Weekly Mail December 20 2015

Hello (from the other side)


       I like where I live now. Oceanside is a very nice community. I've managed to make several new friends there, I love going to the parks, I like being just a couple miles from the beach. It's a nice place to live.

But Woodside still feels like home.

      I think back to the walks I used to take on Saturday night from my house to Roosevelt Avenue, either on my way to Donovan's or Shelley's or even getting the train to Manhattan, I didn't realize how much I would miss those walks. At the time, I probably thought they were a pain in the a$$. But the other night, I met up with Ray and Karl and Ed at Donovan's, and getting off the LIRR and walking up Roosevelt Avenue,. I had a very strange sense of nostalgia come over me. After almost 10 years of marriage and 6 years after moving to Nassau County, I can't really describe how it was. It just felt good to be back in the old hood.

      A couple of years ago, the Donovan family sold the bar/restaurant to Jimmy Jacobson and Danny Connor, the former Donovan's long time ace bartender and the latter his brother in law. Chris Santangelo, another bar tending great and budding TV star, was hired as the manager. It was a brilliant way to keep the place in the family, to preserve what makes the place so awesome.
 From 1994 till a year after I got married, I spent pretty much every Thanksgiving Eve at Donovan's, and more than a few New Year's Eves. I spent many a Saturday night talking sports with the late great Pete McGuiness. Jimmy and Chris and Jimmy's brother Gary always rolled out the proverbial red carpet for me, as well as the rest of our crew. Tara brought her sister there one night, and she couldn't believe she had had that great a time and still had money left over.

 Hanging out with my soul brothers the other night,  it just felt like nothing really changed. It has changed of course, all of us are married, some of us have kids. Pete McGuiness and Tom Brophy are gone. In the past I never had to look at the Donovan's menu, I was either having one of their award winning chesseburgers or their amazing shepherds pie. (after scarfing down mozzrella sticks and potato skins) Now of course there are no more appetizers for me, and grilled chicken replaced the burgers. And with all that, it still felt very familiar.

It still felt like home.


NERDS OF THE HERD.

           I started making a list of 10 people who pissed me off for a given year back in 1991. Since the list's audience consisted of Karl, Ray and Mary, the list was mostly ex girlfriends/boyfriends, (or more likely girls who had turned us down for dates) guys who had badmouthed us, (I mean who would say bad stuff about us four?) teachers we didn't like, bosses we didn't like, and if I had a hard time coming up with 10, I would round out the list with a newsmaker or two who did something particularly loathsome.

           With the dawning of the internet, the list began to go viral, but since now it was easier for people to see it, I ran the risk of offending someone. I once got grief from a buddy of mine, who while he appreciated me sticking up for him, didn't agree with my sandwiching the gal who left him between Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein on that year's Nerd of the Herd. (hey, you mess with the bull you get the horns) Another year I gave the top prize to some college basketball player who turned her back on the flag during the national anthem. That list also included some terrorists and other criminals. I think Phil Hartman as Frank Sinatra put it best "When you see Old Glory going up you better stand up a salute baby." I take my flag etiquette seriously. But I had gotten away from the spirit of what the list what supposed to be about. So I ended up doing away with it.

         I'm tempted to bring it back. There is no shortage of people who made a$$es of themselves this year. The trick is narrowing it down to 10. There are actually two people this week who could contend for the title.

         Eujin Jayla Kim, the principal of PS 169 in Sunset Park, banned any mention of Thanksgiving, Christmas or Santa Claus, and worst of all, the Pledge of Allegiance.  Now, you don't want to offend non Christians by not mentioning Christmas or Santa? I don't like it, but I can maybe see that. If you are one of those people who feel bad about what happened to the Indians 500 years ago and you don't want to celebrate Thanksgivng, I think you need to get a life, but I'll kind of sort of (but not really) respect your point of view. As the noted philosopher Rocky Balboa once said, "You call it Thanksgiving, I call it Thursday".

          But under no set of circumstances should any school in this country have any reason not to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Preferably the way Miss Mary Anne taught me on Romper Room, (one nation under GOD, indivisible...) Yes we may be all different religions and nationalities, but if you are getting educated here in this country, there is no reason not to salute the flag. Everyone is up in arms about Donald Trump looking to keep all immigrants out, I bet there are plenty of them who would give anything to be able to come here and be considered Americans, proud to salute our flag. You want to keep people out? Start with those who don't want to.

          Then there is this tool Martin Shkreli, the 32 year old CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals.  Earlier this year, this d-ck jacked up the price of a potentially life saving drug used to treat AIDS symptoms from $13 a pill to over $750 per. He also bragged about paying 2 million for a Wu Tang Clan album and is just a general a-hole.

        This week, in the "Couldn't of happened to a nicer guy" dept, Shkreli was arrested and carted out in cuffs for federal fraud charges. Apparently he is being accused of running a Madoff-esque Ponzi scheme from a Hedge fund he was running. You can't arrest a guy for being a douche bag, but you can arrest him for stealing. Karma's a beeotch isn't it?


Want to finish up on a positive note, this being Christmas week and all, Timmy got an award this week for creative writing. He gets his good looks and brains from his mother, now he's getting something from me (besides his blazing foot speed)

Merry Christmas to all.

Have a Great Week

Weekly Mail December 13, 2015

    Sorry about missing last week. I went out to dinner with some old friends when I usually do my writing.

**RESTAURANT REVIEW RESTAURANT REVIEW RESTAURANT REVIEW**

Restaurant: Abboccato 136 West 55 Street
With Padraigin Aine Fitzsimmons, Mary Byrnes, Lizzie Coogan and Maggie Coogan Murray.

        I hadn't seen this crew since Mary's wedding back in 2009. These gals are old friends of mine from Rockaway. Patti-Ann and Mary, were summer folks like myself, while Maggie and Lizzie are natives. We spent many a crazy night bar hopping in Rockaway, and of course there were the crazy nights on McLean Avenue in Yonkers (near Mary's apt) Nothing crazy happening here, just a lot of catching up and reminiscing.
        As for the food, it was delicious. I had the baked ziti, (after bragging to them about how I was following a strict diet) and it was really good. If I had one complaint, it was the portion size, but hey maybe that was God's way of telling me to watch it. The service was also top notch, the manager didn't put a rush on us to leave which is unheard of at this time of year. I got home around the time things would just be getting interesting with this crew about 15 years ago.

4.5 Patties.


NEWS ITEM: Terrorism in San Bernardino

       There are a million ways to approach this story. Once again it ignited the gun debate in this country. Also even before we knew who was responsible, the debate of whether or not it should be called a terrorist attack came up, many people assuming that it was some disgruntled worker going off on his co-workers. (Which in part it was).

        But the angle I found the most fascinating was the one in which many people took, getting their lead from the Daily News headline the next day,  GOD ISN'T FIXING THIS the headline read, with the readout continuing "cowards who could truly end the gun scourge continue to hide behind meaningless platitudes."

         And they have a point. How many of these politicians get up and offer their thoughts and prayers for the victims, without actually doing anything about it. Who knows if they even say a prayer. I know even in this space, I've used the term myself. And I usually do offer a prayer or two. Mainly, I pray that it never happens to me, if I'm being perfectly honest here.

          Politicians, are by their nature, full of $h-t, let's call a spade a spade. Yes there are exceptions. Congressman Joe Crowley was my first ever basketball coach, and I'd vote for him any day of the week. I know that Assemblyman Phil Goldfelder has done a lot in Rockaway. And there's a gentleman out here in Lynbrook who has been incredible. But by and large, they are full of it. Some to more degrees than others, but all to some degree.

           All these people running for President now are completely and utterly full of it. Trump, Hillary, Jeb, Venus Flytrap Carson, Rubio, Cruz, and even Bernie Sanders are all full of it. Obama too, and Bush before him. It's the nature of the beast.

