Apr 15, 2021 3 min read

Like most adults, I have often thought what it would be like to play baseball for a major league team.

I can hear the crowds cheering to see an 86-year-old man play the hot corner. As a Pirates third baseman, I would have some advantages. The overall picture is not very pretty but I can imagine as an employee I could take Mr. Nutting fishing to all my secret hotspots and we could have great discussions about his ballclub. Surely that is worth something.

Maybe that wouldn’t work so well after all. The last time I bent over to tie my shoes I had to be straightened up at the Emergency Room. But think of the publicity the Pirates could get for their innovated thinking in utilizing an 86-year-old player.

I think I will stick with my Model 70. I am better with that than I will ever be with the baseball.

Like most people my age, I do hold a few dreams that will never be fulfilled. They say you cannot take it with you when you go. I will add to that a bit and say if you do take it with you, then it won’t be that shiny Corvette in the driveway – it will be friendships and memories you have made along the way. It is this relationship with others of a like mind and interest that keeps one going.

I did not get to go to the gun show held this past weekend at the Washington County Fairgrounds. It was supposedly so crowded that when I told my friend Tom that I was afraid of getting bumped over from the crowded conditions he replied, “You should have gone. It was so crowded it would have been impossible for you to fall down.”

It was that crowded.

The other thing I heard was that the inflated prices charged by the vendors looking to profit from the shortage in ammo and re-loading components was unbelievable. My friend Mike said he saw a guy pay $90 for a one pound can of IMR powder. I’m glad I stocked up earlier. I wish I would have bought a few other things, but I am lucky to have what I do. I guess supplies were all very high and my friend bought nothing. He was really upset over what he saw. Maybe I am glad I didn’t attend.

The most exciting thing I heard last weekend was a gun purchase that didn’t occur at the show. It was a great buy of a Winchester Model 70 Bull gun. I have never seen one. This gun is an extreme heavy barreled target variation produced from 1936-1963 for precise target shooting and most have been shot out over time. This one is in beautiful condition.

Although this gun wasn’t bought at the show it was discussed there. This led to a deal being made and a friend of mine bought the gun. I can’t wait to see it and see it shoot. It has a 28-inch barrel it is 12¾ pounds. My friend might have to buy a bigger safe to store that long gun. I am sure we will have a lot of fun target shooting it at various meets and shoots. You never know what might happen when like minds get together.