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A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

fun

My pitch to manage the Phillies (if they hadn’t hired Girardi!)

October 25, 2019

(Note: The Philadelphia Phillies hired Joe Girardi to be their next manager. I’m quite stoked about this and hope it’s what the Phillies need. Too much talent to just be 81-81. That being said, I had drafted this up … you know, in case they still needed a manager. So, this is my pitch from all my years of managing adult softball to come out of “retirement” and be the manager of the Phillies!)

Dear Mr. Klentak,

Coming out of my managerial retirement wasn’t something I had planned on contemplating, but as they say – when opportunity knocks, answer the door!

While I am sure you are seeking somebody with big league experience for the next manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, I still felt it necessary for a life-long Phillies fan to see about the possibility, especially somebody with the managing pedigree that I bring.

What I bring is a championship background and would love to bring that to the dugout of the Philadelphia Phillies. For nearly 30 years, I built and managed an adult softball team in my area that went on to do well not only here, but at the state and national level. Success took a little time (hey, it’s not easy starting with a “rebuild” and having to recruit players right away!) but once we reached the highest level, we stayed there.

Me with the Phanatic a few years ago.

You could say was somewhat of a GM/manager/player (probably why if I can ever afford the Phillies Phantasy Camp, I’ll want to do so with the GM part), and I feel that experience could lead to a successful run as skipper of the Phillies.

Over the 28 years I managed, we had a constant flow of players and personalities. It’s not easy to juggle all of that, especially if they are coming straight from work or had a cold one in them. We played modified pitch, which is as close to baseball as it comes – and we lived on small ball. We had some power, and good pitching. And we were usually pretty solid in the field (not if I was out there – hitting was my prowess. Fielding, not so much).

And, of course, we had some egos and tempers and everything else. I feel I handled it all well. And I know pitching is something of a sore spot to people, as well. But I have to be honest – I manage pitching with git instinct. I want pitchers to test their limits and become old school of sorts. To be fair, we only really had one pitcher over the last 19 years I managed. I pitched some, too, but the old knuckleball didn’t always work and that proved to be tough at times. And, our pitcher 60 in my final year, but he could still go.

Some of my credentials: 

  • 7 league championships
  • More than 400 victories (estimated)
  • Belief in the youth movement
  • Letting players be players

And, Mr. Klentak, I can’t lie – I can second-guess current managers with the best of them (though, to be fair, I don’t really do it online, so maybe it doesn’t count?) as I attend anywhere from 40-75 live games a year between the minors and majors.

I’m also a baseball nerd (have scorebook, will travel) and love all the analytics of the game. Though, to be fair, I tend to manage more by seeing how the game unfolds more so than worrying about whether or not a guy facing a certain player a third time would be bad. If a guy is dealing, I want him to keep dealing. I’m sure with more analytics, I’d be all over it. There’s not many scouting reports, though, in upstate New York for an over-35 dynasty. We just win!

My salary requirements won’t be too crazy, I promise. I’ll bring fire, that’s for sure. I’m a supporter of the Phillies in many ways – from traveling to see them play to even taking part this past year in the Phillies 5K to getting many clothing items – and I’ll continue to do so as manager (though, a uniform and such will be free, right?) I also believe in the system and have been a supporter at the minors and have a good feel for what’s in the system (prospect guides rule)!

I’m ready for my eighth championship to come with the Phillies.

References available upon request. I look forward to discussing this possibility.

Sincerely,

P.J. Harmer

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Filed Under: Baseball, My world Tagged With: baseball, fun, hire me phillies, job letter to phillies, managing the phillies, my world, phillies, phillies manager

2 Comments

Nick Williams forgot about me!

September 6, 2016

(Please note – this blog post is ALL in good fun and not serious one bit. Though it’s all true, this is absolutely funny and gave me a chance to have a story and a blog post. I thank Nick Williams for that. It’s better than any ball would have been. So … read on and remember, this is supposed to be all in fun!)

Nick Williams forgot all about me.

There I was, sitting in the PigPen seats at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown. I was there cheering on the future Phillies against the Rochester Redwings.

It was magical.

The PigPen seats are directly in front of the bullpens and you’re on top of the action in left field. So much so that you can get some good views of any action in left and center field.

I'm sad to report, this ball did not get thrown up to us! (ha!)

I’m sad to report, this ball did not get thrown up to us! (ha!)

It’s pretty cool.

