WHEELING & DEALING AT THE CAR LOT

**** I bought a car last Friday . I didn't want to buy a car , I had too . My Mazda crapped out on me at 173000 miles .

My car developed the Yankee disease . A - Rod was a knocking .

I don't really like car dealing . My Dad was a master at it . I am not . Daddy could keep all emotion out of the deal . I can't.

I was dealing on a used car which is more difficult than dealing on a new one .

Dealing on a new car , you just go on - line , find the model with the options you want . You can find the invoice price for most new cars .

Now you can play dealer against dealer , for that exact model car . It is the identical product ,you just pick the best price .

You can't do that with a used car . No two sellers have the exact same car . Never the same model or mileage . You are comparing apples & oranges .

The best you can do with a used car is to play against the Number . The Number is what the Kelly Blue Book or the Black Book says the car is worth . So I was playing against the number .

As I was passing by a big car lot , I decided to whip in . I had been looking at some of these models at other lots .

They were just putting the price on the weekend special when I came in . I thought it was a good price . I asked a few questions & said I might be back .

I checked the price vs the numbers in the books & the price seemed like a good deal . So back to the lot I went .

For the next 3 hours we offered ,counter-offered , discussed ,& cussed but were a few hundred dollars apart . I told them I was going to go buy a car & if they changed their mind to call me before I did .

Then I went home & waited for them to call . They did not . I began to think , this car is a good buy at this price . Would it be smart to lose this deal trying to get a slightly better deal ?

Here is where Dad would have held firm but I buckled . I picked up Chili Pepper & headed back to the car lot .

I told them I was certain they were trying to call, so I just came on back . They laughed .

I had dickered a couple of hundred off that sale price But there was a new price on the car . Those turkeys had jacked up the sale price a thousand dollars . They said after they talked to me they realized they had their car priced too low .

I said Whoa Dude . They said they would honor the price we hammered out earlier . So I pulled the trigger .

Maybe I got a good deal , certainly a fair deal but it was not fun .

I have two pieces of advice in car dealing .

1. Wait until the end of the month - the salesmen have quotas to make

2. Never look at a better model than the one you want to buy . - you will not be satisfied with the lower model once you have seen the better model .

THANK YOU FOR READING !!!!!

WOMAN ON A MISSION

**** In the words of Richard Nixon , I want to make this perfectly clear .
At no time during our UTM years did I have a relationship with Sally Sparks .

I did take her to lunch at the T - Room several times ,& she did accompany me to a boxing card at the Oman Arena . But I was not on her radar screen .

Sally was not shy about saying the one & only reason she was at college was find to a rich husband . That put me out of her line of fire .

I thought UTM was a strange choice of hunting ground . After all there were not many millionaires at Martin . Sally seemed to have a lack of targets . But she pursued her goal with passion .

I guess if you think in relative terms, considering the little pissant place Sally was from ,then UTM had some high rollers .

Now you think taking Sally to lunch at the swanky T - Room was costing me a bundle . I have a confession to make . I sure hope the statue limitations has expired

The T - Room wrote your order & the cost of your meal on a page from a generic ticket book . Several of my buddies had been to the dime store and bought our own ticket book . Yes , We were switching tickets so Sweet Sally &I were eating darn near free .

When I took Sally to the boxing matches where I was the main event , We stopped for a coke at the drive - in . I almost drowned her . You know they put the tray with your stuff on the car window . Our cokes were a little too tall to get in the window . The solution is to roll the window down a little more . Instead I gave them a good yank , throwing both of the cokes all over Sally. She rode the 50 miles back to Martin with Coke dripping off her nose . She was not happy . I can say it was the only time I spent with Sally that wasn't lots of fun .

Well,springtime rolled around & Sally announced her engagement . The guy was a real DIPSTICK but he had money .

We had lunch at the T - Room & I asked her . " Sparks , are you really going to marry that DORK ?"

She answered " for a while, Champ, for a while "

I saw Sally Sparks on Facebook the other day . I don't know if she was married to the same Dude . My gamblers instinct say NO!

THANK YOU FOR READING !!!

SCATTERSHOOTING

*** What about Brett Favre calling a players meeting while Coach Childress was at the hospital with Percy Harvin .

Supposedly Brett wanted to know who had problems with Chilly . Favre said Childress did not call the plays when he was OC in Philly & was not capable of doing so now .

