Bag of Randomness for Friday, April 19, 2025

  • When I saw Alice Cooper’s quote, I thought it was too good to be true, and someone made it up. I’m wrong. those are his words.
  • I’ve been reading a lot about all the gimmicks NBC plans on using to broadcast the Olympics. This one seems a bit cheap:
    • “The network even plans to deploy five heart-­rate monitors among the parents of athletes. The results will be shown on­screen as moms and dads watch their kids compete — something that test audiences have loved.”
  • Caitlin Clark’s first WNBA game will be in Arlington against the Dallas Wings on May 3rd.
  • I saw some videos of how Real Madrid uses a high-tech underground greenhouse to maintain its pitch (soccer field). They store the pitch in MiddleEarth when it isn’t being used, and it’s kept in perfect condition with fully automated air conditioning, irrigation, mowers, and LED lighting. It really is amazing and puts our stadium to shame. I need to find a documentary about it.

  • Scorsese Eyes Frank Sinatra Biopic With Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence
    • Scorsese did the Howard Hughes biopic. Hughes is a huge fascination of mine, and while Scorsese made a great film, I don’t think he and DiCaprio did the man justice. So, I don’t have high hopes that the Sinatra film will do Frank justice, though I bet it will be artsy.
    • A lot of people believe, rightfully, that Ronan Farrow’s father is actually Frank Sinatra and not Woody Allen. What I think Scorsese should do is cast Farrow as Sinatra for some scenes in the film.
  • Now, that’s how you crush a ball.

  • We. Are. Doomed.

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Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, April 16, 2024

  • Yesterday, Major League Baseball marked the 77th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the sport’s color barrier. His 101-year-old widow attended an event at Citi Field in New York. Jackie died in 1972 at the age of 53, 52 years ago. She has just about lived the total amount of time he was alive as his widow. I may not have phrased that correctly, but I think you understand what I’m trying to convey.
  • Jackie’s grandson, Burso Robinson, threw out the first pitch. That’s an interesting and unique name. I spent a good 20 minutes trying to find an answer, and I found a big bag of nothing. I guess it’s a nickname. This is what an AI search engine told me:
    • Jackie Robinson had three grandchildren through his son, Jackie Robinson Jr., and his daughter, Sharon Robinson. Their names are David Robinson, Jesse Robinson, and Adam Robinson. If you’re referring to another individual named Busro Robinson, I couldn’t find any information about such a person in relation to Jackie Robinson’s family.
  • Each year, several players across the league donate their April 15 gameday salaries to the Players Alliance, which works to promote Black participation at every level of organized baseball and a more diverse future for the sport. I think Ken Griffey Jr. was the first to start this tradition, but I’m too lazy to verify that information. But I know for sure he came up with the idea of all players wearing 42 each year, which is a pretty cool and strongly stated tradition.
  • Here’s an interesting connection I found: Jackie Robinson has a strong connection with musician Carly Simon.
    • In 1952, after the birth of their third child, the Robinsons needed a bigger home. The family was denied homes in NY that were “mysteriously” pulled off the market, and they had trouble viewing any new properties.
    • A reporter asked Rachel Robinson about racial housing practices in the tri-state area, and Carly’s father, Richard, read the article. Along with his wife, they decided to help the Robinsons find a plot of land. The Robinsons purchased a plot in Stamford, CT.
      • Carly’s father, Richard Simon, is the Simon in Simon and Schuster. He went on to co-found the San Diego detective agency, Simon & Simon. Okay, I made that last part up.
      • Everyone on TwitterX thought Carly’s mother, Andrea, was a JFK doppelganger. I totally see it. My mind is totally blown, but not in a JFK kind of way.
    • The house still needed to be built. The Simons offered the Robinsons a place to stay so that Rachel could oversee the building project. The Simons, the Robinsons, and their combined seven children would wind up together for about 18 months.
    • Carly’s brother, Peter, said, “Jackie spent so much time teaching us about baseball. We’d stand out in the backyard, and he’d hit us grounders with a tennis racquet and a tennis ball. He used to whale the ball and hit these towering high flies. We were so into it, especially Carly, who was a true-blue Dodger fan.”
    • In her memoirs, Carly recalled going to Dodgers home games at Ebbets Field, sitting on Pee Wee Reese’s lap in the dugout, and serving as the team’s informal mascot. The team had a special jacket made for her, with “Dodgers” printed on the back and “Carly” on the front.
    • Carly told NPR that Rachel was by her mother’s side when she was dying.
  • The inscription on Jackie Robinson’s grave has me doing some serious reflection.
    • “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives,”
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Bag of Randomness for Monday, April 15, 2024

