The Lucky Jersey - Fantasy Fan Fiction

Usually when I post something on my blog, it has something to do with gambling, or sports, or even taxes. You never know what I will find interesting to write about.  Today I'm taking a little trip back in time to 2014 and, in honor of the NFL Draft this week,  I'm going to share a football related story I wrote almost 2 years ago.  My youngest son is a writer too, as are many of his friends. They were working on a blog of short stories and the spell checker, which has a mind of its own,  changed the title of their blog from Short Stories to Shirt Stories.  And so was born the idea of a collection of short stories all having something to do with shirts. I was invited to contribute, and this is one of the early stories I gave them, now part of a collection of my fiction called "Shirt Tales." 

     Jeremy wasn't superstitious - at least he didn't admit he was.  He didn't believe in four leaf clovers.  He didn't believe in lucky rabbits' feet. He didn't believe in any of the talismans that sports fans often carried to guarantee a winning season.  But ironically he did believe that wearing his favorite blue jersey to a Colts' game brought his team unexplainably good luck.

     The bright blue jersey with the "18" on the front and "Manning" on the back was a birthday present from his girlfriend Cassie their senior year at IU.  That same year the Indianapolis Colts made it to the Super Bowl for the second time.  Jeremy's friends insisted that wearing the shirt to the stadium and sports bars had nothing to do with the team's wins that season.  They pointed out that the Colts actually lost the last two games. Jeremy countered that Peyton was pulled by the coaches to protect him from injury, and the team would have won had their quarterback played. 

     Jeremy knew the power of the lucky jersey.  He felt the Colts could have defeated the Saints and won the championship that year if only he and his lucky shirt had made it to the game.  But Super Bowl Sunday was the day Cassie had chosen for their wedding to commemorate her parents' marriage on February 7 twenty five years earlier, so Jeremy was wearing a tux instead of his lucky jersey that day as his team went down in defeat.

     Jeremy thought he knew why the lucky shirt was not so lucky for his Colts the following two seasons. Most fans thought Peyton Manning's injury and surgery had something to do with the team's mediocre record, but Jeremy feared he might be to blame.  Although he didn't have much time for football after being accepted at Harvard Law, he and Cassie usually socialized with their classmates at the sports bars in Boston on game day.  He didn't feel right wearing the Colts' jersey to watch New England games, and he thought he might be a little too old for sportswear anyway, so the lucky shirt hung in his closet.  Evidently the magic didn't work unless he wore the shirt, and the Patriots and much of the rest of the NFL handily defeated  Indianapolis each week.  Perhaps if he had displayed his pride in his home team and worn its jersey, the Colts' season might have ended differently.  

                                    

     Today Jeremy was back in Indiana and wearing his favorite jersey again.  He and Cassie, now expecting their first child, were on their way home from their day trip to Nashville, Indiana.  Cassie had wanted to enjoy the changing autumn leaves and to spend the day browsing the antique shops and craft stores in Brown County.  Jeremy was reluctant to go, but she promised they would leave in time to make it back to Indianapolis for the start of the Sunday night football game. 

     It was going to be a very, very special matchup.  Former quarterback Peyton Manning was also back in Indiana playing against his old team for the first time since signing with the Denver Broncos.  Jeremy was anxious to see if his lucky blue jersey would still be lucky for the Colts - or whether the shirt numbered 18 would bring good fortune to the Bronco quarterback now wearing the same numeral and name on his orange and white uniform.

     About halfway home from Nashville, Jeremy's tire suddenly blew.  Gingerly he steered off the road, upset that the flat might make them late.  He opened the trunk looking for the spare that wasn't there.  "I'll have to call the auto club to fix the flat," he grumbled, angry at himself.  "I hope they'll get here in time for us to make the game."

     "Better call the hospital too," Cassie advised.  He looked at her and realized with a rush of excitement that their baby was on her way.

