SPORTS OF ALL SORTS

 It has become a happy rite of passage in this column to announce that those cheating catholic pricks from NOTRE DAME have been eliminated from any chance of playing for the national championship but this year I'm proud to announce that they also have the leading candidate for DUMB ASS COACH OF THE YEAR. The football program has been insignificant since 1988 but they continue to trumpet how wonderful their program is but to be truly wonderful, you have to win the close ones AND have strong coaching. They fail in both categories and their players are traditionally 'soft' when the going gets tough.

Trailing by a dozen but with almost ten minutes left and all three timeouts in their pocket, future rocket scientist and current head coach MARCUS FREEMAN elected to go for it on 4th down and 11 on his own 35. Not even close and they turn the ball over and LOUISVILLE runs the ball down their throats in just two minutes to put the game away 

33-20. But was it the coach's fault for calling that stupid play??? NOPE. He promptly threw his players under the bus and said it was their lack of execution, not his play calling.

Remember this is the same coaching staff that allowed the defense to play A MAN SHORT ON TWO CONSECUTIVE PLAYS against OHIO STATE and allowed the buckeyes to get into the end zone as time ran out. Two plays in a row. Anyone get fired? Nope. Player's fault for not knowing their assignments.

Now today the Irish have come out with the excuse that the difficult schedule has worn them down because they played three ranked teams in a row with USC coming this Saturday. Quick review: they needed a miracle play to edge DUKE, forgot that you play with 11 players not 10 against OHIO STATE and pissed that game away plus they got their their asses kicked by LOUISVILLE. Poor babies. Still wish they'd join the BIG TEN.

P.S. CHASE CLAYPOOL played at notre dame. 'Nuff said.

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If you didn't watch OKLAHOMA-TEXAS in the early game Saturday, you missed a tremendous game that went down to the last 15 seconds before the #12 Sooners upset the  #3 Longhorns 34-30. Smash mouth football with loads of offensive firepower in what was the final RED RIVER RIVALRY with Texas holding the advantage with a record of 63 wins-51 losses and 5 draws since the annual game started in 1900. Texas moves to the SEC next year.

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BEARS WIN! BEARS WIN! They finally rang the bell against the WASHINGTON COMMANDERS after letting a huge lead disappear the week before against DENVER. Now this week they play a home game against the MINNESOTA VIKINGS who lost their all-world receiver last Sunday to a hamstring injury and have the same record as the Bears at 1-4 but before you go getting a second mortgage to bet on them this week, remember that the Bears looked good against 2 bad teams and even though the Vikings also stink, it will be the Viking passing offense against the beleaguered Bears secondary. KIRK COUSINS has thrown for 1500 yards in 5 games but come to think of it, his defense also sucks so if JUSTIN FIELDS has a decent game...................

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The CUBS folded like a cheap suitcase in September but I have to give them some props. After the White Sox started mailing it in around the end of June, I actually watched the Cubs thru July/August and they were fun to watch as they climbed into contention before losing 14 of their last 20 and diving like a submarine. Unfortunately, they will regress next year when CODY BELLINGER says adios on the free agent market and he might be joined by MARCUS STROMAN, YAN GOMES and JEIMER CANDELARIO. but the major loss will be Bellinger who had a great contract year. Nice player.

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Now let's talk about the WHITE SOX. No, let's not. They stink and need to back up the truck and start over. They made a positive move by dumping KENNY WILLIAMS & RICK HAHN and I thought there was a chance until they announced FREAKING TONY LARUSSA was back as an advisor. It was time to switch the channel because if they don't care, neither do I.

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I don't care about TRAVIS KELCI & TAYLOR SWIFT. I mean, not one ounce of care but I'm also not a hater. Go out, have fun, get laid and have more fun. SIDEBAR: Swift is a diehard EAGLES fan and on MONDAY, November 20, the Eagles travel to KANSAS CITY. Just wondering what skybox she's sitting in that day. Maybe she shows up with one of those 50/50 jerseys supporting both teams. 

