Scarab Invaders

From Hawaii To Hazleton

The Plain Speaker
Hazleton, PA - March 6, 1958
This article was published sixty years ago today.  My maternal grandparents lived in Hawaii (where my Pop Pop is from) for four years before moving to Hazleton (where my Mom Mom is from).  Back in the 1950's, that sort of thing was reported in the local newspapers.

LJS Sub

The LJS Sub
Long John Silvers (2018)
The dude at the counter of my local Long John Silvers told me that they like to experiment with different recipes when they make their lunch.  I asked if I could buy one, and what I got was the "LJS Sub".  It's made of a fish and chicken patty held together with hush puppy batter, topped with baha sauce, cocktail sauce and coleslaw and served on a Hawaiian bun.  Pretty damn tasty sandwich.  Thanks Allan!

Little Free Library

Little Free Library
West Hazleton, PA
This is on Broad Street in West Hazleton between Hell's Kitchen and the Cinema & Drafthouse.  It's a really cool idea.

If We're Kind And Polite, The World Will Be Right

Paddington 2
Cinema & Drafthouse - West Hazleton, PA
I think it's impossible not to love this movie.  It's absolutely adorable.

Coated With Ice Cream

I make no apologies for being a nerd, but even I have my limits.  It's hard to believe, but it's even uglier in the front.

source: WWE.com Shop

Pizza Bling

Thanks For Clearing That Up, Robert

WNEP Newswatch 16
March 1, 2018

K-Mart Carousel

K-Mart Carousel
Rt. 309 - Wilkes-Barre, PA
These kiddie rides must have been built out of titanium.  This one has been sitting outside of K-Mart in Wilkes-Barre for at least 20 years.  It's sat in rain and snow and whatever other weather Northeast PA has to throw at it and it still works.

It's Delicious... Scrumptious... Outstanding!

Oh Henry
Ollie's Bargain Outlet - Wilkes-Barre, PA
I just found the biggest stash of Oh Henry bars this side of Sue Ellen Mischke's kitchen cupboards.  This should keep me stocked for new hire training through the rest of the year.

100% Villain

I finally got my Marty Scurll shirt.

Eye Eye, Captain

Lens Crafters
Wyoming Valley Mall - Wilkes-Barre, PA
They took a picture of my retina during my eye exam, so I snapped a picture of it on their screen.  The mouse pointer is not part of my eyeball.

Hunting For A Hologram

Boppin' Berry Hologram
Hi-C (1990)
I found this hologram on a piece of cardboard in an old box of baseball cards that I've had since I was a kid.  It's about the size of a baseball card, and when I found it, I vaguely remember cutting it off of a carton of juice boxes, but I couldn't remember the brand or the flavor.

I did a little digging and found this advertisement from the early 90's that answered most of my questions.  It turns out that this is the logo of a music-themed strawberry drink from Hi-C that was called Boppin' Berry.

I wasn't able to find any pictures of the carton with the hologram, but I did find two references to it.  The first was on a label from a 46 oz can of Boppin' Berry from 1990.  Consumers could send in the proof of purchase from the label to receive holograms of the two musical-themed flavors, Boppin' Berry and Jammin' Apple along with a 25 cent coupon.

 

The Boston Globe (September 23, 1990)

The second clue, and the one that confirmed that I cut this hologram off of a carton when I was ten years old, came from this newspaper ad which tells customers to look for free holograms on specially marked 9 packs of Boppin' Berry and Jammin' Apple juice boxes.  Still haven't found any pictures of the package itself or of the Jammin' Apple hologram, but I'm keeping a look out for it.

Dinner At Graziano's

Dad took us out to Graziano's for dinner.  I had the chicken marsala, and it was delicious as always.

Drink Soda And Collect Zombies

Unlock The Walkers promotion
Mountain Dew (2017)
This promotion began in conjunction with the start of the eighth season of The Walking Dead last October.  If you download The Walking Dead Encounters app and scan a specially labeled bottle of Mountain Dew, the walker will come to life (or is it afterlife) through augmented reality.  There are 20 walkers that you can collect in all.

