Mike In Illinois
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Posts posted by Mike In Illinois
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He did have major dental surgery a couple of months ago for a cyst in his mouth. He was scheduled to be the guest speaker at an FCA event here in my town in March shortly after the procedure and he wasn't sure if he would be here due to the discomfort recovering from the surgery. He did honor his commitment and didn't sound too bad, just talking a tad slower.
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Does anyone else remember the early days of the World League?
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Finally got a copy of the photo taken last month.
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Sheesh!! I am so envious of you guys and your concert experiences! I do have some pretty good concert memories of my own though.
1. BB King - Landmark Theatre in Syracuse 03/03/2007 - What can I say? I was a senior in high school, and had the priviledge to see an absolute legend. Had great seats about 7 or 8 rows from the stage. He was absolutely amazing.
2. Grateful Dead - Rich Stadium 06/13/1993 - Again, I was pretty young, but having an older brother I was exposed to some pretty great music at a young age. Some of my friends though I was weird because I wasn't into much of the "popular" music of that time, but I knew what good music sounded like. My Brother let me tag along to this show with him and a bunch og his buddies. Incredible set list including some of my favorites...Tennessee Jed, Me and My Uncle, Mexicali Blues, Samson and Delilah, Long Way Home, Truckin'. Amazing.
3. Phish - Marine Midland Arena - 10/19/1996 - Second set Split Open and Melt, Fluffhead, Swept Away>Steep>Run Like an Antelope was one of the most incredible segments of live music I have ever experienced, I have seen Phish 7 or 8 times since, and they have never been as "dialed in" as they were on this evening.
If my math is correct you would have been about 4 years old when you saw The Dead in '93 (You say you were a senior in HS in 2007)? That's a pretty serious musical addiction!
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Check out Balboa Stadium inside Balboa Park if you want some AFL history. It's where the Chargers used to play from '61-'66. Three AFL Championship games were played there, including the '65 game the Bills won via shutout.
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I haven't seen the movie yet but The Big Chill's soundtrack is a classic (not including deluxe editions):
Side One
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Marvin Gaye (1968): "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (extended version) (Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong) – 5:03
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The Temptations (1965): "My Girl" (Smokey Robinson, Ronald White) – 2:55
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The Young Rascals (1966): "Good Lovin'" (Rudy Clark, Arthur Resnick) – 2:28
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The Miracles (1965): "The Tracks of My Tears" (Robinson, Warren Moore, Marvin Tarplin) – 2:53
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Three Dog Night (1970): "Joy to the World" (Hoyt Axton) – 3:24
Side Two
- The Temptations (1966): "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (Whitfield, Edward Holland Jr.) – 2:31
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Aretha Franklin (1968): "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Jerry Wexler) – 2:41
- Smokey Robinson and The Miracles (1967): "I Second That Emotion" (Robinson, Al Clevland) – 2:46
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Procol Harum (1967): "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (Keith Reid, Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher) – 4:03
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The Exciters (1963): "Tell Him" (Bert Berns) – 2:29
Extra CD tracks
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The Four Tops (1965): "It's the Same Old Song" (E. Holland, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland) – 2:45
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Martha and The Vandellas (1964): "Dancing in the Street" (Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson) – 2:38
- Marvin Gaye (1971): "What's Going On" (Gaye, Clevland, Renaldo "Obie" Benson) – 3:52
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The Marvelettes (1964): "Too Many Fish in the Sea" (Whitfield, E. Holland) – 2:26
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Marvin Gaye (1968): "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (extended version) (Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong) – 5:03
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The Falcons are trying to create cap space to extend Matty Ice.
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I had to cheat on question #1 w/the SEC coach... Funny how his name sounds a little like the other backup's name... ;-)
I knew #2... Easy as pie... Jimbo owned him throughout his career... So did our defense on many occasions. Actually, I got a signed picture of John Holecek (he grew up in the Illinois town I live in and my son goes to the same high school... Same high school as that dirt ball Rodney Harrison too! :-( ) sacking that QB. :-)
#3 wasn't that hard... Process of elimination w/the years innolved. But tricky. Wanted to go w/the guy with perfect hair but realized that Kelly left Miami in the early 1980's... So it had to be the guy with the really long German last name. Doubled check that answer and forgot that Lou Saban also coached the Hurricanes before the guy with the 15 letter last name did! ;-)
Glad you had a blast! Sounds like a fun time!
My first guess for #3 was the long German name but someone guessed it before I could. The next three guesses from the audience: Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson, Marv Levy. Then I guessed correctly.
As for #1, I was clueless. I know Bills history and a lot about Jim Kelly but I didn't know.
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Thanks for the feedback, it was a blast! Being a life-long resident of Central Illinois it's very rare to have one of your all-time favorite Bills come to town. You have to take advantage of those opportunities when they happen. I'm glad my brother-in-law sponsored a table so I could attend and the friend who got me into the meet 'n' greet before the dinner.
