Top ten list of sports teams that are defunct or have moved

Greetings, readers. As promised, here is a top ten list of sports teams that have gone or that have moved. Doing my research, I learned just how valuable Rebecca was to me. Research takes time! 😦 So, as usual, here’s the list in no particular order. Enjoy! 

1. Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics [The Athletics started in Philly, moved to K.C. for a few years, then on to Oakland. Now, in a year or so, it will the Las Vegas Athletics.] 

2. Orlando Renegades [In the final season of the first version of the United States Football League in the 1980s, the Washington Federals and my Pittsburgh Maulers folded and merged to become the Renegades.] 

3. Pittsburgh Maulers [The original Maulers were a one-and-done team in the USFL that finished 3-15 in 1984.] 

4. Washington Senators [There were two Major League Baseball incarnations of this team. The first Senators team moved to Minneapolis to become the Minnesota Twins. The second became the Texas Rangers in 1972.] 

5. Orlando Thunder [A World League of American Football team with neon green uniforms and a super cool helmet logo!] 

6. Miami Seahawks – Now the Colts! [Okay, now I learned something today. I did not know that my beloved Baltimore Colts began as the Miami Seahawks for one season, 1946.] 

7. London Monarchs [Another cool team from the WLAF. Super cool logo and the folks in London loved them.] 

8. Pittsburgh Condors [A team in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1970-1972.] 

9. Houston Oilers [ An American Football League (AFL)/NFL franchise that was in Houston from 1960 until 1987. They became the Tennesse Oilers and then the Titans. I wished they’d never moved. The battles between the Oilers and my Steelers were epic classics.] 

10. San Antonio Gunslingers [A USFL team which played two seasons compiling a win-loss record of 12-24. The league folded before the 1986 season. 

There you have it. Now to put category, tags etc. Until Wednesday, take care, love one another, take care of your pets, do an act of kindness, and as always, happy reading 

Hunker down! A storm is a Comin’

Greetings, readers. According to the weather forecasters, Pennsylvania is going to get zonked with a major snowstorm this weekend. So, I am writing this blog post now, at 10:45AM and then I’m off to Target to get supplies for the weekend and possibly beyond. Did I ever mention that hate winter! 😦  

With 6 to 8 inches of snow followed by a smidgen of ice, I’m not moving from Saturday morning until Monday morning. I am supposed to have a work shift tomorrow from 11AM until close. I’m hoping the cafe stays closed. We’ve had people call off ill this week already, so if they are open, I would have to go in. I shall call my boss tonight. 🙂 

While I am at the store today, I must purchase a flash drive or disc. Our office manager was indeed able to pull my A Christmas Carol performance. I was so worried that it had been recorded over. Now, my friends and co-workers at the cafe can partake in, if they wish. After an hour and thirty-five-minute show, of which I believe I did well enough to give myself a 92% on, I wish to keep it forever! 😀 

This Sunday at church, I’m to be an usher and we have an ushers meeting after service. With all that slippery, white stuff of the ground, I shan’t be there…, unless said storm veers off. This Sunday is also the final week of the NFL regular season. My Steelers are hanging on for dear life as far as making the playoffs and my Vikings are out! 😦 I remember when I would never miss a Saturday college or Sunday NFL game. Now, I have almost no interest. I watched last year’s Super Bowl but did not watch one pitch of the World Series. I just know that the Texas Rangers finally won the title! 😀 

Well, readers, that’s enough for today. I’ll be back on Monday…, providing we have power. 😟 Until then, take care, love one another, stay safe and warm, as and always, happy reading. 

Times are a changin’

Greetings, readers. The nine-year stint of Rebecca and I working together will be coming to a sad end at the end of this year. Many factors on both sides have made this the only logical choice. Fear not, blog readers. While I might not post new entries twice a week, I won’t be closing the blog down either. As well, Rebecca asked me if she could add an occasional From Rebecca from time to time in the next year. Obviously, I said yes.

