Nomadic Texan

For Tim McGee my brother from a different Mother.

We were into fast cars, beautiful women and classic rock n roll! We both loved the Byrds and found each other through their music. We bought all their albums and eight track tapes (don’t laugh that was the apex of music in your automobile in the late sixties). Tim came to live with us at the beginning of our senior year. I had no idea the trouble we would get into then. My parents both loved him as if he was their son. Tim definitely knew exactly how to charm people, especially women. Every good looking young lady at our high school would drool over him in the hallways.

He was a fashionista before anyone knew what it was. We both bought our clothes at the Eldridge Shop in Arlington and went to dances, etc dressed to the nines! He was a loyal customer long before I was and taught me in that day and time clothes make the man. I worked full time at Six Flags at that time and had a significant amount of disposable cash.  I can’t remember how many suits he talked me into buying, but it was a great deal! We always were outfitted with the latest haberdashery items.

As I stated above we liked fast cars. I decided that besides a wonderful wardrobe I needed a Muscle car. Given a Six Flags friend had a ’68 Camaro with a 327″ motor, I decided I had to best him and bought a ’69 Camaro with a 396″ engine and 475 HP. Tim had a ’64 Malibu with a 327″ engine. After picking us up we raced home and he waxed me very badly. I couldn’t believe it and neither could he. We took it back the next day to the Chevy house in Ft Worth and told them my issue. Chevy kept it a couple of days and called for us to pick it up. Again we raced home and again he waxed my behind. I was definitely getting frustrated. This went on for another few weeks and I must have taken it back to the Chevy house 20 times. Each time we raced home and I would lose by a significant margin. Finally another friend who raced (in those days plenty of young men had muscle cars and racing was a regular sport. Sometimes money was exchanged-LOL) recommended I take my new Camaro to the local Texaco station and have Woodrow look at it (thank you Gary Athans).

Woodrow looked at it for ten minutes and said you have a warped manifold. I remind you I had been to the Chevy house over twenty times and the high-priced mechanics couldn’t figure out my issue. You can bet your bottom dollar first thing the next day we drove to the Chevy house in Ft Worth and asked to look at my “warped manifold”. They could not deny it, Woodrow was correct. They first said they would order and I lost it. I told them, in a very raised voice we were not leaving until they replaced my manifold. They “found” one. This time we raced home and I had full compression. He was toast! I was thrown back against my seat and was in utter awe! Bring on the racing! Over the next two years I only lost one race and that was because I missed a gear. Paid for my first two years of college.

Tim and I would continually race and we would get speeding tickets out the wazoo. The only way we could do this was because a certain lawyer in Arlington would insure the tickets were lost in the system and never appear on our driving record. Otherwise we would have both lost our driver’s licenses.

I was lucky enough to see the Byrds in concert at Panther Hall in Ft Worth in 1969 I think, with my at the time girlfriend Susan. After the concert I thought maybe I could get an autograph or two and we walked around  the Hall to the back door, It was standing wide open and we walked right in. I don’t think this would be possible in this day and time. We immediately ran into Roger (Jim in those days) McGuinn and secured his autograph. We wound up talking with him for an hour about many topics including David Crosby, He finally decided to go pack up and turned us over to Chris Hillman, who talked with us for roughly 45 minutes.

I eventually wound up getting all of there autographs and showed Tim when I arrived back home. He blew a gasket as he had declined going with us. I kept the poster for decades, at least until my ex-wife tossed it with out asking. Urrrrgh! No telling how much it would be worth today. Tim never got over the fact that I had talked with the Byrds and he wasn’t there. Going forward I left town and on every visit back I would tell his admin to tell him Roger McGuinn was there to see Chris Hillman. Tim would let out a scream and come running out to see me with a big hug! This became a habit and we shared these nicknames until recently.

The talented Chris Hillman of the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas, Souther Hillman Furay Band and The Desert Rose band to name a few of the groups he contributed to.

Roger McGuinn in the old days with his infamous sunglasses. No one could play a 12 string Rickenbacker like him!

We both loved to party and have a good time. Tim knew several musicians and played a little bass guitar. I attempted to play the guitar. We decided to have poster parties in my parents garage and he knew exactly who to invite to play music. I was amazed at the quality of these high school musicians. Thankfully the neighbors went along and we always warned them ahead of time and let them know we would not go past 10 pm with the music, Posters were different and we sometimes went on with them until midnight. I am fairly certain the legal drinking age was 18 at the time, so there was beer on hand!

