Weekly Mail March 19, 2017

                                                         MARCH MADNESS


     To sports geeks like myself, the term brings to mind basketball, specifically the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, filling out brackets, and in my case, watching my bracket die a slow painful death.

      But this year, the term can also be applied to the crazy a$$ weather we've been having, or more specifically, the hysteria that came before our storm of the century this past Tuesday.



WEATHER: The Blizzard that Wasn't (sorta)

       Sunday afternoon, I went to Stop and Shop to pick up a few things and I couldn't believe how crowded it was. Even the self checkout line was long. I said to Tara, "This can't be because of the storm they're predicting for Tuesday can it?"

Sure as hell, that's exactly what it was.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6zaVYWLTkU.

I'm a stone's throw away from the supermarket, so even if there is a bad storm, as long as they are open, I can get to the store pretty easily, so maybe I need to be a bit more sympathetic. And I am. I don't blame these poor people for stocking up, I don't blame folks for staying home from work, or blame the mayor and the school district leaders for closing the schools.

I blame the weather forecasters. And this time, they even admitted they overblew it.

“Out of extreme caution, we decided to stick with higher amounts,” Greg Carbin, chief of forecast operations at the Weather Prediction Center in Maryland, told the Associated Press. “I actually think in the overall scheme that the actions [by states and cities] taken in advance of the event were exceptional.”

Can you imagine?

I can.

I think they pull this $h-t all the time.

Think about it..... How many time the past few years have we been told we were going to get slammed with a ton of snow, only to be dusted or coated with a couple of inches? Now admittedly, the wind and the snow on Tuesday made travelling difficult, but I've driven in much worse. And I can tell you, if I had wasted a personal/vacation day on what Tuesday amounted to, I would have been really pissed off.

I know making predictions is a hard job. Trust me, I've had my share of bad ones. (refer to my 2016 election special for specific details; see also my NCAA Tournament Bracket, my Weekly football pics etc..) But these guys have state of the art equipment and get paid handsomely for their predictions. To not only exaggerate how much snow we were going to get and then admit they did in on purpose? That's gall, man. That's utter gall.


NCAA TOURNAMENT: Speaking of poor predictions

I got off to a good start anyway. I won the first 7 games, and only that I picked Vanderbilt (in honor of good friends of Tara's who went there) did I not sweep the day games on Thursday. I went 6-2 in the night games to get off to a solid 13-3 start.

I remember the first time I entered a bracket pool, I went 25-7 in the first round. That's the mark that I always try to hit. Most years I fall short, and this year I did again, going 24-8. One year, I started off a pathetic 20-12 and ended up winning the whole thing. Another year, I went 28-4, but one of my losses was my national champ. it's like the old golf saying "Drive for show, putt for dough." Gaudy first round numbers are fun but they mean squat if you're big guns get knocked out.

I always pick Virginia (my sister in law's alma mater) and of course my Dayton Flyers (Tara's alma mater). Dayton unfortunately got screwed by the NCAA selection committee. The Flyers were put up against a Wichita State team that had no business being a 10 seed. Needless to say, Dayton was bounced in the first round.

Right now, Wisconsin is the team I love to hate. I picked them to lose to Seton Hall, and instead they win that game and knock out defending champion Villanova. They are killing my bracket.

I ended up going 11-5 on Friday, one short of my desired number for the first round. At press time I still had all 4 of my Final Four selections alive.


LATE NIGHT TV: Colbert cleaning up

A number of stories have appeared in the past couple of weeks, about the ratings in late night TV, specifically the bump in ratings that Stephen Colbert's Late Show has gotten over The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

According to the Hollywoodgossip.com

What the 52-year-old (Colbert)  offers is a sort of throwback alternative - reasoned takedowns of Trump and company at a time when the outrages of the administration seem to have caused some comics to sacrifice wit in favor of blunt force. 
By contrast, Fallon has chosen to stick to the pop cultural observations and celebrity brown-nosing that have long made him the safe choice in late night.

I'm usually in bed by 11, so I don't usually watch either Fallon or Colbert, but my hope is that NBC doesn't do something stupid and try to change Fallon or the Tonight Show. I realize that Trump shenanigans are prime fodder for hard knock comedy, but eventually there is going to come a time where people are going to need a respite from Trump and Trump bashing. I was talking about this with my Uncle the other night. Trump has become a 24 hour cycle. You wake up in the morning and the first thing you're hit with is a Trump tweet from 4:30 AM, then unless you have one of those music streaming services, it's Trump on the morning drive, Trump on your lunch break, Trump on the way home, Trump on the local news, Trump on the national news. Watching TV at night? coming up at 11, more Trump. The President always gets press coverage, but nothing like the coverage this one gets.

