Catching Up

Hope your summer is going well. You'd figure with school being out, there would be more time to write a blog entry or two, but that's not the case. Here are some comments.

• Congrats to the 10-72 Philadelphia 76ers. They are the 2016 NBA Kings of the Cellar and missed tying their NBA record of futility from 1973 by one game.
• Speaking of the 76ers, they're set to draft LSU's Ben Simmons with the first pick in the NBA Draft. Will picking Simmons add to the streak of good first picks?
• Congrats to the NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers. It's a major accomplishment to win a championship and an even bigger one to win one over a Golden State Warrior team that won 73 games.
• The 23-48 Minnesota Twins are today's MLB Kings of the Cellar. My 24-47 Atlanta Braves are a game back, because the Twins are on a 3 game winning streak.
• Today's honorable mention goes to the 31-39 Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who are on a 7 game losing streak. They edged the 43-30 Washington Nationals for the mention, who are on a 5 game losing streak.
• Now on to some writing news: I added a prologue to The Curse. It fits with how the story works and improves the way it starts.
• My final beta reader is almost done with Second Chance. I hope to have it published this summer.
• Once Second Chance is done, the next book to be published has the working title Justice. According to my ideal reader, this is the best story I've written so far. This is the first book in a series. I already started a sequel and even set up a story that could take place just before the sequel. This pre-sequel story takes place in a fictional town in Louisiana.
• Speaking of stories started but not finished, there are at least two. My November 2014 NaNoWriMo effort, Return To Origin, is still unfinished. That's what I've been working on this month. This is the first story I've written that has a cover completed before the first draft. The other first draft started but not finished is the sequel to The Curse.
• Finally and most importantly, thank you all for your support and thanks to those who bought my books!! You are greatly appreciated!!!
  
  Have a great day!!!

NaNoWriMo, Free Promo, and Trivia

Another NaNoWriMo has come and gone. I broke the 50,000 word mark with Return to Origin, but didn't finish. Sadly, it's not on pace to be finished anytime soon. The overhaul of The Curse is going along. There's still a lot of work to do on that book. Needless to say, 2015 will be busy. The first two goals is to finish the overhaul and publish Second Chance.

Today and tomorrow, my ebook Rickshaw, New Mexico is free for the Kindle. Click the link in the previous sentence and download your copy now. Hope you enjoy the story.

Now for some trivia!

Army and Navy are playing for the 115th time. Navy leads the series 58-49-7 and has a 12 game winning streak against the Black Knights. Army last beat the Midshipmen in 2001, 26-17. They first met in 1890 when Navy blanked Army 24-0. Their last tie was 3-3 in 1981. The last time Navy shut out Army was 34-0 in 2008. The last time Army shut out Navy was 27-0 in 1969. They never met in a bowl game.

The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to the Georgia Dome to take on the Atlanta Falcons. The Steelers lead the series 12-2-1, and is 1-1-1 against Atlanta since 2002. Their last three meetings were also their only overtime games. Their lone tie game was 34-34 in 2002. They first met in 1966, when Pittsburgh spanked the Falcons 57-33. Both of Atlanta's wins came at home and their last home win against the Steelers was 41-38 in 2006. They never met in the postseason. Neither team has ever shut out the other.

The Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys tomorrow night. The Cowboys lead the series 62-49 and enjoy a two game winning streak. They first met in 1960, when the Eagles won 27-25. Dallas also leads the postseason series 3-1. They last met in the playoffs in the 2009 season, when the Cowboys won 34-14. Philadelphia won their lone NFC Championship game 20-7 and went on to lose Super Bowl XV to the Oakland Raiders 27-10. The last time Dallas shut out Philadelphia was 24-0 in 2009 (2008 season). The last time Philadelphia shut out Dallas was 24-0 in 1991.

The New Orleans Saints go to the Windy City on Monday night to face the Chicago Bears. Chicago leads the series 15-13, but the Saints won the last two games. They first met in 1968 when the Bears won 23-17.  Chicago won both of their playoff meetings, the last one in the 2006 NFC Championship game. They are 1-1 in overtime, the last one a 27-24 Bears victory. The only shutout in the series was a 10-0 New Orleans win in 1982. Here's another nugget of trivia. Saints head coach Sean Payton played for the Bears in the 1987 strike shortened season. The Saints played Payton's Bears in Chicago and Payton went 3-11 for 28 yards and an interception. He is definitely a better coach than he was as a player.

