Paul, a good friend of mine, Bill, another TML reader by the way, saw my request of a photo of Crazy Chester. Bill is a huge dog lover (he has had a line of Westies over the years). He forwarded me your Dec 11, 2022 column on Crazy Chester. I must have been really busy back then because I don’t remember reading it. One of your best!
Dogs have the ability to help humans enjoy the present moment with freshness and clarity. They are sources of joy. I live in a dog crazy neighborhood and enjoy seeing the relationships people have with their dogs. I totally get the live people have for their pets, they are true family members. My wife is a cat lover. I was never much into cats until we finally had not 1, but 2 consecutive perfect cats. This spanned over 30 years. Sounds like an oxymoron to some, I know. But they were great.
Wait till you have a grandchild, if that is in the cards for your family. If it is, the TML family will celebrate with you and your wife.
Bengals should be the first team to not have a running back (RB). They should have a blocking back (BB) who picks up blitzes and keeps heathens from hitting Joe Burrow. The BB wouldn’t touch the football. BB would be big, agile monster.
Reds suck. Weather sucks. I’ll be behind the couch or under the bed until sustain few days of sunshine. If Reds offering some still functional quaaludes during entry to GASP then you’ve got my four game package money. Anything beyond that and the risk to my long term mental and physical health - due to both ludes and the on field product - simply becomes too great. Back to the weather, said the same thing around thanksgiving and whenever it suddenly was warm for spell this winter. March is going to be all in on gray, just cold enough temps to make the sustained blahs unavoidable. That’s it for me, back down to the basement and turpentine for a few more weeks.
Great article Doc. You pretty much quoted my wife about the weather. She is constantly telling me to stop bitching about the weather because I can't do anything to change it.
I'm with you all the way on the weather. I'm absolutely itching to be outside now. Sunday afternoon/evening was nice. I actually had to mow already. Sad, but at least it means warmer weather is on the way. Just a few more weeks and things should be looking up!
The Reds aren't going to be a threat to win their division but I do think they'll be fun to watch. I'm predicting 71 wins this year. I hope somehow magically win more, but too many questions early.
I remember 1970 at 11 years old, the year I really became a Reds fan. Reading about the team everyday in the Post and the stories about how it had been since 1940 since they won the WS, I couldn't get over, as an 11 year old, how long ago that seemed to me. My parents were 9 and 8 respectively that year, younger than I in 1970. Incredible! It took 5 more years until the Reds and their fans reached Nirvana, then did it again a year later and again in 1990. I'm giddy just thinking about that. Now here we are, 2023, and it will be 33 years without a WS win. My 2 sons, ages 29 and 30, never experienced the thrill of following a WS champ from opening day to the celebration on the mound, and despite my passion for the team, never developed any interest in what has become a perennial loser. Subsequently, the Reds have bled off generations of fans. Where you gonna go? Away, Phil, away.
AC/DC over Ramones, but I’m only counting the Bon Scott years. Back in Black was the first post-Bon record. Unpopular opinion: that record isn’t that great. Bon had a bluesy edge to his vocals that Brian Johnson never had. Johnson sounds like a constipated man doing an AC/DC impression at a karaoke bar
Legal weed dispensaries at GABP are more than warranted given the non-competitive status of the club. For years, Reds marketing has done everything possible to de-emphasize the on-field product. May as well make a clean break. 'Reds Baseball: Come get stoned and enjoy the sunshine.'
Speaking of weather-I feel you on that 'front'. Once we have a few nice days, I'm DONE with winter. I do get a bit jealous of the primacy it takes for you. When it's lousy, I grumble, then address the laundry list of domestic and/or professional work that needs to be done indoors.
Lamar is great-but this day of reckoning was inevitable. The risk is simply too great to garner a long-term investment. While a QB is the one piece worth investing in, most franchise QBs come with a more stable floor. If LJ's reliability/longevity is regarded more as a RB, then there is no way that he'll garner Deshean's contract. At the time, I was intrigued by the Bengals maybe taking him, but this was the exact thing that gave me pause.