  • I’ve recently mentioned a friend’s mother who died. I’ve been close to this friend since the eighth grade. His family moved to Mineral Wells because she got a teaching job at my old elementary school, Lamar. Soon, his father became the pastor of a local church, and I started to attend when I got my driver’s license. That church was a huge part of my life, and so was his family. His father, as they say, led me to Jesus, baptized and married me (he’ll probably end up doing my funeral), and was a constant part of my life. It helped that they moved to a city close to where I went to college, and I’d often drive through that town and pay his parents a visit on my way back to Mineral Wells. I haven’t had a mom (or a parent) since 2006. Most of that time, I felt I was too old and too much of a man to need a mom anymore. Then, out of nowhere, I was divorced and lost my family. I’ve had several big health scares. Sometimes, the only person I could find to take me to and from the hospital was that friend, who now happens to be pastoring a church in Mineral Wells, like his father. Over the last three years, his mom became a surrogate mother to me. For a while, I’d call her on a weekly basis, crying most of the time. She’d stay in contact by sending me encouraging text messages and telling me how much the kids and I were in her prayers. Her funeral was last Friday in Brownwood, a good three hours away. Of course, my little electric car couldn’t make it there, so I rented a car and took the day off work.
  • It’s been a while since I’ve made a road trip. A friend in Azel, who also attended that church when we were kids, asked if he could ride with me. This friend, whom I’ve known since the seventh grade, has been the most loyal of all my friends. I used to make light of his ability to talk, and talk, and talk. But, over the years, especially during the divorce, he was constantly and proactively checking in on me, asking specific questions, none of that generic crap, about how I was doing and dealing with things. He’s also really passionate about politics and has always leaned pretty far right. There’s been a time or two when we’ve almost ended the friendship because of politics, but now we are smart enough not to bring it up any longer. But what I find funny is that as much as he talks, he often treads over to politics, and I’d either have to bite my tongue or change the subject. I knew that would happen going into this trip, and it did. I don’t think he purposely brought it up; he just got the gift of gab and will start drifting off on those topics, not realizing he’s making me uncomfortable. But all in all, it was a great road trip. It’s been a long time since I’ve driven through county roads through small towns and smelled cow manure. Well, other than some two-lane roads closed for construction and one-way traffic.
  • Not only was she a pastor’s wife, a calling she lovingly embraced, but two of her five sons became pastors. Counting the father, you have three pastors in the family. She asked all three to speak at her funeral. And I’m so glad they called this what it was: a funeral and not a “celebration of life” or “going home” ceremony.
  • I knew the two sons were going to have a tough time. Their goals were to honor Jesus and their mom in that order, and they did that, exemplary. But I wasn’t sure how their father would do. He was married to this woman for 51 years. Her casket was in the spot where they stood and were pronounced man and wife 51 years earlier.
  • My friend said a lot of wonderful things. One that stood out to me was that he couldn’t believe she was gone, the suddenness of it all, and that he had just had lunch with her ten days ago. He talked about the faith and joy she had in Jesus, at one point writing a list of 15 ways cancer is a blessing. He asked, “Who does that?”
  • It was standing room only at the church. I was one of those of stood, and boy, was my back aching. On the last row were two young couples with babies. These babies were loud, laughing at times. Personally, I couldn’t think of anything more selfish than bringing those kids to a funeral and neither parent taking the kids out of the sanctuary. A few times I was tempted to go over and say, “Your baby is loud and distracting and keeping others from honoring this woman and her family.” Oh, I came so close. Especially when my friends were speaking through tears trying to keep it together. Both of them have preached for over 20 years, so I knew it wasn’t affecting them. Eventually, they took the hint from all the glares, and the fathers took them outside.
  • After the two sons spoke, it was time for her husband of 51 years to speak. I’ve never seen the man cry or have a sad day in his life. And still haven’t. I have never seen a family member of the dearly departed so held together and full of joy. Now, there’s a difference between being happy and having joy, especially when you are part of the faith and have joy from the spirit. This man’s faith was solid, and his joy was evident. There wasn’t a doubt, not a doubt in his mind his wife was in the Church Triumphant, experiencing glory, and one day would be reunited. The man is also very comfortable with death. He’s done a plethora of funerals and is currently working for the local funeral home, helping grieving families mourn and bury and cremate loved ones. I guess, when I really thought about it, it all made sense. The man was in his element. His profession is preaching and dealing with death. He has literally stood in front of the church, speaking to others thousands of times. If he was assertive or passionate about anything, it was that all his wife’s jewelry was on tables in the foyer for everyone to have and that he didn’t want to take a single item back to the house.
  • At the end of the funeral, the casket was opened, and it was time for everyone to walk by. I was one of the first. My friend, who tearfully spoke of his mother, was sitting with his family and his back to the audience. I only planned on patting him on the shoulder as I walked by, but he got up and gave me a big hug, a longer one than usual. It made me think of what Barry wrote about giving hugs at his mother’s funeral and apologizing for keeping the hug for a second longer than what was needed.
  • My friend’s wife told me she started reviewing her late mother-in-law’s prayer journals. She told me she read entries that mentioned me and possession time with my children.
  • There were so many people at that funeral that I personally knew but could no longer recognize because I literally haven’t seen some of them since 1995.
  • For any of you interested in reading her obituary on the back of the funeral program, here you go.
  • DaughterGeeding had a softball that evening. I tried to make it back for the start, but due to road construction and rush-hour traffic, I missed about a third of the game.
  • While watching Batman: The Animated Series, the closed captioning displayed a crook saying, “Cop a squat.” I always thought it was “pop a squat.” A little research tells me it’s both, but the “cop a squat” became popular in the Seventies.
  • Junior Miller read my email on the air last week. It was basically my final eclipse thoughts I posted yesterday.
  • Gallery Worker Fired for Sneaking His Own Art Into Exhibit
    • An art gallery in Germany featuring paintings by such greats as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí has fired an employee after learning he’d snuck his own painting into a recent exhibit. The artwork, measuring more than a meter in length, was rather conspicuously hung in an empty passageway.

