Tune Tuesday – Centerfield

Having been able to get out and help with my daughter’s T-ball games over the past couple weeks has me in a baseball mood. My Detroit Tigers are not doing as well as I had hoped, but there is a lot of baseball left in the season.

For Tune Tuesday, I picked a great baseball song that is played in stadiums all over the country. “Centerfield” by John Fogerty, who coincidentally turns 79 today.

Fogerty took quite a bit of time off after leaving CCR and two solo albums. When it was time for his comeback, he called the album Centerfield before he’d even written the song. He says the song basically wrote itself. “I was practicing a song, and I came up with that guitar riff that starts the song,” he said. “I went into the studio, playing the guitar with a drumbeat and it just came out.”

The song was the B-side of “Rock and Roll Girls,” and only reached #44 on the charts. However, because of the play it gets at ball games, it certainly has become well known!

In 2010, John Fogerty became the only musician to be celebrated at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony when “Centerfield” was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It is a baseball classic.

Happy birthday to John Fogerty!

If You Give A Boy A Baseball

With the baseball season in full swing, and my daughter getting ready to start T-ball, I was reminded of those great days when I helped coach my two oldest boys. I was not the best coach, that is for sure, but we had fun. I coached T-ball, coach pitched, and player pitched teams. Eventually, my boys decided that it wasn’t for them.

Now with Ella and Andrew, I hope that they enjoy the game like I do. With my schedule I won’t be able to coach, but I have already put a plan in place to be able to see some of her games. I cannot wait to start playing catch with them.

I found this poem online and have no idea who wrote it, but I love it. It is about a boy, but I know plenty of girls who love the game, too, so it can easily apply to a girl as well.

If You Give a Boy a Baseball

If you give a boy a baseball, he will want a bat to go with it.

You’ll buy the best bat you can find, and then he will probably want a bucket of balls and a glove and some cleats too.

When he realizes he can’t carry all these things with his own two hands, he will want a bat bag.

Then he will want to spend hours begging you to go out in the yard to play with him even though you just want to sit on the couch and watch TV. He will insist. And his insistence will win!

When you go out in the yard to hit, pitch, throw, and catch. He will not want to go back in the house for dinner and will swear that even at dusk there is enough light to continue playing!

Next the backyard will get too small and he will want to go the baseball field to see how far he can hit and throw. Finally he learns to catch and then he wants friends to play with.

When a boy gets a jersey, he will want pants and socks and a belt and a hat to go with it! And a TEAM!!!

Then life as you know it will end!

There will be no more lazy weekends. You will see more sunrises than you ever thought possible! Every spare minute of your time will be spent hauling buckets, bags, stinky cleats, and crazy boys all over tarnation for practice and games. Your house will be a mess, and your car will be dirty.

All because you gave a boy a baseball!

Your weekends will be spent freezing in the cold or burning in the hot summer sun in a lawn chair! His weekends will be spent gaining confidence and friends, learning new skills, and having fun getting dirty. So dirty you will learn a whole new way to do laundry! Like going to the car wash using a pressure washer!

You will be there the day he has his first strikeout, double play and hits his first home run! And he will make you so proud. The other parents will congratulate you. But you feel weird saying thank you because it’s not you at bat or on the mound. It’s all him . . . He did this.

His smile will grow bigger and bigger! And each year that he plays with that baseball, he will get better and better. And his love for the game, and confidence in himself will grow right along with his jersey size!

Right before your eyes, your little boy will be transformed from the baby who spun around with his head on the bat, (because he loves attention), into a pitcher. Because he still loves attention.
Then he might try to be a catcher, outfielder or infielder because baseball teaches him he can be anything he wants!

When you give a boy a baseball, you give him more than just a ball. You give him a sport, and a talent, and hope, and dreams, and friends, a new family, a place to learn about life, room to grow as a person where he can push his limits, and bravery, and courage and life, and memories. He will have all of these things, simply because you gave a boy a baseball.

Because you gave a boy a baseball, you too will develop new/lifelong friendships, developed solely from the same passion for the game and love of your team. You will cheer together, all because you gave a boy a baseball.

Then one day, many years from today . . . he will be in his room and a baseball will roll out from an old dusty bat bag underneath his bed. And he will pick it up and realize instantly that when you gave that boy a baseball, you also gave him a childhood that he would never forget! Then he will hug you, and your eyes may leak – because you realize that everything YOU gave up along the way . . . was worth it!

All because you gave a boy a baseball!

Prompt: That Was Then, This Is Now

Maggie, at From Cave Walls, and Lauren, at LSS Attitude of Gratitude, alternate hosting Throwback Thursday. The idea of the prompt is for them to give us a topic and for us to write a post in which we share our own memories or experiences about the given topic.

This week’s prompt is: That Was Then And This Is Now “Growing up, we all had dreams and aspirations. I’d like you to think back about what you were like and what you wanted as a kid compared to the adult choices you made.

Here are the questions and my responses:

When you were a kid, did you like your name? Would you have changed it if you could? Do you like it now?

I suppose I liked my name growing up. I really didn’t have a reason not to like it. I was the only Keith in my class and I was ok with that. It always bugged me that people always spelled it wrong, even though I know why (i before e, except after c – so everyone spelled it Kieth).

I really don’t think I would change it. I wasn’t even aware that a name change was possible, and then I found out my dad had actually legally changed his name from Salvatore to Sam, which everyone called him.

Yes, I like it just fine.

As a kid, what always brought a smile to your face? What about now, as an adult? (family-friendly please)

As a kid – summer and all that came with it: vacations, baseball games with friends, trips up north, running through the sprinkler. As an adult, my family. My children make me smile everyday. My wife also makes me smile. The times that we can all be together are priceless.

