The Burrows are Good Folks

Says their friend and our Guest Hemingway

Jimmy, Joe and Robin Burrow

I'm Josh Will, an Ohio U. Geography graduate who lived and worked in the greater Cincinnati area a couple years after college in the mid 2000s. Today, I work in the energy industry and live back on our family farm in Meigs County with my wife Sara, and two boys Noah (11) and Jack (8). We're into sports and pretty much anything related to the outdoors and rural life. This is my fourth or fifth time filling in over the years, but my first time for TML 2.0.

Mornin’ mobsters from the forgotten, southeast corner of the state. A bit of potpourri today, as we head into Fathers’ Day weekend, and your regular host is jetting off to literally do as the Romans do. We’ll start with a little bit of Burrow…

HAPPY TRAILS to Robin Burrow, mother of the sainted one, who is stepping away from a couple decades in education to dive headfirst into the work of the Joe Burrow Foundation. Robin has spent the last seven years as the Elementary Principal of Eastern (Meigs Co.) Elementary School where both my boys attend and Sara, my wife, is the School Counselor.  Her office is next to Robin’s, and they have grown close over the last seven years running the small, rural Appalachian grade school by the side of the road. Needless to say, there were lots of hugs and tears the other day, as they parted ways – this time, not just for the summer.

Mrs. Burrow has been a positive, passionate, upbeat, and empathetic influence in our little community over the last several years. She knows every name of the 600+ kids in her school, and she greets them every morning as they enter, often with a hug. I would not call her a disciplinarian, at least professionally. However that’s not exactly something that is crucial for being the principal of K-5. Younger kids acting out do so because of something else going on their lives, generally beyond control. They’re tired. They’re hungry. They haven’t seen mom or dad in weeks. They’re getting abused or witnessing abuse at home. They’re not getting their medicine because someone else in the home is taking it or selling it. Bottom line is that these kids often just need a hug, some love, a bite to eat, some positive attention and structure in their lives. And that is exactly what Robin has provided. 

Grade school celebrates Joe winning Heisman Trophy (Pomeroy Daily Sentinel)

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A couple personal stories from being around Robin & Jimmy that I think perfectly illustrate who they are as people: Soon after Robin started at Eastern seven years ago, my wife underwent a sinus surgery. It was a routine, outpatient operation, yet it left Sara feeling lousy a few days. Robin, who hadn’t really gotten to know anyone yet (including my wife), fixed and delivered to our home a big crockpot of a hearty veggie & meat stew. It was the same stew that she fixed Joe (who at the time was an OSU underclassman) after each of his games. It was that kind of neighborly midwestern sensibility, fixing food for your ill workmate’s family, that told us all we needed to know right then about what kind of people the Burrows are.

The second story happened about a year ago. My wife and I attended a Garth Brooks concert at PBS. Before the concert, we met up with Robin & Jimmy at the Holy Grail for a drink and a bite to eat. It was the first time we both had really met and talked to Jimmy in any capacity. We had a nice time, then went our separate ways to the concert. Sara & I had great floor seats, just a couple rows back. Just before Garth is set to come out, a classic midwestern thunderstorm envelops Cincinnati, and 70,000+ are forced out into the concourse area. It is loud, it is hot, it is sticky, and we’re in there like sardines for what feels like forever. Garth is set to start playing in the rain anyway. My wife soon gets a call, and before we know it an official somehow finds us in the sea of humanity, and we’re whisked away to a private box where we later enjoy the concert with Jimmy & Robin. They didn’t have to do that; in fact I had just met Jimmy a couple hours ago. That kind of generous hospitality is something I’ll never forget. The Burrows just embody a generous, confident humility that isn’t always that common these days. Best of luck to Robin; I’m sure we’re just on the cusp of incredible impacts that the Joe Burrow Foundation will have in our communities over the coming years.

Shifting gears a little bit to youth baseball…

Over the winter, I was elected president of our youth baseball/softball organization. Any of youse done anything similar? I’m in charge of about 120 kids, ages 4-12, playing recreational youth baseball/softball from Chester Township. I didn’t exactly campaign for the position; it was a classic case of nobody wants to do it. In our league, everyone who signs up gets to play, regardless of skill level or financial ability. Coaches and league officials are 100% volunteer. We play games against neighboring townships throughout May & June. A few things I’ve quickly learned:

-        The pareto principle is very real. 20% of the people/parents do 80% of the work. The same folks, year after year, are the one volunteering to help coach, maintain the upkeep of the facilities, make extra financial donations, etc. God bless those that invest in our youth year after year, sometimes to their own detriment. Burn-out among these blessed folks is real.

