Harry Carey must be sick

As much as it pains me to say it, the cubs don't belong in the playoffs this year. crap. Go Red Sox

Phoenix and beyond

Hello to all my faithful readers, and Paul. I know it's been a while but what a whirlwind week it was. Just last weeek I made my way to sunny phoenix arizona. Why? Just because I could. And in Just two days I saw the Phoenix Zoo, the museum of history, the science center, the art museum, saw a baseball game, went golfing, attended a broadway musicle, and checked out the downtown phoenix bars. WHEW! Obviously the best part was the baseball game. I got to get my second ball ever, this time it was a batting practice ball down the left field line. The batter had hit a fowel ball, and no one seemed to notice. So I went from my perch in center field, around the foul pole, bounding down the aisl, and then with full extension used my Cubs baseball hat to fish in ball #2. Not as exciting as catching it, but hey, I was excited. And then I got to see Randy Johnson not only pitch, not only win, not only strike out 11 batters, but I got to see the Big Unit set the all time record for most strike outs by a left handed pitcher, and move into third place overall on the strike out list. On top of that I got to see a pool ball (for those of you not familiar, there is a swimming pool in center field, and a "pool ball" is a homerun landing in said pool) And then after all that excitement, I got to come home and watch the Cubs in Cincinnati beat the reds 12-4 to hold on to their play off hopes.
So three baseball games, in three cities (Pittsburgh, Cincnnati, and Phoenix) all in 6 days. Not to bad. And could only be outdone by my mother's stellar performance at her Tap-Dance receital, where she and her possy really wowed the crowd with Proud Mary. By the way, I don't know what it is, but this is the third consecutive time I have gone back to defiance, and gotten sick. I have a freakin cold. After a month in a hospital and travelling around the country, I get sick going home. Argh.

Hello from Dayton

Who knew the Dayton airport would have comuters that actually work. anyway I am off to Phoenix via Chicago. Looks like great travelling weather. You ever just sit back and watch some of these people at the airport, I mean honestly who dressed them. It looks like they were a casualty of their dresser blowing up.Oh well.

Pittsburgh rocks

I just got back from a great time in the City of Pittsburgh PA. I was able to talk my cousin, we'll call her Krissy, to meet me in pittsburgh for a baseball game. Thank goodness we decided to get there early because the steelers were also playing, but their game did not end until about 20 minutes after we arrived, thus barely avoiding mass chaos. We were the very first people into the ball park, which was fun, and got to watch the pirates and astros take batting practice, and I got my very first baseball ever, after going to games for almost 20 years. I got a batting practice homerun ball from one of the astros off the carom from one of the seats behind me. We sat in the bleachers next to the Left field loonies, who were a bunch of overweight middle aged men who were heckling the astro's left fielder like mad, but it was funny. The game was very good, with the Pirates tying it in the bottom of the ninth with a pinch hit homerun, but the evil astros winning in extra innings. It was actually a miserable baseball day with the cubs and redsox losing, and the yankees, padres, astros, cardinals, giants, marlins and phillies all winning. The planets were lined up just right I gues. But I did get on the Jumbotron TWICE, lets hear it for the loonies. I got to crash at Krissy's and then took in the Monday night Football game in championship style with a budlight and stacey @BW3. I can't wait for the next adventure.

Lets hear it for Vacation

I'm on vacation, yeah

The Babe

I tell you what boys and girls, John W. Diehl, MD can now die a happy man. Would you like to know why? Well I'm going to tell you anyway (why I otta). As some of you may know, I am somewhat of a baseball fan and, harkening back to my days of youth, continue with the leisure activity of baseball card collecting. It may seem a bit juvenile to some, and to that I say BACK OFF. Anyway, it had been some time, probably days, since I had bought some cards, and I had just had a long and strenuous day and I thought I would treat myself to 3 packs of cards. I open the first one, and what is in there but a Babe Ruth card which contains part of one of his Jersey's from the 1920's. On the back, the card says that there are only 25 of these ever printed. Man, I cannot express in words the excitement that surged through me as electricity does through a power cord. I mean the piece of jersey looks old, it feels old. It was part of the uniform of the one man who embodies the sport which I most enjoy. Who know's when he wore this jersey. It could have been in the 1932 world series when he called his shot at Wrigley field, it could have been on him when he got caught stealing second base to end the 1926 world series, it could have been the first yankee's jersey he donned after being sold in 1919. Or he could have worn it at practice once, and felt it didn't fit right (but I'm hoping for one of the others). It gives me chills just thinking about it, and has now assumed the top spot in my modest collection.
i was so excited in fact, that I went out and got a digital camera just so I could put it on the web for all my fans to see, however I can't get this Blog "hello" thing to work, but once it does, watch out!

Musical evening

So for the second time in the last 4 days I had the privilage of attending an out of doors symphoney performance on a beautiful summer evening, and all I can say is what's with the kids. Honestly how does a screaming child enhance the listening pleasure of the parent, kid, or rest of the viewing audience, it's maddening. But the music was good. And God bless Lemonade and J. Crew.

The day that was not

so the day before labor day Cincinnati has this huge Fireworks display that is like the one thing that the city offers all year. And for one reason or another I have been incapacitated on that day for the last 4 years. So I'm stoked to go, and litterally 2 hours befor the show I get this Splitting headache, and pass out for 4 hours. So that sucked. Then I tried to get in touch with a couple people and couldn't so that sucked. So I wind up going to the new Jet Li movie "Hero", and let me just say that that Sucked. Then I come out of the movie and get mugged by 4 very scary looking women, so that sucked (OK so the mugging was made up, but it would have fit with the rest of the day).

The story of the Symphoney

Imagine, a picturesque late summer evening. 72 degrees and a cool breeze allow perfect relaxation as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra plays upon a Marble stage under a delicate pearl canopy some 2 stories high. Here on the bank of the Ohio river I was seranaded by the energetic gaelic tunes from grand Ireland, and as the show moved on, the sun set to the west, leaving a brilliant hue of violet and magenta in it's wake, and the lighting for the musicians put them in a serene amber glow, and just when things seemed most right with the world...Crack. Suddenly the Irish step dancers arrive on stage, and who out of the 500 or more seniors should they pick from the crowd? That's right, none other than yours truely. So I get dragged up on stage and placed in the middle of a dozen women whose calf muscles are the size of Beech Tree trunks. They continue twirling and stepping around me for what seemed like the longest jig in the world, and when the freaking orchestra finally stopps with that rucus, the crowd erupts in a cacaphony of applaus. I guess the take home point is when you just stand there and look goofy, everyone claps for you.

The original

Hi everybody,

welcome to John Diehl's very own BLOG. This is the place, the spot if you will, where you will see the updates of my not so mundane life, so sit back and buckle up.