You may have heard of a singer named Taylor Swift. She is currently taking her talents to Australia as part of her Eras Tour. Singer Rita Ora, her husband filmmaker Taika Waititi, and singer (and Sean's Ramblings favorite) Katy Perry attended Swift's Sydney concert which took place yesterday/today/tomorrow (I don't know the time difference between Sydney and the Eastern time zone of the US). So why I am writing about this? Check out Rita Ora's hat for the show.
Clearly, Rita Ora is excited about the Pirates signing Mitch Keller to an extension!
For more Celebrities in Pittsburgh Gear posts (this is my second this week!), please click here.
Photos from The Era Tour Twitter page (here and here), the Taylor Swift Updates Twitter page, and a screenshot of a brief video of Ora and Perry by Cooper.
Not a great time to be a Pittsburgh sports fan. The Penguins lost on Jaromir Jagr's number retirement night and are looking to miss the playoffs for the second straight season. The Steelers appear to be an above average team. Good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to compete for a Super Bowl. That would be a dream for many teams, but this is unacceptable for many Steelers fans. While the Pirates have some potentially excellent young players, even the most optimistic fans acknowledge that reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2015 is doubtful. Any hope right now is with the University of Pittsburgh's men's basketball team. Under head coach Jeff Capel, the team reached the round of 32 in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. After a slow start this season including losing 5 of its first 6 ACC games, Pitt is now 8-6 in conference play with wins at Duke and at Virginia. The team is definitely in the mix for a NCAA tournament spot. This has not gone unnoticed by some major players in the hip-hop world.
In Pittsburgh last week, J Cole visited Pitt's basketball facilities.
In addition, after rocking a Penguins jersey at a 2016 concert (resulting in me getting a cease-and-desist email), Drake sported a Panthers football jersey.
Steelers' Cam Heyward also got to meet J. Cole
Hail to Pitt!
J. Cole's picture at Pitt is from Pitt's men's basketball team's Twitter account.
The photo of Drake with Fridayy is from DJ Akademiks on Instagram.
The Cam-J. Cole picture is from Heyward's Instagram page.
Taylor Swift is arguably the biggest current musician in the world. Travis Kelce is a future Hall-of Famer football player who just won his third Super Bowl in the last five years. Naturally, the relationship between these talented individuals has garnered some attention. Too much attention? Maybe. Is that the fault of Swift and Kelce? Again, maybe.
Surrounding the Super Bowl, I have seen numerous mentions of Taylor Swift from Pittsburgh sports fans critical of the attention she has received, and the amount of screen time she gets during football games. Swift ended up appearing on screen for 55 seconds during the Super Bowl. That's less than the amount of time that Tom Brady appeared on screen during commercials. While that number increased during the post-game celebration, 55 seconds of a 3+ hour telecast is insiginificant. So to those Pittsburgh sports fans mad about Swift, why are you upset? Do you think she takes attention from the game, or do you just want to admit that you don't like her?
Now if a Pittsburgh sports fan says that they hate how the attention on Swift takes away from the game, they clearly forgot about the Cole Tucker-Vanessa Hudgens relationship. Maybe Hudgens didn't get much (or any) screen time during Pirates games, but that had more to do with Tucker only playing 43 games with the team after the relationship started.
Maybe Hudgens-Tucker is a bad example. So what about all of the media coverage and camera shots of Evgeni Malkin's parents during the Penguins' Stanley Cup runs? Did you find that distracted you from the games? How dare the cameras cut to Geno's parents celebrating after he scored a big playoff goal! The focus needs to be on the game, right?
Let's not act like Pittsburghers are immune from being starstruck. Joshua Axelrod of the Post-Gazette, who I like and enjoy his work, regularly writes about television and movies being filmed in Pittsburgh. My guess is these are some of his most-read pieces. There are countless stories about where Tom Hanks had dinner or what gym Emma Watson visited or Ed Sheeran making pizzas during their time in Pittsburgh.
The same people critical of the screen time Taylor Swift receives during football games didn't complain about Jay-Z attending a Pitt-Duke game at The Pete. They don't scream about in-game interviews of Steelers players attending Pirates or Penguins games. How many times did Ben Roethlisberger get on TV during Pens games? Where was the outrage then? What about the many celebrities (such as Wiz Khalifa and Michael Keaton) who throw out the first pitch of a Pirates game and then are shown during the telecast? The Pirates even had a K-Pop superstar throw out the first pitch of a 2015 game. Never seen any complaints about in-game interviews with or television shots of Joe Manganiello or Billy Gardell. I remember people celebrating Sofia Vergara becoming a Steelers fan after she started dating Manganiello.
