This
is the 9th season for the McCarty Metro Pigskin
Pickem Challenge. The challenge is open to all,
and is a friendly competition to see who can pick
the most NFL winners throughout the entire NFL
schedule, culminating with the Super Bowl. The
game is very easy... On every Tuesday during the
regular season, I will select 10 games for the
following weekend. Your job is to just come back
to the McCarty Metro between Tuesday and the first
kickoff of the weekend and pick the 10 teams you think will win that
weekend.
To
be eligible for the playoffs, you must have participated in at least 2/3 of the games during
the season. As the playoffs begins, each of our
contestants will enter the playoffs with their
winning percentage adjusted to points. PLEASE
NOTE: Any weeks
not played during the regular season will count as
a 4-6 record toward your playoff points for each
week missed, adjusting your initial playoff
starting point accordingly.
At
the end of the 2020 Super Bowl, our winner will be
announced and declared the 2020 McCarty Metro NFL
Pigskin Pickem Champion! Start
playing today by clicking here!
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DATELINE:
SOUTH CAROLINA
In July, we took a 4-day trip to The Low Country to visit Amanda and see the new Lululemon store she has successfully opened and manages in Kiawah. She arranged several fun and memorable outings. We toured Middleton Plantation among the hanging Spanish moss, kayaked with the dolphins, listened to jazz, toured Fort Sumter, watched the sun set over the marshlands, drove around Kiawah Island and looked at multi-million dollar homes, walked around a fabulous farmer’s market, played in the water at the locally famous Pineapple Fountain, and witnessed a breathtaking sunrise over the ocean as surfers arrived one by one to catch that perfect wave. Of course there were cocktails, and oysters, and some of the best seafood ever served. So many excellent places to eat in the Charleston area. Everyone should plan a trip to see Amanda. Best tour guide ever! Thank
you Amanda for making our visit so much fun. Love, Dad & Gina
DATELINE: CROSS
VILLAGE, MICHIGAN
In August, a week-long
Rzepka siblings family reunion was held in northern Michigan.
Attending were Marianne, Chuck and Jane,
Chris and Bev, Kelly & Margaret, Lee
and Nancy. The McCartys also rented out a house in
Harbor Springs for Chris, Amanda, Alexa, Cooper, Brad,
Valerie, Olivia, Gray, Austin and Kristina so they could
enjoy a vacation and visit with their aunts and uncles. The Cross
Village home was right on Lake Michigan and had it's own
exclusive sandy beach in the back yard and wonderful views
from the beautiful deck. The Harbor
Springs home was two blocks from the beach and marina, and
was right in the heart of the town with all the shops, restaurants,
and farmers market a block away. Some of the activities included
a visit to Mackinac Island, hiking, swimming, kayaking,
boat rides, horse carriage rides, zip lining, biking, putt
putt golf, toasting marshmallows on a bon fire, flying
kites, a day at a
farm, shopping,
wonderful dining, and beautiful sunsets over Lake
Michigan. It was a great
time. Thank you Marianne for arranging the reunion.
Chris
& Bev on the ferry ride to Mackinac Island - A
toasty fire on our private beach - Fun in Lake
Michigan
.
Funcle
(fun uncle) Austin
and kids building sand castles - Chill-axing on
the beach in the warm sun - Alexa gets buried in
the sand by her brother
.
Putt-Putt
golf - Amanda, Alexa & Cooper find a Hidden
Garden at the Grand Hotel - While others wet their
whistle at Horn's Bar
.
A
family dinner outdoors at the world famous Legs Inn
Restaurant - Olivia
& Gray looking for some Petoskey Stones - Fun at
Pond Hill Farm
.
Margaret
triking around the island - Birthday celebration for Brad and Chuck
- Peek-A-Boo with Gray - Beverly enjoying the
sunset on our beach
.
(Standing
left to right) Lee, Kristina, Austin, Chuck, Brad,
Beverly, Chris R, Marianne, Kelly, Chris M
(Sitting left to right) Nancy, Jane, Valerie,
Olivia, Margaret, Gray, Amanda, Alexa, Cooper
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DATELINE: BALTIMORE,
MARYLAND
Officer Andy McCarty helps push a stalled vehicle to the nearest gas station
(photo to the right) in mid-August. Not
necessarily a crime buster moment, but it helped a family avoid a towing bill. A passerby
took the photo and sent it to the Baltimore PD.
ED NOTE: Thanks Andy for your
commitment to serve and protect the citizens of
your city! #Baltimore's Finest
DATELINE: FRASER, MICHIGAN
Longtime
Fraser Schools Network Administrator Kelly
McCarty officially retired his post on August 1.
After 24 years with the schools, Kelly is
taking some time to rest up, do some traveling,
and then figuring out what might come in the future.
Rumblings have surfaced that he may return to disk
jockeying, or try to resurrect The Cockroaches, or
possibly focus on on a solo music career.
Kelly says he is keeping busy with the Metro and just
trying to get healthy so he and his lady can spend
many quality years together. (Photos below)
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DATELINE: RHODE ISLAND
I took a few photos of my half sister, Tish Germain (Rzeppa), and me at the Mansions in Rhode Island back in July. The photo of the ballroom with the painted sky is the ballroom in the Rosecliff Mansion featured in True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. My son James DJ’d a wedding there a few years ago. The fountain is underneath the grand stairway in The Breakers. The last picture is of a staircase that was for the servants! The first two photos were at Rosecliff and the one of us sitting on a bench was taken outside the Tea House on the grounds of The Breakers.
-Gene
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Here are some of the recent travel destinations from our
other readers.
.
Larry & Gina spent some time in South Carolina visiting
with Amanda
Andy, Ann, and the kids traveled back to Michigan to
visit family and friends
Ryan and Missy spent some time in Savannah, Georgia
Chris, Emily, and the girls traveled down to Florida
Steve flew out to SoCal and was able to have dinner with
Kathlene, Dana & Evan
The Rzepka Reunion in Michigan saw travelers from Oregon,
Massachusetts, Maryland, as well as SE Michigan
Did you travel for work or
vacation? Send us your destination and pictures to mccartymetro@gmail.com
.
Dear Editor: Love you Bro! I'm excited for this next
chapter of your life (post retirement). Let me know if you need a record girl.
-Mrs. SteveO
ED
NOTE: Thanks sis! I appreciate the offer. How
are you at carrying the Brigg Stadium speakers?
Dear Editor: I was recently pulled over by a
cop. He asked me "You Drinking?", which I
replied, "You Buying?". We laughed and
laughed and laughed! PS... I need bail money! -Your
Brother
ED
NOTE: You have to be careful out there. It sort of reminds me
of the time I told myself that I should stop drinking. But
then I realized that I'm
not about to listen to a drunk who talks to himself.
Dear Editor: I just saw a 1951 episode of "The Lone Ranger" in which the Masked Man and Tonto take on the McCarty gang (three escaped prisoners). In "The Trouble at Black Rock," the Lone Ranger says, "There will be no peace if McCarty comes back." Were any Detroit McCartys ever in a gang?
-Just Wondering, Hudsonville, Mich.
ED
NOTE: The Lone Ranger episode you were referring
to was about our Great-Great-Great Uncle Billy (The Kid) McCarty.
And to answer your question... I do remember a local gang in
the old neighborhood called the Smokers. They would gather
at the stagecoach and terrorize Coyle Park, leaving
cigarette butts all around. As far as actual McCartys in a
gang... Bob, Kelly, and Jerry were members of the Banana Splits Gang, flashing
gang signs like the peeling thumb, refereeing and enforcing
the skirmishes between the Ants and the Flying Ants. If any
got out of line, they would have to deal with the
'Magnifying Glass'! The Splits were also known for defacing any piece of
paper with their 'Spiro-Graph' graffiti. I heard they also
came in like 5 minutes after the streetlights went on.
Yes... Those boys were just looking for trouble. Also... Way
back in the day, I also heard that Dad
and some of his brothers were in the Hair Gang For Men, but
they were banished, for reasons still unknown to this day.
Finally... Contrary to popular belief
Mike,
The Lost Cause was actually a cult and NOT a gang. Stay clean, my friend.
We
appreciate our McCarty Metro readers and always want to hear your questions, comments, rants,
or editorials.
Just submit them anytime during the month to to mccartymetro@gmail.com
for inclusion in the next issue.
.
For those
that do not speak the language, Le' Food is French for
"The Food"! I would like to encourage our readers to submit their favorite
recipes to the McCarty Metro at mccartymetro@gmail.com
for inclusion in upcoming issues. This month we have a
great treat.
This month we have two great
recipes submitted with the kids going back to school and are
involved with extra-curricular activities. Many times the
kids and parents are running around, and it ends up getting late and
nothing has been cooked yet. If this is you, here are two
that you can try that are quick and easy...
.
TACO CASSEROLE
Submitted by
David
Chili, corn chips and cheese are topped with lettuce and tomato. Spice it up with your favorite salsa.
Veggie chili can be found with the regular chili - it is often labeled as 'fat free'.
This recipe
can also easily be upsized by doubling up the
ingredients below, and cooking it in a 9x13 inch baking
dish.
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup sour cream
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place chips in the bottom of a 9 inch square baking dish. Pour chili straight from the can over the chips. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until chili is bubbling and cheese is melted. Top with lettuce, tomato, sour cream and salsa in the pan, or after serving (if people are picky).
.
CREAMY
TORTELLINI Submitted by
Emily
This tortellini recipe with creamy spinach and tomato is a rich yet simple dinner that the whole family will enjoy. It’s quick and easy
INGREDIENTS
Bag of frozen cheese tortellini
Fresh spinach
1 can petite diced tomatoes
Half and half
Onion
flakes
Boil the tortellini.
