Thoughts

Some random thoughts for a Saturday morning.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson thinks LeBron James was treated like "a runaway slave" during his recent free agent signing escapade that took him out of Cleveland and into Miami.

How man $100 million runaway slaves do you know?

Table games have finally come to Pennsylvania casinos. Deal me out.

Good news. Gas prices are expected to hold steady for the rest of the summer.

One of my biggest thrills whenever I visited Yankee Stadium was hearing the booming "Voice from Above," Bob Sheppard announcing the lineups. Nobody else did it quite like him. He was the best.

Love him or hate him,, George Steinbrenner knew how to field a winner. And he put fans in the stadium like no other franchise in any sport. I'll miss "The Boss". He was one of the most colorful people in sports history. I'll miss him because he made winners out of my favorite team, The Yankees. But then again, I never had to work for him, and unlike Billy Martin, I wasn't fired five times by him.

Another thought. How do you think things will go when Steinbrenner and Martin are reunited in heaven? Oh, you don't think Steinbrenner's going to heaven. You must be a Boston fan.

A new line of shoes have been named after Nobel Prize winning novelist Ernest Hemingway. They're to be worn without socks, just the way Hemingway liked to attire himself.

Think a pair of those shoes would help to finally get me inspird to write the next great American novel?

Soon you will see in Pennsylvania grocery stores machines that dispense various kind of bottled wines. This is a big step for Pennsylvania and its archaic liquor laws. Several stores throughout the state have already had the machines installed.

But before you can purchase your favorite vintage, customers must first swipe their driver's license into the machine, look into a camera to show someone in Harrisburgh that they're over 21, and then blow into a breath sensor to prove they are sober enough to make the purchase.

Having to go through all that, just for a bottle of wine, I believe I'll continue to buy my bread and eggs at the grocery store, but I'll continue to buy my wine at a State Liquor Store.

I'll buy wine in grocery stories when I'll be able to just pluck it off the shelf like a quart of milk.

Fidel Castro returned to the public this week, via the airwaves, on Cuban TV, after he was out of public view for four years because of deteriorating health.

To tell you the truth, I forgot the old dictator was still alive.

The three "Twilight" movies that are the rage of all the younger set, have rekindled the vampire craze of 60 years ago. For me, I still prefer the old, grainy black-and-white films of Bela Lugosi.

Why is it when we don't get any rain for awhile, grass will turn brown and quit growing, yet weeds seem to flourish.

Eighty percent of what we keep we never use, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers. That explains why my garage is so crowded.

A perfect summer dish? How about barbecued ribs, with cole slaw, baked beans and corn-on-the-cob. A little ice cream for dessert.

Not only are newspapers struggling to stay afloat during these tough economic times. Playboy Magazine has lost more than a million subscribers in the last decade, according to the Publishers Information Bureau.

Think you're lucky? How about the woman from Texas, a retired college professor, who has won $11 million (split with another ticket holder), $10 million, $2 million and $3 million - hitting the Texas Lottery four times in the past 17 years. Maybe it's time she quit playing the lottery, and give someone else a chance.

Nine people were injured in the runing of the bulls in Spain earlier this week. What else would you expect when engaging in something so stupid?

The Coaldale Comples, formerly the Coaldale High School, is going to undergo an extensive inspection by the borough, one that may determine the fate of the 88 year old building. I hope that no matter what the inspection reveals, that the facility isn't torn down. I have too many good memories of that place to see it disappear.