The leaves have fallen off the trees in my little piece of Southern Indiana.  It is chilly out this morning.  The wind is not blowing.  That is a good thing.  It is amazing how cool 37 degrees can feel after you have spent a Summer that seemed to last forever.  In two months 37 degrees will feel balmy.  That is just the way it goes around here.  Though I was not home for it last weekend, I here it went from 78 degrees last Friday to half of that the next day.  Oh well.

My dear wife, Carrie, and I are not going to see the Herd play tonight.  There are multiple levels of motivation for missing this one.  We hate to miss Senior Day.  That is always a good time.  But…they are kicking off at 7 PM.  Not good.  I doubt there will be 18,000 people there.  I wish they were kicking off at noon.  That might of gotten us there.

There is also a matter of so blooming many games to look at today on the television.  Rivalry week that is compelling television is my date on the couch.  I do plan some time on the exercise equipment today as I am watching also.  Too much turkey and dressing and pie will do that.  But we sure had fun on Thanksgiving Day.  It was good to have a house full.

I hate to see the regular college football season end today.  It has gone too fast.

This week’s speaktherights.com College Football Predictions:

U of L beats UK…There were UK buses parked downtown in Louisville last night.  I saw the offensive bus.  Is that necessary?  To spend the night when you can drive up there in an hour and a half or less?  Maybe Kentucky wanted to pick out the stick they are going to get beaten with.

Indiana beats Purdue…At least they should.  This game can do some funny things.  It may be just like the natural order of things for IU to get upset and everyone can march on Assembly Hall.

Michigan beats Ohio State…I think Michigan was looking past Indiana last week and looking forward to this one.  Who could blame them?  Michigan may be the only team that can play with Bama.  They would still get beat.

Georgia beats Georgia Tech…The Bulldogs get the Wreck in a close one.

Bama beats Auburn…The Iron Bowl is one of college football’s greatest spectacles.  It should not be close.  But you just never know with this game.

Ole Miss beats Mississippi State…The Egg Bowl is another good one.  This has been a disappointing season in the Magnolia State.  Bragging rights are still worth showing up to fight for.

Virginia Tech beats Virginia…The Hokies have had a fair year.  Blacksburg is a special place.

WKU beats Marshall…The Herd has gone from 3 ten win seasons to a game shy of 10 losses.  What happened?  The pieces have to be in place if you are going to win the chess match.

Tennessee beats Vandy…The Dores are improving.  Still not enough to upend the Vols and a that pesky song they play.  There will be a bunch in Orange sure they are ready to walk to music row to be the next big thing in country music after so much practice today.

Colorado beats Utah…The team at the edge of the Rockies should win again.

Clemson beats South Carolina…but there is always hope.

Minnesota beats Swissconsin…Have you figured out my pattern of nearly never picking against Goldy and never picking for Bucky?  There is a reason.  I like Goldy.  I don’t like Bucky.

USC beats Notre Dame…This is still a classic match-up.  I have always enjoyed watching this one.  I know Aunt Barbara in Mississippi likes this one to.

Here is to our TV remotes (mashers) getting a workout today!

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

My dear wife, Carrie, is in the kitchen working on the makings of tomorrow’s Thanksgiving feast.  No one does it better.  Just ask anyone who ever wandered into her kitchen.

I went to see a specialist type doctor yesterday.  To say a neurosurgeon is looking at how healthy my back is or is not seems rather serious.  All I can say is my back hurts.  It has been hurting for 33 years.  The old L 4/5 injury…lower back.  When I was 15 the first neurosurgeon I saw about this ailment said the words “Down the road…” as in down the road he will probably have problems to deal with.  I did not think the road would be so short.  I figured down the road meant when I was 88…not 48.  Oh well.  I will press onward.

The Rose Bowl.

There are times in our lives when we have built things up in our mind and the reality of being does not live up to what we had either dreamed or conjured up in our minds.  I can tell you I had the highest of expectations last weekend when my Dad and I traveled to Pasadena to see USC play UCLA in The Rose Bowl Stadium.

