She didn't actually catch a bird because I made her move. But while she was in the bird feeder, she sat perfectly still and waited patiently.

What can we learn from this?

Be Reconciled to God

The season of Lent is here. Today we are observing Ash Wednesday. The partying and getting rid of all the bad things ended at midnight. Now we go into the observance of Jesus' 40 days of temptations.

This is a time of repentance and renewal. For those of you new to the season...

"The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been seperated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgieness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith." Book of Common Prayer

Take a moment to reflect on your life, where you are, where you want to be.

Long days and pleasant nights.

Enchanted

Have you ever had one of those days that is beyond explanation? The day is so good that you know it has to end but you secretly pray that it won't? The kind of day that all the stars are aligned and you can almost smell the sweet Texas wind blowing thru you?

Well that is exactly the kind of day we had yesterday. I knew there was something different about the day when I actually sat thru a complete interview of former VP Dick Cheney. The extraordinary thing is that listening to him did not send me to the toilet vomiting nor did it send me into a fit of rage.

The reason for the calmness is simply this... for the first time ever I was actually looking forward to St. Valentine's Day. Not because it is a manufactured holiday to sell flowers and cards, but because we had tickets to see the music icon Kris Kristofferson. To make the day complete, we went to see Crazy Heart first then had a steak and a beer or three.

Crazy Heart was really good. I'm not a movie goer normally. In fact the only movies I have seen in the last 12 years have been because Jo has literally dragged me to them. She was pleasantly surprised when I suggested we begin the day watching Jeff Bridges (who we love) portraying a country music singer in the fashion of Kris, Waylon, Willie, Johnny, etc... whom we also love. It was even better when I was able to cash in my two free movie passes!

In case you are thinking of seeing the movie, I won't spoil it here. However, it is the first movie I have EVER closed my eyes during the love scenes. Just sayin' Bridges played the role a little too well... You could see and hear Kristofferson and Waylon in the character of Bad Blake. The most amazing thing to me was that it felt like Boland wrote the sound track. The songs were very much like something the Ghost of Waylon aka the Bourbon Legend would have written. The venue's Bad played are venue's I have found myself in, while not in those exact towns, still the same type venue. He played in a bowling alley that was very reminiscent of the dive I first remember seeing Mike McClure play in Tulsa. There was the band and twenty audience members. If you are a true fan of real Country music (not Nashville) you will enjoy this movie.

Then we raced to our vehicles and across the street to the Texas Roadhouse. The place was packed, but I managed to get a front row parking spot. As I opened the door and stood behind a gazillion people wishing to partake in Texas, steak and beer - I heard a page for a 2-seat table available for the first one to the counter - guess who that was!!!! Being short has its benefits sometimes. So I was seated and couldn't find Jo. When I called her she was still looking for a parking spot! The magic just couldn't go away. Dinner was wonderful. Good food, cold beer, best friend....

Then we made it to the concert. If you have never experienced Kris live - I highly suggest it. He has no band. He walks out on a dark stage, alone. He wears black. So getting a picture of him is impossible. We just sat and listened and laughed and were amazed at the incredible man on stage. Most of his songs were recorded by someone else. He isn't really a singer or an entertainer - he is just the legend behind the singer(s). Most of the songs I heard the original recording artist singing. Several you just had to sing along with like Bobby McGee.

No words can describe how incredible yesterday was as a package or how wonderful it was to be entertained by Kris Kristofferson again.

My only wish is that everyone have a day as special as yesterday was to me...

Long days and pleasant nights.

Oprah Mae - Normal

Today Oprah Mae and I made the trek to the vet. It is her one year check-up. The whole way there she kept assuring me that she felt fine, really! We didn't need to make a whole long trip to the vet just to be told that she was fine, seriously....

For the first time since I've been using this vet, we were asked to come back or let Oprah Mae hang out for awhile to wait for the doctor. Since she was already stressed out enough, I chose the latter. Toby and Millie have spent weekends there and had no complaints, so what was a couple hours?

Evidently a couple hours of Oprah Mae's time away from home is worth a LOT more than a whole weekend for the pups.

Everything turned out OK though. She is now back home for another 12 months. All caught up on her shots. The vets report even stated that her mental attitude is normal. I wish the vet could see her bossing the pups around. I wonder if that is normal too...

Long days and pleasant nights

Don't Forget to Look UP!

With the temps going above 30 degrees, ice is falling from the tower.

Don't laugh. Our towers reaches almost to the moon and has more ice accumulation due to the height. So, when temps start getting above the freeze level - ice begins falling. It doesn't melt and drain neatly down the tower either. It comes down in very large killer chunks.

In an effort to keep people as safe as possible, we shuttle the worker bees to and from their cars which are safely parked at the bottom of Mt Krumpit.

We also have these cool hard hats. Each department is allotted two!

Long days and pleasant nights

Images...

Frozen Butterfly

Guard Frog

Be Still and Know that I am God...

With the Winter Storm of January 2010 now in the books... I was asked to man the helm for the onslaught of Church cancellations and time changes this morning.

Yesterday the producer called me and said "HELP the phones are ringing off the hook!!!!" or something to that effect. So I hitched a ride up Mount Krumpit and spent a few hours assisting in the announcing of church changes. It became very fun when the sun went down and every car on an expressway in Tulsa suddenly crashed. You think I kid, well the scanners began going wild with calls about car crashes. Hwy 169 was literally a sheet of ice - or as one TPD officer stated - a "skating rink" for cars. The highlight, if you can call it that, was a car sliding off a road, hitting a house, then catching on fire.

That brings me to this morning. Up at 5am. Ate my blueberry laden oatmeal, dressed in 3 layers, texted my sister that I would be treking to work, and off I go.

The only coat I have is black (it goes with everything) so I did think to grab a flash light. The walk wasn't very bad. It is a little more difficult in the boots than with my tennis shoes. It was so very quiet. I couldn't help but think of those nights spent at Nannie and Poppie's house as a kid.

Taking a moment to take in the beauty and quiet of God's wonder was a little overwhelming. I wish pictures could capture the whole splendor of it and that I could do a decent job of describing the moment.

It really does help me to remember the face of my father.

Long days and pleasant nights to ye

Annunciation...Thanks Mrs Butler

I know I am the minority when it comes to my political views. I am a Blue person in a Blood Red state.

However, I would like to share my thoughts on last nights State of the Union address. It was very refreshing to have a person speak from the podium in complete sentences with correct annunciation of all the words.

When I was in the eighth grade we were required to take a speech class. This was not English expanded, it was a class on how to speak properly in public. How to give a presentation orally. In this class I remember Mrs. Butler reading a piece of prose to us the first week of school. It was written in Okie Slang. To this day I have not forgotten the embarrassment I felt that day. That was the day that I began listening intently to local and national news commentators. I am proud of the fact that when away from McAlester, people have a difficult time pinpointing my "accent."

We were taught to speak clearly with proper American English and full sentences. I was teased by family members because I took this to heart. It has served me well though.

So last night when the 80 minute speach concluded - I was in awe of the way it had been delivered. Like what he said or not, you have to admit it was a very refreshing change. For the first time in almost a decade, the late night comics had to look at people other than the President to poke fun at the State of the Union speech. Fortunately for the comedians he has a very comical VP and Speaker that give them plenty of talking points.

Without going too deeply into my opinion of the content... I agree, Mr. President!

Now off to the storm preps...

Long days and pleasant nights

Here we go again

2010 began with us recovering from a Blizzard.

This week we are expecting another Winter Storm. My survival bag is packed...

One blanket
Bag of beans
Pot to cook said beans
Peanut butter
Bread
Two puppies
One pupcatcoon
Captain Morgan

Long days and pleasant nights...

One Year

We visited again today. As we have throughout the year. Your boys are growing so fast. Hayden loves playing sports. When I saw him play baseball last summer he went up to the plate and before the first pitch he looked back at me and yelled "I'm gonna hit it out of the park Aunt Tammie!" He is so much like you. Skylar loves his Handy Manny toys. He actually spent an hour trying to fix his broken tricycle using his Handy Manny tools. Again, like you.

It has been one year since Skylar went to live with the angels.

Each of our lives have been affected profoundly and we are all handling it in very different ways. Our family is one that draws comfort from the cold stones with the names written on them. Somehow it feels right to sit and talk even though outsiders only see stones and grass.

We bring the vibrant flowers and the memories to this place of solitude. As I stood in the pouring rain, alone with the beautiful flowers recently purchased - I could hear Skylar clearly saying "I love you Aunt Tammie... I won't let you down." I no longer remember if that was the very last conversation we had. I do know that he ended every conversation or visit with a smile and an "I love you."

I love you too, Skylar

Bleak Day in Tulsa

The Recession is easing in the rest of the country - yet has just hit Tulsa with a HUGE BANG.

For the last 3 or so months the story of declining sales tax revenue has made every newscast. With the release of the very low Christmas sales - Tulsa was forced to come to terms with the fact that we have no money.

The Mayor came up with a master plan and gave it to the unions last week. The City Non-Sworn employees elected to have people laid-off rather than take a pay reduction. Those lay-offs happen today. Police and Fire didn't like either of the options the Mayor gave them and began the blame game.

Noon today was D-Day for the Firefighter & Police unions to give the Mayor their counter proposals to lay-offs. (in my deranged mind I saw the Mayor in a duster and cowboy hat walking down the street alone to face off with the Union leaders while the theme song to High Noon played in the background. the sun shining high in the sky and Mayor Dewey not flinching to the glare of the BOK Center)

We were geared up for an ever-changing landscape. Stories taking us places we could only imagine. The game plan was to be fluid and ready to roll wherever/whenever. Never once was it imagined that our Police Chief would be asked to resign after he releases 155 officers.

Today is a day of press conferences scheduled all over town to point fingers. All fingers are being pointed at the Mayor. I guess if you have to blame someone - the Mayor is a good place to begin. The Unions are saying that the Mayor keeps changing the rules of the game. Honestly, the rules are fluid because everyday they take to whine - we are another day into the money that we do not have.

The fact is - we, the citizens of Tulsa, didn't buy enough things the past year to keep our current level of police/fire and city personnel. This is not really our fault either. Companies are closing, people are being down-sized, employees are being asked to take on more responsibilities while taking paycuts. We can no longer afford to take the family out to eat 5 nights a week.

We can also lay some blame off on our elected officials. Oklahoma has one of richest deposits of natural gas in the world. Why are they not pushing nationally for more natural gas powered automobiles and use of natural gas for heating and cooling homes and offices?

What we need to remember as we hear the reports on the news and read it in the newspapers is that we are still here. We still have buildings that are standing and police officers to protect us and firefighters to rescue our puppies. The City will survive this latest crisis and with a little luck will come out on the other side a little smarter and a lot healthier.

It was a very long year ago that I faced the same thing going on with the City. We had lay-offs and pay reductions. What I have learned from each of my job experiences is that you must go on. Things will be different - circumstances may not be the way you like them - but, you must go on to the next road in the crossing. Make the best you can of each day.

Long days and pleasant nights to ye...

Where's my Blankie...

Have you ever had one of those days that you wish you could just crawl back under the blankie and wait 24 hours to come out again?

Well, that was my day today. Nothing happened that is Earth shattering, but still the day was pretty uhm, well it sucked.

Started with an email from a well-intentioned friend. Seems I have a weight problem.

Next comes a statement that I don't really know how to dress.

Then to top the day off - we find out my nephew is no longer legally Skylar's son.

Thankfully - the sun will come out tomorrow and life will go on.

La Russa or Ghandi?

La Russa's view of how to play the game:

Come to the park on time, play hard, concentrate on playing the game right, compete your butt off, tip your cap if you get beat and enjoy the wins."

This is a great philosophy for a good life...

Happy 67th!

A little late but better late than never!

Wednesday Jan. 13 was Daddy's birthday. We asked him where he wanted to have dinner. We really didn't need to ask - he LOVES Golden Corral.

Patty and I are new at the eating for diabetes so it was fun to see what we could mix and match and still eat within the guidelines. We did cheat a bit. I couldn't resist the catfish and we both hit the dessert bar.

Happy belated birthday to the best Daddy in the world!

Long days and pleasant nights...

Things You Can't Ignore

Mark McGwire brought a LOT of attention to baseball when it was losing it's spot as America's favorite sport. No one can forget the race Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa had going to the homerun champs. Baseball seemed to get it's glory days back. Everyone tuned in to watch the Cubs and Cardinals it didn't matter who they were playing.

Then McGwire won the race and retired. Sosa was caught using a corked bat - during regular play. Allegations of steroid use started swirling even before McGwire left the stage.

During the 1990's the use of PED's were not regulated in major league baseball. That being said, a player could use them and not be concerned about having to pee into a cup. However, they are a form a cheating. Anytime you use a manufactured drug to enhance your performance - you are cheating.

Congress became involved at the dawn of the 21st Century. McGwire was called to testify before a congressional hearing. He was arrogant and refused to answer direct questions with direct answers. I'm assuming that he thought if he just stayed away from the spot light it would all go away. Well it didn't.

Every time his name has appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot - he gets maybe a dozen votes. Not good for a man that had a career of a lifetime.

Now he is the batting coach in St. Louis. I have said it before and will again - I'm waiting to see how it all plays out. In my opinion this is a mistake. But, I'm not an insider and will have to wait and see. He did come clean and admit to using the drugs.

The next step, in my opion should be - strip him of the homeruns that he hit in the seasons he admits to using PED's. We will never know if he really could've been the "Big Mac" that we knew as the homerun king. And in Pete Rose fashion, he should be banned from the Hall of Fame as a player.

Long days and pleasant nights

120 Million Dollar Man

The Cardinals organization has never paid that price tag for a player in the history of the ball club. However, Matt Holliday proved he was worth the price last season.

The Cardinals were better than mediocre before the All-Star break. They were leading the division by a game or two. Then after the break Matt Holliday walks in as Left Fielder and Albert Pujols defense. Oh My Golly what happened next will go down in Cardinals history books.

We stormed thru the rest of the season. The one/two punch of Pujols and Holliday in addition to a healthy and lethal pitching staff made the Redbirds invincible.

In true fan fashion I have chosen to forget what happened when the play-0ffs started. I choose to believe that they did not go to the World Series as a favor to me. It was very difficult to watch the games and deal with the stuff going on with Mom.

A trip to St. Louis this summer has already been placed in the planning stage.

Long days and pleasant nights

Healthier 2010

After the rough 2009 - I bought myself a treadmill for Christmas/Birthday.

It arrived Dec. 23. I have been using it - honestly. However, a couple days ago I came down with a nasty stomach virus. Today is the first day in a couple that I have actually felt like getting off the bed.

I just found out why Oprah Mae has been so tired lately. Seems the treadmill is being used by her as well...

Long days and pleasant nights.