Territorial Bloggings

Once again, it’s that time. Time for the real season to start. The best season there is.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs.

When real men begin their march to greatness.

When the Red Wings begin the defense of that which is rightfully theirs.

First up: the Columbus Blue Jackets

Game 1: Thu 4/16 6 pm (CDT) @DET
Game 2: Sat 4/18 5 pm (CDT) @DET
Game 3: Tue 4/21 7 pm (CDT) @CBJ
Game 4: Thu 4/23 7 pm (CDT) @CBJ
Game 5: Sat 4/25 7 pm (CDT) @DET (if necessary)
Game 6: Mon 4/27 TBD (CDT) @CBJ (if necessary)
Game 7: Wed 4/29 TBD (CDT) @DET (if necessary)

Let’s. Go. Red. Wings.

-ghp

Sad news for Detroit Tigers fans. Hall of Fame third baseman, and long time broadcaster, George Kell died in his sleep Tuesday, at the age of 86.

For folks my age, Kell was a fixture with Tigers legend Al Kaline as the TV broadcast team in the 70′s & 80′s, while the broadcast legend Ernie Harwell took care of the radio duties on WJR AM-760.

ESPN.com has a wonderful obit article that touches on both Kell’s playing and broadcasting excellence. The Detroit News also has some nice pieces by Tom Gage & Bob Wojnowski that really capture what Kell meant to Detroit & Tigers fans.

He’ll be missed. As will those halcyon days of the 1980′s when we Tigers fans were blessed with Ernie, George, and Al. Bless you, boys…

-ghp

The first posting in way too long, it’s about using Jott post to WordPress by talking rather than typing, not too shabby.
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Just in case anyone is interested, here are some photos of what the lake effect snow machine dumped on us here in Valpo a few days ago. The snow started about 2pm on Tues (02/03) afternoon, and these photos were taken at about 8am Wed (02/04) morning. During that 18 hour period, we got between 12-18″ of snow here at the house! By nightfall on Wed, we had gotten another 2″ or so. Fortunately, in the days leading up to the snow, we had bit of a melt-off, so that we only had about 6-8″ on the ground for the new snow to build on. In Westville (12 mi NE, where I work), the official final total was 22″, and in Chesterton (10 mi N, closer to Lake Michigan) they got 25″!

This snowfall, and this entire winter (re: snowfall & cold temp-wise) for that matter, is the worst/most severe that I can remember being around since I was a kid. As I recall, the winters of 1977-78-79 were all doozies, with some epic snowfalls & cold temps. This winter is now right up there with them…

-ghp

So, someone might be wondering, “What? No posts last week about AI:8? What’s going on over at Territorial Bloggings!?!”

Well, I’ll tell you — real life. That, and the fact that last week’s audition episodes were kinda boring and inoffensively uneventful. I didn’t get around to watching the episodes until Friday evening, and actually fell asleep during the second one. I had stuff going on, ranging from meetings at church, to helping the kids with homework, to having quite a bit of work to get done for the course I teach. It all ended up cutting into the AI viewing time. Strangely enough, I didn’t, and don’t, feel all that bad about it. Hopefully, this week will allow for more timely viewing & blogging, but if not, I won’t worry about it until/unless it starts to impinge upon the semi-final & final rounds…

On another, completely unrelated, front, I’m going to be Heritage Lutheran’s lay delegate to the upcoming (June 25-26) Indiana District (LCMS) convention. I was the delegate back in 2004, as well as the Valpo Circuit’s delegate to the National Synodical Convention in 2007. I can’t help but be drawn to these whoopdidos, as they are an intoxicating (albeit hugely frustrating) mix of the theological and political. There ain’t no politics like church politics! Any readers from the IN-D who are also going to the convention, please let me know so that we can arrange to meet while we’re there, Ok?

-ghp

It’s not always easy to be proud of Detroit, or of being from Detroit. But I am. I love the history of Detroit. The realness of it. Of the people. Of the whole Metro Detroit area.

It’s why I like living in/near Chicago, and why I’m not put off by the very similar vibe that Chicagoland puts off (a big difference being that Chicago hasn’t been decaying from the core outward for the past 35 years…). Chicago has history, a spirit, and a sense of self that is almost intoxicating. It makes me wistfully wonder just what Detroit could’ve been like, if only it hadn’t crumbled in the aftermath of the ’67 riots and Coleman Young’s determined efforts alienate everyone north of 8 Mile Road (yes, it meant something before that no-talent hack made the movie…).

Mitch Albom, erstwhile sports columnist (and annoyingly liberal talk radio host, cultural pundit, and purveyor of pop-spirituality-laced novels) has written a very, very good piece over at SI.com, in which he delves into why Detroit, and more importantly Detroiters, still matters, and the role that sports plays in that.

As a proud ex-pat, I concur.

-ghp

I just got my first coffee this morning from the newly opened Evelyn Bay Coffee Company location in Valpo. Very nice coffee house – good location, good ambiance, good selection, nice staff, good service, and, oh yeah, great coffee! There was also a nice article written about them in a recent edition of the local paper.

So, at least something good came from the kids having missed the bus this morning — I got to try something new!

Highly recommended.

-ghp

Merry Christmas to all!

Remember, without Bethlehem we cannot get to Calvary or the empty tomb. God has a plan, and that’s the best gift we can get tomorrow!

-ghp

19 years ago today (hence, it being the Yzerman Anniversary), God blessed me by making Dec 23, 1989 the best day in my post-baptismal life, when my best friend became my wife.

Much like everything else that God has so graciously given me, I don’t deserve Deb or her love for me, but I’m glad that I have them, and I thank God for them each and every day. God is good, and I need look no further than my own household for proof of that. I don’t want what I deserve; I’ll take what God has given me, thank you very much!

I love you, sweetie! Thanks for 19 years better than I could’ve ever dreamed of — I can’t wait to see what’s coming up; so long as I’ve got you by my side, I know we’ll be just fine.

-ghp