Spring Training Final Day

Today was the final day of Spring Training. We went to the game with our neighbors, George and Lois. Their son is the head trainer for Pittsburgh, and the Pirates organization provided us front row seats behind the home team dugout.

This hasn't been the best Spring Training for the Pirates, who call McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Florida their home away from home. The weather this year has been unusually cold, and so have been the Pirate bats. We had low expectations, but today, the sun came out following overnight rain, and the temperature was pushing 70. Still, we took a windbreaker for whenever the sun retreated behind the clouds. Settled in with George & Lois (wearing all their proper black & gold logo gear), we peered over the dugout wall and waited to see who showed up. We were to become more, much more, than pleasantly surprised, as were most of the other 3,496 paid attendees.

The Pittsburgh bats were pushing 110 degrees, they were that hot. I'm not sure who those guys were in the Houston Astro uniforms, but their pitching served up 13 runs, including 4 (maybe 5 - there was a lot of noise while I was out buying nachos) homers. The home team scored in 6 of 8 innings - they didn't need a ninth, but with all the fireworks the game lasted long anyway.

The Astros managed one run on six hits and four errors - they couldn't even field straight, let alone score. Pirates did much better, with 13 runs on 15 hits and they were hitting everything. Pittsburgh had a ten run lead going into the fourth, and therefore we got to see many, many players. And, really, that's what Spring Training is supposed to be about - seeing not only the team of the present, but the players of the future.

Spring training includes veteran players, guys from single, double and triple A affiliate teams and
"invitees" - those are the guys without names on their uniforms. At the beginning of Spring Training, the player parking lot is full of cars, but each week it develops additional empty spaces. I learned that baseball players are paid on a weekly basis. Perform, and you'll have another paycheck next week - don't measure up, and your parking space opens up next.

We should have a similar pay situation for politicians, maybe their batting averages would improve.

Why I Cruise

Food, glorious food..........and at all hours of the day and night. Of course, there are other reasons to board a ship and sail away from your daily life on shore. You can visit many new places, and once you've unpacked, you don't have to do it again for five, perhaps ten, maybe someday 14 or more days.

I am currently at nine (9) cruises with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and when I reach ten (10) I become a Diamond (certainly in the rough) Frequent Cruise Customer. I began this adventure quite by accident, with the encouragement of a friend in St. Louis who had gone before me and spoke of the fun and adventures to be had. Those first cruises were not all fun and adventure however. On my first cruise, my card to the room identified me as a "Gold" member, and I was to be at that level for another four cruises. As a Gold cruiser, I went sometimes with my buddy, other times with my wife. She had bad luck, breaking a tooth on one cruise (somebody left an olive pit inside the Focaccia Bread), and this happened on the first night. OUCH! I think that was the 2003 "adventure", and ultimately the cruise line made good on the full dental bill, after I spent a fair amount of time on the phone escalating my complaint up the line. It took her a while to venture to sea with me again. She still disdains any departure from San Juan, where that particular cruise was sold out (last minute filling of unsold cabins) to local families with dozens of unruly children running amok throughout the ship. But fortunately, that's been an exception for us - she's a few cruises short of my number, but based on my status gets that Platinum robe in the room anyway.

In the beginning, I went infrequently, perhaps every other year starting in 2001. But, after my retirement, the pace quickened, and in 2009 my wife and I went three times, from three different ports (Baltimore, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale). We've discovered that with four points of departure with four to five hours drive, we can put the dog in the kennel, load up the car, and take off on fairly short notice. Baltimore was our jump off point for Bermuda - a great place to visit if you get the chance.