Swift performs in Brazil on the 19th but then she breaks for Thanksgiving and her next concert is the day after the holiday so she could certainly make it back for the game because I'm pretty sure she's coming home for the turkey day festivities and her next concert is the day after the holiday. Maybe.

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I'm done. Catch you later.

THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING

Here is your major HAH-HAH of the day. The city of Chicago reports that attendance in the theatre district is down almost 60% and, of course, they blame everything from shrinking budgets to a decline in private funding which is all a very convenient rubber stamped excuse BUT THE REAL REASON IS PEOPLE ARE SCARED TO GO INTO CHICAGO!

I've been railing against the city for four years and been subject to scoffing at the hands of some of the people who read this blog but now, the chickens have come home to roost. Take your pick: CAR JACKING, ARMED ROBBERIES, SNATCH AND GRABS (goodbye necklace or phone) GANG ACTIVITY AT INTERSECTIONS AND IN STORES AND MY FAVORITE.......RANDOM SHOOTINGS WHERE A STRAY BULLET FINDS AN INNOCENT BODY.

Excuse my following use of bold print but I'm trying to make a point.

For the love of God, people are even getting shot sitting in the bleachers at a ball game and the city wants you to believe everything is hunky-dory. And you know the stats are coming and here they are for the year to date: 2412 people have been shot....443 of those died. That's 200 people shot EVERY MONTH with 37 dying EVERY MONTH

And to celebrate my birthday month, after only 4 days, 39 people have been shot with 4 homicides. IN 4 FREAKING DAYS!!!! 

And here's the stat I want you to pay very close attention to when thinking about visiting the city or allowing your child to head into the jungle.........

SOMEONE IS SHOT EVERY 2 HOURS AND 45 MINUTES (9 people a day) AND 

SOMEONE DIES FROM VIOLENCE EVERY 13 HOURS AND 26 MINUTES           (2 a day)

Have family or friends living in the city? Let them come to you, even if you have to pay the train or bus fare. It's cheaper than a funeral.

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Another Trump lover got an extended vacation from the federal government on Wednesday when he was sentenced to 4 1/2 years for his part in the January 6th attack. Illinois resident and full time scumbag Shane Woods is also awaiting trial for 1st degree murder after driving north in the southbound lanes and causing a fiery multi-car crash, killing one and severely injuring two others. Woods had initially been stopped for going 101 mph but then took off from the stop when the officer returned to his squad. His trial is set for January. One final note on this jag: He's made $150,000 annually since 2017 and brags about not paying taxes. I bet his parents are real proud.

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Remember tough guy CHRISTOPHER WORRELL, who stated he'd be proud to go to prison for his part on January 6th and then disappeared before his sentencing date, sneaking away at night like an alley rat? Well, it seems that old Chris is not the sharpest knife in the drawer as he tried to sneak back home and was snatched up by law enforcement. Did he think they'd stop looking? Chris was given 14 years. Enjoy.

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Hey! Want a state job? Apply for the head of the DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES which is now open due to the recent resignation of the current chief. However, a word of caution if you're looking for long term employment because the agency is looking for their 13th boss in 14 years.

It is a terrible job that suffers from a bad budget and understaffing that borders on criminal even if they had twice as many investigators. FORGEDDABOUTIT!

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I dare you to come up with a viable solution to the migrants arriving daily in Chicago.

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And from the 'another penis' department......Ohio GOP senator JD VANCE once again blocked the confirmation of two U.S. attorneys for Ohio and Illinois because he doesn't think the Justice Department should have indicted former president trump. Now one has nothing to do with the other but Vance is acting like a petulant child and depriving residents of two states of the attorneys who preside over federal injustice in their jurisdictions. But some archaic law allows Vance to block their confirmations even if it has nothing to do with anything.

