WIXY's Gone Bananas

Cliff Note: This is the third post in a series I originally wrote in late January-early February, 2008. My original intent in writing this was for a walk down memory lane, first watching wrestling on Saturday night with my brother and years later watching on Saturday morning first with my oldest daughter then my son. At those times it was nowhere near the product that is put out nowadays, which is more geared towards adult audiences. What follows is from the original post. Once again I will be providing links to Wikipedia. In my pre t eenage years, I discovered how much I enjoyed getting lost in a good comic book. I was a big DC comics fan, first Batman, then Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, and so on. I was also aware of another comic book company, Marvel. They had Spider-man, Fantastic Four, Captain America, and the incredible Hulk, among others in their stable. In a way, pro wrestling was that way in the late eighties. WWF was D.C. and NWA/WCW was Marvel. I mainly watched WWF for awh...

First, thanks to everybody who wished me a happy birthday yesterday. I hope to get around and personally thank those whom I haven't yet. The day was quite pleasant. One of the presents I received was an Applebee's gift card. We ate well last night. No football tonight, so this weekend will be spent raking leaves and doing other yard work as weather permits. Mrs74 is still not cleared to go back to work, so I hope to get some part time work for the holidays. I have an interview at K-Mart next week. My daughter works there and let me use the intercom last night to hawk some merchandise. The manager on duty was very impressed. My experience in retail should help. I will be sooo glad when this election is over. I hope those who received the QBQ email from me yesterday took some time to read it. I thought it was enlightening. Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies and former Cleveland Indians manager Charlie Manuel on their World Series championship. Have a great Halloween, an...

ME! Today, I am 53.

On a cold and rainy fall night at Rittman Stadium, the Rittman Fighting Indians played the Hillsdale Falcons on October 24 for the final contest of the 2008 football season. It was senior night and the participants of fall sports, band, and cheerleaders in their final year of high school were honored before the game began. Pregame saw the senior band members, play John Phillip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" while the rest of the band stood in their usual "R" formation. After this, then the whole band played the national anthem, then it was game time. With Halloween approaching, the band were all dressed in the costume of their choice as they entertained the cold, but appreciative home crowd for one last time in 2008. Our senior majorette, Brooke, dressed as a referee, was featured by herself as the band played the Rolling Stone's classic "Paint it Black," Despite the cold and wet field conditions, the band gave their usual exceptional perfor...

This morning as I was going to work, I stopped at the Marathon station at the rt. 94 intersection of I-76 in Wadsworth. I was getting my morning paper. I parked in front of the store and I saw this young lady go in before me. I was getting a paper. She was getting a cup of coffee and a donut. As I was getting ready to leave, I noticed her unlocking her car. I bring this up because I remember when I was young and when I would go to Lawson's with one of my parents for bread and milk we would go in and leave the car running with the door unlocked and not think about it. Now people stop in Wadsworth, of all places and they don't feel safe enough to leave their car unlocked when they go into a convenience store and their car is within sight while their in the store. Sad when you think about it.

Cliff Note: I am rewriting this, originally posted in November, 2006, because I read in this morning's Akron Beacon Journal that the 8 remaining non-anchor stores will have to close since FirstEnergy is due to cut the power off in the mall due to non payment. Rolling Acres Mall in Akron, Ohio has been, for years, a "white elephant." when the mall was in it's planning stages, it was to be built in a more affluent area, but an outcry of the residents in that area caused a change in plans. It's location is in between one of the poorer areas of Akron, and Barberton, which has been for years a depressed community. Also take into account that there is a lack of access roads to the mall and it's no wonder the mall has been dying for years. What now follows is from the original post. I have some memories of my own. December 1, 1977 was a somewhat chilly Saturday night. It was the night which I took my future wife on our first date. We saw the movie "Heroes"...

I am going to make this one short and sweet. I live in Ohio, in this election season, one of the so called "Battleground states," a state crucial for any candidate presidential hopes. Of course we have had many visits from presidential and vice presidential candidates. Other blogs have dissected both campaigns so I will not. The only questions I have is will the promises made by either of these candidates exclusive to these states be fulfilled, or will they prove only to be hot air?