So, I think Fallon and NBC should ride this out. People are going to need a break from this. There is going to be Trump fatigue eventually. And when that happens, the Tonight Show will once again reign supreme.

Let's hope we're done with the snow around here!

Have a Great Week!

Weekly Mail March 12, 2017

YO!



    Last Sunday, Tara, Tim and I met up with a family that we knew from when Timmy was in day care. Their daughter goes to school with Timmy.

Each time Timmy left a school or moved up a grade, I asked Tara the same question.... "What if the parents aren't as awesome as these parents were?"  I swear to God, Timmy is much better at adjusting to new environments than his old man is. Every year, it gets a bit tougher.  Remember, the two best men at my wedding, I met them both in kindergarten, so I think its safe to say I'm pretty loyal. It's also safe to say I have adjustment issues.

The people we met at Loving and Learning (Timmy's day care) were essentially the first friends we had in Oceanside. I still keep in touch with many of them and some of them still go to school with Timmy, others are either in Long Beach or RVC.  Kindergarten was a great group of parents, that was a really fun year. We didn't make as many friends in first grade as we did the year before, but the ones we made were golden.

Timmy has a crew of 5 guys in his class he considers his posse (my word, not his). So that's good. But I've been to a couple of his classmates birthday parties this year and I haven't hit it off with anyone. Sure, I'm friendly with a couple of them, but the first time I met Sue and Dan (first grade) Maria and Dennis (Kindergarden) and Dan and Pam, Karen and Dan (lots of Dans in Oceanside) to name just a few from L&L, I knew I had made friends for life.

I realize that this shouldn't be an issue for a man my age, but well as Barbara Streisand sang, People who need people are the luckiest people in the world. And as Karl the Ace Ludwig always says "I'd rather be lucky than good any day."



ROMANCE: A-Rod and J-Lo an item?

I mean, this kind of HAD to happen right? If ever two people in this universe were meant to be together, it had to be former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, and actress/singer Jennifer Lopez. It's not just their Latin heritage or their connections to the Bronx,  it's their massive egos, their unquenchable thirst for attention, and their overall diva-ness that make them the perfect couple.

There was nothing more annoying to me than turning on WFAN on the way home from work and having to hear people discussing A-Rod and Derek Jeter, A-Rod and his wife, A-Rod and his mistress the stripper, A-Rod and his contract, A-Rod and steroids. What would drive me nuts would be how he would act like he hated the attention good or bad all the while doing everything in his power to attract it. Like someone who disguises themselves so they won't be recognized, then gets all pissed off because nobody recognizes them.

And was there ever a more obnoxious couple then J-Lo and Ben Affleck (or Bennifer as they were called)? I heard more about their wedding that never happened than most weddings that did. (Hondo from the Post speculated that the reason Bennifer's nuptials were called off was because he didn't want a big a$$ wedding)  I thought when she married Marc Anthony, that would be the last we'd hear of her love life, but alas it was not to be.

Fasten you seat belts folks, you're about to get more than your fill of J-Rod or A-Lo.


TELEVISION: The Return of a classic...

So Timmy and I were flipping around the TV a couple of Sunday's ago, when we stumbled across a show that grabbed both of our attention. I was excited, but a little annoyed.

Nobody informed Weekly Mail that Wonderama was back on TV!

Wonderama was a Sunday morning staple in my very early years, the show my dad would turn on
and put me in front of the TV with bowl of cereal to watch while he got ready and went to church. Now it comes on 6 PM Sunday evening on Channel 11 here in New York. The host, David Osmond (nephew of Donny and Marie) is a singer and also a producer of the reboot. He seems like a nice kid, but for now, my loyalties lie with Bob McAllister.

Last week, they had a group of physicists on doing experiments with balloons, as well as a couple of young filmmakers. They also played Snakes in a Can, borrowing from the old show.

What they didn't take from the old show was the swag that they used to give away. I was looking for a clip of Bob McAllister singing the old Wonderama's signature sign off song Kids Are People Too, and I came across this classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA8iC1niJ4E&t=115s


Now if you didn't watch the clip or even if you did, here is the rundown of what McAllister gave the kids in the audience....

1) Good Humour Ice Cream
2) RC Cola
3) A voucher for a Whopper, fries and soda at Burger King
4) Hostess Twinkies
5) Andy Candy or was it Andes Candy, not sure but it was candy nonetheless
6) Happy Gator
7) Fruit Gum
8) Charms Blow Pops

The only thing he forgot was the box of Cubans and the 40 dogg of Colt 45.