What was the most important lesson your parents taught you? Did you pass that lesson down to your family? The most important lesson(s) I learned from my parents was to always be supportive, respectful and responsible. I hope that I have passed that down in the way I have parented my children.

Are there talents you started as a child that you still have? If so, what are they?

I don’t know that I would call it a talent, but I always seemed to be able to make people laugh, I truly try to bring levity and fun to wherever I go. I also seem to be good at whipping off some sort of silly rhyme on command. I am a far cry from Nipsey Russell, but I get by.

Is there something you regret not doing or starting when you were young? What was it?

This is sort of a loaded question, because I think I am where I am at today because of where I have been and the decisions made along the way (good and bad). I do regret not going to college right away, but it was probably better that I didn’t. I’m sure I would have flunked out. I also wish I had learned to play the guitar at a young age. My dad recently gave me an acoustic guitar that I hope to try to teach myself.

Did you have more close friends as a kid or as an adult? Any idea why?

I would guess I have more close friends today than I did as a kid. I had a couple good friends growing up (and they are still good friends today), but I think we were kind of the “weird kids” and we all decided to just hang out with each other. As far as “why,” I am not sure. The ones who were important to me still are. They are the ones I confide in, complain to, and share with.

Where did you go to think as a kid? Where do you go now?

As a kid I would often walk up to the elementary school and sit on the swings to think. I spent hours there, sometimes alone and sometimes with a friend. When I got my license, I would drive up to Jefferson Ave and sit by the water. On occasion, I would get to watch a moon rise which was spectacular. Now, I would guess I drive around in my car or go for a walk. If the weather is not ideal, I guess I think in bed.

What would be the name of the chapter of your life from 10 – 18? What would the name be the name of the chapter of your life currently?

Wow, that’s tough. That’s an entire 8 year span and so much was going on. Perhaps it might be called, “Finding Myself” or ” Struggle” or “What Next?” The chapter name for my life currently might easily be “A Wonderful New Beginning” or “The Second Chance” or “Happily Ever After.”

What wonderful thing happened in your adult life that your child self could never have imagined?

Divorce might not be what you expect to see in this answer, and as a child, I never thought it would happen to me. But it was a “wonderful” thing that brought about the opportunity to meet and marry my soul mate and have two more children.

Would your child self like your adult self? Why or why not?

I would think that my child self would like my adult self. After all, we both have the same taste in movies, music, and TV. We also love baseball, golf, and football. We also love the same types of books. I’d think we’d have plenty in common …

I’d love to see your answers to these questions, too!

“Finding a good way to spend it…”

My Facebook feed has been full of pictures of the “last day of school.” Many of those photos are of high school seniors who are celebrating their FINAL “last” day of school, while others are of students in kindergarten through 11th grade who are just excited for summer break!

The theme song to the cartoon Phineas and Ferb (created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh) states:

“There’s 104 days of summer vacation till school comes along just to end it. So the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to spend it.“

The song then goes on to list things that they are going to do. If you are unfamiliar with this cartoon (which is as entertaining for adults as it is for children), it is about two step brothers who make the most out of every day of their summer vacation. Phineas is often heard to say, “Ferb! I know what we’re going to do today!” They then proceed to work on their big idea while their sister tries to get them in trouble.

Some of the big ideas they had include: building a rollercoaster, building a beach in their back yard, becoming a “one hit wonder” band, become movie directors, carve their sister’s face into Mount Rushmore, build robots, go on a cattle drive, create a new season, become secret agents, build the world’s biggest ice cream maker, create a hot new toy, turn their car into a monster truck, build a shrinking submarine, fix a time machine – and time travel, reunite a rock band, build the ultimate treehouse, transform a dinghy into a pirate ship, have a chariot race through their town, build a Ferris wheel, build a roller derby rink, discover a caveman, hold a medieval tournament, build an escalator to the moon, created the biggest bowling game, build a miniature golf course, build a real working teleporter after seeing one in a movie, build a haunted house, paint the unpainted desert, make a cartoon about themselves and their friends, created a rainbow-inator because their friend has never seen one, build a rocket and go to space, build a flying car, AND create a portal to the planet Mars. THAT is all from the first season!!

Let me say that I NEVER had a summer quite like Phineas and Ferb, but I certainly looked forward to summer vacation. As I have mentioned in the past, many of my summer days were spent playing baseball with the guys from my neighborhood. When we weren’t playing ball, we were usually riding bikes, playing cops and robbers, running through the sprinkler, or playing with Star Wars figures.

I believe that kids today are missing out. They are glued to their phones, tablets and video games. I know trying to get my older son outside to do anything is a chore. My daughter loves to be outside! I hope she always stays that way! There are SO many things to do outside. This summer, I plan to spend lots of time outside.

During our summer breaks as kids, one thing my brother and I always looked forward to was a weekend or two up in Caseville. When my grandparents bought their place up there, we went often. Many times we’d be their with my aunt and uncle and my grandparents, too. On those weekends, it wasn’t odd to have a tent pitched outside because there were so many of us.

Highlights of Caseville included fishing at the back lake, swimming at the beach, horseback rides from the folks at the end of our street, and tooling around on the mini-bike. In town, we could stop at the IGA for groceries, play Putt Putt Golf, or shop at many of the souvenir shops. Occasionally, we’d drive over to Port Austin or drive down to Pigeon to walk around.