Cliff Note:This is part of a series I originally posted in January-February, 2007. This post first ran without links. This time I am adding links to what Wikipedia had about them. Evidently some of the contributors to Wikipedia are wrasslin' fans. An interesting thing about pro wrestling is that many watch but fewer admit to it. My guess is that it's always been that way. As a teenager, I used to listen to Pete Franklin on the radio at night, as most young men in the Cleveland area did. For those who are unfamiliar with "Sweet Pete", he had a sports talk show on WWWE/1100. One of the quickest ways to get "cut off" from his program was to ask a question about pro wrestling or roller derby , as they weren't accepted sports. Wrestling and roller derby are what is considered "sports entertainment". Cliff Note:There are two types of people I find disturbing. The first is one who thinks that all of wrestling is real. The second is the type who think...

Yesterday morning, I stopped at the Evil Big Box Store(tm) to pick up a few items for my lunch. On my way out I stopped at the soft drink- up here, we call it pop - machine to get a Diet Pepsi. I was wanting my morning caffeine cold. Anyhow when I got to the machine, I noticed a new apparatus connected to it. It was a credit card scanner. The thud you just heard was Sam Walton turning over in his grave. Seeing that I don't want to pay interest on my guilty pleasures, I put this stuff, called money, in the machine and made my selection. I pushed the button for Diet Pepsi. Out comes...regular Pepsi. Well I figured I could give this to someone else at the shop, so I put some more money in. I pressed the other Diet Pepsi button and out comes....Mountain Dew. At this point I go back into the store and register my complaint to the cashier who just a few minutes ago rung up my purchase. She let me exchange the two bottles of the wrong stuff for two bottles of Diet Pepsi from the cooler. ...

Cliff Note: I apologize in advance for the lack of photos. since the pressbox windows were closed, I could not get any decent shots. On October 18, 2008, eight bands met at Rittman Stadium to entertain fans, friends, and family, and exhibiting the fruits of many hours of preparation. On this cold night, we were treated to an awesome performance, by all participants of the 18th annual Rittman Indian Band Revue. At 7:00pm, the audience was welcomed by Jon Ritchie , superintendent of the Rittman and Orrville School Districts. The Rittman Indians Marching Band kicked off the show with the playing of the national anthem. Once our hosts marched off the field, it was time to be entertained by the guest bands. Mogadore was the first guest band to take the field. The Marching Wildcats , although small in number, were big on sound. It was their sixteenth time playing at our show. Making an encore appearance, from Akron, was the Kenmore High School Fighting Cardinal Marching Band. For their se...

I first heard of Mark Sanborn one day as I was listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio. He was talking about Mark's book, "The Fred Factor." The book gave examples of ordinary people performing ordinary jobs in an extraordinary way. The next time I heard about Mark was when I attended a Maximum Impact simulcast, when he had introduced his next best seller called "You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader." I was impressed by what I heard. A short time later, I got an audio download of "The Fred Factor." I lost count of how many times I listened to Mark's reading of the book. I was sad when that mp3 player bit the dust. In January, I recommended "The Fred Factor" to those who read my blog. Imagine my surprise when Mark thanked me in my comment section. We have exchanged emails a few times since, and he even sent me a book by another author. Mark practices what he teaches. The latest book by Mark Sanborn is called "The Encore Effect....

First, I am several "From the Pressboxes" short, but I will catch up. The Rittman band show was this past Saturday and it was a great success. I just have some things to do before I post it. Next, as I have gotten some good response from the pro wrestling post from early last year, I will repost the other three from that "series." that will be once a week for the next three. I also plan on ranting about the Bureau of Motor Vehicles , here in the great state of Ohio. I have a book review that has been too long in coming in the next few days. And I still wish to keep this blog a safe haven from politics, as I have blogging friends who support different candidates. Cliff Note: I will be so glad when this election is over. As a Christian, it will be my duty to pray for whomever wins the election. I may review another book that deals with that. Lastly, my latest post over at Seek Him First , my faith based blog, is about gossip. It links to Terry Pluto's latest ...

