I helped my dad take out an old cinder block wall at my parents' place, which was starting to give way to weight of the landscaping, and replace it with interlocking landscaping block.
Working in the mornings was key as the midwest can be terribly humid and hot this time of year. My dad and I would put in three or four hours each morning we worked and then it was time to go inside and rest up.
My favorite part of the experience was working with my dad. He's really good with machines, specifically engines. I help when I can, but in general I just slow him down when I'm around. (I am not good with engines.) But, I have plenty of experience with landscaping and we worked well together on this project.
Each block weighs 63 pounds and there around 180 blocks in the wall. Add in all the rock we tamped down to make the wall level, and all the rock for back fill above and below the drain tile, and you're looking at a 7+ ton wall.
I did my fair share of "grunt work" and I even went down a hole on my belt, but my weight stayed about the same. Needless to say, I think building this wall was better for my body than hiring a professional trainer!
Bonus: I got to use a jackhammer! Part of the old cinder block wall we removed was filled with rebar and concrete. I had an eye appointment later in day after using the jackhammer and my dad joked about how my eyes would still be vibrating when the optometrist checked me out. 😂
Here's a picture of the nearly finished wall.
In this picture we're missing the toppers and some cleanup still needs to done, but all that's minor.
Yesterday my parents stopped by and gave me some cash, for helping out with the wall project, which they didn't have to do. The money will undoubtedly go toward something baseball related.
My mom took the time to procure this gem as a thank you:
I have many bobbleheads in my collection, but I've never seen a box so "done up" before.
Here's the inside of Pedro Cerrano's locker:
Again, the detail is astounding, but the true treat is Jobu!
I had to take a profile shot to allow you to get a better feel for his hair!
Jobu isn't a mascot, he's more of a deity, but he joins the other mascots in my collection within one of the display cases of my homemade television stand.
Because he's omnipotent, Jobu gets a prime location in the front of the display case where he can be back-lit to add extra emphasis to his powerful aura. The San Diego Chicken won't dare mess with Jobu.
I mentioned earlier about how my wife and I had travel troubles getting to Death Valley for our winter vacation. We were severely delayed leaving Peoria and missed our connecting flight in Dallas by a good four hours. Our friends, Jeff and Nichole, came to rescue by feeding us and putting us up for the night. Before dinner that evening Jeff brought out a gift bag for me for my X-Mas/Bday present. Jeff, a displaced Chicago Cubs season ticket holder always saves some of his Cubs swag for me. I'd be lying if I said my pulse wasn't racing a little bit.
The big ticket item in the bag was a promotional giveaway bobblehead from Wrigley Field. I haven't acquired many bobbles the last few years, but I have a sizable collection in my man room and this one certainly brings something unique to the table.
This "Turn Two" bobble is my first one featuring two players, Addison Russell and Javier Baez. It's already been taken out of the box, thoroughly played with, and tucked into one of the display cases in my homemade entertainment system. What a cool surprise!
Alright, and now to the really cool stuff! I'm not quite sure if I have all the details right, as I was enjoying some adult beverages that evening, but I think Jeff signed Nichole up for the Cards Against Humanity fan club, which I can't find anywhere on their website.
Nichole has been receiving letters from the Card Against Humanity people, like the one below.
Jeff and Nichole live in the great state of Texas, so I'm the beneficiary of the free ticket the letter mentions and the baseball cards.
Man, these guys are relentless! "Joliet Slammers vs. Some Crappy Opposing Team"
Look. It's independent league baseball, so none of the teams are world beaters, but you better believe I'm making it to Joliet this summer!
Let's take a gander at that pack of cards, shall we?
Twelve cards in the pack and twenty-two cards in the team set. I wonder if I can pick the missing ones out of dime boxes at shows in the Chicago suburbs?
I can understand how the manager got away without having a nickname, but what's the deal with Edwin Gomez?
Let's take a look at the backs:
Some of the Dugout Quiz questions are pretty tame, but I chose 'The First Responder' because his questions and answers are little racier. Which, after all, is what Cards Against Humanity is known for.
Included with the letter, ticket voucher and baseball cards was a blue print of the Joliet Slammers' renamed residence, The Cards Against Humanity Baseball Place.