The place lived up to those expectations and actually exceeded them.  I didn’t think that was possible.

I remember a line from the movie “Broadcast News” when William Hurt’s character, Tom, asked Albert Brooks’ character, Aaron, “What do you do when your real life exceeds your dreams?”  Aaron looked at him and told him to keep it to himself.  Well, The Rose Bowl, a place that has been the Sugarcandy Mountain of Football Stadiums in my dreams, was more than I ever expected.  The whole trip was a blessing.  My Dad had a blast.  I am so glad he did.

What follows are several pictures and a few words about the trip.

I walked down Rosemont Ave and at the bottom of the hill that had houses and trees on both sides, I found this…

I thought…it is real.

Later that day, Dad and I took the train to Santa Monica.  It was very beautiful.  It was only the second time I had seen the Pacific Ocean.  The Atlantic is an old friend.  The Pacific, which I saw the first time in Hawaii, was different.  To see the sun there over the water in the late afternoon seemed a bit odd I must say.

The LA Union Station terminal is a bit docile compared to NYC’s.  The architecture is gorgeous.

From the train, I took this photo.  I have never seen so many cars and so many people as far as the eye can see for such a long distance.  Hollywood, LA, Burbank, Culver City, Pasadena, Santa this and Santa that…they all run together and they are all full of folks.  And I must say, the people were very friendly.  I was impressed.  I did not know what to expect.

Some rides on the Santa Monica Pier.

This is the Courtyard of the Pasadena City Hall.  It too was remarkable to the eye.

SO WAS THIS…

My Dad was buying a hat at the UCLA STORE tent.  He wanted a hat.  He only has about 500.  He needed another one.  So he bought one outside the Rose Bowl before the game.

In front of the tent, there were UCLA cheerleaders sitting at a table signing items and talking to folks.  I yelled at my Dad as he was coming out of the sales tent; I told him to go stand in front of the table so I could get a picture of him with the UCLA cheerleaders.  He made his move over to the table.

That was not enough for the cheerleaders.  They sprung into action!

A few joined in and then more joined in…

And then more joined in…and I had to tell them that enough was enough…though I appreciated their effort.

It worked out well.  Dad’s legend has grown again.

Here he is walking through the tunnel to the see the inside of The Rose Bowl.  It was a twenty yard tunnel.  I had never seen anything like it.

Inside we found this.  I was a nervous wreck.  We made it.

I think this is my favorite picture.

Watching kickers warm up before the game.

There really are roses at The Rose Bowl.

Fantastic.

The USC Marching Band

Script UCLA

The UCLA Bruins lost to USC 36 to 14.

It was still a good time had by all.

I have been asked what possessed me to up and take my Dad to the Rose Bowl to watch a football game.  Honestly, I think my Granny had something to do with it.  Granny died two years ago yesterday.  It was a Saturday.  We were all gathered at Granny’s and I went home for a while.  I was on the elliptical downstairs when the phone rang.  It was Carrie.  She and my sister were at Granny’s bedside when she passed.  The rest of the day was a blur of time and emotion and stillness and silence and loss and time that doesn’t make sense and awkward bewilderment and grief and relief and more silence and just some kind of stuff that goes with a day like…when you lose someone you love.  It was a long day.  It was a November Saturday.  When Carrie and I finally got home that night, I fell on the couch and looked at the TV.  It was not on.  It was a silent black screen.  And I knew my Granny would not want me to sit and look at that.  I turned a football game on.  

USC was playing UCLA in The Rose Bowl.  Granny always wanted to be there to see a game.

Last Saturday, she made it there.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

I am a bit tired.

Yesterday my Dad and I were delayed for hours waiting for a flight from Louisville, Kentucky that would eventually get to Burbank, CA and the Bob Hope Airport.  This is a small and quaint air port.  It was the first time I had gotten off a 737 from the rear walking off the plane to the ground.  I felt like giving everyone there a peace sign as I got off.