The only other real trip I remember was when I was 11. We went up to Mackinac for a week. I remember we visited the Grand Hotel (where the movie Somewhere in Time was filmed) and because we were in shorts and tank tops, we didn’t stay long. I remember posing next to a cannon and I was wearing a cowboy hat and those awful tube socks! We also got to go on the boat ride over to Mackinac Island. There were no cars on the island and there were many horses. We visited the Fort, which was full of wonderful artifacts. One of my favorite pictures is of my mother standing over my brother and I while we are locked in the stocks.

As summer vacation approaches, I hope that we will be able to do something nice with the kids. They are both still very young and may not remember it all, but I really want to take them somewhere. I just need to sit down with my wife and talk things over. The two of us will “find a good way to spend” time together as a family!

Remembering Ernie

This came up in my Facebook Memories today. I’ve written about Ernie in a past blog, which you can read here:

The Voice of the Turtle

Today, however, marks the 12th anniversary of his passing. Here is a piece I wrote when the news broke:

So Long, Ernie

All Detroit Tiger fans knew this day was coming. Ernie told us it was coming, when he told us that he had inoperable cancer. And now, the voice that was such a unique part of past summers is silent.

Growing up, I thought I could be a baseball pitcher. When I played catch, I’d have whoever was catching call calls and strikes. I remember a Carlson classmate, Mike, who said in 3rd or 4th grade that he wanted me to be the catcher when he put his team together. I, however, wanted to pitch.

Baseball wasn’t something that I always understood. As a young kid, I remember my dad watching the Tiger game and they would post the stats of the batter on the screen. It would say, “2-3, Single. Homerun.” I’d ask my dad, “How do they know what he is gonna hit!?” I didn’t understand that it meant that those were what the batter had already done at the plate.

Summer – 1984. The Tigers came out of the chute with a ton of wins. First place! They could do no wrong. It was a dream team. Jack Morris, Willie Hernandez, Darrell Evans, Chet Lemon, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson and the rest! Everyone had Tiger fever that summer!

I vividly remember going to my grandparents house and they’d have the radio on in the sunporch. Ernie called the games with Paul Carey. Ernie called a game like no other. It didn’t matter if you were a million miles away, Ernie painted a picture in such detail, that you felt like you were sitting in the ball park. And he had so many great stories to tell! You connected with him!

What Tiger fan didn’t love to hear Ernie say, “Looooooong Gone!?” … or ….”He stood there like the house on the side of the road and watch that one go by….strike three!” … or … “There’s a foul back out of play, and a man from Imlay City will take that one home.” Those were just a few of the famous catchphrases that Ernie used to say. Those phrases were sprinkled throughout many a summer day.

I met Ernie once at Tiger Stadium. He was signing his book. The lines were SO long, and I didn’t get to talk to him long, but he was so gracious. I remember saying what an honor it was to meet someone who spoke so freely about his belief in God, and how his faith in Christ was something he spoke of often. He looked up from signing his book and said, “Amen, brother.” His love for the Lord, his passion for baseball, his kindness, and his zest for life, were all things that were obvious to anyone who ever met him.

When I look back on my life and think of off the great summers growing up, Ernie is there. He might be on the radio at grandma’s or on the radio in someone’s back yard as I walked through the neighborhood. He might be on the car radio as we drove to the store, or maybe on the radio up north at the cabin in Caseville. He was a summer fixture.

Lots will be written about Ernie Harwell over the next few weeks. None of it will be enough. He was a legend. He was a mentor. He was an example. He was a talent. He was one of a kind.

I wrote him a letter once asking for advice. He sent a reply, which I sadly only have in these pictures.

“Dear Keith, Thanks for the comments. I appreciate your loyalty. My only advice is work hard and always be yourself. Enclosed is photo. Best Wishe, Ernie Harwell“

As I look back on the advice he gave me, one can see he followed his own advice. He “worked hard” and “always was himself.” He will be missed.

12 years later, he still is ….

Locked Out

As you may or may not have heard, Opening Day (and the first two series) of the 2022 Major League Baseball season has been cancelled due to a lock out between players and owners. Naturally, the players are blaming the owners and the owners are blaming the players. The core issue is money. Surprise surprise.

A friend of mine on Facebook posted this today: “I am a Baseball fan, with that said, both sides can go suck it. A 33% raise was offered to players for a base salary and they turned it down while an average person on the street bust their asses all year to hopefully get a 3 to 5% raise if they are lucky. They say they feel for the fans, that’s such BS.” That really struck a chord with me.

Who wouldn’t want a 33% raise?! My friend was generous in hoping for a 3% to 5% raise – I know many who were LUCKY to get a 1% or 2% raise! 33%!!! That’s insane!!! So many of us are living paycheck to paycheck – and working damn hard to make ends meet. We don’t have the luxury of a big bank account. One hospital visit can lead to a bill that can ruin a family!

Do you wanna know just how different life is for these baseball players? Let’s say an average person makes $15 an hour. For one day’s work, they earn $120. Let’s take it up a notch. Let’s say a person earns $25 an hour. For a day’s work, they earn $200. Let’s go up a bit more. Let’s say a person earns $50 an hour. One day’s work will nab them $400. Now, let’s see what two players will lose PER day because of the lockout.

According to USA Today, the players will lose a TON of money as each day of the lock out continues:

For players, the cost is clear: Each earns 1/186th of his base salary each day

Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole, both members of the union’s eight-man executive subcommittee, would forfeit the most. Scherzer would lose $232,975 for each regular-season day lost and Cole $193,548.

Based on last year’s base salaries that totaled just over $3.8 billion, major league players would combine to lose $20.5 million for each day wiped off the 186-day regular-season schedule.