I’ve been going through a rough patch recently. A very sweet young lady – a server at Bear Spring Camps for many years – was hit by a car in Florida and killed a few days ago. It made me wonder: A wonderful person with her whole life in front of her is called home and I, a gamer and absolute loafer, continues to walk the planet. Hmm. I don’t see the justice in that. Probably I’ll get to live to be 106, playing baseball video games right up to the end.

A high school classmate of mine is back in the hospital and not doing well. Pinky, you have to make it, Kid. I’m not ready to add your name to the curse of the class of ’83. I’m praying for you constantly.

It is a beautiful sunny day here in central Pennsylvania, yet cold. There is nary a cloud in the sky. The days of 60º F are gone until springtime, I’m afraid. I must say with climate change we were warmer here longer in the fall season than in years past. I will take it.

I cannot believe that we are getting to the home stretch of the Penn State football season, and just past the mid-point of the NFL season. It truly feels like the older I get, the faster time seems to go. That is probably because the majority of my years are behind me. I’m not that young kid anymore who could run around and play sports. Hell, with my knees I couldn’t even run to a bus.

Now, readers, as you know I am not one for conspiracy theories. The other day I was doing errands with a friends and I saw something weird in the sky. I can only describe them as chem trails, a term I learned from a former friend that meant she thought the government was spraying chemicals in the air. I hope never to see another cloud like that again. It was definitely not a vapor trail from a jet liner at 33,000 feet. I know the difference. This was low and perfectly curved, as though it would fit around a big pipe. As Arte Johnson on Laugh-In would say, “Verrry interesting.”

Lastly, I’m still getting used to my new smart phone … very slowly, and thanks to the winning costume at the Halloween party, I won a Kindle Fire. That’s right folks, I went from having a dumb phone to having two smart devices in a week. There will be a learning curve. I must say though, I am enjoying both gizmos.

 

Me at the 2019 Halloween Party at Addison Court Apartment as C3PO. I won the contest!

 

That’s it for today. I can’t guarantee a blog entry for the weekend as you know, but I will try. We’ll be working together until the end of the year, so until next Wednesday, take care, have a great week, love one another, and as always, happy reading.

Cloudy rainy day and I feel blue

Greetings, readers. After several days of sunny weather, central Pennsylvania is in the midst of a chilly damp rainy day. My just operated-on-shoulder is letting me know it, with painful twinges. Most people prefer sunshine, which provides everyone with much needed vitamin D.

I am also in a melancholy mood because I found out some not so great news on my monetary status. I am poorer than a I thought I was. I knew very well that I wasn’t rich, but things are not as rosy as I had hoped. I might very well have to get memory foam in my shoes and try to get my fast food job back. A night-time manager that likes me very much would, I think, re-hire me on the spot. I’m not desperate enough to play lottery tickets just yet, but … that day may come.

On to the Pittsburgh Steelers, back-up quarterback Devlin Hodges performed well in Sunday’s night win over the Chargers. That makes us 2-4 and we still have a chance to make the playoffs. If Mason Rudolph clears concussion protocol, we’ll see if he gets the start in the next game. The Steelers have a bye week coming up. A lot of my NFL teams are tanking this year. I do like the Cleveland Browns, simply because they have been so horrid for so long. Someone has to root for them. And the Philadelphia Eagles lost this past Sunday. I thought they would be a stronger team. We’re a couple of weeks away from the season’s mid-point and it will be interesting to see which teams turn it around.

Note to our readers: There will not be a Sunday blog entry this weekend, but look for one next Wednesday and the following Sunday. Next Wednesday Rebecca and I will post a long overdue Top Ten List. We haven’t done one of those in ages.

Continued prayers go out to all who need it all over the world. I keep praying for people to give peace a chance and things just seem to be getting worse. I would not like to think that this is the biblical end times, but only the Lord knows. I’ll make a statement right now: If it is, I’m ready.

That’s it for today. I’ll have to hunt down my umbrella, I have errands to do this afternoon. So until next time, take care, have a fantastic week, and happy reading.

Sunday evening blog tentatively set to begin again October 6th

Greetings, readers. Yes, folks, it has been too long now not having two blog entries up per week. If the truth be told, I was going to wait until football season was over, but I think I shall try to sneak in an entry on late Sunday afternoons or evenings. My readers have come to expect two blog entries a week and as you know we aim to please.

