It’s the start of a long weekend. It’s time to take some time off. You’ve earned it. Enjoy.
But, first take a moment to really, really remember why we “celebrate” this weekend. It’s to honor those who have served this country and died. They protect our rights for us to have weekends like this one. And, they protect us so that we may live a life that is filled with freedom.
If you’ve never been to a Veteran’s Administration Hospital(VA), consider yourself lucky. That likely means that you have never had a loved one from your group of friends nor family spend time healing from one of the many, many maladies that war causes.
If you’ve never been to a VA Hospital consider yourself unlucky. That likely means that you have never had a chance to see how many, many veterans who gave it their all now have to hope the doctors and nurses give it their all every day to care for them. It is quite moving. Quite moving.
Take that moment to remember. And, we suggest that the next time you can recognize someone who is currently serving or did serve, go out of your way to say thank you for that service. You ‘ll be glad you did. And, they’ll be glad you did.
Get the work done today. Then enjoy the good life. You’ve earned it. So have those who served us.
If you’ve been an avid BBR reader from way back in fall of 2018, you might recall a virtual trip that we took around the US discovering some unique names given to towns all across the U.S. of A. Today we take a look at five more.
Waterproof, Louisiana
Waterproof long ago was the one place in the immediate region that managed to avoid devastating floodwaters from the Mississippi River. Tired of the annual Spring floods, residents move to the spot and named it Waterproof. Unfortunately for farming community of Waterproof the 2008 crops were lost due to an unprecedented drought. Maybe a flood every once in a while is a good thing.
Bald Head, Maine
Bald Head is named for the cliff of the same name. Does Bald Head Cliff look like a bald head? Nope. Sometimes town names don’t have a unique meaning to match the unique name. The neighboring town’s name is just as odd. Ogunquit (which sounds like “a-gun-quit”) is it’s strange handle. Bald Head Maine is a personal favorite of this writer.
Accident, Maryland
Legend that dates back to the 1700’s has it that two surveyors, Brooke Beall and William Deakins, Jr., both claimed the same piece of land in the then-colony of Maryland. Friends they were as well. The dual claim occurred by accident. Deakins let Beall keep the land as he actually filed first. No word on the safety of attempting to drive though the town. Can you imagine explaining to the Geico lizard that you “had an accident in Accident?”
Frankenstein, Missouri
In 1890, Gottfried Franken donated land for the community to build a church. The town then named itself after the donor. Sorta. Franken was not a mad scientist either. Weird.
Worms, Nebraska
Worms was not named for the wildlife. The name’s origin might follow from the city of Worms, Germany. That one would be pronounced “vorms” and comes from a nickname for a Roman emperor. Why did Germany give a name to a town after a Roman by the way? We have no clue. It might be a better story if it was just named after the earthworm after all.
Waterproof, Bald Head, Accident, Frankenstein, and Worms. That’s five odd names for five odd reasons.
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. So said William Arthur Ward. We had no idea who William Arthur Ward was, but an avid reader forwarded this quote to us yesterday.
Turns out that Mr. Ward was an often quoted writer of inspirational maxims. During his lifespan more than 100 articles, poems and meditations written by Ward were published in such magazines as Reader’s Digest, The Phi Delta Kappan, and Science of Mind.
We had no idea who Lori Lightfoot was either. Well that is, we didn’t until yesterday. Turns out that Lightfoot was elected mayor of the third largest city in America, Chicago, yesterday. In her victory speech late Tuesday evening she said that her election was a “mandate for change.” She went on saying “Together we will insure that your zip code will no longer determine your destiny.”
Mr. Ward and Ms. Lightfoot on the surface both sound quite inspirational don’t they?
But we wonder, as a realist, if a mayor, or a government can insure that you, as an individual, or as a zip code can change as her “mandate” of an election speech suggests.
It was John F. Kennedy who asked in his inauguration speech, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Sounds like President Kennedy, who I am sure felt like his election was a mandate for change as well, was perhaps more of a realist.
Reliance on government creates a dependency. When one hopes someone else will help them, they are dependent. Once in place, and BBR submits its been in place for far too long, it becomes an entitlement. Hoping is the first cousin of moping.
