Dan Seals (1948 - 2009)

Everyone might not have been a fan, but I was. From his days as 'England Dan and John Ford Coley', to his solo career, I always liked the music of Dan Seals. I was sad to hear that he had passed on.

It's not quite Elvis dying on his toilet, or John Lennon being murdered, but it's still sad. He had better songs, but this is the one I want played at my funeral.

Dan Seals (1948 - 2009)

25 Random Things About Me

Just as an exercise to keep on here and writing, since I've been so bad lately, I'm going to add this. This is my 25 Random Things About Me From Facebook. Not everyone who reads here is on my list on Facebook, so some people haven't seen this.



What I'm going to do, for what it's worth, is break this down and make each item an individual post. Just to expand on it. Some will be good, some will be boring, some might be revealing. Stay tuned.



This is it. The good, the bad, and the ugly.


1. I think the 5 greatest musical acts in history are the Beatles, Elvis, Merle Haggard, Pink Floyd, and Alison Krauss. You don't have to agree, but then it just proves you don't know what good music is.

2. I've been on television in six countries (United States, South Korea, Germany, Angola, Latvia, & Slovenia)

3. Someday I will buy a tropical island in the South Pacific, move there and never leave. Special invitation only to visit, so be nice to me.

4. People think I talk to much, and I should shut up at times. They're right, but I don't care. People who knew me when I was young know how painfully shy I was and how hard it was for me to interact with people. I would take F's in school, so I didn't have to get up in front class and read a paper. I know how I was then, and I know how I am now. Yeah, I irritate people at times, but I will not be silent. I will never be that way again. Deal with it. I have.

5. Beer, pizza, ice cream, buttermilk biscuits. I believe that pretty much says it all.

6. If they offered me a place on a space mission to explore new planets, I'm gone. No doubt, no hesitation. I won't even pack. I'll buy it when I get there.

7. I think a lot of people are jealous of me, because they always show it when we trade stories. The problem is, their stories start: last fall, when I was in Sheboygan for a convention. My stories start off: when I was in the middle of Africa watching the wild elephants; the day I came face-to-face with a North Korean soldier; one day in the middle of a tank battle; yesterday, when I met the President; or this time I got arrested by the police in Latvia. Sorry, that's what I have. I'm not going to apologize for living a charmed life. I think instead of being jealous, people should stop reading about my life on Facebook and go get their own. Take a chance. Explore. Experience. There's a whole, big, bright, beautiful world out there, and it's yours for the taking.

8. I love my daughter more than anyone in the world, but I know it's a good thing she was born at the time she was. If she had come along 10 years earlier, or 5 years earlier, or even 2 years earlier, I'm not sure I was the man I am today, and I don't know if I would be doing what I'm doing now. I would like to think I would, but I also think I might have been the guy to walk away. I guess timing is everything.

9. I don't know if I'm the person I am today because of my family, or in spite of them. If you know my family, you know what I mean. That's not meant to be an insult to my family; it's just the truth. And they all know it.

10. The only thing I've ever really wanted to do is be a writer (realistically). Someday I will get paid to write something. There has to be a book out there I can write. And I will do it. Eventually.

11. I've only ever loved 2 women in my life, and they were both the right woman, at the time. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it work with either one of them. But I'll keep trying until I get it right.

12. I think my friends that I have are my greatest asset. I have the greatest group of friends anyone could every want. And because of the places I live, I have friends all over the world. Thanks to e-mail, I talk to people everyday on six continents. Whether or not they want to take credit for it, I am who I am today because of my friends.

13. My favorite vehicle of all time that I owned was a piece-of-shit '75 Dodge Ram pick-up. The breaks were shot, the suspension was a distant memory, and I swear it got negative gas mileage. You can have your Mercedes and Volvo's. Give me that pick-up again, and I'll never own another vehicle again.

14. I've had six surgical procedures, have been to the emergency room 29 times, but have had only one broken bone, and only received stitches one. Sure, I need to lose 15 pounds. But I bounce.

15. I hesitate to use the term soul-mate (since Jorgen has said we shouldn't), but I know who the perfect woman for me is. Unfortunately, due to circumstances, I wasn't able to do anything about it at the time. But I know she's the one, because any time you can get a woman to smile like that, you're doing something right. I know where she is and what she's doing. And one day, when my life is better, I'm going to go knock on her door and ask her to move to an island in the South Pacific. And I'm 90% sure her answer will be: "What took you so long".

