That's too funny. The car that is. What was a 1973 or 74? Extended bumper that the federal govt had mandated. Mine was a medium blue. Great car. Fun to drive. Reminds me of the last 3 cars I have bought. 2003 Toyota Matrix, 2003 Pont Vibe & my latest 2005 Pont Vibe. Sadly between hitting 3 deers & a utility pole (ice storm) their existence is in recycled steel somewhere.

Duh! Just noticed the plate.

My wife and I watched fireworks last night from a diesel modified three deck paddle wheel boat on The Caloosahatchee River where it meets The Gulf of Mexico in Fort Myers. It was a super value with a simple dinner of roast beef, roasted chicken, green beans (not done California style), choice of potatoes, salad and dessert. $37 for the three and one half hour trip, the food, and a prime view of the fireworks just a bit away from the launch barges. Drinks were moderately priced. We met some great folks, I guess even the guy originally from Ann Arbor MI.

Fort Myers is proud of it's revitalized downtown historic district on the river. There was a cozy little festival with five bands including one playing decent reggae that surprisingly billed itself proudly as The Jewmaicans.

We found a nice little wine bar in the festival area called Twisted Vine Bistro. We split a nice appetizer with site made mozzarella on good heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil before we boarded the boat. We were surprised to find some wines available including a Silverado we have briefly discussed with Lou and Eva. Having been to the Silverado winery in January (it's owned by the daughter of Walt Disney), we found the price of a glass to be surprisingly reasonable.

Outside down the street the local ESPN sports radio affiliate was passing out drink covers and such with the ESPN logo. I thinned a lot of that kind of stuff before our move from California to here, so picked a couple up.

I chatted with the local ESPN guy (didn't catch his name) and mentioned I was still scoping the Fort Myers/Southwest Florida sports scene being a new arrival.

He offered that their station carries The Miami Marlins and he could give me some great Marlins trinkets and at least a couple of game tickets.

I paused for a second and then let him know I was originally from Cleveland and even after 15 years I have no desire, nor will I ever have a desire, to see the Marlins or possess any Marlins souvenirs.

The guy was probably late 20's. I'm not sure he had the info at hand to connect the dots on what I was saying. He was super nice though and gave me an extra drink cooler.....

Alameda County Fair



Moment of Silence Scheduled for Jockey Killed in Race


My wife and I have always loved our local fair in our former domicile in California, and I have always loved horse racing. My horse racing fan roots are firmly in Northeastern Ohio.

Anyone who follows the sport knows it is a dangerous sport. Usually the danger that makes the press is for the horses.

Thursday, a jockey I have followed a bit died after the last race of the day at the Pleasanton Fair my wife and I attended for over a decade. His mount clipped heels with another horse and he was tossed forward into the track and likely tread upon his head by his former and last mount.

People who follow local horse racing these days are family, and the jockeys are an extended family.

Rest in Peace, Jorge Herrera.





Officials discuss "freak accident" that killed a jockey during a horse race Thursday at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton.


Jorge Herrera, a horse jockey, was killed Thursday during a race accident at the Alameda

A moment of silence will be held before Friday's horse races at the Alameda County Fair to remember Jorge Herrera.

The 33-year-old jockey died Thursday at a race after he was thrown off a horse that clipped heels with another competing horse. Officials say Herrera suffered major head trauma and was taken to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where he was later pronounced dead.

The moment of silence is tentatively scheduled at 12:45 p.m., after the National Anthem. The fairgrounds' race-track chaplain will also say a few words before the races kick off at 1:15 p.m., officials said.

Dennis Miller, the county fair's racing publicist, on Friday morning said the tight-knit, horse-racing community is on "very high edge" following Thursday's tragedy.

Patch readers who were in attendance at the time of the accident said there was confusion among the crowd when Herrera fell off his horse.

"When the fall happened it was on the back corner of the track. So when the horse came around with no jockey it was confusing," Sara Campbell said. "There was no indication that an incident had happened and they kept showing the clip on the big screen after, and it didn't look like a life-threatening situation."