           It's like when someone says, "If I offended anyone." Well obviously you did dip$hit, or you wouldn't be up here apologizing. These people say whatever they have to in order to keep the press at bay and their constituents happy. Is it a shame? It sure is, a real shame. But it's the reality.

             The News is right, there is common sense gun law that should be passed. I also happen to believe in the power of prayer. That may make me sound weird in some circles. That's fine. I'm not going to slam my beliefs down your throat, I just am hoping that people who sincerely do offer their prayers up for these innocent victims don't feel like they are doing so in vain. And I offer that while they are praying for the victims, maybe we can all pray that we get someone in office who really does care about something rather than their own political survival.


SPORTS: Jets defeat Giants

WEEKLY MAIL FLASHBACK  WEEKLY MAIL FLASHBACK  WEEKLY MAIL FLASHBACK

. They play the Giants on December 6th, so get ready to lose that one and hear about how the classy Giants have won 4 Super Bowls since the Jets last won theirs in 1969. -Weekly Mail November 15, 2015 

        So one thing you'll learn about me if you haven't already is that I am lousy at predicting the outcomes of sporting events. In a million years, I didn't think the Jets were going to beat the Giants, not with Darrelle Revis hurt and the Giants having the best wide receiver in the sport. It had been 22 years since the Jets beat the Giants in a regular season game. The Jets had played well against a bad Dolphin team, and I figured they were due for another stinker. Add to this that I was watching the game with a house full of Giants fans, and all the ingredients were there for a recepie for disaster. And early on both teams were making me look like a prophet. Odell Beckham Jr made a couple of unbelievable catches, the Jet offense was puttering to a series of 3 and outs, and as late as the 4 quarter the Giants were up by 10. But the Giants apparently have an issue with closing out games much the same way the Mets did in the World Series. And Jet QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, not exactly Canton-bound, but better than what they have had in recent years, led the team on a couple of steady drives to take he game to OT. The Jets won the coin toss and drove down the field, but were stopped by a supposedly weak Giant defense and settled for a field goal. (A TD would have ended it right there.) Of course all I could see was Eli Manning leading one of his patented ;ate game drives to win the game. Alas Eli got them as far as the Jet 31and their FG kicker missed and the Jets had an improbable victory. I'd like to think I've seen enough sports not to be shocked by anything, but this one shocked me to no end. Now I just hope they can beat either the Bills or the Patriots, I'm not expecting them to beat both. Who knows maybe I'll pray for it. 

Have a Great Week
       
          

Weekly Mail November 29, 2015

         A few days before Thanksgiving 1992, my mom was lamenting the way some of her co workers at the time were treating the holiday. Someone was having hot dogs as opposed to turkey, someone was going away to an island by themselves, stuff like that. Young  smart a$$ that I was back then, I told my mom had she put these thoughts to paper a few months earlier, they may have let her address the delegates at that year's Republican National Convention in Houston.
         Alas, now that I'm older, I appreciate more what my mom was really trying to say that day. The best part of these holidays is spending them with your family. And the traditions that get passed down from year to year make you remember the good times in your life, the fun times when you were a kid, and Thanksgiving meant 4 straight days off from school.
          This Thanksgiving was fun because I got to spend it with my side of the family. Tara unfortunately had to work, and I missed watching the parade with her and Timmy this year. So I ended up doing something else that sounded like a good idea at the time, but ended up being one of the dumbest things I've ever done.
            After I dropped Tara off at work, Tim and I had breakfast, and then we headed over to Oceanside Park. Earlier last week, I had gotten an e-mail from Oceanside Soccer inviting all the coaches and dads to participate in a soccer game 9:30 AM Thanksgiving morning. I figured it would be a bunch of the guys I coached with, and they would bring their kids and we would run around goofing off and having a good time. Last summer, Timmy was doing a soccer clinic in Rockville Centre every Thursday afternoon and just a couple weeks after I had gotten out of the hospital, they had a kids vs parents game to end up the season. It lasted like 10 minutes, we played on a tiny field and after myself and another dad scored goals, we let the kids get the next 3 and everyone was happy. (I was particularly happy that I could run a bit without having to go back to the hospital)

This was nothing like that.

          For starters, when I got to the field, there was NOBODY that I recognized. Most of the guys that were there were either fathers or coaches from the travel team, or alumni of the program. There wasn't anybody from the intramural program there except for one guy I knew who eventually showed up. There were exactly 24 of us there, enough for two full squads of 11 plus a goalie. And most of these guys were taking this game seriously. This would prove problematic because 1) I am still technically recovering and although I have been working out, I'm not in "run up and down a soccer field for 90 minutes" kind of shape. But more importantly, 2) I have never played in any organized soccer game in my life! And I don't care what anyone says, all of these guys at one time or another, played organized soccer, most likely in high school, maybe even in college. There were a few older guys who spoke Italian who probably have been playing for years.

I was screwed.

           For the most part the guys were understanding, having figured out I was out of my element. A couple of the guys acted like we were playing in the World Cup Final, but to be honest, I just felt embarrassed. And there was no running away, because if I left, our team would be a man down. I was praying someone else would show up, and then I'd sub out, grab Timmy and get the hell out of dodge. Poor Timmy at first had no one to play with because none of these guys brought their kids, which reminded me of the line from the 1993 film The Program, when the QB kept saying "Let's put the women and children to bed, and go looking for dinner." (Kevin Woods thought that was the best line in the history of cinema, I never quite got it, till last Thursday) Fortunately, a couple of kids showed up so the morning wasn't a total loss for him.

       As for me, when it mercifully came to an end, my team got demolished, and I was hurting something awful. As of this writing, my legs still feel like lead. The good news is, even though I was sucking wind most of the match, I didn't feel any chest pain, so there's always that. Oh, well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

NEWS ITEM: Black Friday Madness

           It happens every year. The store doors open at some ungodly hour on Black Friday, and almost immediately, people get trampled, fights break out, arrests are made and scores of people get hurt and some even get killed. You can set your watch by it. I got to work at 8 AM on Friday, and I already had a CNN alert saying that a riot had broken out at a mall in Kentucky. In another incident in Saginaw, Michigan, a woman grabbed a vegetable steamer from a defenseless little girl. There were several other incidents as well. The cities may change, but the stores and the stories are the same thing. Every year.

           And yet, every year, starting from mid-November on, the commercials bombard out TV's every night. The Black Friday 50% off sale. Doors open at 5 no 4, no how about MIDNIGHT! on Black Friday. Every year it gets worse.
          
           Used to be, the media referred to the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday. Stores didn't actually advertise the day as Black Friday. Everyone knew it was the busiest shopping day of the year, just for the fact that many folks either had the day or took the day off. It was a good chance to get a head start on your Christmas shopping.

          But now, you see the obnoxious commercials. And what's worse, there are now stores that open late Thanksgiving night or worse are open all day on Thanksgiving, for those folks like the ones my mother was talking about, all those many years ago. There were a couple of memes on Facebook saying that nobody bats an eyelash when firefighters cops and medical people have to work on Thanksgiving, but we all get upset when someone has to work at Wal-Mart. That's missing the point. The above mentioned professions are vital services needed everyday of the week. Nobody needs to get a vegetable steamer on Thanksgiving, and certainly no one needs to beat up a kid to get their hands on one.

            Look, I get it OK. I know in this country, the business of business is business. I know that it's a jungle out there. But I also know that family and tradition are important. And I just can't help but wonder, if these stores maybe backed off on their in your face advertising, stayed closed on Thanksgiving, opened at a reasonable hour on Friday, we wouldn't have a lot of the bull$h-t we have had the past few years.

That's about all I got this week folks.

Have a Great Week!

Weekly Mail November 22, 2015

Hello:


                    Since I decided to take up writing this again, I usually slate out Saturday afternoon to work on it. (Back in the day, it was always Sunday night). All week, I think about what I'm going to write about, or if I know what I'm going to write about, exactly what I'm going to say. A lot of times, I really have no idea till I see the finished product myself.