On this night, one of the Phils’ top prospects, Nick Williams, was playing left. I thought that was pretty cool as I’ve watched several prospects during their rise through the system and I like Williams. He’s a solid all-around player. He hasn’t always been a prospect in the Phillies’ system as he came over in the trade for Cole Hamels, so I learned as much about him as I could and I liked what he seemed to have to offer the organization.

And Nick is playing for the IronPigs, the triple-A team for the Phillies. The Pigs give fans the chance to see the game from different perspectives, including the PigPen, which is where we got to be up close with Nick Williams. Well, close enough in that he was playing right in front of us and all.

When you are so close to the action, fans will often attempt to get the players to throw them a ball. Sometimes it will work, sometimes it won’t. It all depends on when they have a ball and if they think to throw one after warming up. They definitely won’t do it every inning, that’s for sure. But fans try, that’s for sure. Including me.

But Nick… come on, Nick.

Midway through the game, we (two of us, as well as two others sitting next to us) were kind of trying to get Nick’s attention. All in good fun, of course. One of the people next to was waving.

We, of course, were seeking a ball.

Around the eighth inning, we tried some more. We called his name. When he looked our way, he had already thrown the ball away for his warmups and shrugged with a smile. But that smile made us have hope! Maybe in the ninth! Did we have a chance? Would Nick hook us up?

I mean, I had my IronPigs hat on. I was decked out in a Phillies sweatshirt! I was supporting the big club and the minors! Come on Nick! HOOK US UP!

The ninth inning came. Nick jogged out and was warming up. We cheered. He threw the ball to his throwing mate and gave the sign that he was good.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?

No ball.

Instant sad face.

So we yelled a bit (all with smiles) asking Nick what was up? How could he not soft toss us the ball? What could have happened? I mean, we connected… didn’t we? RIGHT?? We’re supporting the team!!

He jogged to his position and smirked at us and mouthed he was sorry… he forgot.

Classic!

In the years I covered pro baseball, many people asked me how many autographs and such I got. I always said if I asked for autos, I could get fired. But I have stories and memories that go well beyond autographs.

And this story… goes well beyond any baseball Nick Williams could have thrown into the crowd (with the possibility of me dropping it, anyway). It’s something a couple of us can laugh about a bit in the future, especially if Williams keeps climbing the ranks and becomes a member of the Phillies.

It’ll be then we remember how Nick forgot us. And maybe get a baseball!

This is why minor league baseball is so fun, too. Thanks, Nick, for giving us a memory a couple of us will always smile and joke about!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!

Filed Under: Baseball, My world Tagged With: baseball, baseball story, fun, funny baseball story, ironpigs, lehigh valley, nick williams, phillies, stories from the game

1 Comment

Vacationland

August 4, 2016

By the time this post goes live on my blog, I’ll be in the midst of a vacation down south.

Yeah, probably not the best time of year to do that, right? Supposed to be hot while I am down there, too. Really hot.

But I’m trying to schedule some posts to go up while I’m away, and this is one of them.

This is a baseball trip, though. A lot of games over a week.

I got thinking as this one was being planned, too. Since that time in my life when I was on unemployment for so long, I haven’t had one of those “long vacations.” Sure, I’d take a long weekend and things like that, but it’s rare for me to take a week and actually go somewhere.

This is what this vacation is about.

So I’m off to the south where I’ll watch baseball and see a few other things and probably not eat as well as I should. But I will do my best during that time and see what happens.

I also hope the games we’re planning on hitting don’t get rained out or anything like that.

Until I return, though, some of these posts may be a little more like this as I was trying to schedule things to the point where it was easy to get things done as I didn’t give myself enough time to write some of my more in-depth things.

That’s OK though. I’ll get back to some regularly scheduled programming soon enough!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Filed Under: My world Tagged With: baseball, fun, going away, trip, vacation, weather

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Tap, tap, tap on the keyboard

August 12, 2015

Oh, hi blogging world!

Seems I’ve gotten a tad busy and haven’t caught up on my blogging duties. I have a bunch of posts I want to get up or finish writing (including a cool interview with the creator of Quest Scouts – as well as a review of it down the line). I’m also working on a few other cool things.

And baseball stadium reviews!

Though I won’t write about each one from this summer (some I reviewed last year), I am up to 19 stadiums for the year. It’s been a lot of fun and I plan on adding a few more before the end of the year. The Baseball Pass-Port program has helped me look for stadiums to see, which has been great. I need to do an interview with the creator of the program at some point as I want to do a more in-depth story about it.