Real Tacos In NEPA

Juanitas Restaurant
Wilkes-Barre, PA
I found a place in Northeast PA that serves tacos like they do in El Paso.

Fishing For Pierogies

Pierogies
Long John Silvers (2018)
I was born and grew up in Pennsylvania where pierogies are available at every grocery store and quite a few restaurants.  It wasn't until I was in the sixth grade when I moved to Florida that I learned that they're considered a regional food.  I just assumed everyone knew what pierogies were.  Sure they're Polish, but spaghetti is Italian and everyone knows that that is, right?

Fast forward to 2018 and I'm shocked to see them as a side dish at a national fast food chain.  I'm not sure if they're at every Long John Silvers, but I'm happy that I can pick up a bowl of pierogies for less than a buck.

El Torito Arrives In Style

It's going to be an interesting season...
Source: MLB.com

Scratch n' Sniff Chicken Love

Scratch n' Sniff Valentines
Kentucky Fried Chicken (2018)
Is it just me, or is the one on the bottom right a little bit disturbing?  These valentines come free with the purchase of a $10 Chicken Share meal.

A Valentine That's Just Too Sweeeet

WCW / nWo Valentines
Paper Magic Group (1998)
Found these at the Hometown Farmer's Market a few years back and I wish I would have bought 'em.  Is there a better way to say "I love you" than with a cardboard photograph of a smiling Randy Savage?

Spooky Sushi

Red Devil, Black Dragon and Vampire Roll
Five Star - Hazleton, PA

The Sound Of Silence

Gallery of Sound
Laurel Mall - Hazleton, PA
There were three record stores in Hazleton in the 90's - Camelot, The Wall and Joe Nardone's Gallery of Sound.  The latter was by far the best of the three, and it lasted the longest.  I've been buying music there since they were at Valmont Plaza when I was a teenager.  It was the only place that I ever found the Smashing Pumpkins Black Sessions and Nirvana Outcesticide albums in the days before music downloading; when buying things over the internet was a subject for documentaries about future technologies.  It's where I went to pre-order albums and to complete my George Carlin collection.  They had the best selection of guitar magazines and they were only place to find vinyl outside of a pawn shop.

The chain hasn't gone out of business.  There are still at least two Gallery of Sound shops still in operation, and both are within driving distance of Hazleton, but it represents the end of an era.  There are no more record stores in town.

Jason Kelce - Philadelphia Hero

Jason Kelce
Center - Philadelphia Eagles
His athleticism and grit made him an All Pro and a Super Bowl Champion. His spirit made him a Philadelphia living legend. In six minutes, Jason Kelce embodied everything that this city is about - raw, passionate, in your face, and above all else, genuine.

I've been all over the country.  While there are plenty of places I've enjoyed being, Philadelphia is unique because it doesn't know how to be phony.  We may be gritty.  We may piss you off.  You may hate us, but you'll never wonder who we really are.  Take it or leave it.

No one likes us.  We don't care.

Happy National Pizza Day

National Pizza Week ad
Standard Speaker (1991)
In honor of National Pizza Day, here are the Hazleton specials from National Pizza Week thirty years ago.  This area used to have a lot of pizza parlors.  We still have a few, but it's nothing like it was in the 20th century.

Believe in Yourself

Solid words of wisdom from the hero of the 1986 World Series.

Happy birthday, Mookie.

Midnight Ice Cream

Midnight Cookies & Cream
Haagen-Dazs (2018)
So, you want more ice cream? Yeah, we can handle that!  This is a new limited edition flavor that is essentially Cookies & Cream, but with a chocolate ice cream base instead of vanilla.  Very tasty!

So Cheesy...

Winter In New York

The Quiet American
Pete Turner (1958)
The movie on the marquee of this incredible Pete Turner photograph premiered sixty years ago today.

Fly Eagles Fly

Ready for the Super Bowl at the Cinema and Drafthouse.

Tomorrow...

Lincoln Financial Field
Philadelphia, PA
Tomorrow is the big day.

