A few things on a Monday morning

Posted on April 13, 2026 by AverageAndy

See that a couple of books by my favorite authors will be released this fall. Always nice when you have something to look forward to.

Obsidian Sky (Dirk Pitt Adventure #28) by Clive Cussler / Dirk Cussler

Ghost Barn: A Dave Gurney Novel (#9) by John Verdon coming this September

—————

Saw some questions regarding a fielding /base running question in the NY Yankees / Tampa Bay Rays game the other night

With one out in a tie game in the bottom of the 10th, and runners on 1st and 3rd in the bottom of the ninth, Jonathan Aranda of the Rays hit a slow ground ball to the 2nd baseman Jazz Chisolm. After bobbling the ball, Chisolm throws late to 1st as the winning run scores. The question was, if he had fielded the ball cleanly, would he be better off trying to turn a double play, or throw to 1st and then try and get the out at 2nd (tag play).

Official rule 5.08(a) states: “A run is not scored if the runner advances to home base during a play in which the third out is made […] by any runner being forced out”.

If the Yankees were able to turn a double play, the inning would be over (regardless if the runner of 3rd races home and crosses the plate before the 2nd out is made). But if they tried to turn a 4 – 3 – 6 double play, got the out at 1st, and tagged the runner out at 2nd, the run would count if the runner at 3rd raced home and scored before the runner was tagged out at 2nd.

The most famous play regarding this rule goes back to 1908, when Fred Merkel failed to touch 2nd base on a game-winning single

Fred Merkels Base-Running Blunder

—————-

The NY Mets need to pick things up as they head west to play the Dodgers after a 5-game losing streak (at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the surging Sacramento A’s. Right now, they just don’t seem to have an identity, and nobody is stepping up as a leader with Juan Soto on the IL. Its to early to panic, but they need to show some more passion and urgency and not allow the season to start spiraling the wrong way

Questions: What is the significance of the elephant being part of the team logo of the A’s?


Answer: The Oakland Athletics have an elephant on their logo because New York Giants manager John McGraw insulted them in 1902 by calling the team a “white elephant” (a costly, useless possession). A’s owner Connie Mack took pride in the insult, adopting the elephant as a rallying cry, mascot, and logo, turning a jab into a lasting franchise mascot.

More to come as I try to get into the habit of writing more often

AverageAndy Out

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PEACE

U28

Posted in 101.9 WFAN, Baseball, Clive Cussler - Dirk Pitt, John Verdon - Dave Gurney, Radio, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy 50th Anniversary to “The Bad News Bears”.

Posted on April 8, 2026 by AverageAndy

Hard to believe, but 50 years ago on April 7th, 1976, “The Bad News Bears” was released in theaters. I can remember seeing it in the theater, and the 10-year-old me has been a fan ever since. The Bad News Bears and its sequel, “The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training,” are among the best films about baseball ever made. With its great characters and great dialogue (especially the original, unedited version), the film takes me on an emotional rollercoaster every time I watch it.

In 2013, Panini America released the first “Bad News Bears” trading cards, including autographs inside the 2013 Golden Age Baseball release. I have collected almost every card in the set, except for the Jackie Earl Haley (Kelly Leak) Auto Card and a few of the rarer 1 / 1 cards.

I remember a classmate of mine in 6th grade telling me that they knew somebody who knew Chris Barnes (Tanner Boyle), and they could introduce me to him. I was so excited, but alas it never happened (and I never found out if this was even true), but its still a memory I hold to)

I have posted in the past about looking for any contact information for him, as I would love to get his autograph, as he was not one of the 6 autographs in the Panini set

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary, it would be great if the team could reunite for a tour, or convention, like Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, and Wil Wheaton are doing for ‘Stand By Me”

AverageAndy

#PEACE

Posted in Bad News Bears, Bad News Bears Go to Japan, Bad News Bears in Breaking Training, Chris Barnes, Jackie Earle Haley | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Some quick updates, and Survivor 50

Posted on April 7, 2026 by AverageAndy

Lehigh Basketball fell to Prairie View A&M University 55-67 in the NCAA Play-In game, ending an exciting season. Congratulations to Coach Reed for winning the Patriot League Tournament and getting an automatic NCAA bid. Did see that junior guard and star player Nasir Whitlock has entered the NCAA Transfer portal. The days of players playing multiple years at the same school are over, as players bounce around to find better deals.