For those of you who follow me on Facebook you will know I am trying to shake a cold right now. I just got finished telling Rebecca that I feel perfectly fine but sound very stuffy. If I hadn’t felt terrible two days ago, I might have actually called this an allergy attack. Remember it is fall here in central Pennsylvania. Happy second day of fall!

It is a gorgeous day here, nary a cloud in the sky. The new building next door is being worked on in earnest. They have five stories complete on my end of the building and four stories on the end closer to Beaver Ave. Completion date is set for next August, so quite soon the plumbing, lights, and the electrics will have to be put in. That means that the outside of the building must be completed first. It seems like only yesterday they were using the jack hammers to excavate for the foundation.

I saw a marked improvement in the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend though they lost. Mason Rudolph was a wonderful young quarterback and I’m hoping he gets his first win this Monday night at home vs the Cincinnati Bengals. Other NFL surprises are the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins. The Bills are 3-0??? And the hapless Redskins are 0-3. I think Redskins’ head coach Jay Gruden will be ousted if he loses to the New York Giants on Sunday.

In other sports news, the baseball playoffs are just around the corner. The Pittsburgh Pirates will not be in it, so I’ll take a quick glance to see if there are any other teams I am interested in rooting for before investing my time.

While watching NFL football, I have seen advertisements for new and returning TV series’. I’ve got to tell ya, I can’t say that I am truly dying to see any of them. If I really wish to see something there is always that beautiful invention called On Demand. With my new writing project now well under way (yay!) I think I shall watch TV catch-as-catch-can on Demand. I love Xfinity and its cable box.

Continued prayers go out to all who need it.

That’s all the news from here. Until next Wednesday, have a good week, take care, and happy reading.

A year to appreciate State College, and what’s up with the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Greetings, readers. I am going to thoroughly enjoy this coming ‘year’ – from August until late July – in the local area I’ve known since I was a child, paying special attention to each and every holiday. I didn’t do much for Labor Day, though obviously I was aware of it. The next holiday I will take part in is Halloween. I always loved it as a child and fully intend to watch the State College Halloween parade. I missed it last year, darn it.

Before I make it sound like I am going to die next year, I’ll share with you my tentative plan. There is a possibility, which has grown stronger with each passing year, that I may move to New Jersey, close to where David and family are. Another option would be to move to California and keep my Aunt Marilyn company. Although I have many friends here in State College, PA. my desire to live out the remainder of my days in this area is waning. I just feel like I am in a rut. Every time I try to get out of it I slide right back into it. So …

I will take extra pleasure on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. The holidays have always been my favorite time of the year. I will make certain to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and I will find a Christmas Yule Log presentation somewhere (we don’t get the TV station WPIX New York anymore, darn it.) And, of course, I will find some way to obtain a vehicle to partake of my Christmas Light Ride.

Something to share with you now folks, I asked Rebecca if I was having trouble focusing on today’s blog, and she said yes, so I slapped myself; literally. It was a wee bit harder than I wanted it to be. I’ll mark that down in my book of things to tell my therapist next time.

On to something else now, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in deep trouble. With Ben Roethlisberger out for the season it is up to Mason Rudolph to step in and carry the load. He looked good in Sunday’s game, though it was a losing effort. The Seattle Seahawks were just a little bit better. Our biggest problem is our defense. It needs to firm up. Right now, it can’t stop a toy John Deere tractor. Perhaps a new defensive coordinator is in order.

Yes, folks, I’ve been watching a lot of football the first two weeks of the NFL season, and I’m shocked that the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets are each 0-2. Am I going to abandon my Pittsburgh Steelers team? Heck no. The way things are now I only see us winning 6 games or so. The upside of that is they might get better draft choices for next season. I hate to see anyone’s career end, but Ben … it might be time to pass the torch to the youngster.

Prayers go out to EVERYBODY who is facing a natural disaster or a personal challenge.

Until next Wednesday, have a great week, take care of each other, and happy reading.