16. I'm one of the 5 smartest people I've ever encountered. Sure, there are people out there with higher IQ's, and who are smarter than me. But of all the people I've ever met in my life, there are only 4 as smart as I am. That sounds egotistical, but it's true. Deal with it, and don't complain. And if you have to ask if you're one of the 4, then you aren't.

17. I don't understand people who like to play, "What if?". Because you can't. You can't go back and change things. You can't redo decisions and change situations. What you know is what you have. I could have made better decisions in my life (we all could), but I wouldn't trade what I know for what might be. If you change, you relegate the people you know and the things you've done to nothingness. If you're not happy with your life, make better decisions in the future, stop complaining about the ones you've made in the past. And stop asking me, "What if?"

18. I've ordered beer in 35 different countries in 12 different languages. It's important to have a hobby.

19. Every day I doubt myself about whether I'm doing the right thing for my daughter. I know I am, and she's better off having me here than not, but it's still rough for her, and if I can't make her life better, then I should go away. I know I am a positive influence on her, but I still doubt myself everyday. Maybe that's a good thing, because it will make me try harder.

20. I wish I could have a better relationship with my daughter's mother. Not because I want to be friends with her, but we do have a child together. We are supposed to be the adults in the equation, and some days we fail miserably at it.

21. I like beer.

22. I subscribe to the 3 B's theory of life:

Blond hair
Blue eyes
Big tits

Sure I'm a shallow person, but I'm having fun. Are you?

23. I plan on living until I'm 100. The day after my 100th birthday, everything is fair game. Before then, I'm going kicking and screaming and taking the bastards with me.

24. I think people who engage in exercises like this only do it try and impress people with how smart they are, or the things they have accomplished in their lives. I, however, am able to pull it off successfully. It's the truth, you know it, deal with it.

25. I love this crazy tragic, sometimes magic, awful beautiful life.

Life in the U.K. - 6

I don't think anyone is advocating that the police start carrying guns here. That's something that everyone agrees on here. They don't want police to do that. And it's a good idea. There isn't violence against the police here like there is in the states. The police here aren't killed at the rate of more than one a day.

They do have weapons, but they don't carry them on routine patrols. They are kept locked up until needed, and if I remember correctly, they have to have permission of a supervisor to use them, or have come under fire. Carrying them would probably just create more violence as the criminals would then start to carry them also. I think the US is in a position now where we can't turn back.

But the idea of gun ownership here is a lot more common than most Americans would think. There are a lot of difference in between Brits and Americans, but in some ways we are a lot more alike then they might want to believe.

Lots of people here still think they should be able to have guns. Not so much the concealed carry like we have, but the right to have them in their own homes, or places of business. Since the expansion of the EU, there has been an influx of immigrants from eastern Europe. I've lived there myself, so I'm not condemning them all. But along with the immigrants who come here to work and have a better life, criminals are making the trip also. Why steal from poor eastern Europeans who don't have anything, when you can come to the UK and steal from people who have something. So now that they can move to the UK, they are coming in force, and because of that there is a marked increase in crime in the UK.

There are an increasing number of house break-ins and robberies at stores, and many people feel that having their own weapons could either prevent robberies, or provide "protection" when it does happen.

I grew up in a gun society. My father didn't keep one, but most of my family and neighbors did. I went hunting for the first time when I was six. Didn't fire the game. Oddly, it was my uncle who took me, because my father was in Vietnam. Most people I grew up around hunt, and have pistols in the house. Of course, I spent my adult life in the Army, and know what it is like to carry a live weapon, point it at someone, and have one pointed back.

According to most studies I've seen, the places where guns are allowed (and particularly concealed carry) have lower crime rates. Of course, like any other issue, there are counter studies that show the exact opposite. I don't know who's right or wrong, but it is interesting that DC has one of the highest crime rates in the world, yet gun ownership is banned by law. (Or was, until the recent Supreme Court decision). When I lived in Arizona, where everyone had guns, the crime rate was low. So to each his own.