Here are some historical scores for teams playing each other today, December 13,

1969  Oakland 10 - Kansas City 6
1970  Atlanta 27 - Pittsburgh 16
1970  Denver 17 - San Diego 17
1980  Washington 16 - New York Giants 13
1981  Dallas 21 - Philadelphia 10
1987  Kansas City 16 - Los Angeles Raiders 10
1987  Cleveland 38 - Cincinnati 24
1997  New York Giants 30 - Washington 10

And in college,

1930 - Army 6 - Navy 0


Finally, congrats to all those who are NaNoWriMo winners!

Have a great weekend!!!

Counting the Days...

With eight days to go for NaNoWriMo, I have a good idea what story wants to be told. It lost the battle for July's Camp NaNoWriMo, but the story that wants to be told is one I started over three years ago, Return To Origin. The story is inspired by one of my favorite History Channel shows, Ancient Aliens.

I started writing this story soon after finishing the first draft of The Curse. Then I made the worst mistake involving Return To Origin. I stopped less than halfway through to begin editing The Curse. Since then, the writing process has sputtered at best. There were other issues, but they're mostly resolved now. However, that's no excuse to stop writing a novel in favor of editing another one.

In December, I have another decision to make. With four novels somewhere in the editing pipeline, should I participate in the April and July Camp NaNoWriMo? If I had to decide now, the answer would be no. However, it depends on how much time the upcoming edits and revamps take.

Speaking of, I'm currently revamping my novella, Rickshaw, New Mexico. So far, there are some minor rephrases and clarifications that were needed. The challenge will be my novel, The Curse, which is getting an overhaul. The story will remain intact. However, as my two-star reviewer said, it needed another edit. He was right and that's what's happening. After Rickshaw, The Hunted is next, followed by The Acts of 1.


Now for some sports trivia...

• Congrats to the Kansas City Royals for winning Game 1 of the World Series. This is their first World Series game they won in 10,587 days.
  
• Since we're counting days, here's another one. It has been 38,725 days since the Chicago Cubs last won the World Series (1908). The days continue.
  
• There are quite a few for football. Here are the teams who never made it to the Super Bowl, with the number of days since their last championship: Detroit Lions - 20,752 days (1957) and the Cleveland Browns - 18,197 (1964). The Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars were born in the Super Bowl era, but never played in one.
  
• For one of the Super Bowl contenders, it has been 19,659 days since the Philadelphia Eagles won an NFL championship (1960).
  
• It's also been a long drought for three former AFL champions. The Buffalo Bills last won the AFL title 17,833 days ago (1965). It's been 18,554 days for the 1963 AFL Champion San Diego Chargers. Finally, the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) won their last AFL title 19,296 days ago (1961).
  
• One of the most famous Super Bowl games, Super Bowl III, it has been 16,720 days since the New York Jets won their only championship.

Counting all these days makes one thirsty. So who's drinking the beer in the cellar in the NFL? Why that would be this week's Kings of the Cellar, the 0-6 Oakland Raiders, who are on a 12 game losing streak and haven't won one since November 17 against the Houston Texans. This week's honorable mention goes to my 2-4 New Orleans Saints. This is a talent laden team who has performed like the New Orleans Saints teams of the 1970's. By no means is the season over nor have the Saints collapsed as past teams have. Unless they get their act together, they will be mentioned here again.

Here are historic scores for teams playing each other this week, October 23,

1955  Chicago Cardinals 24 - Philadelphia 24
1983 - Denver 14 - San Diego 6
1988  Minnesota 49 - Tampa Bay 20
1994  Denver 20 - San Diego 15
2011  Atlanta 23 - Detroit 16
2011  Houston 41 - Tennessee 7


Have a great day!!!

Almost That Time of Year & A Pair of Kings

It's almost that time of year again. No, it's not Halloween, Thanksgiving, or even Christmas. In a few weeks, NaNoWriMo begins. For those of you who don't know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, which occurs each November. Last year, I wrote Second Chance, which is in (I hope) the final editing stages. April and July are Camp NaNoWriMo months and I participated in each, writng Justice in April and Timewatch in July. Both novels are only completed first drafts.

Back in June, I struggled with what I wanted to write versus what wanted to be written. However, this time is much easier. Although I do have a couple of story ideas, such as the sequel to Justice and a story I've been mulling over for some time, there are short stories and two unfinished novels I could complete or transcribe. If I had to decide now, the choice would be to finish and transcribe handwritten stories. I have enough short stories for another book, plus a couple of others I'm thinking about writing. This was the other choice for July's Camp NaNoWriMo.