                   This week, I knew I was going to write about the Paris attacks and the Syrian refugee crisis. The problem is figuring out what I'm going to write.

                 I've read all the posts on Facebook, all the memes, as many of the articles as I could. I've tried to catch the news reports. And all I can say is, I almost envy anyone who has a rock solid opinion one way or the other on this, because quite frankly, I'm torn.

                   But before I get into that, there is one thing I know for certain. A number of people commented that at the same time the attacks in Paris were going down, there were also attacks in Beirut and Baghdad, and noooobody was talking about that.

                 And it's not that I don't care about the people in those cities, but I do feel worse for the people in Paris. And I don't see what's wrong with that.

                  It's human nature to sympathize more with people you are more familiar with is it not? Think about where those victims in Paris were when the attacks happened. At a concert, at a soccer match, and at dinner.

                 I've never been to Paris, but I imagine it has many similarities to New York City. (I've read that the Grand Concourse in the Bronx was based on the Champs Elysees') The attack on the soccer match could have very easily been Met Life Stadium, the concert attack could have been Radio City or Carnegie Hall, And the attacks on the cafes? I can't help but feel like that could have been me or any of us on a typical Friday night out.

                  Beirut? I know it's a resort city and all, but I feel like $h-t like that has been going on there for years. I was just a little older than Timmy the day our Marines were killed there by a terrorist. It doesn't make it less tragic, but I'm sorry, I relate to the people in Paris more. Not sure that makes me a bad guy, but it is what it is.

                   The real issue I'm having is about these refugees from Syria, and the political firestorm this is causing. After September 11th, I know exactly where I would stand on something like this, and it was keeping them out. Some years back, I wrote that we should close our borders completely till we straightened out the issue of illegal immigration. I got roundly chided for that, and you know what? Rightly so.

                    Now as I said, I've seen so many people who are either screaming "Keep them out!" or "Let them in" and the requisite insults and name calling going back and forth.

                   I know in my heart the overwhelming majority of these people are coming here to get away from their war torn country, looking for nothing more than a safe place to live. They want to raise their kids in a place where they don't have to worry about bombs dropping and gunfire. Somewhere they don't have to scrounge for food and the other basic necessities of life. These are people who need our help.

                   On the other hand, there are plenty of our own citizens who have to beg for food, who can't make ends meet.  Both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are trumpeting the plight of our homeless vets. Not to mention the fact that the State Department is admitting that it's pretty much impossible to fully vet all these people coming in. You think its beyond the realm of possibility that some ISIS members couldn't slip in that way?

                But does that mean we toss the baby out with the bathwater and keep the whole lot of them out? What happened to "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...?" That has to count for something too, doesn't it?

             And where do we put everybody? Everyone whose screaming "Let them in!" Do you want them in your neighborhood? In your house?

             I remember reading one time that one thing al-Qaeda always worried about was sending operatives to the US, and those would-be terrorists deciding that indoor plumbing, DirecTV and 24 hour drive thru was a better option than 72 virgins. Even if some of these refugees have bad intentions, doesn't mean once they start getting three hots a day, that they will follow through.

But if they do.......

           So now would be a really good time for our elected leaders to come together for a resolution instead of acting like us Facebook morons and blurting out the party lines. Liberals like Mayor DeBlasio are rolling out the red carpet as much to piss off the GOP as much as to be compassionate. And the Paul Ryan's of the world are clearly trying to appease their God and Guns constituents by passing a bill to limit the number of refugees. (Which of course President Obama is vowing to veto)

            Again, I wish I can sit here and tell you that I have a good answer for this problem, but I don't. All I can say is, if you think you have the answers, consider the other side of the coin.

If you say Keep them out, where is your heart. If you say let them all in, what will you say if something goes wrong?


NEWS ITEM: Charlie Sheen's HIV Positive

This week, Charlie Sheen came out and admitted that he has tested HIV Positive. Someone asked me, "Are you shocked about this?' And you know what, in a way, I was.

         Because even though I know HIV and AIDS have not been cured, you don't hear about it as much anymore. I remember very clearly that afternoon that Magic Johnson announced he was HIV positive, and I thought I was watching a dead man walking. 24 years later, he owns the LA Dodgers, and is showing no signs of slowing down. The treatment of the disease has made leaps and bounds.

         But Sheen's announcement was a not too subtle reminder that the disease still exists and it if you lead a lifestyle of un-relentless decadence, you run the risk of being infected.

         The thing I can't understand is, even before this announcement, why would any woman want anything to do with this guy? I understand back in the Wall Street/Platoon days, Charlie Sheen was a stud. Hell, even when Two and a Half Men started, he still was in decent shape. But when he went postal on "2 & 1/2 Men" producer Chuck Lorrie, he fell hard. He looked awful, he smoked like a chimney, he bragged about banging prostitutes, was smacking his ex wife around and yet he still was surrounded by hot women. How any woman would touch this guy with a 10 foot pole is beyond me!

            I don't wish the guy any ill will. But it's hard to feel sorry for the guy. There was a report this week that he spent $1.6 million on hookers (as opposed to $900,000 for child support.) There's a commercial on the radio for the New York Lottery featuring obnoxious people doing ridiculous things with their money (for example a diamond encrusted cellphone). The commercial ends with the line "You'd Make a Much Better Rich Person." Well, if I had $1.6 million lying around, I wouldn't be spending it on prostitutes. I'd be a much better rich person.

MUSIC: Saying goodbye to Adele's Hello?

         When President Bush the First sent Navy SEALS into Panama to arrest Manuel Noriega, the Panamanian dictator holed himself up in the Vatican's Diplomatic Mission in Panama City. In order to get him out, the SEALS blasted music outside the mission, hoping to drive him to surrender. One of the songs they played over and over again was These Boots are Made for Walkin' by Nancy Sinatra, which I have to admit would have had me coming out with my hands up after a few spins.
           Adele has the number one song in the country this week called Hello, and more than a few people have said that if they needed to be snuffed out of hiding, that would be the song that would do it. Radio stations like Z-100 and 92.3 tend to play the same songs over and over again, and Hello has been in heavy rotation.
            I actually like that song, I think Adele has a great voice, and I find the piano and percussion to be very strong. But Drake's Hotline Bling, and Major Lazer's Lean On are two songs I could do without. The radio near my office plays that crap all the time. I never thought I'd be the guy saying "When I was younger we had real music" but some of this stuff is just awful.
             The funny thing is, when I go to cardiac rehab it's the complete opposite. Since I'm the baby of the group, they usually put on oldies music. And I love a lot of the oldies, but a lot of it is pre British Invasion, so it doesn't really do anything for me. One night our exercise physiatrist put on an all 80's CD which drove my fellow rehabbers nuts. I of course was loving it, but hey, majority rules.


SPORTS:Rangers winning streak snapped.

           The Rangers had their 9 game losing streak snapped on Thursday, and normally that in and of itself would cause me no great harm. The problem was how they lost and who they lost to.
            They gave up a shorthanded goal with 1:06 left in the 3rd period, and they lost 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The last time the Rangers lost to the Lightning, I ended up in the hospital.

Speaking of which; I posted this video on FB on Friday, but ICYMI: Here is a video of Dr. Jason Freeman, the genius who fixed me up. If I'm thankful for anything on Thursday, it's Dr. Freeman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wa6dbYZDZ0&sns=fb



Happy Thanksgiving
Have a Great Week

Weekly Mail November 15, 2015

Hello:

I was looking forward this week to writing some fun stuff, because it actually wasn't a bad week and I had some enjoyable moments. But sadly, we have to start off with what happened in Paris on Friday night.

