We Resolve: Best of Intentions for Chicago Sports-- Part 2

WE RESOLVE: //// TO TRY TO STOMACH ONE MORE SEASON OF ADAM DUNN. (Who gives new meaning to the words three and Dunn. Peavey's gone, let's do the same for dear old Adam.) //// TO LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF MARTELLUS BENNETT, because we're sure the guy has some some of the most bizarrely interesting things to say.) //// TO IGNORE DENNIS RODMAN-- or at least try. (Well, he could really play pretty good "D." Right, Ambassador Dennis?) //// TO LOSE OUR PATIENCE WITH THE CUBS, TOM RICKETTS, TOM TUNNY, THOSE ROOFTOP OWNERS and anybody else involved with the long-delayed Wrigley Field renovation. (Those guys, those guys, those guys.) //// TO GIVE RICK RENTERIA A ONE-MONTH HONEYMOON PERIOD before we get on his case if Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo continue to devolve. (Weren't they supposed to be the second coming?) //// Right. --RoadDog

We Resolve: Best of Intentions for Chicago Sports-- Part 1

From the Jan. 1, 2014, Chicago Tribune "Main Event: The Best of Intentions." A rather funny list of resolves as in resolutions for the new year from the good sports folk at the Trib. //// Each one begins with "WE RESOLVE:" 1. TO TAKE IT EASIER ON JAY CUTLER even if he acts so often like an arrogant jerk who doesn't care what anybody thinks--except perhaps Brandon Marshall. (What do you means "acts like a jerk?") //// TO WATCH MORE BLACKHAWKS HOCKEY, in particular, the artistry of Patrick Kane. (I sure enjoy those Hawk games.) //// TO SAVOR ONE MORE SEASON OF PAUL KONERKO on the South Side. (After all, he's our last one from that great 2005 season and someone who will need to have his number retired.) //// TO LOWER OUR EXPECTATIONS OF DERRICK ROSE'S SECOND COMEBACK (Sure getting paid a lot to sit out two seasons and hurt his team with that ridiculous salary he gets for doing nothing.) //// And, Some More Coming. --RoadDog

JSS: Door Stops-- Pop-- Windows

JSS-- Just Some Stuff. //// 1. DOOR STOPS-- We have door stops at the base of the front door and door leading out to the garage which keep the cold out at their bases. Next time, though, that I buy one it will be orange or something bright as the oens we have are black and everytime I go to go out the door, it jams up. //// POP-- Whenever stores have a sale on the two-liter pop ($1 or less), I stock up and have the bottles out on the shelves in the garage. I'be been keeping an eye on them to see that they don't freeze. I also have a supply of Diet Cheerwine bottles I brought from North Carolina which I'm being especially careful as you can't buy them around here. //// WINDOWS-- Last night, I closed all the shades on the windows to keep the warmth in as much as possible. This morning, I opened the ones with a southern exposure to let the sunlight in while it is out. I'll close them again around 4. //// Keeping As Warm As Can. --RoadDog

Mighty Brrrrrrr Out There

As a matter of fact, we're staying inside today. Very unpleasant outside. A little while ago, looking at Weather Bug, the temp here was -17.3 with a windchill at -44. That's chilly even for around these, along the Illinois-Wisconsin line. So far today, the high has been -8. Being retired, I have no where I have to go and sure won't. //// Tomorrow, the high is 2 degrees and Wednesday we have a balmy 14 degrees. //// Sure wish those Canadians would keep their lousy weather!!! Listening to local radio and they keep playing the Michigan commercial with George Clooney saying, "For those of us who love winter." Probably better that I do not see the guy right now. I could think of things to do to him with his favorite time. //// At least it's not snowing. I just saw that we are within 3 inches of the winter average of snow and winter has just begun. //// All this cold and snow has gotten me to thinking F-L-A, but that's not much better: Tallahassee (we like Panama City and the Forgotten Coast): 46, 37 and 50 the next three days. Tampa: 65, 48 and 68. //// Listening to 94.9, the Surf out of North Myrtle Beach, SC, right now and they're saying to stay warm. //// When It Gets This Cold, The Tough Burrow In. --RoadDog

