The Luckiest Guy in the World

There was recently a documentary on television about a former NBA player who was portrayed as the luckiest guy in the world. As a sports junkie, I had to give a view and came to the conclusion that yours truly might be even luckier.

First and foremost, I was fortunate to be born in America and not some third-world country. We have no say in the matter of where we are born so I don't put any ill will towards others from different upbringings/locations/nationalities, unless they are stupid/do stupid things. They didn't ask for it; this is the life they were dealt and I got lucky for the most part.

I was brought up by loving parents who taught me the right and wrong of life. If a spanking/slap in the head was completed, it was justified as I did some stupid things along with being a crybaby in my youth.

I have been blessed with a great group of friends. Not Internet friends. REAL friends, most of whom I've known since the teen years. And sorry, as the Seinfeld bit goes, I'm not taking applications right now for any new ones. Good with what I have.

My adolescent years were spent in a town where the local police (in most cases) more or less would shoo you away like a stray dog when you were doing wrong.

I have a big head, literally, as I knew it was large looking in the mirror each day and can't get a ball cap to fit me (one size does not fit all).  I got my picture taken at the Secretary of State the other day for my drivers license and that screen they show you of what your license picture will look like REALLY shows the enormity of said head. Wow. But big head aside, I somehow have managed to date some pretty cool (a few wackos), attractive ladies over the years. My 45-15 dream is still out there in living with a girlfriend/wife for 45 days with a 15 day break/separation after the 45 days; and repeating the process. I know you're out there 45-15 girl.

I have been rewarded with good hand/eye coordination. I've mentioned it on here before but my kickball prowess got me through having to attend three elementary schools with family moves.

I've thankfully been employed for the last 34 years, even with a few major screwups early on in my career. Part of the job going in was looking for consumers who were behind on their car payments. I had a Porsche taken from a driveway one time as it was behind but it turned out it wasn't the correct Porsche. What are the odds that someone would have two Porsche vehicles? Slim, but it happened. We returned the wrong Porsche to the consumer and ended up taking the correct one a few months later. Another faux pas early in my career was when they installed an automated calling system in our office. There was no dialing involved as the system would do the dialing and direct an answering party to one of the collectors. The collector would speak to the person (most times an answering machine) and click an icon on the screen to hang up and queue the next answering party. I left a message on an answering machine, clicked on the hang up button (I thought), and made some not so flattering comments to myself about the delinquent party. It turns out the click of the hang up button did not take so my not so flattering comments made it on the consumer's answering machine. I crapped my pants when I heard the answering machine beep advising the message was complete in my headset. The automated calling system pilot was soon scrapped. In both instances, I kept my job so to the youth out there, we are all going to screw up one time or another. Get over it.

As bad as covid was, it allowed me to move to the most beautiful, simple place a few years ago. 

They say cats have nine lives, I think I've been through five so far as I've had some close calls over the years.

Lastly, I'm probably going to lose my memory in about a decade but while I fretted about it in my 20's, I've accepted it as regardless what happens (hoping for the hair loss scientists to put their focus on memory loss instead), I've been pretty darn lucky.

Trail Head

Super Bowl fish - missing the Lions and a boat plug

The calendar says Super Bowl Sunday which means fishing in some fashion in the morning leading up to what should have been a Detroit celebration of the Lions making their first Super Bowl. The former happened but the latter unfortunately was not to be this year. What a celebration it would have been.

As far as fishing, folks were ice fishing in town four weeks ago but all the ice is now gone. With no ice, I was ready to make the maiden voyage on the row boat I recently purchased. Bestsie Bay is a quarter mile down the road so to the lake I went with said boat. The boat was at the dock and I was loading it with the tackle, poles, etc... when I noticed a couple of things. One, water was slowly gathering in the back of the boat and two, I forgot that the boat needed a plug. Uggg. Another life lesson learned. With that, the maiden voyage for the row boat would have to happen another day and my kayak would be my water vessel today. 

There were three other boats with the same idea I had. The temperature was about 32 but the winds were down so it was actually pretty comfortable. I went with the bobber/sinker/night crawler combination on my two poles but no fish to report for me or others I came upon.