-        There are generally three types of parents: 1. Those that played through high school or further, and were generally pretty good themselves. 2. Those that played some youth sports themselves, but either dropped out at some point, quit, or just weren’t any good. 3. Those that had nothing to do with sports themselves.  Groups 1 and 3 are usually great. Group 1 gets it – they know what it takes to be good, and they’re not going to blow smoke up their child’s skirt or constantly question the coaching. Group 3 also just freely hands off their kids to the coaches and lets them do their thing. Group 3 also doesn’t get worked up about winning and losing or even playing time. But Group 2 is where a lot of problems, if you have them, often arise. Their little Johnny or Susie isn’t playing enough, or they’re better than so and so’s kid, etc

-        Most parents in any of the above groups are actually great. But it just takes one bad apple to stir up trouble/cast negativity over a team.

Saturday Evening Post

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-        Baseball/softball is NOT dead! At least not here. Kids come out of the woodwork to play ball, and they love it! The smiles, the dirty uniforms, the dugout camaraderie, the popsicles after the game – it’s classic Americana. What IS different nowadays is that many kids don’t necessarily have a favorite ballplayer or team, and they certainly don’t watch games on tv or listen to them on the radio with their dads. I know several kids on my son’s Little League team that are pretty good players, but couldn’t name you five current major leaguers.

-        Kids these days, even on the recreational level, are generally getting good coaching. Gone are the bad news bears days of the grumbling dad leaning on the dugout, sucking down a heater before he hits 2 hours of 90 mph groundballs to a bunch of nervous 9 year olds. There is so much easily accessible content out there nowadays, whether it be youtube or wherever, that even inexperienced coaches are giving good instruction with useful drills. Coaches are also super aware of pitch counts, arm troubles, etc. I threw 147 pitches in a high school game one time – that kind of thing doesn’t happen today.

-        Umpiring – nobody wants to do it, and no wonder. It doesn’t pay great, and you can only have a neutral or negative experience. My single greatest headache is finding umpires.

-        Money…we always need more. Regardless of how many volunteers you get, local business sponsorships, or things donated, you could always use more money. Whether it be for more equipment, field improvements, uniforms, or just to help pay the bills, these youth leagues aren’t exactly strapped with cash. Our fields don’t have lights, permanent restroom facilities, proper drainage, among a host of other things. But we make do.

SHAMELESS PLUG – Memorabilia Alert!

Speaking of money, our league is auctioning off three 1968 Bengals posters (16x20), autographed by Joe Burrow. The live facebook auction and rules can be found here, and will conclude at 11:59 pm on Fathers’ Day evening. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Chester Ball Association. The auction is live now. Add this to your man-cave collection.

SOME REDS NOSTAGLIA

My mom has always kept a journal or sorts, especially of vacations, getaways, any trips, big or small. Occasionally she likes to read back to me excerpts of our trips we took as a family. The other day she read back parts of a week we spent at Hueston Woods S.P. in June of 1986. I was almost 5, my brother 2 ½. Anyway, in addition to going to the zoo, the state park activities, etc, we attended a Reds game. My mother writes, “The Reds were behind the whole game, then in the ninth inning, D. Parker got a hit, and (name illegible) hit a homerun to win the game!” Of course, I soon went to baseball-reference.com to get more context. Sure enough, my suspicion was correct, it was Eric Davis who hit the game-winner. The game was Wed. June 18, against the Astros, and the Reds won 3-2 on Davis’ walkoff. The Reds were 26-35, but would finish that year in 2^nd place with 86 wins. Mike Scott, who was unbelievable that year, pitched for the Astros that night. Unbeknownst to anyone at the ballpark that evening, Eric the Red was just embarking on one of the most remarkable 162-game stretches in baseball history. Joe Posnanski wrote about it a few years ago here. Davis hit .308 with 47 HR and 98 SB over that stretch – man, what a time to be fan! He was an absolutely electric, can’t-look-away star. Unfortunately, like many super talents of that era for one reason or another, his star got so hot so fast that it quickly burned out. See Mattingly, Strawberry, Gooden, and the poster-boy, Bo Jackson, among so many others.

