blog statement...

i will be back on in a few days,after re-setting my blog settings... just have to check if it is being given to my father... may take a few minutes,or days...

a simple great wide receiver....

career numbers for Calvin Johnson:731 receptions;11,619 yards,83 touchdowns(all Lions' franchise records),seven 1,000 yard receiving seasons(in nine seasons)... honestly,if he had single coverage on him,he "owed" you,and even double and triple coverage REALLY did not mean he was not open for a pass... he made a catch last year,against the Minnesota Vikings for a touchdown,and he was covered by three defenders... UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! he changed the NFL with the Calvin Johnson rule "in the process" rule,when as he caught a game winning touchdown pass against DA BEARS,but he spun the football on the ground,after he caught the pass,and the referees thought he dropped the football,even though it was obvious still to me that he caught the football,that day...

correction...

in a blogpost talking about the retirement of a classy Calvin Johnson,i called him Charles... oops,i corrected that post... again,Calvin,have a great life,and personally i will miss watching you catch passes,PERIOD!!!!

Lions,Vikings,and DA BEARS all suck,oh my... (paraphrasing the Wizard of Oz)...

on this day,the NFC North Division just became a two team horse race for the division title,between the Packers and the Minnesota Vikings... i hate to admit,like i said for years with a four time division champion(Packers),now the division goes through Minnesota,for now... with the retirement of the classy Calvin Johnson,now the Lions,Vikings,and DA BEARS all suck,really suck!!!!!!

a classy person says goodbye to the NFL...

a shocking announcement,and a major shock to the Detroit Lions,wide receiver Calvin Johnson announced his retirement after nine seasons in the NFL... a true classy person,and a classic tough guy(i mean battling injury,and saying little about that)... Megatron was probably the best wide receiver the Lions had,in their team history... when he played for the Lions against the Packers,he was option one,one a,one b,and one c,on offense,and i had deep everlasting respect for his play... he holds the all-time NFL single season receiving yardage total with nearly 2,000 yards,breaking a Jerry Rice record,in the process... that says a lot about him... he is a future Hall of Fame member in my book...

anniversary of a classic fight...

forty five years ago today,Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier in Madison Square Garden in their first fight of three fights... Frazier knocked down Ali,in fifteenth round,and won an unanimous decision... i saw the fight live at the old Alhambra Theatre,closed-circuit... what a fight!!!!

a time to remember...

i have been thinking about a lot of things,lately,and some of the things i have written about,and i am happy about what i have written,but there are some things that i will not write about,at all... not many things,but just a few things... in my life i have met my share of really bad people... in fact,to survive through it all,i became friends with them...  however,not too many of them... i have tried to be nice to people,but again,i have been stabbed in the back by some people,who after stabbing me in the back,they badmouthed me... those were the people that i simply got even with;by getting so angry with them that i refused to talk to them,again... i told one person that if i EVER saw him,again,he was dogmeat... i said it sternly,softly,and an edge to my voice that he knew that i was deadly serious... at last report,he moved out of state to avoid yours truly... i simply learned a very long time ago not to take any crap from those people... to tell you the absolute truth,i am not a nice guy,and someone not to mess with,because i have been very hurt by people who were supposed to be friends,and i simply became harder than diamonds in my overall attitude... being "on the road" for nearly a decade turned me that way,because i simply had to survive that "personal hell",and yet sometimes i remember that time... a couple of days ago,i saw this fellow traveler "on the road",who i simply walked up to him,gave him a dollar,and started to walk away,but he started to talk about what is happening to him... i stopped,just listened to him,and talked to him in response,then told him that i would be right back,so i went to a store,bought something,and got extra change(a twenty),and simply handed him the money... on the way home,i saw him walk away,gave a simple silent prayer,and i really remember being in the same place that he was,so i helped him... i do not do it often,but i do it without comment,or having him/her know my name... that is what people should do,but unfortunately,people are stuck up on self,or have no time to be nice... to those people,i say simply:how heartless!!!!

NASCAR trivia...

can you name the two drivers to win the Daytona 500,and the Indianapolis 500??? drumroll,please... answer:Mario Andretti(won Daytona 500,in 1967;won Indianapolis 500,in 1969),and A.J. Foyt (won Daytona 500.in 1972;won Indianapolis 500 four times)... Andretti is the only foreign born driver to win the Daytona 500;born in what was Italy but now is Croatia,but is a naturalized American citizen...

news...