NEWS ITEM: ISIS ATTACKS PARIS:

            George W. Bush will never be remembered for his eloquence in speaking, but something he said struck me as I was watching coverage of the terrorist attacks in Paris by that scum of the earth terrorist group ISIS, that thus far has claimed almost 130 lives.
              Bush used to always say "We have to be right every time. They only have to be right once." He was referring to al-Qaeda, but the logic still applies. Earlier in the week, it was reported that a drone airstrike had taken out Jihad John, a senior ISIS leader responsible for several beheadings. President Obama, in an interview with George Stephanopolis on Thursday suggested that ISIS was in retreat.

"What is true is that from the start, our goal has been first to contain and we have contained them,' 'They have not gained ground in Iraq, and in Syria they’ll come in, they’ll leave, but you don’t see this systemic march by ISIL across the terrain.'"


       Of course, he was severely criticized by the usual suspects,(Donald Trump etc.) but the fact of the matter is, he was right. Knock on wood, we haven't been attacked on our soil by ISIS, and until Friday, their attacks were sporadic and seemingly uncoordinated as of late. He didn't say that we had defeated them, he just said it seemed like we were winning, and well, we were. 

        But it only took one coordinated attack to shatter the notion that the world had ISIS on the ropes. What happened Friday night, was a reminder that this is most definitely a war, and one that needs to be fought with diligence, with every possible tool at our disposal in play. Thankfully, its a war that we don't have to fight alone, and if everybody realizes what's at stake and that working together will be the best way to defeat these pigs once and for all, it will make it all the more satisfying. 

       12 years ago, when we were gearing up to go to war in Iraq, I was all for going in alone, and I was amongst those slamming France and Germany for not standing with us. I just felt that France for years had taken shots at us, undermining the US at every chance. I'm still not sure I'm as wrong as people told me I was. But I do have to admit, they stood with us after 9/11, and now we have the chance to do the same thing. The slaughter of innocent, good people is something that needs to be dealt with. So far, we've been pretty good at it. But now, we need to step it up.

We learned that the hard way on Friday. 


 ******************************************************************************


             I know that I promised a third part to my summer story, and also to write a heartfelt note to all who wrote me after I first wrote about it. I hope to do the former soon, and will definitely do the latter before Thanksgiving, but today I want to tell you guys about one really good thing that has come out of what happened, and that is the cardiac rehabilitation program the hospital got me into. 

             Cardiac rehab is, as the name implies, a program designed to get your heart back in shape after a heart trauma. It mostly consists of exercises, but there are also classes on dealing with stress, high blood pressure, healthy eating etc. You also get one meeting with a nutritionist and if you need it, some counselling. 

             But to me. the best thing about cardiac rehab, is that you meet people who are in the same boat as you are and it becomes a de-facto support group. Because of privacy laws I can't get into too many details about the guys (and ladies) I work out with....but one gentleman came up to me after the second session I went to and said in a brogue "Hey, aren't you from Rockaway?" I told him I spent every summer in Rockaway from the age of 2 till I got married, but that I was originally from Woodside. "Oh, yeah? Well I remember seeing you at the Kerry Hills quite a bit some years ago."

           What? The Kerry Hills? Do you know how often I went to the Kerry Hills? A few times with the Monaghans (and their various visiting cousins from Ireland), and maybe during one or two hat parties, but I wasn't what I would call a regular there. The Irish Circle? Sure. Conolly's? Guilty as charged. And when it was open, I spent as much time in the High Tides nightclub as I did at the Beach. The Blackwater was stumble distance from my bungalow, so I was there quite a bit as well. But apparently I did something at the Kerry Hills 20 years ago to leave an impression on this poor man. But that's how we hit it off. 

             Insurance usually pays for 36 sessions (3 sessions a week for 12 weeks) so after you complete your 36 sessions, you graduate (with a certificate to boot) so people come and go. I have a couple of other friends there too, besides my drinking buddy from the Kerry Hills. There's JJ, a mechanic, Mike, a retired postal worker, and Buddy (not sure what he did for a living) Anyway, with the new James Bond flick out in theaters, these guys started talking James Bond while we were working out. Now mind you, these guys are old enough to have seen Dr. No in the theaters. But damned if they all hadn't seen every single Bond movie. I'm not just talking about the 24 or so that made it in the theaters, apparently back in the 50's there was an hour long version of Casino Royale that was on a CBS anthology series called "Climax!" .  These guys even knew about that!

         So JJ decided that cardiac rehab needed to take a field trip to go see Spectre. I thought he was kidding. He was not. So......


MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****

Movie: Spectre
Starring; Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux 
Saw it At: Merrick Cinema's
Saw it with: My homies from Cardiac Rehab.

     So a quick explanation on how this works for those new to Weekly Mail: I rate three things mainly. Restaurants, Movies, and in certain restaurants their chocolate cake. (I obviously won't be doing that as much in light of recent circumstances) Movies I rate with Aces, in honor of Weekly Mail co-editor Karl "the Ace" Ludwig, who can recite movie dialogue verbatim better than anybody I know. Restaurants get rated with Patties, in honor of Patti-Ann Fitzsimmons, because she organized most of our group dinners in the late 90's and early aughts, And I rate chocolate cake with Razors, in honor of "Razor" Ray McGarvey, because well, he's a bigger chocoholic than I am. (almost) 

But I digress...Back to Spectre.... James Bond (Craig) is suspended by M (Ralph Fiennes) for insubordination after he causes some trouble in Mexico City. Unbeknownst to all, Bond has a videotape from the former M (Dame Judi Dench) telling him to go to Rome. While in Rome he discovers the existence of a criminal enterprise called SPECTRE. He also finds out the key to infiltrating SPECTRE is hooking up with the daughter of an old adversary, Madeline Swann (Seydoux)  Together, Bond and Swann head to the ass end of Tangier to confront SPECTRE's leader (Waltz). 

         I'm trying to explain the plot while not giving too much away, but I do have some advice for anyone so inclined to go see Spectre. Make sure you see all the other Daniel Craig "Bond" movies (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall) before you see Spectre, because apparently they are all connected. I was never a huge 007 guy, though I have enjoyed the ones I have seen, I hadn't seen any of Craig's portrayals, but I have to say he is quite good.  I won't say he's as good as Sean Connery, because I've noticed that many people who are Bond aficionados go absolutely bat$h-t when you suggest anybody besides Sean Connery as the ultimate Bond. (IMHO- all of the guys who have played Bond were very good, with the exception of Timothy Dalton, who was awful) 



       All in all, it was an enjoyable movie. I'm not sure if I just enjoyed getting out da house on a Tuesday night, or if the movie was that good. I told Mike that this was the first adult movie I had seen in a theater in a long time. I had to replay that line in my head a few times to figure out why Mike was looking at me like I was some sort of pervert. 

3 Aces. 

Friday night it was back to the theater for a film more like the ones I've been going to the past 7 years. 

MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****MOVIE REVIEW*****


Movie: The Peanuts Movie 
Starring; Charlie Brown, Linus and Lucy Van Pelt, Snoopy and Kristen Chenoweth 
Saw it At: Grand Avenue Theater (Baldwin)
Saw it with: Tara, Timmy and Timmy's friend Ethan. 

           I was explaining to one of my millennial co-workers why guys my age love the Peanuts. When we were kids, we didn't have 24 hour access to cartoons. We had Ch 5 and 11 for a couple of hours after school, Sesame Street at 4 PM and that was it. When there was a Peanuts special on, be it The Great Pumpkin, A Charlie Brown Christmas/Thanksgiving/Easter/Flag Day.., it was a big deal. If you had a particularly cool teacher, she would lighten the homework load so  we could all tune in. 

