My Personal Blog

To the 2024 Hermitage Holiday Light Parade grand marshal: On behalf of myself and all of the past grand marshals of the Hermitage Holiday Light Parade, I offer you my congratulations on your honors that were bestowed on you by the city of Hermitage and the sponsors of the Holiday Light Parade.  I hope you enjoy your moment in the sun on November 23 like I did last year. You get to join an exclusive club that only a select few individuals in the city of Hermitage ever get to enjoy thanks to your contributions to making the city a better place to live.  You join individuals such as former state senator Bob Robbins, Ed Chess, the late Karen Reed, Lori Weston, and myself in this exclusive club that began with the first edition of the parade back in 1998. All of the past grand marshals are making plans to attend the parade on November 23 and sit together as a group to watch you flip the symbolic switch to light up the city to begin the celebration of the holiday season. Once again,...

Just recently, the Pro Football Hall of Fame released its list of nominees for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Six of them are former Steelers players:  Hines Ward, Casey Hampton, James Farrior, James Harrison, Mike Vrabel and Gary Anderson. Ward, Hampton, Farrior and Harrison were part of the Steelers teams that won two Super Bowls in the 2000s decade.  Vrabel went on to become a head coach in the NFL.  Anderson, along with Ward, are the two former Steelers whose jersey numbers are no longer issued by the team. I have said for many years that until Hines Ward is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, do not expect me to drive my Hyundai Elantra Limited on George Halas Drive in Canton, Ohio.  This is similar to my father’s own vendetta against driving in Cooperstown, New York until Bill Mazeroski was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.  (I made my first visit to Cooperstown in August 2005.) Now one of the members of the Pro Football ...