Sad to see that Jennifer Runyon, who had a brief role in the original Ghostbusters, passed away at 65. Besides Ghostbusters, I remember her filling in for Eve Plum and playing Cindy Brady in A Very Brady Christmas.

Action Hero Chuck Norris also passed away. Between his movies, TV shows, and Infomercials, he has a long and rewarding career. For some reason, I remember winning free tickets on the radio to the 1980 film “The Octagon.” I think I still have an invite somewhere and will post it if I can find it.

Only ays until the 84th Philly Non-Sports Card Show, held at The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA – Hall D. I have been attending the show for well over 20 years and always look forward to seeing friends and fellow card collectors. Here are some of the Free Philly Show Promos that are given out at each show. I have most of them, and a lot I got signed while at the shows. A big thanks to the Toser Family (Roxanne, Marlon, and Harris) for helping me out in finding some of the older promos, as well as hooking me up with blanks to get signed

Now for my thoughts on Survivor 50 as we hit the Jury stage. It’s been an interesting but uninspiring season so far. I think they missed the boat on “In the Hand of the Fans”, as there has really been nothing special that can be attributed to the fan vote held last year. Honestly, I forgot the things that I voted for. When Jeff stated that the latest Immunity Idol was what the fans voted for, my first thought was, “Was that one of the things we voted on, and is it the one I chose?” As far as the number of immunity idols, I couldn’t tell you if there were more or fewer than in the past.

Looks like I am in the minority on the Zac Brown visit. I enjoyed it and thought it was a fun watch. I agree there may have been a little too much time devoted to him, but it was entertaining. Also, who cares what the Imunity Idol is called? Calling it the Billy Ilesh Boomarang Immunity Idol is fun and doesn’t really change anything. I heard that Mr. Beast will be on an upcoming episode. I actually liked the Survivor Episode on Beast Games, and am looking forward to seeing what they have planned.

I think my issue is that I really don’t feel any real connections to a lot of the season’s players. They just are not that interesting or charismatic. It makes it worse that these are returning players, who I didn’t really care for in their earlier seasons. Players like Kamila, Joe, and Charlie did nothing for me the 1st time they played, and did nothing to change my opinion of them.

The season also seems to be a bit to relient on luck. I have no problem mixing things up now and then, and sending people on journeys, but there doesn’t seem to be any real purpose for some things. Will be interesting to see the reaction of Ozzy and R-I-Z-Z-GOD when they return to find out 3 people were voted out while they were gone.

There were some rummblings about the season being a bit to male oriented, and I can see that. Players like Christian, Ozzy, Charlie, and Joe have received more airtime and confessionals than all the women combined. At one point, they showed Tiffinay, and I was like, “She’s on this season?” Chrissy (Shout out to Hunterdon County, NJ) was barely seen or heard from until recently. Looks like the producers got stuck on how to cover 24 players, which is the most of any season.

There are now seven men and 7 women left. For me, take away Joe (Not a fan) and Tiff (Haven’t seen enough), and the remaining 12 players do look like a pretty solid group.

Here are some updated thoughts on the players who are left

ContestantThoughts through 4 episodesRank (out of 10)
Angelina KeeleyVoted Out #5N/A
Aubry BraccoActually, I always liked Aubry7
Benjamin “Coach” WadeMaybe now we will see more of him9
Charlie DavisVoted Out #6N/A
Chrissy HofbeckStarting to become relevent8
Christian HubickiSeeing a bit too much of him8
Cirie FieldsGot to give it up for Cirie. She’s doing something right7
Colby DonaldsonVoted Out #9N/A
Dee ValladaresStarting to grow on me as a former winner5
Emily FlippenSomething about her makes me want to see her keep going9
Genevieve MushalukVoted Out #8N/A
Jenna Lewis-DoughertyVoted Out #1N/A
Joe HunterNo2
Jonathan YoungIt will be interesting to see what side he ends up on5
Kamilla KarthigesuVoted Out #7N/A
Kyle FraserMedically Eliminated #2N/A
Mike WhiteVoted Out #4N/A
Ozzy LusthCant help but root for him8
Q BurdetteVoted Out #3N/A
Rick DevensHe needs to make a big move6
Rizo VelovicRizzGod – Something interesting about him7
Savannah LouieVoted Out #2N/A
Stephenie LaGrossa KendrickDo like her, but still cannot vote for her to win3
Tiffany ErvinYawn, is she still here? 2