          It's those nice memories that had me looking forward to seeing the old blockhead on the big screen (and in 3D nonetheless). The plot is pretty straightforward. Hard luck loser Charlie Brown goes gaga when a new kid moves into the neighborhood. (the litte red-haired girl) He spends most of the next hour and a half working up the courage to chat with his new neighbor/crush. He pays a nickel for advice from Lucy, he gets encouragement from his blanket loving pal Linus, he gets drafted to bake for a valentine's dance by Peppermint Patti-Ann (um I mean Peppermint Patti) and he does a book report on Tolstoy's War and Peace with some assistance from Marcie. 

          Does our hero win the heart of his dream girl? Well, I'm not going to give it away, but I will say this, even if all the same gags and scenes from every Charlie Brown show  you've ever seen are in this movie (and they are) it's still cool to see it in 3D. More importantly for me, Timmy and Ethan loved it, and really that's what it's all about. 

3.5 aces.   


SPORTS:

       So far I have stuck to my guns about watching less football. Last Sunday, I went to the park with Timmy and missed most of the Jets-Jaguars game ( a game in which the Jets desperately tried to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, apparently) and then on Thursday night, I watched a couple of episodes of "The Blacklist" rather than torture myself watching Rex Ryan avenge his Jet firing. 

        I have come to the conclusion that the Jets will most likely end up with anywhere from,a 7-9 record to a 9-7 record, but you can take THIS to the bank... the games they will lose will be the games I really want them to win. Yes, wins against the Browns, Jags, Redskins, Colts and especially the Dolphins are nice, but so far they have lost to the Eagles (who they have never beaten in the regular season despite playing them every year in the preseason) the Patriots (led by lying lowlifes Bill Belichick and Tom Brady) and now the Bills, so we can all read about how Rex Ryan stuck it to his old team. They play the Giants on December 6th, so get ready to lose that one and hear about how the classy Giants have won 4 Super Bowls since the Jets last won theirs in 1969. 

        And once again, I am reminded why I really have tried to stay away from the NFL. Deadspin.com this week released police photos of the damage Greg Hardy did to his girlfriend. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called Hardy one of the leaders of the team. Tune in on Sunday for more excitement from our heroes!!!!!!

I know we started on a sour note, so I'll end it on a positive note; In soccer today, Timmy scored 2 goals and didn't send anyone to the hospital. 

I hope you enjoyed the movie reviews. 

God Bless the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris and their families. 

Have a Great Week! 

Weekly Mail November 8, 2015

Hey:

        Saturday morning was Timmy's second to last soccer game of the fall season, and I damn near announced my retirement from the sport at it's conclusion.

          Things started off nicely enough. Tim didn't start, but came in as goalie and made a couple of nice saves, and didn't allow a goal. (again, not as if I was keeping stats) The trouble started when we put him in as a forward, and he pushed on kid and elbowed another. The head coach took him out of the game and had a chat with him. I thought that might be the end of it.

          About halfway through the second half, the coach of the other team came over hysterically yelling that "Number 12 keeps pushing my guys" Guess who numer 12 in your program (and number one in your heart) is?  I honestly didn't see it, (and neither did my coach, he admitted later) but based on previous experience, we had no choice put to pull him out.

          And I was pissed. Pissed at Timmy for not listening, pissed at their coach for being a baby, pissed at myself for not being able to convince my own kid to listen to me, when I'm trying to get the whole team to listen to me. This week was awful, from the Mets losing, right on through my work week, it was brutal. Soccer is supposed to be my escape. Instead it was a nightmare.

         I spent most of my time between the game and this writing brooding about it. And then something struck me odd. Thinking back over my undistinguished basketball career, several of my coaches, and most of my teammates (and y'all know who you are) have convinced me that I would have been a first ballot NBA Hall of Famer, if not for the fact that I was a complete and utter pu$$y when I played. I could run, I could jump, and if I was close enough to the basket, I could shoot. But for someone as tall as I was, I couldn't get enough rebounds. Part of the problem was that I was stick thin (as is Timmy) but also, I just wasn't aggressive enough.

          So in the "irony is so ironic" department, I was a failure at sports because I was too passive, and my kid had to ride the pine because he's too rough. Maybe I have to get him into basketball. That way he can use his skills as an enforcer to get to the pros. Hey, everyone wants their kids to be Michael Jordan, someone has to be Bill Laimbeer, right?

        And then we can all party hearty when they unveil Timmy's plaque in Springfield MA, about 40 years from now.


SPORTS: Last Licks on the World Series:

            So what provoked my outburst earlier this week was some of the $h-t I was taking on FB from those who wanted me to smile and be happy because we made it to the World Series, and others who thought it was bush league that I wasn't comparing the Royals to the 1927 Yankees.

           Having had a few days to reflect, yes, it was an accomplishment to get to the World Series. Nobody (except for a very brave few) thought they would make the playoffs, much less the World Series. I'll be honest, at one point, my goal for the Mets was to win 85 games or so, give the Nationals a good chase for the NL East, and play well enough to convince ownership to go out and bring in a solid shortstop and a legitimate outfield bat, to support the pitching. That the Nationals imploded and the Mets dominated August and early September was an absolute treat.

            Beating the Dodgers in 5 games was a tremendous accomplishment, given LA's pair of aces, and it was really beginning to look like the Cubs year before the Mets turned them away in the NLCS. I kept telling myself the rest of it was gravy. And maybe it was.

            I just can't get past the fact that they lost the World Series in 5 games. For a myriad of reasons that I'm not going to go through again, that's a big deal to me.  Maybe I'm being silly, but that's going to stick in my craw. And I would feel that way if they simply just got beat by a better team.

          But in three of the four losses, they held leads in the 9th inning. In two of the losses, simple fundamental fielding would have ended the game in their favor. In another loss, a simple catch of a fly ball may have made the difference. At the very least, the Mets should have been up 3-2 going back to Kansas City for a Game 6. So please accept my apologies for not crowning the Royals (no pun intended) the team of the century just yet.

          Another thing people keep telling me is that the future is so bright, that I shouldn't worry about what happened this year, that I should chalk it up as a learning experience and a stepping stone. And theoretically speaking, that may be true.

           Except that I've seen THIS movie before as well, and the ending, well, lets just say its not usually happy. For example, I was pretty convinced in 2006 that the left side of our infield was about to overtake the left side of the Yankee infield as the best in NYC. Three years later, we finished 20 games under .500. The Yankees were marching down the Canyon of Heroes.

           As a 13 year old in 1986, I thought the Mets were going to be a dynasty. Winners of 108 regular season games and a dramatic NLCS and World Series, several of their stars were 25 or under, with a bunch of hyped up prospects in the system. Two of our biggest stars, Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, ended up in Smithers Rehab Center for cocaine and booze. But this story has a happy ending. Doc and Darryl would win again       FOR THE YANKEES IN 1996!!!!!

        I know people will tell me that I'm not a true fan, and that is simply not correct. I am a true fan. I'm also a realist. I've watched too many games, seen too many seasons, watched too much losing. I've been a die-hard Met fan since 1982. (They lost 98 games that year). These opportunities come too few and far between. It's one thing when you get beat outright, another when you hand the other team the title. All the other feel good stuff, I'm not saying it isn't true.

It's just not the whole story.

HEALTH NEWS: Killer Bacon

           A report released by the World Health Organization (who?) a couple of weeks ago stated that processed meat, such as ham, bacon and sausage are main causes of cancer, and that red meat can also cause cancer. It was said by some that red meat was as dangerous to your health as cigarettes.

C'mon man, who's buying that?

        Red meat, may not be the healthiest food to eat, but it does contain nutrients, iron and protein that the body can use.  Cigarettes, contain nothing but tar and carcinogens that pollute your lungs, clog your heart and destroy your innards. There is absolutely no health benefit whatsoever from lighting up.

