Just an old fashioned love song...........

You ever get songs stuck in your head?

Fitty five.  I CAN drive fitty five, in fact, prefer it.  Tea/China, not much,.  Fifth on my list of things in my day (Victor, who cares? I know, bear with me).. 

1. Pee

2. Coffee

3. Wordle

4. Wordle battle with youngest niece who also is up at Ugly-thirty am daily.

5. Kansas City Star E Sport's page.

It's my thing, do what I wanna do.  I apologize. My brain is fulla inconsequential, nonsensical, song.

So,,, ,this morning... all of the above happened prior to 5am... and as I got to the 5th thing, the Sport's page.. I peeked at the bottom..  Fitty Five pages.

Pick/choose.  Like anything in life, we pick and choose.  The remote control of the TV.  The steering wheel (turn left or turn right).. Match.com (HA).. handing out THE BIGGEST Valentine in 4th grade...   Pick a card, any card..... We'd like two menus please..  the dreaded, last one picked in gym class.. or, in a neighborhood whiffle ball game.. or, mebbe, not picked come Prom time.   Sometimes, sorry Roy and Buck, "I'm a pickin' " ain't always accompanied by "I'm a grinnin'."

The hell was I?  Liberty, Missouri Victor.  Thanks.  Welcome.

So, one by one I click..  Page to page.  First article.  A fifteen second TV ad with millionaires (Travis Kelce, Bobby Whitt Jr, Justin Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid) pretty much begging citizens (on behalf of Billionaire owners) to Vote yes on a 3/8th cent sales tax for another 40 years to help pay for a new baseball stadium and renovations on the football stadium.  (If  the newspaper had Facebook (like, care, love, hate buttons)  I'd wish for a "Meh" button, then I think I'd click it.  I love me some sports, conflicted though on this.

Clicked (picking, opting in life, turn left here, nuh uh, right..  next channel plz.. hit the 'scan' button on the radio).......

Did..  on the paper.  An article on UL Washington.  (S'more soon, but first)

The song Oh, that's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh. That's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh.  that's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh.  that's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh.

I like that song simply because it's either thumbs up or thumbs down on things infronta us in life. I LIKED the article on UL Washington (s'more soon, I promise, but first), so, I thoughta the song. I Googled the lyrics of the song (No.. I don't intently listen to lyrics that have played for fitty years).. and I see the lyrics include:

When I get to be in your arms, when we're all, all alone,

When you whisper sweet in my ear, when you turn, turn me on.

DAMNIT DARNIT, it seems they're all "Just an old fashioned love song."  Meh.

I'll simply move on thinking just about the refrain, chorus, whatever ya call it.. That's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it.

UL Washington passed away.  I know he's not a Michael Jordan, Lebron, Shaq, The Babe, Mickey Mantle, known in every living room name.. UL was 70 when he passed.  He was a former Major League Baseball player, coach.

UL (where's the Like button?) don't stand for nuttin.  (I always admired the fact Harry S [for nothing] Truman had onea them in his name too.) While he did put a period after each letter when writing his name, all he was given at birth was UL.

UL's claim to fame?  His toothpick. (Like button, that's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it.) He played shortstop for the Kansas City Royals, with a toothpick hanging outta the corner of his mouth.  Many thought "Danger danger (UL) Will Robinson", they even thought about banning it.  In 1980, UL batted .272, decent.  With alla the hullabaloo about the toothpick, he went the next year without one, batted, .227, thought to himself "to hell with that, I'm going back to the toothpick." That's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh I like it, 

UL was born, thanks Wiki, in Stringtown, Oklahoma.  Ain't never hearda it, so, clicked it (today's kinda sorta theme, life is about like, don't like, click, don't click, turn left, no, right works, channel 383, ok Victor, we get the idea.)  

Stringtown, Oklahoma. Southeastern, kinda, Oklahoma.  Population 410.  It's believed the town was named due to 'a string of businesses along the train tracks', a bank, theater, and a pub. Why, why do a lotta towns list an infamous crime as to being their 'claim to fame'.  Whaddaya mean Victor?

Well. .I grew up in Liberty, MO.  Like Stringtown, small.. not quite that small... but.. our 'claim to fame', it's home to the very first daylight bank robbery in the United States, none other than Jesse James himself.  The town just to our North (Kearney, MO) boasts "Home of Jesse James", has a James Day celebration, come tour Jesse's birthplace, yada.

Back to Stringtown.  One time, bandcamp, August 5th, 1932, while Bonnie Parker was visiting her mother.. (You mighta hearda her, as in, Bonnie  and Clyde).. in fact, while Bonnie visited, Clyde Barrow and 'two associates' were drinking alcohol at a dance in Stringtown (illegal under Prohibition), they were approached by the Sheriff and Deputies, one was shot, killed, thus, the first killing of The Barrow Gang.

Back to UL.  He had a nice MLB career.  Ten years.  His own 'claim to fame' (aside from the toothpick), well, actually he had two.  In the 1980 American League Championship Series versus the Yankees.. he hit a two out single, thus, allowing George Brett up next, only to hit a TOWERING homer off ole Goose Gossage, propelling the Royals into the World Series.

Then............ 1983, similar scenerio, UL hit a two out single in the 9th inning against the Yankees. One Billy Martin then summoned the Goose ot the mound.. the rest, I guess, is history.  Brett's infamous Pine Tar home run.  I'm Kansas City biased, but, that's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it.

Can you tell a story sdrawkcassab?  IE, the beginning at the end? Eh, why not.  UL had played baseball, graduated from Murray State College in Oklahoma.. The Royals were having a tryout for their newfangled 'Academy'.. UL's brother James was an usher for the Royals, arranged for UL to attend. (Hey!  How come James got FIVE letters and UL only got two?).... Anyways, UL made it, was invited to attend the Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy in Florida, a one time dream/plan of then Royal's owner Ewing Kauffman..  The Academy panned out (for a short at least) as UL, Frank White and a guy named Ron Washington graduated from it, and all went on to MLB infamy.

Me, me, me.  We know I do that too much.  Sorry... kinda sorta.  I've always said, onea my claims to fame is, "George Brett and I went to different schools together." Ha.  Then, there's always the "I shoulda been rich.. our family owned the biggest damn buggy making company this sidea the Mississippi River, then Henry Ford invented the damn automobile, I coulda, shoulda been rich."

And finally, redfacedly, I too was invited to the same tryout as UL, Frank and Ron. (Pick me, pick me! Sorry Charley).  I sucked, wasn't even invited back for day two, Sunday.

Life is about picking, opting, selecting, remotes, steering wheels, fitty five articles to choose, click from.  They picked UL and his 'pick'.  (and Frank, and Ron.)

Rest in peace UL, you done good.

Love, Victurd