According to Google, the average pitcher will get 34 starts in a season. So 34 days out of the 186 day season he works. 152 days, he cheers on his team mates, eats sunflower seeds and warms the bench. WOW! What a gig that is!!!

As a sports fan, let me say that I am disgusted. Do you even think about the fans? They are dropping $50-$60 a ticket, plus $40 to park, gas money to and from the stadium, and outrageous concession prices at the game. A trip to the ballpark for some families may easily cost two day’s salary!

You are selfish and greedy. You have the gall to ask for even more money than the generous offer presented to you! You do this knowing that it will be the fans who will shell out the extra money in ticket prices to cover your raise. There used to be a TV ad that said, “for the love of the game.” I know for a fact that you are not playing for the love of the game, but rather “for the love of money!”

Do me a favor? Instead of thinking about your paycheck (and your big house, expensive cars, and sponsorship deals) – remember your fans.

Catch!

Bad news – you can get it anywhere. Open up your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and you’ll find it in abundance. Surf to any local or national news website and it is there. Turn on the TV or radio and they are focusing on the negative things going on, or offering opinions on “hot button” topics which just continue to fuel the negative vibes that are so abundantly available.

I don’t recall what radio station I was working at, but I recall that the News Director always started his newscast with a “feel good” story. I think we used to say something like “WXXX – where the good news comes first” or something like that. People were grateful to hear happy stories instead of stories about war, murder, and whatever else was going on in the world.

With that in mind, I sat down today not knowing what to write about. I wanted to blog, but didn’t have anything in mind. As I scrolled Facebook (through the various heated opinions about the presidential debates), I came across a story that a friend of mine posted. It immediately reminded me of a “feel good” story, so I had to share it (and a few thoughts of my own) here.

Grandpa’s Bucket of Baseballs

In Alabama, a 72 year old grandfather cleaned out his garage and found a bucket of old baseballs. He took the bucket up to the batting cages that he and his son used to go to and left them there with a note.

The bucket of baseballs left at a batting cage

The note says the following:

FREE

Hope someone can use some of these baseballs in the batting cages. I found them cleaning my garage. I pitched them to my son and grandson for countless rounds. My son is now 46 y/o and my grandson is 23 y/o. I am 72 and what I won’t give to pitch a couple of buckets to them. They have both moved away. If you are a father cherish these times. You won’t believe how quickly they will be gone.

God bless

P.S. Give them a hug and tell them you love them every chance you get.

His son tweeted the picture of the bucket and note and the story spread. The grandpa is amazed at how many people are reacting. ESPN even wanted to talk to him.

Here is a link to the full story. It is worth the read.

https://www.today.com/parents/grandpa-s-note-bucket-baseballs-will-touch-your-heart-t193019

My thoughts

I can tell you that one of my favorite childhood memories is playing catch with my dad. I know that there had to be days where he wasn’t in the mood to play, but he did it anyway. We’d stand out in front of the house and play catch on the sidewalk. Eventually, he got sick and tired of me over throwing and we began playing on the side of the house. That way, if I threw a bad ball, the backyard fence caught it!

Growing up, we played a lot of baseball. Like any 13-14 year old kid, I dreamed of becoming a major league pitcher. When my dad and I played catch, we’d spend hours calling balls and strikes. I smile as I think back to my dad winding up real fast and then lobbing a change up to me. I smile when I think about him saying, “Watch this pitch!” and then tossing an amazing curveball or sinker to me. I love to remember the day he showed me how to throw a knuckleball. What tremendous memories these are!!

My boys tossing the ball around in the backyard

When I had my first son, I couldn’t wait for him to be old enough to play catch with. I felt the same way when I had my second son. I coached both boys at Tee ball and baseball. Neither one were as excited about playing as I was. I’m glad that my youngest son still wants to play catch with me. He has a bit more accuracy than my oldest son, and could still easily play ball if he wanted to. I always love being able to play catch with both of them. We have a big backyard and it’s great for catch!

I’m not gonna lie, I still chuckle as I throw the same pitches to my sons as my dad did to me. I remember the first time my oldest watched a knuckleball coming at him. He couldn’t believe that the ball didn’t really spin. I love those moments with my boys as much as I loved playing catch with my pop. I hope that they look back one day and remember those moments as fondly as I do.

The way my daughter throws her pacifier out of the crib and toys around the room, who knows, maybe she’ll be playing softball on a team. I’d be ok with that! She’s got a good arm!!

So what is the point of this blog? To share a wonderful story and to give you a little push. Maybe it’s been a while since you played catch with your child. Maybe you’re missing your parents or grandparents who don’t live nearby. The tweet, and this story are a great reminder to cherish those things or, better yet, go do them. Time is precious. We don’t get much of it. Don’t waste it – take advantage of it. Grab your mitt and a ball and play some catch with those you love – who cares how old you are?

Friday Fodder

Hello readers. I hope this finds you safe and healthy. This is, yet again, another blog that is full of random thoughts in no particular order.

Baseball

My home team, The Detroit Tigers, have not been much to watch in the past. I guess I was spoiled in that I got to watch the magical year of 1984 and a World Series Crown. Since then, they have struggled. “We are rebuilding” has been what us fans have been told for years! In 2006 we went to the World Series and lost. So, in 30+ years, we really haven’t had much to cheer about.

Despite that fact, I really miss baseball. Today in my Facebook memories, a picture popped up that I posted two years ago. The picture is the view of the baseball diamond that is literally behind our house. “One of the things I love about our house is that I can walk out on the porch and catch a good ball game all spring and summer long,” is the caption. Sigh. Not this year. Even the neighbor kids aren’t out playing ball.