I recently "blogged" on my ten day to Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica and Grand Cayman (with an earlier "rain day" off Haiti). What I didn't mention was the return, where the ship came in at a different location than it departed (Thank You, Royal Caribbean, for notifying me!), and off we went speed walking through the pouring rain to the parking garage to discover somebody stole the Corvette. We were early off the ship, and eventually several other families showed up at that same garage, to discover their cars also missing. My wife then observed (she's the observant one, after all) that while identical, we were in the wrong garage. I begged a ride with the local police (thank you, Miami-Dade Sheriff) who put me in the back of his car and gave me a ride half a mile or more to the garage where I "found" my car once again. Life is a learning experience - next time out of Miami I'll note the garage number and adjacent pier. Having never been locked in the rear of a cop car, I did get that extra bonus at the end of the cruise.

So, great food, wonderful destinations, generally sunny days, and every night a host of shows and activities, you'll see that cruising isn't half bad. Not sure where we go next, but now that I'm at nine (9) cruises and the Platinum level, I'm looking forward to that tenth and Diamond status. Not sure what it will get me, maybe two mints on the pillow.

From CEO to Secretary

Seven years ago, I was an Executive Director and CEO. Today, I am but a mere Secretary, but to tell the truth I enjoy keeping 50 of my fellow Kiwanis members organized and well fed.

This is my third year as Secretary to our 51 member Kiwanis Club on Longboat Key in Florida. The Secretary must be an early riser, to arrive at the club before 7:00 AM, and often two or three older gentlemen are already there drinking coffee. I am the keeper of the books, and the board minutes, and leader of the morning song, and every quarter the person who extols our membership to pay their dues on time. Having started out my life as a "skip tracer" and collector of student loans, this task comes easy. I am also responsible for preparing the weekly agenda for our Club President (a retired Judge from Pittsburgh), and also manage the deposit of "happy dollars" to our Foundation account. Happy Dollars for our club are the weekly collection of $1 from each member present, which goes into our scholarship foundation. They get the name because a member can comment about what he or she is happy about that week (grandchildren, anniversary, etc.). Last year, our Foundation awarded $18,000 in college scholarships to a dozen students attending schools in Sarasota or Manatee County. Members celebrating a birthday or wedding anniversary are asked to commemorate those events with an appropriate tax-deductible check to the Foundation. This year I personally deposited $62 and $39 - all to a good cause.

This coming Saturday, we'll have our annual Pancake Breakfast, where no fewer than 40 of our 50 members will show up to cook flapjacks and grill sausage (or clear tables) for the community. The event runs from 7 AM to 11 AM, and costs $5 per person. We just completed our Citizen of the Year event, with over 100 attending to celebrate the accomplishments of a local citizen, plus awarding plaques to our Policeman and Firefighter of the Year. We also recognized a past Kiwanis President as Kiwanian of the Year. I was pleased to see him gain this honor, as he had welcomed me into the club in 2004 and has been an unofficial mentor for me. In 2006 I was asked to take over the Secretary's duties, and like the damn fool and workaholic that I am, I said yes.

I'm proud to say we've made a number of refinements of process, and at age 62 I represent a "youth movement" in our club. This past year we added a few members, born in the 1950's, replacing two who left us, who both were born in the 1920's. On this island, baby boomers are in the ascendancy, as we move from the cold North and Midwest and settle in Florida. We used to say "trust nobody over 30" - today we say "trust nobody under 60". It's all relative.

Kiwanis is an international organization based in Indianapolis, and has a motto "serving the children of the world". While our island has very few children, we hold our largest fund raising project every November on behalf of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. For the past five years, we've raised and forwarded over $30,000 each year for St. Jude, while simultaneously raising $15,000 for our scholarship fund.

So, Kiwanis has a busy schedule on this seasonal island, with St. Jude, Salvation Army Bell Ringing (our Publix super market bucket is always the top or second highest yielding collection points in Sarasota County), following up with our Citizen of the Year (February) and Pancake Breakfast (March). And, for the second year in a row, we're collecting food stuffs from departing snow-birds to benefit the All Faith Food Bank. Last year we collected a ton of food from 2 dozen condominium associations, and hope to exceed that figure this year with a two month project ending after Easter.