And then there's the third choice: Don't participate. As previously stated, I have two novels in first draft form that need editing. I'm also revamping or overhauling the books I already published. There's a LOT of editing to do and it may be a better idea to focus on that. There's still time to think about it and I may write one story and edit another.

Let's get to some sports.

Alas, there will be no three-peat. Congratulations to the 64-98 Arizona Diamondbacks. They are the 2014 Kings of the Cellar and all the beer goes to them. The 66-96 Colorado Rockies lost by two games. The 2012 and 2013 champion Houston Astros won enough games to end the season at 70-92.

And now for some football. The 0-5 Jacksonville Jaguars are this week's Kings of the Cellar. They are searching for their first win since December 5. The 0-4 Oakland Raiders are on Jacksonville's tail, going after their first win since November 17. Neither team is expected to win on Sunday. This week's honorable mention goes to the 1-4 Tennessee Titans, who the Jaguars play this week. This should be a fun game to watch. After winning the first game of the season, Tennessee hasn't won since.

The 3-2 Green Bay Packers travel to Miami to take on the 2-2 Dolphins. Miami leads the series 10-3. They last met in 2010, when the Dolphins won in the only overtime game in the series, 23-20. Green Bay last played in Miami in 2006, when Brett Favre led the Packers to its last victory over Joey Harrington and the Dolphins, 34-24. They first met in 1971, when the Dolphins trounced the Packers 27-6. Neither team has ever shut out the other nor have they met in the postseason.

The 2-2 Cleveland Browns, fresh off their record setting comeback win, host the 3-2 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers lead the series 68-57 and barely survived last month's game in Pittsburgh, 30-27. The Browns last beat Pittsburgh in 2012, 20-14. They first met in 1950, when Cleveland won 30-17. They also faced each other in the playoffs twice. The Steelers won the 1995 AFC Divisional Round game 29-9 and the 2003 Wild Card round 36-33. Pittsburgh is 4-1 against the Browns in overtime. They first went to OT in 1978, when the Steelers won 15-9. Their last overtime game was in 2002, when the Steelers won 16-13. Cleveland's only OT victory was in 1986, 37-31. The last time Pittsburgh shut out Cleveland was 31-0 in 2008. The last time Cleveland shut out Pittsburgh was 51-0 in 1989.

If you haven't done so already, please visit my Facebook author page and my Amazon author page, and put a like on each. Thank you for reading my post and thank you for your support.

Until next time...have a great day!!!

What Has Been Written

At the end of June, I was still debating the idea of writing the story I wanted to (Return To Origin) and writing the story that wants to be written (Timewatch), for CampNaNoWriMo. I ended up doing the latter. Timewatch began as the sequel to my ebook, Rickshaw, New Mexico. However, as the story progressed, things went sideways and if you know me, I embrace the sideways.

So what happened?

First of all, I'm technically a CampNaNoWriMo winner, passing the 50,000 word total. However, the story isn't finished. There are several more chapters to write. Rickshaw, New Mexico was only somewhere around 30,000 words, but that doesn't answer the question.

Rickshaw was told from George Foster's point of view. Timewatch isn't. George is in there and has a key role, but he's more of a supporting character. Laura Taylor and Dean Haskell are the main characters of Timewatch, so can you call that a sequel? I can't. It may be sequel-ish, but it's not THE sequel, at least by my definition. A true sequel of Rickshaw would still have to be told from George's point of view. Timewatch could also be a sequel of my short story, A Flash In Time, which is in The Acts of 1 - A Collection of Short Stories. Haskell makes his first appearance in that story. As I said in my last entry, once Timewatch is almost ready for publication, I will publish A Flash In Time by itself. There's plenty of time to decide on the price.

Thank you for your support and readership. Now let's have some fun.

My, how the mighty have fallen. The 43-66 Texas Rangers are Kings of the Cellar, but the 44-65 Colorado Rockies are only a game behind, with the 45-65 two time defending Kings of the Cellar champion Houston Astros making their run at a threepeat. This week's honorable mention is my beloved 58-52 Atlanta Braves. They are 4-8 in their last 12 games, losing four straight.

On a sad note, Indiana Pacers star, Paul George, suffered a possible season ending leg injury in the US National Team's intrasquad scrimmage. Thoughts and prayers go out to him and hope his injury heals quickly.

Congrats to the NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2014! This is an excellent class.

Speaking of the NFL, now that training camp has begun, so have the prognostications. Most of it's crap, but it's still fun to read and write about.


If you haven't done so already, please visit my Facebook author page and my Amazon author page, and put a like on each. Thank you for reading my post and thank you for your support.