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Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, April, 10, 2024

  • I stopped at Kohl’s to look at their suits. Not only did I not like anything they had, but they were more expensive than I expected. A relatively good suit will cost around $400 bucks, including tailoring. So, I thought I could get out of there with something for around $180. Nope. It looked like I couldn’t get out of there with a suit for less than $260 buying matching separates. I ended up buying a decent suit at K&G (tailoring included) for a little over $200, and they threw in a few doodads like a garment bag to store the suit, a lint brush, and a wooden tie hanger. In retrospect, I should have just gone to Mens Wearhouse. Even though George Zimmer is no longer associated with the company, because of his old tagline, “You’re going to like the way you look. I guarantee it,” I usually end up happy with what I buy there, even if I’m not thrilled with the price.
  • Today, I learned that Men’s Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank, and K&G are part of the same company, Tailored Brands.
  • I’m astonished Zimmer never did any voicework for a cartoon like Larry King. Gosh, can I date myself anymore with a sentence like that?
  • Final eclipse thoughts:
    • The fact that solar eclipses happen at all is a numerical and cosmic coincidence. It just so happens that the sun is approximately 400 times larger than the moon. And it’s also 400 times more distant from Earth. So when our moon passes in front of the sun, it can completely obscure it. If we were a bit closer to the sun or the moon was a bit further away from us, we wouldn’t have total solar eclipses. The moon would be too small to block out the sun completely. There are between 145 and 167 moons in the solar system, depending on how you count them, but none of them produce such perfect eclipses as the Earth’s moon. No other moon in the vast expanse of the solar system has these properties.
    • Now, take this a step further and imagine this from the future after establishing contact and relationships with aliens from other planets. The astronomers of the future will discover that other planet eclipses can never measure up to the ones on Earth. Any space-faring aliens would want to visit Earth on tourist trips to see the lunar eclipse. Or, maybe aliens already visit us during a total solar eclipse and we just don’t know it.
  • Lenny Kravitz is 59 years old. I believe he’s throwing around 135 lbs. He’s also wearing leather pants to work out.

    For this video, fast-forward to 0:50 to see the avalanche. These folks were beyond lucky to be in that tunnel at that specific moment. If Barry sees this, I’m sure he’s thinking about the Butterly Effect.

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