I have mentioned in the past that my favorite Tiger from the 1984 team was Aurelio Lopez. Senor Smoke, they called him. There was something about his pitching style that I liked. As a 14 year old kid, I used to pretend I was him. When I was with my dad, or my buddies from school. We’d pitch to each other calling balls and strikes. When I was alone, I had a square I drew on the side of my house that represented the “strike zone,” I used to throw the ball at. There used to be a square spray painted on the wall of our elementary school, and you could stand in the parking lot and throw tennis balls at it – calling your own strikes.

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I miss hearing baseball on the radio. I miss watching it on TV. There is some talk about teams being allowed to play without people in the stands. While it would certainly be weird to just hear the sound of a ball coming off the bat, I would miss the sound of the crowd cheering for a home run. At this point, however, I would welcome baseball in any form.

The Boys

After my self quarantine of over two weeks, I was able to pick up my sons. They will be staying with me for a little over a week. Despite having seeing them briefly when I took my oldest’s birthday gift to him, and their short visit in my driveway, I felt like I hadn’t seen them at all! Sure, video chats helped, but to actually be with them and give them a hug means so much.

My youngest still has school work that he is doing online and will continue to do through the end of the school year. Because he is a senior, my oldest had the choice of continuing with the final marking period or taking the grades he had when all this Covid stuff came down. He had excellent grades, so he chose the latter and is officially done with school. We’re still waiting to see about graduation and stuff. We haven’t booked a place for his graduation party yet, because we just don’t know when we’ll be able to hold it!

We were able to celebrate my son’s 18th birthday here. We made a cake and sang Happy Birthday. Choices were limited, but we told him he could chose what he wanted for his birthday dinner. He chose pizza (no surprise). It was nice to be able to do that.

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They are always on their devices. They have an Xbox, a Wii U, a Nintendo Switch, and countless games on their cell phones. I am trying to get them away from that stuff, but with the cold weather, it hasn’t been easy. At least today it is supposed to be in the 50’s and we can get outside to play catch or take a walk.

Recently, I taught my youngest how to play chess. It is not my favorite game to play, mainly because I suck at it. I decided that I was going to teach him cribbage. My grandpa taught me how to play when I was about 9 years old. We played the game open handed (where you could see each other’s cards) and I walked him through things. He beat me, and I am hoping to play a few more games while he is here. I am also hoping to get my oldest to play, too. It is ALWAYS nice to have something to do when there is a power outage, or when you are bored.

cribbage-2

In preparation for the boys, I made sure to put clean sheets on their beds, and straightened up their room. While I was in there, I raised the blind on the window to let the natural light in. We have a huge tree that is outside their window. The birds were driving Maizey crazy flying back and forth. She sat like this meowing and jumping at the window for about 5 hours!

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I remember a time when parents put their kids to bed and then stayed up and watched TV before going to bed themselves. However, it’s been the opposite here. Sam and I are ready for bed by 10 and last night they were still up at 3:30am!!! What is up with that?!?

Layoffs

As stated in previous blogs, I am off work on doctor’s orders. While I am here recovering, I have been lucky enough to spend it with family. I have been praying for my co-workers and others who are still working at the hospital. The labor pools at hospital continued to grow because of ambulatory sites being closed, and those workers being put in the pool. This meant less hours for those working. To make matters worse, this week hospitals in the state announced massive layoffs and cuts. Some positions were completely eliminated!

Many of the layoffs are temporary and employees can take advantage of unemployment benefits (while keeping their health care benefits). If I am being honest, I wish that this had been an option from the beginning for many of us. It would have been much less stressful (and safer) for people. I know I would have opted to just be home with family, instead of having to go through a the mental breakdown I had to be home.

I continue to pray for my friends who are still right there in the thick of things. I continue to pray for the many healthcare workers across the state, and throughout the country, who are doing what they can to save lives – while trying to stay safe themselves. I just want life to be back to normal. I want to go and do the job I was trained to do. I’m just not sure when that will happen and if I can even do that!

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Skinny Me

I was out in the garage this week looking through a few boxes. I was looking for some notes from some classes I took years ago (more on that in an upcoming blog). I stumbled on something that I had totally forgotten about – an old magazine I was in.

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Mobile Beat Magazine is still around and it is mainly for mobile DJs. I used to get it when I was DJing more. It had great ideas regarding set ups, equipment, contracts, etc… It also put out a top 200 list every year of the most requested songs from that past year. I still look at it when I do get out to DJ (which is rarely ever now). This particular issue did a story about mobile DJ’s who were also radio DJ’s. I was interviewed and I was one of those featured in the article. My ugly mug even made it in the magazine!

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It is funny to see this picture.

I am about 100 pounds heavier now.
The glasses are gone thanks to Lasik surgery.
The hair is gone because of …. natural causes.
The station is gone, because of typical radio politics.

The shirt I am wearing was given to me by my buddy Tim, who is now working in major market radio on a morning show. He and some buddies (Doug and Phil) used to have this set up in their basement where they “played radio.” In all honesty, the stuff they did was better than the stuff you hear on many radio stations today. They would make tapes and I loved them. They called it “Fake Radio” and had me voice some liners for it. Making those up were a blast. I loved that shirt and was sad when it finally was so tattered that I couldn’t wear it anymore!

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My baby girl continues to be a source of happiness. It is amazing how much she has grown in just 10 weeks. She is “talking” so much! I could listen to “baby babble” all day! I love how she smiles at me when I talk to her. There is NO better feeling. While putting clothes away this week, my wife slipped on the tutu and bow my friend Margaret had sent. She slipped it on over her PJs and it looked great. Looking at her, I can totally see her wearing something like this for dance classes.