Can you imagine if David Osmond tried to give away that crap today? Michelle Obama would have him thrown in Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Soda, Twinkies, Ice Cream and Burger King? And a steak dinner for the parents?

Those were the days.



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

On a serious note, I was saddened to learn of the passing of an old friend, Joe McBride last weekend. On what is normally one of the more festive weekends in Rockaway, one of Rockaway's own succumbed to cancer at an all too young age. I hadn't seen or heard from Joe in many years, but thinking of him brought me back to all the good times I had at 109 Street Park during the summers of my youth. Joe was the kind of guy you wanted to have on your side, and thankfully more often than not, I had him on mine. RIP.

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

Clocks went ahead one hour this morning, which means we'll all be walking around like zombies for a few days. And WTF is up with this weather? Caught this interview the other night and the guy and gal they talked to hit it right on the head....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAnpke5q-iQ

Stay warm (and awake my friends)

and Have a Great Week

Weekly Mail, March 5, 2017

Hi Everybody!!!


Sorry we took last week off. Not to watch the Oscars, which apparently we missed a major faux pas.


But before we get to that, time to bore you stories of our week off.


On Tuesday, I took Tim into the Post to meet some of the crew. He got to meet many of the editors and some of my colleagues. He had a blast. Then we headed to Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum on 42nd Street.

Years ago, my uncle took me and my cousin into the city to see A Christmas Story in the theater. Yes folks I'm old enough to have seen the Christmas classic in the theater. This was 1983. when Times Square was well Times Square. Back in those days, if you were going to see Madam Tussaud, you were probably paying her by the hour.

But in this post Guiliani/Bloomberg, Disneyfication of Times Square, you have the family friendly wax museum of all your favorites. Timmy and I got pictures of ourselves with amongst others,  Tony Bennett, John Wayne, Judy Garland (Circa the Wizard of Oz), Albert Einstein, President and Mrs. Obama, President and Not President Clinton, President Trump, the royal family and the female Ghostbusters. Tim had a good time, but was pissed off because he was convinced that I didn't take him to the James Bond section. He didn't understand that they rotate the statues in and out. He would get over it though.

To complete the Postie experience, I took him to Langan's for lunch. This is what we call a work in progress. Our man went to an Irish pub and ordered a pizza. An Irish pub in Manhattan and ordered a pizza. Like I said, we're working on it.


On Thursday, Timmy and myself joined his buddy Ethan, Ethan's dad, my good friend Dan (No Shot) Unverzagt, and their friend KK, for a trip snow tubing to Mountain Creek Resort in Vernon NJ.

I love to snow tube. We did it last year as well, in Connecticut and it's a great little workout, not to mention an adrenaline rush. Dan's in good shape, me not so much, but between the two of us, there's about 400 lbs + of torque flying down the slopes. So when they let the 5 of us link our tubes together, with Danny and I as the anchors, we were setting all sorts of speed and distance records.

Now one factor working against us was the weather.. it was beautiful. Beautiful, if you were going to the park, or sailing on the bay. For snow tubing, not so much. It was warm. Close to 70 degrees, and the man made snow was quickly turning to slush.  There were a bunch of runs that were closed, they looked like they had a good pack of snow on them and Dan was determined to get us on those runs. Dan is a bit like the great Ed "Auggie" DePuy in the sense that he will 1) literally talk to ANYONE and 2) can sell ice to an Eskimo, and if he didn't damn near get those folks to open up those runs. As it was, he got them to let us keep going on a 5 man run, while the crew at Mountain Creek was demanding we go three at a time max. On our last run, I promised them if they looked the other way, I'd make sure they wouldn't see the likes of us again.

Of course our last run, we went about 90 MPH and we may have ended up on the NJ Turnpike if the snow had been better. With all that, it was still a hell of a day.

We laid low the other days, but those two days alone made the whole week off worthwhile.


HOLLYWOOD: Oscars screw up.

I didn't bother watching the Oscars. I had no interest.

Not only did I not see any of the films up for Best Picture, I had no desire to see any of them. La La Land sounded an awful lot like Moulin Rouge, which may have been one of the worst movies I've ever seen, though thankfully I didn't see it in the theater.

Actually,  several years back,  I compiled a list of the 5 worst movies I ever paid to see. If I recall correctly, they were {and not necessarily in this order}, Point Break, Sleepy Hollow, The Man from Elysian Fields, The Abyss, and Showgirls. Point Break had surfers disguised as ex President's robbing banks, Sleepy Hollow had a child get his head cut off, The Man from Elysian Fields had Mick Jagger in it {sans Keith, Charlie and Ronnie-and they wouldn't have been able to save this disaster either} the Abyss I honestly don't remember what that was even about, and Showgirls wasn't even saved by perhaps the greatest quote in the history of cinema "I have a problem with p-ssy."

