Norm…. (RIP George Wendt), plus Survivor 48 Finale tonight

Posted on May 21, 2025 by AverageAndy

Very sad to see that George Wendt passed away. A fine actor best known for his role of Norm Peterson on the classic show “Cheers“. Cheers was a huge show al through my years at Lehigh. Back then, there were TV shows that were truly must watch, and Cheers was at the top of the list. I remember gathering in somebody’s room every week to watch it, We would laugh and laugh. All the characters were perfect and still resonate with people today. Rittenhouse Archives recently put out a card set for the show with one of the highlights being classic lines by Norm as he entered the bar.

Last year, my wife and I ended up at a brewery in New Hope, PA. On the wall behind the bar was a picture of George Wendt. I mentioned I liked the picture to the bartender, who told me it was an actual picture taken in the bar a few years back. George was performing in a play at the Bucks County Playhouse across the street and was staying in the hotel right above the bar. He stopped by a few times and grabbed a beer.

Geroge Wendt was one of a kind and will be missed RIP George Wendt (Norm)

Tonight is the Survivor 48 Season Finale, and a new winner will be crowned. To me, it’s been an OK season. As I have posted a few times, there just wasn’t somebody whom I could get behind and root for to win. Add that in the past few episodes, people seemed to be just going through the motions, not wanting to make any kind of big move. We will see if Kyle and Kamillias move to get rid of Shauhin pays off, or if it will be Joe and Eva at the end. (Or in something completely crazy, watch it somehow be Mitch winning as everybody simply forgets about him and he makes it to the end.

I understand that Jeff, Jesse, and the producers want people with interesting back stories, but to me, you need to go back to when there were more so-called average people who were interested in playing a game to win 1,000,000.00 dollars at all costs, and not just looking for an island vacation. The few who wanted to win (Star and Mary) were simply outnumbered and could never find a way to break into the top. Star gave her Idol away, but never seems to care, or even mention it to Eva. Mary tried too hard to mix things up every time she was near the bottom, and people got tired of it.

I have to admit, I was a bit surprised that Kyle and Kamillia were able to pull off the move they did. No way Joe should have believed a thing that was said by Kyle this far into the game. And then all Kamillia had to say was “I saw it” and Joe completely lost all trust he had of Shauhin. Seems crazy to me, but having never been in that kind of situation, I guess it could happen

Shameless Plug

This kind of thing is one of the main reasons I am dying to be a contestant on Survivor. To be put in an uncomfortable situation with a bunch of strangers, I wonder how I would react. As a very understanding and trusting person, would I become paranoid, would I trust everybody, would I make things up in my mind to justify things? I have no idea. If anybody out there reading this would like to help, and happens to know somebody who knows somebody who may be able to help me feel free to reach out. As this blog states (Because the world (and certain Reality Shows) need an average guy). Survivor needs Average Andy and I am up for the challenge

#Survivor
#SurvivorCBS
#JeffProbst
#JesseTannenbaum

#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

Had some more to say, but it’s getting late. I will be back tomorrow as I update the Survivor Winners and Congratulations tab on the blog, so I will have my reaction to tonight’s finale

Here is a picture of Survivor legend #BostonRobMariano meeting a fan at the red carpet premiere of #TomCruise’s #MissionImposible Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

AverageAndy Out

#Marillion – A Better Way of Life
#WilliamShatner – A True American (and Canadian) Hero
#SadaharuOh – The True Home Run King

#PEACE

Posted in Adam Klein, Cheers, Christian Hubicki, Christine Hofbeck, Dalton Ross, Drew Basile, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, John Cochran, Jonny Fairplay, Kellyn Bechtold, Mark Burnett, Mike Gabler, Mission Impossible, Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning, Movies, Non-Sports Cards, Parvati Shallow, Rob Cesternino, Sports, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Hunger Games (Sunrise on the Reaping) and other thoughts for mid May 2025

Posted on May 13, 2025 by AverageAndy

I just finished reading “Sunrise on the Reaping”, the 5th book in the Hunger Games universe (The 2nd prequel after the original trilogy). I have really enjoyed all of Suzanne Collins Hunger Games books, and this one did not disappoint. Much like the Harry Potter Books (Which I have also read all of), she has created an immersive world full of interesting characters and events.