Peyton Manning will announce his retirement,tomorrow,in a press conference... note:tomorrow,i say something about him...

memories of my time in Orange County...

today has been a very long day... except for a three hour nap,i have been up for the last thirty nine hours,and for some reason,i am tired,but i am also creative in my thoughts,so i have been up thinking,praying,dancing,and simply remembering my life,in little spurts... the old saying goes:walk a mile in my shoes,and then you will understand my life(paraphrasing it)... i have to say this:i really thank my dearly departed mother for giving me the true passion of life,in writing about memories that no one would believe... one memory that comes to mind happened in Orange County in the winter of 1993-1994:i met this bread salesman,and he used to give me bread and other pastries(day old,of course),every winter morning out of his bread truck,and i will never forget that gentleman... i spent most of the year 1994,in Orange County,except May/early June,walked most of the county,and had a good time... i found out the county/city bus route from Long Beach,to San Bernardino,and guess how much it cost me to go from there to there??? $3.25... Greyhound cost about $25... however,in late July,when my soulmate moved back to Sacramento,i was really miserable,and lonely... in August/September,1994,i got very,very ill,and literally spent four days in bed,after a bout of bronchitis,severe heatstroke,and a 104 degree fever... at that time,it averaged 100+ degrees for that week.. should have been in a hospital bed,so i spent almost every cent that i had on a hotel room,so i was broke,extremely miserable,and lonely... i really remember those miserable days,because i just walked those streets every day,silently crying every night... i remember going up to the drive thru window at a TACO BELL,getting me something to eat about midnight,and then sitting at a bus stop reading "The Stand",by Stephen King,night after night... great book!!! i remember that a Catholic church used to feed the homeless every Sunday,and funny thing is that the food was simply first rate... you ate as much as you wanted,no questions asked!!! i did anything(actually,i did have a few odd jobs,mostly housecleaning,even detailed a car,once)to simply survive back then... i remember sleeping in a National Guard Armory,in Fullerton,every night for six months,on an Army cot... if you had the chance to set up the cots,you took that,anytime,because it detailed emptying a tractor trailer of food every night,so you found out what was on the menu,that night... i also remember one of the last times that i was at the Armory,someone snored so loud that it sounded like an airplane engine was revving,like it was just about to take off... the snoring actually woke up the soldiers... they were very pissed off... i remember spending the night at the Crystal Cathedral,in Garden Grove... you could not fall asleep,but they allowed people to walk the campus,so i did one night... what a memory!!!!

warnings of danger(laughing)...

have been a very strange day... actually went to bed at 7 am,because i had some things to do,and when insomnia hits,i do some major housecleaning... did get about three and half hours of sleep,so i am tired... tonight will be "rock" time,as i get enough sleep... if anyone wakes me up,be warned,i will be a cobra(not too nice on phone-will be nicer to family than to other scum),or anyone knocks on door,i will be cursing that person out... i do not mess around when extremely tired... ol' mean SOB comes out... i learned a very long time ago not to take any crap from anyone,and i do not take it.....

odd trivia...

who was the very first person to be photographed??? answer:Conrad Heyer,a Revolutionary War veteran,and farmer,from Waldoborough(Waldoboro),Maine,in the year 1852....

respect...

football is a great game... however,something that happened on November 14,1970 actually changed my viewpoint slightly about it... on that night,a DC-9 carrying seventy one passengers and four crew crashed just short of the airport outside Huntington,West Virginia... it was the plane carrying the 1970 Marshall University football team,staff,and some parents,that night... you probably know that story,folks... people have said that winning is everything,including Packers' great Vince Lombardi,but when something like that happened(and other plane crashes that have taken entire teams away,like the Wichita State plane crash that took away most of that team,too),you simply realize that football is only a game (a fun,great game,i may add,but only a game)... i deeply love the Packers(i wear a Packers' hat almost every day),and i root for "my team" every game that they play,and "hate" every opponent that plays the Packers,but i always remember that it is only a game,because sometimes true life intrudes on the game,and then you realize that it is only a game... to those seventy five victims of that tragic plane crash,i mournfully and respectfully tip my hat to each and every one of them...

a breath of real freedom...