Ramones > AC/DC and it's not even close. Garage punk vs. pop-metal. Played in underground record shops vs. played at sports bars. Driving thumping bass lines vs. self-indulgent guitar screech. WEBN vs. 97X, etc. The Ramones forged a musical bridge that connects the earliest incarnations of 60s rock 'n roll to the nihilistic punk ethos of the 80s. The respective talent levels may be similar, but musical importance is one-sided.
I'm right there with ya, Paul. (Fie) on this cold weather.
I used to love cold weather and snow ... as a kid. Sled riding, snowball fights, and playing tackle football with the neighborhood kids, feeling like a gladiator on defense with my breath smoking from my piehole.
Then I grew up. And the cold absolutely sucks. It's March 28, and I had to defrost ice off of my car this morning. I've had to bundle up like Yukon Cornelius just to go outside recently and play catch with my 13-year-old son. Even the 50-something degree days recently have felt chillier than 50-something degree days used to.
I'm only 46 for pete's sake ... I haven't hit the age yet where I have to run the thermostat at 80 year-round like my grandparents, have I?
"I Wanna Be Sedated." Absolutely perfect choice for this upcoming season of Reds baseball. Those employees working the concessions at GASP -- especially the craft beer bar -- better gird their loins for battle and get great orthopedic footwear, because they will be swamped.
It'll play out like King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans, trying to hang on against the hordes of Persians seeking succor in the way of some tasty Taft's or Rhinegeist, just so they can numb themselves while witnessing the crew of bums and rookies wearing the wishbone "C" who are trying to pass for a legitimate MLB team.
So disclaimer: I AM NOT an athlete. I gave up swimming in the 11th grade. It boggles my mind that an NFL player can play with a broken leg or arm and an MLB player cannot play with a hangnail. And that is all I have to say about that.
Flagstaff, AZ (7000 foot elevation) has gotten over 155 inches of snow this season, the bulk of it coming after Martin Luther King Day. At least Phoenix this time of year is usually nice, but they've been cold and rainy.
I hate humidity (mold tried to kill me in Cincinnati, long story) but god help me, I'm looking forward to being in Florida and the Caribbean a week from Thursday.
The only nice thing about Reds baseball in the land of no daylight savings time is that they lose games earlier here than back east. Then I can watch the Suns (the NBA equivalent of the Cincinnati Bengals) find new and unusual ways to fall out of the top four seeding in the West.
I also should mention that Saturday night I went up the road to Greensboro to see Springsteen (which is not compatible with a thinwallet… the Ticketmaster fees were more than the full ticket price 20 years ago). He played a 10 minute version of the E Street Shuffle, and Rosalita in the encore. Not the entire side B, but perhaps would have cheered you up.
As some mobsters may remember, I am a big fan of Lamarvelous for a good reason (Ville fan). This current drama follows the pattern he has dealt with throughout his career. You know, should have been a running back not a QB as well as drafted behind such luminaries as Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Josh Rosen with only Josh Allen justifying a higher ranking. Then the periodic media article interviewing unnamed “NFL defensive coaches” who call him a flash in the pan that time will take care of eventually while disregarding a 73% winning percentage. Oh, and his playoff experiences in his first five years have no SB rings so there’s that (Josh Allen doesn’t either but no one talks about that).
Now, he’s up for a new contract and everyone in the NFL wants him to ignore the dumb ass Browns for giving a sexual predator the Biggest Contract of the 21st Century!. Followed by obvious NFL owner collusion - “nothing to see, please move along”. Plus, he doesn’t pay an agent to shill for him. My goodness! What will he think of next? So, my reaction as certified fanboy? Do whatever you want, sir, you earned the freedom to do so, even if you end up with the Mayflower Colts.
I don't like but don't hate winter. If the sun is shining it's fine. I hate sweating my ass off just walking around so I would not be happy in Florida. Plus, that state may be where woke went to die, but the crazies thrive. No thanks.
I'm taking the over.