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Here we go again. The Chicago Teachers Union contract expires next summer and union president STACY DAVIS GATES is already talking monumental additions to the contract including a nurse in every school, smaller class sizes, more bilingual staff, improve special education, social workers on site, more rebuilding of crumbling schools and an overall 10 year plan for improvement of all schools. Now the interesting part of the negotiations is she will be dealing with Mayor-elect BRANDON JOHNSON, who owes his election day win to the Chicago teachers. Conflict of interest?  We'll see.

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As I was typing this, the news came across that Chicago Bears great DICK BUTKUS had passed away at the age of 80. For people my age, he was a pleasure to watch every Sunday. "Take no prisoners" was his mantra and we loved him for that. RIP, big guy.

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The Hollywood writers strike finally ended and the late night talk shows have resumed and that's a very good thing!

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That's it for now. Be safe and stay out of Chicago.

   

 

SPORTS OF ALL SORTS

 Hello again everybody and we have a lot to talk about so let's start with baseball and pay a quick visit to the south side because that's all they deserve. They started the purge a few weeks ago by dumping some dead weight and with the exclusion of LUCAS GIOLITO, there were no tears shed in this corner. 

Then we start hearing about a lack of rules and people sleeping in the bullpen and no leadership so that means it's adios time for first year manager PEDRO GRIFOL. Pete, all of this falls under your umbrella and how could you not have rules? It's been said for years that great assistants don't always make good leaders. (see BUDDY RYAN).

So I'm thinking we're on the right track until I see a picture of hair dye-less TONY FREAKING LARUSSA on the sports page. Advisor? Consultant? The man doesn't even know the rules of the game or how to handle a bullpen so what is he going to advise?  Or is Jerry just looking for a gin rummy partner? We all saw first hand that the game has passed him by. Apparently Jerry wasn't looking.

 The betting window is now open. When does Tony get his first DUI in Chicago?

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And now on to the north side where the CUBS have apparently righted the ship from their early season doldrums and are full steam ahead to play in the wild card round but I don't think they have enough pitching to catch Milwaukee. CODY BELLINGER has been spectacular and if he's not getting a big hit, he's making a nice catch in the outfielder. BUT WILL THE CUBS MATCH THE HIGHEST FREE AGENT OFFERS?

The Cubs have a team that's easy to like and that hasn't always be the case in the past. (see Sosa, Baez, Contreras, Arrieta, Zambrano,  et al) They give polite and inciteful interviews and other than CHRISTOPHER MOREL, there doesn't seem to be any hot dogs on the team but what do you expect when WILLSON CONTRERAS was your mentor. I understand getting excited but tearing off your own jersey while running around the bases? no no no.

The bullpen is exciting and they seem to have three guys who can hold the lead and a bona fide closer in ADBERT ALZOLAY. In a couple of days they start a 3 game series against the front running Brewers which should be worth watching.

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Losers of the second half?? THE CALIFORNIS ANGELS, who chose to NOT trade SHOHEI OHTANI at the trade deadline and then added some beef to the lineup by trading 3 high prospects so they could make a move for the post season but two things went wrong: 1) the team immediately went into a tailspin and lost 12 of 16 to basically end any hopes of the wild card and 2) Ohtani tears the same elbow ligament that he had repaired with Tommy John surgery in 2018. The Angels could have gotten the mother lode of players for Ohtani and now he hits the free agent market, albeit as damaged goods. But don't hold any tag days for him because he is going to sign for 400-500 million, broken wing or not.

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Thanks to a heads up from Nephew Frank, I want to introduce you to a first year major leaguer on the Cleveland Guardians, 24 year old right hander TANNER BIBEE, who has a 9-3 record with an era of 3.01 era and a 3-1 strike out/walk ratio and is currently listed as the 4th choice for rookie of the year and if you're so moved, a $10 bet would return $200.00 but we all know that gambling is evil. Continued good luck to Tanner!

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My predictions for MLB post season awards: National League MVP RONALD ACUNA JR.

