Welcome Back

It is great to have Archer’s BBQ back in West Knoxville!

Lisa and I dropped by the new store, located at 10205 (next to Fedex Kinkos) on Monday evening to herald the opening of our favorite restaurant this week - a mere 10 minutes’ drive from our house.

The warm, juicy Memphis-style barbecue - topped by our choice of tangy, fresh-made sauces and served with tasty sides - was wonderful as always.

To recap, you might recall Archer opened his first shop in the heart of Farragut in February 2011 and stayed there until July 31, 2012.

After nearly a year-and-a-half of operation at the original spot, he moved to the Bearden location, situated at 5415 Kingston Pike. He made that move in August 2012. From there, he launched a Karns store (7650 Oak Ridge Highway) in January 2013 and, in October of last year, a Powell location (6714 Central Avenue Pike).

In the years since he left the original location, we have continued to be loyal followers (and we have ‘followed’ Archer’s by eating at the other locations). Still, there is nothing quite like being able to phone in a take-out order and then dropping by a couple minutes later to pick it up.

And since Archer’s was always our go-to for a quick and delicious bite near-by, it will now return to that status.  If you haven’t had a chance to check out Archer’s, consider this my whole-hearted endorsement. If you are a lover of barbecue, I recommend that you give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Holly has worked for Archer, now, on three different occasions. Originally, she worked for him at the Farragut store. When she left to go to France the first time, her study-abroad in Pau, she turned in her notice.

Then, as his operation expanded, he hired her to come back last year when she basically served as a courier, taking needed items from his commissary location to the various sites.  When she went back to France last September, she bid her work in the barbecue field a fond ‘adieu’ but then she has been working for Archer, again, this summer. 

He has been a good employer for her. And now, as she heads to grad school next month, she’ll wrap up her latest stint as a Q-runner. The timing is noteworthy. In her last week of work for him, she helped at the new   location.

I’m thrilled to throw a Coach Jeff’s Blog shout out to Archer and his crew in the first week of operation of the West Knoxville store. I have a feeling the new site will do quite well since he has built such a loyal following in this community.

So with that, I will close with these two simple but heart-felt words: Welcome Back!

JG

Originally posted 7/23/2014

Lawyers in Love

Last night I watched the news from Washington, the capitol
The Russians escaped while we weren’t watching them, like Russians will

Well, it sure seems we are right back there, doesn’t it?

Nearly 25 years after the fall of the Berlin wall and the symbolic end of the Cold War, things have gotten downright chilly here in the Summer of ’14.  Just when it seemed a few years ago, that we might never have to worry about the things that troubled us during the childhoods of people in my generation, it seems our world has moved closer and closer to that place again.

The downing of MH 17 last week over Ukraine, the sight of the battle between pro-Russian rebels and the Ukrainian government, has punctuated this fact. No matter which version of the story you believe as to why a plane filled with 298 innocent people was shot down - and even as the administration said late today that there is no evidence of direct Russian involvement  - you know in your heart of hearts that it is somehow related to the ongoing crisis there.

Somehow

Jackson Browne released his album, “Lawyers in Love” in August 1983. The title track was the first released single.

I remember it was all over the radio late that summer. Even though it wasn’t his most critically acclaimed or commercially successful song, it was catchy.

At the height of the Cold War, there were many pop and rock songs that reflected the angst of the times. Holly often asks what was going on in the world in 1982 and ‘83 when we had those songs on the radio.

• Eye in the Sky
• Who Can it Be
• Somebody’s Watching Me

I think those tunes reflected an underlying unease of the times. It was the 80s version of duck and cover. That was the reality for those of us who were in college at the times.

The line about ‘the Russians’ was particularly poignant to me when I heard the news from Washington about the downing of Korean Airlines 007 on September 1, 1983. The plane strayed into Soviet territory and was shot down by a Soviet fighter jet, killing all 269 on board.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago when I heard the song playing on one of the SiriusXM satellite radio channels – maybe 80s on 8. I hadn’t thought of that song in years but I thought of it again when the eery details emerged about the downing of MH 17. 

Sometimes when you hear the news from Washington, it is devastating.

We are still eating tv dinners from trays; but these are not happy days.

JG

Originally posted 7/22/2014

Canoe 2

Late last summer – it was actually very close to fall – Holly persuaded me to go canoeing with her. As I mentioned at the time, it was a fun and amazing experience.

I had never canoed before but I picked up the basics fairly quickly. Holly had done canoe trips, in particular, when she was a middle schooler at the Episcopal School of Knoxville.  She is a good teacher and she taught me well.

As she was preparing to head to France last September, we put a number of items on our to-do list and we checked most of them off before she headed to Cherbourg in 2013. The canoe outing was a highlight.

Fast forward to late summer 2014 as she prepares to leave town again. She’ll be heading to grad school in a couple weeks. Fortunately for ‘the parents,’ she’ll be in the Lower 48.