Here is a timeline of all of the Hunger Games books. I read through it to refresh and remind myself of all the places, times, and characters, and it was a great way to bring everything back. Suzanne Collins’s ability to tell a family story full of home and premise while adding a graphic and disturbing story makes this one of the best series of novels. I’m already looking forward to some more adventures in the world of Panem.

Went to the movie theater last week (Half Price Tuesdays, paid $5.75) to see the 20th Annaversery reisue of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. As a life long Star Wars fan, I hae come to enjoy all of the films (including the prequal trliogy) and was supprised how much this one has stood up over time. Was amazed on how good the file looked on the big screen after 20 years. The Speacial effects looked great and not as overblown as I remembered. The story also holds up and fits right in. Highly recomend you go see it its still showing

Speaking of Star Wars, I have watched the first 6 episodes on Andor, Season 2. Really like the feel of this show. Quite different than the movies, and other Disney + shows, this focuses more on the real world aspect of things. No Jedis, Sitth Lords and lightsaber fights (so far). It is amazing what they can do these days with special effects, creating such emersive worlds thats look and feel a real as normal day life. Looking for ward to see how this plays out. Also heard that I should watch Star Wars: Rogue One one I complete Andor, so will definaty do that and report back

Only 2 more episodes of Survivor 48. Crazy how things are moving along and then you look up and its almost over. Been an interesting season. At the begining I mentioned that there was really nobodty who stood out, good or bad, and sadly its still that way. There has been a lot of discussion on how the contestants are playing the game, with nobody willing to stand up and make any type of big move (most seem to dislike this style). I also think the producers got a bit unlucky with the cast. With the 90 minute epesodes, it looks like they wanted to focus more on camp life, and how the contestants interacted with each other, than with the challenges. But when there is nobody really interesting, outspoken, or charasamatic, they get put in a bad place. Remember Victoria Rafaeli from Big Brother 16. Neither do most people. She was raly seen or heard from during the but eneded up coming in 3rd. It seems that Season 48s power aliance is a bunch of Victoria’s. Nothing to see here, but they keep surviving week after week while really not doing much. Add to the fact that Eva keeps going on the advantages, taking away anybody elses chance of getting some sort of advantage, and you end up with a underwelming season. Its Survivor so its still enjoyable, but just wish somebody would step up and shake things up a bit. Lets hope things pick up a bit as Kyle will need to decide which way he wants to go (Stay with the four, or join Kamilla). Wednesday should be intersting.

Im a few epesodes behing of Big Brother. Hope to catch up and finish it up during the week. Still a fun watch, and makes me want to travel to some of the places they visited.

As Im still looking for a new job, I have had to change some of my plans. I was planning to go to Berlin, Germany in June to see Marillion play (Marillion Weekends 2025). But its now longer is the cards. I did see that Lead singer Sheve Hogarth (h) will be bringing his solo h natural show to ProgStock 2025 in October. in the great state of New Jersey about 45 minutes from where I live. This is definalty on my radar and will keep you updated. Marillion are also playing on Cruise to the Edge next March, so there is lots of motivation for me to get a new job.

I have completed listening to the next two Judas Priest Albums (Sin After Sin, Stained Class) as I atempt ot listen to all of their albums in order. Really good stuff with some interesting mix of heavy metal, and melodic rock. Really enjoying listening

And finaly, the New York Mets continue to play good baseball. They are getting good pitching night after night, and are in every game. Even in the games they lose, they give a solid effort. Lookijng forward to a fun summer of Baseball. Hoping to get to a game at Citi Feild with my daughter one of these weekends. Also glad to see some of the other teams I root for doing ok this season

Boston Red Sox – 22 – 21 and 2nd in the AL East
Minnesota Twins – 22 -21 and 4th in the tough AL Central (after a terible start)

Same cant be said about the Pittsburg Pirates – 14 – 28 They fired there manager last week after a 7 game losing streak, and despite having one of the best young pitchers in baseball with Paul Skenes, they just have not been ablt to find any momentum this season. The owner seems to be indifferent, which is a shame. They play in the beautiful PNC Park, and it feels like the fans are just waiting for hime to see the team and bring some new energy and excitment.

Thats all for now

Time for some shameles Pluggs

#JeffProbst and #JesseTannenbaum — I’m still waiting for my call for Survivor Season 51
#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
http://www.averageandy.com

#Marillion – A Better Way of Life

#PEACE

Average Andy Out


Hi, my name is Werner Brandes. My voice is my passport. Verify Me.