But, every two, four, or six years too many people in too many elections run on a promise of change, and hope, and dreams. As a realist, we wish they would run on reality.
Chicago’s very own, the Reverend Jessie Jackson, while concluding the 1988 Democratic Convention warm up speech before a worldwide audience said “Keep Hope Alive!” In fact he liked the sound of it so much he said it four consecutive times. Inspirational indeed.
Hope is but an emotional connection. Post election reality sets in all over again. It’s nice to keep hope alive. It really is. We all like to dream of better days.
Realistically, however, without action, it gets you as an individual, nowhere. Sorry to disagree Ms. Lightfoot, but you’ll be in the same zip code in four years if you rely on others.
As the BBR staff descended yesterday on the city of New Orleans for a little Mardi Gras fun today, we couldn’t help but think of Antonio Cromartie. Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday. Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday in the Catholic religion. Ash Wednesday officially kicks of the Lenten Season, or Lent.
Lent is traditionally described as lasting for 40 days, in commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, during which he endured temptation by Satan. During Lent devout Catholics give up or fast from one or more of their favorite foods, drinks, or activities.
So based on the above clearly the catholic religion, Mardi Gras, lent, restraint, and Cromartie would make for strange bedfellows don’t you say? Therein lies the connection actually. Cromartie has apparently never met a strange bedfellow.
Antonio Cromartie (born April 15, 1984) is a former NFL starting cornerback. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted in the first round (19th overall) by the San Diego Chargers in the 2006 NFL Draft. He was selected to four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2007 after leading the league in interceptions. Cromartie is credited with the longest play in NFL history, returning a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown in 2007. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts.
Productive might be a word used to describe his career on the field. He played defense. But, on another playing field Cromartie might be called prolific. There he plays offense. And, Antonio’s greatest talent is scoring. His 14 children at the age of 33 arrived via seven baby mamas. So the score, which we clearly hope is the final score, is children 14, baby mamas 7. But, at only 33 years of age we might have only reached halftime.
Several years back when the baby count had reached the meager total of only eight, Antonio was interviewed for a segment on the HBO show Hard Knocks. It’s 1 minute and 27 seconds of pure gold and definitely worth another look. At that point three of his children were each three years old. None of the three were twins, nor were they triplets. Three kids all three years old from three women has to be a record. 3,3,3. It has to be, doesn’t it?
Cromartie owes, and we assume pays, $336,000 in child support a year. We hope that he saved/invested wisely from his successful on field career to fund his successful playing the field career.
Mardi Gras gives one a last shot at decadence before Lent sets us straight. Mr. Cromartie could be the king of this carnival. He more than qualifies. We aren’t judging. Are we?
Lent? Well, so far, not so much for him. There is still time though. It’s only halftime.
We’ll be back after these commercials ladies and gentlemen. Once again, the score 14 from 7.
On November 8th, 1970 the New Orleans Saints were hosting the Detroit Lions in old Tulane Stadium. The Superdome was little more than a hope and a dream at that point. The Saints won/loss record was a disappointing 1-5-1 on the season. Prior to this dismal 1970 start the franchise had set a record in its 1967 expansion season with the most first season wins ever with three against 11 losses (they only played 14 games back then) . In 1968 they improved to 4-10. And, in 1969 they improved yet again to 5-9.
The 1970 season was so disappointing that the owner, John Mecom Jr., fired the first and only head coach, Tom Fears, that they had after the weeks’ prior loss. In walked J.D. Roberts to confidently take his place. The only problem was that Roberts resume’ stalled out at the NFL linebackers coach level, and that was two years prior. After that he was running the Saints farm team (they had such a thing at that time) for two years. Think of it as a JV coach in high school perhaps?
If you need more evidence as to how shaky this hire was jump forward for a minute to 1971 when Archie Manning became a Saint via the second overall pick in the draft. That fall, in Roberts first full season, he, Manning, and the Saints traveled for preseason game number one. Manning recalled this first game ever, which brought the Saints to Buffalo to play the Bills and their celebrity running back, O.J. Simpson. After Simpson ripped off a 30-yard gain, “J.D. turns to me and says, ‘I don’t know who that No. 32 is, but he’s a damn good-looking running back,'” Manning said. “I couldn’t tell if J.D. was serious or not. That’s the way J.D. was. But I thought to myself, ‘Here I am in the NFL and our head coach doesn’t even know who O.J. Simpson is.'”