      Trust me, after my recent health scare, I've been laying off the breakfast sausage (I was never a big bacon or ham guy, but man do I miss my scrambled egg and sausage sandwich) and when I do indulge in the occasional cheeseburger, I make sure it's at least 90% lean. (A Donovan's Burger will be literally a once a year treat from now on) But there is no way I'm going to believe that a cheeseburger is as deadly as a cigarette. I mean every once in a while, we have to use our noodles here, people.

BTW- As a lead in to this story, I was going to use the "pork conversation" between John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson from Pulp Fiction, but to support the NYPD, Weekly Mail is boycotting Quentin Tarrintino and his movies.I'm lucky enough to have several NYPD officers on my Facebook page, and I hope many of you are readers of the blog. Either way, thank you always for your service. 

The Rest of you guys Have a Great Week! 

Keep em dump em poll

               At the conclusion of every NY teams season, the Daily Snooze takes a poll about whether or not the team should keep or get rid of their players. After the conclusion of the World Series, they did the Mets. Here are the results. If I agreed with them, I put it in CAPS. I also supplied my $0.02.  (naturally)


Matt Harvey KEEP 85 dump 15: Though if I had to trade one of our guns for a big bat, it would probably be him.

Ruben Tejada KEEP 67-33. All glove no hit SS became our rallying cause after getting nailed by Chase Utley. He may never be the same but at least deserves a shot.

Wilmer Flores KEEP- 81-19. Pulled a disappearing act during the WS, but how can you get rid of a guy who wanted to stay so bad, he broke down when he thought he was traded. I heard a story one time about a Met who got traded in the middle of a game, and he drove himself to the airport in full uniform, he couldn't wait to get out of here .


Yoenis Cespides DUMP 78-27 Yes he carried us from August 1 till September 15, then did squat the rest of the way. Was a liability in the WS, at the plate, in the field, and on the base paths. Some idiot is going to pay this guy over 120 million dollars. It's not going to be the Wilpons, thank God.

Bartolo Colon: dump 41-59. I love big Bart, and he did a great job. But I have a general rule about athletes who are older and fatter than me. I try to avoid them.

David Wright: KEEP 79-21: The one big contract the Mets gave out will probably come back to haunt us. But he deserves a chance to win after all the years of losing.

Daniel Murphy: DUMP 59-41: I'm torn on this one. He got us to the Series, then blew it for us. Was also here during the lean years. I'd keep him for a reasonable price, but if he wants a big payday, he can go elsewhere.

Curtis Granderson KEEP 95-5: our most consistent performer this year. He's a gamer and therefore a keeper.

Michael Conforto: KEEP 95-5: Not sure he's going to be as great as some of the big guys he's being compared to, can't wait to find out though.

Michael Cuddyer: DUMP: 85-15. The 15 percent who want to keep him are either his relatives or Yankees fans.

Travis d'Arnaud: KEEP 80-20. The knock on him is that he can't throw out any base stealers. Neither could Mike Piazza. And Imus once said that Gary Carter couldn't catch Nell Carter trying to steal. But they can all hit.

Lucas Duda KEEP 54-46: Streaky hitter who cost us Game 5 in the field. I'd trade him for a better glove and more consistent bat at first, but I wouldn't dump him outright.

Kelly Johnson: DUMP Don't have an opinion on him one way or another. Buhbye

Juan Lagares: KEEP 83-17. Would love to see more stick from him. Solid glove in the OF.

Juan Uribe: KEEP 72-28 Good clubhouse guy and bat off the bench.


Noah Syndergaard , Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz KEEP 97-3. Again the 3 percent who said dump are probably Yankee fans looking to pay them 30 million a year.

Jeryus Familia:KEEP 88-12. Waited till the WS to turn into a bum. Still I had it pointed out to me that  at least one of the blown saves were not his fault. Had a monster regular season.

Tyler Clippard: DUMP-79-21. Can't believe it was that close. This should have been Regan-Mondale landslide to get him out of town.

Jennry Mejia: DUMP 77-23. Druggie we don't need

Hansel Robles KEEP Not sure he'll amount to much. Would like to find out.

Carlos Torres DUMP 77-23 who? Exactly

World Series Wrap Up

The easy thing to do, would be just to say nothing.

          The easy thing to do, would just say that the Mets lost to the better team, which they did, and leave it at that.

          The easy thing to do, would be to congratulate the Royals on being worthy champions, which they are, and not say anything further.

           I promised I wouldn't flip out if the Mets lost. I'm going to look like a fool for opening my mouth. The easy thing to do, would be to keep quiet. To seethe silently. Or not seethe at all.

           I could say that the Mets gave it their all, tried their best, and just didn't have the stuff to compete with a far superior team. I could rationalize that it just wasn't their year, not yet their time.

But if I did that I wouldn't be honest.

         And whether you love what I write, or hate it, whether you think me a genius or a moron, whether or not you agree with me, I owe it to you the reader to be honest with what I write. It always comes from the heart.

And if I write all that I mentioned above, I wouldn't be doing that.

I saw what I saw, and this is what I saw.

1) The first pitch thrown to a Kansas City Royal was a routine fly ball that was hit to our all star center fielder. A little leaguer could have made that play. Instead, it was turned into an inside the park home run.

2) Our closer, who all year was lights out, blew a save in Game One.

3) Our second baseman, let a ball go under his glove allowing the tying run to score in Game 4.

4) Our closer who was lights out all year, blew a save in Game 4.

5) Our center fielder, who carried us through August and early September, had his hardest hit in the World Series go off his knee.

6) Our first baseman couldn't throw the ball to home plate, which would have ended the game.

7) Our closer who was awesome all year blew a save in Game 5.

        So you want to tell me that the Royals won this Series? Be my guest. From where I'm sitting, the Mets lost this Series, because they played like crap. Fundamental baseball, like catching fly balls, fielding grounders, and making good throws, all went by the wayside.

       And shit, the only real thing I asked of these Mets was that they extend the Series to 6 games. Don't make the fans, who shelled out huge sums of money to come cheer you on, have to sit there and watch the Kansas City Royals celebrate on our field, in our stadium. How could you let that happen?

        Matt Harvey pitches the game of his life. The Royals, a team we are told never strikes out, struck out 9 times against Harvey. And everybody is killing Terry Collins for having Harvey start the 9th? I say bravo to Collins, because why would you go to Jeryus Familia, who basically turned into Braden Looper in this series. I had no problem whatsoever with that move.

        And it wouldn't have mattered if the Mets had managed more than three freakin hits in the game!!! Three lousy hits? We made these Royals pitchers look like the 1970 Baltimore Orioles, for Christs sake, two of these pitchers had losing records, a couple of them had ERA's over 5. Chris Young was one of their starters. I mean, what the hell?

          Yoenis Cespides carried us for 6 weeks. Daniel Murphy, for the first two rounds of the playoffs. It was bad enough neither one of them could hit in the Series, but the errors they made was inexcusable. Both are now looking for big money contracts. Cespides I wouldn't pay 5 cents for. If some schmuck GM wants to give him a 6 year contract for over $100 million, by all means. The man's been traded three times in the past three years. Let him be someone else's headache. Adios!

           Murphy, well, I mean, I know he at least try his best, but he fell apart on the big stage. Part of me hates to see him go, but I certainly wouldn't over pay him either.

            In my previous post, I explained why I couldn't abide a 5 game series loss. But what's worse, the comparisons to the 2000 World Series are scary.  It was also a 5 game loss, where poor base running, sloppy fielding, and awful relief pitching did the Mets in. The only thing that makes this more bearable than that is that the Royals won't be getting a parade down the Canyon of Heroes.  To sum it up, I heard Mike Francessa say on my way home from work today. "I thought the 2000 World Series was the toughest 5 game series I ever saw. This one was even closer!" I wanted to pull the car over and throw up.

          Maybe I should take solace in what Francessa said. Maybe I should just be grateful that the Mets got to the World Series, as everyone keeps telling me I should. Maybe I should realize that they were dead in the water on July 30th and had no business winning the NL East, never mind the NL Pennant.

Maybe someday, I will.

       For now, all I see is a team that had a chance to at least make a Series out of this and didn't. I see a team  that forgot basic fundamental baseball. The toughest 5 game series ever? That and a MetroCard will get you on the subway.

As far as I'm concerned, the Royals were handed this victory

As far as I'm concerned, the Mets got swept.

Game 4 Recap

            The Mets did not lose tonight because of their pitching, (though I've seen as much of Tyler Clippard as I ever want to see again). They did not lose tonight because of Daniel Murphy's $h-tty fielding. They didn't even lose tonight because of Terry Collins awful managing or Yoenis Cespides' bone-headed base running (and BTW- whether or not we win this World Series, let someone else overpay that guy)

               No, the Mets lost tonight because they COULD NOT HIT. They couldn't hit a washed up bum like Chris Young, they couldn't hit anybody in the Royals bullpen, and they couldn't hit the closer, Wade Davis. Yes, they got two hits in the 9th, but Murphy's was cheap. I knew 3 runs wasn't going to get it done in this game, I freaking knew it. There was no way. Michael Conforto hits two home runs tonight, accounting for their entire offense. To have to depend on a 22 year old kid who started this year in Single-A ball? Are you kidding me?


                So I am now left with no choice but to make this desperate plea to the New York Mets. Because this is what I have been reduced to. Now I have to beg, because the Mets have put me in this position.

Whatever you do, do not lose this game on Sunday night.

         If you are going to lose this Series, don't lose it here in NY. Make the Royals go home and win it in Kansas City.

         I know you guys are capable of coming back from 3-1, I know you are. I've seen you guys down many times this year, and when I thought you were out,  you came back. It's happened too much for me to say you are done.

         But what I can NOT stomach is another 5 game series loss in the championship round. That would ruin my winter. That would make me break my promise of not losing my $h-t if you guys don't win. Losing this series in 5 games would send me over the edge.

Why?

       Consider this. In the rare moments that a team of mine advances to the finals, the series has ended in 5 games, with my team on the short end. Check it.

1999 Spurs-Knicks Spurs win in 5
2000 Yankees-Mets: Yankees win in 5
2014 Kings-Rangers: Kings win in 5.

         The Spurs dominated the 1999 NBA Finals. All the games in the 2000 World Series were decided by one run. The Rangers lost 3 of their 4 games in double OT. Know what that means? NOTHING. Because the record shows that all those teams just got lucky to win one game. Only a nerd like me knows those other details, and the rest of the world doesn't care.

           I don't want to see the Royals celebrating on our field Sunday night. I don't want to see another one of my teams lose a 7 game series in 5 games. If that happens, then as far as I'm concerned, you got swept.

          Noah Syndergaard showed some guts Friday night. He took the fight to the Royals. You blew it tonight. Now it's time to show some pride, show some guts. Us Mets fans have swallowed a lot of $h-t, these past few years. We've been incredibly loyal. You owe it to your fans to make this right.

Don't get eliminated at home.... In 5 games.

Editorial : Thor attacks Royals

          At the Halloween party last night, I was talking to a fellow Met fan, who was saying that although it was killing him that the Mets were having such trouble with the Royals, he couldn't get a full head of righteous steam against them. "It's not like the Dodgers, who hurt one of our players, or the Cubs who were saying "we're gonna kick their a$$es. (which I honestly don't remember) The Royals don't talk any crap. They're just really good.

          Unbeknownst to us, probably right at that moment, Noah Syndergaard was throwing a high heard one up and it to Royals leadoff hitter Alcedis Escobar, prompting much bellyaching from the Royals bench, especially their big mouthed third baseman Mike Mouskakis.
Welcome to Queens, a$$holes!

           All the scouting reports said that Escobay loves to swing at the first pitch. Shoot, all we heard from Buck, Reynolds and Verducci, was how could Harvey and DeGrom even think about throwing a first pitch fastball to him. "He always swings at the first pitch."
Try swinging at this one, beeeotch!

            And before I start getting the calls and e-mails about my hyprocrasy, let me clear the air with some talking points.


1) Yes, I was plenty pissed off when Roger Clemens beaned Mike Piazza on July 8, 2000. But I once heard someone say of Clemens,  "he could nail a mosquito on it's ass from 60 feet." In other words, Clemens control was pinpoint. He wouldn't hit someone unless he wanted to.
Now Syndergaard has a ways to go before he catches up with Clemens, but one of his criticisms is that he throws too many strikes. In other words, his control is pinpoint. If he wanted to hit Escobar in the head, he would have.

2) I don't believe in headhunting,  unless there's a good reason .  Having someone went into your shortstop is a good reason. Thus my call for someone on the Dodgers to get one in the ear. Again I don't believe Syndergaard was looking to hit anyone. He just wanted to back them off the plate. The Royals were talking about doing that to Daniel Murphy.

If I'm Steven Matz, I'd do the same exact thing tonight, if it pisses them off so much. Tough spit if they can't hack it.

Welcome to Queens

Game 3 Recap

        So the reason I missed the first pitch tonight was because I was at a
Halloween dance at Timmy"s school. The Mets make it to a World Series again
eventually (maybe) but Timmy is never going to be seven years old again, so I got to take
these opportunities when I get them. 

         I tried to follow the game on ESPN Gamecast, and I felt great when Noah Syndergaard struck the first hitter out with his high heat. Of course I felt sick when the Royals scored first. And then I embarrassed myself by dancing after David Wright's home run.

          I drove home and missed the Royals scoring two runs in the top of the second, I put Halloween shows on the TV for Timmy and Tara and I watched the rest of the game on my phone. I may have to do that for the rest of the Series, for no soone than I did that, than Curtis Granderson hit a homerun down the right-field line to give us back the lead. The rest of our runs came off singles, solid base running     and some sloppy fielding by KC. In other words, we beat them how they beat us. 

          But the man who saved our season tonight was Noah Syndergaard. Yeah he got roughed
around a bit in the first and second innings, but once he settled down he did
exactly what they said we couldn't do....and  that was strike these guys out. That
was the thing that scared me so much with those games in Kansas City. It just
seem like the matter what Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom threw,  these guys
hit it.  But those six strikeouts tonight show that even these guys can swing
and miss sometimes. 

Of course we're not out of the woods yet not even close.
We're going to need another big game tomorrow night from Steven Matz. But
tonight guys, we're on the board. I know it's cliche, but to win four, you have to
start with one.

We got it tonight. 

Game 2 Recap

October 21, 1986. 

That was the night of game three of the 1986 World Series Mets versus Red Sox. It was also the night that I made confirmation. One of the most important nights in my life as a Catholic, and the first World Series that I can remember that my team was actually playing in. You want to talk about torture? Some of you were there with me you know exactly what I'm talking about. 

Why am I bringing this up tonight? Because tonight was CCD night at Saint Anthony's Parish in Oceanside. Of all the nights the pic tonight to have the meet and greet with Timmy CCD teacher. But first we were treated to a rambling speech by the principal, and the 15 minute speech via DVD from Bishop Murphy. (if you want to know anything about Bishop Murphy, read Jimmy Breslin's book, The Church That Forgot Christ).

I tell you I damn near converted to Judaism tonight. This lady was telling us when you go to church make sure you genuflect. "You need to show reverence. You're going to church and not a park" Look, I'm 42 years old I am married I have a child and I have survived a heart attack I do not need a speech like that from you. 

The only reason I didn't walk out in the middle of this thing was because I wanted to meet Timmy's teacher. Also we were promised to collect some artwork that the kids had made and the thought of coming home empty-handed because Daddy wanted to go get home for the World Series was too much to handle. 

So I charge through the whole thing. For the record, Timmy's teacher was lovely. And he did a nice job with his art project. I just had that same feeling tonight that I did 29 years ago. Not good. 

Trivia Question:

My team had the lead late in Game 1. The other team came back to tie it up late, and then win it in heartbreaking fashion. The other team then won Game 2. I am referring to. 

A) The 2000 World Series
B) The 2014 Stanley Cup Finals.
C) The 2015 World Series
D) All of the F-cking Above! 

Of course the answer is D. In other words here we go again. 

Jacob deGrom was done in by a disastrous 5th inning, where he allowed 4 runs. And that wouldn't have been a big deal if the Mets didn't make Johnny Cuerto look like a first ballot Hall of Famer. Credit where credit is due, the Royals totally out classed us tonight.  But the Mets are better than this.

And they need to start showing it.

Fast. 

There's really nothing more to analyze or say besides that. 

Game One Recap

Bizarre

            That is the word to use to describe this game, a 14 inning loss to the Royals in Game 1 of the World Series. I mean things happened in this game that haven't happened in over 100 years. An inside the park home run? Is this the World Series or the CYO?

          Then there was the news that Royals starting pitcher Edinson Volquez father passed away, and everyone except for the poor guy knew. That just felt weird.

          Then in the most truly out of this world moment, Fox's coverage of the game went dead. Are you kidding me? One of the biggest sporting events of the year involving the biggest media market in the country and you allow that to happen? That is just plain old inexcusable. Though thanks to MLB connecting their international feed to us we got a break from Joe Buck. (I don't hate Buck as much as most people do, but he can grate on you, especially if your team is losing.)

           And then our lights out closer gives up a moonshot in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. What a kick in the chops THAT was. Jeryus Familia has been our rock all season and in this post season in particular. Watching that ball fly out of Kauffman Stadium off the bat of Alex Gordon brought flashbacks of rotten bullpens of yesteryear .

           We scratched and clawed in this game. Juan Lagares had a couple of nice at bats. As did David Wright (his getting thrown out stealing in the 9th didn't help us any) Wilmer Flores drove in the go ahead run on an error by Royals first baseman Eric Hosner. Curtis Granderson went deep and made a hell of a defensive play in the 11th. and Daniel Murphy of course had a couple more hits.

            But they left a ton of guys on base, and was it just me, or did Matt Harvey seem to be uptight out there tonight? The inside the park home run seemed to rattle the usually unshakeable Dark Knight. He did have a stretch where he settled down and retired 11 in a row, or something like that, but something was off with him tonight. And maybe Familia was due for a stinker, but lets hope he got it out of the way.

             Kansas City is a tough place to play if your the visting team. The fans are ridiculously loud, and the demensions of the ballpark are weird. It's imperative that the Mets come out of these first two games with a split. I really feel the Royals have a big advantage in their park, and the Mets need to take that away from them. It's up to Jacob deGrom to even this thing up tomorrow (or later on today) For now, we all have to try to trudge through our day tired and miserable.  That was a $h-tty way to lose.

But it's one game.

One Bizarre Game.

Weekly Mail October 25 2015

What a WEEK!


          I thought that the Mets NLDS series with the Dodgers was going to be tough, having to deal with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Grenkie. And it was, but somehow they managed to beat them in 5 games, including twice at Chavez Ravine.

         Then I thought that the NLCS with the Cubs would be a drawn out slugfest. An epic battle of great pitching vs great hitting. The Mets arms against the Cubs bats. I never in a million years expected the Mets to sweep that series.

           So here we are now, World Series bound against last year's World Series runner-ups, the Kansas City Royals. And I am done trying to predict how this is all going to turn out. Because even the Mets Dodgers series, which I knew would be tough, I sweated through that Game 5.

            I mean, if the Mets keep pitching the way they have been pitching, and Daniel Murphy continues his Ruthian like hitting, and Lucas Duda goes on one of his epic tears (following an epic slump), if all that happens, who can stop us?

            But it can't be that easy can it? 15 years, I've waited for a return to the Series.... 21 years I've waited for one of my teams to win it all, 29 years I've waited for the Mets to do it. I'm just asking, is this really going to happen?

            The Royals as previously mentioned, are back in the Show for the second year in a row. They made it all the way to Game 7, before losing to the San Francisco Giants. You know how hard it is to get all the way back to that spot, and to do that and have a chance to change the ending? You know they are going to come at it full throttle.

             I'm sticking to my guns on this though, I'm just going to really enjoy this. The last time we were in the Series, it was against the Yankees, and I'll never forget something a friend of mine who was a Yankee fan said. He said he would have rather lost the ALCS to the Mariners than to have made it to the World Series and lost to the Mets. I thought he was nuts. A week later, I saw his point. It was brutal. It should have been a fun time in New York City, instead it was very edgy and ugly. From the Mets sloppy play in Game 1, to that steroid pumping a$$hat Roger Clemens throwing a bat shard at Mike Piazza, to our Mayor openly rooting for the Yankees, it just was plain ugly. And what could be worse than having a victory parade in your city after your team loses. Yeah, I got what my pal was talking about.

          But this time, it seems like the city is united in blue and orange, even most Yankee fans I know are pulling for the Mets. (With some notable exceptions-and you ingrates know who you are)* It's going to be a fun week here, one that we'll remember for a long time.


NEWS ITEM: Joe a No-Go.

             Vice President Joe Biden announced this week that he will not toss his hat into the ring to be the Democratic nominee for President, paving the way even smoother for Hillary Clinton to claim the nomination herself. It's a shame, because I feel as though he would have been a good candidate.

             President Obama was ridiculed by some for choosing the Delaware Senator as his running mate in 2008, being that Obama was running on a platform of change, and Biden was one of the most tenured members of the Senate. But the knowledge and experience that Biden brought to the ticket would prove invaluable.  An article I read about Biden over the summer talked about how in the early days of the Obama administration, world leaders who were getting to know our new President would find the initial meeting easier if Biden was there because "everybody knows Joe." All his years heading the Senate Foreign Relations committee had paid off.

           In addition to his wealth of knowledge and his long formed relationships with world leaders, Biden is a fundamentally decent man, a family man who has had to deal with some unimaginable tragedy in his life. Having lost his first wife and a daughter in a car accident, and most recently, lost his son Beau, to cancer. Having had cheated death myself just a few days earlier, watching Beau Biden's funeral was especially poignant for me.

             To be sure, I don't agree with all of Biden's positions and policies. He has a tendency to spout off unexpectedly, and at age 74 on inauguration day 2017, his time may have passed. But I can't help but think that he may have been what the doctor ordered for this country. A man with friends on both sides of the aisle, a non-polarizing figure who has the brains and the touch to get things done. I can tell you one thing for sure, looking at this list of candidates still standing, in both parties.
We could do a lot worse. We probably will do a lot worse.

RELIGION: The Gospel according to Timmy:

          Timmy started CCD a couple of weeks ago, and he is now learning about the Gospel. Every week, his teacher previews the following weeks gospel. A couple of weeks ago, the gospel told the story of the man who came to Jesus asking what he had to do to follow Him, only to have Jesus tell him to give up all his possessions.

(20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”)

Here was Timmy's version of the story

"So this guy came up to Jesus and said "What do I have to do?" And Jesus said "You have to get rid of all your toys and all your stuff, or if you want, bring all your stuff to me, and I'll make sure that it goes to the poor. So the guy said he would do it, but he lied. HE LIED TO JESUS, because he didn't give any of his stuff away. I mean, who lies to Jesus? "

I don't know if a career in the priesthood is in his future (though the older I get, I find that it's a tough job to beat...free housing and food, for working one day a week, with a salary to boot) but I'd rather hear him break it down for us than some of these priests we have now.

I plan on blogging throughout the World Series, even if it means I don't get to bed till 2 AM. As I said, I want to enjoy this and capture it as best I can.

Lets Go Mets!!!
Have a Great Week.

*I'd just like to point out that I rooted for the Yankees in the 2009 World Series.