American MVP  SHOHEI    NL CY YOUNG ZAC GALLEN     AL GERRIT COLE

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR NL  CORBIN CARROLL    AL  GUNNAR HENDERSON

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Gambling is available just about everywhere from casinos to home computers to cell phones and even an old fashioned call to your neighborhood bookie will get your bet down BUT college athletes are not allowed to bet on ANY sport sanctioned by the NCAA or any professional sport.  Professional football players can bet on other sports but never the NFL and those bets can never be made from team properties and cannot be made with a bookie. Baseball players cannot bet on baseball. PETE ROSE go caught gambling on baseball and was banned for life from the sport. Got all that?

But down in I-O-WAY, they are apparently slow learners because they got caught gambling, making as many as 1,300 bets during the last school year. Booted from school, two of these guys had pro potential but they can kiss that future goodbye.

But our NFL players are not exempt from the evils of gambling either. At least 13 players have been suspended for a minimum of 6 games but most were suspended for the entire season. You can bet using your phone but not from the team's property and you can NEVER bet on an NFL game. 4 players were immediately released by their teams. Enjoy bagging groceries, you dumb asses. Zero sympathy.

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Speaking of the NFL, it's almost SHOWTIME!!! Two weeks from this Sunday, the CHICAGO BEARS open their season at home against the GREEN BAY PACKERS with the arrow pointing up for the Bears but down for the Packers. Now remember this team won just 3 games last year so if they can get to 7, they won't be in the playoffs but 7-10 will be a major improvement, especially if they beat the Packers twice. I still pick to Bears to finish last in the division but all 4 teams should be scrunched together, Vikings, Lions, Packers, Bears.  It's all up to the offensive line to keep JUSTIN FIELDS out of a body bag.

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The CHICAGO SKY is..........sorry, back to ignoring them and when their #1 player leaves for free agency in October, they can rename this team the CHICAGO TITANIC.

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Ok, that's it for now. Stay safe and stay out of Chicago. Adios!

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

First, my heart and I'm sure yours, go out to the people of Lahaina in Maui after that terrible fire totally wiped out that town and left people clinging to rocks after jumping in the ocean to escape the fire. How on earth do you rebuild from that? People lost everything except the clothes on their back. 850 people are still missing.

 But I do have one question because I've never heard of this. HOW DOES A HYDRANT RUN OUT OF WATER? Those firefighters put their asses on the line to help and were turned away by dry hydrants. Someone has to be accountable for not maintaining them, And how about the Public Safety guy who repeatedly try to defend not activating the emergency sirens? More investigation please.

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The dog days of summer have the people in Florida up in arms over PUBLIX' decision to allow ONLY SERVICE DOGS in their stores, no exceptions. Emotional support dogs and personal pets have received the boot...........and I totally agree with Publix. 

Walk next to a service dog or have a conversation with the owner and the dog sits or lays at the owners feet, just chillin' until his master is ready to go. No growling. No barking. Now come close to a support dog and the yapping or growling starts and god forbid if you have to reach past the owner to grab an item off the shelf, the dog goes psycho.

I love dogs but they need to be in the back yard or in the house. I think "emotional support"  dogs are a scam and people have jimmied the system to bring their pet dogs with them everywhere. Friend of mine has one of those creatures (and this man runs a big business and meets a lot of people every day) and pulled up while I was working in the yard so I walk up to the driver's side open window and Cujo decides that he needs to defend from the passenger seat and leaps across my friend to try and bite me. 

And then we go thru the dance where the owner talks to the dog like he understands English!! "Now calm down, Dan's my friend" and then he looks at me and says "He's just being protective. I know you understand." NO I DON'T!!  But I cut right to the chase and tell my buddy I hope that doesn't happen again and I no sooner get the words out of my mouth when Cujo attacks again but this time i was ready. I reached right to his collar and yanked that mutt thru the open window and pinned him to the ground. Suddenly, the 25 pound hairball wasn't so tough with my shoe on his shoulder and just laid there and whimpered. 