One last thing. Went for a walk yesterday on the Columbia Trail. First time I have walked along the trail in a while. Hate to blame it on the weather, but we did get a lot of snow, and it has been bitterly cold for most of the winter.

I decided to mix things up a bit and listen to a podcast. Looks and saw that there was a relatively new season of “Rob Tells Tales,” which I had not listened to. If you are looking for a quick escape, take a listen. Each episode is around 10 minutes long, and I find a lot of them fascinating. Between the way Rob talks and the subjects he talks about, it is a great listen

That’s all for now — More to come

#PEACE

#NeverTooOldForSurvivior
#GiveMeAChancce
#CBSSurvivor
#Survivor50

#Marillion – A Better Way of Life

#28
#Yes
#Please

———

#JeffProbst
#JesseTannenbaum
#CharlieParsons
#JohnKirhoffer
#DavidDryden
#Jesse Jensen
#Conrad Riggs
#Matt Van Wagenen

AverageAndy Out

Posted in 95.5 WPLJ, Aubry Bracco, Benjamin "Coach" Wade, Card Collecting, Christian Hubicki, Christine Hofbeck, Cirie Fields, Dee Valladares, Emily Flippen, Fun and Games, Ghostbusters, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Jonathan Young, Joseph Hunter, Kelley Wentworth, Lehigh University, Mr. Beast, Non-Sports Cards, Octogon, Ozzy Lusth, Philly Non Sports Card Show, Reality Shows, Rick Devens, Rizo Velovic, Rob Tells Tales, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Survivor, Tiffany Ervin, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lehigh Basketball and Survivor 50 Update

Posted on March 16, 2026 by AverageAndy

Took a trip to St. Petersburg, FL, last week to see some friends. We went to an NHL Game (Florida Lightning), as well as an MLB Spring Training game (Pittsburgh / Baltimore). But the highlight of the trip was finding a sports bar and watching the Lehigh Mountain Hawks men’s basketball team beat Boston University in the Patriot League final to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

As for the NCAA draw, Lehigh received a 16 seed and will take on Prairie View A&M University in the 16/16 Play-In game in Dayton, OH, on Wednesday Night (3/18/2026). The winner will face the #1 seed Florida in the South Region on Friday. Let’s Go Mountain Hawks.

As for Survivor, I stayed off social media enough to watch the latest episode once I returned without knowing the outcome. I don’t like knowing anything before watching, as it ruins some of the drama. I don’t even like seeing the scenes for the following episode.

To me, it’s been a good, but a bit uneven season so far. I didn’t have any connections/thoughts on many of the returning contestants, and none of them has done anything to change my mind. Another thing is that with 24 contestants, the producers needed to edit it in a way that most people get at least some airtime. This has made for some choppy and hard-to-follow story lines.

ContestantThoughts through 4 episodesRank (out of 10)
Angelina KeeleyShe is growing on me 7
Aubry BraccoShe hasn’t done much so far7
Benjamin “Coach” WadeNeed to see a bit more from him9
Charlie DavisBland and boring4
Chrissy HofbeckStill rooting for her, but she needs to get her act together8
Christian HubickiWhat an interesting dude.9
Cirie FieldsCan’t no like Cerie6
Colby DonaldsonWish we would see more of him.7
Dee ValladaresNothing new to see4
Emily FlippenLove Emily Flippen9
Genevieve MushalukShe is still OK but beginning to grow on me6
Jenna Lewis-DoughertyVoted Out #1N/A
Joe HunterStill don’t really like him4
Jonathan YoungNeed to see more5
Kamilla KarthigesuBland / Bland / Bland5
Kyle FraserMedically Eliminated #2N/A
Mike WhiteEasy to root for. Lets Go Mike8
Ozzy LusthStill find him very likable8
Q BurdetteVoted Out #4N/A
Rick DevensInteresting to see how his gameplay will work out7
Rizo VelovicRizzGod – Something interesting about him7
Savannah LouieVoted Out #3N/A
Stephenie LaGrossa KendrickDo like her, but still cannot vote for her to win3
Tiffany ErvinIs she still here?2