Brett wants the plays called by himself or his buddy Darrell Bevel .This is not the start the Vikings need. Can Chilly & Favre make it for a season ?

Do you think Favre can hold up for 16 games ? Will he be forced to give it up during the season?

If that Double - A gap blitz the Niners put on him is any indication, look for Brett on the tractor by Thanksgiving .

*** I am concerned about the Cowboys . Yes , I know it is just the pre - season but the Boys don't look sharp . I think Roy Williams is a complete bust & Romo is Romo .

I wish Tony could play QB as well as he can pick up hot chicks .If Romo could pick up the blitz as well as he does girls Dallas would be Super Bowl bound .

*** How 'Bout those Niners ! SF looked really improved against the Vikings . Anthony Dixon looks like a real plus . I am picking the 49ers to win their division .

*** Since our last time together I passed the Big 6 - 0 . The folks in Medina didn't think I would make 25 . Neither did I .

You could say in my younger years I danced every dance . I didn't want the music to stop without me dancing .

I was just following the advice of John Keats to " drink life to the leeds "
I'd say I got my money's worth .

*** One last thing - I love your comments . I read them all . But you Morons who keep on putting comments in Chinese are starting to whiz me off .

You are wasting my time , your time , & everyones time . Come on , if you want to say something say it .

I can't take time to translate when Demi Moore is on call waiting .

THANK YOU FOR READING!!!!

QUICK OUTS

***** Public Schools are a dumpster fire . They have abandoned productivity in return for political correctness .

Here are three methods proven to work that are out of bounds according to the PC police . They are ;
A .smaller class size
B. Ability Grouping
C. Developing an Identify with school

These methods are not considered to be Politically Correct so they can't be used .

***** Private Schools have a decisive advantage over Public Schools . This advantage is the power to exclude .

If things are not working the Private school can tell JR. goodbye . The Public School has to keep him . They can't get rid of him .

Let me give you an example ; Your job is to keep the restrooms sparkling clean at the Medina Travel Center . If everything is working this is an easy job . Just Flush & Problem solved .

Now , the commode is clogged & you can not Flush . You keep dealing with the same mess over & over .

Private Schools can Flush , Public Schools deal with the same Turds day after day .

***** What is all the controversy over Rex Ryan cussing ? This is a stupid discussion . Most Coaches cuss however some do not .

Whether Coach cusses or not makes no difference in the win total . In fact how much you win can determine how much you can cuss .

There are four possible scenarios:
1. Coach Cusses - team wins
People say Coach gets their attention & fires the guys up . Get em Coach !

2. Coach cusses - team loses
People say No wonder , the guys are so beat down . Coach makes them feel worthless & that's how they respond.

3. Coach does not cuss - team wins
People say Coach is so professional . He treats them like adults & makes them feel good about themselves .

4. Coach does not cuss - team loses
People say He is too nice of a guy , he can't motivate , players take advantage , we need a coach with some fire .

Now I have been on both sides of the street myself . When I was a young coach , I was explosive & volatile & cussed a bunch . As an older coach ,I was more at peace with myself & rarely cussed .

I think I was a better coach at 56 than I was at 26. The winning % for the two times frames is almost exactly the same . But it is better not to cuss trust me .

THANK YOU FOR READING !!!!

CROSSING THE BAR

SUNSET & EVENING STAR
AND ONE CLEAR CALL FOR ME
MAY THERE BE NO MOANING OF THE BAR
WHEN I PUT OUT TO SEA
ALFRED TENNYSON

Tommy Harrison was a coaching lifer . Coach Tommy coached somewhere in Shelby County for the last 50 years .

JFK was a rookie president when Tommy began at MCHS in 1961. Coach Harrison was so versatile . He was capable of a Championship job in multiple sports .

Tommy loved to study & talk football . He would research a concept until he mastered it . I really enjoyed talking football with Coach Harrison.

Tommy could have been the greatest recruiting coordinator in the history of college football . Coach knew everything about every player . The parents, the girlfriend , family history , & summer job .The amount of information Coach Harrison had was amazing .

Coach Harrison also found his calling in his talk show on Radio 56. He gave more insider info than any show on the air . Tommy knew the inside low down .