In the past they've had Colt McCoy, Kurt Warner, Tony Dungy and Bobby Bowden as guest speakers.
EDIT: Here's a quick TV report on his appearance. Most of the video is file of Jim in practice during his Bills career. The TV station didn't stick around past the 6pm news for his part of the banquet.
http://www.wics.com/sports/features/headlines/stories/vid_591.shtml
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(Long, sometimes rambling so beware)
Great event tonight; I had a lot of fun. My friend (whose Father-In-Law sponsored a table at this FCA event) scored three passes to the Sponsor Meet and Greet before the dinner. So I brought along my bobblehead I bought at Jim's HOF induction weekend in 2002 and grabbed an old Pacific trading card of Jim to give to my friend's son to have autographed (he brought a friend who had a used football to have signed). It only took us a couple of minutes to get up to Jim and meet him. For the two kids (around 10-12 years old) he had them go out for a short pass before autographing their items and taking a picture with each of them- the photographs were done by a professional photographer. When my turn came he complimented me on my retro Nike Polo (standing Buffalo) and thought for a moment where to sign on the bobblehead.
After the dinner they had a few area high school/college athletes and coaches talk about their FCA involvement before they handed out two scholarship awards. After that was over Scott Hanson introduced Jim and they began to set up a table and bar stools for a Q & A. Before they started the talk Jim had some autographed footballs to give away to people who answered trivia questions (I'll leave them unanswered to see who knows them):
1. Who was Jim Kelly's backup quarterback at the University of Miami? (Hint given by Jim, he is an SEC Head Coach)
2. Who was the last QB taken in Round 1 of the '83 NFL Draft?
3. Who was Jim's first Head Coach at the University of Miami? (He gave us three hints for this one. I stood up and guessed correctly on the third hint)
In order to receive the footballs the person with the correct answer had to catch the ball thrown from Jim. I was the farthest away so he asked me to come down to the center aisle to catch the ball. His first throw was wide right, skimming of the hands of people at the table near me and landing on the table behind it, knocking over drinks and plates and silverware. He asked for the ball back and threw the second one in front of me. I was really nervous trying to catch this ball in front of 1,000 people and could hardly move so the ball landed in front of me. I threw the ball back again and Jim jokingly waved me off ("Get outta here!") so I started to head off. He told me to come back and threw the ball a third time which I finally caught. I was so nervous and excited all at once that my hands didn't stop shaking for 10 minutes afterward. the last football was given to the lady with a birthday on or close to Valentine's Day (Jim and Hunter's birthday).
Then Jim and Scott talked about his life and career, then discussed his retirement, Hunter's life and all the struggles he and Jill had until Hunter's death in 2005. It was about that time Jim turned his life around and dedicated himself to being a better man/father/husband through the help of his wife and God. He also talked about all the work they've done for Hunter's Hope and working to get comprehensive testing for infants. I think his portion of the night went for 2 hours. Jim recently had oral surgery so it was a struggle for him to speak sometimes but he did well given the circumstances.
On each table they had a complimentary copy of his current book "The Playbook for Dads" so I scooped it up. After the dinner he was signing more autographs and taking pictures so I went up, shook his hand and thanked him for coming here and for all the years of joy he and his teammates gave me as a Bills fan. This night was one of the highlights of my life and I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet Jim.
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Jim Kelly is scheduled to be the featured speaker at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet here in Springfield, Illinois Monday evening:
http://www.centralillinoisfca.org/home-team-banquet
The event is hosted by Scott Hanson of NFL Network, who got his break anchoring sports at the local TV news station. A couple of years ago it was Kurt Warner, fresh from his last Super Bowl appearance with the Arizona Cardinals.
I'm keeping my optimism tempered but I hope I get the chance to meet him. I'll talk the man's ear off about the team, his playing days and what the future of the franchise holds (and what in the world are they doing in Free Agency?). I'll try to report back and post a picture or two in the Gallery and in this thread if I get the opportunity. I think I may take my bobblehead they had for sale Induction Weekend in 2002 at the Hall of Fame in Canton and see if he will sign it.
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I had a missed call with a Vatican area code but no message...
Probably for the better. Just some stupid kids connecting you to The Vatican so they can record the conversation about offering you the Papacy(?)
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Let's not forget Buddy's sweet circa 1976 tan leather pimp jacket as he strolled into Tempo with the rest of the crew.
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Then why'd you buy the best phone on the market...?
I think screen protectors and cases are lame, personally. First, the screen is made of Gorilla Glass 2 (go Corning!), so it won't scratch. I keep mine in my pocket with my keys, and it's still blemish free. The case might be helpful if you are around water alot and don't want it to get wet... But for most people, I just don't see the purpose, personally.
I was referring to holding out for the Galaxy S IV as for "cutting edge" tech. I can't justify waiting until June/July for the release and spending more money for that phone over an S III right now; the S III has been very good in the short time we've had ours.
As for cases and protectors, my wife and I have dropped our phones and cracked/shattered the screens in the past so it's peace of mind to have the cases and screen protectors.