Some Notes On Arkansas State: Four Coaches in Three Years!!!! The One and Done Era

As I mentioned in the previous post, Arkansas State defeated Ball State in the Go-Daddy Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, last night when they blocked a potential tying field goal in the final second. //// We got to know a lot of Arkansas State fans when Northern played them in tthat bowl game back in 2012. This is a team and school I can definitely relate to as they are on the same path as NIU and East Carolina, another team I back. //// I remember when they first joined Division 1 back in the 90s and it was about the only team we could beat. //// Now that they're starting to have success, they are having the same coaching problems we have. Start winning and you'd better start looking for a new coach. NIU has had three coaches in the last four years. Arkansas State, the Red Wolves and do their fans ever howl when two or more get together, has had THREE in THREE YEARS and start next year with a fourth one. //// From Wikipedia. //// The article refers to it as "The One and Done Era." //// Arkansas State coaches, the year they coached and where they went: //// HUGH FREEZE, 2011, Ole Miss (this was the team NIU played) //// GUS MALZAHN, 2012, Auburn (playing in tonight's national championship) //// BRYAN HARSIN, 2013, Boise State //// BLAKE ANDERSON, 2014, just hired from North carolina where he had been offensive coordinator. //// Last night's coach was interim coach for their second straight Go-Daddy Bowl game. //// But, Arkansas State has evidently learned the fate of Mid-Major programs very well. Anderson signed a five-year contract with hefty buy-out clauses. $3 million in the first and second year; $2 million in third and fourth and $1 million in the last. //// Something That All Mid-Major Programs Should Do. --RoadDog

Just One Loss After Another: Bears Lose, then the Pack and Then the MAC Goes 0-5 in Bowls

It's been a rough week in football for us. First, Da Bears lost to Da Pack and yesterday, Da Pack lost to the 49ers. Saturday, the Chiefs lost to the Colts. //// Last night, Ball State lost to Arkansas State in the Go-Daddy Bowl. That makes the Mid American Conference 0-5 for bowls this season (Buffalo, Ohio, Bowling Green and NIU also lost). At one time, the MAC had a hard time getting even one bowl. If they continue this dismal effort, we'll be back to one bowl again (maybe). Back in December I had proudly headlined an entry "MAC Goes A-Bowlin'." //// Reckon It'd Have Been Better If the MAC Had Just Stayed at Home. --RoadDog

A Better Academy Awards Best Picture Arrangement

Just a thought as to how to make the Academy Awards for best picture better. Break the nominees down into categories with 3-5 in each. //// My proposed categories: Best Comedy, Best Animated, Best Adventure and Best Movie You've Never Heard Of. //// Every year it seems that at least half the movies are ones I've never heard of before and, as such, never had a chance to see because the local theaters don't show them. //// What I'd like to see is all theaters show these unheard of movies when the finalists are announced. The few times I've gotten to see these movies, they certainly were good ones. //// Just My Humble Suggestion. --RoadDog

Movie Scratches, Closing Out 2013: Frozen-- Hobbitt-- Furnace-- Anchorman

A Dog's Eye View of Current movies. Closing out 2013 and I was just able to get my goal of at least 52 movies seen at the theater for the year. //// 49. FROZEN-- 12-7-- Fox Lake $6-- The original "Ice Ice Baby." //// 50. THE HOBBITT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG-- 12-17-- Fox Lake $6-- "By the way, if you see a live dragon down there, don't wake him." Words of wisdom about a dragon with a serious 'tude. //// 51. OUT OF THE FURNACE-- 12-18-- Fox Lake $4.50--Poor guy just can't win, but does get his brother's killer, mean old Woody. Christian Bale becoming a favorite actor of mine. //// 52. ANCHORMAN II: THE LEGEND CONTINUES-- 12-20-- Fox Lake $6-- So, that's how 24-hour news got that way. Brick dumber than a brick, but much funnier. //// Snow Salt All Over the Lobby Floor These Days. --RoadDog--