Posted in Adam Klein, Amazing Race, Andor, Baseball, Big Brother, Boston Red Sox, Christian Hubicki, Dalton Ross, Drew Basile, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Jonny Fairplay, Judas Priest, Kellyn Bechtold, Marillion, Mark Burnett, Mike Gabler, NY Mets, Parvati Shallow, Phil Keoghan, Pittsburgh Pirates, Reality Shows, Revenge of the Sith, Rob Cesternino, Sneakers, Sports, Survivor, Suzanne Collins - Sunrise on The Reaping, Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What a messed-up world we are living in, (plus my latest Survivor Video was submitted)

Posted on April 28, 2025 by AverageAndy

I submitted my latest Survivor Video on Sunday (For Seasons 51 / 52). I took a simple approach this time and just talked for a few minutes. I simply spoke on how I have been a fan of Survivor since the beginning and would love the chance to be a contestant on a future season. Applying for Survivor is kind of paralleling my search for a new job. Whether it’s a video or a resume, I find it hard to promote and sell myself when not in person. I really feel that if the decision makers at Survivor, or any of the companies I have applied to could take some time to meet me liveand in person (or a live video call), they would see what a great, nice, interesting and loyal person I am and realize everything I would bring to the show or compnay.

Here are a links to and older Survivor videos I had submitted as well as the short video my daughter made about my Survivor journey over the past 25 years

As for the world, the more I hear or see things, the more I get myself confused. Seeing people react oppositely to things that seem simple and straightforward to me is starting to mess with my mind. Add to that that lots of smart people seem to simply be shrugging off the things they don’t understand or don’t want to get involved with, and this is becoming dangerous. We need to ask follow-up questions and not be afraid to discuss things that may be uncomfortable

There are opinions (which everybody is allowed to have), and there are facts. And while some facts may have different interpretations, there are lots of facts that should not and cannot be argued against. But we are now in a time where the average person does not believe anything trained journalists, subject matter experts, or years of research show as true.

It’s crazy how much time and energy is spent by people trying to disprove things for reasons such as “Since I don’t believe it, it must not be true.”, and “I’m an expert of this or that, and you don’t know what you’re talking about”.

I really liked the way 60 Minutes dedicated the last minute of Sunday’s episode to the ongoing story about the resignation of Bill Owens last week. Taking a shot at their parent company, Paramount, as well as how the ongoing merger needs government approval, was one of the main reasons for the resignation. it shows that there is still some journalist who care about the truth, and are not going to change their principle beliefs in exchange for money or power

And to all the people (or the jerks who like to flood things with bots) who took their time and energy to flood to X and scream and yell how they hate 60 minutes, how it’s run by liberals who hate the world, and how its been irrelivent for the past 30 years (yet apparently you’re still watching), I would like to say “Your not being smart or clever or funny. You are more of a sad fool who needs to get out more enjoy something. And also, the world is not an awful place, people are not out to try and make you feel bad,

Average Andy Out

#PEACE

#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

PS – Not that it really matters, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame again showed that they are a bit clueless and out of touch with the general public. Congratulations to all the new inductees, it is well deserved. But the people in charge of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame need to get off their high horse and start to acknowledge the many artists and bands that play a style of music that forever reason you don’t like, appreciate, or understand.

#IronMaiden
#Scorpions
#Boston
#Styx
#REOSpeedwagon
#JohnDenver
#MotleyCrue

Posted in 60 Minutes, Adam Klein, Boston, Christian Hubicki, Christine Hofbeck, Dalton Ross, Drew Basile, Iron Maiden, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, John Cochran, John Denver, Jonny Fairplay, Kellyn Bechtold, Mike Gabler, Motley Crue, Music, Reality Shows, Scorpions, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A wild week of TV, along with reflections on 60 Minutes and Survivor.

Posted on April 24, 2025 by AverageAndy

**** Spoilers ****

Some crazy things this week on two of the shows I am watching and enjoying. First, on 9-1-1, after 8 seasons, we said goodbye to Captain Bobby Nash (Played by the great Peter Krause). His character died while saving the other member of his crew, when his airhose broke and he contracted a deadly virus. He didn’t let the others know he was infected, since there was only one dose of the antidote, which was used on Howie ‘Chimney’ Han (Kenneth Choi). It was a very moving moment, expecially as he got to say goodbye before dying. It was kind of a shock since there are still 3 episodes remaining in Season 8. It looks like the last 3 episodes will show how everybody reacts to his death.