I will miss discussing the TRIPLE - I & Coach Harrison's theory of Inside Contain & Outside Contain . I believed he was on target with his Triple - I thinking but was full of it when it came to that IC & OC stuff .

Coach Tommy was a coach's coach . Any job he did was first class . He maintained that standard for 50 years .

Coach Harrison will be greatly missed but will live on in the lives he touched .

***** I am thankful Eli Manning only has 12 stitches. When you lose your helmet in mid- play , bad bad things can occur .

Still no word from Favre . Surely within the week Brett will say .

THANK YOU FOR READING !!!

THROWIN ACROSS THE MIDDLE

**** I am going to save you a lot of time . You will not have to watch the NFL until the playoffs begin . I am going to tell you the 12 teams that will make the post season .

They are

NFC AFC

COWBOYS RAVENS

PACKERS CHARGERS

SAINTS COLTS

49ERS PATRIOTS

FALCONS JETS

VIKINGS TEXANS

Now, these are not ROCK"S LOCKS . If I hit 9 of 12 of these ,I 'll be as tickled as if I sat naked on a feather duster .

Take the Jets for example . They are coming in with a lot of bluster & the burden of great expectations. Last year everything fell the Jets way come playoff time . This year there is trouble already with holdouts & ect .

The Vikings pick depends totally on the return of Favre .

Cowboys , don't forget Tony Romo is driving the bus . Hard to trust a driver that can't get his cap on the right way .

If I nail 9 of 12 ,you owe me a burger & an ice cold cola. Fair Enough !


**** Some things to think about :

1. You are the owner of the Cowboys , you get to pick a QB . The choices are Tony Romo or Eli Manning . Tell me who you pick .

2. You own the Chargers . Who is your QB ? Phillip Rivers or Drew Brees ?

3. Alex Smith has the highest Wonderlic test score of any starting QB today . Smith scored 40 of 50 . Alex is a product of the Urban Meyer system . This is season # 6 for Smith who is still looking for a break - out year .

Tim Tebow scored 22 on the test . How long will the learning curve be for Tim ?

4. The Kansas City Chiefs are changing their name to West New England . The GM ,HC , OC , DC . & QB are all disciples of the Billy Bells system.


THANK YOU FOR READING!!!!

UNTIL THEN J - MACK

**** Saturday evening I attended the Visitation of Joe McLemore of Medina, Tennessee . Joe was one of my oldest & closest friends . We had been buds since first grade in 1956 .

For three years after high school ,Joe & I and another first grade buddy called Rip were as tight as Dolly Parten's sweater. From age 18 to 21 we did everything together . Rip was my roommate at UTM until he married . Then Rip said he didn't think we could continue to room together .

Joe & Rip made their life at Medina & I hit the road . Joe made a great life ,married ,had 3 fine sons , grandchildren , & his church could not have made it without him . I think he was a deacon & chairman of every committee assembled .

Joe was the glue that held our group together . If you needed to know about someone , Joe was the man . He kept up with all of our bunch . I can't count the number of times he checked on me through the years .

When I arrived at Friendship Church ,the line was out the door into the parking lot . I stayed over 90 minutes & the line was just as long as when I left .

When you invest your life in a small town & are a remarkable person ,a massive turnout is not surprising .

Joe was wearing a tie . He always liked to style & profile . The tie had baseballs on it . That was not a shock because Joe loved baseball & all sports .

Joe's satin Yankees jacket was folded in the casket . Joe loved Jesus & the Yankees .

Rip was there . I visited with other members of our group , Becky Vickie, Stephen & Jesse . We all would really miss Joe .

As for me , one of the strongest connections to my early life is gone . I will drift farther away from what used to be home without Joe as one of my anchors .

Joe was the character J - Mack in all those stories I write .

I visited Joe on the fourth of July . We had a great time . We both knew it would be the last time .

I guess Bob Seger was singing about Joe , Rip,& I when he sang

THE SECRETS THAT WE SHARED

THE MOUNTAINS THAT WE MOVED

WE WERE RUNNING

RUNNING AGAINST THE WIND

UNTIL THEN J - MACK

BANGING ON BRETT

**** I am going to bang on Brett Favre . Why ? Two reasons .
#1 Brett is a drama queen
#2 Brett is a gunslinger

Drama Queen - Favre is almost 41 years old but he is only 6 or 7 mentally .Brett really enjoys the attention he gets by playing the retirement game .

