147th edition of My Random Thoughts: Sports, TV, music, food, life.....

December 19, 2025

I'm the guy that has a garbage bag ready to collect the ripped off wrapping paper Christmas morning.

A teenager knocked at our door last week, asking if he could shovel the driveway. Every sentence he spoke included 'sir', or 'yes sir'. He finished in about 30 minutes. I asked if $20 was fair? Another 'yes sir' as his face lit up. He said he'd be sure to come back. I gave him $5 more.

I really do hope the Bengals, Reds, and UC understand the fan backlash that is building.

All Her Fault (Peacock) turned out to be the most twisty show we've ever watched. No wonder it's up for so many awards. What performances. What a storyline.

Give me a chilled Buckeye and glass of milk!

If I could have one present under the tree from my childhood, I think it would be the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle. Let me crank that thing up!

Lost in all the Zac and Joe talk this week, is that farce of a performance turned in at home, with the season on the line. Yet another performance that would have gotten someone fired in every other NFL market.

I say it every year, I miss the pitter patter of feet as Casey and Peyton would run down the hallway to wake us up Christmas morning.

Consider me a late-to-the-party fan of Zac Brown Band after his guest appearance on The Voice.

Wayne Krivsky never gets enough credit for shrewd deals to get Brandon Phillips and Bronson Arroyo.....now, both Reds Hall of Famers.

I'm on a ground beef and white rice kick.

You know what's annoying? When all the snow and salt melts off your car and onto the garage floor.

Good for Travis Steele and his success at Miami.

The five set Final Four volleyball match between UK vs Wisconsin was pretty epic to watch.

Watching the original Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer still does it for me. The stop frame animation is so basic, but so good.

No idea where the closest Perkins is to me, but that new Monte Cristo Pancake Flip looks pretty amazing.

Happy for Reggie Sanders. I always thought he was one of the more underrated Reds. Sadly, his Reds career gets skewed by the '95 postseason.

Brian Anderson and Robbie Hummel might be the best national CBB broadcast team going.

There's a MAD Magazine exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum in Walnut Hills!

I got my Staples desk calendar! There will always be something exciting about the clean slate, fresh start of a new year, and 365 blank days TBD!

Stumbled into the band Shane Smith & The Saints. I like 'em.

Ran across the movie Jerry Maguire the other night. Still laugh at the scene where Cuba Gooding Jr. makes Tom Cruise drop the famous 'show me the money!' line.

Ever fold the corner of catalog pages to indicate the presents you wanted for Christmas? I heard catalogs are coming back. There might be an Off The Beaten Path topic in that.

I miss Bob Knight's motion offense, and Steve Alford coming off baseline screens for a catch, shoot and swish.

Give me a dome for football. I don't know why anyone would want to sit in uncomfortable conditions.

With Bengals season wrapping up, that means the return of two more nights of Sports Talk each week. Email me topic and guest suggestions! lance@lancemcalister.com.

Don't worry about things you don't care about