Weekly Mail April 29, 2018

Hi:

Couldn't wait to get to writing this week, so much going on. I mean not the real important stuff, just stuff I find interesting. I hope you do too. Anyhow...





MEDIA: The Fat Man Returneth

It was two days after the Mets disastrous 2007 season was over.

Having blown a 7 game lead with 17 games to play, my fellow Met fans were besides themselves, none more so than I. Callers were flooding into WFAN, lamenting what had happened. What was worse, the Yankees, with an arguably inferior team (admit it guys) were preparing to play the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS.

Mike Francesa, then co-host of Mike and the Mad Dog had decided two days of Met calls were enough. "listen Met fans" he drawled, "you had your time to vent. There's a playoff team we need to talk about, OK? The funeral is over."

I thought a lot about that last line as it was announced this week that Francesa was returning to WFAN, a mere 4 1/2 months after he "retired" from the station, promising not to return. And after a farewell tour the likes of which are usually reserved for hall of fame athletes and rock stars.

If there is one thing I can't stand, it's when someone, usually an athlete, "comes out of retirement."  Especially multiple times. It's why I usually rooted for Sugar Ray Leonard to get his brains bashed in. Or why I was thrilled when Bill Parcells was denied election to the football Hall of Fame for so many years, why no one was happier than I was when Michael Jordan fell flat as owner/guard for the Wizards.

I realize that a few weeks ago, I was complaining about the new afternoon drive show with Chris Carlin, Maggie Gray and Bart Scott, how unlistenable it was because it was all football all the time, despite the fact that the season was over and the draft was weeks away. This was in response to Francesa and Chris Russo's cheap shots at the trio on Russo's MLB Show High Heat.

(and if you need a reminder of what an a$$hole Russo is, you tube up his take on Francesa's return, especially the part where he says "let (my wife) take the kids to school and worry about (my son's) headache, ... let me just do a talk show, and I'll see you at 7:30."  What a guy! Who wouldn't want to have a husband like that?)

I also realize that I said that the two bozo's should either come back to the FAN or leave the new team alone. I probably shouldn't have said that. I believe that Carlin and Maggie could really do a nice job together with some time and patience. Scott, has pretty much admitted he only knows about football, and as much as I can't stand Russo, he's right about one thing; you can't host a sports show in NY without knowing anything about baseball. I'm a hockey guy, but I realize the FAN gave up on hockey years ago. If you can only talk football, you don't belong on WFAN. Especially not at that time of day. I'm sorry but Scott has to go.

Apparently, after Russo and Francesa's digs at CMB, Carlin texted the two of them to "s-ck his d-ck." Francesa has said that he decided to come back after some people suggested he not. If Carlin's text is what prompted Francesa to return, then's he's a bigger a$$hole than I already believe him to be, and I didn't think that was possible.

I'm not exactly breaking news here when I say that Mike Francesa is completely full of $h-t. But he has gone above and beyond this time, (or maybe it's below and beyond) He bragged about job offers that weren't there, he offered not to turn his back on the station during the Craig Carton crisis, not mentioning he wanted a ton more money to do so. He vowed never to return, only to do so not even 6 months into his retirement.

He can count my a$$ out. I'll never listen to him again. Maybe I'll tune in the first day to see how he explains himself, but that's it. He's f-cking dead to me.

And the funeral is over.


FOOTBALL: Draft Night Recap.

OK, so a little side note here: A couple weeks ago, we got a really nice letter from Tim's school saying that an art piece he submitted was going to be displayed at Oceanside High School on April 26. Not to brag here, but Timmy has made some amazing drawings. I hated art and Tara is by her own admission not much of an artist either. But Timmy is excellent.

So we were pretty stoked to go and see what he had done. The strange thing was, he kept saying he had no idea what he had submitted. If he didn't get his artistic talent from me, he unfortunately got his air-headedness from me, so I didn't think too much of it.

It wasn't till we got to OHS on Thursday that we realized that pretty much every student in Oceanside had something to display, and they all had parents there to see it. It took me almost 20 minutes to park, another 10 minutes to get into the gym and another 15 to find Timmy's artwork. It was a mob scene.

