Bob Heckler

Bob Heckler has notified me that his computer cord has burned out, preventing him from from posting for a while; and he's soon going to be taking a much-needed vacation in New Orleans.  So he won't be posting news items for a while.  My reaction is best expressed in a portion of my response to him:

"Although I don't want to be melodramatic about it, it's entirely possible that you have nearly singlehandedly maintained a lot of the board's vitality in the face of an otherwise truly boring summer. The board owes you a huge debt of gratitude and, ideally, several rounds of hurricanes in New Orleans. I just regret that I can't be there to buy them myself. Thanks for all you do, and we'll all wait (even if impatiently) for your return. All the best, and have a safe trip."

This guy has virtually knocked himself out to maintain interest in posting in the face of great odds this summer. Beyond that, no Board Administrator takes that role more seriously than Bob. He's constantly working on innovate ways to make the board more interesting. Just think of the number of posts he has made to educate all of us on the details of various basketball strategies and tactics. He acts as my board conscience on the all-too-frequent occasions when that is needed. He has literally posted from mountaintops and has definitely earned a vacation to be spent more at sea level. Operating mainly from streaming video (on which I can't tell one player from another) and bars, he provides valuable, provocative insights on game action. He also writes extremely well and in an appealing, interesting manner that I personally envy immensely. The guy is a huge asset to the board, and the only reason not to give him some kind of award is that he's already won them all. I have no idea what this forum would be like without him.

Godspeed, Bob, and we look forward to your return.

Sam

Let me be the first to second everything Sam said. Bob, You've kept me from starving all summer and though I might not write much, I read everything! Hawk

bobh,

Please report all Pelican activity!

gyso

Without Bob we would have been dead in the water all summer.

Dboss

I am willing to purchase a new computer cord and to overnight it to Bob if it will keep him from being off the board...

I agree on Sam's comments!

Sam, thanks for the update. Two thoughts immediately came to mind:

• Bob can be a fiery guy. I suppose burnt computer cords must be factored in as the cost of doing business for someone with that trait.

• When I got up this morning and smelled smoke, I thought it was the Southern California wildfires, but now I know it was just Bob.

Cheers, Bob. I hope we hear from you soon.

Nice offer, TJ. At this juncture, I suspect the vacation is even more needed than the cord. I've rather carefully been following Bob's posting pattern over the summer. Almost every day, he has posted in double figures by noon EST, which is 9:00 a.m. Bob's time. Which means he has scoured many sources of informational tidbits and posted them along with his own thoughtful comments before I'm barely coherent. If one really thinks about it, this was a Herculean effort.

The first time I ever met Bob, he had driven from New York City (where he was visiting an ailing parent) to Boston just to attend our BDC board get-together in (I believe it was) 2009; and he drove back to NYC the same night—a round-trip of well over 500 miles in total without spending an overnight. The second time was at our first San Francisco party, after which he, Jeb and Mustang joined my wife and me for a dinner that will live in all of our memories for several important reasons. The third time, he was the only attendee other than myself at another attempted SFO party. The two of us had a great time at one of his favorite restaurants, and my wife and I wound up going to the same restaurant on the same trip. We plan to be in San Fran again in November, 2014, and one of my main goals will be to meet up with Bob again. He's a fascinating and caring person, and he deserves all sorts of accolades.

Sam

Sam etal,

Thanks a lot.  I appreciate it.

I've owned this computer for about 1 1/2 years now and it's been one thing after another.  First, I had a hard drive crash, now this.  My nickname for my laptop is "Tony", like the way automobile Fiat stands for "Fix it again, Tony".  What is truly pissing me off is that it looks like I'm going to miss tonight's pre-season game.  

I loathe writing long emails from my 'Droid (I'm currently using a public computer at the library, ergo the usual neverending drool) but I have a Samsung Galaxy Note en route, possibly arriving today (oh, please God, please, let it arrive before tip off!) as part of a lifestyle amendment experiment I'm exploring.  We'll see what I'm capable of once I have that in my hot little hand.

I'll be in Nawlins from 10/15-10/22, to celebrate my big 6-0.  It's safe to say the sunovabitch snuck up on me once it realized I wasn't keeping count.  I originally planned to go to the Orange Walk District of Belize, inspired by this NatGeo video:





For a number reasons, too boring to repeat, that's not what I'll be doing.  Instead, it'll be more like this:




Same idea, different type of animals. The plan is to be the jaguar, not the caiman.

I especially appreciate Sam's kind words about my writing.  I'm more like Hemingway than he is in that Hemingway was more than a little crazy.  As far as writing skills and styles go, though, Sam is definitely Hemingway, not me.  I'm more like Kinky Friedman (which is just fine with me.  I find his style to be a cross between two of my favorite authors, Dashiell Hammett and Hunter Thompson.  Picture Sam Spade sleuthing while in an alternative state of being).

Nope, those weren't the Southern California wildfires you were smelling, Outside, it was just me, burning out a bit.  Time to go to one of my favorite places on earth (I've been there more times than anywhere else), New Orleans.  I don't know if I deserve a vacation, my life is already too freaking good to complain about, but I'm taking one anyway. No "continuing resolution" necessary to make this happen.

I'll be checking in and doing what I can, especially if I can either get a new cord or the Note up and running, here and there before then.  If not, and you don't hear from me by 10/24 at the latest, send the paramedics to Midtown Hotel, New Orleans.  Tell them to save the smelling salts, just bring brunettes and the dead will rise again (and, in New Orleans, probably vote).  LOL.

bob


.