Lots of 3’s, 4’s, and 5’s.

Will be interesting to see how things start to play out. They will need to do some double evictions at some point, as there are still too many players left. Once things thin out, hopefully, we will see some of the remaining new school players make some moves. If not, it will be a long season with a very predictable (Colby, Cirie, Ozzy, Coach) final 4

AverageAndy

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PEACE

#28
#Yes
#Marillion
#SugarMice

P.S.

Burger King® | There’s a New King and It’s You.

Posted in Angelina Keeley, Aubry Bracco, Benjamin "Coach" Wade, Burger King, Charlie Davis, Christian Hubicki, Christine Hofbeck, Cirie Fields, Colby Donaldson, Dalton Ross, Dee Valladares, Emily Flippen, Genevieve Mushaluk, Jeff Probst, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Jesse Tannenbaum, Jonathan Young, Joseph Hunter, Kamilla Karthigesu, Kyle Fraser, Lehigh, Mark Burnett, Mike White, Ozzy Lusth, Q Burdette, Reality Shows, Rick Devens, Rizo Velovic, Savannah Louie, Sports, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Survivor, Tiffany Ervin, Uncategorized, Whopper | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Robert Duvall, Robert Carradine, and Survivor 50

Posted on March 3, 2026 by AverageAndy

Need to mention the passing of two great actors, who starred in a bunch of movies that were huge hits when I was growing up

Robert Duvall (1931-2026)

Besides starring in all-time classics like “The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, he had a good run of movies throughout his career. One of my favorites was his role as Captain Spurgeon “Fish” Tanner in Deep Impact (The better of the 2 Astoride Movies of the late 1990s). He starred in many other classics, including winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, for Tender Mercies (1983)

An all-time great, and he will be missed

**********

Robert Carradine (1954 – 2026)

When it came to 1980 comedies, 1984’s Revenge of the Nerds is up there with the likes of Airplane and Porky’s. Movies that shaped a generation and are still considered classics today. Robert Carradine played Nerd Lewis Skolnick, part of a group of socially awkward students who form their own fraternity to counter ongoing harassment from the dominant Alpha Beta fraternity and its sister sorority, Pi Delta Pi. Many of the cast members have gone on to have very solid careers in both TV and Movies. Rover Carradine teamed up with fellow Nerd Curtis Armstrong to host the TV Show King of the Nerds , which was inspired by the Revenge of the Nerds films.

Another all-time great, and he will also be missed

******

Survivor 50 Premiere

I enjoyed the Survivor 50 Premier and am looking forward to seeing how the season plays out. Even trying to avoid any kind of spoilers, I found out the cast before the episode premiered, and while there are a lot of former players I would like to have seen, I’m OK with who they chose. I would have liked a few more winners, players from earlier seasons, before the new ERA. Also, some of the most recent players, while they played a good game, I was not left thinking they were among the all-time greats.

Really liked the opening montage of all the seasons leading up to Season 50. Thought there could even have been some more old clips. Its facinating to see how things (players, locations, and strategies) have evolved over the past 25 years

Here is a list of the 24 players, and my initial impression of who I am rooting for, who I like to see do well, and who I am impartial about