Another Patch reader in attendance during the fall provided the following comment in our previous story:

Very sad. Saw that race and very eerie to see his horse run to the finish without him. —Jo

Officials say there isn't much information on Herrera at this time, other than that he was considered a journeyman who competed in more than 1,000 races in his career.

Herrera was new to the northern California horse-racing community, Miller said.

Race authorities also continue to reach out to family members to notify them of Herrera's death.

The jockey does not have any children or a wife, officials said, and that the closest relative is believed to be in Richmond.

Miller described Thursday's tragedy as a "freak accident," and said that jockey deaths during horse races are very rare.

The last death of a jockey — Juan Gonzalez — that occurred at the Pleasanton race track was 37 years ago in 1975.

Officials also are planning a tribute race this weekend in remembrance of Herrera.



Horse Racing Community Honors Fallen “Family” Member

Jockey Jorge Herrera, 33, was killed in a freak accident during a horse race Thursday at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton.

By Zoneil Maharaj


While the closing weekend of the Alameda County Fair is usually a festive affair for all, the mood around the racetrack Friday afternoon was anything but.

“This is not the way we wanted to start today,” Chaplain Chris Belluomini said during a brief moment of silence ceremony held Friday afternoon in honor of Jorge Herrera, a 33-year-old jockey who died during the eighth race Thursday.

Herrera was thrown off a horse that clipped heels with another competing horse. Officials say Herrera suffered major head trauma and was taken to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where he was later pronounced dead.

Herrera’s fellow horse jockeys and other members of the racing community gathered in the winner’s circle at the Alameda County Fair racetrack at about 12:45 p.m. His peers held a portrait of Herrera as members of the audience lowered their heads in respect.

“The race track family is a family, literally,” Belluomini said after the moment of silence. “When one guy gets hurt or passes on, it affects everyone. Each one of them feels it.”

“It’s with heavy hearts that we’re doing stuff today,” added Dennis Miller, the county fair's racing publicist.

“People travel from fair to fair. You’re around each other on a daily basis, so it’s a big family,” said Miller, a longtime member of the Bay Area horseracing community. “Everyone who’s associated feels like you lost somebody that’s in your family.”

Russell Baze, the most winningest horse jockey in U.S. history, also joined the horse racing community at Friday’s fair.

Baze told reporters that he had watched replays of the unfortunate incident several times and that Herrera’s death “was nobody’s fault at all.”

“It’s just one of those things that can happen in a race,” Miller said. “It’s the nature of the beast. I don’t think you’re going to find a jockey anywhere in the world that doesn’t understand the dangers of what can happen on the track.”

Some race attendees shared the sentiment.

“It’s certainly an occupational risk that [jockeys are] well aware of. It’s like going in to the military; you know what you signed up for,” said Frank Gonzalez of Union City.

The last death of a jockey — Juan Gonzalez — that occurred at the Pleasanton race track was 37 years ago in 1975.

According to race officials, Herrera was no novice. He started his jockey career at the Los Alamitos track in southern California in 2004 and competed in more than 1,000 races.

His first winning race was at Portland Meadows in 2005, the same year in which he won 31 races. According to Miller, his biggest year was in 2007 in which he won 14 races and earned close to $200,000 for his winnings.

Herrera rode at the Pleasanton track from 2007 to 2009 and made his return to the local fairgrounds this year.

He competed in four races during this year’s fair, riding once on the Fourth of July and twice on Thursday.

The fourth race on Sunday will be held in his memory, Miller said.

For TFIR and anyone else who might care...

Roger Federer reaches record-tying 8th Wimbledon final
AP Sports Writer

Saturday, July 7, 2012

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - For Roger Federer, it's Wimbledon final No. 8.

For Andy Murray, it's No. 1 - and the first for a British man since 1938.

Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam champion, beat defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 Friday under the closed roof at Centre Court to reach a modern-era record eighth final at the All England Club. He is now one victory from equaling Pete Sampras' record of seven titles.

"I have one more match to go. I'm aware of that," said the 30-year-old Federer, who is 6-1 in Wimbledon finals. "Still, it's always nice beating someone like Novak, who has done so well here last year, the last couple years."

The next challenge will come Sunday against Murray, who is the first British man to even reach the Wimbledon final since Bunny Austin 74 years ago. Murray, also trying to become the British man to win the Wimbledon title since Fred Perry in 1936, beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the second semifinal.

If Federer does win Sunday in his 24th Grand Slam final, he would also take the No. 1 ranking from Djokovic and equal Sampras' record of 286 weeks as the top-ranked player.

"There's obviously a lot on the line for me in terms of winning here, the all-time Grand Slam record, world No. 1," Federer said. "I'm also going into that match with some pressure, but I'm excited about it. That's what I play for."

Federer and Djokovic went for winners on almost every point. But it was Federer who got the key points when they mattered in the third set.

"It's hard to fire bullets the whole time, so you try to also find some range. If he tees off first, it's hard to defend obviously," said Federer, now 1-0 against Djokovic on grass. "It's just not as easy to take that many balls out and come up with amazing shots time and time again. That's why I kept on attacking."

At 4-4, Djokovic had his chance with only his third break point of the match. Federer held with three service winners.

Moments later, while serving to stay in the set - and, essentially, the match- Djokovic gifted Federer a pair of break points by blasting an overhead long with much of the court open. He saved one, but Federer's overhead smash on the second gave the Swiss great the third set, and put him on the way to the final.

"(I) had unfortunately a bad service game on 5-4, and obviously he uses his opportunities when they're presented," said Djokovic, who had reached the last four major finals. "So you have to be always consistent. I wasn't."

The win improved Federer's semifinal record at the All England Club to 8-0. His only loss in the final came in 2008, when Rafael Nadal beat him 9-7 in the fifth set.

"I hope I can keep my nerves," said Federer, looking toward the final. "I'm sure I can. Then hopefully win the match. But we'll see about that."

William Renshaw and Arthur Gore also played in eight Wimbledon finals but that was when the defending champion received a bye into the following year's title match. That rule was changed in 1922. Renshaw won seven titles and Gore three.

On Friday, Federer had the only break of the first set to take the lead, and Djokovic returned the favor in the second set to even the score.

The third set proved decisive, and Djokovic fought to stay in it right from the start. After holding easily, Federer gained a break point when Djokovic sent a forehand long. Although the Serb saved it, and eventually held to 1-1, it was the beginning of the end for him.

The next three games went quickly and on serve, but Federer then earned a pair of break points in the sixth game. Djokovic again saved them, the first after a 24-stroke rally that ended with Federer's forehand going wide.

"He was the better player. In the important moments he was aggressive, hitting from both sides," Djokovic said. "Obviously, that's what you expect when you play against Roger at the final four of a Grand Slam. I knew that."

Murray later played Tsonga under an open roof on Centre Court, and under intense pressure to succeed in front of the British public.

"Big relief," Murray said. "I just got to try to keep it together for the final."

Only minutes after the match ended, British Prime Minister David Cameron called the victory "great news."

"I'll be watching the final on Sunday and like the rest of the country, will be getting right behind Andy Murray," Cameron said in a statement. "I wish him the best of luck."

Murray got off to a fast start, serving well and winning the first two sets easily. And after losing the third, he hung on in the fourth, breaking in the final game with a forehand return winner.

"At the beginning was tough because he played well," Tsonga said. "I mean, he didn't give me one chance, one chance to go to the net. He didn't miss one serve. He was really, really good."

The 25-year-old Murray was playing in the Wimbledon semifinals for the fourth straight year. Now he made it to that elusive final, and on Sunday he'll be facing an opponent who beat him in straight sets in the 2008 U.S. Open final and the 2010 Australian Open final.

"I've had experience playing Roger in the finals of slams before," Murray said. "I'm going to use that to my advantage and learn from my mistakes and also the things he did well."

In Murray's only other major final, the 2011 Australian Open, he lost to Djokovic - again in straight sets.

"Hopefully," Murray said, "I can go one better on Sunday."

I know that TFIR and possibly others love tennis. TFIR with claims deeper than most here.

When I was an 8 or 9 year old in our town...Our Town.....I went down to our local park for "tennis lessons" over three or four future summers.

I had played baseball of some sort for two years by the age of 8.


Nothing against tennis, but I just bored when no little kid in our city could successfully hit the volley back to me in our town.

In our town.

To "Our Town"

Iris Dement.

The closing song to the last episode of Northern Exposure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v7dXA-L ... re=related

Tribe Fan in SC/Cali wrote:I know that TFIR and possibly others love tennis. TFIR with claims deeper than most here.

When I was an 8 or 9 year old in our town...Our Town.....I went down to our local park for "tennis lessons" over three or four future summers.

I had played baseball of some sort for two years by the age of 8.


Nothing against tennis, but I just bored when no little kid in our city could successfully hit the volley back to me in our town.

In our town.

To "Our Town"

Iris Dement.

The closing song to the last episode of Northern Exposure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v7dXA-L ... re=related

Truly a song of goodbye!

And Federer prevails!

I was at the gym with my wife late this afternoon and told her they should just quit holding the Men's Wimbledon. "Why?" she asked while she was on an abductor machine.


"Well, Roger Federer has now won it seven times," I replied from the adjacent ab machine.

She said, "well, I really don't follow tennis or care about it much."

I said, "me neither, but if someone wins at that high of a level so many times, it is worth a note."

And then I did the second set of my ab routine.

(I have miles to go at such before I sleep)

Uncle Dennis wrote:

Truly a song of goodbye!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCObON5s ... re=related


I just really like Iris DeMent. I thought of her the other night when I was watching Billy Bob Thornton on The Craig Ferguson show.


Iris sang a duet with John Prine for the closing of a movie titled "Daddy and Them" that Billy Bob was in. The video performance is linked above, and I have shared before.

Andy Griffith was in the movie as a prominent character.

He played the role well, including his use of the term "cornhole."

If I hear Iris DeMent is airing anywhere, I always try to watch.

Here's a story out of Ashland, Ohio that hopefully has a happy ending......


Boyfriend of missing Ashland woman called 'person of interest'


6:44 AM, Jul. 10, 2012 |



ASHLAND -- Shawn Jackenheimer wants Nathan J. Summerfield to bring his sister home.

Authorities have issued an all-points bulletin for the Ashland man, a former first-team All-Ohio football player for the Arrows, after he returned from vacation without his girlfriend on Sunday. The girlfriend, Lynn A. Jackenheimer, 33, 1615 Ohio 603, has been listed as a missing person.

"Bring my sister home. She's a good mother who only cared about her kids. It's sad somebody would do this," Shawn Jackenheimer said Monday from Brookside Park, where friends and family gathered to search for Lynn. "Please pray for her."

According to Ashland County Sheriff's Capt. Carl Richert, Summerfield, 27, of 310 Dorchester St., returned from vacation in Nags Head, N.C., and allegedly drove away after dropping off Jackenheimer's two children, ages 3 and 13, around noon Sunday in Ashland. He was driving a dark gray 2009 Honda Civic with a license plate of FMV7540.

"He is a person of interest," Richert said.

Shawn Jackenheimer said the children, son Leland, 3, and 13-year-old Sierra, who is autistic, have told family members they last saw their mother July 3 when she went ghost crab hunting.

"They didn't see her after that," Shawn said. "He tried to put Sierra on a bus or plane. That's what Sierra said."

North Carolina TV station WITN.com reported Monday that Ashland County detectives said they got a call from one of Summerfield's brothers, who said the 27-year-old told his family he had strangled his girlfriend and buried her under brush.

According to WAVY News 10 in North Carolina, deputies in Dare County are looking for Lynn Jackenheimer, who was last seen in the Salvo area of Hatteras Island on July 4. Dare County Deputy Steve Hoggard said investigators in Ashland contacted him. Deputies and troopers with the North Carolina Highway Patrol also are searching for Jackenheimer.

"Incriminating statements have been made to persons in Ohio that (indicate) foul play may be involved, according to Ohio authorities," Hoggard told WAVY TV.

Shawn Jackenheimer fears the report is true.

Ashland friends and co-workers Kelly Braden and Alexandria Taylor said they believe Summerfield has Lynn Jackenheimer stashed somewhere and will bring her home.

"He didn't hurt the kids. I don't think he'll hurt her," Braden said. "He has her somewhere."

A 2004 Ashland High School graduate, Summerfield is one of the most accomplished football players in school history. He was a Division II first team All-Ohio running back in 2003 after leading the Arrows to just the second playoff berth in program history. He rushed for 1,849 yards and 29 touchdowns during the regular season as Ashland (8-3) finished second to Wooster in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. Summerfield was selected the OCC's Offensive Player of the Year.

Ashland lost to eventual Division II state champion Avon Lake in the opening round of the playoffs. Summerfield rushed for 90 yards on 22 carries in the loss. Summerfield was offered a scholarship by Ashland University coach Lee Owens, but never suited up for the Eagles.

Taylor said she last talked on the telephone to Jackenheimer at 11:30 p.m. July 3. She said the conversation was one Summerfield wouldn't have liked if he overheard it, declining to elaborate.

"She wasn't on or off," she said of the mood Jackenheimer was in. "She was just trying to make her kids happy. She was drinking when I called her. She was drinking sangria."

Leland is Summerfield's son, the friends said. Summerfield works at the Cleveland Clinic in the sleep disorder lab.

Lynn Jackenheimer has three jobs, having worked as a bartender since January at Goodfelllows Pizzeria & Pub on Claremont Avenue, along with the Beer Barrel Drive-Thru on Franklin Avenue and Riley's bar.

Braden said friends told Jackenheimer not to take the trip with Summerfield. They left Ashland on June 30.

"She changed her mind about the trip, and he was upset," Taylor said.

Taylor said the couple had not been dating recently and did not live together.

Taylor said her friend would not give up hope, and they won't either.

"She's strong. She's a fighter," she said.

Braden said Lynn feared Summerfield.

"But that's her baby's daddy," Taylor said. "She wanted to do whatever she could for Leland to have a dad.

"He went to great lengths to prove to her he had changed. We begged her not to go."

Summerfield made self-incriminating statements to his brother before leaving for vacation, according to published reports.

"We are working closely with Nags Head Police Department," Richert said.

Jackenheimer is 5-feet, 8-inches tall and weighs 130 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Her cousin Brandon Jackenheimer said the public can help by looking for her.

"They need to keep the faith and have hope," he said.

Friends said Dean Emmons of Beer Barrel Drive-Thru has put up a $1,000 reward for anyone with information on Lynn Jackenheimer or Summerfield.

''She was supposed to be at work 27 minutes ago," he said at 4:27 p.m. Monday.

Braden said Lynn left a trace wherever she went.

"Just her face, everything she did," she said of Lynn. "She's a wonderful person."

Information about the case should be reported to the sheriff's office detective bureau at 419-289-3911.

lwhitmire@nncogannett.com

419-521-7223

Baseball cards in Ohio attic may be worth millions

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Staff Writer

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

DEFIANCE, Ohio - Karl Kissner picked up a soot-covered cardboard box that had been under a wooden dollhouse in his grandfather's attic. Taking a look inside, he saw hundreds of baseball cards bundled with twine. They were smaller than the ones he was used to seeing.

But some of the names were familiar: Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Cy Young and Honus Wagner.

Then he put the box on a dresser and went back to digging through the attic.

It wasn't until two weeks later that he learned that his family had come across what experts say is one of the biggest, most exciting finds in the history of sports card collecting, a discovery worth perhaps millions.

The cards are from an extremely rare series issued around 1910. Up to now, the few known to exist were in so-so condition at best, with faded images and worn edges. But the ones from the attic in the town of Defiance are nearly pristine, untouched for more than a century. The colors are vibrant, the borders crisp and white.

"It's like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic," Kissner said.

Sports card experts who authenticated the find say they may never again see something this impressive.

"Every future find will ultimately be compared to this," said Joe Orlando, president of Professional Sports Authenticator.

The best of the bunch - 37 cards - are expected to bring a total of $500,000 when they are sold at auction in August during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore. There are about 700 cards in all that could be worth up to $3 million, experts say. They include such legends as Christy Mathewson and Connie Mack.

Kissner and his family say the cards belonged to their grandfather, Carl Hench, who died in the 1940s. Hench ran a meat market in Defiance, and the family suspects he got them as a promotional item from a candy company that distributed them with caramels. They think he gave some away and kept others.

"We guess he stuck them in the attic and forgot about them," Kissner said. "They remained there frozen in time."

After Hench and his wife died, two of his daughters lived in the house. Jean Hench kept the house until she died last October, leaving everything inside to her 20 nieces and nephews. Kissner, 51, is the youngest and was put in charge of the estate. His aunt was a pack rat, and the house was filled with three generations of stuff.

They found calendars from the meat market, turn-of-the-century dresses, a steamer trunk from Germany and a dresser with Grandma's clothes neatly folded in the drawers.

Months went by before they even got to the attic. On Feb. 29, Kissner's cousin Karla Hench pulled out the dirty green box with metal clips at the corners and lifted the lid.

Not knowing whether the cards were valuable, the two cousins put the box aside. But Kissner decided to do a little research. The cards were at his office in the restaurant he owns when he realized they might have something. He immediately took them across the street and put them in a bank vault.

Still not knowing whether the cards were real, they sent eight to expert Peter Calderon at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, which recently sold the baseball that rolled through the legs of Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series for $418,000.

Calderon said his first words were "Oh, my God."

"I was in complete awe," he said. "You just don't see them this nice."

The cards are from what is known as the E98 series. It is not clear who manufactured them or how many were produced, but the series consists of 30 players, half of them Hall of Famers.

The experts at Heritage Auctions checked out the family's background, the age of the home and the history of the meat market. They looked at the cards and how they were printed.

"Everything lines up," said Chris Ivy, the company's director of sports auctions.

They then sent all the cards to Professional Sports Authenticator, which had previously authenticated fewer than 700 E98s. The Ohio cards were the finest examples from the E98 series the company had ever seen.

The company grades cards on a 1-to-10 scale based of their condition. Up to now, the highest grade it had ever given a Ty Cobb card from the E98 series was a 7. Sixteen Cobbs found in the Ohio attic were graded a 9 - almost perfect. A Honus Wagner was judged a 10, a first for the series.

Retired vintage sports card auctioneer Barry Sloate of New York City said: "This is probably the most interesting find I've heard of."

In a measure of what baseball cards can be worth, the owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks paid a record $2.8 million for a rare 1909 Honus Wagner. Another version of the card brought $1.2 million in April.

Heritage Auctions plans to sell most of the cards over the next two of three years through auctions and private sales so that it doesn't flood the market. In all, they could bring $2 million or $3 million, Ivy said.

The Hench family is evenly dividing the cards and the money among the 20 cousins named in their aunt's will. All but a few have decided to sell their share.

"These cards need to be with those people who appreciate and enjoy them," Kissner said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... FBFrECCIlY


I just had a solid unexpected laugh watching this one....

Anyone who has ever lived in the South will appreciate, as will anyone who has ever done much salt water fishing.

This happened yesterday near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.


Notice, there is some foul language but once you view you'll probably agree the participants had little control over their verbal outcries.....

It's linked tonight on the WLTX website, from Columbia.

http://www.wltx.com/news/article/193667 ... tle-Beach-