Showing posts with label Tim Kurkjian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tim Kurkjian. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

2026 State of the Ramblings

So the Sean’s Ramblings blog turned 21. Yes, this blog can now legally drink! And like how many people at 21 have no idea what the focus of their life may be, I still don’t know the focus of this blog. I mean, I guess it’s the tagline: Thoughts and comments by a guy named Sean. And that works. In previous State of the Ramblings (States of the Ramblings?), I’ve noted that my lack of a dedicated topic has limited options and opportunities over the years. I’ve come to peace with this. Yes, I continue to apply for media credentials for the Oscars and Grammys and other events, and this is going to hit one day. In the meantime, I'll continue to write about what I want to write. Sort of. 

I tend to avoid politics and current events. Big news events tend to be replaced by other big news events within hours. For example, Congress passed a law in November ordering the justice department to release all Epstein files within 30 days. The House approved this 427-1. 427-1!!! The House doesn't agree on anything 427-1. Two months later, the justice department hasn't come close to releasing all of the files, yet there are no repercussions and seemingly no discussion about this. And we are/were close to abandoning our decades long NATO pact to invade Greenland? I think we can all agree that Nicolas Maduro is not a good guy, and him not being in power is positive for Venezuela. However, what's the next step there? Are we helping administer democratic elections? Seems like we're letting the current government govern (basically Maduro supporters) and trying to take all their oil. I'm not going to get started on ICE and immigration. It's also amazing that there were countless protests about Gaza, yet very few against the Iranian government after killing thousands of their own citizens. And you know what? Much of what I'm writing in this paragraph will be obsolete in a few weeks to be replaced by something else. I mean, Venezuela is already old news now. And even the news is the news. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is shutting down, and The Washington Post is a mess.


I'm way off topic. While I write “serious” posts occasionally, I try to keep things a little lighter. I would burn out quickly writing about everything in the previous paragraph. I'm already getting worked up and frustrated by what I wrote above, and I didn't even get close to digging into any of these topics.

Over the last four years, I've published a little more than one post per week. I'd like to think that most of these posts are like long-form articles. That there's something interesting or informative or funny in them. Something that you may not see or read elsewhere. I post plenty of quick thoughts on Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, and/or Twitter, so feel free to follow me there for those. But my more thought-out and collaborative posts are here.

So what’s next for Sean’s Ramblings? My 14 year old started a sports podcast, and I’ve joined him on a few episodes. Not sure if this is something that he/we will continue to do, but I enjoyed working with him. Maybe we’ll be like Tim and Jeff Kurkjian's Is This A Great Game, Or What? podcast except without the good stories, guests, and production values! I think I’m going to try to go out of my comfort zone this year. While I think it would be neat to attend the Bloggy Conference, traveling to Cedar Point at the start of the school year isn’t realistic for me. Maybe I’ll attend a DC Bloggers event this year. There’s also been talk of reviving the Pittsburgh Guest Bloggers Event. I think I can get my act together to make this a reality. 

Thanks to all of you for checking out the blog! I really appreciate you reading this post and any of the other 3,441 posts over the last 21 years!

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

Stan Belinda And Jay Bell Milk Cows

Pittsburgh Pirates fans are unhappy. Over the past few days, the team traded away All-Star closer Mark Melancon, pitcher Francisco Liriano (who struggled this season but has been great for the team the past few years) and the disappointing pitcher Jon Niese. The team reduced payroll significantly and also traded away several prospects for seemingly little in return. While I'll let others debate the pros and cons of the trades, I'm taking you back to a simpler time. A happier time. Let's go back to June 1992.

Jonah Keri, formerly of Grantland and currently a baseball writer for Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports, hosts The Jonah Keri Podcast and recently welcomed ESPN's Tim Kurkjian. I really enjoyed the two sharing stories, but as a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, there was one that stood out. Kurkjian described a cow milking contest between Jay Bell and Mike Lavailliere around the 31:45 mark. Well, I needed to know more about this. This is the text from Kurkjian's Is This a Great Game, Or What?: From A-Rod's Heart to Zim's Head--My 25 Years in Baseball

They don't have cow-milking contests in the NHL, but Pirates Jay Bell and Stan Belinda, who grew up on a farm, engaged in one. "Jay lost by a quart," teammate Andy Van Slyke said. "It wouldn't have been close except Jay was pumping skim milk and Stan was doing whole milk.

I'm giving Kurkjian the benefit of the doubt for confusing Lavalliere and Belinda. I mean, this is a cow-milking contest from more than 20 years ago! But I still need to know more. Enter the June 3, 1992 Beaver County Times.


While the picture is terrible, yes, there was a cow-milking contest on the Three Rivers Stadium turf between Jay Bell and Stan Belinda. There's photographic proof!

Apparently, this wasn't their first, um, rodeo. This is from the June 1, 1991 edition of Tyrone, Pennsylvania's Tyrone Daily Herald:

Two Pittsburgh Pirates, Jay Bell and Stan Belinda, will be the featured attraction at the Sixth Annual Dairy Day in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, June 4, 1991, at Market Square. The two ballplayers will square off in a milking contest at 11 a.m. and attempt to show visitors just how to milk a cow. Bell, the Pirate's Shortstop, is also the dairy industry's spokesperson on behalf of the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program. He was recently featured on a growth chart that was distributed by the Pirates and the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program in early May. Belinda, the Pirate's Relief Pitcher, is a farm boy himself and hails from a dairy farm in central Pennsylvania

The cow involved will be provided by Marburger Farm Dairy of Evans City, Butler County. Following the milking contest, promotion visitors can treat themselves to milk and ice cream by participating in several activities. These include Bossey Toss, Pudding Making, and a Dairy "Wheel of Fortune." In addition to these activities, county Dairy Princesses will be entertaining the crowd with several skits and Woodsmoke, a country western band, will provide musical entertainment.

So many questions. What exactly were Bell's responsibilities as the dairy industry's spokesperson? Was Belinda mad that although he was a farm boy from a central PA dairy farm he wasn't the spokesperson? What is Bossey Toss? Skits from the county Dairy Princesses? Sign me up!

How I wish there was Twitter or blogs back then to cover this! Someone has to have video of this somewhere, right? I guess we can dream.

Friday, March 09, 2012

Friday Videos

Happy Friday! First up in today's videos is Jaromir Jagr apparently finding a new job as a firefighter after his hockey career ends.



(h/t Puck Daddy who also explains this ad)

I like ESPN's Tim Kurkjian. I also like Toronto's J.P. Arencibia impression of Tim Kurkjian.



(h/t Deadspin)

Finally, here is a very happy dog.



Have a nice weekend!