Admit it. You're mad about Taylor Swift. Maybe it's her politics or her music or the attention, but it’s about you not liking Swift. Now if you're consistent in your belief that players' significant others, parents, or kids or any other celebrity should never appear on screen during sporting events, feel free to share. Show me receipts as the kids say. (Do kids say this?) And if you don't have any, start now with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pitcher Paul Skenes was baseball's #1 draft pick in 2023. If he lives up to his potential, Skenes will be an all-star and one of the best pitchers in the National League. Assuming (and I know it's a big assumption) that the Pirates make the playoffs thanks to great performances by Skenes, Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, etc., Skenes' girlfriend Olivia "Livvy" Dunne might appear at playoff games. Although she doesn't sell out stadiums like Swift, Dunne is a big deal. She is a gymnast at LSU, appears in TV commercials and magazine covers, and has nearly 5 million followers on Instagram and more on other social media sites.
If it’s not about Taylor Swift, start posting on social media everyday how you hope that Dunne is never shown during Pirates games. Start telling all your friends that any Pirates loss or Skenes bad start is because Dunne is a distraction. Let’s see the videos about how Dunne was hired by Pirates owner Bob Nutting to help Joe Biden get re-elected (or something). If the Pirates make the playoffs, please complain about how Dunne is attracting more people including young women to become Pirates fans. I’ll be here to read all about it!
* Photo of Taylor and Travis from AFP via Getty Images. Not 100% certain, but I think it was taken by Patrick T. Fallon.
* Photo of Vanessa and Cole from Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty.
* The Moose just started his second semester of 7th grade and is taking Family & Consumer Science. Part of this class is a cooking unit, and after watching the first two seasons of The Bear, I fully expect him to swear a lot and start yelling "Yes Chef" at all times.
* I started wearing contact lenses in 9th grade and while I don't wear them everyday like I used to in my teens and 20s, I still wear them more than my glasses. That ended recently. I started getting headaches if I wore them too long, so I haven't worn my contacts since January 1st. That needs to change.
* While The Moose doesn't do this, there is a high percentage of middle schoolers (both boys and girls) that wear pajama pants to school. I don't get it.
* We won at trivia a few weeks ago, and one of the prizes was the socks pictured below. Most of my socks are black or brown or your standard Nike or Adidas socks. I want to become a fun sock guy. These socks will start it all!
* When I look at myself in the mirror, I see only brown hair. I mean, I'm mostly bald at this point, but the hair that I have is brown. However, at a recent haircut, there seemed to be a lot of gray on the cape.I think (or at least hope) that all the gray is from my sideburns.
* I didn't shave for several days, and I only shaved my neck so I didn't look like former quarterback Kyle Orton. When I picked up Pedro Tulo and Luigi, the after-school teacher complimented me on my beard. While I already shaved and aren't planning on growing a beard soon, it's nice to know I can grow a good-looking beard almost instantly.
* Over the last few months, I've binge-watched Yellowstone. While I'm almost done with season 4 and overall enjoyed the show, I'm getting a little tired of the messaging that cities, government, environmentalism, and in some cases education (for Jamie but not Beth) are bad and just living as a cowboy and vigilante justice solves everything.
* The other show I'm watching is Only Murders In The Building. I'm in the middle of season two and love it. So much fun!
* Finally, Pedro Tulo and Luigi wanted to watch the NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday, so I watched it with them. Anyone complaining about the amount of airtime Taylor Swift gets during Kansas City football games must also be going crazy about how much Peyton and Eli Manning appeared on the ESPN telecast. Yes, they were the coaches in the game, but ESPN showed one or both of them after EVERY SINGLE PLAY and sometimes even during the play on a split-screen. When they weren't on the screen, ESPN showed Ray Lewis instead. Would have been nice to spend more time with current players.
Some of the biggest songs in pop chart history feature collaborations between artists. You probably know songs by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, and Beyonce and Jay-Z. All of these artists are superstars.* But what about songs where one artist is a star (or becomes one) and the other isn't quite on that level? That is the point of this post.
Before I share videos, there are a few rules. Both artists need to be listed in the credits. One of the obvious songs for this post would be “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell. Although Michael Jackson sings the chorus, the song is credited only to Rockwell. Same with "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul. MC Skat Cat is wrongfully not listed.