Farewell to the Chief

Farewell to the Chief
Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Indians have announced that the Chief Wahoo logo will be retired after the 2018 season.

I'll always be a Phillies fan, but if I had to pick an American League team to root for, it would be Cleveland.  I've had fond feelings for the Indians since I watched Major League for the first time, and some of my favorite Phillies have also spent time with Cleveland, especially Jim Thome, Cliff Lee and Charlie Manuel (and now Carlos Santana).  Glad to see them moving on from a clearly offensive logo and toward a bright future in which we don't need offensive, race-based mascots.

Jágr Bomb

Jaromír Jágr
This past Sunday marks the end of an NHL career that has lasted over a quarter century.  Right wing legend Jaromír Jágr was assigned by the Calgary Flames to Rytíři Kladno of the Extraliga in the Czech Republic.  Also, as Kotaku pointed out, he is the last remaining player to appear in the 16 bit classic NHL '94.

Paris Bookstore

Paris Bookstore
Tavík František Šimon (1904)

Chexx On Broad Street

Flyers Super Chexx Pro
Innovative Concepts in Entertainment
Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, PA
There are a lot of Chexx bubble hockey arcade machines in the Wells Fargo Center where the Philadelphia Flyers play their home games.  For two dollars, you get to argue with your friend over which of you has to play as the Los Angeles Kings, then battle it out on the ice.

The only thing that could make this more awesome is if it had the Soviet Red Army as the opposing team.

A Royal Return

2018 WWE Royal Rumble
Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, PA
Photo Album - Ticket
I flew back to Philadelphia from El Paso and arrived just in time to see my first WWE pay-per-view event live, the 2018 Royal Rumble.  My phone's battery was pretty low so I didn't get to take as many photos as I usually do, but it didn't bother me too much.  The entire event is recorded for the WWE Network, so it's not like I'm going to forget what happened.

The night began with a taping of the final segment of the KFC Colonel Rumble commercial.  Rusev and The Miz battled in the ring for a few moments before Ric Flair, dressed as Colonel Sanders, came to the ring to win the "match" by eliminating both men.  It wasn't his 1992 appearance, but it was fun and I'll always be able to say I saw Ric Flair wrestle at the Royal Rumble.

Other than NXT and podcasts, I hadn't followed the product too closely in the months leading up to the Rumble, so I was a little shocked to see that Lince Dorado was a member of the roster.  I last saw him wrestle for Chikara.  He was a cool dude, and I was happy to see that he found a home on 205 Live.  I also popped pretty hard to see the original Bullet Club (Gallows and Anderson) and Bobby Roode on the pre-show, complete with his "Glorious" entrance to the ring.

The World Heavyweight Championship match was a bit disappointing.  I've been a fan of AJ Styles, Kevin Steen (Owens) and El Generico (Zayn) since their ROH days, but I would have strongly preferred to see a 1 on 1 match for the title instead of a gimmick match on a card full of gimmick matches.  It was a decent match, but it's hard to suspend disbelief and take it seriously when the premise is so goofy.  Frankly, I took the United States championship match on the pre-show more seriously.

The Universal Championship match was shorter than I expected, but it was a good, hard-hitting brawl with a lot of table spots.  Lesnar retained the title by giving his F5 finisher to Kane, so I imagine that they're setting up a "Battle of the Beast" feud between Lesnar and Strowman for Wrestlemania.  Knowing the company, they'll probably try to squeeze Roman Reigns in there - the "New Coke" of professional wrestling.  They're hell bent on trying to make him their modern day Hulkster despite the fact that he's been rejected in that role by virtually everyone in the audience over the age of 12.