Long story short.  We got here last night/this morning.  We were over four hours late.  I thought it would be worse.  A hydraulic part was suspect on the plane we were leaving Louisville on.  They got it off the ground.  It landed in Las Vegas without incident.  Dad and I barely made it on the connecting flight from Vegas to Burbank.

Tomorrow we will be at the Rose Bowl to see the UCLA Bruins host the rival USC Trojans.  I went by USC today on a train.  We even saw a bit of the LA Coliseum.

First, the picks for tomorrow’s games.  I must be brief.

Iowa beats Illinois….bad, I hope.

Ohio State beats Michigan…I wish I were wrong.

Nebraska beats Maryland…The Huskers are not bad at all.

Swissconsin beats Purdue…Purdue can’t stop their shadow.

Michigan beats Indiana….and they may score 50 or more.

Minnesota beats Northwestern….I may miss this one…probably will.  Go Goldy!

Penn State beats Rutgers…Big Ten out of towner Bowl.

Utah beats Oregon…without trouble.

Washington State beats Colorado…The Coogs are for real.

Stanford beats Cal in The Big Game.   Has the band been forgotten?

Washington beats Arizona State…they are not happy campers in Seattle.

Oregon State beats Arizona…Not much wild about these cats.

USC beats UCLA…and I hope I am wrong.

Notice a pattern here?  I am paying homage to The Rose Bowl.

This week’s picks were from the Big Ten and The PAC 12.  These are the Rose Bowl’s traditional opponents.

The Rose Bowl?

I found it today.  It was about a two mile walk from our hotel.  I am glad I got there by foot.  It gave me time to recall so much of the history I love about this place.

Carl found it today.

He really liked it.

I did too.  I am so looking forward to seeing a game inside it.  It is so simple outside.  There is a valley in there and a field that probably inspired a dream or two.

Dad and I took to the train today in Los Angeles.

Our trip ended here.

The Santa Monica Pier.

The Pacific Ocean.

Dad and me above The Santa Monica Pier.

Lunch.

It was a great spot to enjoy a fine meal.

More later.

Carl is for UCLA.

I have no doubt these mountains are the ones shown at the beginning of M*A*S*H.

Speaking the Rights…

Danny Johnson

Last Sunday I was in Louisville, Kentucky recording a new song.  The experience I had that day was what legends are made from.  It felt that way for me, anyway.

On these pages I have indicated my strong appreciation and delight in having the opportunity to have crossed paths with Dr. Millard Dunn.  He was my mentor in the English classroom in college.  His work and advice along the way, over twenty years since I was in one of his classes, has never left me.  Stories are still thrown around like fertilizer.  They get thicker and better every year.  I am fortunate enough to still be in touch with some of the folks that were in Millard’s class when I was.  They too enjoy the telling of good tales and remembrances.  One thing that is not lost on us is what good things we were taught by Dr. Dunn.  All the fun aside, we still hold strong to both the values and the knowledge we gained from this great guy.

Here is Dr. Dunn listening intently to what I am suggesting we do to make a song better.  He gave his two cents also.  I am thankful he did.  He helped to make the tune stronger.

Working on the song, Rod Wurtele, myself, and Millard.  Rod is a keyboard master and he put some beautiful sounds to this song.

We recorded this unlike anything I have ever recorded before.  In earnest, I thought it was quite ambitious.  I was not sure how things would go.  I never lost faith.  It worked fine.

What I did was bring the song lyrics and the tune in my head and sing it for Rod.  I wrote the song in October, the last time Carrie and I were at our favorite spot in North Carolina looking at the ocean together.  She was sitting next to me when I wrote it.  I knew then and there that this was the thing to do with this tune.  It is a ballad and I knew it needed some soft keys that only Rod understands from working with me in the past.

It is not always so serious for us, understand.  We do know how to have a good time.

