This Nice Guy Finished Last...

Yeah, I know I said I was done writing about the Rams, but I have to comment on the sad saga of our Male Sheep this season. Nice guy head coach Scott Linehan's employment was mercifully terminated in the wee hours of Monday morning. P-D sports columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote up a compelling account of the intense discussions that ended in Linehan's dismissal. Football writer Bill Coats added some juicy details in his story:

"Linehan, 45, was summoned to a hotel room in downtown St. Louis in the wee hours Monday and was informed of the decision to terminate his contract. "

"[Jim] Haslett, the team’s defensive coordinator since ’05, received a phone call from team owner Chip Rosenbloom at 1:15 a.m., asking him to take over as head coach."

I, for one, am glad it's finally over. Linehan was really never the right coach for the Rams. The team's deceased former owner Georgia Frontiere must have OK'ed his hiring out of the goodness of her soft heart. Many players reportedly tuned him out last year and never tuned him back in. The intense pressure to win was beginning to visibly affect Linehan both physically and mentally. To have it end at the Four Seasons Hotel in the wee hours of the morning is just terrible, so very awful. I can't imagine what it must have been like for him driving downtown knowing what was going to happen. He gave one last speech to his players this morning, then left quickly, a defeated man. He deserved better but will undoubtedly live to fight again another day.

Now I'm done writing about the Rams, I promise.

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

- Incredible weather we've been having...enjoyed my 10 miles on the Katy Trail yesterday...sure was a heckuva festival goin' on at Frontier Park on the St. Charles riverfront.

- "Casino" is a violent movie. But it's about Vegas and the mob...no surprise there.

- "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"- very moving French film, very hopeful. You should rent it.

I Might Watch More Golf...

if more golfers were like Boo Weekley:

Oh, Deer...

...was driving down Ladue Road tonight at dusk on the way to my Monday night bible study class when a deer ran in front of my car....just barely missed hitting it. That'll wake a guy up.

Thank you, Lord.

Up, Up, And Away!...

The Macy's balloon was this year's "hare" balloon that led off the race. The other balloons chased it until the pilot dropped a small beanbag in an open area. The balloon that landed closest to it was declared the winner.

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

- So Rosetta Stone is the best Michael Phelps could do for an endorsement deal? This after owning the first week of the recent Olympics? A real head-scratcher. His commercials aren't even that great...

- Cardinals and Rams, bleh...The one thing the Cardinals had this year that the Rams don't is....A CHANCE...there I said it. gratuitous sports humor. Now I'm done talkin' about them...

- the Great Forest Park Ballon Race was, well, a gas, as it is every year. Chili enjoyed herself, I think. Neither of us enjoyed driving 'round and 'round the park looking for a place to park our chariot. and then the search for the perfect vantage point. we did well in that respect and got some super cool pictures. upon returning home, was too tired and hungry to go out again to catch Erin Bode in concert at the Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival.

- started up BSF again a couple of weeks ago. it's me, another veteran BSFer, and 9 new guys in a group. I think my role has officially become the mentor (am I that old now?) to the younger guys in hopes that they will stick with it.

- how does my dog now weigh 72 pounds? had her to the HSMO vet clinic yesterday for a shot and butt-cleaning. put her on the scale and I couldn't believe my eyes; first, she actually sat still long enough for an accurate reading and second, the numbers that flashed across the digi-screen. She doesn't wolf down 2 bowls of food every day (i'm lucky if she eats one!) and we walk twice a day. maybe she needs longer, faster-paced walks?

It's Happening...

I noticed this while walking Chili this afternoon.

Somebody Burped...

yes, I went on iTunes this morning and purchased a song by that name. It's a kid's song by the folk singer Tom Paxton. I heard it on the "Musical-Merry-Go-Round" show on KDHX radio this morning.

Because I was a little boy.

once.

The West Wing...

I was reminded recently of The West Wing and how brilliant the writing was in the early seasons. This week Borders sent out a Rewards coupon for 40% off DVD box sets so I went out and bought TWW Season 2 last night. This was the season where actress Emily Procter was introduced as Ainsley Hayes, a Republican lawyer hired to work in the (Democratic) White House. Her first episodes were especially rich and I laughed out several times.

The Aftermath...

