Rosalynn Carter woke up every day knowing she was loved. The love she and former president Jimmy Carter shared was written all over their faces for the world to see. From the moment they burst onto the national scene in 1975 to now, the way they looked at each other and the way they acted toward each other was special. They had magic in their relationship.
When President Carter was asked whether winning a Nobel Peace Prize or being elected president of the United States was the most exciting thing that ever happened to him, Carter answered: “When Rosalynn said she’d marry me—I think that’s the most exciting thing.”
Everyone should be so lucky to have what Rosalynn and Jimmy had.
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It is always sad to hear about the death of someone who provided such great memories. Today we heard that Willie Hernandez, relief pitcher extraordinaire for the 1984 World Series champion Detroit Tigers, died at the age of 69. He, along with Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersley, are the only relief pitchers in the history of the game to win the CY Young and MVP awards in the same year.
Hernandez’s arrival late in spring training was the missing piece of the 1984 team that put them over the top. The team went on to have one of the most amazing seasons in baseball history. The team’s 35-5 start is far and away the best 40 game start in the history of the MLB. They put the icing on the cake by going 7-1 in the playoffs and World Series. The 35-5 start and the 7-1 record in the playoffs are unheard of winning percentages of .875.
Hernandez closed out the 1984 World Series by completing the last two innings of the final game. He continued to star for the Tigers for the next five years, including 1987 when he anchored the back end of the bullpen and helped the Tigers win the American League East title.
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Wednesday November 22 is the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Anyone close to my age or older can probably still remember what they were doing when they first heard of the assassination. The event triggered a crazy weekend as Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the assassination hours later. Oswald was then shot and killed by Jack Ruby, a local strip club owner, on Sunday morning in the basement of the Dallas Police Department headquarters as Oswald was being transferred to the county jail. The entire shooting was televised on live national television as the nation looked on in shock and horror. How Ruby got access to be in the basement of the Dallas Police Headquarters at the time is a question that haunts people to this day.
As a young teenager at the time, assassination was only something I read about in history books. It was not something I thought would happen in the country I lived in. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Over the next nine years assassinations became a common act in the United States as the assassinations occurred of Martin Luther King (1968) and Bobby Kennedy (1968) as well as the attempted assassination of George Wallace (1972). By the time I turned twenty-one, assassinations felt like a normal occurrence in our country.
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Thursday will be the first Thanksgiving outside of Covid, that I have not celebrated with my brothers, Larry and Garry, and my sister Nancy since I was born. Our move to Petoskey precipitated the change, but it was time. Our families were just getting too large, and no one had a home large enough to accommodate everyone and still allow room to move. I will miss seeing everyone.
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Today will be my last blog for the week as Leah and I adjust to living in Petoskey. On Wednesday, we are travelling to Brighton and U of M, as I have my annual evaluation with the best cardiologist in the world, Dr. Kim Eagle. Then we are over to Katy’s house to celebrate Nolan’s ninth birthday. It will be back to Katy’s to celebrate Thanksgiving with Leah’s and my clan on Thursday. We will drive back to Petoskey, late Friday.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. I hope the Lions overwhelm the Packers on Thursday, and I hope the Wolverines beat the snot out of OSU on Saturday. Most of all I hope that everyone is safe.
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Quote of the Day: “It’s like the Ted Lasso show: ‘Believe’. I’m so proud of our team. Despite that noise, our locker room’s in one piece. The locker room is like my mom’s bathing suits – like to see them in one piece.” Jim Harbaugh at Monday’s press conference leading up to the UM/OSU game on Saturday.
Orchid of the Day: My grandson, Nolan Krieg, who turns 9 on Wednesday.
Onion of the Day: No onions today in honor of Thanksgiving.
Question of the Day: What is your favorite side dish with your Thanksgiving turkey? Mine is the stuffing.
Image/Video of the Day: Dan Miller Calls of the Game, Lions vs Bears
Happy Thanksgiving Tom to you Leah and the entire family!