You feel the need to take your dog everywhere, that's fine with me but keep him under control and stay out of my store. If you need emotional support to buy a loaf of bread, use Amazon Shopping. And while we're at it, keep him off my planes, trains and buses. Emotional support dog, my patootie.  

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Another sad day in the courtroom as MACKENZIE SHIRILLA, 19,  was sentenced to a very just 15 YEARS TO LIFE after intentionally driving her car at 100 mph into a brick wall, killing her boyfriend and his buddy. The psycho was "shocked" first by being found guilty of two counts of murder and then SHOCKED by her sentence. Shocked, I tell you! What did she expect?? She could be eligible for parole in 15 years but the judge warned her that "the actual sentence is 15 years to life and every time you screw up, they add time and I have a very strong feeling that with your attitude, we won't be seeing you in this court in 15 years." good riddance.

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I have a question about all of the migrants being shipped to Chicago. They currently sleep in the lobby of police departments, tents or just on the sidewalks or in the parks. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS? Just curious.

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Still think I'm over reacting to the dangers of Chicago? Well, feast your eyeballs on these numbers thru July31, 2023.

1722 people shot in 180 days.....363 homicides, .........707 car jackings. In other words, your death lottery chances are as follows...there are 9.5 people shot EVERY DAY....2 people will die everyday from those shootings.....and 4 people will get car jacked EVERY DAY inside the city limits and that doesn't count those victims who are beaten and robbed while losing their car. This past weekend, 38 people were shot and 7 killed......So go ahead and plan a wonderful day in Chicago.  And don't forget your body armor. 

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They won't reveal the exact number but the CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS are rumored to be short a thousand teachers and 200 bus drivers. This problem is the same as the one that haunts the police department. Too dangerous for $75,000 and no backing from the front office.

When I was in school (is this my father talking?) you smarted off to your teacher once and got suspended for 3 days. The second time it happened, you were history. Nowadays, not so much. A teacher friend of mine said one kid has been sent to the front office 6 times including two times for calling her a mother f-er. Suspended ONCE and always sent back to her. 

She requested transferring the little bastard to another classroom and was turned down flat. "take care of your own problems" is what she was told. And they wonder why the rest of the class is a nightmare when they realize they won't get in trouble. Sad.

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Man, more natural disasters. This time in California with tropical storm Hilary wreaking havoc from L.A. to Las Vegas and incredibly. the storm zig-zagged and basically missed  San Diego. Downfalls of 5, 6, 7 and even 8 inches of rain and it didn't come down softly. Residents of Vegas came out of their air conditioning and stared at the sky. "What is this wet stuff?" Wild fires, earth quakes, 100 degree temps, icebergs melting.....to quote DUSTY SPRINGFIELD.....🎵 "Somethings happening here and what it is ain't exactly clear"🎵

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Tough guy Proud Boy Christopher Worrell disappeared one day before his sentencing hearing when he was going to receive 14 years in federal lockup. Worrell was on home arrest awaiting his day in court but decided that his statement of "I will be proud to do prison time for January 6th."  Not so tough now. COWARD.

Speaking of guys in trouble, Donald Trump will surrender on Thursday and be required to post $200,000 CASH  to go home the same day. But this surrender will be different than the federal surrenders because the Georgia sheriff says "He will be treated no different than any other prisoner and WE WILL fingerprint him and take his photo." I'm praying they still use that heavy black ink for printing rather than the new electronic machines. A condition of the bond is that trump will have no contact with witness on social media, including having someone do it for him. Interesting proactive condition by the judge.

Now this is a NO-NO whether you like the former president or not. A woman from Plainfield, TRACY FIORENZA, threatened to kill both trump and Baron, his youngest son. She is in custody and I hope for a long time.