Softball season ended, too. It was a fun run. I’ll have a post all about the season at some point, but it ended with another trophy and I even broke a personal milestone this past weekend.

The real world (work projects) and other personal items (prepping for a trip to Seattle) have really kept me busy, but once I get back from the west coast, I’m sure I’ll be back in the writing mood with all sorts of things.

I need to get out with the camera more, too. Hopefully I’ll come back from Seattle with a bunch of new images.

And I need to get reading some blogs again. I’ve missed a lot of great things this summer and need to get back into seeing what some of my favorite bloggers are up to.

Hope everyone has a great weekend coming up! Enjoy what’s left of the summer!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Filed Under: blogging, My world Tagged With: blogging, fun, my world, update, updates

2 Comments

Photo Blogging Challenge (January 2015): Games

January 31, 2015

(Note: There is no Snapshot Saturday this week because it falls on the final day of the month, so the day for the Photo Blogging Challenge. Snapshot Saturday will return next week!)

I had a lot of fun with this month’s theme.

Originally, my plan had been to showcase a bigger project I am working on about board games, but though I love a lot of the photos I’ve taken for that, I think five board game images for this challenge wouldn’t be what I was hoping for.

So, I’ve gone in a mixed bag direction. Some were taken with a rented lens (a 100mm macro, which was awesome), and others with my own lenses.

I have some board game items and a few other things I think work within the theme. I’m also, thankfully, sticking to my guns to do this challenge mostly with my main camera in 2015, and trying to avoid the phone unless necessary or if a theme dictates.

I also look forward to seeing what people came up with for this theme!

Without further ado, here are my five for the month.

1. Roll the dice

As part of my board game project, this was an image I knew I wanted to capture. I love how this one came out. I probably could have done this post fully on dice images I took, but I wanted to be diverse!

Roll 'em!

Roll ’em!

2. Pieces

Many board games have items like this – small blocks, Meeples, or different pieces that are usually colorful. The newer board games have some amazing pieces to them.

Colorful pieces.

Colorful pieces.

3. New toy

I got this new toy for my nephew. It’s kind of a game because it shakes and the mini pieces inside go back and forth. He seemed to enjoy the rattle part, as well as the mirror. I loved how this image came out, despite being a little soft.

Small hands.

Small hands.

4. Geocaching

This is one my favorite game/hobbies. I don’t believe it to be a sport as many people call it, rather it’s a game and one I truly enjoy. This is actually a cache I have hidden that I took some snaps of when I had a rented lens.

Finding the cache.

Finding the cache.

5. Pop ‘em out

One thing about many board games is all of the items you have to pop out. This is one I got for Christmas, Le Havre, before I started punching out everything.

Punch out time!

Punch out time!

That’s my five and now it’s your turn!

If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below. And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!). Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too!

Also, don’t forget to get back here tomorrow, February 1, to see the theme for February! Remember, in March, we celebrate our second anniversary! Is there anybody (besides me) who hasn’t missed a month?

NOTE: I set up a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Filed Under: blogging, challenges, My world, Photo Blogging Challenge, Photography Tagged With: blogging challenge, board games, dice, fun, game, games, geocaching, hoohaablog, photo, photo blogging challenge, photo challenge, photographer, photographer choice, photography, photography challenge

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Harper is counting down to Santa Paws! You know, Harper is counting down to Santa Paws! 

You know, of course, Santa Paws travels with Santa Clause, making sure to find treats and toys for all the good little doggies! (We know they are all deserving, right?) So, Harper put out some milk for the big guy, carrots for Rudolph and the reindeer, and special cookies for Santa Paws! She is ready! 

#SantaPaws #Christmas2022 #HarperChristmas #MyDogHarper #GoldenRetriever #DogsofInstagram #PhotoOfTheDay #Photography #Christmas #IPhoneography
One of the best parts about having Harper as my be One of the best parts about having Harper as my best friend… ❤️
Couldn't resist stopping on the way to work to sna Couldn't resist stopping on the way to work to snap this shot. The colors in the sky were fantastic and the scene was nice looking (though, to be fair, I drove by what I think would have been a better scene -- the valley and hills full of snow etc.)