Deaths: Phil Everly, 74: Half of Everly Brothers

Died January 3, 2014. He and his brother Don Everly had a whole slew of big hits in the late 50s/early 60s and were noted for their high harmony. According to AP, they "sang dark songs hidden behind deceptively pleasing harmonies and were the perfect interpreters of the twitchy hearts of millions of baby booming teens coming of age in the 1950s and 1960s." //// They even influenced the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkell. From 1957 to 1962 they had 19 Top 40 hits before breaking up in 1073 and getting back together again in 1987. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Famne in 1986. //// Their hit song "Wake Up Little Susie" was actually banned back in its day. Some of their big hits "Wake Up Little Susie" #1 in 1957; "All I Have to Do" #1 1958; "Bird Dog" #1 1958; "Cathy's Clown" #1 1960 and "When Will I Be Loved" #8 1960 (later a big hit for Linda Ronstadt. //// A Great One. --RoadDog

Familiar Foes With Local Ties To Clash: UW- Whitewater Vs. Mount Union

From the Dec. 20, 2013, Northwest (Il) Herald by AP. //// It will be two familiar opponents who will be playing tonight for the NCAA D-3 Championship at the Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Salem, Virginia. They've been there before. //// In addition, UW-Whatewater has quite a few players from northwest Chicagoland: Kyle Wismer and John Flood from out village's Richmond-Burton High School as well as Jacobs grad Tim regan and Harvard's Collin Nolen. Not to mention backup qb Nelson who is the son of a friend. //// Whitewater and Mount Union have played for the Division III Championship in eight of the last nine years. //// Mount Union is 14-0 under first-year coach Vince Kehres, 37. He is the son and former defensive coordinator under his father Larry Kehres who guided the Purple Raiders to 21 unbeaten regular seasons and 11 national championships in 27 years as head coach. //// You have to wonder how a bigger school didn't snatch him up which is norm for college football? //// Larry Kehres retired after lasy season when he again won his 11th national championship with a stellar overall 332-240-3 record (with four of them coming from UW-Whirewater. //// Mount Union features last years championship MVP quarterback Kevin Burke who threw for 3,514 yards, 44 TDs and only 7 interceptions this year. In addition, he ran for 1,035 yards. //// That Was Quite a Game. --RoadDog

UW-Whitewater Blasts Mount Union for D3 Title, 4th in Five Years

From the Dec. 20, 2013, NBC Sports. //// I was able to watch this while at a friend's party. What I expected to be a very close game as these two teams have squared off many times in the past, was just that for awhile, but then Whitewater buried them. //// The game was played at Virginia's Stagg Bowl, long-standing site for the NCAA Division 3 championship game. //// It was the Whitewater Warhawks versus the Mount Union Purple Raiders and was close before Whitewater went on a 31-0 run after halftime. //// Whitewater is perhaps 40 miles from where we live so we support them, especially with a friend's son playing as backup qb and several Richmond-Burton players on the team. //// This is the 8th time in the last nine years the two teams have faced each other (last year, Whitewater didn't make it that far, but Mount Union won it) for the D-3 championship. Whitewater is now 5-3 versus Mount Union. //// Both programs are unbelievably good and the last time neither team was in the Stagg Bowl was 2004. The time before that was 1995. //// Big Congrats to Whitewater. --RoadDog

Went to DeKalb for Da Game-- Part 4: The Day After

Like the song said, there has to be a morning after, and there was. After the continental buffet, I drove over to Lowe's in DeKalb (notice the capital "K") on Il-23 and found that they have a real nice collection of Christmas items and spent a bunch of money there and then over to Wal-Mart and did the same.

After Liz got up, we drove over to White Castle for our usual meal #1 (4 Sliders, fries and drink for $4.99, less 10% for senior discount which covers the DeKalb 10% food tax). Then to Big Lots for some treasure hunting (you never know what you'll find in there) and a crazy dancing Frosty the Snowman.

Then, Il-23 to Il-176 to Union where we toured the McHenry County Historical Society (we especially liked the Christmas store selling all those great toys from our childhood) and stopped at Classen's, a tavern dating to 1900. Union is quite a historical town which also has the Illinois Railroad Museum and Donley's Antiques and Western Museum.

Then, it was the Red Mill Inn in Woodstock and Twisted Moose in McHenry before going home. Every place was packed. Guess a lot of folks are off for Christmas.