So back to Roberts fifth full day on the job, he jogged out with the Saints to take on the soon to be playoff bound Lions. Boom Boom and I had tickets courtesy of one of the suppliers that sold to him, Mr. Harold Kataya. We joined his group of many in their row 2 upper deck 40 yard line seats. The game ebbed and flowed and with under 30 seconds left Detroit kicked a chip shot field goal to climb ahead 17-16.
The cocktails were flowing all game long in row 2 as well. Getting booze into the stadium wasn’t a tough task back then. Watching a team about to fall to 1-6-1 was a tough task and likely much more fun if your vision was a bit blurred. Detroit was much better than the woeful Saints. However, they too may have had a few on Bourbon St. the night prior for the game to be this close this late.
A decent kickoff return and one pass play later the Saints were down to the final two seconds and the ball was resting on their own 44. Time out. Out trotted the field goal special teams unit. In 1970 the goal posts were still on the goal line (the safety of the players wasn’t quite what it is today). This field goal, given the seven yard snap back to the holder, would be attempted from 63 long yards.
The Mighty “Half Boot” of Tom Dempsey
Boom Boom turned to me and said convincingly and quickly “Son, there is no way he can make this. You realize that right?” “I think he can Dad.” “He” was Tom Dempsey the N.O. field goal kicker. Tom Dempsey was born with no toes on his right foot and no fingers on his right arm. He kicked with his right foot. That’s right. His specially made kicking shoe was squared and flat on the end. Like almost all others then he kicked straight on, not soccer style like every kicker does today.
Alex Karras starred in Webster
The longest field goal ever made to that point was 56 yards. It was made 17 long years prior in 1953. One Lion, Alex Karras, then a pro bowler and later in life a TV game analyst/announcer and sitcom actor, was said to have laughed out loud on the field that the Saints were even attempting such an absurdity.
The snap was fine and the hold was perfect. As Dempsey put his half-foot into the ball the Lions made only a cursory attempt to block the kick. The kick traveled from our left to our right. Time stood still. Eighty three thousand fans were silent as one. The football flew. And flew. And flew. And when it crossed over the bar with a good two feet to spare the referees came from beneath the goal post, arms risen in unison, signalling that the kick was good. Good. GOOD!
I looked wide-eyed at Boom Boom. He jovially looked at me. “You were right, son!” I jumped for joy. He caught me, hoisted me higher, and we jumped even higher as one. There was but one problem. Boom Boom lost his balance. At that split second my back was to the field. We fell into row 1. Half of my body was above the railing separating us from 40 feet of free fall into the lower section. Thankfully all of his body was below the railing and he never lost his hold of me. The hug was too tight and the joy was so right.
The Saints lost every other game that year to finish 2-11-1. It mattered not to this then ten-year old.
It was the mighty boot of Dempsey that made the football fly! Two seconds left, it was do or die! Those are the first two lines of the ballad later sung, recorded, and sold on a 45 rpm to commemorate the moment. I got the 45 as a birthday gift and played the grooves off of it.
The moral of the story you ask? Actually there are a few. Enjoy every second. Dream big. Cherish great memories. Oh, and don’t sit too close to the upper deck railing.
One of the many gifts that Boom Boom gave us was the torrent of quips about how one leads one’s life. He could say so much by saying so little. A statement at just the right moment resonated in my young, eager eardrums. How I interpreted or applied it was up to me. No more words were spoken because no more words were needed.
My intent is to simply drop them here from time to time for reflection in your life. Perhaps you can benefit as I have. Whether all of the quotes were originally his(the vast majority are), or if he was himself inspired by a few along the way isn’t relevant. The message is.
As my senior year in high school began I quickly realized that, regular classwork included, I had taken on a good bit of extracurricular work. I edited the school paper. Every six weeks we went to press. I was fortunate to be prez of our senior class as well. I had other interests too. Sometimes all of the responsibilities seemed to wash ashore at the same time.