What You Want To Write vs What Wants To Be Written

Here we go again. This post started as another post on my Facebook author page and became too long. As July's Camp NaNoWriMo approaches, there is a conflict. I haven't decided on which story to write yet, but it boils down to this: There is the story I want to finish writing (Return To Origin) and the story that wants to be written (Timewatch).

After finishing the first draft of The Curse in 2011, I began to write Return To Origin, which was the story that wanted to be written at the time. However, I made the mistake of stopping to start editing The Curse. Since then, I worked on Return To Origin a bit at a time, but the first draft is nowhere near finished.

Then there's the sequel to the short story, The Immortals, and my novel, The Curse, titled Caretaker. The Immortals is in The Acts of 1. I started Caretaker after finishing the first draft of Rickshaw, New Mexico. At the time, this was my best first draft. However, as with Return To Origin, I stopped. Why? Because The Curse needed, yet again, more editing. As with Return To Origin, the first draft of Caretaker is nowhere near finished. My ideal reader wants me to finish both of these stories.

Here's the point. Whenever there is a conflict between what you want to write and what wants to be written, choose the story that wants to be written. That's where your mind and heart are. Once you start, do not stop until the story is finished. That's the mistake I made with Return To Origin and with Caretaker, and that is why their first drafts remain incomplete.

If I had to choose now, instead of Return To Origin, July's Camp NaNoWriMo project will be Timewatch. It's the story that wants to be told. So far. there are only a few disjointed scenes, including Woodrow and Janowski (from A Flash In Time) going through the swamps of 1753 of what will be Chalmette, Louisiana, searching for legendary swamp demons. The scene may go into the story and it may not. Obviously, new characters will be introduced and maybe even surprise appearances by characters from some of my other stories.

Also, if Timewatch turns out to be the story I write next month, then I will publish A Flash In Time (from The Acts of 1) by itself. At this time, I haven't decided whether to charge 99 cents or make the short story permafree. A Flash In Time is my oldest story idea, beginning when I was sixteen years old. It's about a retail manager who, on the night of December 28, 1999, is driving home from work in the middle of a thunderstorm and in a flash, it's a sunny Friday afternoon in September 2011. As with George Foster in Rickshaw, New Mexico, Bryan Mixon has no idea how he got there or how he'll get home. Although George's and Bryan's situations are similar, their stories are different. If published, the cover of A Flash In Time will most likely be done with Amazon's Cover Creator.

If you haven't done so already, please visit my Facebook author page and my Amazon author page, and put a like on each.

Have a great day!!!

Rickshaw, New Mexico Review (and Sequel?)

This started as an entry on my Facebook author page and quickly became too long to post there. Now I can go into more detail.

Yesterday, I was reading through and reviewing the first draft of a novel I'm thinking about finishing next month, titled Return To Origin. If I choose to write it for next month's JuNoWriMo challenge (July Camp National Novel Writing Month), there are a few changes that will be made. One of my bad habits when writing is to fool around on the internet (and yes, on Facebook, too). You know, how are sales? How are my books' rankings? Are there any new reviews? While expecting the usual answer of nothing, somebody posted a 5-star review of my ebook, Rickshaw, New Mexico. The reviewer's name is TXBkLvr and thank you for your review. Here is what TXBkLvr wrote:

Maybe I shouldn't have given this 5 stars. It was, after all, rather tidy the way it wrapped up. But it was so much fun to read! Time Travel is one of my favorite genres but it's gotten old in a lot of books lately. The same old story with a different cover. The way it happened here was fresh and interesting.

The writing was very well done. I didn't see any typos or misspellings. If there were any I was reading too fast to notice them.

If you like time travel, old westerns, and thrillers, this is a book for you. I hope there's a sequel. 

Hmm...this is the second consecutive review of Rickshaw that talks about a sequel. George Foster's story has been told, but there are a couple of other characters whose stories are nowhere near done. Actually, one of the two characters first appeared in my short story, A Flash In Time, which is in my ebook, The Acts of 1 - A Collection of Short Stories. So in a way, Rickshaw is a sequel to A Flash In Time. Maybe it's time to publish A Flash In Time by itself.

To be honest, since AndyB's review of Rickshaw, I've been toying with the idea of writing a sequel. In fact, over the past couple of weeks, I've even written scenes, including one addressing "the George Foster incident." The current scene I'm working on is mentioned in the final scene of Rickshaw. No spoilers here. In the scenes I've written so far, two characters from Rickshaw and two more from A Flash In Time appear.