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I am so guilty of taking a million pictures of her. I will totally be “THAT” dad who will drive her crazy with my camera! “Dad! Enough with the pictures!” I will sit and go through the pictures and claim a “favorite,” only to go through them another day and claim another as “my favorite!” My latest “favorite” is this one:

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I love this little girl SO much.

I love my children SO much. Blessings – each and every one of them!

Until Next Time …

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Father’s Day Reflections -2019

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As Father’s Day approached, I found a few minutes to reflect. In a world where you hear constantly about “deadbeat dads”, I am lucky enough to have a dad who played a HUGE part in my life in SO many ways. I have blogged about his musical influences on me (Which you can read here: https://nostalgicitalian.com/2018/03/30/my-biggest-musical-influence-dad/) and wrote a blog for him on his birthday (which you can read here: https://nostalgicitalian.com/2018/11/01/birthday-tribute-to-fred/). I was truly blessed with a great dad.

One of the hardest jobs in the world is being a parent, I’ll be the first to admit that. I will also say, though, that while it is a difficult job, it is also one of the most amazing things a man can do! As I look at my two sons, I consider myself blessed. Being a father is one of the most satisfying, frustrating, fulfilling, and life-affirming things I have ever done! I have been a dad for almost 18 years, and as I thought about my boys, I began to make a list of the things I love about being a dad. I thought I would share that list with you. Perhaps you can add to it or relate to mine.