                                                   Timmy's Artwork

And I really did want to get home to see the Giants and Jets make their draft picks. Don't get me wrong, I would have stayed to support Timmy, but he wanted out of there too. So we fought through a traffic jam to get home just as the Browns were making their pick.

Several outlets have reported that the Jets are most interested in Mayfield, which is fine, except I don't really think they needed to move up to get him. Darnold is probably headed to Cleveland, 

-from last week's Weekly Mail.

So the Browns blew that whole sentence and a half to smithereens with one move. Drafting Baker Mayfield with the first pick ruined my prediction that Mayfield would fall and that Darnold would be heading to Cleveland.

The Giants saved me by drafting Saquon Barkley with the 2nd pick. I know the conventional wisdom is that you draft a QB that high, especially when your QB is 37 years old, but look, I think with a decent offensive line and a healthy Odell Beckham Jr., Eli Manning can still get it done. And if Barkley is as good as he's been advertised, (and I know that is a BIG if) the Giants will have a dynamic receiver and running back for the next 10 years.

http://barroombs.blogspot.com/2018/04/you-may-never-get-another-shot-at-qb.html

And I know people are going to shake their  heads at me, but I'm sorry. The Giants will have a chance to draft Eli's successor in a couple of years. Almost every year we hear that the draft has a "once in a lifetime QB". You don't realize it because we forget every year as the new crop of college players come out, but it really does.

The Jets on the other hand, needed to draft a QB, because, well right now their QB's are 39 year old Josh McCown, injury plagued Teddy Bridgewater, and draft busts Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg. None of them have had Eli Manning's success, shoot none of them have had Cooper Manning's success.

Is Sam Darnold the answer? I don't know, USC hasn't exactly churned out Hall of Fame Quaterbacks lately. They showed a list of quaterbacks drafted in the first round from USC since 1990, and it's a Mt. Rushmore of busts. Remember Todd Marinovich? How about Matt Leinart? Or our old friend Mark Sanchez? Only Carson Palmer has been any good, and not great by any stretch. I seriously thought Sanchez was going to lead us to the Super Bowl if not multiple Super Bowls, but instead he'll be more remembered for the butt fumble.

I kept hearing the announcers say that Darnold checks all the boxes. I'm assuming those boxes are size, arm strength, speed, and accuracy. I would have preferred Josh Rosen from UCLA, but for all I know, they could both be busts or they both will be heading to Canton. More likely they'll fall somewhere in between.


CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: I'll take  An Apple for $500 Alex...

Crystal Tadlock, traveling to Denver from Paris last week, decided to save the apple she was given as an in-flight snack to eat later. As she was going through customs, her bag was randomly selected to be searched. When the customs agent found the apple, he questioned her on it.

“He had asked me if my trip to France was expensive and I said, ‘Yeah.’ I didn’t really get why he was asking that question, and then he said, ‘It’s about to get a lot more expensive after I charge you $500,'” said Tadlock to Fox 31 in Denver.

So here are my thoughts on this matter...

1) If the customs agent really said that to her, he should at the very least be suspended if not outright fired. Maybe in her frustration Tadlock made that part up. If she didn't that's a problem. You still have to be professional, especially if you are about to levy a fine on someone. That sounded like he was mocking her and that should warrant a punishment.

2) That said, why on earth would you take food off an airplane to save for later? That's like asking the hospital to give you a doggie bag after you are discharged. Surely there is some place in Denver you can get an apple that is better than the one an airline is giving away.

3) Having said THAT, shouldn't Delta have warned the passengers that removing food off the plane might result in a fine? It's true that there are signs in all international airports that list what you can and can't bring into another country, and fruit is at the top of the list. But there is no way of knowing whether or not the apple was packed in Paris or was it packed in the US? Maybe, like me, Delta just figured nobody was flying with them for the cuisine, and would have either eaten the apple or tossed it in the trash on the way out.

In any event, I hope the poor lady gets the fine tossed out. I also hope she learned a lesson here. Saving food is a noble gesture, but saving airline food is nuts. Even the good Lord above understands if you toss airline food away. I probably should consult a priest on that.


Haven't had a chance to see what all this fuss about the White House Correspondence Dinner was all about. Sounds like someone got their feelings hurt again. Kinda thought that was the whole point of it, but what do I know?


