Oh, Leave The Old Fart Alone Already!

Joe Hardy turned 84 earlier this month. The Joe Hardy from 84 Lumber, not the Joe Hardy from the Hardy Boys books. Although how cool must it be to share a name with a fictional character that was played by Shaun Cassidy on TV?

(Okay, I can't resist. Click here to see ol' Shaun with a suspicious bulge in his funny white pants while he sings to us about rock'n'roll.)

Since Mr. 84 Lumber only turns 84 once, his family threw him a big shin-dig. Bette Midler was there, and Robin Williams. And Troy Polamalu. How could you not want this guy at your birthday bash?



(Posting Shaun Cassidy videos and pictures of Troy Polamalu does NOT mean I am gay, god damn it.)

Ahem.

Now, Joe Hardy is catching some flack from the usual suspects. 84 Lumber had a tiny number of lay-offs in December, so the family shouldn't have thrown ol' Joe a party, blah blah blah.

--84 Lumber Co., dealing with a slowdown in the overall housing market, laid off 25 to 30 people at its Washington County corporate headquarters last month.

Then last weekend, the family of 84 Lumber founder Joe Hardy threw a lavish 84th birthday party in which the patriarch was entertained by Bette Midler, Robin Williams and Christina Aguilera.

Despite the timing, the two events are not related, said company spokesman Jeff Nobers, who noted that news coverage of the party also brought out those still upset with the company for canceling its sponsorship of a high-profile pro golf tournament last year.--

Sigh. You just can't please some people. Joe Hardy has done a ton of good for a seriously jerk-water part of western Pennsylvania. He employs several hundred in an economically depressed area, and thousands nation-wide.

But all that isn't good enough, because he laid off a couple dozen people, then his family threw him a fancy party a few weeks later.

Okay, first of all, 84 Lumber didn't pay for this party. His wife and kids did. And even if 84 Lumber HAD paid for the party, that's their business. The company is are privately owned by the Hardy family, so there are no share-holders to answer to.

(Why he has anything to do with his kids, after they tried to have him declared mentally incompetent and thrown in the boobie hatch when he took a second wife, is a mystery to me. But obviously they have mended fences, and I'm not one to judge. Although I still wouldn't turn my back on 'em while you're out deer hunting, dude.)

So, yeah. Leave the geezer alone. Mr. 84 turned 84, and has the hangover to show for it. Old people are cool, especially old people like him. Party on, Joe.

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