ContestantOpening ThoughtsRank (out of 10)
Angelina KeeleyVaguely remember her5
Aubry BraccoLike her, but she can be a bit annoying7
Benjamin “Coach” WadeCoach is the Man10
Charlie DavisKind of bland5
Chrissy HofbeckWas robbed the 1st time she played8
Christian HubickiVery interesting character9
Cirie FieldsLike here, but she’s been on a lot5
Colby DonaldsonOne of the Ogs7
Dee ValladaresTake her or leave her4
Emily FlippenShe has lots of spink9
Genevieve MushalukShe’s OK I guess6
Jenna Lewis-DoughertyVoted Out #1N/A
Joe HunterNo, never really liked him4
Jonathan YoungNeed to wait and see5
Kamilla KarthigesuKind of bland5
Kyle FraserMedically Eliminated #2N/A
Mike WhiteCool Interesting character8
Ozzy LusthAlways liked Ozzy and rooting for him8
Q BurdetteHoping he does well7
Rick DevensAverage Guy like me – bonus points7
Rizo VelovicRizzGod – Let’s see what he’s got this time7
Savannah Louie A bit too cocky for me5
Stephenie LaGrossa KendrickI like her, but can not  root for her3
Tiffany ErvinAnother one who is kind of bland4

Finally, I received a late Christmas gift from my daughter. Way back in November 2026, she had ordered Jeff Probst’s Survivor 50 book as a Christmas gift. Well, it was finally published and shipped at the end of February, and I received my autograph copy. It’s a really cool book, mostly pictures, and gives you a real feel of Survivor from all points of view. Going to spend some time going through it and really absorb all the pictures


More to come after Wednesday’s episode of Survivor

AverageAndy

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PEACE

Marillion – A Better Way of Life

#28
#Yes
#Please

Posted in Angelina Keeley, Aubry Bracco, Benjamin "Coach" Wade, Charlie Davis, Christian Hubicki, Christine Hofbeck, Cirie Fields, Colby Donaldson, Dalton Ross, Dee Valladares, Deep Impact, Emily Flippen, Genevieve Mushaluk, Jeff Probst, Jeff Probst - Forged By Fire, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Jesse Tannenbaum, Jonathan Young, Joseph Hunter, Kamilla Karthigesu, Kyle Fraser, Marillion, Mark Burnett, Mike White, Ozzy Lusth, Q Burdette, Reality Shows, Revenge of the Nerds, Rick Devens, Rizo Velovic, Savannah Louie, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Steve Hogarth, Steve Rothery, Survivor, The Godfather, Tiffany Ervin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Found the NJ Idol

Posted on February 17, 2026 by AverageAndy

Took the trip down to Asbury Park last Saturday as part of the Survivor 50 Idol Hunt. Location was given as the following clue on the official Survivor50challenge website.

Solving the riddle pointed to the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey

From my place to the Stone Pony is about a 1 1/2 hour drive, so I got up bright and early and drove to the location, getting there around 7:45 AM. At that point, I was around 50th in line. People were also gathering at the Asbury Park Convention Center since that was the building pictured in the clue. Everybody was a bit confused, but the Survivor Staff were nice and friendly and told us we were in the right spot. While waiting, the staff kept things fun by filming and interviewing people online,

Around 9:30 AM, former Survivor Contestants Mike Turner (Runner-up, Season 42) and Teeny Chirichillo (4th place, Survivor 47) arrived and could not have been nicer. They walked along the line, signing autographs and taking selfies with all of us while we waited

Mike Turner (Season 42)
Teeny Chirichillo (Survivor 47)

At 9:30 AM, the Survivor Staff put up our next clue and wished us good luck. The clue told us to make our way to the Asbury Park Convention Center, where we would find the idol. After a short walk along the Jersey Shore boardwalk, we ended up in another line until it was time to go in. When it was time, we entered the Convention Center and were led to the Survivor display, and got our pictures taken standing with the Idol display. Before leaving, I was also able to take a closeup phote of the idol itself.

Lastly, we needed to scan the QR Code that gave everybody an entry into a drawing for the New Jersey grand prize. a trip to the Survivor 50 Live Finally later this year.

There were other Survivor Legends around. Two-Time winner Tony Vlachos, and Five-Time Player Cirie Fields. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to see them as I was on my way home when they showed up. On a positive note, I did get to take a selfie with Survivor 42 contestant Lindsay Dolashewich (who is from Asbury Park)

I found the NJ Idol
Lindsay Dolashewich (Survivor 42)



I think the folks at Survivor did a fantastic job with this challenge. By the number of people I have seen on the Survivor 50 Idol Search – Clues & Updates Public group, along with groups for each state, it looks like this was a great success.