AC/DC nah. The Ramones double nah. Give me some poignant lyrics or a story well told.
Paul, a good friend of mine, Bill, another TML reader by the way, saw my request of a photo of Crazy Chester. Bill is a huge dog lover (he has had a line of Westies over the years). He forwarded me your Dec 11, 2022 column on Crazy Chester. I must have been really busy back then because I don’t remember reading it. One of your best!
Dogs have the ability to help humans enjoy the present moment with freshness and clarity. They are sources of joy. I live in a dog crazy neighborhood and enjoy seeing the relationships people have with their dogs. I totally get the live people have for their pets, they are true family members. My wife is a cat lover. I was never much into cats until we finally had not 1, but 2 consecutive perfect cats. This spanned over 30 years. Sounds like an oxymoron to some, I know. But they were great.
Wait till you have a grandchild, if that is in the cards for your family. If it is, the TML family will celebrate with you and your wife.
Bengals should be the first team to not have a running back (RB). They should have a blocking back (BB) who picks up blitzes and keeps heathens from hitting Joe Burrow. The BB wouldn’t touch the football. BB would be big, agile monster.
Reds suck. Weather sucks. I’ll be behind the couch or under the bed until sustain few days of sunshine. If Reds offering some still functional quaaludes during entry to GASP then you’ve got my four game package money. Anything beyond that and the risk to my long term mental and physical health - due to both ludes and the on field product - simply becomes too great. Back to the weather, said the same thing around thanksgiving and whenever it suddenly was warm for spell this winter. March is going to be all in on gray, just cold enough temps to make the sustained blahs unavoidable. That’s it for me, back down to the basement and turpentine for a few more weeks.
Great article Doc. You pretty much quoted my wife about the weather. She is constantly telling me to stop bitching about the weather because I can't do anything to change it.
I'm with you all the way on the weather. I'm absolutely itching to be outside now. Sunday afternoon/evening was nice. I actually had to mow already. Sad, but at least it means warmer weather is on the way. Just a few more weeks and things should be looking up!
The Reds aren't going to be a threat to win their division but I do think they'll be fun to watch. I'm predicting 71 wins this year. I hope somehow magically win more, but too many questions early.
I remember 1970 at 11 years old, the year I really became a Reds fan. Reading about the team everyday in the Post and the stories about how it had been since 1940 since they won the WS, I couldn't get over, as an 11 year old, how long ago that seemed to me. My parents were 9 and 8 respectively that year, younger than I in 1970. Incredible! It took 5 more years until the Reds and their fans reached Nirvana, then did it again a year later and again in 1990. I'm giddy just thinking about that. Now here we are, 2023, and it will be 33 years without a WS win. My 2 sons, ages 29 and 30, never experienced the thrill of following a WS champ from opening day to the celebration on the mound, and despite my passion for the team, never developed any interest in what has become a perennial loser. Subsequently, the Reds have bled off generations of fans. Where you gonna go? Away, Phil, away.
AC/DC over Ramones, but I’m only counting the Bon Scott years. Back in Black was the first post-Bon record. Unpopular opinion: that record isn’t that great. Bon had a bluesy edge to his vocals that Brian Johnson never had. Johnson sounds like a constipated man doing an AC/DC impression at a karaoke bar
Legal weed dispensaries at GABP are more than warranted given the non-competitive status of the club. For years, Reds marketing has done everything possible to de-emphasize the on-field product. May as well make a clean break. 'Reds Baseball: Come get stoned and enjoy the sunshine.'
Speaking of weather-I feel you on that 'front'. Once we have a few nice days, I'm DONE with winter. I do get a bit jealous of the primacy it takes for you. When it's lousy, I grumble, then address the laundry list of domestic and/or professional work that needs to be done indoors.
Lamar is great-but this day of reckoning was inevitable. The risk is simply too great to garner a long-term investment. While a QB is the one piece worth investing in, most franchise QBs come with a more stable floor. If LJ's reliability/longevity is regarded more as a RB, then there is no way that he'll garner Deshean's contract. At the time, I was intrigued by the Bengals maybe taking him, but this was the exact thing that gave me pause.
