Hanging with Rich

OH - IO..... Oh. We don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan, the whole state of Michigan, the whole state of Michigan. We don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan 'cuz we're from O-HI-O ! The rivalry between The Ohio State University and the University of Michigan goes well beyond football. It goes well beyond sports. It goes way beyond a college rivalry. This rivalry is not only the greatest in college football, it may be the greatest in sports! But how did that happen? Why do otherwise normal people get involved when this game is played? Could more than football be involved? It could be that a little known armed conflict between Ohio and Michigan are the genesis of the rivalry. Back in 1835 there was a dispute between the two states about the border that led to the Toledo War. Both sides claimed sovereignty over an area known as the Toledo Strip. The States raised militias and sent them to the banks of the Maumee Riv...

Things I'm Thankful For..... But there's plenty of leftovers. Good God almighty it's the holiday season again. While this Thursday marks the official beginning to the season, I've seen some stores preparing since Halloween. That's crazy. Who needs Christmas ornaments on Halloween? Everybody just chill on that stuff. I'll probably put up my outdoor house decorations soon, including my colorful laser beams! But before everybody goes nuts for Christmas, it's Thanksgiving this week. To me, that's a holiday to slow down and, as the name says, - give thanks. Yes, you have to get a big meal together. Yes, you probably have to clean the house. But other than that, it's a day to relax and have fun with family and friends. Asinine stores such as Walmart and Target require their employees to come into work. But that's another topic. Thanksgiving always makes me pause and take an inventory of some things I'm thankful for in my life. So here...

Welcome To the New World, Or Is It?..... The results of the election surprised me. But I've been wrong before. America seems divided. But it's been divided before, and survived. Time Magazine from 1972. Or is it from 2016? Take a quick time trip with me to the election of 1972. To say America was divided is an understatement. The Vietnam War and the accompanying social revolution had driven a wall between a younger generation and "the establishment". These were not good times for America. Leading up to the election was the Tet offensive in 1968 that signalled our military policy in Vietnam was flawed. The war was televised every night on the nightly news. Then there was the murders of MLK and RFK. The "secret" bombing of Cambodia in 1969. The Kent State massacre was in 1970. There were rumblings about political dirty tricks in Washington at the Watergate complex. All this was the backdrop to the Presidential election in 1972 that had the incumben...

The 3 Worst Things a President Ever Did.... . Tuesday is Election Day in our country. A process that goes back hundreds of years will repeat itself. There will be a peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another. Every President can say he won an election. Well, sort of. I think a group of guys asked George Washington if he wanted the job. Also, Gerald Ford was appointed Vice President and then Richard Nixon resigned. So Ford became President without anyone voting for him for President, or Vice President. But come January a new President will be sworn in to protect and defend the United States of America. So help me God. The thing is, whoever is sworn in will be quite different than previous Presidents. It could be a woman that nobody trusts. Or it could be a non-deep thinking bigot that never held political office. Quite a choice. Most people, like me, will be holding their noses when they go to vote. Nobody is sure what to expect. Maybe they'll be so great ...

Believeland..... In 1952 Norman Vincent Peale wrote a self-help book called The Power of Positive Thinking . It was a best seller and a sensation of those times. The book encourages it's readers to keep a positive and I like this guy already! optimistic attitude. If you kept your mind clear with optimism and positivity, good things would happen. In today's era, people like Brian Tracy have made a good living as an author and motivational speaker with the same type of message. Maybe people in Cleveland have picked up a copy of this book. Optimism is rampant. But it didn't used to be that way. There was a time when the sports fans of this town expected the worst. They were waiting for the other shoe to drop. They had been disappointed and frustrated so many times, we felt this was the norm. Amazing things would happen to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. A fumble, a buzzer beater, an unusual injury. I'm not making this stuff up! The worst part of it was t...

The Importance of Teamwork - In Sports and Business..... Watching the baseball playoffs has been an enjoyable and eye-opening experience. You get to see some fantastic players perform in the spotlight. Some shine, and some shrink. People react differently to pressure. Yet, those that are able to keep their wits about them can help in so many ways. That's true in sports and business. There is no "I" in team. Players in professional sports are considered the best of the best. Most are well paid. You can go to the best restaurants. You can drive a Bentley. But you can't buy a championship. That's the one thing that is the separator among players. So when playoff time comes - all their skills are on display. In baseball, even a .300 hitter will fail 7 out of 10 times. But a good player can contribute to the win even without getting a hit. An excellent example of this was evident in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series between the Indians and the...

Taking Our Bodies for Granted..... We take so many things for granted in our lives that when something happens to change our daily routine, we are stunned by the changes and adjustments. I've gotten a front row seat to this experience this week. My wife is a very active person. She normally works 12 hour shifts as a nurse at a hospital. Except when she works overtime to bring in some extra cash. She shows up for work about an hour early so she can go to the gym and get some treadmill time. At home she's usually running around cooking or cleaning. I always think she should relax more. That's my speciality. But that all changed about a year ago. She was running through an airport when she suffered a knee injury. Since then she has been living, and working, in constant pain. Doctors visits revealed that while the knee was still structurally sound, she had severe arthritis and was now walking bone on bone. The solution: a total knee replacement. Maybe it'll be a c...