For those who like the history of this post, I have put in many links. Enjoy your trip in the time machine. And in this revision I fixed all the links. This is a revision of a post I wrote in early 2007. I actually wrote it as I had a request from Struke when we first became friends through the internet, before he started his own blog. The reason I am rewriting this today is because I have gotten many more hits than usual, and they all wer e from a Google search pointing to this post. I figure the reason for all the hits were due to the passing of legendary wrestling announcer, Jack Reynolds . He was a long time broadcaster in the Cleveland area, but I remember him first as the host of Championship Wrestling on WUAB channel 43 in Cleveland. He is also a member of the Broadcast Hall of Fame. From all I've from the local media, Jack was a real pro and a gentleman. He will be missed. My condolences go to his son, FOX 8 sports anchor Tony Rizzo and the rest of the family. Click he...

My two latest posts on Whattville is on the Other Side of the Tracks , my poetry blog, is an anti tribute to the ugly Beatle, Ringo Starr , who decided this week to no longer answer fan mail. That's right, Ringo. Forgot about who got you to the dance.

Chelle , who writes the Thoughts from My World blog, as well as Liquid's cousin in law, has an urgent prayer request. Her sister was in a near fatal car wreck in Mississippi last Wednesday morning. By the grace of God, she has come through and is now on the mend. Chelle's sister, Dawn, also has a young son. She lost her husband three years ago to cancer and has had it rough since. Chelle's latest post is a tribute to her sister. I ask my readers, many of you prayed for me when I lost my brother earlier this year, to go over there and give Chelle some words of encouragement. Also pray for Dawn, that her recovery be swift and that she walks close to the Lord during this time.

Mrs74 and I had doctor appointments this afternoon, so I left work early. I got home and we took the (new)WIXYmobile for the appointments. Hers was at the orthopedic specialist and his office was across the street from my appointment, which was with the primary care physician. First, I offered to leave the (new)WIXYmobile with Mrs74 and I was going to walk across the street to my appointment. Hers was earlier than mine, but she said she would walk to me, which was probably at least 1/8mile. Kathy come in to the waiting room while I was still waiting for my appointment. She told me that her doctor was very pleased with her progress, but told her not to run any marathons or play tackle football, neither of which she don't do anyhow. Kathy went in with me for my appointment, which was a followup, checking on my diabetes. All looked well and he also checked my neck, which is arthritic. We also both got our flu shots. I said in the title that there was 2 ways I got a shot in the arm. Th...

I would like to introduce those that haven't been there to " Building a Log Cabin ." It's written by Shelley, otherwise known as " Shellmo ." Like Jen, she's a cabin dweller. Also like Jen, she comes to me via Jessica's blog. Another thing the two have in common is they both first visited me at my "Whattville" blog. Cliff Note: I will be active in Whattville again shortly. Football season ends in two weeks. Anyway, Shelley lives in northern Michigan and is currently setting up housekeeping in her and husband Greg's log cabin. They liked their cabin so much, they now sell for the company they bought their cabin from. Anyway the blog is very interesting, telling the story of building and furnishing their cabin. It also has some very good pictures representing northern Michigan. It's worth a visit, or two. Aw, heck, make it a part of your regular routine. I have. I'm proud to make Shelley the latest link on my blog roll.

The Remember Love Canal Blog is back up and running. The editor happens to be a good friend and fellow chicken connoisseur. Pay him a visit and let him know you're glad he's back. Tell him WIXY sent you!

Politicians promising change is nothing new, although some feel that they are pioneers of change.The guy above promised us "change in our pockets" back in the seventies. This could be the change the politicians are promising us.

The investigation into the campaign of the Famous Chicken is complete. The following damaging information has been uncovered in the case: " It's not a bad calling for (Ted) Giannoulas, a former student dishwasher and immigrant from London, Ontario, Canada ." Ted Giannoulas is the birth name of the Famous Chicken. No problem there, but seeing that he was not hatched in the good ole' U. S. of A., according to the constitution, he is not eligible to be president. Upon hearing the news, both John McCain and Barack Obama were heard to breathe a huge sigh of relief. The WIXY Party will not nominate anyone at this late date, concentrating it's efforts on the 2012 race for the White House. There has been rumors abounding from the camp of Miss Piggy and her possible bid to become the first female president and also a representative of "the other white meat." A candidate the party had to turn down was J. Wellington Wimpy . Mr. Wimpy has been known to have credit ...

