A Mid Summers Night ....

Still in the catching up mode...

I did get my final two games of baseball in on Saturday...working, for the 4th straight year, the Ohio ACME State Championships.  ACME is the Summer version of High School Baseball, and is exclusively from north of Cincinnati to the Toledo area.  I worked two teams I am very familiar with, Crestview and Ottawa-Glandorf in State game #3 on the bases and behind the plate with two teams less so, but who I work on occasion, Defiance and Bellfontaine..Crestview and Defiance came out on top, and defending champion Defiance remains undefeated in the double elimination tournament as I type this.

Now with the gear packed away for the future{although I may work some fall baseball} I can get ready for football....beginning with a 7 on 7 passing tournament on Friday, here in Celina.  19 quick games are on the agenda, 7 JV contests and 12 varsity games...an easy $100 bucks which will keep me in beer until the football scrimmage and regular season begins in about 3 1/2 weeks.

Today I began my summer "projects" albeit later than I had planned...clipped the Ivy off the porch and front of same, trimmed the bushes along the outskirts of the house, and begin planning on finally painting the garage...I may have to do some "wood work" on parts of that as well....but I did get the Ivy and Brush work done for now...

Late last week I did get out and shoot some photos along Grand Lake...something I have done quite
often the past few years...Summer Morning Photos..this year however it was my first time out...and enclosed are a few of those...

More as I continue to catch up....


Photos-along Grand Lake Ohio as the Summer rolls towards fall...

Catching Up!

8 days without a post?  Yep, that's the longest string I have taken away from this blog since I began 6 years ago {next week}..frankly a combination of boredom and realizing that everyday blogs are going by the wayside has reduced my contributions to the genre...my "stop by" followers and visitors and views have dropped by over 50% since the Spring of 2012...blogs indeed are becoming a thing of the past on the Internet, as our sounding boards on different subjects...facebook ant Twitter are the latest ways of "communications" in the social media.

I am trying to figure out how to move forward on this blog, whether it be by posting everyday photos or some such.  Looking back over the six years I have pretty well exhausted the exploits of my past life and politics and sports commentary have been moved over to facebook and to a lesser extent, Twitter...although frankly, those bore the Hell out of me at times as well...and I don't trust{especially facebook} the leadership and owners...not with the criminal Kenyan Bastard Obama in office and his  trolling little Monkey, Eric Holder, in charge of "Justice".  See last weekend's Zimmerman verdict, which the DOJ will no doubt try a double jeopardy play on.  While that side show is going on, the real issues, Benghazi, the IRS, and other criminal activities of the Obama Administration go ignored or under reported by the Lame Stream Media.

Summer, the Midway Point......

Down to a couple of games left on the baseball side of life.  Working the Junior ACME South Regional, last weekend, leaves me with just a few games left...and while I have not been given the fnal assignments for this coming weeks Senior ACME State games at Coldwater, I have no doubt I will get at least 2, maybe 3, of those...and the 8 mile drive to Coldwater is much more in line with my wishes that last years 60 miles each way trip to Bryan...

A 7 on 7 passing tournament here in Celina will being my football work on July 26th, and then nearly a month off before the "real" football season begins on August 20th...no hurry for that to begin...I'm beat!

After rain and much cooler weather than last year, the Summer heat and humidity has began in the Midwest...90s all week with heat index in the 100 range, in the sun the humidity are something else.  Yesterday we had Grandson Kasyn here, which it appears will be a welcome happening on Mondays for the rest of the Summer, with his mom opening up a new office in Wapak, and working there on that first day of the week, at least through September.

I'll continue to check back in with photos and a short line of BS as I get time....but don't expect much else until Summer cools into fall.

back later>>>>

Photos-The first of the Sunflowers has bloomed, despite last weeks major wind storm, most of my flowers have survived....and grandson Kasyn and I sat outback last week for a couple hours and rotated between the backsteps and his wading pool.

Baseball Marathon

After spending a rainy July 4th in Centerville with Hal and family...Friday it was back to Mercer County and the remaining weekend spent on the Baseball Diamonds.  With the recent weather it was in doubt if or how many games we would get in.