Sorry I got this out late.

Have a Great Week

Weekly Mail April 22, 2018

Hey:


I have tried to stay away from celebrity obituaries here because every week it seems like someone semi-famous dies. I rather celebrate the lives of people close to me rather than those who will receive platitudes from publications more prestigious than this. (perish the thought)

But this week was notable for there being notable deaths pretty much every day. To wit:


Sunday: R. Lee Ermey-  Friday night, Timmy had fitness night for the Cub Scouts. 5 stations around the school gym. Sit-ups at one, push-ups at another, dips at the third, jump rope at the fourth and jumping jacks at the last one. Obviously the pack leaders were encouraging the kids positively, cheering them on. But I couldn't help as I was watching the kids do their thing remembering  Gunnery Sargent Hartmann and his slew of insults directed at his recruits on Parris Island in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, especially those he fired at Leonard (Gomer Pyle) Lawrence. Repeating even cleaned up versions of those lines would land us parents in jail and deservedly so.

Ermey will be remembered for his roles as a hard ass military man, but I've seen him in roles against his stereotype, namely as famous Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman in the biographical film Prefontaine. In that movie, he was tough but compassionate. (As was Bowerman's assistant coach Bill Dellinger. Played by an at the height of his Al Bundy days Ed O'Neill). I've seen him on documentaries discussing his methods of getting young boys ready to go to war. Interesting but scary.


Monday: Harry Anderson- I know he was an accomplished magician, and that he was on a show in the early 90's called Dave's World, but to me and most of my generation, he was Judge Harry Stone of Night Court. There were two decades in which NBC dominated Thursday night television: The 1990's, with the Friends/Seinfeld/ER trifecta, and the 1980's, with The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, and Night Court. You are talking about 4 classics on one network on one night. You may never see that again. Night Court had an incredible cast, John Larroquette arguably the most famous of them all. But Richard Moll as Bull, Markie Post as Public Defender Christine Sullivan, and of course Anderson and the goofball judge all made Night Court a TV Classic. I'm going to sound like an old man saying they don't make them like that anymore, but I am, and well, they don't.


Tuesday: Barbara Bush- The wife of our 41st President and mother of our 43rd. The Bush family had announced Sunday that Mrs. Bush was "not going to seek any more medical treatment and instead pursue conform care." That usually means the end is near, and it was, as she passed away at age 92.
I realize that she wasn't everybody's cup of tea, and that the Bush's have as many naysayers as they do admirers. But some of the piss and vinegar that has come out was a tad baffling. That professor at Fresno State who called her all sorts of names should probably have her head examined. As should Republican strategist Roger Stone, who called her a "vindictive drunk". Shit, even Stone's protege, President Trump had the good sense not to insult the woman upon her death, even if he has spent the past three years ragging on two of her sons, George Dubya and Jeb. Again, you may not have thought of her as America's matriarch, as some people called her. I didn't. But I also think she didn't deserve to be insulted like that either.

Wednesday: Bruno Sammartino- I posted this on Facebook on Thursday, but it's one of my favorite stories; When I was in 8th Grade, Kevin Mahoney, who ran St. Mary's CYO program was my basketball coach. We must have played 40 games that year. CYO, PAL, a whole bunch of tournaments all over the diocese. We played a couple of times in Rockaway, a few times in Brooklyn and of course from one end of Queens to the other.
One time, Kevin told us he could recite the starting lineup of every American League team from 1950. I immediately gave him the Washington Senators and damned if he didn't do it. One of the guys said "What about the Yankees?" I could name the 1950 Yankees line up" I responded. "OK, Bill, go ahead," Mahoney responded. (I couldn't; but I did better than he thought I would)
One thing that drove Kevin nuts was when we talked Pro Wrestling. "No wonder you guys can't play basketball he would say." But some of those rides were long, and this being 1986-87, it was the height of the Hulk Hogan era. One Saturday afternoon, Macho Man Randy Savage defended his Intercontinental Title against Ricky the Dragon Steamboat. The match ended when Savage draped Steamboat's head over the guardrail and hit him with a flying elbow, damaging Steamboat's throat and sending him to the hospital.

