Pros & Cons
Among the celebrations of 12/12, Festival of Unmentionable Thoughts. I’d guess I have more than most folks, and a lot of them are in my 14 books.
RIP MLB ace utility player/pinch hitter Vic Davalillo, 84. Born in Venezuela, he had a fine career, BA .279, 1122 hits, in 16 seasons beginning in Cleveland in 1963. Oddly, he played in the Mexican league in ’75 & ’76, then returned to MLB for a three-year stint with the Dodgers. He was awarded a Gold Glove in ’64 and was an All-Star in ’65. He made two appearances as a relief pitcher for the Cardinals in 1969 but failed to retire any batters, one of 14 hurlers in MLB history to post an infinite ERA, the only one to have pitched in more than one game. He was a member of the World Champion Pirates in ’71 & the A’s in ’73. He was a member of the pennant-winning Dodgers in ’78 & ’79, who lost both World Series to the Yankees. He batted .323 in the post season, 10 hits in 31 ABs. He kept playing in the Venezuelan winter league until the age of 50. He was a pro from ‘57-’87. There is a stadium named after him in his homeland, and the MVP award is also in his name, as well as a youth league. I’ve always had a soft spot for him because teammates of mine dubbed me Davalillo throughout my softball career. He had a remarkable run. Muy bien, Senor. Facts from Wiki and baseball-reference.com, photo from Google Images:
RIP TE Frank Wycheck, 52, who succumbed to injuries sustained in a fall at home. Born in Philly, he played collegiately at Maryland, forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. He was selected by the Redskins in the sixth round in 1993, the 160th pick. He was released in ’95 and signed with the Houston Oilers, who became the Tennessee Titans. He flourished, making three straights Pro Bowls and second team All-Pro in 2000. He was involved in one of the league’s most memorable plays. In the 2000 wild card game against the Bills, the Titans trailed by a point with 16 seconds left. He took a handoff, went wide, pivoted and threw the ball across the field to WR Kevin Dyson, who ran 75 yards for the winning score. Tennesse advanced to Super Bowl XXXIV that season, losing to the Rams by seven, the game ending with Dyson tackled one-yard short of the endzone. Overall, in eleven seasons Wycheck had 505 catches and 28 TDs. He is one of 17 tight ends to surpass 500 receptions. After he retired, he did one stint in pro wrestling, and worked in radio, co-hosting a morning show and doing color analysis for the Titans. He gave those jobs up when he began suffering cognitive issues in 2017, and planned to donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation upon his death. He also worked with the Special Olympics. He was a father of two. Gone way too soon. Photo from GI:
Holy Cow! Headline from foxnews.com: “Lifelong Dem and former Sanders adviser leaves party and joins GOP.” Can’t be.
From FN: “Harvard attempting to ‘redefine’ plagiarism to protect embattled President Gay.” Anyone surprised?
From FN: “Doritos unveils nacho cheese-flavored booze that costs $65 a bottle.”
Tom Stiglich cartoon:
Hard work at the floating book shop on this brisk beautiful day. I reorganized the inventory, breaking up big boxes, using smaller ones so everything would fit better in the car, whose interior is now a bit less stuffed. My thanks to the woman who bought the size 5/-1/2 Nikes, and to my Constant Benefactress, who purchased a thin pictorial titled Modern Painters; and to the young man who selected two paperbacks in Russian; and to the Frenchman, who took home two large tomes in his native tongue.
My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Fortezza/e/B002M4NLJE
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Vic-Fortezza-Author-118397641564801/?fref=ts
Read Vic’s Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