*Note* – I am a bit mad at myself, since I briefly saw something regarding 9-1-1 while scrolling through X, and while it didn’t really tell me much, I must have seen enough to realize that somebody was going to be killed off. Need to be more careful going forward.

Not to be outdone, the producers of The Last Of Us followed the path of the video game (which I have never seen or played) and killed off main character Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) in just the 2nd episode of the season. This was shocking to me, as I thought the entire story was based around him. I kept thinking that he would somehow survive, even after getting the shaft of a golf club struck through his neck after being beaten to a pulp. I am looking forward to see how things play out with Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) going forward.

It will be interesting to see what happens with 60 Minutes going forward. The mainstay of CBS for over 60 years lost its longtime producer Bill Owens, who resigned on Monday citing a loss of journalistic independence. Looks like this is related the the lawsuit that Donald Trump filed against 60 Minutes last year about the way Kamala Harris was portrayed during an interview. Most legal experts seem to agree that CBS did not do anything wrong and would win the lawsuit. If only things were that straightforward. CBS is owned by Paramount Global. Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, is looking to sell Paramount Pictures and CBS to Skydance Media, controlled by entrepreneur David Ellison. This will require the US Government’s approval. Sheri Redstone needs the deal to go through, and has looked into settling the lawsuit against Trump, so that he will allow the deal. This has upset many at 60 Minutes (and other jounalists as well) who feel they are being sold out in order for a big payout to Redstone. Will be very interesting to see how things play out. This could be a turning point for journulism going forwared.

In other TV news, I hope to finish Black Mirror this week. Really enjoyed this season. It kind of went in a different direction than the past, but the episodes were really well done and made you really think, which I enjoy

As far as Survivor goes, here are a few things from the past week

1. I did film a new addition video for Season 51. Just need to do a little editing, and hope to get it submitted today or tomorrow

2. Saw that CBS flew a bunch of influencers to Fiji for a Survivor Experience. One of the people who went was @TomScibelli (Tommy Smokes) from Barstool Media, who posted about the experience on X. Here is a link to his adventure

3. I am kind of torn with the current season (Season 48). I like that they have cut back the number of idols and advantages, but there is almost to much of the daily camp life being shown. With the 90-minute episodes, we should get more than one challenge. And if we are only going to get one challenge, it should be one of the more elaborate ones, not just another endurance challenge. I do like seeing the players scramble at camp, and it really shows how much paranoia comes into play.

Still can’t believe it’s been 25 years since Survivor premiered. It gets a bit scary when people mention they were not born, or were a very young age when Survivor premiered. I, on the other hand, was 34 years old and welcoming my daughter into the world. I was already looking forward to Survivor based on this post on slash.dot from 1999 and have been obsessed ever since

I tried to find a copy of the original applications that you needed to fill out. It was multiple pages long with lots of questions. I wish I had made copies of them before submitting them. If I did make copies, they are most likely long gone or in a box somewhere waiting to get thrown into a dumpster during a massive cleanup of things. I remember hooking up a VCR to my computer and trying to figure out how to copy my video from a VHS tape so that I could send it in.

Switching gears before I go, I decided to revisit my album challenge, where I listen to every album released by a band. The band I chose is Judas Priest (After watching the following YouTube video)

I am two albums in (Rocka Rolla, Sad Wings of Destiny) and it is not really what I expected (Which is a good thing). Some slow songs and a great cover of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust” (Joan Baez from 1975). Looking forward to the next one on the list. (Sin After Sin)

And finally, saw that Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson are set to star in the Neil Diamond movie “Song Sung Blue” coming in the fall. As a huge Neil Diamond fan, really looking forward to this

AverageAndy Out….

#CBSSurvivo
#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

#PEACE

Posted in 9-1-1, Dalton Ross, Drew Basile, Jeff Probst, Job Searching, Kellyn Bechtold, Lehigh University, Mark Burnett, Mark Cuban, Metal Pilgram, Neil Diamond, Reality Shows, Rob Cesternino, Survivor, The Last of Us, YouTube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We should celebrate things more often

Posted on April 16, 2025 by AverageAndy

One Monday, six women (Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, Kerianne Flynn, Aisha Bowe, and Amanda Nguyen) blasted off on Blue Origin’s New Shepard space rocket for an 11-minute trip into space. Blue Origin is Jeff Bezos’s company, which is working on making space travel available to all.