I personally had a great time, and I look forward to more of these types of events in the future

Only 8 days left until the premiere of Survivor 50 (Wednesday, February 25th, on CBS)

Looking forward to seeing some all-time players, and some fan favorites outwit, outlast, and outplay each other for the utimate tilte of Sole Survivor Champion

Been a crazy few weeks, so this is all for now. Wanted to at least get this done

More to come on a bunch of things soon

AverageAndy out

#Survivor50
#Survivor50IdolChallange
#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PEACE

Posted in Cirie Fields, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Lindsay Dolashewich, Mark Burnett, Mike Turner, Reality Shows, Survivor, Survivor 50 Idol Hunt, Teeny Chirichillo, Tony Vlachos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Survivor 50 Idol Hunt, and some random thoughts

Posted on February 3, 2026 by AverageAndy

In preparation for the February 25th premiere of Survivor 50, CBS/Survivor has set up a contest where everybody has a chance to go on a treasure hunt and find a hidden immunity idol.

Survivor 50 Idol Hunt

They have hidden an idol in each of the 50 US States, and will be releasing clues on the website that will lead you to the idol. You need to complete the challenge at the time and date listed, and once completed, you get to take a picture with the idol and scan a QR code to be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a trip to the Survivor 50 Live Reunion Show. Each state will have its own contest, so there will be 50 winners. (Technically 51, as there is an option to enter online without having to physically go idol hunting)

So far, 6 states have been completed, with the rest being released in the coming weeks

I will be heading to the New Jersey location (clue drops on 02/12/26), and possibly the Delaware location (clue drops on 02/14/26) (depending on the exact time and date). So far in the states that went live, it looks like people have been having a great time, meeting up with other Survivor fans and competing in some fun-looking challenges.

I will keep you updated

Super Bowl LX is set, and we will be watching on NBC, where the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots on Sunday, February 8th. If I had to choose, I would like to see the Seahawks win, but just hoping it’s an entertaining game. Besides the Super Bowl, NBC will also air the Winter Olympics for two weeks, starting with the opening ceremony on Friday, February 6th. I enjoy watching the Olympics, and will definitely be checking things out during the broadcast.

Some of my favorites are the Bobsled, the Luge, Ski Jumping, and short-track speed skating

Heading off on a tangent, the Olympics remind me of this video by Jia Jiang, which was followed by a hugely successful TED Talk, and really helped me mentally and emotionally when I saw it. His blog , book, and videos still motivate me today

Getting sick and annoyed at these new AI-generated videos that show a person interacting with various actors and actresses from famous movies and television sets, as well as the ones where they show cast members from the past and then morph them into the present day (and cringingly add angel wings to those who are deceased). There really is no purpose to these other than showing how close we are to having AI ruin films and TV shows.

And now I am seeing AI-generated scenes from old movies, showing what happened between the actual shots. Saw a Star Wars scene that showed the time between when Han Solo, Princes Lea, Chewbaca and, R2D2, and C3PO escape from the Empire and head to the Cloud City, and eventually meet up with Lando Calrissian, who turns them over to Darth Vader. The AI-generated scene shows Darth Vader and his battalion, along with Boba Fett and other bounty hunters, showing up and taking over Cloud City. Then we see Vader talking to Lando about how we will need to turn over Han Solo and friends to him. The AI was OK (You could definitely tell it was all AI), but the acting and voices were not very good, and the whole thing seemed fake.

There is another one that shows how Uncle Owen and Aunt Baru were killed on Tatooine while Luke was learning about the Force with Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is not something we were missing from the movie. Part of filmmaking is not showing every single detail of everything that goes on. You need to leave things up to people’s own imagination

We will see, but as time goes by, the novelty of these AI Clips will wear off as something new comes along, and we get more things to discuss.