my life has been anything but a bed of roses... from 1977 to 1999,i sometimes was miserable in many ways... i was dangerously suicidal,and then in 1989,to 1999,i was "on the road"... people have their opinions why i was "on the road",and i am just fine with that... i learned a great deal about myself while i was "on the road",in ways that no one would understand at all... traveling from coast to coast was necessary,for my mental health,and i have to admit that it was exciting to wake up most mornings not knowing where i would be when the sun sets... i really did notice that homeless people who stayed in only one place were not motivated to do anything,and i just could not stand that,so i traveled everywhere... seeing parts of the country that some people simply forget in their rush to get somewhere made my days very unique and memorable... many times,i started to go somewhere that i thought would be nice,and then i would end up 1,000 miles from where i wanted to be... what a real thrill!!! two examples of that:i basically walked just over 100 miles,in Colorado,and Nebraska(both states),in August/September 1998,and i stopped in Gothenburg,Nebraska for a couple hours,and i was simply fascinated by the town square,and in June of that year,i stopped in Mountain Home,Idaho overnight,and then walked out of the town that Sunday,and had that same feeling of simple fascination... you will never understand what i am describing:a breath of real freedom...

my defense of Aaron Rodgers...

hope you have enjoyed the blogs lately... i am melancholy,but have been risible,in wanting to laugh about my life lately... it is funny that my vocabulary has improved over the past few weeks,because i am just very relaxed... i know this is a football blog... normally i would be talking pigskin,and the Packers,and that will come soon enough... NFL free agency starts next week,so will get to that,folks,but not quite yet... honestly,i needed the severe break from football,because writing basically the same thing week after week,and then have the Packers struggle week after week was a real bummer... what got me real pissed about that time,honestly,was not the games... i enjoy watching Aaron Rodgers,Clay Matthews,and company play NFL football every Sunday,win or lose... however,it was what was said every week between games by the pundits,saying basically that the NFL has finally figured out how to play Aaron Rodgers,and how he needed to be fixed... to tell the absolute truth,folks,when you lose all four starting wide receivers,and your running game was,in many games,non-existent for most of the season,not even the best quarterback in the NFL will help the team,and folks,no matter what you may believe,Aaron Rodgers IS the best quarterback in the NFL,PERIOD!!!! i would take Aaron in a four minute offense,anytime,against anyone,especially in the last two minutes of a game... when Dallas Cowboys' owner Jimmy Jones mentioned in an interview that he really wanted quarterback Tony Romo to tutor his backup the way Brett Favre tutored Aaron,that is all that has to be said,folks... all you have to see two Hail Mary passes,against the Detroit Lions,and the Arizona Cardinals,and especially that 60 yard Hail Mary prayer of a pass,on fourth and twenty,just to set up that second Hail Mary pass,against the Cardinals,to see the magic touch,and unbelievable talent of one Aaron Rodgers... i simply have to say this:i will defend "my quarterback"(to quote a tearful Terrell Owens),anytime against any criticism,because i simply know down deep that he is the best quarterback in the NFL,so bring it on,pundits... you can simply kiss my backsides,and i do not care a whit about what you think... you pundits have no idea what drives Aaron... i know what drives him... it is obvious to any Packers' fan and shareholder/owner... he is the epitome of the old Packers' saying:"we do not lose,we just ran out of time in the game",and that the Packers win as a team,and lose as a team,and that is the Packer way... Packer Pride... that also is the mark of a true champion...

comments....

i have already paid all my major bills,this month... been on a walk,and i am tired... so i will be inside tomorrow,when it rains... YAY!!!! finally,do not owe money to anybody,and so i can save some money... i am happy... YAY!!!!

commentary...

i mentioned Packers' kicker Mason Crosby re-signing with the team,last night... now,it is time to really elaborate on that... he has been a Packer for his entire nine year career,and let me tell you something:on longer field goals than 50 yards,he is money(four of five,last year)... the one miss was against the Detroit Lions,and he missed it,only because the kick was blocked by the holder's hand,on the day that Murphy's Law reared its ugly head,and just about everything went wrong... now,i can laugh,but that day i was not laughing,i was cursing,i hate to admit that... he holds two records for the Packers;longest field goal,and has a current playoff streak of twenty field goals,in a row,which,if i am not mistaken,is also a NFL record... he was a free agent,but honestly really,really did not want to leave Green Bay... Congratulations,Mason,general manager Ted Thompson,and President Mark Murphy,for getting the four year contract done... if there was a number two jersey on sale,i definitely would buy it...