I'm also only including songs that made an impact on the charts. Deep album cuts like a song by Taylor Swift featuring a random family member don't make a list. (I'm not aware of any song, but if there's a Taylor Swift-D'Andre Swift collaboration, it didn't make the cut.
Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko - Stay
Rihanna performed at last year’s Super Bowl, has sold about 250 million albums worldwide, and has over 30 top 10 hits. Mega star! While Mikky Ekko is a very successful music writer, his singing career is probably best (and maybe only) known for Stay.
Coolio featuring L.V. - Gangsta's Paradise
The late Coolio won a Grammy for this song and sold nearly 5 million albums in the US. Plus, he performed the opening sequence to Kenan & Kel and has multiple television and film credits. Meanwhile, L.V. released five albums with one peaking at #59 on the R&B album chart, another reaching #100, and the remaining three not charting at all.
Elton John, Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breaking My Heart
I learned that Kiki Dee released 22 albums. 22!! While she's had plenty of success in the U.K. and reached #12 in the American chart with the 1974 song I've Got the Music in Me, it's not fair to compare her success with the resume of Sir Elton John.
Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis - Just Dance
Just Dance is Lady Gaga's first song and with Colby O'Donis having some success with his own first single with Akon just prior to this song, perhaps she or someone at the studio thought a different voice would give the song a little extra attention. Two relatively new artists coming together. Of course, Lady Gaga followed this up with Poker Face and never looked back on her way to mega-stardom with Grammys, an Oscar, and a Super Bowl halftime show. Meanwhile, Colby O'Donis may or may not have hooked up with Hulk Hogan's daughter on the Hogan family reality show. I should also mention that Just Dance gave me the idea for this post.
Shaggy featuring RikRok - It Wasn't Me
This was a smash hit. Shaggy has two Billboard Music Awards and two Grammys, one for It Wasn't Me and another for his collaboration with Sting. He appeared on The Masked Singer in 2022 and toured with TLC, En Vogue, and Sean Kingston last year. Ricardo "RikRok" Ducent doesn't appear to have a Wikipedia page.
Sting featuring Cheb Mami - Desert Rose
Since I mentioned Sting, you may be familiar with his musical career. He also has an acting career including appearing in several episodes of Only Murders in the Building which I just started watching. When not being accused of murder on the show, he's done pretty well for himself. Born in Algeria, Cheb Mami released over a dozen albums between 1985 and 2006, though none appear to have significant sales in the United States. Is it fair to include someone with international success but not success in the US on this list? Maybe. For example, No Doubt won Grammys with Jamaican DJ/singers Bounty Killer on Hey Baby and Lady Saw on Underneath It All respectively. I should also mention that Cheb's music career seems to have ended after the 2006 album. He went to jail for doing some bad things in 2011 and later had to pay an artist for plagiarism.
Glenn Medeiros featuring Bobby Brown - She Ain't Worth It
The Hawaiian singer had a #12 song with 1987's Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You and his collaboration with Bobby Brown went to #1. Medeiros had five other singles reach the lower ranks of the charts between 1987-1990, the highest charting song being All I'm Missing Is You featuring Ray Parker Jr. (hold that thought) at #32 and released several albums. Then, he turned to education becoming a teacher, principal, and professor and earning a doctorate. I'm sure at least one student told him that she ain't worth it during a meeting in the principal's office! After New Edition, Brown embarked on a successful solo career with 8 top 10 hits including On Our Own from Ghostbusters II in case you were waiting for that Ray Parker Jr. connection. Of course, Brown also received enormous attention with his sometimes turbulent marriage to Whitney Houston. And this gives me the perfect opportunity to share this video of Brown meeting The Dalai Lama and getting introduced as Whitney's husband.
Olly Murs featuring Flo Rida - Troublemaker
This is another case of someone being successful internationally but not domestically. Olly Murs was on the UK version of The X Factor and has a string of hits there as well as numerous television appearances including as a judge on The Voice UK. His success hasn't transltaed to the United States where Troublemaker is his only top 40 song. Meanwhile, Flo Rida has so many songs over the last 15 years featured in films and commercials. You probably know a lot more of his songs than you think.
A few others for your consideration:
Santana featuring Alex Band (from the band The Calling) - Why Don't You & I
Drake featuring Majid Jordan - Hold On, We're Going Home
I'm sure that I've missed others. Please feel free to add your suggestions in the comments section.
* While you probably wouldn't include Boyz II Men in this group, they won 4 Grammys and have 9 top 3 hits. Not too shabby!