Bruno Sammartino, the color commentator on the match, was back in the locker room waiting to interview Savage. While he was waiting, he was lamenting what Savage had done. Savage came out and bragged about what he had done, causing Sammartino to beat the holy hell out of him. For the benefit of the guys in the car on the long trip back from Brooklyn, and to the chagrin of Kevin Mahoney, I recreated the interview. The guys kept making me do it over and over. 31 years later, it still makes me laugh.
Sammartino was a two time champ of the WWWF (now WWE) and in the pre Hogan era, one of the most most popular attractions. On Youtube the other day, I watched a match from December, 1975 between Sammartino and Ivan Koloff. He wasn't particularly tall or cut, but there was no doubt he was the champ. In later years, he decried the widespread use of steroids and the trashy story lines that dominated wrestling the past several years. Back in the day it was good guys vs bad guys and that was that. One of the greats.

Thursday: Walter Moody- Never heard of him? Me neither. But I realized that I didn't have anybody for Thursday, so I went on Wikipedia and saw that this lowlife was executed by lethal injection in Alabama for sending a letter bomb to a federal judge in Atlanta in 1989. Of note, he is the oldest person to be executed in modern US History. So there's some trivia for ya.

Friday: Avicii- OK, I have to confess, I didn't know who this fellow was. At least I didn't think I did. Obviously any death at 28 is a tragedy, so it caught my eye. And the tributes on line were touching.
It wasn't until I started researching his discography that I realized I pretty much hear that song, Wake Me Up. every.....single.....day.  It's a KJOY staple. I just had no idea it was his song. He's not actually singing it, he's the DJ on it, but nonetheless, still a sad story.


Saturday: Verne Troyer- Mini-Me from Austin Powers. At press time, there was no reported cause of death. But he supposedly had an on going bout with alcoholism.

Tough week.




VERMIN: DeBlasio outsmarted by a rat.

Mayor DeBlasio this week took to a housing project in Bushwick to demonstrate part of his $32 million plan to rid the city of rats.

One of the measures the city wants to implement is dry ice abatement, and it was this measure that the Dope from Park Slope was demonstrating to the press last week.

Into the rat hole went the dry ice, out popped the rat. Problem was, nobody could catch the damn thing as it took off.

So it's a work in progress obviously. Actually, I applaud TDFPS for at least trying to combat this problem. Nobody should have to live with that rats in their homes. That's grosser than gross. I hope the money spent and the measures taken are enough to improve these people's lives.

They just have to make sure they kill the filthy things, not have them move across the street.


SPORTS: Getting Drafty in here.

So even though I'm still trying to avoid football as much as I can, I have to confess I'm pretty stoked for the upcoming NFL Draft on Thursday night. With the Giants and Jets having the 2nd and 3rd picks respectively, it's a unique opportunity for both teams to draft busts in the same year.

The rumor mill is saying that the Giants are going to draft Saquon Barkley from Penn State. They say he's an all time back. As Phil Mushnick wrote in his Sunday Post column, and I've been telling people since the season ended, the last time there was a can't miss running back out of Penn State, the Jets drafted him. His name was Blair Thomas.

The Jets traded a slew of high draft picks to switch places with the Colts, presumably to one again try to draft a franchise QB. There are 5 potential franchise QB's according to the so called experts.. Sam Darnold of USC, Josh Rosen of UCLA, Josh Allen of Wyoming,  Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma, and Lamar Jackson of Louisville.

Several outlets have reported that the Jets are most interested in Mayfield, which is fine, except I don't really think they needed to move up to get him. Darnold is probably headed to Cleveland, the Giants will probably take the running back, the Colts with Andrew Luck don't need a QB, Cleveland at 4 wouldn't take a second QB, and the Broncos will probably take Allen, since he's a big armed QB like the man who will draft him, John Elway was. So at 6, they would have their choice of Rosen, Mayfield or Jackson. And again, I have absolutely no doubt that the Colts are going to use one of the picks the Jets traded to them to draft a Hall of Famer. Y'all read that here first.

Look, at the end of the day, this is all spec until the draft actually goes down. Maybe the Giants go with Eli Manning's heir apparent, maybe Cleveland trades down. Maybe all 5 QB's are available to the Jets at 3. Look I was convinced Mark Sanchez was going to be the one to lead the Jets to the promised land. Maybe they'll take Darnold which means they will have traded up twice in 10 years to draft QB's from USC. Maybe this time will turn out different.