“It’s this generation’s job to build a road to space, so that future generations can unleash their creativity.” – Jeff Bezos

The mission was successful, and we should all be celebrating this scientific achievement. Instead, social media went on a smear campaign, complaining about everything they could. Here are just some of the comments on “X”

“The Blue Origin space launch was more about celebrity spectacle than scientific value.“

“It was frivolous. You did not pilot the aircraft, you did not conduct scientific research. It was advertisement. You participated in an advertisement for Bezos and Blue Origin. You were a soft launch for trash in space lol“

“Am I the only person in America who doesn’t care about the Blue Origin space launch that went to the near edge of space?”

What happened to us? People used to be proud about accomplishments, and proud to be part of the United States. Not anymore. Now people seem to jump at any way to show their disgust and anger for anything that does not 100% benefit them. Also, there were a lot of people who seemed to dismiss this mission because it was an all-women crew. Only men are true astronauts and go on space missions; these women did nothing special, just went on a short joy ride.

I am not the best at writing and explaining my thoughts and feelings. Hopefully, the more I write, the better I become. I am just sad and sick of all the negativity. I realize it’s really a small percentage of people, most of whom are just looking for a reaction. Hopefully they will outgrow their jealousy, ignorance, and nastiness at some point.

Just to mix things up, came across this video last night and thought it was really cool

@huggyattack

Replying to @drewsinnott4 s15e5 11/11/89 Host #chrisevert #saturdaynightlive #snl #snlclassic #eurythmics

♬ original sound – Huggy

Black Mirror is back for a new season on Netflix. Kind of a modern-day Twilight Zone, there have been some really great episodes over the years. One of the best episodes was Season 4’s “USS Callister”. Starring the great Cristin Melioti it was a cool play on Star Trek. Season 7 starts with the sequel ‘USS Callister: Into Infinity”. I rewatched the original to refresh myself, and am looking forward to the sequel with a review to follow

Here are some other things I have been watching over the past few weeks

Extinction staring Michael Peña and Lizzy Caplan – Really enjoyed it. Need more good Sci-Fi movies

Your Friends & Neighbors staring Jon Hamm and Olivia Munn — Interesting. Lets see where it goes

9-1-1 Still a very enjoyable show. Keeps me interested each week

The Last of Us – The first episode of Season 2 was really good. Looking forward to this

There are new episodes of “Survivor 48” and “The Amazing Race” on tonight. Have been enjoying both shows and looking forward to seeing who comes out on top

I saw that applications are open for both shows

https://www.cbssurvivorcasting.com/home

https://www.theamazingracecasting.com/home

I will need to put something together and get it submitted in the next week. Kind of torn, as I really do need to find a new job, and don’t want to find something only to tell them I need to take six weeks off. But I am not going to stop dreaming and will cross that bridge when the time comes

The NY Mets are off to a good start. Considering that the bottom half of the lineup can’t buy a hit, and they have not been playing crisp defense, at 11-6, they are actually leading the NL East. Get-away game today in Minnesota, and then they start a 7-game homestand against the Cardinals and Phillies.

Congratulations to Rory McIlroy for winning The Masters this past weekend and completing the Golf Grand Slam. I wasnt easy, and there were some doubts, but he pulled himself together and found a way to win on the 1st play-off hole.

In men’s professional golf, a Career Grand Slam is achieved by winning all four major championships (The Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship) during a golfer’s career. As of 2025, only six golfers have accomplished this feat: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and now Rory McIlroy.

Been doing a lot of walking lately, getting out early and going over 5 miles. So far, so good, and looking forward to continuing (and warmer weather). Still folling my 3 song rule, where I only listen to 3 songs from a particual artit, and then move on. This alows me to mix things up, but also enjoy some deeper tracks

Here are some recent artists I lisened to on my walks

Blue Oyster Cult (Dancin in the Ruins, Vetran of the Psychic Wars, Joan Crawford)

Dokken (Kiss of Death, Prisoner, Night By Night, Standing in the Shadows, Burning Like a Flame)

Heavy Metal Sound Track (Reach Out – Cheap Trick, Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride) – Don Felder

Police (Canary in a Coalmine, Driven to Tears, Murder by Numbers)

Savatage (Doesnt Matter Anyway, Hall of the Mountain King, Hounds, Beleive)

There were others, but you get the jist

There is some much music out there (both new, old, classic and obscure). I highly recommend thst everybody should take some time and listen to a few songs of their favorite artist, soundtrack or genere.