So, if you're looking for me on any Thursday morning, you won't find me asleep in bed - I'll be at the welcome desk or behind the microphone doing announcements at Kiwanis - just one of the many new adventures that retirement has brought me.

Caitlin, the incomparable

This is my daughter, on her wedding day - even before the ceremony she was organizing things. She clearly inherited the management gene from her father, and has parlayed that into a successful career in a field for which she never studied. No matter, for Caitlin has that rare ability to fall into the outhouse, and come out smelling like a rose.

She is the classic overachiever, and has mastered the 25 hour day. After eight years of dating the same boy, she decided it was time for him to marry her. She simply added him to her work schedule and gave him marching orders. Fortunately, being one of five sons in a family where his mother ruled the roost, he was prepared to say "yes, dear" and move along on the path directed. I think his mother is proud of him, knowing she's left him in good hands with my daughter.

Caitlin was born in St. Louis (her brother was born in Indianapolis, and like the prodigal has returned there), in 1983. She came into the world on July 5th, and claims she heard all the noise from the celebration of the 4th of July and figured it was announcing her imminent arrival. Her brother was born on D-Day, and arrived to his own sounds of distant guns. My wife was born on Bastille Day (explaining why she took French in high school), and I could only claim William Shakespeare's birthday as a shared date.

We held Caitlin back from elementary school, choosing to make her the oldest in her class rather than the youngest. She still was very precocious and learned most of those early grade skills ahead of her classmates. I recall she was doing 8th grade math in 6th grade - teachers seemed to recognize her appetite for learning, and the Rockwood School District never failed her. I can't recall her ever getting a "B" in school, and she graduated high school with a 4.2 average.

In her junior year, she and I flew to the west coast to look at colleges. We collected lots of various college sweatshirts, which ultimately ended up being worn by her mother. In her senior year, she and a girl friend got in a Saturn (without too much in the way of planning) and drove south. They visited a number of universities, and Caitlin fell in love with Florida State. Her friend decided to pursue the fifth year of high school (as about half the class did) by attending the University of Missouri. Caitlin had no need to be two hours from home - she had been that way since childhood when she packed a bag with two hours notice and went off to visit Grandmother without any concerns (her parents had many) at age six or seven. She still visits her grandmother, and exhibits a tolerance of this ninety year old unmatched by any others in the family.

Caitlin went off to Florida State, spending the first year in the dorm, the second year in the Delta Zeta house, and the third year in her own apartment with a roommate and two dogs. There wasn't a fourth year, she graduated cum laude in three years and one summer session.

When she came back to St. Louis, she found a job in banking - her major was communications, not business, but the offer (second offer, anyway) included just enough to set out on her own and begin an independent life. Her bank was purchased by another, and she was able to get into a management training program. That bank was subsequently purchased by another, but she survived again and along the way completed an MBA program paid for by the second lender. She is now playing out her string (needing to stay for another year and a half to repay the educational assistance debt). Last I heard, she was contemplating studying for the CPA exam, but was also open to Law School. Her merry-go-round goes faster than my ability to follow where she'll be next.

For now, she's looking to sell her condo and find a home with four bedrooms and a yard. She has already applied to the Bank of Dad for a short term loan (her credit is excellent). In the meantime, she and Matt are living in our Missouri condo to allow hers to show without the impairment of her two terriers present. Her two dogs, known to my wife and I as "the two little hooligans", probably are not conducive to showing her small condo. We wish her well, primarily as we don't want to spend the summer in Florida, and I doubt that she and Matt want to deal with parents under the same roof when we return.

As to that house in the suburbs, with a big yard and four bedrooms, it has yet to be found, but I know Caitlin will prevail - she always does. Caitlin has a plan for everything, and for everything there is a season.

My boy John Benjamin

This is my son, and his best girl. This is a rare photo, because like his mother he doesn't like to have his picture taken. I caught him readying Sassy for a walk at our condo garage in Missouri, and he didn't make the usual face or impolite hand gesture.

