Separated at birth...obscure version

One I don't remember ever seeing before tonight.  Jeremy Slate was on 'The Untouchables' very last show.  He played a former army hero who was hired to kill Eliot Ness.  He was a very creepy character who smoked a corn cob pipe.

And growing up, there was a sitcom starring Brian Keith called 'Family Affair' and there was a little boy with red hair who played an orphan named Jody.  His name was Johnny Whitaker.  I don't know what happened to him after he was about 10 years old.  But when I saw 'The Untouchables' tonight I thought about him.

Tom Selleck

Back in 1980, a show came on CBS called Magnum P. I.  Tom Selleck starred as a private investigator Thomas Magnum, a vet who lived on an estate in Hawaii and solved cases and lived in paradise.  He was a pretty man back then, no doubt.  Not a great actor but a amiable, low key actor.  

Magnum P.I.

The show went on for a few years and he worked steady and was still pretty charming and pretty.  He was never my favorite actor of all time but I always liked him.   Now he is Frank Reagan, the Police Commissioner of New York City on Blue Bloods and I still like him alot.  He is believable and comfortable and fair and standup.  Kinda like he was Magnum who naturally morphed over to the man in charge.

I think I'd like Tom and Frank a lot in real life.

Thin Mints & Potter's Field

I can't say I learn something new everyday but at least in the last 2 days I have.  It's certainly not brain surgery but it's going in the right direction I guess.

1.   I bought Girl Scout Cookies yesterday, Thin Mints.  The box says "Crispy chocolate wafers dipped in a mint chocolaty coating".  I always thought the mint was in the cookies, not the coating.  Eat and learn.

2.  Potter's Field--I learned this from the Untouchables.  I knew that Potter's field was where the indigent and unclaimed were buried.   But I found out today, from federal agent Lee Hobson that the origin is from the bible.  When Judas returned the 30 pieces of silver he received for betraying Jesus, the priests would not keep the blood money and instead bought "potter's field" to be a burying place for strangers.

Then Judas, who betrayed him, seeing that he was condemned, repenting himself, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and ancients, saying: "I have sinned in betraying innocent blood." But they said: "What is that to us? Look thou to it." And casting down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed, and went and hanged himself with a halter. But the chief priests, having taken the pieces of silver, said: "It is not lawful to put them into the corbona, because it is the price of blood." And after they had consulted together, they bought with them the potter's field, to be a burying place for strangers. For this the field was called Haceldama, that is, the field of blood, even to this day ~~ Matthew 27: 3-8

Different, but both interesting...

Jack Reacher

As a reader, you almost always picture a character in your mind, especially one that you have become friends.  Then when the books are made into movies or TV someone either fits perfectly or they are all wrong.

Robert Urich was a perfect Spenser although Barbara Stock who I had never seen before or since, was not perfect as his Susan Silverman.

Vivian Leigh was perfect as Scarlett O'Hara.  And Leslie Howard was perfect as the wimpy Ashley Wilkes. I never thought anyone would fall for Clark Gable's Rhett Butler but that opinion is rare.

Katherine Heigl wasn't Stephanie Plum.

Harry Potter was perfectly cast, top to bottom.

Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss Everdeen.  And Woody Harrell is perfect as Haymich.

Jack Reacher is a character that British author Lee Child created.  6'4".  A tough man of mystery.  Former MP.  A man who puts right above everything.  And who does Hollywood choose to play him?  Tom Friggin Cruise.  5/2, eyes of blue.  Cocky little asshole.  Doing his 'A Few Good Men' impression.  Obviously not my favorite actor.  Wrong choice.  Seriously.

Greg Maddux

First, let me say, I am one of the top 10 biggest Greg Maddux fans.  The other nine would be his wife and children, siblings and parents.   And because big bro Mike is the pitching coach for my beloved Texas Rangers, in baseball terms, we are practically family.

I was  a Braves fan in the 90’s because they were on TV every night so I got attached to their little but mighty pitching staff—Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Steve Avery.    No Big Unit arms in the bunch but consistently good pitching all around.  Yesterday Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas were announced as Hall of Fame inductees.  All great choices.  And Crag Biggio was .2 points from getting in too.  Maddux got the highest percentage of votes, 97.2 percent.   One of the baseball writers who did not give Maddux a vote says he knew he was a shoe in and wanted to make a statement that because he pitched in the PED era of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa…etc…that everyone from the era’s rep was stained.   Maybe I’m crazy but wouldn’t pitching to the steroid crew and winning 355 games, 4 Cy Young awards and 18 Gold Gloves  and absolutely not a sniff of controversy attest even more to his greatness? 

I remember reading that they did a survey in the league:  Who has the best fastball?  The best curve?  Who threw the hardest?  None of the answers were Greg Maddux until you got to the Who is the best pitcher in baseball?  Then his name was everywhere.  The man was an artist. Not a fancy, showy one.  Not one no hitter thrown his entire career.  But everyone knew how good he actually was.   Even the idiot baseball writer.  Heck, if you were not going to give him your vote, you should have given it to Craig Biggio!!  He deserves to be there too.

I hope to go to Cooperstown someday.  And now I can hang with the greatest pitcher I’ve ever seen.  I’ll get my picture taken with his picture.

Second Decision of 2014

I downloaded an app for Charity Miles which will make a donation for every while you walk, bike or run.  Walking is my only option but someone will make a donation of 25 cents a mile.  I hope to get up to a dollar a week.  :)

First decision of 2014

I ended 2013 angry with a person who has been my friend for a long time but in the last year has treated me with a disrespect that is in inconceivable to me.  This person came to me in a time of need and I gave something I did not really have to give. And this was a huge part of my 2013 decisions.  And I have decided I can be bitter about it and keep hitting myself on the same thumb with the same hammer or I can throw out the hammer.   Hammer is gone.   Forgiveness will come slowly.  It will take more to forget.

I hope the loss of our friendship was worth it.