When I decide to write a story, there is usually have a beginning and end, laced with a few specific outcomes in the story. For this one, which the working title will be Timewatch, all I have is a few scenes. Then again, all I had when I wrote my Camp NaNoWriMo novel in April (titled Justice) was a beginning and an end. There was nothing in between.

So here's the point. Which book do I write next month? Do I finish the one I started in 2011 immediately after finishing the first draft of The Curse (Return To Origin) or do I write the sequel to A Flash In Time and Rickshaw, New Mexico (Timewatch)? That's the burning question right now and the answer at the moment is, I don't know. There is a little more than a week left to decide. I may post a little bit about each book and let you decide. Again, thank you, TXBkLvr, for posting your review of Rickshaw!!

In the meantime, be sure to click the links on this post and please visit and put a like on my Facebook author page and my Amazon author page.

Have a great day!!!

Updates, Trivia, and Musings

Boy, has it been busy. I keep wondering if I can come back to posting something here every day, but the demands of writing and editing my stories are taking too much time. I even thought about starting another blog to cover the writing and keep this one just for sports trivia. The final decision is still pending.

So what's been going on?

My upcoming ebook, Second Chance, is near completion. After the final edits, all that's left are a blurb and cover. Once the book is complete, it will be available for the Kindle and Print On Demand via Createspace. Second Chance is about a man, Gus Harrison, who is 46 years old and obsesses about and lives in the past. He would give anything to go back and save the life of the woman he loved, Penny Neal. On a fateful night in 1987, after breaking up with Gus, Penny's date with her new boyfriend goes horribly wrong and she died in a dormitory stairwell. To make matters worse, Gus's best friend became an alcoholic and later died. Since Penny's death, Gus thought of nothing but his life before Penny's death. One fateful evening, he got his chance to go back in time. What happened next? Once it's published, buy the book and find out.

July's Camp NaNoWriMo is almost upon us. Instead of writing something new, I decided to finish a novel I started after finishing the first draft of The Curse in 2011. The story is titled, Return To Origin. It's a science fiction story inspired by episodes of Ancient Aliens, which I'm a fan. The word count will be a cheat in the beginning and although my goal is 50,000 words, the story may end up being much longer than that. The pre-camp prep work has already begun. Now before you shake your head about the word count, I have an obligation that will take me away from writing during the first week. Besides, I'm tired of this incomplete story being in the pipeline, waiting to be done. It's way past time to finish the first draft.

Last night, a scene went through my head. It involved characters from my short story, A Flash In Time, a story published in The Acts of 1 - A Collection of Short Stories. The scene takes place in 1753. I wrote it out and it's not bad. It's short enough to be a flash fiction story right now, but could grow into more.

Now lets get down to some sports trivia, specifically the Last Place Update. When I last posted, the Houston Astros were on pace to three-peat, but since then they did something unfamiliar to them in recent years: winning. In fact, the Astros are nowhere near the Update's radar. So who are the Kings of the Cellar? It's the 24-41 Tampa Bay Devil Rays! They're 1-9 in their last ten games and 1-13 since May 26. However, they are ahead of the 1962 Mets, who were 18-47 after 65 games and already past the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who won only 20 games that year. The Mets lead the 25-36 Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies by three games. The 33-27 Detroit Tigers get the honorable mention. The Tigers are 3-7 in their last ten games and 6-15 since May 19.

Speaking of trivia, today in 1962, the New York Mets split a double-header with the Chicago Cubs. They played a five game series that weekend, and believe it or not, the hapless Mets won that weekend series 3-2.

Finally, here's some seriously old school baseball trivia. Today in 1918, in a defensive struggle, Bullet Joe Bush pitched the Boston Red Sox to victory over manager Pants Rowland's Chicago White Sox, 1-0. Both starting pitchers pitched complete games and their performances would have been dominating today. Bush struck out six and only allowed three hits. LP Frank Shellenback struck out four and only allowed two hits. The game also featured players with unique names, such as Bullet Joe, Stuffy McInnis, and a young player by the name of Babe Ruth, for the Red Sox, and Chick Gandil (from the Black Sox scandal the next year), Nemo Liebold, and Happy Felsch, for the White Sox. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series that year and wouldn't win another until 2004. For more about this game visit Baseball-Reference.com or the box score here.

Have a great day!!

A Few Thoughts

Happy Tuesday! Hope all of you had a great Mother's Day. I just wanted to post a few things.

Camp NaNoWriMo was a success. My project (the working title is "Justice") was finished on April 30 and the first draft ended up being over 59,000 words. In the rush to finish the first draft, I inadvertently left out some things which will be added in the second draft. Now I have two completed drafts in the pipeline.