I feel like nearly every State of the Union address by a United States president includes the declaration that the state of the nation is strong. Well, I'm not going to write that here. Sean's Ramblings has certainly slowed down over the years. After writing 85-100 posts annually each year between 2017-2021 (well down from the number of posts I wrote for the first decade of this blog), I wrote 71 posts in 2022 and only 64 posts in 2023. I write when I feel like I have something to share and have the time to write, both of which seem to occur less frequently.
Now that this blog is 19, I understand why I’m probably one of the oldest blogs still around. Maybe 10-12 years ago, there was an explosion of “mommy” blogs/bloggers. I remember getting frustrated that much of their content was sponsored. The ones that focused on their kids and kid-related products aren’t around anymore. Maybe it's because the money went elsewhere (hello Instagram and TikTok). More likely, it’s easy to share stories and pictures about new foods for toddlers, diaper explosions (well, not pictures for this one), cool strollers, or activities for 5 year olds. It’s not as easy to write when your kids get to middle school or become teenagers. Your kids don’t want you to share their stories, or you don’t want to share their stories. I’m not going to write about Individual Educational Plans or how my kids are doing in school. Sure, I might write about my 7th grader's recent break-up but that was because of the absurdity of the whole situation. If he was older and really in a significant relationship, that’s not something I would want to share or would be comfortable sharing. It’s not my story.
So what’s next for Sean’s Ramblings? Nothing. I think my quest for a writing award is over after the 2023 Pittsburgh City Paper's Best of PGH and Washington DC chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists contest debacles. I’d still love to get media credentials for a sporting event or awards show, but even if I get selected to be on the red carpet for the Grammys, I don’t have time to travel to LA for it. So I’ll just continue to write what I want to write about and when I have time to write. No big goals or resolutions. Just keep going and becoming the only blog around to turn 20. And then maybe a big celebration for 20…or 21!
(Any post about the number 19 must include a picture of the 19th US President, Rutherford B. Hayes. Did anyone ever call him Rutherford Hayes without the B? Or just Ruth? Photo from the White House website.)
Up until geometry in 8th or 9th grade, math was probably my favorite subject as it came easy to me. That's why working with The Moose on his math homework can be somewhat challenging and frustrating. I generally know the answer but have trouble explaining it. Let's take a look at this recent homework.
Laurel charges $85 to groom a dog. Tuesday is her slowest day, so she offers a 15% discount if you bring your dog in on a Tuesday. How much will you pay if you bring your dog in on Tuesday to get groomed?
The instructions direct students to solve this program using the four-step proportion method. I have no idea what this means. My seventh grader insisted that the answer is $44.75. I tried to explain that this amount is nearly a 50% discount and that if you gave Laurel this amount, she would wait until you gave her more. While I knew the answer, I couldn't explain how to solve this using the four-step method. That's where the frustration comes in for both of us.
Let's take a look at one more question.
Kaden needs to buy a new screen for his iPhone. The screen sells for $164, and he has a coupon for 30% off. If Kaden received $100 for his birthday, how much more money does he need in order to buy the new screen for his iPhone?
Several thoughts on this one. First, why not just have "phone" in the question? Did Apple give the person who wrote this question an iPhone so that their product would appear? That's some unique marketing. Next, what did Kaden do with the $100? Does he have all of the $100 or did he spend some of it on apps or lunch? That seems relevant to this question.
Just for fun, feel free to solve these questions and put the answers in the comments section below. If you get them correct, you can get a gold star!
Watching football recently, I saw this Bud Light commercial several times featuring NFL Hall-of Famers Peyton Manning and Emmitt Smith.
At first glance, it’s nice that Peyton Manning bought a round of Bud Light cans for everyone. Seems rather convenient that the bar has cases of beer rather than kegs, but maybe cans work better for this particular establishment.
Here’s my issue with the commercial. Smith and Manning are retired professional athletes and both (particularly Peyton) appear to have great arms. At the end of the commercial, they give each other a look. They aren’t going to gently distribute beers to the bar patrons. They are going to fire the cans like it’s a dodgeball game.
Look, I understand this is a commercial, but let's try a little experiment. Go to a bar with a friend and buy a round of Bud Light cans. Then, as hard as the two of you can, start throwing them at people or just anywhere around the place. Let's see how long it takes before someone fights you or the police get called!
My second blog post in 2024 is about ordering light bulbs online
and the adventures in getting them delivered. This is the type of hard-hitting,
investigative post you expect from Sean's Ramblings! A few weeks ago, two
light bulbs in our dining room chandelier burned out. Yes, please feel free to
sing along to the chorus of the Sia song. (Seriously, I want to try singing this at karaoke someday.)
