New book hits online shelves Dec. 5

Christmas comes early this year, my friends. Now available for pre-order on Amazon and other fine retailers, my new book, From Box Scores to Test Scores is your one-stop-shop for all your holiday shopping needs.

Much more to come in the following weeks about this little project of mine, but yes, it’s time to start celebrating.

Not the worst idea ever

When I was a kid Veterans Day was a holiday, a real holiday with like businesses being closed and a day off from school.

It would be easy for me to say: Come on, schools, you give us holidays on Diwali and Eid and Yom Kippur but not the one that celebrates those who served in the American military?

(It would be fun to make that joke.)

Credit where credit is due, though, the schools (at least around me) are celebrating our service members today with programs designed to teach students and honor our veterans.

I hate to say it, but this isn’t the worst idea ever.

Election night recap

I’ve known for months that the 45th president of the United States would also be the 47th, so last night’s election results weren’t exactly a shock to me.

Doesn’t quite make up for the Yankees losing the World Series, but I’ll take it.

And just remember, even if you’re bummed about last night’s events there are joyful things in the world coming…

Aldi cheese calendars are out today.

Hail to the you-know-who

You never really know what little detail is keeping a string of good luck alive, so it’s always best to cover all bases.

Commanders win because I note it here and describe the team as though they are locks to win the Super Bowl?

Note this just in case.

You never know.

And then it was fall

With temperatures in the 80s the past few days it’s a little tough to believe, but it is now officially fall.

Oh, it’s got nothing to do with calendars or thermometers.

When baseball ends, it is fall. And fall means football.

To hear more about the gridiron game, check out today’s episode of Math and Musings.

New York Double still in the cards

Not exactly a Rumble in the Jungle (50 years ago today, btw), but last night’s 11-4 win over the Dodgers finally had me smiling a bit about the MLB team of my youth. (That would be the New York Yankees.) It may be too little too late, though I’m still holding out for a New York Double this baseball-election season.

At least I’m not ready to give up hope just yet.

When it ends like this…

I write about them even when they play a boring game, so when my local NFL team (that would be the Washington Commanders) plays the most exciting game I’ve ever see, yes, I’m going to mention it.

Actually it wasn’t interesting at all for the first 57 minutes or so of gametime, then turned straight-up heartbreaker, then, well, a beautiful miracle. I was so glad that this week of all weeks I decided to get “TV” (Paramount Plus) and was actually able to see it. With my son, who does believe in miracles.

Funny thing was, my son and I were supposed to go to this game in person. Talk about seeing a good one. My dumb luck though we would have left early and I would not have been able to live with myself the rest of my life.

That would have sucked.

This though?

Aforementioned beautiful miracle.

Culture, fashion, and sport on display today on MAM

Today on Math and Musings, the story of a tale one year in the making. After missing the 2023 Virginia Fall Races in a rather bizarre fashion, Franklin and I this year redeemed ourselves in cultured fashion, rubbing elbows with the haut monde at Glenwood Park in Middleburg, Virginia, for an afternoon of martinis and steeplechase. Well, McDonald’s and steeplechase.

But I hate to give away the entire story.

Enjoy.

You thought I’d forgotten…

For several weeks I’d been in the habit of posting about my local NFL team (that would be the Washington Commanders) following their wins.
Yeah, if you can believe it they won again Sunday, a one-sided slogging of the Carolina Panthers.

I did know about it, of course.

Because I was there.

Unbelievably it was my first Commanders game seen in person, and not just Commanders but any of their previous team names or stadium names. And first NFL game at any stadium as a matter of fact. Yeah, 35 years of being a football fan and somehow I’d never actually been to a game. Go figure.

Well, I can’t make that ironic statement any more, and on next week’s episode of Math and Musings you’ll hear all about it.