My second novel, Second Chance, is still in the editing process, but it's not far from being completed. Unlike my other books, the cover will be the difficult part. I used Amazon's Cover Creator on The Hunted and Rickshaw, New Mexico, but there's nothing useful for Second Chance.

The Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps will feature its alumni hornline at the Show of Shows contest in June. I'm hoping to go and participate, but my chances are slim.

I'm thinking about redesigning this blog site to make it more dynamic. There are some excellent Blogger sites out there. I haven't posted much of anything here in some time, but it doesn't mean I'm abandoning the blog. Each trivia post is a time consuming project and I've been focusing on writing and editing my stories.

Speaking of trivia...

The 12-27 Houston Astros have confiscated the beer and are once again, Kings of the Cellar. They lead the 13-24 Chicago Cubs by two games, with the 15-26 Arizona Diamondbacks riding alongside the Cubs.

Again, hopefully more entries will be coming and I'll let you know if or when the redesign is coming.

Have a great day!!!!

Camp NaNoWriMo

If you're a sports trivia fan and see the title, you're asking yourself what that is. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, which is held every November (Don't worry. There will be sports trivia entries in this post). The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. I participated last year and achieved my word count and completion goals. There are two Camp NaNoWriMo months before the big one and they are in April and July. I'm participating in this month's writing challenge.

So far, this challenge is going like November's did. I fell behind early and am struggling to catch up. The word count is just short of 25,000. This is also the first project I started that has no title. I usually have the title before the writing begins. The story is a paranormal murder mystery, my first attempt with murder mysteries.

Sports Trivia

See? I told you there would be sports trivia. Let's catch up a little.

Congrats to the 2014 NBA Kings of the Cellar Champions, the 15-67 Milwaukee Bucks. They finished the season with a 1-9 record, losing three straight. The 1973 Philadelphia 76ers record of futility is safe for another year.

As a rule, I don't start the MLB Kings of the Cellar competition in baseball until May. However, assuming I can start and continue these posts, the 4-14 Arizona Diamondbacks would enjoy the beer in the cellar this week. After winning two in a row, the Diamondbacks lost six straight.

Today in 1914, the Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the New York Giants 9-6. The game went back and forth until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Brooklyn had a five run rally and went ahead to stay. John McGraw's Giants went to 0-3, tied for last place in the NL with the Boston Braves (Note: The 0-3 Braves went on to win the World Series that year). Wilbert Robinson's Dodger's went to 3-0. A couple of notable stats, LP Christy Mathewson went to 0-1 for the Giants and Casey Stengel batted 0-4 for the Dodgers.

Today in 1947, solo homeruns by Roy Cullenbine and Pat Mullin were all the Detroit Tigers needed to beat the Cleveland Indians 2-0. WP Virgil Trucks struck out five and went to 1-0.

Today in 1972, RBI singles by Mickey Rivers and WP Nolan Ryan were all the California Angels needed to beat the Minnesota Twins 2-0. Ryan allowed only four hits, struck out 10, and went to 1-0.

Today in 1993, a five run first inning and a six run fourth inning weren't enough for the Atlanta Braves to hold off the San Francisco Giants. They were tied 11-11 and went to extra innings. At the bottom of the 11th inning, Matt Williams hit a solo homerun to win the game for the Giants.

If you want to see the box scores for these and other games, visit BaseballReference.com.

Other Stuff

So why the huge dropoff in blog entries? I've been writing and editing my e-books and have had less time to dedicate here. When I did a "Today in" entry, it took at least two hours to complete, as did some of the other type of trivia entries. Of course, there was a lot more detail than in today's entry. Does this mean it's time to close up shop here? The answer is a resounding no. There is some good trivia here and I still enjoy writing this blog.

If time allows, I'll start doing traditional entries again. However, in case this is how things are going to be, I tried something new in this post with the "Today in" entries. They didn't take nearly as long, which may do the trick. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Have a great day!!!

Some NFL Series Trivia - Week 13

Although it's Week 13, this is the first series trivia entry of the 2013 season. Let's get started.

Jacksonville vs Cleveland - The Jaguars lead the series 9-5, but Cleveland is 5-3 against Jacksonville since 2001. However, the Jags lead the series in the Dawg Pound 5-2. Jacksonville dominated the beginning of this series, going 6-0 the first three seasons they played each other. They first met in 1995. Jacksonville won 23-15. They last met in 2011, with Cleveland winning 14-10. They never met in the postseason nor have they gone to overtime. The only shutout in the series was a 48-0 pasting by the Jaguars over the Browns in 2000.