This is after I pulled it all off the fence and out of the apartment buildings' back yard.

Sunday Night STREAM Of Consciousness...

- "Wasn't that a mighty storm? Wasn't that a mighty storm in the mornin'?" The ghost of Ike barreled through the St. Louis area overnight and through the morning hours. Torrential rain and high winds did all the damage. Widespread flash fooding, power outages, downed tree limbs, etc... Chili and I survived mostly unscathed. Part of my backyard redbud tree was felled by the torrential rain and high winds. It was a matter of time before it went, anyway. The tree's been slowly rotting away and I think its time has finally come. Bummer.

- Wish I'd checked my church's website BEFORE I drove all the way up there and discovered services were canceled due to all the flooded roads. Happy ending though; ended up at my former church and found that a former staff pastor and counselor at my current church is now the senior pastor at my former church. Good to hear him preach again.

- Was traveling up the interstate to church this morning and a gigantic wooden boat-looking thing floated by. This old dude stuck his head out one of the windows and yelled out, "I TRIED TO WARN YOU, BUT DID YOU LISTEN???" Weird.

- Just an overall bad day for the St. Louis area. The aforementioned storm and its aftermath, the Rams' weekly beatdown, and the Cardinals getting swept by the lowly Pirates. Looks like it's really over for the Birds this time.

- Thank you, Chili-dog, for being mostly submissive yesterday while getting your nails clipped. You waited in line very patiently and behaved around the other dogs. Thanks to the good people of St. Louis REGAP for providing this service.

- Rented "Things We Lost In The Fire" last night. Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro were great in their lead roles. David Duchovny was, well, David Duchovny. I like BDT as an actor - have to check out some of his other movies.

- Never seen the QT station by my house run out of gas but it did last night.

- When approaching an obviously flash-flooded street or highway in your car, folks, take Sheriff Buford T. Justice's advice: "You can think about it, but D-O-O-N-'-T do it!"

Mr. Babysitter...

Well. The brother and sis-in-law have finally left me alone with their daughter. They had dinner plans tonight and the sitter they had lined up decided to ask an exorbitant sum. So, plan "B" was me. I'd mentioned my desire to begin babysitting now that Lydia is a bit older. I readily agreed when my brother called me this afternoon. They promised to put her to bed while I arrived and that meant all I'd need to do is sit around and watch the Cardinals on TV and keep the internet hot, while checking in on her periodically, of course.

Well, I got to their house and they were running late, so I had a bit of trial by fire when they asked me to put her to bed. Wish someone had been present with a camera as my brother and I collaborated on pajama-ing Lydia. Who'd have ever thought we'd do THAT together? Getting her to sleep was nerve-wracking. I tried to read her a couple of books and sung to her a bit but she was, um, hesitant to go into sleep mode. Fortunately, she eventually went down and is now slumbering peacefully.

The sound of a baby sleeping is one of the most beautiful sounds one can ever hear.

New Windows Are Working!...

Those fancy new windows I have seem to be working pretty well. The overnight temperatures dipped down into the low 60s over the weekend and my inside temperature only dropped a degree or two from the usual 75 degrees. Before, that would have dropped right along with the outside temperature.

Brinner!...

(shamelessly stealing Jim Barnard's word from his blog about what I am about to also blog about.)







The wedding reception I attended on Saturday was most unique. First, breakfast was served as the main course. (Thus, the new word, "brinner") It was a continental breakfast like your local Holiday Inn serves every day. Second, in place of a traditional white wedding cake, four different varieties of cupcakes were served! Yeah, the bride and groom are a fun couple, perfectly suited for each other. I uploaded these pictures and a couple more here.

Niece Lydia, 8 months old...

Safe in the arms of Grandpa!
More here.

Sunday Night Stream Of Consciousness...

- WOW, this weekend flew by. Started it off right Friday by getting in some quality time with niece Lydia, who is now 8(!) months old. Fire engine parade on the riverfront Saturday morning. Mad dash back home to change into wedding clothes. M & K's wedding at noon in west county. back to the riverfront for 3:30 reception at morgan street brewery on laclede's landing. shuttle brother home from said reception at 8:00ish. take wrong turn onto MLK bridge and end up in Illinois, briefly. get turned around and drop brother off at his house, home by 9:00. church today, singles group tonight. total of 178 miles of driving since yesterday morning.

