Yes it’s true it’s true. My time as a sports fan has finally come to an end.  It was a really tough decision to make and I contemplated for several months.  But the truth is, I am not the fan that I used to be. Here’s why.

I no longer possess the mental toughness required for when my teams underperform. I no longer have the emotional maturity to refrain from cursing at the television when the players I support make bad plays. Also my physical skills have diminished and I no longer feel like jumping up and down and running around the house when my teams win. Ultimately though the fact is, I’ve become a sore loser in my advanced age and I don’t want to be in a situation where I have to take medication for hypertension, stress or cholesterol, knowing full well that all these things are really the byproduct of being an overly dedicated sports fan. Well I’m also a husband and a father too. But that’s beside the point…….

The Maryland cap you see pictured was gifted to me recently. It is the latest piece of sports attire that I’ve acquired over the years of which I have bought none. I have never worn my favorite teams jerseys or colors, and never my favorite players’ jerseys or shoes. Just not my style. But come game time, I was definitely in front of a television or sitting in the stands, listening to a radio or watching a live stream.

I’ve been watching sports for half a damn century now. It all started somewhere in in the mid-seventies when I became a fan of the Minnesota Vikings and one of my favorite running backs, Chuck Foreman. Sometime thereafter I watched the Vikings lose to a team with a cool blue star on their helmets and I became hooked. That team drafted a running back by the name of Tony Dorsett and I became a fan for life.

Around the same time i discovered college football and was made aware that my home state had a college football team, the Maryland Terrapins. I also was a fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Pittsburgh Panthers college football teams as well.

Through Maryland football I discovered Maryland basketball. I became obsessed with Maryland sports. I spent a small fortune on college football and basketball magazines to keep up with recruiting and rosters. A truly unhealthy amount of television hours were consumed watching these teams. Combined with how much time I spent watching the Dallas Cowboys I probably could have earned my PhD. by the age of 25 had
I spent that time studying instead.

All of that time was invested just to see my teams win Championships or Super Bowls. Dallas did not disappoint having won a couple of super bowls in the 70s and following up with three more in the nineties, but there were some lean years in between. Hello anxiety. The Nebraska Cornhuskers won three national enchantmentships in the nineties as well. Nothing since. Hello stress. But Maryland…… I had to endure nearly 30 years of heartache and disappointment before Maryland finally won the basketball National Championship. As] for the football team it’s forty years and  counting…… Hello high blood pressure.

So the time is now. No more watching games from beginning to end. No more sitting out in the heat and the cold with high hopes only to have another disappointing season. Come on Coach Locksley let’s go!!!! No more going to Xfinity Center during the regular season only to have the basketball team not make it past the Sweet Sixteen. Nope no more.

The Dallas Cowboys jacket you see pictured above has been in my possession for over thirty five years. Anybody remember Triple Fat Goose coats??? Lol!!! I have worn it on two occasions around my house to shovel snow. That’s it.

But now that I’m retired, I think I’m going to get a matching hat for my Cowboys jacket and a matching jacket for my Maryland Terrapins hat. At the end of each respective game I’ll check the score. If my team wins, I’ll maybe put on a hat and the jacket and take a walk around my neighborhood.

I have passed the torch on to my sons. Hopefully they will not inherit my sports fan high blood pressure, stress and anxiety.

Go Terps! And how ’bout them Cowboys!

You ever have one of those days where you wanted to do something that no one knew about? You had the perfect time and place with nobody around? Well I thought today was a such a day.

It is Saturday. First day of August 2026. I needed some extra rest due to staying up way past my bedtime a couple of days this past week. So I planned to take a secret afternoon “siesta” in my private VIP section of the house (I cannot reveal the location).

1:30pm. The atmosphere is set. No TV. NO PHONES. Peaceful quietness……until…….

I hear the faint sound of a phone alert ring out into the silence. And then I hear it again. A few minutes later again. I grab my phone and notice the time: 3:40pm. I was gonna get up at 4 anyway. Check the notifications: it’s my brother. Didn’t he know that I was sneaking an AARP nap! Guess not. So I call back and he wants to stop by after a spin on his bike.