And there may also be a time when I am a bit too serious?  I don’t know.  This was during the playback and I was trying to figure out if this was really happening.  I was shocked at how well it went.  Given the folks in the room with me, I should not of been.  Like I said, I really did have faith.

The thing is, this will probably the most special song I have ever recorded.  Not just because the song is about Carrie, my dear wife.  The recorded version of the song was taken the first time it was ever sung straight through.  We worked on bits.  Verse here.  Stop.  Chorus here. Stop.  Intro.  Stop.  Chorus again.  When it was time to sing the song from start to finish, we rolled the tape.  We captured it the first time the song was EVER sung.  It was, as Millard to his wife, Carol, later in the evening, “Fascinating.”

Along with The MAN AT THE CONTROLS, Jeff Carpenter, we knew we had found the sound we were looking for.

To share this moment, was very special.

Maybe we will do it again.

By the way, this was post number 300 of…

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

I am on the porch.  It is dark and it is getting cooler by the minute.

I had a grand post in the works.  I will get to it tomorrow.  I assure you.  It is about the greatest day I ever had in a recording studio.

For now…I give your my College Football Picks for this week.

UCLA beats Oregon State…Oh how I hope so.  My Dad and I will be in the Rose Bowl next week to see UCLA play USC.

IU beats Penn State….I said it.  This game will be the watershed moment to tell all the Lagow is the quarterback next year.

Louisville beats Wake Forest…of course they do.

Michigan beats Iowa…and I hate every minute.  Alabama beware.  Michigan will be your opponent in the National Championship Game.

Ole Miss beat Texas A&M…I hope.

Tennessee beats Kentucky….Sorry Cat fans.

Alabama beats Mississippi State….I hope Brother Tim and Michelle enjoy this one.  They will be listening to Denny Chimes and rooting on the Tide.

USC beats Washington…and get the Huskies out of the Final 4 picture.

Minnesota beats Nebraska…I hope.  My heart gets in the way too much.

Notre Dame beats Army…In the worst of times the Irish won’t lose to two service boys.

Vandy beats Mizzou…and Derek Mason keeps his job.

Northwestern beats Purdue…in a close on.

Michigan State beats Rutgers…just like everyone else does.

Some great music news to follow soon on

Speak the Rights…

Danny Johnson

Last night I attended a high school football game that was a great thing to witness.  The Brownstown Central Braves defeated the Southridge Raiders by a score of 50 to 14.  Fantastic.  It was a good thing.  I got to see old friends.  Jerry Brown, my childhood buddy, is coaching again and his Braves just flat shelled the corn.  I saw Harv Brown and many others.  The Braves came to play.  The Raiders were like deer in the headlights on one hoof.

Speaking of wow.  I got word that the North Harrison Lady Cats beat Jeffersonville last night.  The score?  27-25.  Someone held the ball.  Earlier in the week, the Lady Cats scored 100 points.  It must have been a nail biter.  This is a portent of another memorable season.

On to College Football Predicitons Week # 10

Notre Dame beats Navy…I have no doubt that Notre Dame will win this.  I have been wrong before.   Coach Brian Kelly’s days may be numbered.  They don’t look like a Notre Dame that gets the respect you expect for a Notre Dame team.

Ole Miss beats Georgia Southern…I went back and forth via text with a Mississippi cousin.  He hopes the Rebs decide to tackle today.

Indiana beats Rutgers…The Hoosiers need to win this and beat Purdue and they have a good chance to go to a Toilet Bowl…but that is better than no bowl at all.

Louisville beats Boston College…a trip to Chestnut Hill can be tricky.  Might be a bit brisk this morning in Mass.

Auburn beats Vandy…Of course they do.

Georgia Tech beats North Carolina…This is a stretch.  I know the Tar-folk expect to win this one.  A running game in November is a special thing.

Minnesota beats Purdue….The Gophers are having a good season.  The Big Ten/Fourteen is a better place when Goldy is strong.