     After what seemed like an eternity, an ambulance could finally be heard racing down the road toward the couple.  About the same time, the first cries of a newborn infant could be heard from the back seat of the car.  As he took the red and yelling baby in his arms, Jeremy thought he had never seen a child more perfect or more beautiful.  

     "She must be cold," he said taking off the blue jersey and swaddling the baby in its warmth.  

     "Don't.  You'll ruin your lucky shirt," Cassie protested.

    "It doesn't matter," he said.  He smiled at his wife and at his new daughter, cherishing the magical moment and the precious bond forming between them.  "It doesn't matter at all." 

     And it didn't.

Coming Soon to a Casino Near You

Earlier this month a group of slot lovers met in Las Vegas to meet and greet their friends and fellow slot players for two days of casino camaraderie. Highlights of the special event included a social gathering at the Golden Nugget Spa Suite followed by a high limit group pull at $25 a share and concluding with fun and games on Fremont Street. You can see films of these events at Random$$Slots slot channel on YouTube. You’ll wish you had been there too when you do.

But for real slot lovers, the highlight of the activity was the Tour of the Showroom and Bally Campus where attendees were treated to a two hour tour of the WMS/SG/Ballys facility and a view of the new games being tested and released at various casinos across the country. I was not able to attend the meet and greet this year, but I have viewed and enjoyed the film of the new games. It was posted on Random’s slot channel, and you can watch it here:  

If you want to see the new games we’ll all be playing in the casinos soon, take a look. The film will first show you the fanatics visiting the showroom, and then will conclude with the videographer filming many of the new games as he plays them.  Enjoy. You might even want to subscribe. 

Making Every Day Earth Day

Happy Earth Day to you all this Friday, April 22. 

Earth Day is the day set aside each year since 1970 to draw attention to the fragility of our planet and to encourage everyone to do his part preserving our earth so future generations can enjoy the beauty and bounty we sometimes take for granted.  

The idea of celebrating a national day to focus on the environment came to its founder U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Three million gallons of crude spilled into the waters off Summerland and spread along the coastline, spoiling the pristine beauty of the Pacific beaches.  Nelson rallied other lawmakers to take a stand for the environment, and Earth Day was born in 1970. 

April 22 was chosen to mark the day because it fell between college spring break and final exams, and that first year thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. 20 million people around the country took to the streets and parks to rally for the environment according to earthday.org. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, the loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

Now, Earth Day is celebrated around the world, and people come together at clean-ups and educational gatherings to show their love for their planet. The Orange County Register, a Los Angeles paper, lists various local projects for Southern Californians to join in, many centered about education in the schools. “Harvesting for Hunger” is a project in Orange County where volunteers are amending soil and assisting students in planting raised vegetable beds. Rain Barrels International will be educating Newport Beach residents with water conservation tips and trips along with recycling and a information fair.  Information will be disseminated about drought-tolerant gardening. Activities at Dana Point will include building a butterfly garden along with collecting e-waste, recycling old computers and cellphones. There will be coastal clean-up at the beach and harbor on Saturday with volunteer rewarded by free admission to the Ocean Institute for the day. At Laguna Niguel volunteers will plant, weed, and clean up the Niguel Botanical Preserve Saturday from 8:30 to 11:30.  Wherever you live   — not just in Southern California — there will be an Earth Day activity of some sort where you can joint with others in doing good for the globe.

The main highlight of this Earth Day 2016 will be the signing of the historic Paris Agreement of the Climate Protection Treaty. It was adopted by195 nations at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change in Paris. The United States and China, who are the world’s two largest emitters, will both sign the agreement along with over 120 other countries. The treaty is a binding and universal agreement calling for action against climate change, with focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by the year 2050.

What can you personally do on this Earth day? Many will plant trees. An estimated 18 million acres of forest — an area roughly the size of the country of Panama — are lost to deforestation each year. That loss is responsible for up to 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. You can vow to do all you can to promote the protection of endangered species and to stop habitat encroachment for whales, Asian elephants, rhinoceroses, and other species. You can do your part supporting politicians who are dedicated to ensuring that our cities remain clean and green. You can use more energy efficient products and use more renewable energy.  You can educate your children about the importance of preserving this wonderful world we live in.  Global warming is not a joke. Climate change is real. We must all live as if every day is earth day -- because it is.