4:30pm. My brother is here. We have a great time and great conversation. As fate would have it my sister calls. Even better. So we call our father to see how his day is going. All is well, but…..I had to disclose the fact that I was napping in my secret space.  Being chastised by my siblings was not in todays plans. The life of an older brother….Oh well.

I love having family around and I am grateful for the time we get to spend together. Even if they do interrupt my plans every now and then. Now let’s see, who’s buying me dinner now that I am awake?

Another favorite added to the set list. I’m slowly (but definitely surely) making progress.

Saturday July 25, 2026. 9am. Just wanted to get my day started so I could enjoy the weekend before it ended. Okay.

So I start with a few “50 Exercises For Men Over 50” while charging the lawnmower battery. Once finished, I grabbed my equipment to head to the backyard. Popped in the battery, hit a few buttons and the grass cutting should commence. However for some reason my self-propelled lawn mower will not self- propel. A few more button pushes, but nothing happens. As I’m on a time schedule for today I decide to operate the lawn mower manually so I had to push it  which at least offered some extra exercise.

Once finished, I’m ready to clean my yard so I grab my leaf blower. My leaf blower is gas powered and after a couple of pulls it comes to life. I start to clean around my deck and notice that the leaf blow doesn’t come to full power. I pull the trigger increasingly harder but nothing happens. I shut it down and head to the examination table. To my surprise the throttle cable has lost adjustment and I’m pissed about it and I will tell you why.

My lawn equipment is letting me down and slowing me up today. For comparison my previous Craftsman gas lawn mower lasted for almost fifteen years with no issues before I had to replace it. My previous Husqvarna leaf blower was a 130BT and it lasted for fourteen years with no issues. I’ve only had my current leaf blower for about a year and I’ve already had to make a repair on it. However it did get better.

I adjusted the throttle cable on the leaf floor and it was as good as new. I recharged and readjusted the battery on the lawn mower and it started to self-propel once again. Finished my yard and prepared for the rest of my day.

I went down to the Annapolis Family Day in my old Hometown. I ran into some long time friends. Heard some good music. Enjoyed some great weather. Had a good time.

Thankfully my day ended better than it started…….

Came home to this guy perched on the deck. I think it’s a Red Tail “Falcon” (I know its a hawk, but it makes the story better so just go with it….). I think he was a little jealous of me writing about the Navy and Marine jets so he reminded how much I love the Air Force F16 Falcons above. One show in combat mode and the other in Thunderbird colors. The Thunderbirds put on an awesome airshow. Check ’em out if you get the chance.

I’m here if they need me by the way…….

Navy FA18 Blue Angel top photo. Marine AV8B Harrier bottom photo. Anyone who knows me can tell you how much I love fighter jets and how much I respect the pilots who serve this nation by flying them (Thank you for your service).

I regret not pursuing a career in the military and therefore not serving our country. I dreamed of flying jets but did not prepare timely enough. Okay…..

On my way home from the Annapolis Family Day Celebration I happened to pass the home of these two beautiful creations. The Navy FA18 Hornet in Blue Angel livery and the Marine AV8B Harrier. I’ll take one of each please. If that is not possible a ride in either would suffice.

And by the way if we ever have a shortage of military aviators I am available. 

July 25, 2026. Went to my hometown’s (Annapolis, Maryland) Family Day at the historic Wiley H. Bates Middle School Complex. Great weather, great time, great friends. What’s up ‘Nard and Will? Bywater baby!

Never waste the sounds of a sunset.

Man I just went on and did it. Entered a songwriting competition for the first time ever. I have lyrics setting on shelves collecting dust dating back an embarrassing number of years. So……

And there are some who say these competitions are not as advertised. I like finding out for myself. We will see….

Oh yea.  Joined the Baltimore chapter of Nashville Songwriters Association International. They support all genres of music by the way.  Old dogs can learn new tricks……