But I digress...

Of course, it's when I don't tune in that something deliciously nasty happens, and what happened last Sunday was pretty classic.

Bonnie and Clyde themselves, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, were tapped to read the nominees and winner for Best Picture. Beatty opened the envelope and looked like he had just seen a ghost. Dunaway wondering what the hell had Beatty's tongue, looked at the card and announced La La Land as the winner.

Up came the cast and crew to celebrate. Being that they were the odds on favorite, nobody was surprised and nothing seemed amiss. But two minutes later, Jordan Horowitz, the producer of La La Land, interrupted producer Fred Berger to say " I'm sorry, there's a mistake. Moonlight, you guys won best picture. This is not a joke."

Or was it?

Lets face it, the Oscars run way too long, to celebrate a bunch of movies most of us haven't seen. If you are going to stay up late on a Sunday night, you want to have something to gossip with your fellow sleep deprived co-workers on Monday, right? What could inspire more water cooler chat than a screw up of epic proportion like that?  Sacheen Littlefeather announcing Marlon Brando's refusal of his Best Oscar award in 1973?  Robert Niven commenting on streaker Robert Opel's "shortcomings after Opel's nekked run across the Oscar's stage in 1974? Host Chevy Chase dropping through the stage floor in 1987? Jack Palance doing one handed push-ups in 1992? Before this mixup, what was going to be the memorable moment from this broadcast? I'm sorry, the whole thing smacks of a set up from where I'm sitting.

And I heard more than one talking head say that this is going to ruin Warren Beatty's career.

How?

Beatty is 80 years old, and has a black book that even Derek Jeter would be envious of. I once heard Howard Stern interview Paul McCartney and Stern marveled at how when he was a kid every girl in his class had a crush on the cute Beatle, so Stern asked McCartney how many famous ladies he banged. McCartney answered "I didn't BANG anyone!"

Warren Beatty did. He banged them all! According to Peter Biskind's biography of Beatty, the Hollywood Horndog bedded close to 13,000 babes. Among them, Madonna, Joan Collins, Michelle Phillips, Jane Fonda (hey to each their own) Carly Simon, Julie Christie and current wife Annette Benning. Those are Wilt Chamberlain numbers.

My point is that it's going to take more than this to ruin Warren Beatty. Besides,of the two of them, wasn't Dunaway the one who actually read the wrong movie? At least Beatty had the presence of mind to see something was wrong.

In any event two accountants from Price Waterhouse Coopers ended up taking the fall They gave Beatty/Dunaway the envelope for best actress. . I betacha they got big a$$ severance packages because again, I'm pretty sure this whole thing was staged. They'll probably end up working for the WWE.


SPORTS: NHL Replay Rule Beef

So I'm watching my Rangers playing the best in the league Washington Capitals the other night. The Rangers struck first and then Washington tied it up. Early in the second, it looked like the Rangers took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Michael Grabner.

But not so fast.

Caps coach Barry Trotz called for a replay challenge, saying the Rangers were offside. OK fair enough, if he loses the challenge he loses his timeout.

So the refs go to look at the replay and consult with the replay officials in Toronto. For what seemed like forever they looked and they looked and they looked. Finally they overruled the call on the ice and said it was no goal.

I don't know if it was offside or not, it didn't look like it to me, but admittedly I was looking at it through home field glasses. But the fact that it took that long to come to the conclusion, to me by the very definition of the replay rule, the goal should have counted. Evidence has to be clear to overturn a call on the field/court/ice. If you can't determine it after one or two looks, you can't determine it.
Case closed.

Of course the fact that the Caps came back for a 4-1 win made me even more apoplectic. But it bugged me to no end that the repaly rule was abused in that manner. It made me feel like the NHL is just jonesing for Alex Ovechkin to finally get to the Stanley Cup Finals, or at the very least an Eastern Conference Final against the Penguins. I wouldn't put that past them, especially since right now, it looks like you could have a Columbus-Minnesota SCF. What a ratings bonanza that would be!


I joined Instagram on Friday night, but please don't be offended if I don't accept your follow request. I joined in order to vote for my friend's daughter in a sales contest, and I'm not sure I'm going to keep the account or shut it down. I spend way too much time on Facebook and I don't want to take any more time away from my loved ones. (Not that I don't have loved ones on FB, but may two main loved ones, are not FB members, so).


I think that's all we got this week my friends.

Have a Great Week!