With it being the holiday season, it seemed much easier to purchase the light bulbs online instead of going to a store. I ordered the bulbs from Target on December 16th and figured they would arrive several days later. Since you’re reading a blog post about this, you know that they didn’t arrive several days later. Here’s the journey:
Tucson, Arizona: December 17 at 3:38pm - Package is in transit to a UPS facility.
Tucson, Arizona: December 18 at 2:00pm – Your package was not received at the UPS facility as originally scheduled. There may be a delivery delay.
Goodyear, Arizona: December 18 at 2:27pm – Origin scan.
Goodyear, Arizona: December 18 at 9:57pm - Departed from facility.
Hodgkins, Illinois: December 21 at 5:10am – Arrived at facility.
Hodgkins, Illinois: December 21 at 12:32pm & 12:58pm –
Unload scan. Location represents a scan within a UPS facility.
Chantilly, Virginia: December 22 at 2:29am – Arrived at facility.
Chantilly, Virginia: December 22 at 8:15am – Processing at UPS facility
I live in Northern Virginia, so this seemed like a good sign.
Springfield, Missouri: December 26 at 9:44am – Location represents a scan within a UPS facility. We’re sorry this package has experienced a sortation delay. The package has been rerouted to the correct destination.
I live in Northern Virginia, so this did not seem like a good sign. I also learned the word sortation. I knew flotation but not sortation.
Springfield, Missouri: December 26 at 9:02pm – Location represents a scan within a UPS facility. Revised delivery date.
Springfield, Missouri: December 26 at 9:50pm – Departed from facility.
Lenexa, Kansas: December 27 at 1:47am – Arrived at facility.
Lenexa, Kansas: December 27 at 4:23am – Departed from facility.
Earth City, Missouri: December 27 at 8:40am – Arrived at facility.
Earth City, Missouri: December 27 at 12:49pm – Departed from facility
Louisville, Kentucky: December 27 at 5:36pm & 6:07pm – Arrived at facility.
Louisville, Kentucky: December 28 at 2:54am & 3:24am – Departed from facility
Roanoke, Virginia: December 28 at 12:19pm – Arrived at facility.
Roanoke, Virginia: December 28 at 4:34pm – Departed from facility.
Chantilly, Virginia: December 28 at 8:23pm – Arrived at facility.
Chantilly, Virginia: December 29 at 6:34am – Destination scan.
Chantilly, Virginia: December 29 at 7:41am – Loaded on delivery vehicle.
After all of this, I received the light bulbs on December 29th and this was the result:
With the light bulbs traveling thousands of miles over nearly two weeks, I'm amazed that only one lightblub was broken!
Happy 2024! To celebrate the new year, I'm bringing back PAWRA or Pittsburgh Athletes with World-Renowned Athletes. On Sunday, the Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 30-23 in Seattle. After the game, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky met up with Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Gretzky is in Seattle for Monday's Winter Classic game between the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken at T-Mobile Park, home of the Mariners baseball team. I actually had no idea the Winter Classic was taking place in Seattle until I looked up why Gretzky might be in Seattle. Apparently, Gretzky golfed with Kenny Pickett and his dad back in March. I guess that they enjoyed the round together enough for Gretzky to seek out Pickett after the Steelers win.
It's time for my annual best and worst of the year in pop culture, entertainment, and more. As you'll see, there are not many "worst of" below. I have limited time, so I'm not watching or reading things I'm not interested in. Here we go:
Best TV Show: Shrinking
I loved this Apple+ show. Jason Segal plays a therapist struggling with the loss of his wife. While I like the storylines of Segal with his patients and his relationship with daughter, what really makes the show are his colleagues, Jessica Williams and Harrison Ford. They are fantastic. It's fun watching Harrison Ford be funny. This scene was the best thing I saw all year.
Honorable mention: Jury Duty
This was such a unique show. Everyone, meaning the lawyers, judge, jury members, etc. are actors...except for one jury member named Ronald who believes that this is a real case. Ronald is such a likable guy, and I don't think this show would work with a different lead. James Marsden playing a version of himself is also fun.
For no apparent reason, I tracked every TV show I watched this year, and I feel like sharing this.