Things I Love About Being a Dad

Your kids think you know it all.
- If I had a dollar for every time my kids have asked me a question about something…LOL. Many times, you know the answer, but sometimes, they ask you something that throws you for a loop! They truly believe you are the smartest person alive!
Playing catch.
- One of my favorite memories of my dad and I was playing catch in front of our house. I remember the first time he threw his “submarine” pitch to me and how much my hand stung when it hit the mitt! Throwing the ball around with my sons is something I will never get tired of doing!
Coaching – Sports.
- I was lucky enough to coach both of my sons in T-ball and baseball. I truly wish they had both continued to play ball, but as they grew older, they lost interest. I also helped the coaches out when my oldest son was on the bowling team in middle school. I loved watching them play soccer and taking them to the driving range to hit golf balls, too. I only got to really go fishing with them a couple times, but I hope that it happens more in the years ahead.
Throwing them around in the pool.
- We lived at one place that had a huge pool. One of the thing I never got tired of was picking the boys up and tossing them back into the water in the summer. I also loved letting them push me in the pool, thinking they had surprised me, when all along I was waiting for them to do it. My oldest is as big as me now, and he still wants me to throw him around! Pool fun is always great as a dad!
Your kids think you are the strongest person!
- I remember arm wrestling with my dad and being amazed at how strong he was. I remember “helping” my dad move things and struggling with my end of it because it was so heavy. Dad wasn’t phased at all, though. As kids, we are always amazed at how strong dad is!
Rocking and singing them to sleep.
- Whether it is at the beginning of the night or in the middle of the night, I never grew tired of rocking my kids to sleep. Holding them with their head on my shoulder and singing Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra songs is forever etched in my memory! The songs changed from son to son, but some remained the same. I used to sing “Bouna Sera,” “On An Evening in Roma,” “Watching the World Go By,” “Vieni Su,” “Cruising Down the River,” and other songs. I used to love when they would sing them to me, too!
You become aware of your bad habits.
- My dad used to smoke. He used to say, “Don’t ever let me catch you doing this!” He eventually quit cold turkey, whether or not it was because of my brother and I, I don’t know. I do know that you are extra cautious about doing things or saying things you don’t want your kids repeating. My dad always tells the story of driving while I was in the car seat behind him Someone cut him off and he yelled, “You stupid prick!” and I said, “What did those pricks do, daddy?!” “Sticks – there were sticks in the road!” was his response. HA!
Play time and using your imagination.
- I remember my dad coming into the bedroom and pretending to be a bear while my brother and I were under the covers. I remember him pretending to be a wrestler and bouncing us on the mattress. I remember pretending that way with my sons, too. I remember playing superheroes with towels tied around our necks for capes! So much fun!!!
Embarrassing them.
- This gets more fun as they get older. My dad did it to me. I do it with my kids. Just recently, we were walking down the street to go to the city fair. On the walk I started skipping and both kids were like, “Dad! Stop it!” This one car was playing some song with a really loud bass, so I started dancing. Again, “Stop it!” When the petting zoo came into view I screamed, “Oooo! Look at the baby goats” and started running toward them. They were so embarrassed! It’s what dads do!!
Introducing them to things from your childhood.
- For me, dad introduced me to a lot of music and such. For my sons, I shared movies and music, but thanks to technology, I was able to share with them the Atari 2600! They had some retro Atari that was loaded with 200 games or something one Christmas. My oldest loved it. He was always playing Maze Craze! We used to hit the thrift shops and I would love when there was some old toy from my childhood there! Of course, I passed down the Three Stooges to them! I also introduced them to the Classic Scooby Doo cartoons, Hong Kong Phooey, and the Muppets.
True and unconditional love.
- It’s a mutual thing. I have never felt such an unconditional love for someone or from someone, until I became a dad. Holding each of my boys for the first time, you melt! The love just gushes out from you. It is an amazing thing.
Hearing “I love you” from them.
- This kind of goes with the above item. As if you can’t love them any more, the minute they tell you “I love you” is just an amazing, emotional, and wonderful thing that you will never forget. I still have voicemails from both boys as toddlers on my phone. I need to find a way to get them into an MP3 or something. I never want to lose those!
Halloween
- There were a few years I worked nights and missed out on taking them out trick or treating. I was able to be at all of their Halloween parades at school. I loved being able to help pick out costumes with them. Pulling them around the neighborhood as babies was something very fun.
Gibberish talk.
- As parents, we all do this. Especially when they are babies. I wish I could remember all the things I said to my kids, I don’t. I know there were gibberish phrases that I used for each boy, though. I used to love saying them to make them smile.
Making them laugh.
- My kids were always my best audience. “Do it again, Daddy!” There is nothing like making your child laugh. Their laughter is like music! Even as they grow up, I still love listening to them laugh. They may not laugh at it everything like they used to, but that’s ok. It’s still fun to make them laugh.
Roughhousing.
- It’s a bit different now that they are older, and have the potential of kicking my butt! I love when they want to rough house! I remember my mom yelling at my dad, “Stop that rough housing!” Why?! It was fun for all of us!
Being silly.
- Adulting sucks. Sometimes, you just have to be silly! Being a dad allows you to be silly. Silly is good. Sometimes, you have to break away from the serious and embrace the silly!
Letting them win.
- Oh how many games of cribbage did my dad let me win?! With Uno, he wasn’t so nice. I think he used to love putting down that Draw 4 card – much like I do with my kids today! Sure, I have let them win occasionally, and there is some satisfaction in watching him and his brother brag about how they beat dad at the game. Every once in awhile, though, you gotta show them you can beat them at it too!
“Caving” at the store.
- I don’t do this as much now, but I used to. You know how it is – you go to the store and there is that “can we get this?” or “I need this!” All too often, I would cave and buy whatever it was. Now that they are older, they understand a bit more when you tell them you don’t have the money to buy that right now. they younger they are, the easier it is for dads to cave!
Getting beat at video games.
- I love spending time with my boys. They love their video games. They have this one called Super Smash Brothers. I really don’t understand it, but the gist is that you are a character (there are many) and you beat each other up until someone wins. They kept asking me to play, so I did. They wiped the floor with me. Both of them were laughing as they beat the snot out of my character. I was just pushing buttons trying to make it hit or whatever. All of a sudden, my character started to light up and did this crazy punch/kick thing! My youngest said, “Dad, you figured out how to use the special!” There was some special move – every character has one! They just neglected to tell me about it and let me lose! LOL! Smart boys!! I don’t care whether I win or not, I just enjoy the time with them.
Carrying them on my shoulders
- I remember as a kid, loving when my dad carried me on his shoulders. I used to hold on to his hair! My boys did the same thing! I would give anything to be able to carry my sons again on my shoulders. I used to love walking through the store with them up there. I loved taking walks in the park with them up there. I wish I had more pictures of them up there.
Snuggling/Hugs
- I have always been a hugger. I love hugging my kids. I miss the days of snuggling up next to them for a nap. I miss holding them while we watch TV. I remember many times trying to get up from the couch, trying not to wake them because they fell asleep. Those moments are so special for a dad. I love when they come up and hug me for no reason. It is still an amazing thing.
“Pull my finger”
- This is probably the one thing that is exclusive to dads. Not many moms do this! Farts, dads, and kids mean laughs. It’s probably such a huge annoyance for moms. Dads fart. Kids laugh at farts. I remember one time my friend and I were outside in the front yard playing with Matchbox cars. Dad came home from work and as he was walking in the house he made the “finger gun” with his hand and “shot” it as he farted. We still laugh about that! The fart will always be a funny thing that dads and kids both laugh at together.
Looking at your relationship with your kids and being able to connect it to memories you shared with your dad.
- Go back and read how many times I mention something I love about doing with my sons, and how many times I can connect them with something my dad and I shared!
The “bond” that is eternal.
- There will never be anything that can come between me and my kids. I love my sons with all that I am. They are my flesh and blood and will forever be my little boys.
The firsts and lasts
- Those firsts stay with you forever. The first steps. The first words. The first day of school. The first concert. Both of my sons are still in school, but if social media is an indicator, the last day of school is just as emotional as the first! Watching each of my sons get on the bus for the first time was very emotional for me. Big days – big emotions.
Artwork
- Back when I had an office at work, I used to have countless drawings that they did in school. I used to have a macaroni bee that my oldest son made. The noodles eventually broke on it. I still have some paintings they did and the coffee mug coasters that each boy made me for Father’s Day in kindergarten or first grade. Those little things hold special meaning for me.
Bedtime Stories
- It starts as you reading to them. I don’t know how many times I read “Goodnight Moon” or “I’m Thankful Each Day” to my sons, but I enjoyed it every time. I am sure there were other books, too. “Snowmen at Night” was a favorite, too. I used to love when they would read to me! I wish the video games weren’t so accessible, because I really wish they would find more time to read. I loved when they would tell me about a story of book they read in school.
The emotions that they make me feel.
- They make me proud. They make me happy. They make me cry (both happy and sad tears). They make me worry. They make me thankful. They make me feel a never ending love for each of them. I am not ashamed to admit how emotional I have gotten watching them in a play, a band concert, a baseball game, or during an awards ceremony. God help me, when they graduate, get married, and have children – I can barely hold it together now!!

I am sure if I had a few more minutes, I could add many more items to this list. Being a dad is the greatest thing I have ever had to do. My sons have been tremendous blessings to me and fill my heart with joy and laughter. I love them so much. If and when I am blessed with another child, I will look forward to reliving some of the things mentioned and creating new memories with that child, because being a dad is one of the coolest, most special, and fulfilling things I have ever done, or will ever do in my lifetime.