The WIXY Party has been notified by the law firm of Sam and Ella that there is an investigation into the campaign of the Famous Chicken . The firm has been studying documents in their conference room. There are so many papers that Sam had to extend his oak conference table with a maple leaf. But the firm has promised to study all these documents until they get tothe bottom of this. Party heads have been promised that they will be notified promptly of any development in the investigation.

Last night the Rittman Fighting Indians took on the Dalton Bulldogs. Dalton took the opening kickoff down the field for a touchdown and that set the football pace for the evening. The Rittman Indians Marching band took a fairly new show into halftime, starting with a song made famous by Enrique Martin Morales, also known as Ricky Martin. Of course in an attempt to throw off the announcer , it was mentioned in the script that he played the lead in "Les Miserables". Okay, do I look like a Broadway buff to anyone? I didn't think so, but I didn't butcher it too bad, at least people were less miserable about the way I said it. "You Can't Stop the Beat," our majorette feature, was next. The last number for the evening was another new song for the season, "Sweet Child O' Mine," a song originally done by Guns N' Roses which was done as filler on an album, but became their only number one hit. You now have less than a week to make plans to come ...

An attempt to make Bozo The Clown the next vice president has failed, reports the WIXY Party. Mr. Clown, in semi retirement since 2001, has no desire at this time to be in the political arena, the Quicken Loans Arena, or even doing the macarena. Word from Bozo World Headquarters reports that after extensive deliberation, soul searching, and consultation with the circus bearded lady, Boze, as he's known to his closest friends, has released this statement through his spokesperson: "Ladies and gentlemen, step right up. Mr. Bozo T. Clown has declined the vice presidential nomination of the WIXY Party, stating that something funny is happening with the campaign of the fowl one." On a related note, there is now an investigation into the campaign of the Famous Chicken.

The search committee looking for a suitable running mate for the Famous Chicken has decided to look to another mascot, Billy the Marlin, of the Florida Marlins for the nod. A spokesperson for Mr. Marlin said the wet one could not, with a clear conscience, accept the nomination, as he thinks that something smells fishy about the whole thing. Stay tuned.

Representatives for the Famous Chicken , in an effort to coax Charlie McCarthy out of retirement, offered him the number 2 spot on the WIXY Party ticket. Mr. McCarthy turned down this once in a lifetime opportunity, saying "There is too much of a stigma with the job of vice president. Too many people perceive them as dummies." In a related note, some representatives are trying to pull some strings in order to talk to Howdy Doody. Cliff Note: I think I am in agreement with Suz and her latest post .

The WIXY Party candidate for president, The Famous Chicken, after being turned down by Kermit the Frog to be his running mate, decided to approach fellow fowl Donald Duck and offer him the vice presidential nomination. Mr. Duck respectfully turned him down saying, "I don't want to be in government as I already work for a Mickey Mouse organization. Besides the only difference between Washington and Disney World is that in Washington everyone is goofy." The search continues...

If you recall, last week the WIXY party nominated The Famous Chicken for president in the coming elections. The Chicken thought long and hard about his choice as running mate. His final decision was to pick Mississippi native Kermit the Frog for the number two office. But Mr. Frog turned it down. When reached at his pad, Kermit was asked why? His response was that he did not want to be considered a puppet of the administration.

Using word verification is no longer a deterrent to spammers. I had a spam comment on one of my posts this morning. I don't want to go to moderation, so what do I do?

Michelle Dawn, of Rusin Roundup fame, has introduced us to her husband, Randy. He has re-started a blog called The Way I See It . Michelle and Randy are currently working out some difficulties in their marriage. They both have mentioned it in their blogs, which is one of the only reasons I have mentioned it here. The other reason I mention it is because I know my blogging friends have good hearts and will go over there and give them both encouragement. I am also honored that Randy put me on his list of links.

