A red, white and blue welcome to The Juice this week. I understand Joey “Jaws” Chestnut is back in the Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest which is Friday. Old Nathan gave in after his ratings tanked last year for kicking JC out over a sponsorship dispute. I used to look forward to the Fourth because that included watching Wimbledon. But it doesn’t mean as much without American players and everyone of them have already been eliminated after the Second Round.
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Kevin Flanigan announced his resignation from education this week. His last job, at least as of his resignation, was as Director of Athletics at Tomball ISD. I got to know Kevin and his wife Michelle when he was the Athletic Director/Head Football Coach at Orangefield from 2000-03. LCM’s Eric Peevey is a branch on the Flanigan Coaching Tree.
I wanted to welcome the Flanigan Era since we were going to broadcast his first game so I got with Mike Poutra at Dominion and had some of those small plastic footballs made for the cheerleaders to throw in the fans in the stands.
We had to travel to SFA in Nacogdoches. Bobby Granger and I made the trip and on the way home we went through the speed trap that is known as Kirbyville, Texas. I didn’t know that at the time.
So I get pulled over and the officer proceeds to lean into my pickup and shine his flashlight on my registration sticker and immediately I get a whiff of beer. I glanced at Bobby and gave him the hand gesture that he might be drinking.
As soon as I do that he flashes his light in my face quickly and says, “Have you had anything to drink tonight?” My mouth reacted quicker than my brain and I said, “I was about to ask you the same thing.” Bobby whispers, “Oh we’re going to jail, now.”
The officer then shines his light on an 18 wheeler full of logs that was passing us as we had our friendly interaction and says, “Oh the logs on that truck must be wet. They smell like beer when they’re wet.” Now I have no idea if that’s true or if he was covering for himself but I had wised up just enough to keep my mouth shut and take my ticket. And that’s my Kevin Flanigan welcome to Orangefield story. I have another Kirbyville encounter I’ll share at another time. Remind me during basketball season.
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Speaking of stories, Jack Dallas has been pitching this season for the AA Reading Fightin’ Phils. The WOS product has currently seen action in 20 games and posts a 4.00 ERA.
Bryce Harper, the Phillies All-Star hitter and possible Hall of Famer, has been going through rehab and Jack got to pitch to him as he attempts to get his swing back. Don’t know how he did but I’m sure there’s a story to tell.
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Thought I’d share a couple of things I learned this week. Blue Bell comes out with an ORANGE flavored ice cream on July 3. Crown Royal is coming out with a chocolate flavored whiskey. That could be trouble.
I also learned it is not a good idea to paint the shells of a turtle. I actually saw a summer camp class do this. Turns out the turtles shell is not just an outer covering, but living tissue that allows for absorption of substances and sunlight. Paints contain chemicals that can be absorbed into the turtle’s bloodstream through the shell, potentially causing organ damage and illness.
And don’t leave birdseed inside your home! I had a small unopened bag in my office for about a week. Left for the weekend and came back to that scene from Silence of the Lambs. Thankfully the door was closed. I’m told moths lay their eggs in birdseed, and the larvae hatch after loving the climate control, and feed on the seeds. Still doesn’t explain how they got out of the bag but I had already learned the hard way.
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Got a message from Danny saying it’s time to remind the hunters about littering so here we go. Guys and gals you need to make sure you’ve secured your trash in the back of your pickup as you run back and forth to the deer lease. Danny said they lost count at 20 bags that were on each side of Hwy. 87 between here and Newton. Littering is a big pet peeve with me. I threw out a McDonald’s bag full of wrappers and napkins when I was in college and it was still there the next day. The next day someone ran over it and it started to spread over the road and the next day it had spread around some more. Disgusted with myself I pulled over and picked up the nasty mess and haven’t done it since.
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Praying for two of my favorites, Beverly Reeh and Gene Bouillion. Both entered Hospice care this week. Both became personal friends thru their years of support for KOGT. Also thinking about my fishing buddy Cheri Bouillion during this tough time.
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Be safe with those fireworks and have a safe and happy Fourth! Don’t forget Orange will have a big fireworks show Friday night. We love supporting those who support us!
-Gary Stelly-
gstelly66@gmail.com
Volume 1 No. 23
The Juice is a weekly column where Gary Stelly discusses things that happened the past week and mixes it with 40 years of being involved in the Orange County community. (If we think of a better way to explain it we’ll change it) You can also check out his podcast by clicking on the Behind the Mic banner on the KOGT.com front page.
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