Better Call Saul (last season)
Party Down (original)
The Chair
Night Court
American Auto
Not Dead Yet
Quantum Leap
Abbott Elementary
Yellowjackets (season 1)
Ted Lasso (season 3)
Sprung
Welcome to Wrexham
Lucky Hank
The Big Door Prize
Mrs. Maisel (season 4)
The Afterparty (season 2)
Shrinking
Jury Duty
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
The Wonder Years
Miracle Workers
Barry (last season)
Succession (part of last season)
Yellowstone
Lego Masters
The Bear (season 1)
Best Songs: HONEY (ARE YOU COMING?) by Maneskin and bad idea right? by Olivia Rodrigo
All caps and no capital letters at all? Can we please work on this! While I'm way out of her target audience, I am an Olivia Rodrigo fan, particularly with her up-tempo songs. bad idea right? gives me a vibe of "Naked Eye" by Luscious Jackson. Oh, the song is definitely not suitable for work.
Meanwhile, I think Maneskin has the best guitar riff of the year with HONEY.
Worst Song: Popular by The Weeknd, Playboi Cardi, and Madonna
Looking at my archives, I picked two songs by The Weeknd as the best of the year over the last few years. This is certainly not an anti The Weeknd post. While Popular isn't bad, I don't find it good either. It's repetitive and don't feel that Madonna adds anything to it.
Best Movie: Parasite
Parasite won the best picture Oscar a few years ago, so I'm a little late to this. The storyline is essentially a poor family scamming a rich family. I mean, there's definitely the message of class and the spoils of the rich. Definitely did not expect the ending.
Most Interesting Movie: The Menu
I can't put this as the worst movie since it's just so different from anything I've seen. I watched The Menu on an airplane and remember leaving the plane thinking "What the heck was that?" I really want to see this again.
And now, these are all of the movies I watched in 2023:
The Menu
Elvis
Rise (A movie about Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family)
Anchorman 2
Logan Lucky
Leo
Elemental
Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey
Parasite
Family Switch
Migration
My New Year's Resolution for 2024 is to watch more movies. Almost all of these are movies for kids/families. There's no Barbie or Oppenheimer. I mean, how can I get a media credential for The Oscars with this list?
Best Sports Moment: Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday completed the biggest comeback in English Football League playoff history back in May. Down 4-0 after the first leg, the team battled back to tie the overall score at 4-4 in the 90+7th minute. Peterborough, their opponent, got a goal in extra time, but Wednesday tied it again before advancing in penalty kicks. By far the best sports moment of 2023. (More about this game is available from my May post.)
Worst Sports Moment: Pittsburgh Sports
Although Pitt's men's basketball team returned to the NCAA tournament and the women's volleyball team is now a consistent power, the professional teams struggled. The Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-2006 season, the Steelers are an average NFL team, and the Pirates, though better in 2023 compared to 2022, still had a record under .500. While I don't have a specific moment for the worst sports moment, the Pirates were 20-8 after we attended the 16-1 victory over the Nationals, and several weeks later, the team's record was 35-42. Lots of losses. Actually, there is a worst moment. The Penguins, battling for a playoff spot in the next-to-last game of the season, lost at home to the worst team in the NHL.
Best Book: 12-way tie!
Okay, this definitely isn't true. I just wanted to share that I read 12 books this year, by far the most since the pandemic started. I was part of a book club in 2023, and book clubs are stressful! It's like high school all over again trying to finish a book in time for the discussion or test. At least we have snacks for book club! Here's what I read this year:
The Umpire Is Out by Dale Scott
How to be Perfect by Michael Schur
Raise a Fist, Take a Knee: Race and the Illusion of Progress in Modern Sports by John Feinstein
The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
Before you freak out, this is the worst concert I attended because I didn't attend. Bruce postponed his concert from August to September and then to 2024. Hopefully he'll appear in my best live concert in my 2024 post.
Let's get all of this out of the way before I start the point of this post. I live in Northern Virginia but not in Alexandria or particularly close to the proposed Potomac Yard site for a new arena for the Washington Capitals and Wizards. I've attended concerts, Wizards, Caps, and Georgetown basketball games over the 20+ years I've lived in the DC area, but I haven't been to the Capital One Arena in Washington since the pandemic started. So although the recent announcement about the Wizards and Caps moving from DC to Alexandria doesn't really impact me, why does it bother me so much?