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That's enough for now. Be careful of the heat this week and hydrate. I will be going into lockdown until the weekend when 70's return.

A BUNCH OF STUFF

  I was wondering in my last post where all the lightning bugs were and someone wrote to mention JUNE BUGS were a no show and he's absolutely correct. Haven't seen one all summer. Add to that my old buddies, the CICADAS, who won't be here until spring of next year but that emergence is supposed to be huge.

 I also have an apple tree and the fallen apples ALWAYS ATTRACT bees and wasps but i picked up apples yesterday and zip. nada. nothing. (not that I minded) WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYONE??   Shhhhhh....I also don't miss the drought affected mosquitos but with all the rain in July........ August and September could be interesting.

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Speaking of  'where is everyone?' the federally job report issued over the weekend states there are 3 jobs available for every 2 unemployed people. So why are there still "help wanted' signs everywhere? When I went to the Jewel today, their sign asked for help in the deli, bakery, stock boys, cashiers, maintenance, meat department, pharmacy and produce. I guess the liquor department is doing ok. So if anyone tells you they can't find a job, point them to our local food store.

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LATE BREAKING NEWS!!!!! His royal highness just got federally indicted AGAIN and still claims that he's done nothing wrong. Still lurking is a 4th indictment from the state of Georgia. $40 million in legal fees and still counting. 😳

An interesting factoid which has drifted under the bridge without notice. Former trump attorney RUDY GIULIANI entered into a proffer agreement with the FBI and sat in for a lengthy interview. The agreement means that Rudy provided the feds with information that cannot be used against him in future court proceedings. I find that very interesting.

                                                    

  Will trump go to prison? I truly believe that he'll be found guilty BUT former presidents are provided Secret Service protection for life and I doubt that those agents want to spend the next ten years babysitting in a federal prison. I can see construction of a small facility where those agents would protect that building like they do the white house. Dogs, video, barbed wire, machine guns, etc. to keep intruders away and trump will sit inside and watch tv just like he does now. Same benefits as any convict in a minimum security federal prison.

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A fond farewell to TONY BENNETT who died last month at the age of 96. Even if you weren't a fan, you had to like "I left my heart in San Francisco" because it's one of the best slow dance songs ever. For you young 'uns, u-tube it. rest well Paisano.

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A fun time with your kids can be had on August 12-13 when the annual meteor shower (shooting stars) occurs. Check your media sources for best times.

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Hey, my friend Larry is in for a visit and I'll have his remarks next time. Stay safe and stay out of Chicago. As Larry says "you don't have to be a bad guy to get dead in Chicago."

ADIOS FOR NOW.

MY SUMMERS AS A KID

 The other day we were discussing the lack of lightning bugs and after I got home, it was time to jump into the time machine.

I grew up in a small town south of O'Hare Airport where no one locked their doors and Dads sat on the 3-step front porches drinking a beer on a warm summer night. Everyone waved to everyone except Mr. Crawford who hated the world and had the only fenced in yard on the block, probably because his house was located right next to Whittier School...and you can't trust those public school hooligans.

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Summer nights were made for catching DOZENS of lightning bugs in a mason jar and at the end of the night, Dad would poke holes in the cover so the bugs could breathe. (??) In the morning, we would release the ones that were still alive and do it all over again the next night but I could never figure out why we kept them overnight in the first place. You could ONLY chase lightning bugs in the back yard because the adults all sat in the front and running thru the grass would 'stir up all the mosquitos' and maybe get you a whack from your parents.

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4th of July was spent on the grounds of Villa Scalabrini old folks home where we would enjoy a town picnic until it started getting dark and then we had to search for the 'perfect' spot on the berm to watch the fireworks. Interesting that the kids were all unattended with the same instructions......................... to meet up with the parents at the beer tent after the show was over. 