Either way, I'll be watching, like one of those draft nerds I usually make fun of. When your teams suck, this is your version of the Super Bowl.

Have a Great Week

Weekly Mail April 15, 2018

Hey:

Saturday was one of those days that makes you feel extra good to be alive. Sunshine, warm, maybe a bit warmer for April, but since April has been chilly, it felt even better.

Sunday was a different story. This has been just a brutal April.

Anyway, serious stuff first....


MIDDLE EAST: Syria missile attack.

President Trump came on TV Friday night between MacGyver and Hawaii Five-O, to announce the US, along with Britain and France, fired a series of missiles against Syrian targets in retaliation for chemical attacks carried out by Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad.


The first people to come on-line and blast away at Trump for ordering the attack, were the same people who would have blasted him if he came on TV and said "It's the policy of my administration that the United States not get involved in the Syrian conflict."  I couldn't help but shake my head.

Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that what the President did was the right move, in fact, I'm not sure that it was at all. Like President Trump, I was appalled that chemical weapons were used and that innocent children were killed in that horrific way. Like his opponents, I wondered how many of those kids we could have saved with a refugee policy that would have allowed them safe passage to America. As someone who has seen way too many terrorist acts in the past 20 years, I also wondered if we let our immigration laws lax, if we could be potentially letting in foreign terrorists. As a human being, I wondered why a nation as advanced as we say we are couldn't just root out the bad guys and save the good.

Keeping our nose out of Syria, as Trump seemed to say he would do while campaigning, would keep our troops out of a war that no doubt would cost us in blood and treasure with no guarantee of victory. What would be a victory? Over throwing Bashar al-Assad and installing an America friendly government? One thing I know for sure, all the cruise missiles in the world wouldn't guarantee that outcome. Eventually you'd have to have boots on the ground, Doing that in Syria, I'm pretty sure would make what happened in Iraq look like a Sunday picnic.

Yeah, there was a part of me that liked the idea of holding Syria accountable for those atrocities they committed. I still believe in the goodness of our nation, that when evil acts like the one that took place in Syria happen, that we have the power to make those responsible pay.



Scary thing? If the previous 4 paragraphs look familiar, it's because I wrote them last year, almost to the day.  I have no problem holding Syria accountable for whatever atrocities they may do. But if we are just going to use them as a punching bag, like the way Bill Clinton and George W. Bush did to Iraq, I have no interest.

And remember how when he was campaigning he never missed an opportunity to bash the UN? Well here is their chance to prove him wrong.  They already showed some guts, rejecting Russia's calls to condemn the attacks. But now they need to build on the US, Brit and French coalition.

You may not agree with the US getting involved, against I have reservations as well. But chemical attacks against innocent people cannot be tolerated.




DRINKING: There but for the grace of God go I.....


There was a story in Saturday's Post that cracked me up. One of those things that we say, "Oh how could that possibly happen" till we think back on our drinking days and say. "Oh $h-t, that could have happened to me!"

The FDNY was called to the Marshall Stack bar on Rivington Street downtown Friday morning, by a bar patron who passed out in the bathroom the night before, (or earlier that morning.) The staff must not have done a thorough check of the facility to make sure everyone was out  because this poor schmuck found himself locked in with no way out.

Years ago, at one of the bars I hung out in, the owners would lock one of the regulars in after last call, and he'd pass out, then get up a few hours later and start cleaning and restocking the place. That took an awful lot of trust on both sides.

But what happened the other day was simply a young kid, who passed out. he claimed his 12 hour workday had as much to do with his knocking off as did the booze he consumed. Hey, if that's what makes him feel better, let him go with it.

I can't say I ever got locked into a bar, but a couple of times the bartenders did me a solid after last call. I once had the back deck of the High Tides Nightclub in Rockaway to myself, (well me and the young lass I had met that night) until the bartender cleaned up and cashed out. The other famous story was when the great Chris Santangelo of Donovan's, convinced that the Ace and I would never make it across Queens Boulevard in the condition we were in, drove us home after he closed the bar.