#Snow #Winter #Sky #Color #InstaLove #photooftheday #picoftheday #iPhoneography #nature #love #instalove #photography #happy #smile #photo
The best of times??? 🤪🤪🤪 The best of times??? 🤪🤪🤪
Just a break on our morning walk … #goldenretri Just a break on our morning walk …

#goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #mydogharper
Tired. Tired.
Harper is ready for tonight! Let’s go Phillies! Harper is ready for tonight! Let’s go Phillies! 

#phillies #ringthebell #baseball #dog #goldenretriever
I look at her and sometimes still can’t believe I look at her and sometimes still can’t believe I have her. It’s been a year and four months and she makes me smile and laugh more each day. It’s amazing how much a dog changes your look on life, and how much joy they can bring. 

#goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #dog #goldenretrieversofinstagram #harper_dublin #akc #photography #photooftheday #love #mydogharper #harperdublin #instagood #happy #picoftheday #fun #iphoneology #retrieveroftheday #ilovemygolden #dogstagram #dailygolden #dogsofinsta
I’ve recently realized how many photos I have to I’ve recently realized how many photos I have to post here, as well as on Harper’s (@harper_dublin) account). So, as I start to transfer photos, I’ll try and catch up. So photos coming could be from all seasons and who knows when. 🤣

This one is recent from the courthouse square in Delhi. We had some pretty good fall colors this year. 

#fall #delhiny #seasons #iphoneonly #love #photography #photooftheday #instagood #happy #picoftheday
From a few weeks ago. I was trying to get Harper t From a few weeks ago. I was trying to get Harper to put her paws on the bridge and looked out, but she was more content jumping on me and looking up. I do love the way she seems to be looking at me.
Instagram post 17992900117561614 Instagram post 17992900117561614
Couldn’t resist a quick stop this morning with t Couldn’t resist a quick stop this morning with the fog and frost settled in. 

Hamden Covered Bridge 

#coveredbridge #coveredbridges #bridge #fog #frost #nature #upstatenewyork
Harper’s friend Lucy is around this weekend! #g Harper’s friend Lucy is around this weekend!

#goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #dog #goldenretrieversofinstagram #harper_dublin #akc #photography #photooftheday #love #mydogharper #harperdublin #instagood #happy #picoftheday #fun #iphoneology #retrieveroftheday #ilovemygolden #dogstagram #dailygolden #dogsofinsta #outside #sunshine #friends
So… @harper_dublin wants to know why she can’t So… @harper_dublin wants to know why she can’t have @mallons_homemade_sticky_buns.
This is why we can’t have nice things. Saw this This is why we can’t have nice things. Saw this on me morning walk Friday with Harper. Likely some college kids, but also as chance at local hooligans. I had Harper so not a lot I could do, but I managed to get the cart off the chair. (See second photo) This was in a local park.
Harper is ready for #nationalfetchday on October 1 Harper is ready for #nationalfetchday on October 15! @chuckitfetchgames 

Should be fun! @discgolfdarren @harmm23
Starting to feel like fall! #fall #nature #autum Starting to feel like fall! 

#fall #nature #autumn #colors #foliage #instagood #seasonchange #leaves #leaves🍁
Street lights hidden in a tree. #life #light #wa Street lights hidden in a tree. 

#life #light #walk #explore ##instagood #photooftheday #photography #happy
Finally learning this Canon M6 MarkII before my tr Finally learning this Canon M6 MarkII before my trip starts this weekend. Really like it now that I took the time to set it up and learn the differences between this and my 7D MarkII. This and the iPhone will do most of the work on the trip. 

Photo is inside on a dark and dreary day. Transferred to phone and edited with #snapseed. 

#canon #m6markii #dog #dogsofinstagram #goldenretriever
Life is good. Life is good.
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P.J. Harmer

P.J. Harmer
A video looking at my first year and a half of owning a golden retriever, my first dog. It's had its ups and downs, but I've truly loved the ride and look forward to the future. 

Music: Happy before we get old by Michael Shynes via Artlist. 

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Thank you for watching. :)
When these boxes come, there usually some excitement. But this one ... is the ultimate unboxing! 

#cielovideo52 #52weekchallenge #week5 #weeklychallenge

Music: Happy to be Happy (Dapun)

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I hate being in front of the camera, but also realize sometimes it's not the worst thing in the world. So, I'm getting better with it. Week 4's theme was all about us and having us in front of the camera, so I tried to come up with a creative way to do it. 

#cielovideo52 #52weekchallenge #week4 #weeklychallenge

Music: Infinite Wonder (Ben Fox)

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