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Almost every kid collected baseball cards and doubles or triplicates IMMEDIATELY were put in the spokes of our bikes and held with a clothes pin and the sound of the new ones snapped so loud we felt like we were going a hundred miles an hour. When my Mom asked where I got the clothes pin, I told her from Mrs. Cervone across the street and she would shrug and say ok. Jim, of course, told his Mom that he got the clothes pin from my house. Geniuses.....We both became police officers.

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BIG TREAT on a summer night was when the mosquito fogging truck would come thru the neighborhoods spewing out DDT and being the future Einsteins that we were, we would either run behind the truck or ride our bikes if he came early enough but the parents would only say 'look at those goofy kids.' Nothing beats going to bed smelling like mosquito fog.............. but every mosquito immediately dropped dead when they entered our bedroom.

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THE BIGGEST TREAT at anytime during the summer was the arrival of the ice cream man, the ice cream boy or the Good Humor truck. Now let me explain the difference because it caused many debates. The ice cream BOY pedaled a white cart full of dry ice up and down the street during the day ringing bells that were affixed to the handle bars and you could buy a cheap popsicle or  ice cream bar from him, maybe a dime. 

Now the Good Humor man drove a white truck and had fancier bells to alert you of oncoming calories and when you yelled "Hey Good Humor Man" you would see the brake light go on and the truck pull over and out stepped a guy with a white uniform, bow tie and a white hat. And on the side of the truck were colored pictures of the goodies he had inside and when he opened that door to reach inside that refrigerated truck, you could see the frost smoke escaping into the warm summer day and you KNEW everything was cold. The problem was that the cost of ALL of his products was higher than the ice cream boy but once I tasted a toasted almond bar, I was hooked like a heroin addict. Damn the 20 cents!

But those two guys disappeared by dinner time and then your only hope was to hear carnival music blasting out of that ugly converted green van anytime after dinner. Same program....yell out 'ice cream man' and take off running after the truck. The difference was you could normally hustle your Dad out of a couple dollars (remember he's always sitting on the front porch) and the ugly green truck also served SOFT ICE CREAM and he made banana splits, milk shakes, hot fudge sundaes plus very large cones....vanilla, chocolate or swirl. YOWSA! Dad always wanted a chocolate cone and Mom a hot fudge sundae.

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I was told not to forget the baseball games on the fields at Whittier School. We would play in the morning, have lunch and return to play until dinner time and then one more game UNTIL THE STREET LIGHTS CAME ON!!! Then you had 5 minutes to get home. Seriously! But don't stir up the mosquitos when you came running to beat the deadline.

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We rode bikes, played baseball, caught lightning bugs, waved sparklers at night, "smoked' cat tails that we found by the swamp, climbed trees, fell out of trees, broke arms, got casted, played army, played cowboys, cut thru Monkey's Path if we were going to the rougher side of town and always avoided Frank Luckenbach's house.

We traded baseball cards, went to Gray's drug store to buy the baseball cards AND comic books, got crewcuts, and NEVER wore shorts.......because shorts were for girls. Only jeans. And every kid had patches on his jeans. White gym shoes were faster than black ones and we only had high tops. Our baseball bats were measured in inches, not ounces, and having an official rule book in your pocket made you the guy who ended ALL arguments.

The Cubs were on all summer long during the day because they didn't have lights and the White Sox only televised weekend home games. Both teams televised road night games.

Our streets were gravel and we had no sidewalks. The ditches flooded every time it rained hard. The oil truck would come down the street and spray a path which helped hold the stones together a while longer but you avoided that street with your bike for a couple of days. Paper boys delivered everyday and had to collect every Saturday. Dogs ran loose and almost nobody complained unless the dog dug up flowers. If you got bit, your Mom washed it with soap and sprayed Bactine on it and sent you back out to play with instructions to stay away from that dog. NOBODY SUED ANYBODY.