Happy Father’s Day!

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The “Carlson” Boys of Summer

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I took the above picture while standing in my backyard before I left for work. Baseball practice has begun for our school district. I always enjoy watching the kids and coaches work on plays. Today they spent some time working on fielding a bunt and throwing to first base. As I stood there and watched, I was reminded of a post that my friend Andy had posted on Facebook recently. He said “I wanna go back to when my only problem was if we didn’t have enough guys to play all fields open for baseball.” Those were some of the BEST summer days! Pardon me, while I step back to when I was in elementary school…..

My love for the game.

I don’t really recall when I became interested in baseball, but I remember it always being a part of our summers. If my dad was out washing the cars or doing yard work, the Detroit Tigers were always on the radio. The voices of Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey made all the calls. When we would visit my grandparents, we would often watch them on TV as George Kell and Al Kaline announced the game. I have been a Tiger fan for as long as I can remember.

I don’t remember when I got my first baseball mitt. I do remember buying my first baseball bat. It was a wooden Louisville Slugger with George Brett’s signature on it. I remember it because George and I were both born on May 15. I remember using money from my paper route to buy it. I eventually bought a second bat with Dave Whitfield’s signature on it.

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I remember struggling to throw the baseball. That’s where dad came in. If I have never thanked him, let me do so now. Thanks, Pop, for always making time to go out and thrown the ball around. He’d call balls and strikes as we played catch. He would occasionally throw me his “submarine” pitch (which was kind of a side arm pitch like Dan Quisenberry). We went to the library and I checked out a book that showed how to throw a fastball, slider, curveball, and more. Dad showed me how to throw a knuckleball, which I STILL love to throw.

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“Carlson Field”

There were two ball diamonds at our elementary school. One had a backstop and faced the school. The other was kind of a makeshift diamond that had dirt patches from where kids had made bases. There was no backstop, and it had ruts in the grass from where kids ran from base to base. There was also a spot for home plate and the pitcher’s mound was hardly a mound. This field faced the other diamond and the road. This was usually the diamond we played at.

One of the downsides of playing at this diamond was that it was that the school was about 10-12 feet behind us. If you popped a foul ball behind you, it ended up on the roof. Whether the game continued depended on 1) whether you had someone who could climb up to the roof to fetch it or 2) if you had extra baseballs. A benefit of playing here was there was a little valve on the school that if you had a wrench, you could turn it and get water – perfect for hot days.

Teams of Many Players

I remember during the summer I would wake up, eat breakfast, get dressed, grab my mitt, put it on the end of my bat, grab the baseballs, get on my bike and head to the school. Along the way, I might knock on a few doors and pick up other players, but it was rarely necessary. It was a standing appointment every day. We’d all meet up at the school and pick teams. We’d do the hands on the bat thing to see who was up to bat first.

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Depending on how many kids showed up, we’d have to alter the rules a bit. Sometimes we had to have a designated pitcher. If we didn’t have enough fielders, right field was out (unless you had a left-handed batter). Sometimes we had to go catcher-less. Many times when there was no first baseman, the pitcher’s mound was “out”! Then there were times where we were so short, we’d have someone hit and run to his base while the person on third base came back in to bat again with the “ghost runner” on the base. It didn’t matter – we’d find a way to play! Even if there were only three guys – one would pitch, one would bat, and one would field. We spent SO many hours playing ball!

Off the top of my head, I remember Jeff, Tom, Bill, Frank, Mike, Steve, Leo, John, Danny, Dave, Carl, Tomlin, Ed, Mike Smith, and so many others playing ball. If Andy and his brothers Ray and Tommy, were home, they were always there too. There was a wide range of ages, and we often let some of the younger kids play. I am sure that my dad came up once or twice to pitch to us and “ump”.

Just like in professional ball, there were amazing catches, close plays at first, strike outs, arguments with umpires, and long drives to left field for home runs. We often “called” the games like Ernie Harwell. If we all had a dollar for every time we said or heard “Hey, batter, batter! SWING”, we’d be debt free! There were no uniforms, but you could bet that almost every one of us had a Tiger baseball cap on!

Day after day, all summer long we played ball. I wish I could remember more detailed stories of our baseball heroics, but most of them have been lost with time. Perhaps some of the guys I mentioned (and tagged on Facebook) can recall a story or two I can add to this blog. I do have one memory that I can recall as clear as day….

Big Mike

Mike lived across the street from us and was always up for baseball. Mike was a big kid. He had some power when he made contact with the ball, no doubt about it. I do remember taking away a home run from him once. At any rate, because of his size, he didn’t really run fast. The distinct memory I have of him is this – if you were the catcher and Mike was running home, you had better hope to avoid him and get the tag on him. There were many catchers who caught a ball from the outfielder who stood in front of Mike as he charged home, only to get plowed and knocked on their ass! Mike knew his body was like a Mack truck and was not afraid to use it! If he could plow into you and make you drop the ball, he was all about that. I learned that the hard way once! I can’t remember how long it took me to catch my breath after he had knocked the wind out of me, but it seemed like eternity!!

Looking Back …

I am glad that I grew up at a time where kids actually wanted to play outside. Today, trying to get my boys to go outside and play is a chore! There is the Xbox and Wii U and games on their phones that make them want to stay inside. It is sad. Both of my son’s played T-ball and Baseball and I was lucky enough to coach each of them. They never really chose to continue playing, but every once in a while, they’ll be happy to throw the ball around with their old man and that makes me feel young again.

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