More soon

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#survivor50idolhunt

#PEACE

Marillion – A Better Way of Life

28

Andy

Posted in 2026 Winter Olympics - Italy, Books, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Jia Jiang, Jia Jiang - Rejection Therapy, Job Searching, Reality Shows, Sports, Survivor, Survivor 50 Idol Hunt | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Few New YouTube Channels I have been watching

Posted on January 20, 2026 by AverageAndy

Been trying to expand my knowledge of things, so have been trying out some new YouTube channels

Here are a few that I like and recommend.

Take a look and Subscripe if interested


Vinh Giang

Evan Edinger

Linus Tech Tips

Richard J Murphy

Isaac Brown

Thats all for today — Happy Watching

AverageAndy

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PEACE
#survivoridolhunt50

#TheresTreasureInside

Marillion – A Better Way Of Life

Posted in Evan Edinger, Isaac Brown, Linus Tech Tips, Reality Shows, Richard J Murphy, Survivor, Vinh Giang | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Short but sweet

Posted on January 15, 2026 by AverageAndy

Topics of interest to me over the past few days


NY Giants to sign John Harbaugh as new coach – OK with this (as long as PPP Trump is not involved)

MY Mets are looking to sign Kyle Tucker – Good player, but doesn’t do much for me as far as a fan (and $50,000 / year) is a bit steep even if it is only for 3 years)

Stephen King’s 11.22.1963 – Great book. Mini series now streaming on Netflix – OK (6 out of 10)

Play-Off Fantasy Football League – Not a good showing for my team (56/57) after the first week – Ooph

Survivor50 – Bringing back the Live Reunion Show — Good that they are going back to this.

Survivor50 Idol Hunt – Registered and ready to go – Starts on January 30th

Culture Club / Boy George – Released 2 new songs, excellent

Job Searching – Very Frustrating, but fighting through, and hopefully something happens soon

Politics – All I have to say is “I’m not crazy – They are.”

New Book – Dan Brown “The Secrets of Secrets”. – I’m a fan of the Robert Langston stories

Beast Games (Strong vs Smart) on Netflix – Watched Episode 1 and enjoyed it. Episode 2 tonight

Marillion – Listened for a while yesterday on Apple Music (One of the better mix of songs) – Great Stuff

AI – Going to destroy the world in ways not expected. When you can’t trust anyone or anything you see or hear, we become less social and more prone to paranoia. Not a good way to live.

Now for some hashtags

#SurvivorCBS
#Survivor50
#JeffProbst
#JesseTannenbaum
#Survivor50IdolSearch
#DaltonRoss
#MikeBloom

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PleaseGiveMeACall

#Marillion (A Better Way of Life)
#IronMaiden (Up the Irons)

#Starbucks

Remember — “We are all just Sugar Mice in the Rain.” – Fish


And finally just want to wish everybody a great day

AverageAndy

#PEACE

Probst then concluded by giving some remarks and words of warning to prospective players. “If you imagined how you would deal with Bhanu–Q tried to coach him, Kenzie tried to comfort him, Tiff offered to teach him a good move from a bad move–then you probably have the skills to play this game, and you’ll probably be pretty good. But if you found yourself only critiquing Bhanu, and making fun of his emotional outbursts and his desire to win a million hearts when there’s a million dollars on the line, and you found yourself asking, ‘How did this guy get on the show when I can’t get on the show?’ Well, you have your answer. You’re just not self-aware enough to see it.”

Posted in Adam Klein, Beast Games, Benjamin "Coach" Wade, Books, Boston Rob, Christian Hubicki, Christine Hofbeck, Cirie Fields, Colby Donaldson, Dalton Ross, Dan Brown - The Secrets of Secrets, Drew Basile, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Job Searching, Jonny Fairplay, Kellyn Bechtold, Marillion, Mark Burnett, Mike Gabler, Mr. Beast, Music, NY Giants, NY Mets, Ozzy Lusth, Parvati Shallow, Q Burdette, Reality Shows, Richard Hatch, Rick Devens, Rob Cesternino, Sports, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Steve Hogarth, Steve Rothery, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

First post of 2026

Posted on January 6, 2026 by AverageAndy

Hope everybody out there had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hope you had the opportunity to spend some time with family and friends and reflect (good or bad) on 2025. Now it’s time to put 2025 to bed and look forward to 2026 and what it has to offer.