By all accounts, the Gallery Place/Chinatown area of DC was completely revitalized by the building of the Capital One Arena (previously the MCI Center and Verizon Center) in the late 1990s. Between home games for the Wizards and Caps along with Georgetown basketball games, concerts, monster truck shows, etc., there are probably about 150 events at the arena each year. Taking away the Wizards and Caps will be absolutely devastating to the businesses in that neighborhood. Meanwhile, state and local taxpayers are going to be on the hook for $1.35 billion for the building of the new arena and entertainment complex in Alexandria, Virginia. This would be the largest public subsidy of a project of this kind. There is not currently adequate infrastructure in the Potomac Yard area, so we're talking about a significant investment needed in roads, though it's not clear if that's part of the $1.35 billion. In any event, I don't see how this is a good deal for Virginia residents. That's A LOT of money. And it's not like we're going to get free tickets or free parking. Ticket and parking prices aren't going to be cheap. Now all of this is a great deal for Caps and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis. This is a live look at Ted if this deal gets signed.
The model for Potomac Yard is The Battery area in Cobb County, Georgia. The Atlanta Braves moved about 10 miles outside the city to an area with a new stadium and entertainment district. It's really nice. Several years after opening though, I'd love to know the economic impact on Atlanta, Cobb County, and the Atlanta Braves. Cobb County (and its taxpayers) put significant money into the area. Curious what the return on investment has been. Plus, what's the impact for the city of Atlanta and the area that housed Turner Field? (I don't remember there being much to do before or after a game outside Turner Field which differs from the area outside Capital One.)
To me, it just seems like the Wizards and Caps should play in Washington. Although Potomac Yard is only four miles from Capital One, it's a world away.
Here are a few more videos about this potential move.
I'm really terrible at post titles. I mean, starting with a title of "Health Update" sounds ominous. Is something wrong? Was something wrong but now there's good news? It's actually none of the above.
I had my annual physical recently, and my doctor said I'm in great shape. In his follow-up report after receiving the blood test results, he wrote that I'm in "very good health" with my liver, kidneys, thyroid, etc. all normal and to come back in a year. This all sounds great, but I'm not completely convinced. First, my weight is up 6 pounds from last year. Now, I wouldn't recommend attending two holiday parties and a food testing event in the days before my physical, but I don't think that accounts for a 6-pound gain. Plus, while my total cholesterol (171) is in the okay range, my LDL, or bad cholesterol, is at 112 which falls into the high range.
I saw the results on the doctor's online portal before the medical assistant or physician assistant called me. He shared the note from the doctor about my good health, and I asked him about the LDL number. The PA/MA said that I need to exercise more, have more salad, and eat less chips and fried foods. How does he know about my eating habits? I mean, I'm helping the economy and saving money by buying chips/salty snacks that are on sale at Costco!
Fine. I'll start eating more celery. (Is celery with ranch or peanut butter okay?) I also just bought a pickleball racket, so I hope to hit the courts this winter since I definitely don't want to do any outdoor exercising. Stupid winter!
Photos are a screenshot of Brewster's Millions and from this Forbes article.
Once again, I'm stealing Heidi's idea for a "Housekeeping" post to share what's going on in my life.
* Both The Moose and Pedro Tulo are playing basketball this winter. This is the first time Pedro Tulo (4th grade) has played organized basketball, and this is definitely a learning experience for him. I'm hoping that he becomes a defensive stopper this season since it's still difficult for him to shoot. The baskets are really high for a little guy. Meanwhile, this is the third season for The Moose (7th grade), and he has the same coach along with a few teammates from last season. The Moose seems to be all about taking outside shots. He doesn't seem eager to battle with the "trees" down low.
* Hanukkah starts at sundown on Thursday. As usual, I'm trying to promote the pickles at Hanukkah tradition which started in 1998. (Here's the full story about how the tradition started.) While I'm excited to host a pickle taste test at my synagogue as part of our Hanukkah party (per the picture below, the pickles have been purchased!), the main way I'm attempting to promote the pickle tradition this year is commenting on and liking somewhat random Hanukkah posts on Instagram and Facebook with the pickle accounts. Not sure of the effectiveness of this plan. By the way, please follow the Hanukkah Pickles account on Instagram and the Pickles at Chanukah account on Facebook.
* With the temperatures regularly in the 40s, we’re now in dry-hand season. My hands look forward to March and April.
* I’m very late to this, but I started watching Yellowstone. This show proves that I could never work on a ranch. Or get involved in Montana politics. What’s interesting is that I’m watching most episodes on CBS, and thanks to a Thanksgiving marathon, I recorded many episodes from the Paramount network, a station I didn’t know I had. It’s quite jarring watching a show without swear words transition to one with swear words. I think you’re used to one or the other and not characters “changing” their language part way through a show.
* I took Luigi to a birthday party of one of his first grade classmates a few weeks ago. Nothing makes my introverted side come out more than a trampoline park where I don’t know any of the parents and don’t even know which parents are part of my group since there are several parties going on at once.