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And that's the end of my ride in the time machine. I know that I've forgotten to put down a lot but I think you get the idea. A much simpler time.   Please remember that if I start to act crazy or you get mad at me...............I was right behind the mosquito fogging truck every time he came down our street. LOL! HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

THE CARNAGE CONTINUES

 Just a quick review for those who don't know because I've received several inquiries over the last couple of months. I AM A MODERATE REPUBLICAN WHO STRONGLY BELIEVES IN THE DEATH PENALTY BUT I ALSO BELIEVE JUST AS STRONGLY IN A WOMEN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE.

Now having said that, let's talk about several decisions made recently by the Supreme Court. They rejected the STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM which would have wiped out $400 billion in college loans. I wrote before that I didn't understand the thinking behind wiping out the student loans because you applied for them.....now pay them off. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS DECISION BY THE COURT.

The Court also made a decision that sided with a woman whose Christian religious beliefs prevented her from designing websites that would celebrated same sex marriages and although Lorie Smith doesn't currently design wedding sites, she is prohibited from saying 'no' should someone want to hire her so she applied to the Court for a ruling. NOW THIS RULING TILTS ME A LITTLE BECAUSE WHY ISN'T IT OK FOR HER TO SAY 'NO' IF HER RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ARE CHALLENGED? 

BUT THEN DON'T WE OPEN THE DOOR FOR THE BIGOTS OF THE WORLD TO HIDE BEHIND FREE SPEECH AND SHUT OFF EVERYONE WHO HAS A DIFFERENT BELIEF?

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CHURCH & STATE BEING SEPARATE ISSUES?

I DISAGREE WITH THE COURT AND BELIEVE THEY SHOULD HAVE REFUSED TO HEAR THIS CASE AND KICKED IT BACK TO THE STATE OF ORIGIN.

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The air quality in Illinois has just sucked for a week. Mowed the lower 40 last week and my eyes burned until the next morning. Just make every Canadian man pick a tree and start peeing. Those freaking fires have been burning for 3 months.

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For those of you who dodged raindrops at your firework displays, McHenry has their monster show on Sunday night July 16 at Peterson Park and it's free. Bring a cooler and a lawn chair and you don't even have to leave your car. EVERY PARKING SPOT HAS A CLEAR VIEW OF THE DISPLAY.

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I promised you I'd keep you up to date of the carnage in the city. 6 weeks have passed since Memorial Day and here's your unofficial tally to date: 253 SHOT AND 56 KILLED.

Yeah, go to Chicago and enjoy one of the many festivals.    🙏💀👮👎

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Former priest Kenneth Lewis was sentenced to 7 years in prison for molesting a boy in an hotel 20 years ago. In keeping with providing an UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FOR PEDOPHILES, the catholic church allowed him to serve in different capacities in the Tulsa area, including appointing him PASTOR of another church in Oklahoma. It just never stops with that organization.

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Just to make you think..........If you had invested just $1000 in Tesla stock in July of 2010, thanks to 2 stock splits, you would now have $163,000 in your portfolio but if you really want to shake your head, a thousand invested in APPLE in 1980 would have you sitting on 1.4 million thanks to 5 stock splits.  I invested in baseball cards.

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A fond farewell to DICK BIONDI, the 'crazy Italian' who entertained Chicago teenagers in the 1960's on both WLS and WCFL and visited many area high schools to host 'sock hops' on a Friday or Saturday night. A Member of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Biondi claimed he was fired 25 times from different stations but was never unemployed more than a couple of weeks. 

Personal Note: While donating my time working the outside grill at the Lambs Farm rock n roll day, Biondi could not have been nicer on a 90 degree day and when I offered him a sausage, he asked if it came with air conditioning and I walked him over to our locked cooling station and as soon as he felt the coolness, he turned and kissed me on the cheek. I laughed and left him there and he came out 20 minutes later looking refreshed and did another 90 minutes. ITALIAN STALLION.....Godspeed and thanks from all the kids that grew up in Chicago during the 60's. You were the best!

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Ok, that's it for now. A couple of days of cooler weather start on Thursday so enjoy.