One evening I whined a bit about what I perceived as too much going on. Boom Boom heard that complaint of mine one too many times. “If I want something done at work I give it to a busy person, son.” I walked across the hall. “That’s correct,” he said as he worked the adding machine like the proverbial plow horse. I looked perplexed I am sure. This didn’t sound logical. But, as I later learned, it is.
How often have you heard someone talk about how busy they are? My observation in the workplace is that productive people rarely complained about how much was on their plate. Busy people get things done. People who always tell you how busy they are aren’t really that productive. A big key to productivity is focusing on what is important now and prioritizing tasks each day.
Are you busy? Everyone is. Your work, your family, your friends, your sleep, your eating, and your exercising aren’t any different from any other’s need to achieve life/work balance. There are only 24 hours in everyone’s day every day. Make the most of them. Might I suggest more work and less talk about it? You will quickly feel a rewarding sense of accomplishment.
Ever so quickly Abby Roux has a pack of watchdogs now watching her like a dog. Those canines have been hired by all of the big sports betting books in Vegas. They’re trying to get on to her like fleas. “Smart” money books, as they call themselves, are now adjusting lines when Abby offers her bone-i-fied opinion on the week’s college games.
And, why shouldn’t they? She’s hotter than some of the sponsors that she has picked up. Abby is a documented 6 up and 4 down in the win column. She is an even better bones bettor, burying 17 of the 25 bones that she was willing to risk. That’s 68%! Take that Mandalay Bay. Her hunch bets are a smooth 2-0. That’s some nice scratch overall.
This week Abby spent some long hours howling about trends she always likes. But those trends don’t show up too well in this week’s contests. She’s again urging caution, offering fewer bones to pick than last week. The bets follow.
Washington -3 at Oregon -Abby feels that there is only one team that has a shot at coming out of the PAC 10. It’s the Huskies of course. This is a must win for them. Plus Abby hunts Ducks when she isn’t picking games. Three bones.
Wisconsin +9 at Michigan – Wisconsin has underwhelmed thus far. Michigan’s only blemish is to an ND team that looks better by the week. Abby can’t think of many reasons to have faith in this near double-digit dog. Sometimes that’s plenty reason enough. Remember Abby likes to zig when others zag. Winner looks towards an eventual match up with THE OSU. The loser is done in any final four discussion. Two bones.
LSU +7.5 v Georgia -Three weeks ago LSU was outplayed in the trenches by Southeastern. Yep SELA. There was no way they would go into Auburn and win. But, they did. Barely. There is no way they can beat Georgia after Florida worked them in the trenches. But. Abby sez Georgia, with a late touchdown, wins 27-22. UGA goes wild. One bone.
Iowa St +6.5 v West Virginia -“Want to be” champions that want to be on a short list of real playoff contenders have to win games like this in conference and on the road. WVa did that against Texas Tech a couple of weeks back. They likely will do it again Saturday. But, Abby likes home dogs as you might have heard. So, a back door cover might get us there. Two bones.
Baylor +14.5 at Texas -This is a bet against the Longhorns not a bet for the Bears. Tom Herman got his first signature win last week beating Oklahoma when a freshman snapped the ball to a freshman who held the ball for a freshman who nailed a 40 yarder with only nine ticks (not those kind Abby says) on the clock left. Baylor has no D. Abby hopes that a road dog can catch a big steer napping. One bone.
Virgina Tech -5 at North Carolina – If the good Virginia Tech team shows up UNC fans will start marking the days till Tar Heel basketball. If the team that lost to Old Dominion shows up, never mind. Abby thinks the Hokies bounce back from a home thrashing at the hands of a good ND team. She also would like to know what the heck a Hokie is. Two bones.
On a hunch take Mississippi -7 to out score Arkansas roughly 51-37.
That’s 6 games and 4 dogs for a measly 11 bones. Don’t empty out what’s left in your 401k. Vegas might show its teeth this weekend.