Getting back to normality

Greetings, readers. After two and a half days of lying flat on my back in the hospital, barely able to raise by right arm, I am happy to report to all that my recovery is coming along faster than I ever believed possible. I hardly have any pain, and my range of motion, believe it or not, is almost back to normal. It is hard to believe that my surgery was one week ago. How time flies.

I had a private room with a gorgeous view. It was near the helicopter pad and Life Flight did take off once while I was there. Bless the person whom they were rushing to help. The morning I left was beautifully clear and I got to see a hot air balloon fly in the sky. Although they always look beautiful, standing in a little basket is something that is not on my bucket list. I’ll just take pictures from my window.

Speaking of normality, I got back to watching Penn State football and the NFL. Boy, did the Pittsburgh Steelers lay an egg; I don’t think they have a coach that knows how to fire up a team to beat a champion caliber opponent. Saquon Barkley was one of the only New York Giants who had a good game vs. Dallas. I am an Eli Manning fan but I think his time has come and gone. The best game of the week was the first Monday Night Football game. Houston at New Orleans with the Saint’s last-second field goal. It was a true nail-biter right to the end.

One a serious note now, prayers go out to all the victims and families of Hurricane Dorian and the several mass shootings that took place during my convalescence. I’ve only ever experienced the outer fringe remnants of a hurricane-type storm, and believe me, it spooked me. I can only imagine what those poor people in the Bahamas and the Carolinas went through. My heart goes out to you.

Until next Wednesday (Sunday blog will begin soon), have a wonderful week, take care, love one another, and happy reading.

Joe’s Sunday Times. All the news which only my friends think is fit to print. :-D

Greetings, readers. This morning, Smith and I went to church with social hour afterwards. When we had our fill of hot chocolate, I had this great idea to go across the street to Target and grab the few items which I needed. Well, the ‘few items’ turned into five bags full; a major issue when we had the walker with us.

On the way home, the sun came out brightly, and the temperature rose quickly. According to my computer’s weather app, the high was going to be 61F. How I’ve longed to have warmer weather. With a high 47F yesterday and lots of wind, it was a big difference. Sometimes my fragile body doesn’t go for abrupt weather changes.

Well…, let’s see what else is news. Oh yes, The Alliance of American Football is kaput! Lol. The league lasted 8 weeks out of 10. Gee, there’s a league that didn’t even get to finish their 1^st season. Umm, guys, you should have been a bit more organized. You are now the laughing-stock of pro sports. The top man wanted the NFL to officially call the AoAF their minor league. The NFL’s commissioner said no. It was just a disorganized mess.

One of the reasons this entry is so tardy is that I took an afternoon nap. Unfortunately, my naps have been getting longer these days. Yes, readers, I’m not old… just older. Today I dozed off during a football game I was watching on YouTube. Programs which used to hold my attention now no longer do. Sometimes, if I feel myself dozing off, I can stand up, open a window or something, and revive myself. If not, I will be visiting Mr. Sandman.

Lastly, prayers go out to everyone in the world who needs them. The senseless shootings, and other acts of random violence, must end. If people have the ability to hate, they have the ability to love. Let’s stop the madness.

On Wednesday, Rebecca will be back and we will put up another exciting blog entry for your enjoyment. Until then, take care, have a wonderful few days, spread love around, and as always, happy reading.

Slightly under the weather and I’m about to build another Noah’s ark

Greetings, readers. Whoever said that you should take your medications at the same time every morning is most correct. I took my meds later than usual and although not by much, I could not listen to my morning music because I felt slightly seizure-ish. I’m fine now, but I hate it when my morning routine is interrupted. It is hard to describe how it feels. I remained completely awake and alert but my arms and hands didn’t do what I wanted them to do. I had to shut down the computer and rest.

On to the weather, prayers go out in advance to the folks in the Carolinas, who are about to be slammed by what is now called a “monster hurricane.” I will be donating later in the week to a GoFundMe page for hurricane relieve efforts, and I encourage you to do the same. In a few days, central Pennsylvania is forecast to get the outer ring of this humongous storm. This comes shortly on the heels of three straight days of hard rain from the remnants of the last hurricane, Gordon. Not to make light of the areas affected in the south, but we can’t take a whole lot more rain because of area flooding. This is after we had three solid weeks of rain in August. We had two weeks of drying out with a heat wave, before these latest storms. We don’t need more rain.

