Scattershooting / A Little Bit Of Nostalgia From The Past

Warm greetings and felicitations to all readers as you gather here again for more Scattershooting, right here on this blog page. Time for more here, there, and a lot of places, so go get a few marshmallows and a coat hanger from some closet. Not sure where we'll do our little campfire, but I know we'll think of something.

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It's funny how I'm reminded of things I watched on television as a kid. And there were certain people on the airwaves, too. I can't help but remember a certain weatherman who used to work in the Dallas-Fort Worth market many years ago. His name was Howard McNeil, and he was once a meteorologist at KTVT (Channel 11) when the station was not affiliated with any network at the time (in this case, the 1970s). What sticks out in my mind are two things: Number one, he would always mention Los Angeles when he had the national map up, and he would always pronounce Los Angeles Los Angle - us. No joke. I could count on that on every weathercast I'd seen him do. 76 degrees in Los Angle - us. And number two, at the end of the 15-minute newscast, as they signed off, he'd salute the audience with both ends of his weather pointer in his hands. That made my night.

McNeil has long since passed on, but he is still ingrained in many Metroplex TV viewers' minds.

Nostalgia. Gotta love it.

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Speaking of nostalgia, Cousin Brucie of SiriusXM is hosting a big event at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on June 25. Every year, he hosts a Palisades Park reunion concert in tribute to the old amusement park which once was the place to be in the New York City metro. Headlining this year's extravaganza are Bobby Rydell, The Exciters, The Fireflies, and Reparata & The Delrons, to name a few. I won't be able to make it, but my ears will be listening to XM 6 for all the fun.

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Can your favorite baseball card be worth more than you think? Check this out:

Your old baseball cards could make you rich now - AOL

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National Wine Day is Wednesday, May 25. To get you in the mood for it, let me give you the key to one of the Italian wine world's true masters. Here's that link:

Meet the master of Italian luxury wine | Fox News

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My next vacation will see me staying around Dallas-Fort Worth. The reason is, I don't want to spend money on hotel rooms; this way, my bank account can be allowed to get a little larger. Plus, I'm using this as a time to venture over to places within my own area that I haven't taken the time to get to on my days off from work. So, this is that time. Except for maybe a brief day trip to Tyler, the rest of the time is staying put in D/FW. Why not? My area has just topped 7 million in population. If that's not worth bragging about, then I know not what is.

Preparations have been underway. The whole thing kicks off in the middle of next week and lasts about 11 days.

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Clocks and timepieces are things I love having in my apartment. And I still believe I can get one more. I've long considered either a Dr Pepper clock or a Coca-Cola clock. For my agenda for the rest of the year, this is among the things I should be doing, looking for just the right clock. Now, as I dream about designing that Spanish villa I've always wanted, I'd like to see a miniature grandfather clock to be placed in the entry hall. Funny how I talk about nostalgia one minute and the future the next....

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Well, it became official without me really knowing about it until it was too late. Frontier Communications bought out Verizon Fios in a number of locations within the last month in these great United States. It was not a smooth transition for some. My services are generally staying the same, even though my cable might have to be rebooted a little more when I turn on the boob tube.

Here's the story of how this falls into place:
After Verizon FiOS changeover to Frontier, some customers lose service | Ars Technica

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You didn't think this would ever exist in the state of Wyoming, but the state's most expensive house is on the market. That's right, all the things you'd see on a ranch, mixed with all the luxuries you'd expect from a five-star hotel. It's found in this connection:

$40M Cakebread Ranch Is Wyoming's Most Expensive House | Fox News

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Congratulations in advance go out to the high school seniors that make up the Class of '16, as they ready themselves for commencement exercises and to get that diploma. Kudos, as well, to our university students who are graduating to the pomp and circumstance. Good luck and Godspeed on your new endeavors!

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The late, great philosopher Yogi Berra said it best: If you see a fork in the road, take it.

Well, hey, anything's worth trying.

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One look at the Startlegram (my nickname for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram), and there's quite a stir in the reaction amongst the masses to a proposed new Texas Rangers ballpark.

National reaction to proposed Texas Rangers stadium | The Star-Telegram

You know, Globe Life Park is not that bad, and it's still in reasonably good shape for a 22-year-old ballpark. The problem? They cannot fit a retractable roof over the existing ballyard. Even with lots of shade, it's still the hottest yard in the bigs. When Tom Schieffer did not want to do a roof for this retro-style field, his reasoning was that it would not be authentic. He'll come to regret that decision now, as plans are now underway to replace it in 2021 with a new retractable-roof field for 42 to 44 thousand fans. It's not going to be built in Dallas as many have speculated. No, it's going to be in Arlington. You be the judge.

I think Arlington should wait for another yard. Like about sixty or so years.

Nothing personal, Arlingtonians. You've gotten on the map. Dallas needs a baseball park in their burg one of these days.

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Not willing to let go? Just another part of nostalgia.

And there you are.