Just a day dreamin’ the other day...

Wonderin’ what it would be like for the rest of my life...

Don’t think I could take it...

So I decided to reduce it to the next five years...

Then I had to make the big decision...

Who do I pick???

And who can I stand to live without...

Amongst my many favorite teams...

Clippers, Lakers, Chargers, Kings, Aztec football...

Once I pick I can’t go back...

For five looooooong year...

You are cordially invited to join me...

And select only one team...

Just one team you can watch and follow for the next five years...

And you have no access to the other ones...

No access whatsoever...

Read the paper, it ain’t in there...

Watch TV...

Just a snowy picture...

Same for that radio station...

It ain’t there either...

Who do you love the most???

Who can’t you live without...

And the others just don’t exist...

For five years...

You won’t even know when they’re playing...

Or not playing...

So...

Imagine the off-season...

The loooooooong off-season...

If you pick a basketball team

You can’t watch the other sports...

Not just your team...

But the entire sport...

Well...

Maybe we could let you watch the other sports...

Or maybe not...

But not your team in that sport...

Is your absolute favorite team in your absolute favorite sport???

Tough choice???

Will it be based on how well that team is playing at the time???

Or will you pick a crummy team in your favorite sport???

I must say...

This is a tough one for me...

Baseball is my favorite sport...

That’s my generation...

But there’s nothing like going to a hockey game...

Or sitting in the stands with my season tickets...

Watching SDSU...

My college football alma mater...

If I don’t pick a college basketball team...

I miss March Madness...

Do I mind missing the Super Bowl???

Or the World Series???

The Stanley Cup...

Could I bear not getting to watch???

The dreaded Pro Bowl???

And...

As with any challenge like this...

There must be an *asterisk...

A disclaimer...

*Your actual mileage may vary...

*Member FDIC...

*If it lasts for more than four hours, call a doctor...

Okay...

One more thing...

Soccer doesn’t count...

You can’t pick a soccer team...

Because most soccer fans are one-sporters...

The wouldn’t miss the other sports any ways...

And that’s not fair to the rest of us...

Does that hurt you soccer fans???

Then fall down and fake an injury...

So...

Who’s your pick???

Are you going for quantity???

162 baseball games???

Or quality???

A four month college football season...

As for me...

I will pass on the Clippers and the Chargers...

I will miss the Clips...

But I can definitely live without the Bolts...

Especially after being Norved to death the last few years...

It’s between the Angels and the Kings...

And if I don’t take the Halos...

What do I do during the summer months???

Hmmm...

I could go to a minor league park???

Does that count???

I’ll count it...

I’m the boss here...

I’ll pass on the Angels...

So the only one left is...

GO! KINGS! GO!

dvt

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In sports, numbers are always important...So much of sports is wrapped up in stats...And stats are our best way to judge the greats...But the numbers still don't make things clear...There is always debate about who was the greatest...People will say Babe Ruth was the greatest Homerun  hitter, even though he doesn't hold the record for the most HR's...Some would say Bonds...But others would argue, 'He never had to face Walter Johnson...Or Bob Gibson...

So, for the next however many Q-o-t-D's we're going to throw these types of debates out there...Is it just stats...Is the era they played in a consideration...How do you base your opinion on the greats...So, since I already touched on it...

Who do you think is the Greatest Homerun Hitter of all time?  

And why?

As most of you know that read my blogs, I am a loyal Detroit sports fan sometimes to a fault. But after last night's 4-1 loss to the Black Hawks, I have not given up but know who is the better team. The first period of the game was pretty even, and I can only imagine what Joel Quennville said to his team during the intermission. After whatever was said, the Black Hawks came out and proved to me without any doubt they are the better team.

The Red Wings had their chances, despite Chicago's suffocating attack which left the Wings trapped in their zone facing shot after shot for what seemed like an endless amount of time. The Black Hawks out shot the Red Wings 35-14 after the first period, and admittedly the score could have been worse if not for goaltender Jimmy Howard making save after save, until he allowed the second Hawks goal.

The only goal I did not understand was the third goal, when Howard appeared to intentionally knock the puck off the net which led to the puck going in the net for a 3-1 lead. What the hell was he thinking, if he would have froze the puck on the back of the net, covered it with his stick he would have gotten a whistle almost instantly. But instead, he knocks if off the net and the Black Hawks burn him seconds later.

I am tired of the announcers making excuses for the Red Wings game after game, it has gotten very old hearing they were tired from playing Game 7 in Anaheim. Why can't they just say the Red Wings are rebuilding, which for the most part is the truth. There is a lot of youth on both defense and offense, and one day they will be a Stanley Cup contender again just not this year. Even a person with no knowledge of the game itself, knows that replacing the pieces to their Stanley Cups was and is going to take some time We as fans miss Lidstrom and Holmstrom, and knew they would be difficult to replace. I almost feel sorry for the organization, because they have not clue to what they are getting themselves into next year moving to the much bigger Eastern Conference. In turn the streak may end next year, regardless just as simply put as that.....

I am not looking forward to Saturday afternoon's game, even though history suggests the Wings will play much better than they did Wednesday night..

Sometimes we watch sports or became fans to see that one defining moment, as was the case Monday Night in Boston. The bruins found their backs up against the wall down 3 goals with 10 minutes to play in game 7 in logical Hockey terms it was time shine the golf clubs and get the summer started. But they just didn’t quit of course they seem to have quit in games 5 and 6 to let the Leafs back in. But hard work and determination prevailed for the Bruins as they took game 7.