My single game in the ACME Sectional on Friday Night turned into a double header starting at 6pm...my young partner Damon worked the Parkway/Celina game behind the plate a 3-0 win for the Panthers in the first elimination contest....I handled the duties in the second as St. Henry eliminated Parkway with a 5-1 win....I was home at 11pm, time for a couple of cold ones and then some sleep before heading to Van Wert for the finals of that Van Wert County District Tournament.

It was raining mostly a drizzle throughout the morning and early afternoon....I worked the plate in the opener as Crestview forced a second game with a 10-2 win over Jefferson out of Delphos....in the second game, with Todd from out association working the dish, Jefferson took a 5-3 lead into the fifth when the skies opened up and filled the Smiley Park Diamond with enough water to cancel the game until yesterday...I headed home and rested up for another double header scheduled for Sunday at Rockford...and that double would basically turn into a triple!

Arriving at the Parkway Diamond in Rockford, I hooked up with my old buddy Jim and agreed I would work the Junior ACME winners bracket final between Coldwater and Van Wert....that turned into a long day for me...13 innings, with both teams making enough base running blunders to fill a score card up...finally, Coldwater put 4 runs across the plate in the top of the 13th and held on to end the 3 hour 50 minute marathon with a 6-2 win.  Over the years I have worked a couple of 14 inning games behind the plate, including a Spring Sectional game, but neither lasted as long, time wise, as yesterday's encounter.  Exhausted we took a half hour off, and then proceeded to work the losers bracket elimination final between Crestview and St. Henry...the Knights from Convoy Crestview held on for a 8-4 win to oust the Redskins as the thunder could be heard in the background....then as we headed for the parking lot, the rains came, once again, marking the 12 straight day we have had precipitation in the area.

This will bring my remaining games down to a handful....tonight at Miller City where Bullet Bob and I will work a Putnam County Semi Final...already got Bob doing the plate....yesterday did me in.   Then I will wait for my State ACME and Junior ACME assignments as I finally finish off the baseball season, with a full month to relax, do some weeding, shrub cutting, and garage painting at my own pace before football season arrives about the 20th of August for out first scrimmage games.....I have already pretty well decided that this season and next will be my last two years working football.  Baseball, I am in for the long haul, until I cannot see or stand, basketball is the wild car, I enjoy the winter exercises, but it is a wear and tear on the body...so roundball, and how long I decide to work it remains up in the air...for now I will enjoy what time I have working out at a pretty high level, at the ripe old age of 64....70 Anyone?

With the game tonight, if the rain stays away, I will likely have at least 10 days off before the State....today Patricia and I have the Grandson K~Man, while his mom opens up a new Autism Treatment office in Wapak and Hal is traveling to Toledo for some consultation for his Autism Behavior Group....I will head out for Miller City, some 55 miles north and east about 4:15....

back later>>>>

Bailey Tosses another "No-No" and No end in sight for the Wet Weather

After a cloudy morning yesterday, the sun and humidity came out....only 66 for a high on July 1st, it bloomed to about 80 with humidity to match yesterday by the time I left for Lima for our scheduled umpire gig at Lima Senior where the Lima Legion was poised to take on the team from Prospect, Ohio...Prospect is near Marion and Waldo, and there are quite a few Houseworth's buried there...another of my ancestors hometowns.  As I arrived on the west side of Lima, some lite showers began....and it was sprinkling at the ball diamond when I got there....but the rain held off, and we would have gotten the game in...problem was, a scheduling snafu and Prospect didn't show.  I got paid regardless and headed home. 

By this time I had talked to Patricia and all Hell had broken loose in a large path from the Indiana State Line, east to Lima and Celina and other towns in the path got another soaking, unwelcome that it was....Not sure how many ACME Tournament games were washed out...but I suspect most.  Mine for tonight has been moved from Van Wert to Delphos Jefferson....if it doesn't rain!  I know the Van Wert ACME and Crestview Junior ACME, along with Coldwater and Lima ACME Tournaments are backed up Big Time....not sure how that is going to play out....I have Saturday Open for Rain Make

Ups and that is about it...tomorrow we head to Centerville for the Parade and Cook Out/hopefully the rain, which is predicted, holds off.

The rain had ended as I headed home...when I arrived, I noticed my wild Sunflowers which had been sprouting next to the inside fence and hose bracket were on the ground or leaning that way....the rain was so heavy they took a beating as did some of the others on the south side of the outside fence...Patricia got some tie string and we propped them back up....hopefully it holds and they come out of it...the rain, which is on the agenda for another 8 days or so, can stop anytime...for a month!!! At least....