I hate to be overly negative, but both the Raw and Smackdown Tag Team Championship match had disappointing writing ruin a good match.  They had an awesome team in Chad Gable and Jason Jordan in NXT, but instead of continuing with something that the fans enjoyed and accepted, they changed things for the sake of changing them by putting Gable with a returning Shelton Benjamin.  I guess they figured we'd never notice if they swapped one black guy for another?  Even more strange was the pairing Jason Jordan in an odd couple team with Seth Rollins.  Both tag team matches featured good wrestling, but the storyline was so awkward and pointless that I couldn't lose myself in it.  For both matches, all I could focus on is how good it could have been if one of the matches featured Gable and Jordan fighting for the titles.  WWE writers tend to outsmart themselves with complicated, soap opera plot twists resulting in forgettable matches that could have been memorable if they would only stick with what works.

The Rumble matches themselves were a breath of fresh air compared to recent years.  Shinsuke Nakamura eliminated Roman Reigns and announced that he will be facing AJ Styles for the title in the main event of Wrestlemania.  My first time seeing Nakamura was on NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 where he defeated AJ Styles to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.  It was an amazing match, and I immediately became a fan of Nakamura and went back to watch his previous work.  He's one of the most athletic and charismatic performers I have ever seen, and the upcoming title match may end up being the greatest main event in the history of Wrestlemania.  The rest of the match was a lot of fun.  Heath Slater kept getting knocked out before he could enter the ring.  Bray Wyatt and "Broken" Matt Hardy had a confrontation.  Kofi Kingston had his annual elimination escape by standing on pancakes.  There were surprise entrances by Andrade "Cien" Almas, Adam Cole, The Hurricane, Rey Mysterio and Sami Zayn, who knocked out Tye Dillinger and took his spot in the match.  John Cena came in at #20 and wrestled in the match for almost a half hour before being eliminated by Nakamura.  Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins worked together throughout the match before Reigns eliminated Rollins with a shrug (which I'm sure the announcers highlighted with the ol' "every man for himself" line).  The Philly crowd not only did the countdown for each wrestler's entrance, but also loudly made the buzzer noise when a new wrestler came out.  It was one of the best Royal Rumble matches in recent memory, and I'm glad I was there to see it first hand.

The first ever Woman's Royal Rumble match was the main event of the show.  I didn't enjoy it as much as the Men's Royal Rumble, mostly because nearly a third of the participants were women who wrestled for the WWF/E between 5 - 10 years ago and were brought back for one night only as filler to bring the match up to 30 participants.  One or two surprises from the past are a fun part of the Royal Rumble, but when they have to resort to adding performs like Vickie Guerrero and Kelly Kelly to the mix, it's gotten out of hand.  It would have been a much better match if they had 20 wrestlers, but the company has gotten into the habit of doing the "first ever women's (insert match here)" just for the sake of doing it, whether it makes sense to do so or not.  Asuka had an awesome performance (as always), but the highlight came after the match.  The company's two women's champions, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, came to the ring.  Asuka was about to announce which of the two titles she would fight for at Wrestlemania when Bad Reputation by Joan Jett started blasting and "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey came to the ring.  It was rumored that she'd make her first appearance for the WWE in the weeks leading up to the Rumble.  She came to the ring in Roddy Piper gear to point at the Wrestlemania sign.  I'm guessing this means that Asuka will be fighting for one of the titles and Rousey will be fighting for the other one.

Results:

• Six Man Tag Team Match
  Kalisto, Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik defeated Drew Gulak, TJ Perkins and "Gentleman" Jack Gallagher
• The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) defeated The Club (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson)
• WWE United States Championship Match
  Bobby Roode defeated Mojo Rawley
• WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
  2 on 1 Handicap Match
  "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
• WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match
  2 out of 3 Falls Match
  The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) defeated Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin
• 30 Man Royal Rumble Match
  Shinsuke Nakamura entered at #14 and eliminated Roman Reigns to win the Royal Rumble

Royal Rumble participants: [1] Rusev  [2] Finn Balor  [3] Rhyno  [4] Baron Corbin  [5] Heath Slater  [6] Elias Samson  [7] Andrade "Cien" Almas  [8] Bray Wyatt  [9] Big E. Langston  [10] Sami Zayn (taking the spot of "The Perfect 10" Tye Dillinger)  [11] Sheamus  [12] Xavier Woods  [13] Apollo Crews  [14] Shinsuke Nakamura  [15] Cesaro  [16]  Kofi Kingston  [17] Jinder Mahal  [18] Seth Rollins  [19] "Broken" Matt Hardy  [20] John Cena  [21] The Hurricane  [22] Aiden English  [23] Adam Cole  [24] Randy Orton  [25] Titus O'Neil  [26] The Miz  [27] Rey Mysterio Jr  [28] Roman Reigns  [29] Goldust  [30] Dolph Ziggler

• WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Match
  The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro)* defeated Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan
  *new champions
• WWE Universal Championship Match
  Triple Threat Match
  Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman and Kane
• 30 Woman Royal Rumble Match
  Asuka entered at #25 and eliminated Nikki Bella to win the Royal Rumble

Royal Rumble participants: [1] Sasha Banks  [2] Becky Lynch  [3] Sarah Logan  [4] Mandy Rose  [5] Lita  [6] Kairi Sane  [7] Tamina Snuka  [8] Dana Brooke  [9] Torrie Wilson  [10] Sonya Deville  [11] Liv Morgan  [12] Molly Holly  [13] Lana  [14] Michelle McCool  [15] Ruby Riott  [16] Vickie Guerrero  [17] Carmella  [18] Natalya Neidhart  [19] Kelly Kelly  [20] Naomi  [21] Jacqueline  [22] Nia Jax  [23] Ember Moon  [24] Beth Phoenix  [25] Asuka  [26] Mickie James  [27] Nikki Bella  [28] Brie Bella  [29] Bayley  [30] Trish Stratus

Maybe He's Getting A Slim Jim

2018 Royal Rumble
Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, PA
The lines at the snack bar of a WWE event can be savage.

Adios El Paso

Touch
11395 James Watt Drive
El Paso, TX
The drink on the left is called Adios Motherfucker, and cousin, lemme tell ya it lives up to its name.  I had two.  I have no idea what the drink on the right is called, but the pic was on my phone and the little Mexican flag was in my pocket when I sobered up, so I'm sure it was good too.

Gentleman Jim Is Going To Cooperstown

Jim Thome
2018 Baseball Hall Of Fame
With over 89% of the vote, one of the greatest first basemen and best human beings to ever play the game is officially a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jim Thome will always be best known as a member of the Cleveland Indians, but he spent three and a half incredible years in Philadelphia.  He signed with the Phillies in December 2002 and was our first baseman in the last year of Veterans Stadium and the first year of Citizens Bank Park.  In his first season with the Phillies, he came within a single home run of tying the single season franchise record, and he hit his 400th career home run the following season.

Thome's injuries in 2005 changed the course of Phillies history.  His time on the disabled list opened the door for a 25 year old prospect named Ryan Howard to get his first regular playing time at the big league level.  Howard would go on to bat .288 with 22 home runs in just 88 games and win the 2005 NL Rookie Of The Year award.

If the Phillies played in the American League, the Phillies could have moved Thome to the DH spot to make room for Howard at first base.  To this day, I still think about how incredible the 2006 Phillies would have been with a lineup that included Rollins, Utley, Abreu, Howard, Thome and Burrell.  Unfortunately, the National League does not have the designated hitter rule, so Thome was traded to the White Sox that winter.  As Chicago's DH, he bounced back from injury to hit 42 home runs in 2006 and topped 30 HR in each of the two following seasons with the White Sox.  The Phillies would go on to have their most successful run in franchise history, culminating in a 2008 World Series Championship.  Had the Phillies not traded him, 2008 would have been the last year of the six year contract that Thome signed after the 2002 season.  It would have been awesome to see him standing next to Ryan Howard in the parade down Broad Street.  There's every possibility it wouldn't have been their first, as it's easy to imagine Thome's offense being a difference maker that could have fueled a championship run for the Phillies in 2006 and 2007 as well.