Michigan beats Maryland….How many points will Michigan score at home?  Look out.

Virginia Tech beats Duke…I hate to make this call.  You know I love the Dukies.

South Carolina beats Mizzou…the Gamecocks are on the rise.

Marshall beats Old Dominion…Might not.  The Herd is not having a memorable season.  The loss to Charlotte at home may be a game they won’t recover from.  I hope they win in Virginia today.

Kentucky beats Georgia…It is November and the Cats are looking around and saying “Who, us?”  Yes, you.  The Wildcats matter in November for the first time in the Cable TV era.

USC beats Oregon…The Trojans are finding themselves.

Happy November to you!

Danny Johnson

It has been too long.  I am on the porch looking back a bit.  A couple weeks.  A couple days.  In some cases, three or four decades.  Time is a funny thing.  It truly is.  I am in awe of it.

Two Friday nights ago I saw the greatest North Harrison High School football victory of all time.  North defeated Charlestown, a team that had defeated them in the regular season by a score of 48-14.  The Pirates of Chucktown figured they would run roughshod over the Cougars.  They were wrong.  In a game where it was win and you go forth in the playoffs, lose and you go home, this was the sweetest of victories in the history of North Harrison High School Football.  I was close witness to the other greatest games.

In 1982 the Cougars with a record of 6-1 came into Brownstown Central and defeated a 7-0 3rd ranked BCHS team by the score of 27 to 14.  The game was at Brownstown.  I was on the sideline as a 9th grader on the team.  This game was special.  My Dad coached Brownstown from 1970 to 1978.  He was coaching the Cougars when we won this game.

In 2006, the last time the Cougars played the Perry Central Commodores, the PC team was ranked 5th in their class.  The game, at Perry Central, was won by a stifling Cougar defense and a strong running game.  I was calling the game on the radio.  I called it the biggest game since 1982.

Last year the NH Cougars, playing at home, beat the Brownstown Central Braves for the first time since 1992.  The Braves have owned us for a long time.  Last year, we got them…38-30.  It was a classic.

This victory over The Charlestown Pirates was the greatest game of all time for North Harrison Football.  I am proud to know I was there for all four of the greatest victories.

What is the 5th greatest victory?  Well, I don’t know.  I do know I always like to brag about the time NH beat Brownstown Central, at Brownstown in 1984.  The score was 59-0.  It is still the worse defeat BCHS has ever suffered at home.  I was there.  I kicked extra points in that game.  I missed a few too.

Last Friday the Cougars were defeated by a tough Southridge Raider team.  The final score was 24-7.  The North Harrison Cougars ended the season with a record of 8 wins and 3 defeats.  It was another magnificent season.  Thanks to all the Coaches and Players for giving us yet another season to remember.  Here are a few images of that game:

Pre-game

It was a beautiful night for football.

See what I mean…

High School Football….good times.

Though a bit out of sequence, I would be remiss if I did not pay honor to my dear friend Kelly “Samonhead” Samons for winning the 17th Annual Corner King Classic.  It was his first Classic victory.  Well done, old bean.  This was played on October 23rd.

Yesterday, November 2nd, I visited with some old friends.

My dear wife, Carrie, and I stopped by my old Elementary School in Brownstown.  I am on the stage where I participated in Christmas Programs from 1973 to 1978 and was in the 4th grade musical  in 1978.  It was good to see the place.

We also stopped by Medora school where I worked for over 15 years.  It was good to see old friends.  I got hugs from former students of all ages, as it is a k-12 building.  It was good to see these folks.  It was odd.  It was the first day since I interviewed for my job their in 1998 that I was not working there when kids were in the building.

Justin Hayward then and now.  The guitar is the same. Carrie and I saw the Moody Blues in Indy on Tuesday night.  It was great as always.  I hope to see them again some day.  In earnest, this was the 50th time I have seen The Moody Blues in concert.  I have enjoyed every one.

The Moody Blues!

Now that is Speaking the Rights!

Danny Johnson