But, as that departure date creeps ever closer, we have developed another ‘to do list’ and we have been checking off those items as well. On Saturday night, for example, we attended Shakespeare on the Square. We enjoyed the performance of “Much Ado About Nothing” produced by the Tennessee Stage Company.

Then, yesterday, we made plans to go for our second canoe trip. Or, as we might call it here in Coach Jeff’s Blog: “Canoe 2: Back to The Cove. 

As I sit here typing this evening, I can tell you that I am physically tired. Canoe 2 really took it out of both of us. I think there are a number of reasons this year’s event was more physically taxing than last year’s event.

• September vs. July – Last year, our inaugural canoe event was a low humidity day. Yesterday, it felt like we hit ‘the wall of humidity’ when we were out on the lake.
• Early morning vs. Mid afternoon – Last fall, we were able to time our trip for early morning vs. mid-afternoon. We were planning to go early again – on Saturday – but got rained out. Not only did this allow us to go out on the water at a cooler time, it was also much less crowded which made it challenging to get into the water (and then out).
• Choppy – There were a number of larger vessels on the water yesterday. I’m sure area boaters were happy to see the sun pop out Sunday after such a rainy Saturday.  The high number of motorboats on the lake created quite a bit of wake. This made navigation a bit more challenging for a couple rusty paddlers!

Still, despite those challenges, we had a blast. It was a great father-daughter outing.

Holly tells me that parents shouldn’t be sentimental, so I’ll write around that part and just say that it is always fun to spend special time together. And yesterday, we had the challenge of navigating out and making our way back. As I mentioned before, there was quite a crowd at The Cove yesterday.

By twisting and turning around a number of objects and other boaters while fighting our way against a strong current, we overcame a number of obstacles. Not only did we have a fun time but we also convinced ourselves we can beat the odds through perseverance.

Talk about a confidence boost; talk about a great metaphor for a young person who is again ready to head out into the world.

JG

Originally posted 7/21/2014

On va aux Expos

One of the biggest surprises that came out of this year’s MLB All Star Game festivities was Commissioner Bud Selig’s statement that Montreal might be a viable location for a major league team in the not-so-distant future.

If you have followed baseball over the last few years, you probably know that the MLB team formerly known as the Montreal Expos is now sporting its “curly W” and #natitude down the coast in D. C. as the Washington Nationals. The Nats began play in 2005 after relocating from Quebec.

The last few years the Expos played at the old, cavernous Olympic Stadium were depressing. Dwindling crowds and middling interest doomed the club to failure. At one point, they were even on a short list of teams bound for ‘contraction.’

Many baseball aficionados will tell you the bi-lingual ballclub was doomed after the strike-shortened 1994 season. At that point, the Expos were riding high; rolling to first place in the N.L. East when the season was abruptly halted in August. By the time the games returned the following season, it’s like the last bit of enthusiasm for the game had been drained from the Montreal fans.

Efforts to develop a new, modern downtown stadium were met with an air of N'importe quoi…

By the time we visited Montreal in ’96 and saw them lose a Sunday afternoon game to the Dodgers, the atmosphere was surreal.

Costumed characters roamed the stands, patrons were treated to a unique collection of jarring sound-effects via the public address system and many fans in attendance were more interested in following the action of their beloved Canadiens hockey club than watching the game on the field.

It was hard to believe, at that point, that On va aux Expos!

Fast forward to 2014 and it seems there is a groundswell of grass roots support to bring the game back to the city. Led by former Expo star Warren Cromartie, the Montreal Baseball Project has rallied interest. Two exhibition games this spring – featuring the near-by Toronto Blue Jays – brought more than 95,000 enthusiastic Quebecois to the ballpark.

The Commish took notice.

With the Tampa franchise failing to draw fans to its own cavernous dome – and also failing to draw interest for a new ballpark – it could be a candidate for relocation. Enter the enthusiastic Quebeccers. We’ve not reached the point of saying it’s a home run, yet, but let’s just say MLB is in the “It might be, it could be…” phase.

I didn’t realize what a rich baseball tradition the city held. The Montreal Baseball Project website outlines the details. Apart from the Expos, which did have some reasonable success over the years, the city has definitely supported the game for quite a long period of time.

Maybe it could do so again? Peut-être.

JG

Originally posted 6/17/2014

Breath of Fresh Air

People exclaimed; animals frolicked.

A lady chatted excitedly on her cellphone as she headed from her car to the office; a couple friends took their lunch outside under the dome of an electric blue sky.

A bunch of buddies chatted about this wonderful weather and the possibility of record low temperatures tomorrow morning.

Folks, this is July only…it’s not.

Or rather, this sure doesn’t feel like July. It felt like an autumn morning when you stepped outside today. But, if you look to the trees, everything is still green. Not a hint of a single falling amber leaf.