After getting that done, I opened a Guinness Extra Stout, put some ice cubes into the glass and poured, sat down to watch the Reds take on defending Champions The San Fran Giants, who knocked them out of the playoffs last year....Homer Bailey was on the mound for Cincy.  The Reds took a quick 1-0 lead and Bailey was mowing down the Giants....15 in a row and I'm thinking, "Naw, he can't pitch a perfect game, can he"?  Then in the 7th he walked a batter with no outs and the

"perfect game" was gone...that came on a 3-2 pitch and it indeed was inside/the perfect game gone, but Bailey, who pitched the last no hitter in the MLB last September still had his "No-No" going into the 9th....a ground ball back to the mound, a strike out, and a grounder to Frazier at 3rd base and Homer had his second career no hitter...a gem at that, only one batter reaching base:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/homer-bailey-throws-no-hitter-cincinnati-reds-beat-san-francisco-giants-070213

With the Cards and Pirates{finally} losing, Cincinnati moves back to within 2 and 4 game respectively of each team and still firmly in control of one of the Wild Card spots at this point...still plenty of time to catch both, if they play better on the road and vs good teams.

Busy next few days....probably nothing to post or "blog" about...maybe Friday with some photos...otherwise..

Back Later>>>>


Photos-Homer Bailey celebrates his 2nd no hitter in the past 9 months a 3-0 win over San Francisco/The Sunflowers next to the house and inside fence need some help to stay up after the Heavy Rains...again/and the Zinnas are hanging in there despite the heavy showers...

Let it Rain/2013 Half Way Gone

July 1st....the year 2013 is already half gone, and the old adage "Time Flies" comes into play...especially as you get older....I remember as a kid, and even when I was suffering through four years in the Air Force, how time sometimes dragged....now, four and even five years goes by in the blink of an eye.

June, up until late last week, was dry and not overly hot....a few showers here and there, but no rain outs of the Summer Baseball season...that all began to change a few days ago.   Despite the rains, I got my games Wednesday, Thursday, and even Friday Nights 9 inning American Legion game in at Lima....but the weekend was a baseball and Mother Nature disaster.

Some areas have had 10 inches or rain in the past 4 days....and we are getting hammered again this morning, as this stupid front continues to bring heavy storms from southeast to northwest...hardly a Summer-like pattern,  Celina has been mostly lucky, I'm guessing maybe 3 or 4 inches thus far....and hopefully it will end by tomorrow, with dry weather through the coming weekend...next week looks wet again, but since when can you believe the hacks at NBC owned Weather Channel{which still promotes the fake science of "Global Warming"}?

Saturday dawned cool, but somewhat humid and sunny as I headed to Lima for a ACME Tournament double header...I worked the LCC lost to Lima Shawnee by  a 5-3 count, and no sooner did we finish that game, and the storm clouds moved into southwest Lima and washed out game #2...yesterday we had no chance of getting the Junior ACME Tournament in at Convoy....both games washed out. 
Today?  I'm doubting if there is a snow balls chance in south Florida of playing.  No sun, leaving no time to dry the fields out...even if they don't get rain in Convoy.  Tomorrow night I am back at Lima for another American Legion game, and by that time the weather is looking better....only a 40% chance of rain{sic}....

Found out last night that the State ACME Tournament will be at Coldwater beginning on the 20th of July...I will likely get a couple of those games as well as the Regional{Semi State} Junior ACME games at Wapak the week prior....then a full month off to rest my aging bones and joints, before football begins....I have pretty well decided that this season and next will be my last two years doing football.  That would be a 10 year run and quite enough.  I love fall weather, and but that time I will be 65 and a half years old.  Basketball is next on the list to start backing off, but for now I have not plans on dropping off the baseball gigs...I figure, if I stay healthy and can still move, I will do baseball until 2020 when I reach 71.  Now I realize that is a BIG IF...but that is the plan for now.

For now, despite the beatings I have taken behind the plate this Summer, I will begin to lift weights
again today....once again, after 4 weeks off, I will have to drop the weight plates down a notch...and start out slowly.   The Cardio workouts is another thing on the health agenda.....

For now I will watch the rain fall, and wait for the call cancelling tonight's game....

back later>>>>