Brett gets a big kick by teasing everyone about his plans . The Vikings have to put up with this stuff because Favre is the only winning option at Quarterback .

How does this play in the locker room ? These guys are trying to win a Super Bowl & their QB is playing Hide & Seek . While the Vikings are preparing for the season, Brett is coaching a high school team .

Tony Dungy said " Give Favre a date , If he is there he is on the team , if not we move on without him . " The Coach might go for that but not the Owner .

Come on Brett , Quit throwing Buffalo Chips & play ball or set on the porch !

Gunslinger - Favre's role with the Vikings is to prevent teams from ganging up on Peterson . He is not there to win games with dazzling passing displays .

If a team gangs up to stop Peterson , Brett can throw against one on one coverage . When Favre does this the defense adjusts & the running lanes open up for Peterson .

Brett can't or won't understand this . Because he is a Gunslinger Favre is going to throw into double coverage & forget all about Peterson & the running game . Once Brett starts Gunning there is no controlling him . No more than controlling Tiger Woods in the Playboy Mansion . It is either TD or Interception .

Favre has played with 4 NFL teams ; Falcons - Packers - Jets - Vikings . His last pass with all of them was an interception .

Brett's DNA says Gunslinger . He is not changing .

**** If Favre doesn't return 42 year old Jeff George wants the job . Few people on earth can throw a football like Jeff George .

I don't know of anyone who can throw it better . George must be a Super Turd because no team has kept him for long .

If I didn't have a QB ,I would give Ole Jeff a shot . You don't know what you might get out of him before he hits the fan .

THANK YOU FOR READING !!!!

HAPPY HAPPY YEARS

***** Tomorrow Chili Pepper & I will have been married 17 happy years . 17 out of 38 is a 447 batting average . No Major Leaguer has ever had that high an average .

NO ! Really every day I have spent with Chili Pepper has been wonderful . As the song goes " In spite of all the hard times , I've live 'em all again ". And I would.

Deborah deserves heaven's brightest crown for putting up with me for all these years . Maybe it wasn't so hard . After all ,I have four different personalities . She should have been able to get along with one of them .

For 15 years we lived the Gypsy Coach lifestyle . We made 7 major moves & lived in 11 different houses in those years . In coaching if you win you get a better job , if you lose you get another job . Not much stability.

A Coach's wife gets to make all the decisions & do everything cause Coach is never there . She plays the role of both parents & is running a partnership solo .

On Game day she sits in the stands & listens to people talk about how stupid her husband is . Of course , she already knows this .

One Saturday we were having one of those games where everything goes wrong . On first & second down we had lost yardage . We decided to run a draw to get room to punt . They blitzed & we lost more yards . My son who was 9 at the time stood up ,turned to the press box, shook his fist & yelled " Come on Dad on third and long you gotta throw the ball ". The crowd gave him a resounding cheer .

Chili Pepper did a great job raising our son & managing our home while I was on the field . She bought & sold houses , cars & trucks all on her own .

One year we we going undefeated , Chili Pepper bought a new house . I had never seen the place until she told me we were moving there .

Moving Day was the day of a playoff game . She wrote the directions to the new house , put them in my pocket & said " come to this address after the game . Don't go to the old house there is no one there ".

Chili Pepper is one of the most talented people living . She can make anything , decorate. cook & sing . She can & will do most anything .

When you come home you never know if there will be a new room or automobile , or project .

Chili Pepper is addicted to HG - TV & the DIY channel . Her creative mind never stops . From fish ponds to fences the girl never stops .

We are preparing to move into house number 12 . We will move as soon as She finishes her total reconstruction project at the house .

Her partners in crime are her equally talented sister & our multi - gifted nephew . They have performed a wonder . Just Amazing what they have done .

After going through this experience I told Chili Pepper , " You know I don't expect to live much longer but if you say resale ,investment or move you won't live as long as i do . "

Chili Pepper thank you for 38 wonderful years & I hope we have more to go . There is no better companion of life's journey than you dear .

THANK YOU FOR READING