One of the Friday nights he asked me to take a drive and I agreed. Tim stopped just short of our house on the way home and asked me if I wanted to try something. Yes that is what it was. We were the Doobie Brothers before the group, Snoop Dog and Bill Clinton. Yes we inhaled and were experimental. Out of respect for his wonderful wife and children, I will stop there!

As our families grew we naturally drifted apart and we didn’t see each other that much over the first few decades of our marriages and raising our children. We both have always loved baseball and Tim was a huge Texas Ranger fan. I was able to have a birthday, I think it was my 51st, but I can’t be certain, at the restaurant in the right field area of Globe Life Park, before Globe Life Field was built. My father was still alive and had come along with my brothers I believe. My memory isn’t the best.

As we began looking at the menu Tim and his lovely wife Rheka walked in. I was flabbergasted as we hadn’t seen each other in many years. It was a spectacular evening and he and I were able to quasi catch up. Afterwards we went back to the McGee’s house and continued interacting. Somehow we drove back to Austin after this celebration and survived. Things got busy and we lost contact again.

Two years ago I was contacted by an old friend who lived next door to Tim and said he wanted to talk again. I was elated and we have stayed in contact since. In July of 2023 my friend notified me that Tim had cognitive issues and was referred to UTSW. They found masses in his brain and thought it could be glioblastoma, which it was. This is a very aggressive cancer and medical friends told me that he probably wouldn’t last the year. Thankfully he flew to San Francisco and had an experimental AL surgery which added months to his life.

I have made several trips back and have had conversations with him. Most have been lucid and we shared tremendous memories. Tim recently told my friend that he and I had some wild times and got into a lot of trouble over the years. He was placed in hospice care roughly a month ago and I flew back to see him one last time. We could only talk for about 30 minutes and both laughed about his remark over the trouble we used to get in. I could only understand 25% of what he said. I had to leave and give him space. That was the last time I saw my brother. Tim passed on Monday August 12th at 2:45 pm surrounded by his family. RIP my brother and know you will be greatly missed!

Eight miles high, and when you touch down

You’ll find that it’s stranger than known

Signs in the street, that say where you’re are going

Are somewhere just being their own

Nowhere is there warmth to be found

Among those afraid of losing their ground

Rain gray town, known for its sound

in places, small faces unbound

Round the squares, huddled in the storms

Some laughing, some just shapeless forms

Sidewalk scenes, and black limousines

Some living, some standing alone

For those of you that know me well, you are aware that the sport of baseball is a passion of mine. A few weeks ago I was surfing through Twitter and Instagram, as I do almost daily. I came across a new company named HOMEPLATE Peanut Butter. I began to read about it and realized it was headquartered in Austin Texas. I had met or come in contact with several of its founding members in my past as a business executive or at local baseball games. I am not sure exactly how Clint Greenleaf, the CEO and Co-Founder and I started talking, but the company ultimately offered samples for review. What you have to understand is I am not a fan of peanut butter, my wife is though. I agreed to “sample” the peanut butter and write a review and actually thought I would just let my wife tell me her thoughts.

Card From Clint with Three Homeplate Flavors

It was probably three or four days later that I received my care package from HOMEPLATE with a nice card from Clint. “No goopy oil layer, or gritty, chalky texture, just wholesome, great tasting peanut butter.” This was the quote on their website and helped me decide to try their peanut butter. The first jar I opened was the honey flavored peanut butter and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I ate the entire jar in three or four days and remember, I really am not a peanut butter fan. What was I going to do?

The Ultimate Honey Flavored Homeplate Peanut Butter

Then I remembered that Clint sent around two dozen packets of the honey flavored peanut butter. I thought I was becoming addicted and had to pace myself, only allowing no more than three a day until they ran out also. My wife had opened the crunchy, as she is more inclined to consume peanut butter with nuts, rather than a creamy style as I eat. She told me the crunchy was excellent.

Individual Packet of Honey Flavored Homeplate Peanut Butter

After I ran out of the honey flavored, I started in on the creamy HOMEPLATE peanut butter. It was very tasty also. I guess I have been missing out for all these years. I decided I would do a little taste testing and found several “honey flavored” peanut butters at HEB and other stores, but they couldn’t hold a candle to HOMEPLATE. You can bet I will be heading to Central Market for more HOMEPLATE honey flavored peanut butter. HEB please stock this in your other stores!

