Catching Up: Vacation, Books, Music, Rory, Pitt-Penn State, Pirates, and Absent Friends

Cleaning out the Mental In-Box, Post-Vacation Edition....

• We just returned from our 25th trip to North Carolina's Outer Banks. Is there a better place anywhere to relax and enjoy the beach? That certainly looks like a crew that was enjoying themselves, doesn't it?


• A note on the Passage of Time: The first summer that we made this Griswold-style vacation, Jennifer turned 16 years old. Later this fall, her son, Zach, will turn 16 years old.


• Weather in the OBX this year was perfect. We didn't miss one day at the beach due to rain. In fact, the only rain we saw came at about 8:00 one evening. It was quite hot. Temps were high 80's/low 90's.


• Managed to read two books while down there. One was the current #1 best seller, "In the Garden of Beasts" by Eric Larson. This is the story of William Dodd, who was FDR's ambassador to Germany from 1933-37. The book specifically focuses on Dodd and his adult daughter, Martha. Considering all that was going on in Germany and Europe during this time, it is a most fascinating book. Truth can be more exciting than fiction.


• The other book was 2004 thriller, "The Devil's Teardrop" by Jefferey Deaver. This one did not involve Deaver's trademark Lincoln Rhyme character, but it was thrill ride nonetheless. A perfect beach book.


• I believe it was Paul Simon who I once heard say that the greatest music of all is the music that you listened to when you were in high school and college. That fact hit home one night on vacation when I had our iPod playing what I felt to be an exceptional rock & roll mix playlist. After about an hour or so, Zach asked if he could put his iPod in the dock so we could hear some music from "people who aren't dead yet."


• For the record, my playlist was better.


• Speaking of music, you can find some gems if you have a satellite radio. While driving home and listing to Elvis Radio on XM 19 ("We don't just remember Elvis. We never forgot him.") I heard a recording of Elvis singing the old Diamonds classic, "Little Darlin.'" Very cool to hear the King hitting that final "o-onlyyy you" note.


• I wish I could tell you that I had predicted that Rory McIlroy was going to win the US Open. How about that wire-to-wire drubbing that he put on the field at Congressional CC last week?


• On the subject of golf, it is now quite fashionable to trash Tiger Woods for things such as his relationship with the media, his non-answers to questions, his on course behaviour etc. Funny how none of the Johnny Millers and Jim Nantz's of the world were not quite so vocal about this when Woods was at the top of his game and before his messy personal life hit the tabloids.


• Old News Dept.: Right before I left, news broke with much joy about Pitt and Penn State resuming a home-and-home football series in 2016 and 2017. I found the statements of the two AD's most interesting. Penn State's Steve Curly treated this as serendipitous coincidence that both schools needed to fill scheduling needs for those two seasons, while Steve Pederson was positively gushing at the possibility of a long term resumption of this rivalry. He reminded me of the "please-sir-may-I-have-another" frat pledge in Animal House.


• I can't wait to see how the Pitt Athletic Department will turn a 2016 football game with the Nittany Lions into legalized extortion by forced season ticket sales over the next five years.


• I also think that scheduling Pitt had to be done over the objection of Joe Paterno. I have nothing but the highest regard for JoePa, but even the most ardent Paterno advocates have to admit that he is a bitter and recalcitrant old fogey who has held a grudge against Pitt for all these years over Pitt shunning his Eastern All-Sports conference and opting for the Big East instead about a hundred years ago. I never thought I'd see those teams play each other as long as Joe was still drawing breath.


• That said, I set the odds at 50/50 that Joe will be on the sidelines at Heinz Field for the game in 2016. Hey, he'll only be 89 at the time!


• OK, you knew I was getting to it: How about those Pirates!! It was hard keeping up-to-date with the team while in the OBX, but I was well aware of the four game skid they went into last weekend. I couldn't believe they got swept by the Indians, but hey they sure bounced back! After the long drive yesterday, I was totally exhausted last night, but I simply had to stay up until the end to watch them take their second straight against the Red Sox.


• I am also glad to hear that talk isn't so much about being two games over .500 as it is about being in third place and only three games out of first place.


• In any event, I am looking forward to kicking back this afternoon and watching them go for a sweep against the Big Boys from New England.

*****

To Absent Friends: Melancholy and Belated Happy Trails go out today in the memories of Clarence Clemens and Peter Falk.

Saw the news on Monday of the death of Clarence "The Big Man" Clemens of the E Street Band last weekend. Fans of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band certainly feel the loss of the great sax player from the band. Just listen to "Jungleland" to get the real flavor of the Big Man.

As for Peter Falk, well, was there ever an actor more perfectly suited to a role than Falk was to Lt. Columbo? Maybe Falk didn't like being so identified with one role. That does happen, but I never recall hearing Falk complain about it. I am happy to own a couple of box DVD sets of Lt. Columbo movies, including "Prescription Murder," the NBC TV movie that introduced the character.

RIP Clarence Clemens and Peter Falk.