It was a strange year for me. After getting laid off in October 2024, it’s crazy to look back and think I spent the entire 2025 unemployed and looking for a new opportunity. There were highs and lows, ups and downs, good interviews, and scam attempts, but I survived. I am now focusing on what I did right and wrong in 2025 and what I need to improve on going forward. 2026 will be the year of AverageAndy

Before moving forward, here is a list of things I did/completed at the end of 2025

Books – I read the following books during the year

The Sequel (The Book Series, #2): Jean Hanff Korelitz
Familiaris” David Wroblewski
Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1): Kawaguchi Toshikazu
Missing in Flight: Audrey J. Cole
Sunrise on the Reaping: Suzanne Collins
The Boomerang: Robert Baily
The Algorithm: Hilke Schellmann
Never Flinch (Holly Gibney, #4): Stephen King
Burn this City (Burn this City, #1): Brenda Poppy
The 5 Second Rule: Mel Robbins
Broken Lines (EMP Survival in a Powerless World, #1): James Hunt
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Mark Twain

Movies / TV – I watched the following movies and TV shows recently

Movies

Bagonia
One Battle after Another
Threesome
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t
Bullet Train
The Family Stone
About My Father
Kingsman: Secret Service


Television

Stranger Things Season 5
Down Cemetery Road
The Copenhagen Test
Ripple
Plurabus


Music – New and Interesting music I have listened to lately

Peter Gabrial (I/O)
Robert Plant (Saving Grace)
Tommy Howell (Dammed Good Man)
Marillion (All Albums)
Helloween (Giants & Monsters)
Guns N’ Roses (New singles – Nothin’, Atlas)
Metal Church


The New York Football Giants won their last two games to end the season at 4 – 13. I was torn whether it was better to win than to lose (and possibly end up with a better draft pick). Looking at things, I am actually glad they played hard and won the last two games. Winning always feels better than losing, and beating the Dallas Cowboys at home let everybody end the season on a positive note. Now they need to hire a new head coach who can bring in a new and refreshing attitude (Unlike the horrible Brian Dabol, who just seemed to suck out any energy and positiveness the team had)

Not sure what the New York Mets are thinking. I know they wanted to shake things up after the team did not live up to expectations the past few years. I realize that the owner, Steve Cohen, did spend a lot of money (some good, but most bad), and the Mets players did not play up to their potential, but not sure if getting rid of everybody is the correct way to go. Teams (and companies) that have constant turnover at kep positions, and place the blame on the employees more than on their management, usually don’t end up performing better. They end up in a constant state of mediocrity.

We will see when spring training starts in a few months if the NY Mets can assemble a team that can compete against the best, or if they slip back towards the middle of the pack

Lehigh Basketball is off to a rough start in Patriot League play. Hopefully, they can get it together and go on a much-needed run before the Patriot League Tournament. It would be fun to continue the winning ways of the 2025 Football team

Over the past year or so, I have been posting the individual person voted off each season of Survivor on Twitter (X). It’s been a fun way to go back and relive each season as we get ready for Season 50 in February. Most of the people I do have a memory of, but there are some that I have no recollection of. I try to tag/follow them on X, as well as add the following HashTags to each post

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PEACE

I recently typed #NeverTooOldForSurvivor into Google just to see what came up, and was surprised to see that the hashtag is actually associated with me and my quest to get on Survivor. Not sure who looks at hashtags these days, but it can’t hurt.

Would appreciate it if anyone who reads this would give me some love and pass the word around that AverageAndy is the perfect contestant for an upcoming season of Survivor

That’s all for now

AverageAndy

#JeffProbst
#JesseTannenbaum
#SurvivorCasting

#SurvivorCBS
#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PEACE

Marillion – A better way of life

Posted in Baseball, Books, Elon Musk, Football, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Job Searching, Lehigh, Lehigh University, Mark Burnett, Mark Cuban, Movies, Mr. Beast, Music, NY Giants, NY Mets, Reality Shows, Sports, Survivor, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment