I have wondered for a couple years if someone would ask about Mindy McCready and her story. This week, Jennifer did, and yes she has a sad and tragic story.  In my 42 years of country radio, this is one of the toughest ones for many reasons. 

Her First Single - Much Loved By Fans

MM was from Ft. Myers, Florida and moved to Nashville at 18 with a dynamic almost angelic voice many thought, a contemporary look with a huge smile, and a sassy attitude that was right on time for early to mid 90's country.  She had grown up singing in church and graduated high school early at 16 and was on her way.  In just three years she signed a record deal and had her debut album on the charts in 1996, Ten Thousand Angels.  Keep in mind this was way before the real internet and YouTube and all that.  I was doing the morning show at WPCV in Lakeland, Florida at the time, and there was a tremendous phone buzz about her debut song, the title song of the album, long before we were playing it.  Fans had known of her and were excited about hearing her music on the radio.   She was a hero to them at just 21 years old.

Her Only Number One - A Smash!

She rallied a very young fan base and there was a big demand to hear her debut song.  Sure we played it as did everyone else, and it was big for her going to number 6 on the charts.  But there was something there. Something magnetic that was drawing.  She was right on time debuting in 1996 in country and seemed to initially fit right in. Women in the 1990's in country had a GREAT run. Shania, Terri Clark, Pam Tillis, Lorrie Morgan, Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, JoDee Messina, Suzy Bogguss, Lee Ann Womack, Martina McBride , Holly Dunn and others.  And MM seemed to be the next in a line of wildly popular women with great music, popularity, image and attitude.  She was award nominated in 1997, but lost to Deana Carter at the ACM's, who had nothing short of an incedible year.

With Richie McDonald Of Lonestar

Her second song, Guys Do It All The Time was a smash number one with a driving beat, fantastic guitar riff, and a slick video. Then two more singles came from the first album that sold over 2 million, and we had a new star.  Her second album in 1997 was a success selling close to a million copies. In 1999 she released a third album that was no success at all, dropped from her record label and then making two more albums later with virtually no commerical success, it was now the 2000's.  What had sadly happened, MM was now becoming more famous for things far outside of any kind of music.

Big Favorite As Well

For a number of years, MM found herself in many very tough legal and personal crisis situations.  Substance abuse was at the forefront. She appeared on numerous reality TV shows were she discussed her struggle with drugs of many kinds. She was engaged to actor Dean Cain but that ended.  There were numerous other romantic relationships as well including an NHL player, various actors and others.  Her life had become a series of sad errors with substance abuse, and domestic abuse as the ongoing problems.  The list of troubles is very long and went on for very long.

Great Song - Underrated

You can Google the exact details of many of these really terrible situations, they are no secret.  But the truth is, all of this along with a career that faded all too quickly lead to the worst of ends, with Mindy McCready taking her own life in 2013.  She was only 37 years old.  It was a very sad day for us all.  Even tough it had been quite a while since any real success for her, we were all pulling for her, as we were all watching her struggles in the news and on TV.

Mindy McCready for me, is one of the real tragic stories of my long career.  Fans liked her, young listeners really liked her, she was going to the top, and somehow it all just went wrong.  Hers is a very tough story to tell, as there is no shortage of sad.  Read the comments on the videos here.  She was very influential to many new listeners who were in their teens when she hit the charts. 

I was initially like a lot of people feeling like she was on her way to join the others and maybe surpass many of them in the 1990's as a very successful artist singing songs that we would all play for a long time.  I was very impressed with the entirety of that first album especially, as it had all the earmarks as a first class project introducing an incredible new artist.

It's very sad for many involved, and for many loyal fans.  But for a moment that was far too short and fleeting Malinda Gayle McCready  - was on top.

  Well tonight is a night that I don't think any of us saw coming in April. The Guardians move on to New York to take on the Yankees in the second round of the MLB PLayoffs.  Simply incredible and so much fun.

I remember hearing local and national sports experts openly mocking them during Spring Training and literally laughing at the lineup and the chances of being anywhere near successful in 2022.  In fairness to them, I didn't either, you either more than likely, and neither did Vegas who I think said they would win about 72 games. But I wasn't laughing at them, as I knew they would pitch well, and have the games best manager.  Instead, they won 92, a division, and a Wild Card Round.

Where does this go?  I don't know.  But I do know this.  I LOVE THIS TEAM.  They play the game with kid-like joy.  They do things all season long that many major leaguers can't bring themselves to do even in the playoffs.  They hustle, they run out ground balls, they take the extra base, they play hard every inning of every game.  And that's refreshing, watching pro athletes not mailing it in.  Ask the Mets, they won 101 games, have the biggest payroll in MLB, blew a 10.5 game lead, and were eliminated in the Wild Card Round. The two players we got for Frankie Lindor had great seasons, one was an All Star, and both are still playing in the post season.  Frankie is on the first tee today, we saved 350 million dollars, and this week WE are playing in New York.  How can you not love that?

Can they beat the Yankees?  I think they can if they keep Aaron Judge in the park, don't get intimidated by the mystique, and play their game they way they know how, then possibly. But all of that is a tall order for such a young bunch.  But in fairness to them, they have answered the bell every time it has rung.  They swept away the White Sox, and the Twins for the divisional title. Then they swept away the Rays, a very good franchise, to move on. All along the way beating very good pitching, and pitching well themselves.

Do that -  and move on!  GO GUARDS!!!

I am not a gigantic fish eater, but somehow I do like salmon.  I like it smoked, and other ways when it's cooked creatively.  Salmon can be fishy, but this sounds REALLY good!

Let's give this a go!

Spicy Salmon Bowls!!

You may be like me, disappointed on the Browns season start.  Playing 4 pretty mediocre teams and going 2-2 is not where they thought they'd be right now.  I wrote a lot in the preseason that this team had a ton of question marks and I was mocked at times by fans saying that we were going 13-4 and the like. They won't  - and they still have questions.

I don't think they are underachieving.  I think this is who they are.  They have a few remarkable players on this roster who perform as touted.  But many thought to be remarkable are not.  Just because the names are familiar from college or a cast off from other teams doesn't mean they are great.  It means they are known.  This team has invested a ton of money on players that other teams would not.  And to me, that is very telling, as pretty much every other team has won more games than us since 1999.   Maybe some of these guys just aren't that great.  

The head coach is a major problem.  I think he's a creative offensive coordinator, sometimes too creative. But he is not a motivator of men, he is too laid back and does not seem in charge.  This team plays with no heart or emotion, and that is a death sentence for an NFL team. It's easy to blame the defensive coordinator for the ridiculous 4th quarter issues.  Too easy.  Players make or don't make plays.  Maybe they just aren't as good as fans think.  Firing him makes people feel better, but you still have the same players, in the same uniforms.

The leaders are not leading as usual.  Continued embarrassing off field problems are turning into on field problems.  Character matters, and some players that are committed to winning is the issue.  I wish some were as committed to winning as they are to the lifestyle and possible awards that youth and big money bring.  I also feel the owner is probably involved in the wrong things with the team and absent in areas that are more in his wheelhouse.  But knowing that history, I'm not sure at all what that is.  A questionable past can do that.

Many point to when the new QB enters the scene, things will be better, and that is possibly true.  More than likely more of a factor next season after missing almost two years. Again, with embarrassing off field problems this owner and coaching staff decided to invest a quarter of a BILLION dollars in.  I am not down on the Browns, I'm a fan too that just looks at them honestly.  Pretending there are not large problems top to bottom is simply not being honest.

Can they fix all this? Sure, but there will have to be major changes in thinking and general good football sense. This absolute nonsense of letting computer analytics decide in game decisions that matter is silly.  It's not only costing the Browns games, but other teams too.  How about using them as a valuable tool to prepare you during the week and make good football decisions on Sunday from your own brain.

Any kind of win against the Chargers at home this week would be welcome and could turn some fortunes as they are a tough opponent. But we better cover people as they can score points by the truckload and have a great QB.  Sunday the Browns were beaten by a QB that has been a bust in the NFL and completed ONLY 7 passes against us all afternoon.  Simply embarrassing in today's NFL.  Then they simply out-manned us and ran it down our throat in humiliating fashion.  Their coach figured out at halftime, that his own mediocre QB was not the answer on that day, and challenged the Browns manhood to stop the run.  They could not, and looked weak and over matched. 