Bob...... speaking of smells, I have to pass this little tidbit along. After the Syracuse Game on Saturday, Marcus and I walked around a little, headed down to Marshall St, grabbed a couple burgers at a place called "Sliders" ( if you can eat 20 of their small burgers you geet your name on the wall) well we stopped at 2 each. I parked quite a little ways from the dome and he had stuff to lug to his room in the van and as the traffic had all but thined out I told him I'd run him back to the dorm. As we neared the van which was parked in Thorton Park, I noticed a distinct aroma in the air. Now there was no one around whatsoever but the smell was there..........I said to Marcus. "Smell that" he said yeah. Have you smelled it around college anywhere yet. His reply, " Not really, what is it?" Well the smell was the old wacky weed itself, MJ, POT WEED whatever you want to call it but it was marijuana sure has heck. He was shocked and wondered if we stood here long enough if we would start acting funny........... told him no, not any more than normal anyway.

He's encountered quite a bit during his first several weeks at Syracuse but I trust his judgement in that he will avoid the things he needs to avoid. Just sent me a message that he walked to class this morning with Rakeem Christmas from the mens hoop team.

And Bob if you get the chance let me know a couple web sites that I might try to get the feed of the game if possible. Thanks, beat

Bob,

Dashiell Hammett and Hunter Thompson, huh? I've aspired to be more like E.B. White, my all-time literary idol whose early but brief mentoring got me started in wanting to write. But I could never be concise enough, not even in a given sentence. Unfortunately, anything remotely resembling Herb Caen (another idol, as you know) or Studs Terkel was obviously WAYl beyond my "abilities." When your college marketing professor (not even an English teacher) calls your writing "pedantic, bombastic and stilted," you sort of settle for a lifetime of journalistic mediocrity.

Anyway, Dashiell Hammet authored one of my favorite 40s radio serials—"The Fat Man." They had great intros in those days. "There he goes, into that drugstore. He's stepping on the scales. Weight? 237 pounds. Fortune? Danger. Whoooooo is it? THE FAT MAAAN!" In my mind, I pictured a tubby guy who wasn't that far removed from the eventual lead in the television show, "Cannon." But The Fat Man could move when he had to. I've sometimes wondered whether Vince Wilford was a reincarnation of him.

One of the best things about your writing is your analogies. You may attribute it to craziness, but I believe it's more a function of what I'd call "creativity upon demand." Waaaaaay outside the box. I think I have more than a healthy amount of craziness too. (I've described myself as looking at the world pretty much as an outsider.) But, in my case it doesn't translate into great analogies. I won't stop trying, but it appears to be a losing battle.

I hope you get to see tonight's game. We're going out to a 6:30 dinner with a large group we dine with every Monday evening. I'll DVR the game and push to get back home as soon as possible after the 7:30 EST game start so as to participate in the game-on thread.

Heading into this season reminds me of the famous Bette Davis quote in "All about Eve"): "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night." (Many people think the last word was "ride," but it was "night.")

Sam

Bummer about computer troubles, I've had my fair share with my last PC.

And I'll have to agree with everyone that your contributions have been nothing short of stellar.


KJ

Guys, he's not dead. He's just taking a vacation!

In the words of Mark Twain, "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

That said, Bob is the best thing from San Francisco since "Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco treat."

Re Rice-A-Roni:

A Staff Report from the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board

Why is Rice-A-Roni called "The San Francisco Treat"?

Dear Straight Dope:

Why is Rice-A-Roni the "San Francisco Treat"? I was recently in San Francisco, and this question popped into my mind. There is nothing about the rice product that makes me think of San Francisco; in fact the only treat that does is Ghiradelli chocolate, so please explain if you can, why Rice-A-Roni is "The San Francisco Treat"?

— Kevin R. Houston TX

I'd like to tell you there's an amazing story behind the legend of Rice-a-Roni's slogan, my friend. A tale of adventure, of deception, betrayal, redemption, folly, love, and victory! But, alas, I can't, not really. It's a case of location, location, location. San Francisco, specifically the Mission District, happens to be where the original family-owned pasta company that created Rice-A-Roni had set up shop. I give you this from the Official Rice-A-Roni website (www.ricearoni.com):

"The DeDomenico family all enjoyed an old Armenian dish consisting of rice, vermicelli pasta and chicken broth. The rice and pasta were sauteed in butter before the liquid was added, giving the dish its distinctive taste.

"In 1958, Vince DeDomenico decided to take this recipe and produce it for sale in grocery stores. He placed the rice and pasta in a box, and added a dry seasoning mix in place of the liquid chicken broth. Because this product was made up of half rice and half pasta, he decided to call it RICE-A-RONI®.

"Chicken RICE-A-RONI was first introduced in the Northwestern states in 1958. With it came the first RICE-A-RONI commercial, featuring San Francisco's Cable Cars and the now famous jingle. Created in San Francisco, RICE-A-RONI would soon be known to all as "The San Francisco Treat®!"

"The RICE-A-RONI jingle, The San Francisco Treat® slogan, "Saute and Simmer" and scenic San Francisco became familiar to every household in America in the 60's as the product was introduced through television advertising."

Pretty cut and dried. Now, should I hang around my mailbox waiting for a check from the Golden Grain Company's PR department? Probably not.

— "The Edgewater Treat" Dogster

Bob doesn't know this, but at a crucial time during my courtship of Debbie, when my self-confidence was at a low ebb, and I was about to say something pathetically wimpy and off putting to her, Bob said a few things on a phone call to buck up my courage to pop the question. So thanks Bob.