I'm seriously considering framing this up and hanging it on the wall in my classroom. I've read it over a couple of times and there's nothing too suggestive that would get me a meeting with the higher ups.
I had to take a picture of the Fun Facts in the left margin so you could get a laugh like I did.
The first three I believe, although I'm not so sure about baseball being a metaphor for basketball. I suppose it depends on which one is your sport.
So, there you go! Cards Against Humanity baseball cards. I'll try and complete the full team set if I ever get the chance. Heck, if the price is right I'll just buy whatever I can and then throw the extras in PWEs. That would be fun for all included.
I hope you enjoyed the post, and if nothing else you found it interesting to learn that Travis 'The First Repsonder' Bolin appears to be quite regular.
Two posts ago I mentioned that I was going to meet George Brett. Um, yeah . . . about that . . . Two of my really good friends, one of which is a stalker of Brett die-hard Royals fan, bid on a silent auction to attend the Royals' game on June 20th. Through third party information they thought they were bidding on box seats, on-field passes, and a meet-n-greet with the Hall of Fame slugger. As it turns out there were some wires crossed and they ended up with seats in the shade for a 95 degree scorcher. Not a bad consolation prize, because returning to P-town with heat stroke after a 350 mile drive is not my idea of fun.
So, here's as close as I got to Mr. Brett:
I suppose it's all for the best, because as I stated before, I don't have the innate ability to form complete sentences around professional athletes without looking like a bumbling idiot.
It was my third trip to "The K" and as always I had to indulge in some of 'Merica's best barbecue beforehand. This time it was Arthur Bryant's.
The line was about fifty or so people deep, it curled outside, and it continued to form down the street. It was already after one o'clock, but my friend and I stood and waited patiently as our stomachs reminded us of how hungry we were each time we took a deep breath to enjoy the free smells. We could tell we were in for a treat.
It was a no frills restaurant, but the food was the thrill. I enjoyed the "Pig on a Bun" sandwich, which combined later with an adult beverage at the game, was enough to feed me the rest of the day. They don't mess around with their barbecue in Kansas City!
After lunch we had about two hours to kill so we went a couple of blocks down from Arthur Bryant's and toured the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. This was my second time through the museum, but Jim's first.
I love baseball history, anecdotes, memorabilia, and learning. I felt right at home.
It's a really well done museum, but my favorite part is the scaled down baseball field in the middle of the exhibit which contains life-size statues of The Negro League's best players by position. Satchel Paige is my favorite! He seems like he was quite the character and quite a pitcher in his day!
After our tour through the museum we checked into our motel, cranked up the AC, and made our way to ballpark.
They Royals renovated Kauffman Stadium before the 2009 season to the tune of $250 million, and overall they did a wonderful job, but there are still some places which leave me shaking my head.
For instance, we found this guy at one of the main gates "resting in the shade", but if you ask me it looks as though he's already been sentenced to spend the game in Royals Jail. AmIright?
I always like to take pictures at any ballpark and one of the fountains in the outfield surprised me on this shot.
Would it have been too much to allow the fans access to the fountains on such a hot day?
If you recall, I like to celebrate the checking off each new MLB stadium from my list. As I said before, this was not my first trip to see the Royals, but I didn't have a bobblehead on my shelf until now. Thank goodness for promotions!
This bobblehead depicts a great moment in Game 3 of the 2014 ALCS. If you didn't see the play, then take the time to watch the twelve second video below.
My favorite part of Saturday's game was when Mike Moustakas came through with an RBI single in the sixth inning. Hearing 39,000+ Royals fans bellow Mooooooooooooooooooooose was just great! If Moustakas was a Cub, then he definitely would be my favorite player. Hands down.
Overall, it was a great getaway trip to the Kansas-Missouri border. Seeing Jeff and Nichole again was probably the highlight, but the barbecue, museum, game, and talking baseball with Jim during the car ride are all right up there.
It's the middle of summer and this math teacher is finally making some progress on his to do list. The subject matter for this post is long overdue as it was a birthday gift from my friends Vince and Jim, my sister, and my wife.
Hey, a bobblehead created in the likeness of yours truly! I think this one was ordered from somewhere along the information superhighway. Pretty nice!
The above bobblehead was a gift from my sister a couple of years ago.
Both are pretty cool looking and very much appreciated! Thanks, gang!