I'm not advocating anyone own a gun. I'm not advocating banning guns. Everyone should make their own choice. They might prevent crime, or they might increase it. There isn't one overall reason why the crime rate here has risen at the same time that gun ownership was banned. But a lot of people here want their guns back. And will do something to get them.

Outlawing the legal possession of guns doesn't get rid of guns. The criminals who want them can and will get them. They're criminals, they don't care about the law. The idea of getting caught with a gun doesn't really faze them as they already spend their time committing crimes. Outlawing guns doesn't keep them out of the hands of criminals. But it does keep them out of the hands of their victims. This might be a good or bad thing.

But I already know what is going to happen. As the crime rate increases, people here will get guns. It's easy. Finding guns isn't a hard thing to do, and they aren't that expensive. With the open borders in the EU now, it's not that hard to get something in or out of any country. So the ordinary citizen will get guns, and eventually, one of them will use one to protect themselves. And they will probably end up wounding or killing someone. The criminal will then become the victim, and the victim will be charged with a crime for protecting their home.

It's an interesting conundrum. As Buffalo Springfield said, "Nobody's right when everybody's wrong."

Starting all over

I have decided to go ahead and start my new baseball blog, Baseball Over Here, and have started posting new material on it.

I was going to wait until the new year, but I had enough stuff, so I decided there was no point in waiting. Hopefully, you'll come check it out. Let me know what you think. Any and all comments and suggestions are welcome. Whether you continue to come back or not is dependent on whether or not I'm doing anything that you find interesting. Lets hope so.

This site will continue, and I will be posting new items on it on a weekly basis, but probably not everyday. I'll continue to put updates about Neeve and how things are going with her. I'm also going to continue to write somethings about what its like to live here, how I'm adapting, and whatever else I find. So, if you've been coming, please keep coming back. There is more to come.

A crazy idea

I kind of like the stuff I'm doing now, as far as looking at baseball from an international view. I know its nothing very exciting, but some of it is interesting, some of it is off the wall, and some of it its entertaining.

Mostly, it gives me something to do while I'm not working, lets me practice my writing (which always needs work), and gives me a chance to spout off about whatever the hell I feel like spouting off about.

So I'm thinking of branching out and starting a new blog covering baseball from an international side. I'm not 100% yet, because I don't want to get started and then find I don't have the time to do it, or can't really find enough to make it worthwhile. So I'll give it to the end of the year and see what happens. If I do start working, that will obviously weigh in on the decision.

I will still keep this going however, with the personal stuff I've written about in the past. That's for me, because its good therapy to write it down, and a good record of events right now. And some people are interested.

But first things first. If I'm actually going to do this, I'll need a new title for the new blog. Or keep this title and move the personal stuff to something else. Here are a few suggestions. Much like in Chicago, you can vote for more than one, and more than once. If anyone has any good write-in suggestions, please let me know, and full credit will be given.

Life in the U.K. - 5

It seems that there is a sperm shortage in the United Kingdom. But they've taken it in stride and given the US a great compliment.

“The only countries that seem to have enough sperm are those that pay — like the U.S. and Spain"

At least I think it is.

The UK changed the law in 2005 that removed the anonymity of sperm donors, in order to allow children to find their biological father. Due to this, the number of donors has fallen dramatically. In addition, the law limits the number of women who can use one donor to 10.

The United States does not cap sperm donations at all.

There are just too many items in the article to comment on. I'll leave it to the individual to read it and come up with their own jokes.

Needless to say, I do my part and try to volunteer every Saturday night at the pub.

The Top 15 Greatest Sports Moments Of All Time

At least this is one list:


15. Dwight Clark The Catch

I remember this. I hate the Cowboys. This was a great day.



14 Diego Maradona’s goals for Argentina against England in the 1986 FIFA World Cup

Maradona was just in the UK two weeks ago, coaching the Argentinian team against Scotland. Bin Laden would be better received over here. But I do like to bring this up from time to time, when the Brits get on my ass about American sports. I might get us pulled out of NATO yet.



13 Rocky Marciano Retires As Heavyweight Champ Undefeated at 49-0

I used to be a big boxing fan, about 25 years ago. When it meant something. This is one of the great, under-rated sports achievements of all time.