Chicago vs Minnesota - The Vikings lead the series 53-50-2, but the Bears are 7-2 against Minnesota since 2009. The Vikings also lead the series at home, 32-21 and are 8-3 at home against the Bears since 2002. They first met in 1961, when Chicago won 37-13. They went to overtime four times. THe Bears trail the series 1-3, but won the last overtime game in 2009, 36-30. They met once in the postseason. The Bears won that game, 35-18. The last time Chicago shut out Minnesota was 23-0 in 1986. The last time Minnesota shut out Chicago was 17-0 in 1974. Their last tie was 10-10 in 1967.

Arizona vs Philadelphia -  In a battle of former NFC East opponents, the Cardinals lead the series 57-54-5 and are 4-1 against the Eagles, winning three straight since 2009. However, Philadelphia leads the series at home 28-27-3, going 3-2 against Arizona since 2000. They first met in 1935, when the Chicago Cardinals beat the Eagles 12-3. They first played in Philadelphia in 1937, which ended in a 6-6 tie. They went to overtime three times and have a 1-1-1 record. They last met in overtime in 1998, with Arizona winning 20-17. They met in the postseason three times, all of them deciding the NFL or NFC Championship. The Cardinals lead the postseason series 2-1 and were NFL Champions in 1947, defeating the Eagles 28-21. Arizona won the NFC Championship in 2008 and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. The last time the Eagles shut out the Cardinals, Philadelphia shut out the St, Louis Cardinals 38-0 in 1981. The only time the Cardinals shut out the Eagles, the Chicago Cardinals shut out Philadelphia 13-0 in 1936. Their last tie was 10-10 in 1986.

New England vs Houston - The Patriots lead the series 4-1, only losing to the Texans in 2010. The series is tied 1-1 in Houston. They first met in 2003, which was their only overtime game. New England won that game 23-20. They met in the postseason once, which was a 41-28 Patriot victory last year. There are no shutouts in the series.

Tennessee vs Indianapolis - The Colts lead the series 24-14 and are 9-2 against the Titans, winning the last four games. Indianapolis also leads the series at home 14-7 and are 9-1 against Tennessee since 2002. They first met in 1970, when the Baltimore Colts defeated the Houston Oilers 24-20.  They went to overtime twice and have a 1-1 record. Indy won the last OT in 2012, 19-13. They met in the postseason once, in the 1999 season when Tennessee defeated Indianapolis 19-16, on their way to becoming Super Bowl XXXIV Champions. The only shutout in the series was a 23-0 Colts victory in 2008.

Tampa Bay vs Carolina - The Panthers lead the series 15-11, but the Bucs are 4-3 against Carolina since 2010. Carolina also leads the series at home, 7-6, but that series is tied 4-4 since 2005. They first met in 1995, when Tampa Bay won 20-13. They never met in the postseason, but they did go to overtime twice and have a 1-1 record. The last time they went to overtime was in 2012, when the Buccaneers won 27-21. The only shutout in the series was a 24-0 win by Tampa Bay in 1996.

Miami vs New York Jets - New York leads the series 49-45-1, but the series is tied 3-3 since 2010. The Jets also lead the series at home 27-20, going 4-1 since 2008. They first met in 1966, when the Jets beat the Dolphins 19-14. They met in the postseason once, in the 1982 AFC Championship game. Miami won 23-0 and went on to lose Super Bowl XVII to the Washington Redskins. This was also the last time Miami shut out the Jets. They went to overtime six times. New York owns the overtime series 5-0-1. They last went to overtime in 2012, when the Jets won 23-20. The last time the Jets shut out the Dolphins, was 24-0 in 2001. Their only tie was 28-28 in 1981.

Atlanta vs Buffalo - The Falcons lead the series 6-4, winning the last three. However, Buffalo leads the series at home 3-2, but they're 1-2 against Atlanta in Rich Stadium since 1992. They first met in 1973, when the Bills won 17-6. They never met in the postseason nor have they gone to overtime. The only shutout in the series was in 1977, when the Bills won 3-0.

St. Louis vs San Francisco - The 49ers lead the series 63-62-3, but trail the Rams 8-2-1 since 2008. The series is tied 32-32-1 in San Francisco, but the 49ers are 8-2-1 at home since 2002. They first met in 1950, when the Los Angeles Rams won 35-14. They met once in the postseason, when the 49ers won 30-3. They went to overtime three times. St. Louis leads that series 2-1. They last went to overtime in 2012, when the Rams won 16-13. The last time the 49ers shut out the Rams was 26-0 in 2011. The Rams have never shut out the 49ers.