Be on the look out for a few more bobblehead posts. I just got back from a trip my wife and we visited two "new to me" MLB ballparks (Philadelphia and Washington), which means two new bobbleheads to add to my collection! Additionally, tomorrow night is Dan Vogelbach Bobblehead Night at the Kane County Cougars. Guess who has tickets?
I promised my sister-in-law and her husband Steve that once they moved into a new house I would visit for a week and help them fix up their residence. On Saturday, June 22nd, I headed west from Peoria, IL, with my tool bucket in tow.
What a great setting to take in a ball game!
The Vintage Game emcee.
Johan!
At the onset of my trip I caught my Kane County Cougars in the Quad Cities playing the River Bandits right along the Mississippi. My sister joined me for the first leg of my travels and we both picked up a Johan Santana bobble head and we were fortunate enough to take in a "vintage" baseball game. We're talking about rules from the 1850's! No gloves, underhand pitching, and everyone wore high socks. It was great! If you caught a batted ball on one bounce the batter was out. Crazy!
Dan Vogelbach, Albert Almora, and Rock Shoulders
The modern day game was pretty good, too. The Cougars had a 5 to 4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, they promptly gave up a run, and then lost the game in the 11th inning on a Carlos Correa walk-off single. If you're counting (and I know none of you are), the Cougars are now 0-for-5 in games in which I am in attendance. Sigh.
Silver lining? Well, the Astros' #1 pick from the 2012 draft may have had the game winning RBI, but I snagged the autograph of the Cubs #1pick from the same draft! Albert Almora! Sweet!
The next day was a total travel day: 13 hours in the car. Bleck. A big thank you to SiriusXM for getting me through the western half of Nebraska. I think SVP and Russillo may be the best sports talk radio out there.
My in-laws' house is really nice, but it definitely needed a few things. For example, here's the remnants of the door jam to the garage. Yeah, no problem. I cleaned that up, made it look sharp, and it now locks!
Here's a list of the other projects I took on:
laying plastic sheeting in the crawl space to serve as a vapor barrier
exchanging out the dining room chandelier for a more modern one
installing a ceiling fan in the master bedroom
laying down insulation in the attic
tearing down and building a new fence
New fence for the yard!
There were many other little tasks that I helped out with, but those were the biggies.
My favorite activities during the week were spent enjoying an adult beverage and watching my Cubs at a local watering hole with my brother-in-law, and participating in the blessing of their six-week-old baby girl, Lil. I'm officially an uncle for the first time! Hooray!
I split up the drive on the way home and stopped for a game in Omaha. For the second consecutive year I managed to somehow miss the College World Series by a matter of days. Bummer.
Koyie Hill (#5) is still getting after it in the minors!
But, it was "$1 Hot Dog" and "Bring Your Dog to the Park" night at Werner Park.
And for the first time this year I found myself at a game where I didn't have a vested interest in either team... well, until I learned that the New Orleans Zephyrs' catcher was Koyie Hill. Koyie is a former Cub and one of my favorite role players during his tenure in Chicago. Naturally, the team I decided to then cheer for lost the game, 2 to 1 in twelve innings. Go figure. I think I'm cursed.
I hit a card shop on the way home in the Quad Cities and arrived at my humble abode on July 2nd. Nearly 2,000 miles of travel, two baseball games, five total card shops, a half-dozen house projects, and a blessing crammed in to an eleven day span. Yikes! I feel like I've been hit by a truck.
I found this license plate in the parking lot of my last card shop!
Speaking of baseball cards, look what I found at the last shop! Two packages of Kerry Wood cards! I haven't even had time to open them up yet as things are just now starting to slow down.
Thirty Kerry Wood cards for $2? That's less than 7 cents apiece! Score!
I also found these two beauties in a "5 for $2" bin. A dinged up '73 Johnny Bench and Ken Griffey, Jr. card showing the "The Kid" being a kid. Nice! Oh yes, and lots of trade bait to fill yellow bubble mailers with in the future!
Look who was waiting to pounce on me when I arrived home. Gus!
I celebrated America's birthday as I joined my wife and her parents at a local firework show on the 3rd. A day early, but it was still a blast! (Pun intended.)
Not the best picture, but not too bad for my camera phone.
I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday! I'm looking forward to the last few weeks to recharge my battery before another school years comes calling.