Im sure there are more things to write about but its been a while (Im a slow typer, plust make a lot of mistakes so end up using spell sheck way to often.

Going to sign off now, but will be back sooner than later with some more thoughts and opinions

Really appreciate anyboy out there who reades this and would love to hear from you

Have a Great Day

Anverage Andy

#PEACE

#Marillion – A Better Way of Life

#NeverToOldForSurvivor

#GiveMeAChance


Posted in 9-1-1, Amazing Race, Baseball, Black Mirror, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Eurythmics, Extinction, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Job Searching, Jonny Fairplay, Kellyn Bechtold, Marillion, Movies, Music, NY Mets, Phil Keoghan, Police, Reality Shows, Rob Cesternino, Savatage, Sports, Star Trek, Survivor, The Last of Us | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

VIP Val Kilmer

Posted on April 3, 2025 by AverageAndy

I was very sad to see that the great actor Val Kilmer passed away at the age of 65. He starred in a slew of great films in the 1980s (Top Gun, Real Genius, Top Gun) and 1990s (The Doors, Batman Forever, HEAT”). He was a great talent, able to transform into the character he was playing so that you really believed who he was. Also, he was not afraid to play all kinds of different characters.

In the 1970s and 1980s, movies would play in the theater for a long time. I remember JAWS played at my local theater the entire summer of 1975

NOTE: “(#Maplewood has a special connection to Jaws. Not only is its star Roy Scheider a Columbia High School graduate, but in Northern NJ the blockbuster played exclusively at our town’s movie theater for weeks. Ticket lines extended all the way to Baker Street! Can you imagine?“

This meant you would see movies multiple times in the actual theater. And after they ran in the theater, HBO would show movies like Top Gun and Real Genius” over and over. One of the jokes back in the day was “Q: What does HBO stand for? “A: Hey, Beastmasters on” as HBO played the Marc Singer classic what seemed like multiple times a day

All this leads back to the fact that I saw a lot of Val Kilmer’s early movies multiple times at a perfect age, and they have been a part of my history for 30+ years. This is part of what makes his passing so sad.

Also, really liked his performance in Heat as Chris Shiherlis. I actually read the sequel book “Heat 2” and could perfectly imagine Val as his character in the book.

REST IN PEACE Val Kilmer. You were a real genius and will be missed

Posted in Heat, Jaws, Movies, Real Genius, The Beastmaster | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Monday, Monday

Posted on March 31, 2025 by AverageAndy

Been a while, so let’s get right into things

The New York Mets opened their 2025 season in Houston and lost 2 of 3 to the Astros. They pitched OK, but the offense decided to wait a bit before getting started. Let’s see how they do against a decent Miami Marlins team before returning to CITI Field on Friday to open their home season against the Toronto Blue Jays.

As far a MLB, they need to figure a few things out before the next collective bargaining agreement with regards to how they want to promote and grow the interest.

1. Look into getting rid of Interleage Play. First introduced in 1997, it has run its course. It never created any new or better rivalries as expected and reduced the good ones it had. It also creates an unfair and unbalanced schedule. If they are going to keep it, at least try to have teams open their season within their own leage. Yankees / Milwaukee, Cardinals / Twins, and Mets / Toronto are not the home opening days that the fans want to see.

2. Figure out a way to let the most people watch games by consolidating all the different networks and streaming services Also they need to reavaluate all the arcaic black-out rules that do more to prevent people from watching their home teams then promoting the sport

TV partner(s)
Fox/FS1
TBS
ESPN/ABC
MLB Network

Streaming partner(s)
Max
Apple TV+
The Roku Channel
ESPN+

MLB is a regional sport, and the best way to market it is to the local fans. People get to know their local announcers (on both TV and Radio) and get frustrated when the games are tossed around to different networks with different announcers and different production setups. I know it’s all driven by money, but if you look back over the years, viewership in all sports (except the NFL) seems to drop every time things change. I know I am older and set in my ways, but remember when I was young, the teams I ended up following and rooting for were local, and also the ones that were easiest to watch. The teams on pay stations (such as Sports Channel in NJ) were left behind, and it can still be seen today.