The Entire Collection to Review From HOMEPLATE Peanut Butter

One of the “Founding Partners” is Danny Peoples, played at Round Rock High School and then at The University of Texas before going Pro with the Cleveland Indians organization and played six years in their minor league system, rising to AAA for two years. Another “Founding Partner” is Brooks Kieschnick who played three years with The University of Texas and won the Dick Howser trophy in 1992 and 1993, as the best college baseball player in the nation. He then spent six years in the majors, primarily with the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers. I had the good fortune of meeting this young man through a business function. Great guy!

Three Flavors of Homeplate Peanut Butter

The other founding member I have come across is Josh Beckett, who played against my oldest son in high school and went on to help win World Series with the Florida Marlins in 2003 and then with the Boston Red Sox in 2006. He was playing right field for Spring High School in the tournament with my son’s Westwood High School team the first time I saw his arm. He caught a fly ball up against the wall and took one step and threw a line drive about 385 feet with one bounce against the fastest base runner on our team going from second to third base. The ball and the runner arrived at the same time. I was amazed.  When I watched him pitch the next day there were over 30 scouts with radar guns. His high heat was coming in around 97 miles per hour. It was unbelievable and I knew he would go professional quickly.

My overall opinion of this peanut butter with a great name, is it is a Grand Slam! I never thought I would ever like any type of peanut butter, much less eat a whole jar in just a few days. I am definitely hooked. If you are a peanut butter aficionado then by all means give HOMEPLATE a try. I guarantee you will fall head over hills.

I know most US citizens will think this is outright sacrilege. For a long period of my life I have been mystified by the inability of most people, who “follow” the game of baseball, watch the game and attend a “boring” sport that moves way too slow for the majority of the population. What really is transpiring is that these individuals are not really familiar with the nuances of this very intellectual sport.

1994 College Baseball Regional’s Hat

Every pitch has thought and motion involving the players, the coaches and the umpires to predetermine their reaction and every possible result. Obviously this cannot be completely mastered by any means. The fielders have to assess what their action will be if the batter manages to hit the ball in their direction and if there are base runners present what is the most advantageous plan to administer. Of course if there is a base runner, the fielder has to evaluate the expected speed of the runner, whether he will have an advantage as a result of the pitchers windup or flaw in delivery and whether it is better to cut off the lead runner or take the easier out at first.

This decision is predicated on the number of outs and if the fielder doesn’t remember the correct number of outs he may cause a mistake that could cost his team the game. Hidden from this explanation is what pitch is being thrown by his pitcher, as he has a choice of fastballs, curves, split-fingered fastballs and off speed pitches called change ups, which if thrown appropriately can make the hitter swing way before the ball crosses the plate. All pitches react different and the when the batter hits each of these various pitches a distinct result occurs with each pitch.

Frank Robinson and Ted Williams 1958 Baseball All-Star Cards

The batter has to evaluate the pitch count and whether he has an advantage over the pitcher with the odds weighing in against the batter or in favor of the batter. This can determine the specific pitch coming in. Obviously if the batter has a 3 (balls)-0 (strikes) count, he is more than likely getting a fastball knee high on the outside corner of the strike zone. If the batter has a disadvantage with a 0 (balls)-2 (strikes), the batter can expect an off speed pitch that may or may not come close to the strike zone.

Pitches are called by the pitching coach on the bench usually and relayed to the catcher between pitches, with a mixed bag of signs designed to throw the opposing team off and not allow them to determine exactly what pitch the pitcher is tossing. At times if the opposing team has a former teammate they allow the catcher to make the pitch call and in some cases the catcher has sufficient experience working with the pitchers to know what pitches to throw when and what the batter tends to not be able to hit.

1996 US Olympic Baseball Hat

The pitcher has to ensure he reads the sign translated from the catcher correctly and knows what pitch is being called. During games the signs can be changed every inning and sometimes multiple times in an inning, if they think the opposing team is stealing their signs. After the pitcher digests the sign he has to ensure his grip of the baseball is appropriate for the pitch being thrown or the result will not be what was intended. If he has base runners in position he has to make sure that the runner does not gain an advantage and steal the base he is headed for, as a result of the pitcher not giving the runner the pertinent scrutiny.