Suz and I have crossed paths before. She is a blogging buddy of both Bella and Frasypoo. Suz comes from Florida and has a blog called Day by day.....My life as a busy bee . She chronicles about her life and her family and does a very good job at it. Go pay her a visit especially get to know her 12 year old who greeted her mother with a pocket full of sunshine . I hope you are as blessed as I was. Also check this one out. Some things to make you think and some to make you chuckle . Thanks for brightening my day, Suz.

I spent most of the past three days in a funk. It even affected my health. It started Friday afternoon. My wife had spent the prior 36 hours staying with her dad so her mom could go to West Virginia and visiti her mother in the nursing home. As most should know, my father in law has health issues and felt he couldn't make the trip. She returned home about 3:30 Friday. Shortly afterward, I got a call on my cell phone. It was Kathy. She was driving home, swerved to miss an animal, lost control of the car and ended up in a field, the right quarter panel hitting a utility pole. Kathy was bruised from her seat belt, which kept her from being ejected from her vehicle, but otherwise fine. The car was banged up, but drivable. My first concern was to make sure my wife was fine, but on my way to the scene of the accident, I was letting out steam to make sure I got it all out. I was upset over the car, but grateful my wife was not injured. Kathy was worried that I would hold this against her ...

If you read my comment section over the weekend, you will know that our favorite Georgia peach from India, none other than Frasypoo, is back. She had retired from blogging a few months back, but found that once blogging enters the blood stream it is incurable. Frasypoo had stayed in touch over the past few months, either by email or the comments section, but it's great that we can again go to This and That and see what's on her mind. Sorry I missed posting this during the weekend, but I was busy feeling sorry for myself.

Friday night was the annual contest for the "Big Chief" trophy, pitting the Rittman Fighting Indians versus the Chippewa Chipps. The game was Chippewa's homecoming played at Doylestown Memorial Park. Our Indians were trying to put an end to their 23 game winless streak. As Rittman and Chippewa has had a fierce rivalry over the years, there was tight security at the game to prevent any possible incidents from either student body. During halftime the Rittman Indians Marching Band rocked the house! The band once again demonstrated the level of excellence the audience has come to expect. The Chippewa faithful was also appreciative of the performance of what's becoming the premiere marching band of Wayne County. Although the weather was very cool, our band was red hot as they performed "Prime Time," "You Can't Stop The Beat," and "Soul Bossa Nova." The game didn't turn out the way the Rittman faithful would have liked, as our team...

Pay Liquid a visit this month. She has gone pink for October, which is breast cancer awareness month. She also has a link there where you can educate yourself and contribute to the Susan G. Komen foundation. We stayed at the in laws house last night. My MiL went to see her mother, who's in a nursing home in West Virginia. Kathy and I stayed with her dad, who is improving. On my way there, I stopped for gas in Medina. The price was $3.14 a gallon. What a difference two years makes. When the price first went up over $3 a gallon, we were outraged. But now that we've seen $4 a gallon gas, $3.14 is a great bargain. Seeing that I remember paying 28 cents a gallon in the early seventies, I think anything over $1.50 a gallon stinks. I remember when gas went over 50 cents a gallon. Car sales went down, the auto industry was laying off, and the world as we knew it was coming to an end. Then people got used to it. Later gas went to over $1.00 a gallon. Sales of cars went down, the auto i...

The Famous Chicken for president. He's the perfect candidate for the WIXY Party. The only forseeable problem would be one with his past. He worked for KGB. That was the call letters of the radio station in San Diego that gave him his break.

Here is a repeat of a photo of me with Cleveland Indians mascot, Slider . The reason I'm running this photo again is because I heard that Slider has been elected to the Mascot Hall of Fame . Congratulations to one who has been with the Tribe through thick and thin.

Radio talk show host and financial counselor, Dave Ramsey has a proposal for the current financial crisis the United States is in. It's called "The Common Sense Fix." I feel it's a good idea and should be considered. Please follow the link and review it for yourselves.