* My recent dentist appointment was a success. The receptionist at my dentist’s office noted that I’ve been a patient for 20 years now. This is now one of my longest relationships!
It's been a long time since I've shared stories about being a soccer referee. For those of you who don't know me very well (or know about this side of my life), I became a certified soccer referee in 1990. It was a great high school job since the pay was good, and I only worked on weekends giving me time to do homework and participate in activities during the week. I continued working as a referee when I returned home from college, and after taking a few years off, got recertified again around 2005. Before kids, I worked as a referee most weekends during the fall and spring seasons. In my mind, I get paid to exercise. Between all of the kids' activities, I don't work as much as I'd like, but I still try to get out when I can. I have two amazing primary assigners who I've known for years and understand my schedule. There are many times when I'll email them on Thursday to see if they have any availability for games on Sunday, and if they do, they slot me in. This post is about three games I worked this fall.
(That's not me in the picture.)
Game 1: Under 12 Girls
While I stopped working adult games at least 4-5 years ago, I generally referee games for middle school and high school aged kids meaning that this recreational league game was slightly younger than I usually work. This game featured one team with girls that were a foot taller and probably 30-50 pounds heavier than their opponents. While I probably called more fouls against the “bigger” team since it was warranted, many times, I let the teams play simply because players on the “smaller” team just bounced off players from the “bigger” team and hit the ground. After the bigger team scored a late goal on a penalty kick, one of the parents yelled for me to call it both ways. Then, as I was leaving the field, I overheard the “smaller” team’s coach explain that soccer is a physical game and that the players need to play through it sometimes.
Most times, I forget a game as soon as it ends. This one stuck with me. Should I have called the game tighter based on the age and skill level? Would that have been unfair to the “bigger” team? I don't know, but both answers seem to be yes.
Game 2: Under 9 Boys
I gave my assigner very short notice about my availability, and while there was a U19 boys game that had an assistant referee (AR) opening , he really needed me to be an AR for a U10 girls game and then center a U9 boys game. He explained that this was the first ever game as a center for the teenage referee assigned to the U10 girls game, and he wanted me to be there as a mentor. The teenage referee did a great job, and I was able to give her some feedback both at halftime and then after the game. Then, I got to center a U9 game, and I loved it. Yes, I called fouls during the game and made sure that it kept moving, but I also explained fouls and helped kids understand the procedure for a goal kick and the proper way to do throw-ins. One of the team's coaches thanked me after the game, saying that although they try to teach this at practice, it's often better for the kids to get the real-time feedback during the game from someone other than them. I really enjoyed being able to teach the kids and be a mentor for a new referee.
Game 3: Under 11 Boys
My final games this fall were for a local all-star recreational tournament. I was by myself (instead of a normal 3-person crew) for three games with 25-minute halves. The temperature was about 37 when I started, but I warmed up quickly from all of the running.
(It wasn't actually as cold as it was from this picture.)
Before I arrived at the field, I noticed on the schedule that no one signed up for the game after mine. In emailing with the tournament assigner, I wrote that I would stay if no one took the game. No one took the game. The game itself was unremarkable with one team winning 5-0. The losing team had some chances, but the winning team controlled the game. As I walked off the field, I heard one or two of the kids complaining about me as the reason they lost the game. There was one goal scored on what may have been offsides. It was close, but I thought the attacking player was fine. Of course, in a one-person system, I can't be even with the next-to-the-last defender on both sides at all times (and especially not in the fourth of four games). If the tournament wanted a 3-person system for all games (and increased costs for the teams), the AR would have been in perfect position to determine if a player was offsides. If it's close, I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to the attacking team. Plus, that one goal had minimal to no impact on the final result.
Anyway, I packed up my bag and as I walked to my car, a player from the losing team asked how much the other team's coach paid me. I was a little stunned, so I didn't answer. The kid continued throwing out various amounts concluding with $1 million.
I smiled and jokingly replied that I would certainly accept $1 million to help a team win an under-11 game. Do I make mistakes as a referee? Of course. There is constant action, and I miss things. However, I really don't appreciate anyone questioning my integrity. If it was a coach or maybe an older player, I would have given a post-game yellow card for dissent. For a 10 or 11 year-old, I just left the field and went home.
Welcome to Sean's Ramblings! If you're looking for thoughts on pop culture, music, fun and informative links, random DC and Pittsburgh info, sports (particularly Pittsburgh sports), and just what's going on in my life, then you're come to the right place.
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