Thoughts of a Common Man

There’s an old Eagles line in a great song, written by Jackson Browne, ironically enough. “Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.” I spoke to a couple of friends, via text, and essentially, I was talking them down about the state of the country. Both friends were on the edge, feeling that there wasn’t a way out of this mess. “The Epstein files don’t matter. The stealing of money means nothing. No one says a word about tearing down the White House.” That sort of thing. And neither of these friends are doing very well financially. They’re around my age, and instead of thinking about retiring, they feel that they may need to get another job. “I’m going to work until I die.” That brings tremendous despair, of course, and the fact that they were sending me the worried texts on a Sunday morning, struck me as more than sad. It’s tragic. Instead of enjoying life as we enter the back 9, they’re driving themselves crazy as they wait for the world to go back to what we knew befor...

The legendary Dodgers and Yankees pitcher, Tommy John, passed away. When I heard the news, I instantly thought about my first ever trip to Yankee Stadium. It was an epic road trip. Big Al accompanied me to the big city and we settled into our seats for Yankees-Red Sox. Tommy John versus Roger Clemens. It was the late 80’s and Tommy John was at the end of his great career. Nearly 300 wins… …but he didn’t get one that night! He got absolutely hammered, and by the time he left the Yankees were down 8 runs. The Yankees came back and won that game… …but it’s about more than that. Tommy John will be forever remembered as a great pitcher. He will also be remembered for being the first to ever get Tommy John surgery. The surgery is a common one now. Nearly every pitcher in the league has had it by now. Tommy John was the first. Saved his career and has saved a lot of careers since. More than a pitcher, Tommy John was also known around the sport as an all-around solid guy. Just not that day! He...

I enjoy vivid dreams. Now, they generally don’t make much sense, but it’s fun to wake up and enjoy the snippets. I watched a crime drama before bed on Saturday night, so that may have been the fuel, but I spent my night fighting a stalker in my dreams. Someone was damaging my home, and the police were stumped. I met a police officer in my driveway as we assessed the fact that someone had yanked out the bushes in front of my home. “You need to figure out what you did to piss someone off.” I didn’t have anything to say to that. “There’s no reason why someone hates me,” I said. “You must’ve done something. Not everyone is universally loved.” That’s when I woke up, and it made for an interesting morning as I pondered whether or not I’d ever done something that would make someone hate me enough to yank out the bushes in front of my home. “There’s nothing,” I thought, and then I realized that it was a pretty good way to go through life. Like I told the police officer… …I’m not hated by anyon...

Sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have been at sea for 250 days, and counting. The sailors have been sounding the alarm about food shortages and deteriorating conditions. There have been reports that some are considering jumping overboard. Isn’t this the party that waves the flag, hugs the flag and pretends they care about the vets, the vets, the vets? Of course, Kegseth (he likes to drink, hence the keg) denies it and he’s telling people that the sailors writing/calling home in absolute despair are lying. Hmmmm…. …what do you believe? Someone in the administration or facts? There was a rally on Friday night, and Pedo 🐷 explained that $4.00 gas is fine with him, and that he wasn’t going to apologize for it. He says it’s all worth it because soon the Strait will be open, and Iran won’t have a nuclear weapon. Do you know what the situation with Iran was before he started the war (to hide from the Epstein files)? Yeah. The strait was open and they didn’t have a nuke. All those billi...

These are the dog days of summer. I’ve been sweating a lot these days, and I’m not one to ever complain about the heat. Bring it on. I hate winter. And man, everyone has a spring in their step on Friday. I checked in on a group of roofers as they took their lunch break. They had a grill going and were making meatballs in sauce for meatball subs. One guy was going to the Fair with his wife and a couple of kids. Another guy was heading off to Tennessee for his vacation where he was excited to hike trails. They asked about my weekend. “Mow the lawn. Play a round of golf.” “You better be playing tomorrow. It’s going to rain on Sunday.” And that sent me to the weather app… …rain on Sunday morning! “Oh hell no,” I said. “I’m not gonna miss playing and go right to work again on Monday.” So, I went to work and changed my golf day. I have a two-day golf event next weekend, and Sunday will also be open. “Play three days in a row,” Sam said. “We’re all gonna be sitting in the house soon.” For sur...

In long-term relationships, and more specifically marriages there are certain inside jokes that are repeated thousands of times, and are still kinda’ funny. I have cured my wife of using the phrase, “Would I” by yelling out “Big ears!” every single time. One of our favorites came from my mother-in-law who in a tense moment, when asked: “Don’t you want me to be happy?” Growled: “Nobody is happy.” In an episode of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Leonard stated: “Do you want me to be happy.” At the same time, some 25 years after hearing it, we both said: “Nobody’s happy!” And I wondered. Is anyone really happy? There are moments of happiness for sure, but if someone came up to you and point blank asked: “Are you happy?” What would your answer be? My mother-in-law may have been on to something… …and even if she wasn’t…. …that’s what we’ll yell out anytime the question is asked.