BILL BLOG
Friday January 17, 2025
Friday morning…getting ready to board a plane later. Some kind of nice day in Nashville as I’m leaving. Sunny with a 58 degree high.
YESTERDAY
Thursday was all about packing for the trip to the Carolinas this weekend for a couple of shows that I’m looking forward to. More on that at the end of today’s Blog.
And I spent some time reflecting on one of my favorite baseball people ever who passed yesterday at age 90.
BOB UECKER
What a loss. One of the funniest, nicest men I’ve ever met. And the loss that Milwaukee and the Brewers feel? I can’t imagine. Not to mention the fact that he was a Hall of Fame baseball broadcasters…one of the most entertaining ever.
I worked radio in Milwaukee for six years and got to be around him and interview him a few times. Always self-effacing funny and very quick on his feet.
I got to call a half an inning once on the Brewer’s TV network which was huge fun. Bob was in the next booth over doing the radio broadcast of the game and I had a chance to go over and say “hey” in his radio booth…another thrill.
The first game I ever heard Uecker was at an Opening Day game in old County Stadium. It was cold. I took a coat and a transistor radio so I could hear Bob call the game. In the booth that day was former Vice President Dan Quayle. You can only imagine how funny those exchanges were. Bob mentioned to the VP that when he was a player he had “WTP”? Quayle of course asked what that meant. Bob replied in a deadpan delivery, “Warning Track Power.” I’m still laughing.
He was an avid fisherman as well. Had a big boat he took out on Lake Michigan regularly and folks would recognize him of course. So he told me in an interview that the folks at Louisville Slugger made him a bad that doubled as a fishing rod. And when folks recognized him on the boat, he’d fish with it…just to make them laugh.
And his baseball Hall of Fame speech is the best I’ve ever heard. He had every other Hall of Famer on that stage with him wiping away tears of laughter. It’s a must watch if you’ve never seen it.
I’m just so sad to hear of his passing. Baseball is going to be a lot less funny.
SONG OF THE DAY
I thought I’d choose a song I wrote with one of our veterans today Rachel Blankenship through the organization Freedom Sings USA.
Rachel was a nurse assigned to a hot zone in Saudi Arabia. She worked in a tent like you see in the TV series M*A*S*H. She told me when we sat down to capture her story in song that just like the TV show…there was gallows humor between the Doctor’s and nurses. You had to help keep your sanity with all that they were seeing first hand. You can imagine. So her song is titled, “I Learned To Laugh, So I Can Cope”.
Click the link to watch a video of how the song was written.
Thank you Rachel for your service and sharing your story of valor with this songwriter.
HEALTH NOTES
A new study is claiming that women under 50 are 82% more likely to get cancer than men.
Another study points out that diets higher in inflammatory foods are tied to an increase of dementia in older adults.
Researchers are warning that ‘zombie deer disease’ could spread to human.
HERE’S YOU STORE
And yet you know folks will walk in and buy stuff!
POPULAR
Gracie Hunt the heiress of the Kansas City Chiefs says that Taylor Swift has increased their fan base by 40%. Just by being at the games to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce…the tight end for the Chiefs. All the “Swifties” are rooting for a three-peat I guess by the world champs this year.
TIPPING
Americans are apparently a little fed up with tipping and less are doing so according to folks who track that sort of thing. Seems like pretty much every machine I swipe with a credit card asks if I’d like to tip? And there are some weird places asking for tips.
The self-checkouts are my favorite. Who am I tipping there? The machine?
Some movie theater ticket booths.
Dermatologist office.
Pick your own fruit farms.
Bathroom attendants. That’s a weird one.
Coffee shops, mechanic shops and more.
No wonder folks are not tipping as much.
NEW SKILLS
According to a LinkedIn poll the top 3 skills employer say are most important for 2025 are:
Foresight and problem solving
AI proficiency
Perpetual learning agility
(I just learned how to use a fax machine…so I’m glad I’m not looking for a job next year.)
KNITTING
For those into knitting…if you can’t afford a good set of knitting needles….do what this Grandma did. Knit with beef sticks.
That way when you’re finished you have a nice sweater to wear…and something to eat. Win-Win.
HEADLINE OF THE DAY
From the folks at Babylon Bee who write the best fake headlines ever.
Carrie Underwood To Perform New Original Song ‘Donald Take The Wheel’ At Trump Inauguration.
TODAY
Running to the airport for a flight to Norfolk with Linda Davis and Lang Scott. From Norfolk we drive to Kill Devils Hill North Carolina where our “Evening in the Round” show will play at the First Flight High School near the Outer Banks. So we’ll get to look at the Atlantic for a couple of days.
Then Sunday morning we will be up early headed for North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina for a show with Darin and Brooke Aldridge before flying back home Monday.
Full report on these shows in Monday’s Blog.
Have a great Friday!
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