Good News for Last Minute Tax Filers

JUST A REMINDER:  This isn't a real post -- it's just a note to let you last minute tax filers know that you've been given a  break. Your tax returns are not due today, April 15, after all. Most of us have until April 18 this year to get our returns postmarked or electronically filed because Emancipation Day falls on a weekend this year.

Here’s a short explanation as to why:

• Emancipation Day in Washington DC is normally observed on April 16.  It is a legal holiday celebrating signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act that freed slaves by Abraham Lincoln in 1862
• However, April 16 falls on a Saturday this year and gets pushed back the nearest weekday (April 15)
• So, this year April 15 is now made a legal holiday.  Happy Emancipation Day, everyone.
• Public employees are given the day off so no one will be at the IRS to process your taxes today, Friday, April 15, 2016.
• Tax day now gets pushed back to the next weekday – April 18.

Those in Massachusetts and Maine get their date extended to April 19 because April 18 is Patriots’ Day.

So, put off putting it off, and get it done this weekend.  And if you can't, be sure and file your extension by April 18 to avoid late filing penalties if all those big hand pays you got in the casinos this year cause you to owe. 

Tax Freedom Day 2016

April 15 is just around the corner and some of us procrastinators are still struggling with our 1040's attempting to complete the onerous forms before the deadline - which was extended to April 18 this year.  Will we owe? Will we get a refund? How much of the tax we owe can we trace back to the fun we had playing the slots and table games at our favorite casino? I hope you all won big in 2016, and that you can trace much of your tax tribulations to lucky spins on your favorite games. 

There's another special day in April connected to taxes: April 24, 114 days into the year excluding Leap Day - Tax Freedom Day.  No, that's not the day we celebrate because because we're through paying taxes for the year.  It's the day we celebrate because we will have earned enough to pay our tax liability for 2016.  Tax Freedom Day is determined by taking all taxes we pay - federal, state, local, payroll, excise - and dividing them by the nation's income. This year Americans will pay $3.34 trillion in federal tax (up from $3.28 last year). they will pay $1.64 trillion in state and local taxes (up from $1.57 trillion in 2015.) The total income tax bill this year is $4.99 trillion (up from $4.85 trillion) or 31% of national income. 

This year Americans will work longer than ever to pay all the income taxes collected - 46 days.  Payroll taxes will take 26 days to pay. Sales and excise taxes - 15 days. Corporate income taxes - 9 days. Property taxes - 11 days. The remaining 7 days are spent paying estate and inheritance taxes, customs duties, and other taxes. The Tax Foundation says Americans will spend ore on taxes in 2016 than it will on food, clothing, and housing combined.

What if we include federal borrowing in these calculations? In 2016 the deficit is expected to grow significantly, from $592 billion to $698 billion.  If we include these future taxes owed, Tax Freedom Day would occur on May 10, 16 days later.

Your State's Tax Freedom Day will fall somewhere between April 5 and May 21. You can find the date and ranking for your state in the Tax Foundation chart below.

The total tax burden by states varies considerable due to differing state tax policies and the progressivity of the federal tax system.  Higher income, higher tax states celebrate Tax Freedom Day later. Mississippi has the lowest average tax burden with Tax Freedom Day arriving on April 5. Also early are Tennessee (April 6) and Louisiana (April 7). Connecticut celebrates later (May 21), New Jersey (May 12) and New York (May 11).  California where I live is 45th on the list with an April 30 Tax Freedom Day. Indiana where I used to live is 24th with an April 18th date.  It costs to live in the Golden State -- but it's worth it.

If you get a sense of deja vu and feel you've read this before, it's because I got lazy and updated last year's blog entry with the new numbers for this year. My thanks to Scott Greenberg of the Tax Foundation for the figures.