(Follow directions on the bag for how long to cook). Chop the fresh spinach.
Place two teaspoons of minced garlic into a skillet over medium heat and
sauté until fragrant. Add the petite diced tomatoes, the spinach, the dried basil, onion flakes, and salt & pepper to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until bubbling.
In a separate bowl whisk together the half and half and the flour. Make sure to get out all of the lumps.
Add the half and half/flour mixture to the skillet, along with the parmesan cheese. Stir and cook until everything is heated through and thickening, about 5 minutes or so. Stir in the tortellini.
Enjoy!
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HAPPY
NAIL
A MacDaddy
film called Happy Nail -
Grand Rapids Only Nail Salon
BUNK
HAMMOCKS
Megan
grabs the top bunk
above sister Jenna in the bottom bunk
FORT
MACKINAC
A shooting exhibition
by the soldiers at
Fort Mackinac from the Rzepka Family Reunion
BURIED
IN THE SAND
Olivia
gets buried in the sand by
Cooper and Uncle Austin
.
GONE
BUT NOT FORGOTTEN - THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY
SINCE THE LAST ISSUE
Lee Iacocca, 94, automobile executive (Ford Motor Company, Chrysler) and writer (Where Have All the Leaders Gone?), complications
from Parkinson's disease. Arte Johnson, 90, comedian and actor (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), Emmy Award winner (1969), bladder and
prostate cancer. Greg Johnson, 48, hockey player (Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins), Olympic silver medalist (1994).
Rip Torn, 88, actor (Cross Creek, The Larry Sanders Show, Men in Black).
Jim Bouton, 80, baseball player (New York Yankees, Houston Astros), writer (Ball Four), and actor (The Long Goodbye), cerebral amyloid
angiopathy. Pernell Whitaker, 55, boxer, four-weight world champion, Olympic champion (1984), traffic collision.
John Paul Stevens, 99, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (1975–2010), complications from a stroke.
Don Mossi, 90, baseball player (Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers). Nick Buoniconti, 78, Hall of Fame football player (Miami
Dolphins) and
medical research advocate (Miami Project to Cure Paralysis). Harley
Race, 76, Hall of Fame professional wrestler (AWA, NWA, WWF) and trainer (Harley Race's Wrestling
Academy), lung cancer. L. Brooks Patterson, 80, lawyer and politician, County Executive of Oakland County, Michigan (since 1992), pancreatic cancer.
Cliff Branch, 71, football player (Oakland Raiders). Peter
Fonda, 79, actor and screenwriter (Easy Rider, Ulee's Gold, 3:10 to Yuma), respiratory failure due to lung cancer. Jack
Whitaker, 95, sportscaster (CBS, ABC), The NFL Today host (1971–1974).
ALSO DEPARTING
US ON JULY 1, 2019...
William Rzepka
William Rzepka passed away unexpectedly on July 1 at
the age of 60. Bill was a good guy with a gentle soul. He was a graduate of East Detroit
HS and Wayne State University. Survived by sisters Marianne Rzepka and Margaret (Kelly) McCarty, brothers Charles (Jane) Rzepka and Christopher (Beverly) Rzepka, six nephews, one niece, and seven grandnieces and grandnephews. In addition, Bill had a number of cousins, including Nancy Chapa, who always offered her unsparing support. He also leaves behind his faithful dog Buddy.
A memorial service was held on August 9th at Verheyden
Funeral Home in Eastpointe, with a meal afterwards at Polish
Village Restaurant in Hamtramck. ED NOTE: He
will be missed. RIP Billy!
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DATELINE: FRASER,
MICHIGAN
John
Wrobel and his wife Jean of Fraser, Michigan advertised for a live-in maid to cook and do the housework. They hired a lovely girl
named Marie for the job. The maid worked out fine. She was a
great cook, was very polite and she kept the house
extremely neat. But then one day, after about six months,
Marie came in and said she would have to quit. "But why?" asked the disappointed wife.
Marie hemmed and hawed and said she just couldn't stay. But
Jean was persistent, so finally the young housekeeper confessed she was pregnant. The wife said, "Look,
John and I can't have children, and we sure don't want to lose you. Why don't you stay. We'll adopt your baby."
Marie agreed to stay. The baby came. The couple adopted it, and all went well. A year later,
Marie came in again and told her employer she was pregnant. Once again, the couple offered to adopt the child if the girl would agree to stay. She agreed, the second child was born, and things returned to normal. The entire process was repeated yet again
1 year later. The couple, their three adopted children and the maid once again settled into a routine. But then the maid once again approached her employers and said she had to quit. "Oh, Lord! You're not pregnant AGAIN?" exclaimed
Jean." "No, no," the maid responded. "It's just that you just have too many kids to pick up after."
Larry & Gina spent some time in South Carolina visiting
with Amanda