Ramones > AC/DC and it's not even close. Garage punk vs. pop-metal. Played in underground record shops vs. played at sports bars. Driving thumping bass lines vs. self-indulgent guitar screech. WEBN vs. 97X, etc. The Ramones forged a musical bridge that connects the earliest incarnations of 60s rock 'n roll to the nihilistic punk ethos of the 80s. The respective talent levels may be similar, but musical importance is one-sided.
I'm right there with ya, Paul. (Fie) on this cold weather.
I used to love cold weather and snow ... as a kid. Sled riding, snowball fights, and playing tackle football with the neighborhood kids, feeling like a gladiator on defense with my breath smoking from my piehole.
Then I grew up. And the cold absolutely sucks. It's March 28, and I had to defrost ice off of my car this morning. I've had to bundle up like Yukon Cornelius just to go outside recently and play catch with my 13-year-old son. Even the 50-something degree days recently have felt chillier than 50-something degree days used to.
I'm only 46 for pete's sake ... I haven't hit the age yet where I have to run the thermostat at 80 year-round like my grandparents, have I?
"I Wanna Be Sedated." Absolutely perfect choice for this upcoming season of Reds baseball. Those employees working the concessions at GASP -- especially the craft beer bar -- better gird their loins for battle and get great orthopedic footwear, because they will be swamped.
It'll play out like King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans, trying to hang on against the hordes of Persians seeking succor in the way of some tasty Taft's or Rhinegeist, just so they can numb themselves while witnessing the crew of bums and rookies wearing the wishbone "C" who are trying to pass for a legitimate MLB team.
So disclaimer: I AM NOT an athlete. I gave up swimming in the 11th grade. It boggles my mind that an NFL player can play with a broken leg or arm and an MLB player cannot play with a hangnail. And that is all I have to say about that.
Flagstaff, AZ (7000 foot elevation) has gotten over 155 inches of snow this season, the bulk of it coming after Martin Luther King Day. At least Phoenix this time of year is usually nice, but they've been cold and rainy.
I hate humidity (mold tried to kill me in Cincinnati, long story) but god help me, I'm looking forward to being in Florida and the Caribbean a week from Thursday.
The only nice thing about Reds baseball in the land of no daylight savings time is that they lose games earlier here than back east. Then I can watch the Suns (the NBA equivalent of the Cincinnati Bengals) find new and unusual ways to fall out of the top four seeding in the West.
I also should mention that Saturday night I went up the road to Greensboro to see Springsteen (which is not compatible with a thinwallet… the Ticketmaster fees were more than the full ticket price 20 years ago). He played a 10 minute version of the E Street Shuffle, and Rosalita in the encore. Not the entire side B, but perhaps would have cheered you up.
As some mobsters may remember, I am a big fan of Lamarvelous for a good reason (Ville fan). This current drama follows the pattern he has dealt with throughout his career. You know, should have been a running back not a QB as well as drafted behind such luminaries as Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Josh Rosen with only Josh Allen justifying a higher ranking. Then the periodic media article interviewing unnamed “NFL defensive coaches” who call him a flash in the pan that time will take care of eventually while disregarding a 73% winning percentage. Oh, and his playoff experiences in his first five years have no SB rings so there’s that (Josh Allen doesn’t either but no one talks about that).
Now, he’s up for a new contract and everyone in the NFL wants him to ignore the dumb ass Browns for giving a sexual predator the Biggest Contract of the 21st Century!. Followed by obvious NFL owner collusion - “nothing to see, please move along”. Plus, he doesn’t pay an agent to shill for him. My goodness! What will he think of next? So, my reaction as certified fanboy? Do whatever you want, sir, you earned the freedom to do so, even if you end up with the Mayflower Colts.
I don't like but don't hate winter. If the sun is shining it's fine. I hate sweating my ass off just walking around so I would not be happy in Florida. Plus, that state may be where woke went to die, but the crazies thrive. No thanks.