Denver vs Kansas City - The Chiefs lead the series 56-51, but the Broncos are 9-4 since 2007, winning the last three. Kansas City also leads the series at home 36-17, but Denver is 4-2 in Arrowhead Stadium since 2007. They first met in 1960, when the Dallas Texans beat the Broncos, 17-14. They met in the postseason once, in 1997, when Denver won 14-10, and went on to win Super Bowl XXXII over the Green Bay Packers. They went to overtime five times, with the Broncos leading the series 4-1. They last went to overtime in 2006. Denver won 9-6. The last time Denver shut out Kansas City was 21-0 in 1984. The last time Kansas City shut out Denver was 16-0 in 1970.

Cincinnati vs San Diego - The Chargers lead the series 19-13, but Cincinnati won the last two meetings. San Diego also leads the series at home 10-6 and are 5-2 against the Bengals there since 1992. They first met in 1968, when the Chargers won 29-13. They met in the postseason once, in the 1981 AFC Championship game. The Bengals won 27-7 and went on to lose to San Francisco in Super Bowl XVI. They never went to overtime. The only shutout in the series was a 31-0 Bengals win in 1971.

New York Giants vs Washington - The Giants lead the series 93-65-4, but Washington is 3-1 in the last four meetings. However, Washington trails the series at home, 37-42-2, but they won the last home meetings. They first met in 1932, when the then Boston Braves beat the Giants 14-6. They met in the postseason twice and have a 1-1 record. Their last posteason game was in 1986, when the Giants won 17-0, on their way to beating the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI. They went to overtime four times, with the Redskins leading the series 2-1-1. They last went to overtime in 2003, when New York won, 24-21. The last time the Giants shut out the Redskins was 36-0 in 2005. The last time the Redskins shut out the Giants 27-0 in 1979. In a trivia twist, their only other postseason meeting, a divisional playoff game in 1943, was also a shutout, this time, with Washington winning 28-0.

New Orleans Saints vs Seattle Seahawks - The series is tied 6-6, but Seattle is 4-2 against the Saints since 2000. The Seahawks lead the series at home 4-3 and are 3-1 since 2000. They first met in 1976, when the Saints won 56-27. They never went to overtime, but they did meet in the postseason once, in 2011, when Seattle ran all over New Orleans and won 41-36. There are no shutouts in the series.

The 2-9 Houston Texans are this week's Kings of the Cellar and the 5-6-1 Green Bay Packers are the Honorable Mention until Aaron Rodgers returns.

On a different subject, I completed my NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge with a day to spare. The first draft of my second novel, Second Chance, is complete. My next goal is to finish the final draft of my novella, Rickshaw, New Mexico, and publish it before Christmas.


Here are some historical scores for this week's games played December 1,

1963   Minnesota 17 - Chicago 17
1963   Los Angeles Rams 21 - San Francisco 17
1968   New York Jets 35 - Miami 17
1994   Minnesota 33 - Chicago 27 OT
1996   Tampa Bay 24 - Carolina 0
1996   Baltimore 31 - Pittsburgh 17

What's Been Going On Lately?

It's been a few months since my last entry. I apologize to those of you who enjoyed my posts. It's not that I lost interest in writing a blog. The task of writing editing my ebooks has been taking more of my time.

Since my last entry, I released my ebook novelette, The Hunted. The link takes you to the Amazon page. If you have a NOOK, it's The Hunted. Right now, I'm working on a NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) project, titled Second Chance.

So will there be more entries? Probably. When I start again, there may be some changes so the entries won't interfere with my other writing, but am not sure what they'll be.

Thanks for reading these posts over the years and I hope more will be coming soon. Just for the fun of it, here are a few historical NFL scores.

On this day, November 20,

1955  Cleveland 41 - Pittsburgh 14
1960  Pittsburgh 14 - Cleveland 10
1964  Boston Patriots 12 - Denver 7
1977  Detroit 16 - Tampa Bay 7
1977  New Orleans 21 - Atlanta 20
1988  Cleveland 27 - Pittsburgh 7

The Jacksonville Jaguars would be this week's Kings of the Cellar, with the NFC East getting the honorable mention over an underachieving Atlanta Falcons team. In that group of scores, the game of the day would have been the 1977 Saints/Falcons game. Atlanta led 20-7 at halftime and Archie Manning brought the Saints back by throwing two touchdown passes to Henry Childs to win the game.

Have a great day!!!