What can I say about J.B.? For one, he is resilient and loyal to his friends and family. I am very proud of him, because he never quits. Sometimes he starts things I'd prefer he not even attempt, but even when he suffers the occasional setback on life's highway, he's become adept at making lemonade when life hands him lemons.

When he was very young, he wanted so much to be like his daddy. I recall coming back from a business meeting in Arizona, to be met by my son and my wife at the airport in Des Moines. I had, for reasons still unknown, purchased a Stetson hat and western boots, and wore them home. He saw me coming off the plane and said "silly daddy, wearing a cowboy hat". He nailed me with that one, and probably understands my flaws more than anybody else, but still listens when I try to offer advice.........and eventually I find myself reaching him. As a small child, he even wanted to dress like me, and had his own khaki slacks and blue button down shirts.

In grade school he tried soccer, but didn't seem to enjoy team sports - or maybe I just didn't enjoy devoting enough time to him. If there was any failing as a parent, it was certainly mine as my career was coming well before my family in those days. The only activity we shared was perhaps scouting, and I'm proud to say he achieved Eagle Scout rank (perhaps only 2-3% of those who start the program in Cub Scouting make it all the way to the top in Boy Scouts). Along the way, he won his cub scout pack grand champion in the Pinewood Derby - with a car that was ugly fast. But HE made the car, not his father like so many of his fellow scouts.

He also is very protective of his sister, six years his junior. When grade school boys were giving her a hard time at the bus stop, he pointed out to them in no uncertain terms that "mess with her, you get me". Of course, he probably need not to have worried - she dispatched the biggest bully with a kick where it hurt. But he always had her back, and today they still watch out for each other.

When he was in high school, he worked at Chuck E. Cheese, a pizza place where children had a large game zone, and an animated band with various animals including a gorilla playing the drums. The band also featured Mr. Cheese, a large rat - Disney apparently thought it far enough removed from Mickey Mouse as not to sue for copy right infringement. When the curtain closed, an employee would don the "rat suit" and step out from behind the curtain to thrill the young customers. This suit had a world class collection of high school DNA, smelled like a wet rat, and had limited visibility. Workers at this restaurant lasted maybe six months, especially if they had rat suit duty often. Our boy lasted two full years - a record in his peer group. He is not a quitter.

After getting his high school letter in Bowling (clearly not one to try conventional sports), and appearing in several dramatic productions where he demonstrated a unique dance style in Oklahoma, he graduated. I suspect like his father did 25 years earlier, he made the top half of the class possible, yet made the cut to attend Southeast Missouri State University. Graduating in but five years (with time out to collect an Associate Degree at the St. Louis Community College), he went to work in the hospitality/food service business. We suspect he might have gone through college a bit quicker, but the Sigma Chi Fraternity helped slow progress, although I'm sure it helped hone his skill set as a bartender at Outback Steakhouse during college and in later jobs. He still did the same as his dad - I took five years as well, and seem to have done OK in the end. Not sure which of us has the better GPA, but nobody seems concerned anymore.

Ultimately, he decided a job with benefits made more sense that being one of the best waiter/bartenders in West St. Louis County, and he entered his father's career field. When that business ultimately went down the tubes (thank you, Congress and the bond market), he moved to Indianapolis where my mother and brother reside. His ability to stand two years in a perspiration soaked rat suit prepared him for living in my mother's house while he sought full time employ. The ability to wait tables and tend bar never failed him, and Outback Steakhouse was once again a way station. Working there, he learned of a full time opportunity, and went for it. Currently he's reaching his second full year of working with developmentally disabled adults, showing far more patience and compassion than I ever could summon. His mother and I are very proud of him, to take on a job few would consider, helping those who cannot always help themselves. For that, he's already earned his way past the pearly gates. His mother and I are very proud of John Benjamin, our first born and only son. May he live long, and prosper.