The popular PBS series “Antiques Roadshow” made a stop in our hometown recently, and my wife, her parents and her best friend all got tickets.  Andy and I were left out.  Darn.  My wife was absolutely giddy with excitement in the weeks up to the show, and was certain that she had some great things to show those antique appraisers.

She took an antique painting by Brittish artist D.W. Haddon given to my family more than 60 years ago, and it was appraised at $1,500!  But the real surprise of the day was the collection of movie studio publicity photos autographed by Humprey Bogart, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, and Eleanor Parker.  My father had recieved them years ago from the stars because he was a regional manager for Commonwealth Theaters in the 40’s and 50’s.  Because they were original, the autographs authentic, and they were made out personally to my father, this set of photos was appraised at $10,000!  Wow!  And I told my wife they might be worth a hundred bucks or so.  I guess I won’t be getting a job as an antique or memorabilia appraiser, huh?

They’ve been displayed in our home for years, but now that we know what they’re worth, they’re certainly in a safe place!  My wife has already told me they WILL NOT BE SOLD.  There goes my Harley motorcycle…..

…is another man’s treasure.  Isn’t that what they say?

They descended on our front lawn like vultures attacking a carcass.  My wife’s annual “get this crap out of my house” yard sale had begun, and the veterans were out early in search of bargains.  Some were there before the sun came up.  Others stopped to ask me where my sale was, while I was putting up the signs at nearby intersections.

Soccer moms in mini-vans, retired gentleman looking for something they could take home and fix, flea market merchants looking for something the could buy for less and sell for more this weekend….they were all here.  Most of them were nice, but most of them wanted to pay 50% or less than what we had stuff priced at.  And most everything was ridiculously cheap.  Did I mention that it was the “get this crap out of my house” sale?

I guess it’s kind of a hobby for some folk, so the back-and-forth haggling is all a part of the deal.  My wife enjoys it.  Her father, an auction king, taught her well.  To me, it’s just tedious, and a little humbling to see people devalue all the things that we thought were just wonderful when we paid too much for them some time ago,  I couldn’t stay and watch.  But I did peek my head out once and while to make sure she hadn’t sold my motorcycle.

Now that we’ve cleaned out the garage, and made a little cash, I suppose we’ll go shopping and buy more stuff for next year’s garage sale!

Baseball is alive if not kickin’ in Wichita, Kansas, after the departure of the AA Wrangler’s last season. The Wichita Wingnuts are the newest member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, taking up residence in Lawrence Dumont stadium. Former minor league player and coach Kash Beauchamp leads team in their debut season, which hasn’t gotten off to a rocking start at 20-15, but they make up for it with a lot of heart.

My wife and son joined me for a game this past Saturday night where the Wingnuts beat the St. Paul Saints 5-2. The win was not as pretty as it sounded, because of a bench clearing brawl in the top of the 9th inning. Now, it’s not that we shouldn’t have expected a fight to break out, because this IS the baseball team owned by the same group that owns the Central Hockey League Wichita Thunder. In fact, Thunder hockey forward Jason Duda even tried out for the baseball team in the spring. I missed the fight, since I was down getting beer in a very long concession line. Too bad. But it WAS a win!

Sunday was Father’s Day, and one of the special things my son and I did was attend a free baseball clinic put on by the Wingnuts coach Beauchamp. We spent more than an hour with outfielders, infielders, pitchers and Beachamp in his batting cage learning some great fundamentals for kids baseball. The players and coach were very generous with their time, and patient with the kids who came to the clinic. Some might be playing high school ball, while a few had never picked up a bat before. It didn’t matter. All the kids were treated with respect, and everybody had a great time. The attitudes displayed by the Wingnuts on Father’s Day will go a long way in shaping my opinion of this team as a member of the community. Good on you, guys!

We plan to see a lot more games this year, and I hope you will, too!

My eight year old son hasn’t really grasped the importance of Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or any holiday besides Christmas and his birthday. When he was younger, he got presents on every holiday, birthday (his or someone else’s), anniversary or any special event. Who wouldn’t like that?

Sure, he gave presents, too. Like a Scooby-Doo waffle iron, or a video game that somehow he’s the only one smart enough to play. Most of the gifts he’s given weren’t intended to please the recipient, because Andy knew that he’d end up getting them anyway.

But one day I realized that he was giving gifts that had value to him. He was trying to share something of himself and his personality in his very thoughtful gift-giving. I now know that he’s been trying to give me back some of the happiness that his mother and I have given him over the past eight years. That makes it all worthwhile.

I hope you have a great day with your son, daughter, or father. Today, we’re going to play baseball, go see a movie, and hang out together like guys do. Right after I finish my Father’s Day breakfast of Scooby-Doo waffles.

Local government always seems to attract the attention of the local media, if not the general public. The Wichita City Council has hired the fourth City Manager in six years. After firing two because they couldn’t control them, they hired a college professor in the interim to keep the ship from sinking while they looked for a new victim. I mean, candidate.

Even though a search committee recommended several prospective choices, the City Council only interviewed one. And the next day they hired him. Really. His name is Patrick Salerno, most recently the fired City Manager of Sunrise, Florida.

He looks like a tough guy, and he’ll have to be. His first job is to convince the rest of us why he’s worth two-hundred and fifteen thousand dollars a year, plus expenses. Probably his second, and most important job will be to find a way to manage a multi-million dollar budget that is effectively held hostage by seven people who often let their personalities get in the way of working together.

So far, we haven’t heard if Salerno’s bringing anyone from his former management team from Florida up to Wichita. I’m guessing he’ll need a collections expert, an enforcer, and someone to hide the bodies. Sounds like an episode of Miami Vice…..or maybe “Get Shorty”.