There were football coaches back then. But, there was but one Bum (Oail Andrews) Phillips. Bum coached through every level and had a ten year NFL head coaching run with the then Houston Oilers and the New Orleans Saints. He was the ultimate players coach. His players loved him. Loved him. Bum was born and raised in Southeast Texas. He coached a mega star who was born and raised in Northeast Texas. His name was Earl Campbell, aka The Tyler Rose.
Campbell was an incredible runner at the University of Texas and won the Heisman before turning pro. Campbell had tree trunks for legs, and a strong desire to find the goal line. If you need your memory refreshed, click here. Bum had many pearls of wisdom, colloquialisms, and funny thoughts. He suggested to Earl that when he got to the end zone he hand the ball to the referee. In the late 70’s and early 80’s spiking the ball or doing a dance in the end zone had become all of the rage. “Act like you’ve been there before,” he suggested in a deep Texas drawl.
Campbell scored 74 NFL times.
09/07/1980 – Houston Oilers Earl Campbell (34) finds running room against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium.
He politely handed the ball to the ref 74 times. Bum was polite too. He wore cowboy boots and a cowboy hat like a second skin. Except. Except he never wore the hat in the Astrodome nor the Superdome. When asked why, Bum said, ” My mama taught me that when you walk indoors you take off your hat.”
Sixty-nine of those TD’s were in his first six years. Bum worked him like a plow horse. Defenses knew what was coming. And what was coming just kept on keeping on. Bum admired Earl so, “I wouldn’t say Earl is in a class by himself, but I’ll tell you one damn thing: It don’t take long to call the roll.”
Bum passed away in 2013. Earl works for the University of Texas’ athletic dept. One too many rushes and way too many hits have taken a toll on Earl’s health.
Their careers and dignity are forever intertwined. Together they taught us a lesson. Embrace success, stay humble, and most of all “act like you’ve been there before.”
If you’re a foodie you love trying new restaurants, menus, dishes, or recipes. The hard-working staff here at boomboomsroom.com loves to try out new takes on food as well. Working well into last evening we decided to take a stab on Al Gore’s internet for just that.
What popped up in Google Search trending right there at the top? Wow, a new take on an old favorite did-the Cuban Sandwich.
The prep went as follows.
Toast bread till burned by your subordinates. Ignore coworkers cries for a better toaster. In fact, ignore them for 10 years or so.
Pile on a bunch of baloney to cover up how poor your leadership is/was. While layering on the baloney say things like….“I’m just sorry I didn’t see. I’m just sorry I didn’t recognize it. I just hope that out of this we’ll be better and we can avoid it and we can help make everybody just smarter about the whole thing.”
Add a sliced ghost pepper. “If I was in our business office five times in 15 years, that was a lot. It’s embarrassing to say there were people who I just hadn’t met and hadn’t talked to.”
Top generously with pungent cheese. “Yeah, obviously that’s a huge mistake on my part. I was under the impression that, the first issue, the pornography was resolved. And obviously it wasn’t.”
Slather with the mustard that you cannot cut. “I didn’t know and I don’t have an explanation. I can give you lots of reasons but they don’t matter. What matters is it was my responsibility, it didn’t happen and I have to be accountable for it.”
Season(tickets) to taste with salt extracted from alligator tears.
Cost of the sandwich is a mere 10 million dollars. What a small price to pay for over a dozen years of creating a workplace that went unchecked on domestic violence, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
It’s good to know that money and a lot of “I’m really sorry(s)” can keep you in the NBA I guess. Well, that is unless your name is Donald Sterling. The food he served was sooooooooo bad that he paid 2.5 million and got a lifetime NBA ban.
Meanwhile, in NY, Adam Silver is in the drive through in his Rolls Royce. Yes, sir, can I help you? Yes, I would like to order that new Cuban sandwich. Sure, is that all? Yes. Okay, your total is 10 million at the second window.
that she has picked up. Abby is a documented 6 up and 4 down in the win column. She is an even better bones bettor, burying 17 of the 25 bones that she was willing to risk. That’s 68%! Take that Mandalay Bay. Her hunch bets are a smooth 2-0. That’s some nice scratch overall.
UGA goes wild. One bone.
