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A new kind of litter



As much as I hate to begin on a down note I just can’t ignore what is occurring worldwide. The year 2021 is beginning with two major events. The inauguration of a new President of the United States and, horror upon horror, a new virus strain, a mutation of the current virus, purportedly to be more prolific and potentially deadly than the pandemic that has throttled us for almost a year is gaining momentum. 

Perhaps one upside might be that world leaders come together to combat the scourge that has wreaked havoc for that past year and who knows how many months to come? Wear a mask.

Love the segues. One unanticipated consequence of us all wearing masks is the litter that I have observed. I see masks on sidewalks, shopping center parking lots and in the roadways. Which begs the question: Don’t you realize that your mask has left your face? Most times you can invoke the 5 second rule and pick it up and put it back in place otherwise the masks will be washed down the storm drains and into the ocean. Of course, we have to wait for the rains to come, which they will or will our storm water runoff management prevent this debris being deposited in the ocean. Remains to be seen.

If you read last week’s T-A you saw a photo of me attending an in-person meeting wearing protective gear of a mask, face shield, body wrap and latex gloves all of which was a Christmas gift from one of my daughters. I think I am in good shape for the year now that I possess about 40 masks, two face shields and body wraps and about a dozen pairs of gloves. Can you imagine the looks I would get if I walked into the supermarket in that get up? Not to worry as I will only wear my mask.

The other day I read where Ted Leitner is leaving the Padre broadcast booth. As good announcer as he was doing baseball games I thought he was very good doing SDSU basketball games. Ted was made to be behind a mic and he is a San Diego icon doing b-ball, baseball and Charger broadcasts. Which leads me to a contact I had with Leitner many years ago at a Charger game. A few of us were attending a game and we got into the elevator to go up to our level. Upon entering the cab Ted Leitner was there and I acknowledged his presence with “hey Ted Leitner how are you?” To wit he answered with a typical New York “how are you?” with, “Who the h… are you?” What a guy. Since I grew up in the shadows of Manhattan in New Jersey I was used to the NY hospitality.

He was a very accomplished and knowledgeable broadcaster and will be missed. Years ago the Padres had some really good announcers like Dave Campbell, Bob Chandler and of course Jerry Coleman with Ted Leitner. Like many listeners I always waited for Leitner to ask Coleman, “What’d you do today Jer?”. And that began a few minutes of great dialogue between two good friends. Oh, you Dodger fans, don’t bring up Vin Scully because he is incomparable.

This is too good not to mention. I heard of another reason for earning a college degree. The Oscar Meyer Company of wiener and bacon renown is hiring a driver for the Wienermobile. Primary requisite is the applicant must have at minimum a Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in marketing or public relations. To drive a hot dog truck? Remember this slogan? “Join the Navy see the world?” Well the new one is “Join the Wienermobile, see the USA.” I wonder if it is a Chevrolet?

And speaking of job openings I have noticed numerous “help wanted” and “now hiring” signs around town. In light of so many being unemployed I found it interesting how many businesses are in need of more employees. I suggest anyone who is unemployed check out all the available jobs which are not all retail or service related. By the way, was not the original purpose of the EDD to find jobs for people seeking employment— not just to issue checks?

Ah, here we go again. GOLF 64, now retired enjoying golf? IPA X2, professional beer taster?

*Note: Opinions expressed by columnists and letter writers are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the newspaper.

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