I feel for the Toronto fans, after all we here in Boston had Bucky Dent, then Bill Buckner, and David Tyree We had Grady Little. Yes we have had our share of playoffs and championship games yanked from the Jaws of victory and ending up in the agony of defeat.

The Leafs will be back next year they have the makings of a contender but Leafs fans are like Cubs and Red Sox use to be. They are just never quite good enough but they continue to support the team so hang in there Toronto.

I guess now when a player has unusual high numbers in baseball we automatically question it and assume there is PED issue. That issue was created by players of the not so distant past. We still see instances of it as we did with Melky Cabrrara. This year it seems at least here in Boston on David Ortiz. Remember , he did test positive a few years back 2003. Ortiz has had unusual hot early season so the question arises. To Ortiz’s credit he is willing to share his test results. . To the medias credit for questioning him he is 37 coming of an injury and was batting over .400. That should be a red flag. Sometimes I think it’s guilt that needs to prove innocence.

Again the players have created this and baseball kind of gave them a wink and a nod for manyt years. Although it has gotten better over the past several years with more testing there is always that seed planted in the media and the public eye. In Ortiz’s case he just seems focused and as made a few adjustments to his swing. He will eventually comeback to a typical Ortiz season if he remains healthy.

NHL Update

The Elite 8 are in place . You have two orgiinal six series one in each conference with the Black Hawks and The Red Wings Hawks lead series 1-0. After a 4-1 victory last night in Chicago. Meanwhile in the East the bruins and Rangers will battle in game 1 tonight both coming off tough 7 game series This is the second straight orginal 6 series the Bruins had. All six of the orginal teams made the playoffs this year with both Toronto and Montreal getting knocked out in the first round.. I think the Bruins will have all the can handle with the Rangers but it should be a decent series. Meanwhile back in the old West we have the second six Kings against the Sharks in a battle of the Golden State.Kings lead series 1-0. And in the East the second six penguins have taken a 1-0 series lead over the Senators. Winning Tuesday 4-1 in a hard checking game.Penguins should roll through this series. I still see the Hawks and the Penguins in the finals but I wouldn’t mind seeing that spoked B getting there somehow.

Zebra Tale

I have been working a lot of HS baseball over the past few weeks. In all the years I haven’t seen this. I ring this kid up on a funky curve ball that came in high and then dropped and curved through the strike zone. The batter was totally fouled on it. The kid stood there with the are you serious like back at umpire(me) look. But he turns to me and the catcher and still kind of in shock and says what a great pitch. The coach comes down the line and says hey Blue he wasn’t giving crap was he. I said no not at all. So the coach who is a pretty good guy says what did he say.I said well he had the dear in the head lights look and the he just turned to me and the catcher and said what a great pitch.

That’s it for today

Even marrying up, I find that there is a little redneck in all of us.

Ok I’ll admit I married up…way up.

My wife’s family is made from different stock, they are bright, good looking and polished. Her 3 sisters and brother and their spouses are all of post graduate degree success. Her parents did a fine job raising these hard working Americans; I love and deeply respect these people.

This unique family is truly one of a kind. Shirt off their back, there for you in a crisis, always caring, and all get along almost all the time. They are a welcoming lot…must be because 27 years after marrying up I’m still in!

 I’m no slouch myself…I did graduate Suma oh laudy don’t come backy

from HS and went on to a distinguished, but very short college career at the local University of Party Tech.

After racking up some bills and a GPA in the ones, I reached my potential and got a job…in construction. and here I am decades later with…a job…in the construction industry. I wouldn’t change a thing.

All that being said, I submit to you, that no matter where you were born and raised and no matter what your social class or which precious metal spoon was between your gums at birth, there IS at least a latent redneck gene swimming in that pool in all of us.

We live in Southeastern MA, an area known for being an ultra liberal hotbed of academia.

We Harrys try to bring some good old fashion redneck style common sense conservatism to the neighborhood. I don’t drive a hybrid but my fairway irons are hybrids

One brother in law said to my wife last weekend at our pre Mothers Day family get together at my place,

"Harry has turned you into a redneck"

Mrsharry started to protest and then stopped…and pondered…and looked around our place…and laughed.

And said,

“ so what your saying is…just because we have a deer hoist on the side of our shed, we just might be rednecks!”

And then she cheerfully added:

“ if you have the black and white striped side canopy from the old Coleman pop up camper attached to the front of that shed to shade the beer fridge…you just might be a Redneck”

And then they all piled on

If your husband plants a row of arborvitae to create a green monster left field wall to the wiffle ball court…you might be a redneck

If the first thing you see when you open door #3 of the shed is a 350 small block Chevy engine…you might be a redneck…if your shed has 3 doors…yup, redneck.

When your stone fire pit is rigged with cast iron hooks and rods to become a cooking fire at

A moments notice… you could possibly be sporting some redneck traits.

When you protect your blueberry bushes from the birds by tying the old

screen house screens around it…chances are that you just might be a redneck

And if all five of your kids smile in agreement when you are called a redneck and proudly admit they are too…than you just may be doing your part to perpetuate the species known as rednecks.

Thanks to the staff here at the Gab and also to Norm for taking care of business whilst I was housing the Marines back in oldharrysville, nice job Norm.

Mom is home and feeling better, thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

We had a great visit and I’m happy to say that my Marines make all of us very proud as they risk much to protect our freedoms. As my daughter said,

“ Fighting for freedom isn’t a safe job but I’d rather be free than safe”

OK Gabbers, this is where you admit to that Redneck gene and tell the rest of us your best redneck moment…don’t be shy