I watched quite a bit of week one pro football and was not impressed with my team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yes, readers, these Cleveland Browns are a better team than last year’s winless club, but come on … we should have beaten them by at least 14 points, despite the rain. This week we play the Kansas City Chiefs. If we are not careful, we will be 0-2. The Philadelphia Eagles squeaked out a close one after looking pathetic in the first half. Maybe I will become a Philadelphia Eagles fan. A lot of folks in our area have become New York Giants fans to watch former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. I had an opportunity to do the same, but chose to watch the pathetic Steelers instead. Bad choice!

I’m taking tomorrow off for personal reasons, so I’m going to ask Rebecca to put up a new blog for everyone to enjoy tomorrow. Until next week, I bid you a wonderful weekend, please stay safe and dry, and as always, happy reading.

Top ten list of things I would have liked to do in life

Greetings, readers. This is not a list to bash my self-esteem, but it might just serve to open my eyes and let me see some of the jobs or occupations I dreamed about having when I was younger. So here we go, and as always this is not in any particular order, except for #1.

#10. Be a writer with a lot of books and screenplays under my belt. [Over the last fifteen years or so, I’ve had many good starts on writing projects but they all seem to fizzle out quickly. Sometimes it is a problem with the story line, other times people beat me to the good idea, and a lot of times it is my body not cooperating.]

#9. Own my own vehicle again. [After my 2008 crash and other issues I won’t get into, my monetary situation is such that owning a vehicle is impossible. It’s too much money for maintenance, repairs, gas, parking, etc.]

#8. Play sports. [At age 52 and a half, my days of playing a pick-up game of football or softball are long behind me. My legs and knees are stiff and sometimes it is a chore just to jog across the street.]

#7. Have a son to carry on my name. [My plan to have a family young, in my 20s or 30s. is long gone. For me to be a father, I would either have to adopt a child or marry someone young enough to have a child. Most women in the age bracket of 20s or 30s would find it creepy to marry someone in their 50s.]

#6. Be a professional entertainer. [For years I was so shy, I lip-synced in all my musical performances that I did for family, friends, and, later, for my pals in my apartment building. Now that I’ve learned to drop my shields and actually sing, I’ve found out that I am not all that bad. Another chance wasted. I could have been the next member of KISS. Lol.]

#5. Own a house. [Yes, good old pride of ownership. I know it comes with its costs. I’d have to pay property taxes, mow the lawn, and fix the pipes. But I would have loved every minute of it. When I go to visit Dave and family in their house, I feel like I’m home. Here, it just feels like I’m in my apartment.]

#4. Be a TV sports broadcaster. [When I was a child, I loved watching Curt Gowdy call NFL football games. He had a style all his own. Later, there were the teams of Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy, and of course, Dick Enburg and Merlin Olsen. My favorite sportscaster though was the incomparable Howard Cosell. He knew his job inside and out, was incredibly intelligent, and covered every event from football to boxing with style and dignity.]

#3. Be a truck driver. [For a while when I was younger I had the notion of being a truck driver. I would have been able to see the country and do something I love to do; drive. Health reasons killed that idea.]

#2. Be a talk show host or D.J. [When I was a little boy, I had an old-fashioned tape recorder and I would pretend I was a D.J. I would announce the songs and then play them on my record player. It was so much fun. I also loved Johnny Carson of the Tonight Show. I had a fantasy that one day maybe I would have my own talk show or take over for him when he retired.]

#1. Be a pilot [I’ve always been fascinated by aircraft and my dream as an early teen was to be a commercial airline pilot. My health issues at age 16 ended that dream promptly.]

Well, there it is. Again, I’m not trying to throw myself a pity party. I’m just showing you, my readers, and me, my missed opportunities. I’m starting to find my niche in life and it could very well be that I write plays and either adapt them to a novel or give it to someone else to do it. Dialog just seems to be my thing.

Until tomorrow, have a great day, take care, and happy reading.