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My wife and I each got the Samsung Galaxy S III (Verizon) at Best Buy for about $100 each. We weren't looking for cutting-edge technology, just a good phone to make calls and some app usage. We changed over to the current "Share Everything" Plan; most of my data usage is over Wi-Fi at home/work so we went with the lower data cap. We're both being extra cautious with our phones until our screen protectors and phone cases arrive via Amazon. Wife got an Otterbox Commuter for about $20 and I got a BoxWave Resolute OA3 for $13. I've seen mixed reviews on my BoxWave so I may send it back and get an Otterbox as well (unless anyone here has recommendations for a good case).
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Don't forget about the other Gold Medal USA Hockey team: 53 years ago today in Squaw Valley
Behind 4-3 five minutes into the 3rd period the US scored six goals in the remaining 15 minutes of the game to beat the Czechs 9-4 in the last game of Round Robin play, earning the Gold Medal.
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Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.
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I get those letters from Nissan about the 2007 Sentra I traded in for an '11 Sentra (wife and I traded in the Sentra and '08 Altima for the '11 Sentra and an '11 Quest van to tote around our two kids).
Hondas are very good used cars to sell because their resale value is high and the reliability of the cars is usually very high. I would imagine you shouldn't have trouble getting good value for the Pilot as a trade-in. Good luck to you!
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Blake is riding a wave of popularity because he's on 'The Voice', IMO. I agree that a lot of the "Country" music on-Air is just a pop sound with a hint of Country to keep it honest. I think the pop count sound has evolved from the early-90s breakthrough of Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt, etc.
I'm not a Country fan but I do like the Southern sound of the Zac Brown Band. They were influenced by the Eagles in their ability to harmonize and I like it.
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I know it's going against the advice offered here but I just purchased the Onkyo AVX-290 HTiB from Best Buy on a special Friday (normally $400 it was on sale for $150). It's expected to arrive in-store by the end of next week. I wanted to get a basic system (my first) for my living room without spending much money and I knew Onkyo is a good brand. I'm connecting it to an older (2004) rear-projection TV that has a DVI connection (connected my DirecTV with an HDMI to DVI converter).
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The Decatur Staleys were from a town 40 minutes east of where I am. Created by Papa Bear Halas, they later moved to Chicago, played as the Staleys for one year then changed their name to the Bears. Some of the history of the Staleys can still be found in Decatur.
When I worked at the TV station in Decatur we produced a special (60 minutes) on the Staleys that aired leading up to the Super Bowl in 2006-2007, the year the Bears lost to the Colts in Miami. I have a DVD copy of the special and we contacted the Pro Football HOF to see if they were interested in the show for their Archives (we actually spent a day in Canton to videotape some of the still photos they have of Halas and the Staleys and to get video of the historical landmark in downtown Canton that recognizes the location of the founding of the NFL. I highly recommend scheduling time to visit the HOF archives on your next trip to Canton). We never got around to sending the disc to the Hall yet but I may have to make a road trip over there and hand-deliver it soon! Would there be any interest for me to upload the special to YouTube under a private link and share it here?
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We haven't purchased any apps for the Tab. She has an Amazon account and a Google Play account and I usually download apps for her. Quite often we are downloading a game for our oldest son (7). I don't think she cares what kind of phone she gets as long as the price isn't astronomical (with 2-year contract); one of her sisters has an iPhone and the other has a Droid.
Is Face Time compatible with Skype? She's going on a mission trip to Kenya for two weeks in June and I thought it would be fun to either have a web cam/microphone installed on our PC or to chat via Skype/Face Time so she can chat with the kids and me while she's away.
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If you have a Twitter account you can view the articles the reporters (Tim Graham as an example) link to in their Tweets without counting against your 10 free views. Just click on the link inside the Tweet.
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Wife and I are due to upgrade our Verizon phones (Incredible 2) in March and I'm thinking of getting the Samsung Galaxy SIII even though the S4 looks to be coming out at the end of April. My guess is the 4 will be an expensive upgrade and the SIII will probably be efficient for what I need it for (calls, texting, apps, listening to music).
I'm thinking of looking at an iPhone (4S or 5) for the wife. I bought her a pre-owned Samsung Galaxy Tab (original, not the latest version) for Christmas so she uses that a lot for Facebook, emails and such around the house. We don't have it on a data plan so it runs off our wi-fi at home.
Anyone have any recommendations for places to upgrade the phones besides your typical Verizon store? I've looked into Amazon Wireless but I wondered if there were other suggestions on where to upgrade and any additional phone recommendations to the ones listed in this thread.
Is Jim Kelly ill ?? (update - has cancer)
in The Stadium Wall Archives
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Jim has mentioned in the past that when something bad happened to him (shoulder injury in college, for example) one of his brothers or a parent would say, "You're a Kelly; you're a fighter. You can overcome this." - No doubt this will be a tough fight but one this Kelly can overcome and win. Best wishes, Jim.