All these "easy fixes" are turning out not to be so easy.  It's time to stop the fans and local media Browns fanny smooching and realize that we are who we are right now. And right now, today, this week -  this 2-2 team, who is a miracle field goal away from being 1-3, just isn't as good as many think.

Time to face the facts.

Aaron Judge of the Yankees is having a great season, no doubt.  The national media is all goo-goo eyed over his home runs and that's to be expected.  He's in New York, a Yankee and a nice guy.  This would be far more ho-hum if this was in Kansas City, or St. Louis, just ask Albert Pujols, who, oh my the way, just hit number 702 with the Cardinals!  (Only 12 behind Babe Ruth). Judge only has to hit bout 500 more to get there.  Sorry about the reality here.  To me, right now, the possible triple crown is a more amazing feat for Judge that is brutally hard to do. But homers are sexy.

But the homers will come into play in the months ahead.  Judge is going to end up with about the sixth best home run season ever.  He will not hold the record, by a mile.  That's fact again. I know the media would leave you to believe differently, but that's the truth.  He will set an American League mark, and that's great. But Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa all will have marks far beyond Judges, all in the National League.  And that's where it gets very interesting.

Aaron Judge was about six when those guys and tons of other hitters and pitchers were more than likely loaded up with steroids and breaking decades old records on the regular.  So far, MLB has not put these guys in the Hall Of Fame, but they do recognize the numbers as of today as records, both hitting and pitching.  When Judge hits 62 that may all change.  MLB would love to recognize a legit home run record that eclipsed Roger Maris' 61 in 1961. It would end years of asterisks and "what if's."   They would also love a Yankee to again be the record holder.

Judge's feat may start a movement to erase all of those "records"  for anyone who did, or was thought to be on roids in that era, and that for baseball purists may be very welcome. They may find some new formula that would adjust the numbers to reflect a new numbers "reality."   If so, it would give Aaron Judge the single season mark and also restore Hank Aaron to the All-time home run mark of 755.

It will be interesting to watch if this begins to happen. 

Box Office Results - Don't Worry Darling  (20 Million)

New This Week -   Smile  / Hocus Pocus 2 (Disney Plus)

New NEXT Week -  Amsterdam /  Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

Reminder - October 14 — Halloween Ends with Jamie Lee Curtis  

Dahmer  - Ten parter on Netflix, big numbers this week  

Many Families  - Of victims unhappy with the Dahmer series

Tenet - (2020) has been named the most confusing movie of the 21^st century so far 

Movies Ahead of Christmas - This year Great American Family will have 17 originals, UPtv 17, Hallmark 40, and Lifetime 26  (Story)   

Hallmark - Rolls out thier new Christmas movies October 21 

James Earl Jones - Signs off on voicing Darth Vader – They can use old recordings though

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane (link)   Montgomery Gentry 

I've added a lot of new articles in the Country Music Memory Lane Series with the Mega Star Series in the limelight the last few weeks.  In case you missed them, here they are.   I like to make them easy to find in case you missed them the first time around. 

These are the most recent, so grab a coffee, a comfy chair and some ear buds and get ready for some great country!

Dwight Yoakam

Randy Travis

Dolly Parton

Hank Williams Jr

Clint Black

Reba McEntire

Barbara Mandrell

Over the weekend, The Beautiful Windy made some kind Pumpkin, dessert thing deal in a pan that was incredible.  So, now I'm all on board with fall desserts and the like.

Then I saw this, and maybe I'll get lucky and she will make these!!

Oh My, Do These Look GREAT!!

I always thought that if you don't have a can opener, you were out of luck.  Turns out, I was totally wrong.

Check this out!  Ways to open cans that work!

Who Knew??

Box Office Results - The Woman King  -   (19 Million)

New This Week - Avatar -  (Back in theaters)  -  Don't Worry Darling

New NEXT Week - Smile / Bros / Hocus Pocus 2 (Disney Plus)

Reminder - October 14 — Halloween Ends with Jamie Lee Curtis

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane  (link)   Dwight Yoakam