memories of my childhood,and of a visit years later...

i am thinking about my childhood... being a child in Salinas,and mostly in Bakersfield,was a very nice time for me... most of my memories happen to be of the house on Holtby(250 Holtby),and of my elementary school... really the last time i saw the house was a number of years ago,it was painted black,or a deep,deep shade of gray,and the backyard was all torn up;looked like someone had set house(at least the backyard)on fire,because the grass was not there,and the ground was blackened,in the backyard... i walked away very sad... it is strange that sometimes the memories are better than reality,but thinking back i was a kid,you know... i remember a very sad birthday(i was eight),when i forgot to invite anyone to my birthday,and cried all day,but i,honestly,did not blame anyone,but myself,for that mistake... however,i will never forget what my brother did that day,when i tried to climb into the "treehouse",to join his friends,that day... he pushed me off the tilted ladder at the top of it,and i smashed my head into the ground... what a very sad memory of that day...

blog statement....

normally,i would do something,but i awakened with back and hip pain(not serious,folks)... my foot is slightly numb,with nerve pain down the leg,but folks,i wake up normally with overall body pain,so,i may feel better later today... i will take a walk,but it will be a day of "Idaho Spud" time,overall... note:for a person who has been hit by three cars(one seriously),mugged and robbed fourteen times,in his life,with various fights,too,i am very lucky to be walking on two feet,period...

Packers' news...

Packers re-sign kicker Mason Crosby to a four year,$16.1 million dollar contract... a very good contract...

simple respect to an icon...

Sunday,i forgot to mention something that happened in NASCAR... for the people who do not know(my father and family),Dale Earnhardt,Sr. won seven NASCAR championships(most;tied with "the King" Richard Petty)and 76 races(seventh in NASCAR history),in his shortened career... well,to lay out what happened,Sunday:i had to tell you that,folks... well,six time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson won his 76th career race,and on the cool down lap,and in front of a raucous crowd,he simply put three fingers out of the driver's window... if you are a NASCAR nerd,like i am,you know what those three fingers meant to every NASCAR fan:a simple tribute to an icon(Earnhardt)...

memories of me and my father...

this is to say something to my dear father... i have talked about my family,everybody but my father,and now it is time for my feelings for my father... he is eighty one,going on eighty two,but he does not look like or act his age... good genetics for me,i guess... yesterday,he did a very small thing for yours truly,and it was something that he has done before for me,but yesterday,i just thought it was something that he really did not have to do,with everything that he had to do,yesterday... i remember playing one on one basketball,on our home made dirt court,and then playing golf at the local golf course,in El Dorado Hills(that place now is a bunch of houses,and condos;too bad),but back now more than twenty five years ago,we were playing golf on the third green(i five putted from fifteen feet;never could figure out that stupid green),and he razzed me something fierce going to the fourth tee,and so i took out my driver,said nothing to him,teed it up,then hit the tee shot about 280 yards down the center of that fairway,and then turned around,and said simply to him,"best man wins",and shook his hand... he stood there,stunned,and his jaw dropped open... i will never forget that look that he gave me... remember that old Master Card commercial:gas,$ 5,fees for a round of golf,$18,golf balls,$10,for three balls,tee shot 280 yards,and stunned look on face,priceless... that is the commercial that i will always remember every time i think about that round that cloudless day... to tell you the absolute truth,i actually played my last round of golf with my father with a fractured/severely bent left clavicle... i could not drive the golf ball too far,but my short game was excellent that day,so i suffered through nine holes that day... i was very excited to play a round of golf with my father to tell him anything,that morning,so i played golf... that is one thing that i did,when it basically was impossible to even lift my arm,but i did it that day... he does small things that seem monotonous to other people,but for him,they are normal,and to him,i feel he does them to remain sane,and i deeply respect that(like walking the dog,meeting me for Starbucks,taking care of my stepmother,when she is ill(not complaining about it at all),or taking a kid(me)to Winchell's Donuts,after delivering newspapers on cold nights in Bakersfield,so long ago... that memory to me is priceless,and my father,you are simply loved,period...