Description: 7.5 inches tall; wearing Cubs’ home uniform and in middle of
pitching motion.
Relevance: This bobblehead is portrayed in my likeness!
How Acquired: Birthday gift from my artistic sister last year.
Other Notes: I’ve been slowly accumulating bobbleheads for a little more
than a decade, looking to add ones that depict my favorite players or one to
commemorate a trip to a new stadium.There are literally less than a handful of bobbleheads in my collection
that have little-to-no personal value to me. The bobbleheads on my shelves have
been hand selected and in some cases hand painted.This bobblehead means the most to me and
receives the #1 ranking in my Top 30 Bobblehead Countdown.
Why?
1) My sister
went the length to purchase a Brad Radke bobblehead and repaint him to look
like me.She did a wonderful job on the
details, right down to the eye color, to the high socks I used to pitch with,
and the stubble that I like to sport on weekends.
2) When I
first learned about Major League Baseball I made two quick decisions: I wanted
to play baseball for a living and I was going to be a Cubs fan.Huh, how’s that working out for me nearly
thirty years later?Funny how life
works, especially when you set major life goals when your six years old.Doesn’t matter.I’m as diehard as a Cubs fan as you’ll find
and I still want to be employed by MLB, but perhaps in the front office.I know, I know, keep dreaming.
3) This
bobblehead takes me back to time of ripping packs of baseball cards with my
sister, dad, and even my mom (for a time); when I couldn’t wait for the next
Saturday/Sunday morning road trip to another baseball card show; playing hot
box and homerun derby with the neighborhood kids; and where I remember my dad
walking through the door after work holding the company’s unclaimed tickets to
the Peoria Chiefs game that evening.
Baseball has
always been such a huge part of the fabric of my life, and in one simple
bobblehead, that is all captured.
Description:6.75 inches tall;
taking a knee with bat in hand. I've added a Cubs "Believe" bracelet to Santo.
Relevance: I don’t know that there was a bigger Cubs fan than Ron Santo.He was a must for my collection.
How Acquired: Another eBay transaction!
Other Notes: Although I never saw him play, I know Ron Santo
was a heckuva ballplayer.He earned many
awards and accolades during his career, a career he played while battling
diabetes.Ron was posthumously enshrined
in Cooperstown this summer. It’s too bad he wasn’t around to enjoy the moment.
Santo was a
terrific person and did much charity work for the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation.He also was a champion educator for diabetes and the documentary, This Old Cub, certainly opened my
eyes.Pat Hughes,
his radio partner, would often speak of how Ron would reach out to fans that
were just diagnosed with diabetes or were struggling with the disease.
He was an adequate color man on the radio. The
best part of Ron being on the radio was that he celebrated when you cheered and
he bellowed out “Oh, No!” when you couldn’t bear to watch or listen.He was a true fan of the Cubs, my Cubs, and
he wasn’t afraid to let everyone know it.As a loyal listener to WGN radio it was hard not to feel as though Ron
was part of your own family.And as silly
as it sounds, I felt as though I grew closer to Ron with each passing summer.
Best of all:
Ron wore his emotions, allegiances, and heart on his sleeve.He bled blue.Ron Santo will be missed.
Bonus Note: The below youtube video is an audio clip of a Cubs win.Pat Hughes describes the play-by-play and you
can hear Santo in the background.Great
stuff.
Description: 7.25 inches tall; wearing a Charlotte Knights uniform and
leaning on a bat. Homer is not only a bobblehead, but he also has a bobbling tail!
Relevance: I attended a Knights’ game on August 9th, 2007,
with Laura and our good friends Mike and Rhonda, who live in Charlotte.This bobblehead commemorates my visit to yet
another baseball park!
Other Notes: The texture of Homer’s fur is pretty fantastic. This is not a cheaply done bobble, as the fur
is done with fine detail, which can’t be easy to create with a ceramic
mold.
The tail is
too much fun as it is capable of wagging or moving up & down.Homer is my only multi-bobbling-part
figurine, and that alone secures him a spot in my Top 5 Favorite Bobbleheads.
Working in the mornings was key as the midwest can be terribly humid and hot this time of year. My dad and I would put in three or four hours each morning we worked and then it was time to go inside and rest up.