Too Bad We Lost. --RoadDog

Rock and Roll Class of 2014 Announced

From the Dec. 18th, 2013, Northwest Herald. //// On December 17th, the next class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was announced and include Nirvana, KISS, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Linda Ronstadt and Cat Stevens. //// Just this past New Year's Eve at the early celebration at the Legion in Fox Lake, the lady sitting next to me was playing a whole bunch of Cat Stevens tunes on the jukebox before karaoke began. //// More than 700 Rock Hall voters determined the 2014 class. The 29th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is open to the public and tickets go on sale this month and will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn April 10th. //// I won't be there...again. //// Congrats to Some Worthy Inductees. --RoadDog

Toastin', Snowin' and Bowlin'

New Year's Eve, Liz and I went to the Fox Lake American Legion for the annual "Early New Year's Celebration" from 1 to 5 PM. Just great timing for old fogies like us. We had plenty of food, drinks and karaoke. Afterwards, we went to Antonio's for a couple before going home. Actually stayed up until 12:30 AM. //// New Year's Day was spent mostly shoveling snow (which started at 3 PM New Year's Eve and continued until this afternoon with probably a foot accumulation of fortunately light snow which I usually shoveled off instead of using the snowblower. I also watched the Rose Bowl Parade and then more bowl games than usual. I wasn't happy about Georgia's loss to Nebraska or the Wisconsin and Iowa losses, but was very happy with Michigan State winning the Rose Bowl. //// Spending the Eve and Day. --RoadDog

JSIS: Football: Packers-- UCF-- Lovie

JSIS__ Just Some Interesting Stuff. //// 1. PACKERS-- The Packer playoff game Sunday is not sold out. As of this morning, there were still 8,500 unsold tickets, ranging from $102-$313 a pop. If not sold out by the end of the day today, the game will be blacked out in the area between Green Bay and Milwaukee. Every Packer regular season game has been sold out since 1959. //// 2. UCF-- Congratulations to the University of Central Florida who yesterday defeated #6 Baylor in the BCS Fiesta Bowl. That was the one the Northern Illinois Huskies was headed for before the MAC Championship loss to Bowling Green. Very important, it was an underdog victory. And, they owe a big thank you to NIU for our late season collapse. //// 3. LOVIE-- Lovie Smith, former Bears head coach, has evidently signed with Tampa Bay. He's a good coach, but knows nothing about quarterbacks. //// As Lovie Liked to Say, "He's Our Quarterback." Regardless of How Bad They Were (Right Grossman and Cutler?) --RoadDog

TV Stars We Lost in 2013

I printed a list of the ones I'll particularly miss on today's date in my Cooter's History Thing Blog. The ones of them I'll miss the most are Jean Stapleton, Annette Funicello and Bonnie Franklin. //// Check it out on the Blogs I Follow on this page. //// --RoadDog

Did Anyone Die In Your House? Here's How to Find Out

From the Nov. 12, 2013, Yahoo! News. "Website Tells Who Died At Your House" by Alan Farnham, Good Morning America.

Check it out at DiedInHouse.com. If you move into an older home, find out if there were any murders, suicides or natural deaths in your house. I bet the folks who moved into the "Amityville Horror" or "Conjuring" would have liked to know.

This is the idea of Roger Condrey, but it will cost you $11.99 for a report.

A Small Price to Pay for Peace of Mind. --RoadDog

BOO!!

Happy New Year, 3546th Post: "Mother of All My Blogs"

This blog just finished seven years and now starting the eighth. It was my secind blog and grew out of when I was unable to get the original blog, RoadDog's RoadLog Blog up on the home computer after I got home from Nashville.

This one was to be about anything and everything I found of interest outside of old roads.

I post more entries on this one (now 3546) than any of the others and it is mostly about what I'm up to and music.

This one is the mother of all of my blogs other than the first one. As I found myself writing a lot about certain items, I spun those out as new blogs: Cooter's History Thing, Saw the Elephant, Running the Blockade, Tattooed On Your Soul and Not So Forgotten.

I Need to Find a Better Use for My Time, But I Sure Enjoy It. --RoadDog