Monday Mug Shot

The Cincinnati Reds

First professional team in baseball
Happy Opening Day!

Well, I’m sure everyone was expecting a baseball mg today, in fact I bet there were a lot of people who expected an Cincinnati Reds mug today! I don’t want to disappoint! :)

Unfortunately, I did NOT get to attend the ESPN Opening Day Eve party last night. I strained something, somehow, in my knee. David was working an extra shift and I couldn’t get down stairs!! Strangest thing. We spent the night at my Dad’s Saturday, He and Aunt Judy have a harder mattress than I’m used to in their guest room. That's really all I can think of that might have touched it off. We got home, I went to the basement and scooped the kids’ pans, came up and had lunch with David went up stairs to sit in front of the computer to read email. I did all that with not even a twinge of pain. I didn’t twist it. I didn’t hear a “pop.” While I was scrolling through the emails, I felt a cramping in my left knee. I remember asking David if it was going to rain trying to figure out a reason it cramped up. He said it was indeed supposed to rain, so I thought maybe it was a barometric joint.

By the time he was ready to leave, my attitude was “who cares why, just make it stop!” I could barely put any weight on it. There was no way I was getting down the stairs and I ended up going to sleep after rubbing ice-hot ointment on it and taking Advil. A couple of hours later, the pain had subsided a bit and I could hobble to the bathroom or office, but I mean I was really hobbling.

David stopped at Kroger and brought me home Icy-Hot sleeves to put on my knee. They seemed to really help this morning, although I’m still wobbly, I can sorta walk on it, gingerly. It’s still tender, I can get downstairs! That's important because the Reds Opener is on FSN Ohio at 2:10! In the "make lemonade" world, that's an okay part of being a destitute unemployed lump!


The story about the mug isn’t huge. I collect mugs. I’ve been a Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds fan since the early 70s. Of course, I have a Reds mug and a Tigers mug! As an adult, I am a National League fan, so I favor the Reds ever so slightly more. When I was a kid, I was a young homer, so it was the Tigers ever so slightly more. I guess the historical averages display them on a level mantle in my heart with the Braves mounted one small step below.

When I was little, it was all about Al Kaline and that subconscious memory of Mommy picking her toddler up out of the playpen and dancing with her in celebration of the Tigers winning the 68 World Series. It was a day game then and the sleeping baby and toddler in the playpen were all who my mom had to celebrate with while Dad as at work when they won. Of course, the toddler became a baseball fan for life that day. The sleeping baby, not getting to experience the unmitigated joy of a World Series victory, went the other way and became a hockey fan.

In the 70s, it was Pete Rose and the Big Red Machine! In the summer, I was allowed to stay up later when the Reds were Monday Night Baseball, but during the playoffs, if it was a night game, I had to read about it or see it on the news the next day because of school. I went to Catholic school then, so there were no fan wearables to show support by day. I gotta say, I love being a grownup! ;)

This mug was from the Reds store in Downtown Cincinnati. It was bought before the Reds Hall of Fame was put up and the complete team store was right by the ballpark! It’s one of my very used mugs and the chip on the side came from dish-washing! So, it’s going to just have to be replaced! Anyway, it will be retired to the mug rack and a new Reds mug for everyday will need to come home to live in the cupboard!