- Rams take first beating of many this season, Cardinals win, desperate for wildcard berth in playoffs; wait, this is how September started off LAST year.

- Monday night bible study resumes tomorrow night. did not get placed into a discussion group, new teaching leader was nice enough to call with explanation. Since I have already done this year's study once before (way back inthe day, people) they're waiting a week to place me so new people can get in first. He stressed "we do want you" because apparently there's many more girls enrolled than guys. That's sad, guys. We need more men to step up to the plate in all things spiritual.

- So who, exactly, is Camilo Villegas and how did he win the BMW Championship golf tournament here in St. Louis today? The PGA is the only sports organization that has events where some guy you never heard of can just come out of nowhere and win. And somehow, Villegas' win today enables another golfer to win the overall championship for the year (FedEx Cup) and a $10 million prize. If I were Camilo Villegas, I'd get on the phone and ask for a share of that, and that right soon.

- The look on my dog's face last night was one of "where the @#$%^ have you been all day? This is SATURDAY." That's why you got the nice long walk today, Chili. So sorry you felt neglected.

From The World Of Sports...

- couple of items from today's sports section:

— Pitt linebacker Adam Gunn may miss the rest of his senior season with a broken neck caused when he collided with teammate Scott McKillop during a season-opening loss to Bowling Green.

NBA — Former Kansas stars Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur were sent home Wednesday from the NBA's mandatory rookie transition program in Rye Brook, N.Y., for violating unspecified league rules.

Both the Miami Heat, who drafted Chalmers, and his agent, Sam Goldfeder, confirmed that the guard left the program. Neither would divulge the reasons why the former Jayhawks standout was asked to depart early.

Arthur, a 6-foot-9 forward who was chosen late in the first round by New Orleans, was traded three times on draft night and signed his rookie contract with the Memphis Grizzlies in early July.

The Grizzlies acknowledged Arthur "was sent home ... for violating program rules" but declined to give details.

My take:

The linebacker MAY MISS the rest of the season because of a broken neck? That's not the sort of thing ya walk off like a strained hammy or sprained ankle...footballers are a different breed, though...

And if ya get traded three times on draft night that's a pretty clear indication that your career isn't getting off to a good start...

R.I.P. Snowman...

Jerry Reed died today at the age of 71. He was a Nashville guitar man in the truest sense of the word. However, most folks will remember him for his acting role as trucker Cledus "Snowman" Snow in the 1977 film "Smokey and the Bandit." This was a classic bit of dialogue from the film:
Snowman: "Now, someone's got to pay for all that beer we spilled."
Bandit: "I already worked that out. Leave a note and tell the folks to send the bill to Big Enos Burdette"
Snowman: (talking to himself and writing note) "Send bill to Big Enos Burdette...that's B-R, B-U-R....aw, @$$% I got to go!!!"

of course, who could forget that episode of "Scooby Doo" where he played himself as the owner of the "Grand Ol' Country Music Hall"??? ah, nostalgia! (Bonus points if you remember the song that he performed in the episode that was never heard anywhere else.)

Labor Day...

So why did I feel compelled to labor on Labor Day? It's my late Papaw's personality manifesting itself through mine, I guess. I painted the unpainted edge of my bathroom door that had been paintless for oh, a year? I cleaned and swept out my garage then gave Chili-dog a bath. It was a somewhat hot and definitely humid day so she didn't mind the cold water so much.

Later we drove down to my parents' house for dinner. My mom roasted a couple of pork tenderloins with smashed potatoes and green beans. Her famous banana pudding was a nice topper. My dad and I bonded by getting their home theater system connected correctly after they got a new TV a few weeks ago.

D'OH!!!!...

From Deadspin.com via Jeff Gordon's "Tipsheet" blog on Stltoday.com comes this amusing bit:

LOGISTICAL MISHAP OF WEEK

The Tar Heels football program planned to kick off their season in style yesterday. UNC hired a pair of skydivers to descend from above and deliver the game ball prior to their match-up with McNeese State. Fans and organizers waited in breathless anticipation for their arrival. Only the skydivers never showed. Why? Because they mistakenly dropped into Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium eight miles down the road.

Surprise!