3. Hire a new PR Department. MLB does an awful job of promoting the game and its players. For years, they promoted Mike Trout as the best player in the sport. While there is no arguing he is a great player, he played on the West Coast on a consistently aufel Anaheim Angles Team. I know its tougher with MLB than the other professional leagues due to the reginality, but there are a bunch of young and exciting players out there that they should be taking advantage of. Maybe bring back “This Week In Baseball” or have some sort of weekly/monthly/yearly fantasy standings that people can easily follow along with.

I’m sure I’ll have more to say as the season goes on, but now it’s time to start rooting for the Mets to get off to a good start and play good baseball and bring excitement to CITI Field and NY / NJ this season

Update on Movies and TV Shows

I finished Season 2 of ‘Severance’ on Apple TV. 4 out of 5 bags

I finished Season 3 of ‘REACHER’ on Amazon Prime. 3 out of 5 bags (A little to over the top)

I watched “Den of Theives 2′ I liked the first movie and was looking forward to this one, but I was disappointed. It was boring, and not much happened that wasn’t expected. 2.5 out of 5 bags.

I am enjoying this season of 9-1-1 (although I’m not really buying Bucks character.)

Will leave updates for Survivor 48 and The Amanzing Race for later today or tomorrow when I can did a bit deeper


Still looking for a new job — Had a few things going that fell through. But just have to keep moving forward. Will keep you updated and let you know if anything comes along

That’s all for right now

#PEACE

#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

#Stay Gold

Average Andy



Posted in 9-1-1, Amazing Race, Den of Thieves 2, Everyday, Job Searching, Movies, New Jersey Ciphers, New Jersey Red Dogs, Reacher, Reality Shows, Severance, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On and On and On it Goes

Posted on March 20, 2025 by AverageAndy

Been a strange couple of weeks. Not good and not bad, just there. After 5 months of looking for a new job, the days and weeks start to blend into each other, and everything just starts to feel monotonous. But I do have some things to look forward to that should cheer me up. Heading to Florida for a few days to catch up with long-time friends, and to catch one of the last spring training games of the spring, before the MLB Season begins one week from today (3/27/2025) (*** I know there were two games in Japan between the Dodgers and Cubs ***).

The NY Mets open in Houston against the Astros and hopefully get off to a decent start. The MLB Season is a grind, and there are plenty of teams that started slow but came on later to have a decent seasons. But after last year’s 0-5 start, the signing of Juan Soto and Pete Alonso, and Francisco Lindor coming off an MVP year, the Mets at least need to play decent ball the first month of the season.

Had one of my Roto Drafts last weekend and have my big Roto Draft next Saturday. In person with the same 10 guys for something like 30 years. Even though its been rough going for my team (Red Dogs) the past couple of years, it is always fun to get together and catch up.

Also had a couple of interviews and am waiting to hear back about the position. Was good to talk to somebody about a job, and it looks like things are opening up a bit so hopefully good things are on the horizon.

As for the crazy times we are living in, it is really sad the steps the government is taking to try and re-write history. Going through and removing old records and photos from historical databases will never remove what actually happened. Let us never forget those who risked their lives and careers to help make the United States a leader of freedom and human rights.

Jackie Robinson
Enola Gay
Arlington National Cemetary
Arlington National Cemetary

Lots going on in Survivor 48. It’s been an interesting season so far, and I’m still not sure who I want to win. Will need to set aside some time to write an in-depth post about my feelings. There is a bit to many challenges / Journeys involving losing or stealing votes. Hopefully the fan vote for Season 50 will reduce the amount of advantages a bit (I choose “Strategic Power”

Enough for now

Off to watch some NCAA Basketball and see how my picks do. Nothing worse than having a team you pick for the final 4 lose on day one. Hoping this is not the case for me this year and I still have some interest after the first weekend of games

#PEACE

#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

#NeverForget

#AverageAndy @AverageAndy2

Posted in Baseball, Elon Musk, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Job Searching, Mark Cuban, NY Mets, Reality Shows, Sports, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Familiaris – David Wroblewski

Posted on March 10, 2025 by AverageAndy

Back in the summer of 2009, while on vacation in Dewey Beach, DE, I was looking for a new book to read. There was a local bookstore in town promoting summer books to read. Looking at the list of recommendations, I was drawn to the book “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” by David Wroblewski. Its not the type of book I normally read (Clive Cussler, Dean Koontz, John Grisham) but Something about the cover made me pick it up and try it. It was a great book, I was glad i picked it up. As the years went by, it always stuck in my head and I was pleasantly surprised when after 15 years, David Wroblewski published a new novel (Familiaris) about the Sawtelle family and how they came to be. This was another fantastic book telling the story of Edgar’s Grandparents, how they met, how they ended up on the family farm, and the history of the Sawtelle dogs.

