Dan Antion

My New Favorite Word – #1LinerWeds

Before you non-sports fans, sports non-fans, non-sports-fans, whatever…before you turn away, you need to ask yourself if you are a fan of the movie “Animal House?” If so, stick around. I’ll try to make this a sports-light-as-possible post.

This is a curious time in the sports year. There are so many things competing for our attention. The new NFL football year is starting today. That’s only important because it allows the greedy-as-all-get-out NFL to claim some part of ESPN’s news cycle. Otherwise, NCAA Basketball is about to go as crazy as it can during a pandemic, NHL Hockey and NBA Basketball are still being played, and MLB, Major League Baseball is in the late stage of spring training. This is where my team, the Pittsburgh Pirates usually begin their perennial lock on the lower end of the statistics.

This year, the Pirates have looked pretty good in spring training. Pretty good is a relative phrase. Im sure Yankee fans equate ‘pretty good’ with ‘nearly perfect’ but Pittsburgh fans accept anything on the plus side of 500 ball as being pretty good. Recently, they’ve been sinking and, as I write this, they are teetering at 7-7 for the spring season. Still, there’s room for hope.

My spirits were lifted by an article that combined breaking news of the NFL’s salary cap, and the fact that ESPN has once again decided that NHL Hockey matters enough to add it to their broadcast lineup. The author was musing about a potential salary cap in major league baseball. The key point of the article is that the LA Dodgers will pay their players a combined $240 Million while Pittsburgh’s greedy bas*&$@# owner will pay the Pirates almost $45 Million. Still, the odds makers give the Pirates a 0.04 percent change of making the playoffs – like I said, reason to hope.

OK, enough sports. For all the Animal House lovers out there, here’s my one-liner and my new favorite word (sorry Paul):

“This might be why one betting service I looked at gave the Dodgers a 90 percent chance to make the postseason and the Pirates a 0.04 percent chance (which was better than the Orioles, who Blutarskied at 0.0).”

Believe it or not, this gives me hope.

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you would like to join in on the fun, you can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

Hi Mr. Bluejay.
“The field is dry, I hear the crows are up for some spring training.”
Jinx needs to get over to the field. He’s watching for his friends.
Flying in for the game.
The crows are coming in for the game.
“That’s the field they’re going to be using. Let’s head in.”
Jinx is going to be pitching.
Second and third base are covered.
The crows have a guy in the outfield.
“I’m stating up here, I’m tired of those little guys putting balls over the fence.”
“Shortstop is covered!”
Thanks to DST, I get to see the sunrise again.
Smokey and…who’s that in the background?
MiMi wants to sleep in a bit this morning.
“Do you have to work on the roof today?” Maddie likes her shamrock. It’s one of the toys she inherited from our previous Setters.

76 comments

  2. With three sons and an active daughter, I’ve been to more sport’s events than I can tally. I’m not a fan of football, because of the contact injuries, but otherwise, a good game is fun to watch. Great photos, Dan. Maddie and MiMi look especially cuddly today. 🍀

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    • The games are fun to watch, especially in person. Although it seems you’ve seen more than your share. I updated the gallery with a more appropriate picture of Maddie.

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      • If you lived closer you’d find me in the driveway with a six pack of Corona. WordPress just switched my MG blog to the new platform. There were a lot of colorful words here, and I could barely figure out how to log out let alone do anything. I did three posts there last night and could still use ‘classic,’ but today it is gone. I’m liable to need counseling.

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  8. If I have not got my meanings all mixed up, and that is already deeply in question this morning, we have already Blutarskied. That would mean there is only one way up. TOGA !, TOGA !,TOGA !,TOGA !,TOGA !,TOGA !,TOGA !
    Tell Mr. Bluejay and the rest of the team good job starting off the day. And good luck to the Pirates and the rest of the league that have persevere their way through the season.

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  9. Smokey and bunny combo shot? My day is now complete. As for baseball my Red Sox are fielding a team and I don’t recognize half the players. 8 & 5 in the pre season. Pitching has been a big problem for the past few years, but hey LeBron James just bought a piece of them.
    🥴

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  10. I’m not a sports fan Dan, but I do hope the Pittsburgh Pirates have a terrific season!

    Will you look at Maddie and her shamrock! MiMi’s having a hard time deciding if she’s had enough sleep yet. Smokey sharing your yard with the bunny. I like seeing so many birds back, even the nasty bluejay!

    Happy St. Patrick’s Day Dan.
    Ginger

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    • Happy St. Patrick’s Day Ginger. Maddie reminded me about including that picture today.

      MiMi has never had enough sleep, and it’s never a good time to wake her. She lets us know when it’s dinner time.

      Smokey and the bunny get along pretty well. We let them both have their space.

      I’ve got my team tee shirts ready to wear, and I’ll wear a Pirates cap while walking. I’ll do my part, I hope they can do theirs.

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  11. Happy St Patrick’s Day to Maddie (and to you too, Dan). I loved all your shots of the position players for the crows and having Jinx pitch is a master stroke–obviously he will jinx the other team. As for DST, I am enjoying the later sunrises and sunsets.

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  13. I’ll add to your hope that the Pirates do better this year, Dan. It’s how this goes at the beginning of any sports season…we have hope for a winning team. As you know, I don’t watch baseball or basketball, but I root for the Brewers and Bucks to do well. And this time of year, I keep my fingers crossed that the Packers make good decisions in free agency and the April draft. It’s out of our hands how a team plays, but we can forever be good fans.

    Animal House – one of the LOL movies I’ve seen over the years. Not one to win an Oscar, but it’s one that sticks with you forever.

    Have an awesome Wednesday, Dan. May the luck of the Irish dog toy be with you.

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    • Thanks Mary. Teams have ups and down years (or decades for the Pirates) but yes, we support them.

      I am less optimistic for the Steelers this year than any in recent history. I think we’re asking one more year from a QB that doesn’t have one to give.

      Maddie says it’s a good day to be Irish. Maybe she’ll get a hunk of corned beef, but no cabbage.

      I hope you have a good rest of the week.

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  15. Happy St. Patrick’s Day Maddie & Dan. I admit, I’m not a fan of TV sports (in person isn’t as bad) or the movie… But it’s always great to hang out here. Having Jinx around is a bonus. (Belushi reminds me of my psycho-ex. Yes, I really did have to take the sword away from the drunken “samurai” once. Things were about to get ugly… uglier.)
    Wishing you a pot o’ gold, and all the joy your heart can hold. Hugs!

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  17. All this talk of shamrocks … after a certain point, shouldn’t we be able to graduate to REAL rocks?
    I love the photos, as I always do. You are a man of many talents.
    Now, who’s covering all that fowl territory?

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  22. Don’t be horrified, but I’ve never seen “Animal House.” I did, however, get a great birthday present from my husband, a DVD with four comedies, one of which is “Pure Luck” with Martin Short and Danny Glover. We think it’s one of the funniest movies ever and often laugh like made just thinking about scenes from it.

    I’m excited about hockey moving to ESPN only because I read that it’s only $60/year to get ESPN as a stand-alone whereas the NHL channel is about double that. If that’s so, then we will mostly likely be adding ESPN to our Paramount+ because I love hockey and miss seeing my Blackhawks (or any other hockey.) We’ll see how that plays out.

    I see spring has hit there. Even Maddie’s toy has turned green…or is that for corned beef and cabbage day?

    janet

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  30. Here’s to Animal House, and to sports! And here’s to the faithful fans who stick by their team no matter what. Anything over 500 is cause for hope. I love the big blue sky photo, Dan. And somehow it seems special that Maddie likes the shamrock from your past Irish Setters.

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