Lions in 2025? Hopefully so.

Trail Head

Lions Therapy Group

Me: Hi, my name is Tim and I've been a Lions fan since 1977.

Group: Hi Tim.

It's been a week since last Sunday's oh so close attempt at reaching the Super Bowl. Up 17 points at halftime, it was bound to happen, right? Right? Wrong. Come on Lions fans. Did you really think so? I heard fans all week crying about the failed 4th down attempts but if they made them, imagine how quiet that stadium of 49er fans would have been. The 4th down attempts and fake punt gambles got us there, why stop now? I had no qualms with the decision. Catch the damn ball. 

After 47 years of it, I'm pretty numb to it all. I am probably missing some but here are some highlights/lowlights over the years:

Ø  Prior to my understanding anything in life as I was only three, a Lion player had a heart attack on the field in ’71 and died.

Ø  Thanksgiving 1980. The Bears tie the game on the final play of regulation to force overtime. Bears return man Dave Williams takes the opening kick in overtime for a touchdown. Game over.

Ø  Eddie Murray’s wide right kick in the ’83 playoffs that would have won the game (Danielson throwing five interceptions didn’t help the cause).

Ø  Billy Sims knee injury in ’84. Ending his career.

Ø  Lineman Mike Utley gets paralyzed in a ’91 game.

Ø  Lineman Eric Andolsek gets ran over by a semi in ’92 while doing yardwork at his home.

Ø  1993 playoff game against the Packers. Lions up with a minute left. Brett Favre scrambles, finds a wide-open Sterling Sharpe in the end zone for the win.

Ø  The Lions roll into the playoffs at 10-6 in ’95. Lineman Lomas Brown guarantees a victory against the Eagles. Lions go down 51-7 at one point, end up losing 58-37.

Ø  Linebacker Reggie Brown suffers a spinal cord contusion in a ’97 game. Career ended.

Ø  Christmas Eve 2000, win the game to clinch the playoffs against the woeful 4-11 Bears. I was in attendance. Bears kicker Paul Edinger, who hadn’t attempted a field goal longer than 50 yards all year, kicks a 54-yarder for the win.

Ø  Which lead to the arrival of Matt Millen, a move I honestly was excited about when it happened but….

Ø  Which lead to coach Marty Mornhinweg’s infamous motorcycle ride out of practice in 2001. Respect of players lost.

Ø  Lions’ assistant coach goes through the Wendy’s drive-through with his birthday suit on in 2006.

Ø  Dan Orlovsky drops back untouched out of the endzone for a safety at Minnesota in 2008.

Ø  0-16 in 2008

Ø  Calvin Johnson catches a game winning touchdown against the Bears in 2010. Replays confirm a catch. Referees say no catch.

Ø  The Lions vs the Titans in Nashville, 2012. I was in attendance. The Lions throw a Hail Mary to the end zone, the ball is tipped into the arms of Titus Young to force overtime. Down by three in overtime with a kick to continue overtime, the Lions tried to draw the Titans offsides on a 4^th and short fake play. If no offsides, they would go on with the field goal. The Lions center ended up snapping the ball in error, the quarterback wasn’t ready for it, the play went nowhere. Game over.

Ø  Thanksgiving 2012 against the Houston Texans. The Houston running back’s elbow touched the turf after a seven-yard gain but kept running for a 81-yard touchdown. All touchdowns are automatically reviewed so the Lions coach just needed to let it all play out and the play would be called back but…he threw a challenge flag. A penalty for doing so and with the challenge flag being thrown, no review of the play. Touchdown for Houston and the Lions ended up losing the game.

Ø  The Lions up 20-0 at one point against the Packers in 2015. Packers come back. Lions still up with six seconds left. The Lions stop Aaron Rodgers on his first Hail Mary attempt but the play is called back for a Lion facemask call. The second Hail Mary goes 61 yards for a Packer touchdown. Game over.

Ø  The Lions up 17-16 against Baltimore in 2021. As time expired, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker hits an NFL record 66-yard field goal to win the game (which broke the previous record 63 yarder by Tom Dempsey against the…Detroit Lions).

Trail Head