Sunday, January 12, 2025

The Twelve Days of Gheorghemas, Day Eleven

On the eleventh day of Gheorghemas, Big Gheorghe gave to me...

11 Months of Wisdom*

Ten Things from Florence
Six old and new musical experiences
Five roadsters you can and should buy right now
FORE! An overdue update on LIV & the PGA Tour
Three Ways of Coping
Stories from two three strokes
And much needed hip mo-bili-ty

* Not guaranteed to contain wisdom

And away we go, friends, for a whirlwind tour of last year's content, and what's always my favorite post to write. In 2024, we started fast, finished with a flourish, and were reasonably consistent in the middle (except for July. We're gonna have a talk with July). We wrote a lot about our usual suspects, but we added a pop-up baseball blog for several weeks in September and October, and 2024 MVP OBX Dave reliably chimed in with high-quality musings on a broad range of subjects, including sports and media, and media about sports.

To illustrate the months this year, we chose to feature Minneapolis Public Radio The Current's top 11 songs of 2024 in reverse order, so you get some formatting break and some cool tunes. You're welcome.

As the Muppets say, on with the show this is it.

January


You'll be shocked to learn that we started the year with filler and whimsy. Our first "real" post extolled the virtues of posting on G:TB. Sorta.

WCSAGD returned, now with regional curation!

Whitney came home, follicularly speaking.

OBX Dave dropped the first of many deep thinks on college sports.

Z's original car post triggered a run on automative efforts. Like this one. And this. This, too.

Posted about stuff I'd take with me if I had to. Which touched off a mini-run. Here's z's version. In light of the current conflagration in L.A., it all seems a bit melancholic.

The Twelfth Day of Gheorghemas 2023 started on January, 31, 2024. And it was an accurately-labeled extravaganza, taking up a full 12 posts. One of the best uses of postcount in recent memory.

February

The increasing ubiquity of gambling is problematic.

We became Robbie Avia stans. Because of course we did.

We lost Mojo Nixon.

But we found Caitlin Clark.

History came to Colonial Williamsburg.

We lost the Lefthander, too. And Richard Lewis. Tough month for legends.

March

Cole Brauer, pint-sized badass.

We felt the first tremblings of what was to come, politically. It is a goddamn burden to be this right this often.

Far too late to the Joey Votto party, G:TB was.

Some words suck.

OBX Dave dissed March Madness.

The Curse of G:TB, vanquished.

NJ Dave cross-promoted.

Gheorghe's Six-Pack made its 2024 debut with a bit of misdirection.

Closed the month with a bit of inside baseball, journalism category.

April

(In case you were wondering, this was my favorite song of the year.)

My kid is a problem (complimentary).

I published a book!

Notify featured de La, Toad, and Garth.

I was interviewed for a podcast! By Augury Dave! Cross-cross-promotion.

A freewheeling journey to...COOKY PUSS!

May

College sports and money. Money and college sports.

Weird and whimsical. Trainspotting edition.

Dance, Marucci!

The Z nattered. A nation didn't listen.

Witnessed a real, live high-speed pursuit in Ohio.

Pokey LaFarge!

Whit got married. Zed met a new friend.

June

The best Sports Illustrated covers, up to 1979.

Go consumerism

The 12 cars of Whitney.

OBX Dave went looking for a bar fight.

Time. Is Marching On.

In retrospect, we were a bit too naively optimistic.

July

For a month with the fewest posts (13) since April 2023, we managed some heft. Multiple robust explorations of various topics. And a Muppet post. Well played, lads. 

We invented the dumbest quiz game. So far.

OBX Dave examined himself.

We played against some people way better than us.

Party like it's 1994.

Back to the future?

Gheorghe explained Project 2025, and now, well...fuck.

The greatest sports photo ever taken.

August

Bill, Ted, Vladimir, Estragon.

OBX Dave endorses. Nuking the electoral college.

There is another Z-man.

Caw!

Whitney had a great idea. It didn't end great. At least for one half of Misery Loves Company.

And here was the first pop-up MLC post.

Tony Hawk and The Mystery of the Suited Skater.

In which I coin the phrase "incellectual dorks" and exhort my father to haunt the MAGA movement.

September

In praise of TOOTBLAN.

Our man at the beach hates chain gangs.

My brain is dumb.

San Marinnnnooooooo!!!

Ed Sheeran seems a top lad.

Distinguished Teej Filler!

Our elder statesman weighed in on NIL.

October

Mets win! Mets in!

Magic, Bird. Angel, Caitlin?

We celebrate pop and lock. Very on brand.

We enjoy it when OBX Dave brings the shade.

A deep sigh the size of Grimace.

We lost Fernando.

Fuck remains the fucking best.

November

New Big Whistle in the Burg get it going.

Gheorghe Predicted the Election. Gheorghe is an idiot.

G:TB can legally drink!

Give you one guess which Gheorghie wrote a post about dildos.

Chronicles of an Aging Gheorghie.

One of us has a wee crush on Mike Schur. And Ween.

Our guy Joel Dahmen kept his card. By the skin of his teeth.

As God is my witness, a late Thanksgiving meant the last post of the first 11 months was a classic.

And that's all we wrote, friends. A rollicking good year full of joy, whimsy, baseball, tunes, and laughter, with a soupçon of agitated ranting and melancholy. I am, as always, biased, but I do believe we packed more quality into our 200 posts this year than usual. Maybe we're getting the hang of this blogging thing. In any case, love y'all. Here's to 200 more in 2025.

18 comments:

Whitney said...

Nicely compiled, my friend. It’s a real pleasure reflecting on the cream of a crop of 200 posts. Gheorghe remains the safest and funniest haven I know. Cheers.

Whitney said...

Oh, and that last comment was Day 12.


Psyche!!

Whitney said...

Slapdash Drunkenwager strikes again. 0 for 3 so far.

Squeaky said...

So many great posts. Good start to the new year.

rob said...

end to the old one, but thanks.

rootsminer said...

It seems to me that the effort required to compile this post might be greater than what's required to make a new post. Either way, well done.

rob said...

i don't know about more effort, but definitely more time. it's a labor of love, tho.

OBX dave said...

Thoughts from the G:TB legal dept. on Smith report release and conclusions?

rob said...

at first read, not much in there that'll surprise folks who've been paying attention. some interesting stuff about the special counsel's process. mostly, just reinforces the enraging idea that this hump should be in jail instead of the white house and that we live in stephen miller's wet dream of a banana republic.

rootsminer said...

Anyone else love coming to work in tuesday and finding their two month old router has shit the bed, and their IT guy is in Aruba? Yeah, me neither.

Whitney said...

So, the Vikings. From rolling through teams and being a ridiculous 14-2 just two weeks ago to being bounced out with nary a whimper. What gives?

It also means Slapdash went 2-4 on the weekend. Better than some days, I guess.

rob said...

i think i'm gonna get into sports and music. gonna need a distraction for the next four years.

Whitney said...

We’ve already established that we are all forming a punk rock troupe. Pick an instrument.

rob said...

blue whale, ukelele, backup vocals

T.J. said...

I'll manage the cowbell

rob said...

pour some out for the brilliantly deranged tony slattery

Whitney said...

Aww, I love that guy. Hilarious. Went bad for him over time.

Mark said...

So the trip to Austin has resulted in a hell of a cold for your boy. Just coughing all over the house and super congested. Fun times. On the other side of the coin, maybe a chance to do the old honey/whiskey remedy.