In the winter following the 2011 season, GM Ruben Amaro brought Jim Thome back to Philadelphia on a one year contact.  It was a bold move.  Thome was 41 years old and entering what would be the final year of his playing career.  He wasn't the offensive juggernaut that he once was, but I thought it was a brilliant move at the time, and I hold to that opinion today.  Ryan Howard tore his Achilles tendon in the final at bat of the 2011 NLDS and began the 2012 season on the disabled list.  Thome spent the winter preparing to play first base once or twice a week.  The idea was that he would split time with Ty Wigginton and John Mayberry Jr. at first base until Howard was healthy.  He would be available as a power bat off of the bench like Matt Stairs before him, and he could DH in interleague games in AL ballparks.  It was a good plan, and it brought an icon back to Philadelphia in the hopes that he would finish his career with a World Series ring.  Sadly, it did not work out that way for Thome or for the Phillies.  He would hit only five more home runs for the Phillies, but two of them were historic, and I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for one of them.

The first of Thome's historic home runs in the 2012 season happened in Toronto on June 17th.  Thome was the DH batting in the cleanup position behind Hunter Pence.  Thome led off the top of the 2nd with a deep home run to right center field to cut the Blue Jays lead in half.  It was his only hit that night, but it was his 100th career home run as a member of the Phillies.  He became only the fourth player in MLB history to have hit 100 homers for three different teams, having previously topped the 100 HR mark with the Indians and White Sox.  The only other players to have done this were Reggie Jackson, Darrell Evans and Alex Rodriguez.

The second home run I'm referring to came six nights later at Citizens Bank Park, and it's one of my favorite memories of any game I have ever attended.

The Phillies were playing the Tampa Bay Rays and were clinging to a 6-4 lead in the top of the 9th inning.  Jonathan Papelbon was brought in to close the game.  He gave up a single to Hideki Matsui and walked Jose Lobaton to put runners on first and second.  A two out single by Jeff Keppinger scored Matsui to narrow the lead to 6-5, which was followed up by a Brooks Conrad single to tie the game, earning Papelbon a blown save.  I was pretty disgusted at this point, so we headed toward Ashburn Alley to watch the rest of the game from the outfield and get a jump on the crowd after it was over.  I fully expected the Rays to take the lead, but Pabelbon managed to strike out Sean Rodriguez to finally end the inning.

By this point, I was standing above the visitors bullpen.  Fernando Rodney had been warming up, but the Rays opted to stick with left hander Jake McGee who had a 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th inning, retiring Placido Polanco, John Mayberry Jr. and Michael Martinez on just 14 pitches.

With the pitchers spot due up for the Phillies to lead off the bottom of the 9th, Jim Thome came into the game to pinch hit.  He worked a full count against McGee, and smashed his 8th pitch of the at-bat into left field for a walk-off home run.

This home run was special for many reasons, some that were known at the time and some that we didn't.  It was Thome's 609th career home run, which tied Sammy Sosa for 7th most of all time.  It was his 13th career walk-off home run, which broke a tie he held with Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx, Stan Musial and Frank Robinson to give him the most of all time.  The victory was also a milestone for Charlie Manual, as it gave him his 900th career win as a manager in the big leagues.  This historic homer was memorialized on card #152 of the 2012 Topps Update set.

What we did not know at the time was that this would be Thome's final National League home run, and his final homer as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.  With the Phillies under .500 and fading out of contention, they traded Jim Thome to the Baltimore Orioles to give the aging slugger one last shot at a World Series Championship.  The Orioles made the playoffs, but were defeated by the Yankees in the 2012 ALDS.

Thome would go on to hit three more homers for the Orioles to finish his career with 612 home runs.  When he retired from the game at the end of the 2012 season, there were only six players in the history of Major League Baseball to have hit more home runs: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays and former teammate, Ken Griffy Jr.

Congratulations to one of my favorite ballplayers ever to wear a Phillies uniform, or any other uniform for that matter.  You are truly one of the all-time greats and deserving of baseball's ultimate honor.  Welcome to the Hall Of Fame, sir.

Sharing My Wiener Love

Wienerschnitzel
1441 North Zaragosa Rd.
El Paso, TX
I've definitely had more exciting food than this since I first came to El Paso, but we don't have these back home, so what the hell.