It was really interesting reading about the late1800s and early 1900s and how people lived during those times. Wroblewski writes with great detail and while your reading you can picture the characters and the environment and feel like you were right there with them. With lots of highs and lows it was a great read and I highly recommend reading it.

I took a break from the TV shows I have been watching and decided to watch a few movies over the weekend. There is lots of junk out there, and nothing really caught my eye, so decided to check out a movie called “Delicious” that I saw mentioned online. While it did keep me interested, its was not that good, the characters were not that believable, and the subject matter was a little creepy. I did read a review afterwards, and while it pointed out the meaning of things, I still can’t recommend this. #1Bag

Deciding that I just wanted escape for a bit I just wanted to watch a good romantic comedy. After scrolling through Netflix (Nothing new that looked any good), I ended up watching “Picture This” on Amazon. The cover photo (or whatever you call the pictures you scroll through on each service) looked promising and the movie started off alright and while a bit stupid at parts, it was pretty good.

Like most romantic comedies, you can pretty much figure out how it ends halfway through. Boy and girl are together, they break up, and then at the end, they realize they are perfect for each other and live happily ever after. The problem with this movie, for me, was there was really no chemistry between the lead women and man. For the 2nd half of the movie, I kept hoping somebody else would come along who was at least believable. But no, they got together, and the movie ended just as I figured. Seeing 2 people who to me would never end together took away any feelings I had toward them and the move. Another movie I cannot recommend #1Bag

The chemistry issue happens all the time with the Hallmark and Netflix original romantic comedies. Sometimes I can just go with the flow since my expectations are low to start with, Every once and a while you do get some chemistry and I am happily surprised. But most of the time I walk away thinking one, or both of the main characters are whacked and would never choose each other in the real world

When they work for me (movies like “While You Were Sleeping” and “She’s Out of My League“), they make me feel good afterward. I believe the characters and the choices they make at the end.

Here is Roger Eberts reviw of the movie “Speed” . He is spot on about the chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. You believe both of them and are rooting for them throughout the movie.

Compare that to the Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney movie “Anyone But You”. Zero chemistry between them and nothing to make you care about either one of them. The movie did well at the box office because it stars two of the hot actors of the day, but it faded away just as quick and will end up being forgotten. Take a movie like “Ticket to Paradise” starring George Clooney and Julie Roberts. Starring two of the best actors of our time, it ended up being a disappointment because there was absolutely no chemistry between them. Noting was believable and by the end, you just didn’t care what happened to them

The moral of the story — Movie Chemistry is hard and should be given more thought than just putting two people together (regardless if they are superstars or actors just looking for work) and hoping people care.


Average Andy

#PEACE
#NeverToOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#FarwellToFish
#SugarMice
#RememberToSmile

Feel free to reach out to me and leave a comment. Also if anybody has any connections with anybody associated with “Survivor” or “The Amazing Race”, be sure to point them my way and let them know your helping them find the next great contestant

Posted in Amazing Race, David Wroblewski - Familiaris, David Wroblewski - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Movies, NY Giants, NY Mets, Reality Shows, Sports, Survivor, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

RIP Java Chip

Posted on March 5, 2025 by AverageAndy

Starbucks, The Seattle-based coffeehouse chain recently announced that some of its “less popular” beverages, including nine Frappuccino blended beverages, will be retired from its menus starting Tues, March 4.

New CEO Brian Niccol has rolled out changes he says will not only boost sales and prioritize customers, but will also help Starbucks get “back to Starbucks.”

One of the less popular drinks being retired is the Java Chip Frappuccino. This was one of my go-to drinks at Starbucks, especially in the summer. While there are still some Frappuccino drinks remaining on the menu, none of them can take the place of the JAVA Chip.

Java Chip Frappuccino

RIP JAVA Chip — You will be missed

Posted in Food, Starbucks | Tagged , , | Leave a comment