BRIEF OG RANT

I took my son’s Little League team down to the ballpark last week to see the latest version of 44 Magnum, as well as surefire HOFer Clayton Kershaw. We had a great time, despite Kershaw dominating, but what quickly became irritating was the cashless-ness of GABP. I understand it, but it is a HUGE pain-in-the-tookus when you have ten 11-year-olds, that have nothing but cash. Every inning it seemed as if I or the other coach was trudging along with a kid to the concession stand or pro shop so we could swipe our card, only later then to try and figure out who owes whom what. I get that my situation was somewhat unique, but man, going cashless does NOT make it easier to take a large group of kids to the ballpark.

SONG OF THE DAY

Taking the family to northern Michigan here in a couple weeks. Traverse City/Cherry Festival, Mackinac Island, Pictured Rocks, land of Nick Adams, etc. When you’re up there staring at the largest freshwater lake in the world, you can’t help but hear the haunting words of Gordon Lightfoot, who we just lost a few weeks ago.

AND NOW. . . If you can’t find something to do after reading Hey Michelle’s extended list, you don’t like fun. . .

It’s the Weekend

~ Go make some memories! 

Mobile Roller Rink ~ Frisch’s rink is back on Court St. 14-18th! The courts will also serve as pickle ball courts day and late night. There will be events all weekend with DJ’s, skate lessons and more. Skating is $2-$5 depending on the event. Check out the schedule at downtowncincinnati.com

Cincy Food Truck Fest ~ This is Summit Park 10th year for this fun event. Friday 11am-10p with Soul Pocket playing the night away.

Cincy on Tap ~ Taste beers from over 60 breweries at Great American Ballpark Saturday 1-4 . There will be food trucks on site, live music and surprises! You’ll also receive tickets for the June 25th Reds vs. Braves game. 

Shutzenfest! ~   Saturday 3-11pm and Sunday 1-9pm at Kolping Grove. Get out your dirndl and lederhosen and celebrate German heritage and fun.. Prost! 

Rhinegeist is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a party Saturday and Sunday you might be able to get your hands on a special edition mug made by Rookwood pottery.

Pyramid Hill ~ Annual Fishing Derby going on a Pyramid Hill Park which is 300 acres of fun. There will also be arts and crafts like… building your own sailboat. If you’ve never been it’s such an amazing outdoor art museum and is a must see gem.

Cincinnati Symphony in the Park ~ Sunday 4-7pm at Ezzard Charles Park during Family Days celebration. Bring chairs or a blanket and enjoy.

Tequila Fest ~ Fountain Square is hosting this ticketed event for the 6th year showcasing over 50 different tequilas, souvenir flasks, beer specials, food trucks and live entertainment.

Madtree Sway Day ~ Saturday 12-4pm join in for some beach volleyball, Jimmy Buffett cover band and more! 

Hey Michelle,

Do you want to know where to eat, drink and have fun in Cincinnati? Follow me @HeyMichelle1 on IG 
https://heymichelle-help.com

Imbiber Dave Delivers Drinking Wisdom From the Old Country

Good morning my Montenegro! Our best friend is getting married this weekend, so we were lucky enough to take a short plane ride and visit a place we haven’t been for 10 years. This small Eastern European country is home to several of my favorite treasures.

They specialize in Cevapi, which looks like a breakfast link sausage, and is made with minced beef and lamb. You top these with Ajvar, a red pepper eggplant spread, and eat roughly 72 of them per sitting. Balance is key. Luckily for you, Trader Joe’s has two different versions wisely named red pepper eggplant spread. Grab a jar next time you are there. I like adding it to the Shamalamadingdong sausages from Avril Bleh. No I did not make up that name, but hopefully it’s easier to remember than Ajvar or Cevapi.

For liquid refreshment, there is Rakija, a fruit brandy or vodka typically distilled with fruit or honey. There are dozens of varieties, and everyone has a family favorite, almost like the wild varieties of moonshine you see these days.

Party Source has the plum and apricot versions made by Takovo. Any avid readers of my barely coherent ramblings know that I love Negronis. These gastronomic angels were kind enough to create the Smoky Rocko, a Negroni made with Rakija, an immediate must have on my home bar menu.

Cheers!
cincybeerguydave@gmail.com