Call it the polar vortex or a polar inversion or just that a storm front passed through yesterday and brought pleasant temperatures and low humidity. Whatever the case, I think we could all get used to this. And the beauty of it is this just isn’t a one-day occurrence.

The nice stuff stays with us at least until the weekend.

This is the case across the entire eastern two thirds of the country. The Home Run Derby in Minnesota on Monday night was played under record low temperatures for said event. It’s quite possible that the temps were equally brisk for last night’s All Star Game.

In North Carolina, my friend Ed reports similar weather – except they are a day behind us. From Memphis television stations, reporters tweeted about temps in the 50s. There might have even been a twinge of the white stuff along the northern tier of states.

All this comes halfway through a month more known for swimming than skating; for fireworks more than frost.

I’ve given up trying to describe the weather in East Tennessee or trying to understand the meteorological changes that drive it.  Weather is as weather does. It was hot on Monday; it’s not today. It rained yesterday; it’s dry today.

That’s East Tennessee for you.

Just enjoy!

JG

Originally posted 7/16/2014

ASG 2014

If you’re a baseball fan like me, this is one of the best days of the year.

Tonight is the MLB All Star Game in Minneapolis; a night when the game’s biggest and brightest stars converge on one location. For our family, it has always been a fun time to get together and share special times.

Twice in our recent memory, the All Star Game fell during our summer vacation and we built our trip itinerary around being back in our room in time to watch the big game. In other years, we’ve made plans to be home together, as we are tonight, to enjoy the festivities. We did the same, last night, for the Home Run Derby.

Don’t tell Paul but next year’s game will be played, near-by, at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. He might begin lobbying efforts for a July 2015 roadtrip right away!

As for this year’s game, it’s the 85th edition of the best pro ‘exhibition’ game there is.  Coming into tonight’s play, the series is almost evenly split in terms of wins and losses. The N.L. has won 43 times and the A.L. has 39 wins.  There have been two ties in history.

The Nationals won three in a row before last year’s A.L. victory. Prior to that mini-run, the American League had been on quite a roll dating to the late 90s.

The thing I love most about the game is seeing all the teams represented on the rosters. And, it’s very exciting when the players representing YOUR team have their moment in the spotlight.

That spotlight will be a little cooler, temperature-wise. With this nice weather respite the eastern two-thirds of the country is enjoying, the game could experience record-low temps.

It’s cool, too, to see the various parks represented. MLB has done a great job of spreading around the host sites for the ASG. With the advent of ‘modern’ ballparks, beginning in the early 1990s, the league has done a great job of showcasing these facilities (such as tonight’s game at Target Field and the aforementioned 2015 All Star Game at the GABP).

Thinking strategically, if that practice continues, you’d expect to see upcoming games located in places like Nationals Park (D.C.), Citizen’s Bank Park (Philly) and the new Yankee Stadium. South Florida has never played host to the game, so Marlins Park is another option.

There will be stars and heroes on the field tonight. Some great All Star game memories will be made. Then, the game will pause for the rest of the All Star break before the second of half this very interesting 2014 season resumes on Friday.

JG

Originally posted 7/15/2014

Happy (Belated) Birthday

Today is the birthday for a number of my friends, so I want to give a Happy Birthday shout out to each and every one of them.

Somehow, some way, I missed one birthday this summer. Amidst all the coverage of the FIFA World Cup last month – along with the hustle/bustle of a busy summer, I missed this detail.  Donald Duck celebrated his 80th birthday last month.

There was no grand pronouncement; no major celebration. The birthday happened on June 9. I wish I would’ve known. I would’ve celebrated the big day by wearing my Donald Duck tie!

I didn’t find out about the birthday until I saw a strange advertisement in my Facebook feed for a specially minted Australian coin over the weekend. Because nothing says ‘Happy Birthday’ to a cartoon character than some currency from Down Under!

Because I know the Swedes – Scandinavia in general – have adopted Donald Duck, aka Kalle Anka, as their favorite Disney character, I thought there might have been some sort of special celebration in the northlands. That thought led me to an internet search. No such thing.

I did see a few references to Kalle Anka’s birthday on some Scandinavian websites but it certainly seems as though the big 8-0 went mostly unnoticed there as well. 

My theory is that Donald Duck is overshadowed by the other Disney characters. Maybe this is why I took a liking to him. For the ‘old school’ crowd, nothing says Disney like searching for all the ‘hidden Mickeys’ around the park. In the new generation, there are more charismatic heroes and pretty princesses to adore. The venerable ol’ quacker just seems to be largely ignored.

We won’t let the occasion pass here on Coach Jeff’s Blog….even if we are a few weeks late.

So with that, Happy Belated Birthday, Kalle Anka! Here’s to four score (and four score more).

JG

Originally posted 7/14/2014