Series of Babe Ruth Cards Published in 1961

The coaches are mandated with fielder placement and understanding the ability of each opposing hitter and where the odds indicate he will hit the ball, given the prior knowledge of what pitch is being thrown. They are tasked with creating a lineup that puts the best available players on the field and in the specific batting order that will achieve more positive results. They actively discuss positioning, the opposing batters ability and historical data of their fielders and the hitter. One can get completely overwhelmed with the quantity of statistics available these days and has to control this aspect of the game. These days it has increased at such a level, that it is impossible to comprehend the numerical dossier collected. The team’s manager and coaches have to decide what is more important on each pitch

Various 1959 Baseball Cards

The Umpires are charged with making sure that on every pitch they are in the correct position for expected plays, that both teams adhere to the rules and that all players have a safe playing environment. They are laden with interpreting all debated calls according to the rule book and ensuring that above all the games are carried out in a fair and honest manner.

Don Drysdale Who Has Perished and Was One of The Hardest Throwing Right Hand Pitchers I have Ever Seen 1961 Card

Over the last few years I have gained a new and expanded appreciation of what the world calls football. I have followed the FIFA World Cup 2014 over the last two weeks and actually thought despite the dramatic fish flops, jersey pulls and shin kicks, a great deal of the background intellect involved in baseball is going on in football or what we call soccer in the US. There is a great deal of strategy and foresight involved. A great deal more than what I think the average US fan realizes. It was a very eye opening experience when I realized this had actually transpired, as I became a stronger fan of the sport that the majority of the world classifies as the number one athletic event outside the Olympics.

Lou Gehrig Replica Card of 1961, The Iron Man Who Played 2,632 Games in a Row Without Without Being Taken Out

Regardless of your beliefs and whether you agree you have to admit once every four years the World comes to a standstill and all eyes are on this magnificent athletic episode. So much so, that I believe I am becoming more attracted to the World Cup process than I am to the Super Bowl anymore. Let’s face it more people watch the commercials of this American sporting game, than the actual sporting event. If they are not watching the commercials they are imbibing and partying like crazy. Hence my opening statement of outright sacrilege. We are moving up in ability and succeeded in making it farther than most people thought in this World Cup. Who knows one day before I perish we might actually field a team capable of taking the World Cup home. Wouldn’t that be cool! Congratulations Germany on winning a hard fought and determined match!

I have taken the liberty of placing photos of two of my favorite baseball hats in this blog, along with a few baseball cards I owned at one time.

I promised myself I would take the day off and not drop a post on everyone today. I am sure all of you are getting ready to celebrate with family and friends and planning to go watch an “Epic” fireworks show at a local park. When our sons, now all young men, were younger we would make a big deal and BBQ all day, pig out over my Mother’s potato and pea salad recipes. It really didn’t matter what type of meat I was cooking as long as Kim made deviled eggs and I made the salads. It was a Texas tradition.

Guess Who Can’t Touch Bottom

The boys would always find an easy way to amuse themselves and play games in the yard, which they created and developed entirely from some TV show like Ninja Turtles or something of that nature. I was still fairly active and would join in sometimes between cooking and making the salads. Of course the occasional beer would be ingested and Kim would have her glass of wine so the eggs and other items she made would come out just right.

Credit

When all was done we would sit around a table, eat until we couldn’t walk and finish with ice cream and watermelon. Kim loves watermelon. I hated the next portion and that was cleaning up the mess we made preparing all this very unhealthy food. It seemed to always take longer to clean than to cook. By this time it was getting near dark and we would pile into the van, yes we had a van for many years just to haul the boys and their stuff to sporting events, to school and to activities. It was nice to have that many seats as the boys didn’t have to touch each other. Touching each other always led to arguments for some reason.

Most of the fireworks programs that we would view lasted a fairly long time and we would bring folding lawn chairs, another great reason to have a van. Through baseball we became friends with Mary and Larry Heffernan and started a tradition of attending the parties they threw on the 4th. After all the eating and cleaning it was the best scenario for watching the fireworks. All we had to do was walk right out into their Cul de Sac and plop our folding chairs down. The fireworks went off behind their house at a local park and these seats were the best in town!

Credit

Now we have a son in Japan, one in the Dallas area and one still here in Austin. We are going to his apartment and having a mini 4th BBQ. I hope we don’t embarrass him! I miss the old days and having all our family so close! Life has a way of hitting you right between the eyes at times and for some reason it did that today. I sincerely hope all you young parents “relish” (sorry I couldn’t help myself) the time you have now with your children and spend it wisely. Before you know it your children will be grown and out the door. Be careful with the fireworks and try to eat healthy! Happy 4th of July for all those friends “Living in the Land of the Free”!