12 Kerri Strug’s one footed Vault

This wasn't quite the great victory it's been made out to be, as the US had already clinched the gold, and this vault didn't matter. But spirit like this is what made our country. And what a moment on our soil. The second greatest in the history of American international competition.



11 Jackie Robinson Signs a Major League Contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers

I'm not any kind of activist, and I do get tired of all the first-this, first-that of race, creed, color, religion, etc. Continually naming our differences doesn't do anything to bring us together. But somehow, shouldn't this be a top-5 event, at the least. This changed the face of America in a way that very few events ever have.



10 Bob Beamon long jumps 29′ 2 1/2 inches to shatter the world record by more than two feet

Somehow, I just can't get excited about this one, and don't see how this is top-10 event. If not for the clenched fist controversy, the Mexico City Olympics might go down as the most forgotten games in history. I mean, seriously, name one other thing you can remember about the '68 Olympics.



9 Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech

I think this one transcends sports, and is one of the great moments of mankind.



8 Mark McGwire over Sammy Sosa, 70-66, for the new home-run crown

I'm about to commit a sacrilegious offense here, but this doesn't belong on this list. Its a great moment, but it's really not that great. And not to be listed above Jackie Robinson and Lou Gehrig.




7 Bobby Thompson’s shot heard round the world

Not sure about this one here. A little New York bias, perhaps. This is 7, but Mazeroski is nowhere on the list?



6 Wilt Chamberlain Scores 100 Points in a Single Game

I'll even forgive Wilt for going to KU and say this is one of the greatest individual achievements in the history of sports. And if Kobe Bryant ever does it, it won't be the same.


Have you head the story about the immigrant from Eastern Europe, who lived in New Jersey. He attended one major-league baseball game in his life, and one NBA game.

Don Larsen pitched a perfect game in the '56 series, and Wilt scored 100 points. Good timing, dude.




5 Cal-Stanford Play

Somewhere there is a Zapruder-like film showing an official picking up a flag. But for his safety, lets hope we never find out.



4 Jesse Owens Debunks Aryan Myth

Was this really that big of a deal? Did anyone really even care back then? I'm not knocking Jesse. Hey, 4 golds in one Olympics. Great moment. But that's not what this is about? Hell, we depicted blacks as inferior. What did we care what Hitler thought?



3 Michael Phelps wins 8 Gold Medals at the Olympics

I remember the '72 Olympics, because I had been to Munich as a kid. The only three things I remember about this (at the age of 7) was the hostage situation, the basketball game, and Mark Spitz. I'll take Spitz. Not to take anything away from Phelps, but it all seemed to manufactured.



2 Michael Jordan’s Final Shot

This would deserve to be 2 if he hadn't come back. But he did. Still a great moment. But not 2. Popular doesn't mean great.



1 US Hockey Team 1980 USA Hockey Team Defeats Soviet

Rag tag bunch of mostly teen aged amateurs, barely together a few months and playing a sport invented and perfected elsewhere, take on the most polished, professional and unbeatable team in the history of international hockey, and win it. In exhibitions that year, Soviet club teams had gone 5–3–1 against National Hockey League teams, and a year earlier the Soviet national team had defeated the NHL All-Stars 6–0 to win the Challenge Cup. The Soviet and American teams were natural rivals due to the decades-old Cold War. In the final seconds of the game the crowd began to count down the seconds left. Sportscaster Al Michaels, who was calling the game on ABC along with former Montreal Canadians goalie Ken Dryden, picked up on the countdown in his broadcast, and delivered his famous call “…Eleven seconds, you’ve got ten seconds, the countdown going on right now! Morrow, up to Silk…five seconds left in the game…Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” US won the game 4-3. This victory was voted the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century by Sports Illustrated.

Nothing to add on this one.



This is not my list, just one I found on-line, and I though I would comment on it. There are other great moments. What's great is every person would have a different list. It's not a bad list. It has some truly great moments, some popular choices and a few baffling ones. But 4 baseball picks out of 15. I guess that's okay.

Personally, I would have picked Ryan's 7th no-no, Barry Sanders resetting the record books, Doug Fluties Hail Mary, Edwin Moses and Michael Johnson, 'Nova over the Hoya's, and some of the ones I've listed above.


This would never make any one's list for obvious reasons, it its my top 10 of all time personal favorites. See the picture at the top. What a summer!!!