So I really don't mean to give this poor slob a hard time. But in this world of 24 hour news cycles and camera phones and social media, getting locked in a bar is a lot more risky than it used to be.

SPORTS: The Low and the High

Walking out of Penn Station Saturday afternoon, my mind went back to around this time the past few years, as the Garden would be buzzing with Ranger playoff hockey.

But alas, there are no playoffs at the Garden this spring. The Rangers as well as the lowly Knicks are finished for the year. Jeff Hornacek, is done permanently as the Knicks coach.  My goodness, is there a franchise in North America in more dire straits than our beloved Knickerbockers?  The Cleveland Browns maybe? I can't really think of anyone who has had a worse time of it in the 21st Century.

And not for nothin, but who in their right mind would want THAT job? There is talk that they are going to invite Villanova coach Jay Wright for an interview, and he would have to have his head examined if he even considered talking to the Knicks. He has a rarity in college hoops; a clean program that is actually good at basketball. Most teams are usually corrupt or lousy and many are both.

Of course there is going to be someone out there who figures if he is the one to lead the Knicks out of the darkness, they'll end up renaming 7th Avenue after them. So someone will take a stab at it. I just really can't see their situation turning around anytime soon.

But then again, I kind of felt that way about the Mets at the end of last year and look at how they have come flying out of the gate!

What's really exciting is that they are doing it with a balanced offense, solid if not spectacular starting pitching and (can you imagine?) a lights out bullpen. Nobody in the starting lineup is hitting over .300, and the starter who had the best start this year so far was Zach Wheeler, who started the season in AAA. Nobody is really standing out, but nobody is sucking it up either.

It's been such a fun thing to see. 12-2, nice start.



I very rarely comment on the Kardashian family because I truly believe they are a waste of life, but if Khloe Kardashian started dating somebody whose partner was pregnant with his child, what made her think he wouldn't do the same thing to her?  When you go fishing in the sewer....


Just one more sports note... Todd Bowles is now the longest tenured head coach/manger of the 9 major NY sports teams. He's been Jets coach since 2015. As I said you need to have your head examined to want to work here.


Lets hope it warms up soon!

Have a Great Week

Weekly Mail April 8, 2018

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter/Passover:




I've said this many times before, but I believe it bears repeating: There are many things I could ask the Pope that are much more important, but probably the thing I would end up asking him is if he could PLEASE have Easter be either the second or third Sunday in April. Having Easter in late March or very early April is an absolute buzzkill. If you are a student/teacher, it means you have to slog through three more months of work. For the rest of us, it usually means freezing our butts off on a day where we look to dress in nice spring outfits. Instead we have to bundle up like we do on Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Speaking of things starting too early, baseball season starting on March 29 was another head scratcher. Don't get me wrong, in some ways baseball couldn't come soon enough, what with another disastrous winter of football and basketball to suffer through, and not even hockey to save us. The Rangers and Islanders both spit the bit this year, and the US Olympic hockey team under performed in South Korea this year.

But starting the baseball season at the end of March is really just asking for trouble. Especially in a year that it looks like we are going to have snow all the way till Memorial Day. March had 4 Nor'easters and April 3 we had 5 inches of snowfall. That April 3 snowstorm postponed the Yankee home opener, forcing them to play in the cold rain the next day.

A priest I knew used to say "Common Sense is very uncommon." That should be the official catchphrase of 2018 so far.

Anyway, I don't have any audience with the Pope scheduled, so I guess I'm S.O.L about Easter, but lets break down our teams on this second Sunday of April..


THE GOOD...

The Mets, healthy and with a new attitude have gotten off to a nice start. I realize it is WAY to early to count on them, but they have been a fun watch so far. And beating the Nats, in Washington nonetheless is always a treat.

The Yankees have also gotten off to a solid start, but some of their fans were up in arms over new manager Aaron Boone use of the bullpen in the first week of the season. Look, I thought they were nuts to turn the team over to a guy who had never managed or coached on any level before, but I'd give him more than a week before we start calling for his head. $h-t, I'm not even that much of a maniac, am I?


THE BAD...

The Rangers decided to mail it in around the beginning of February, are besides a nice three game swing through Western Canada, they have pretty much stunk the place up. Whats worse, they lost all their games to the Islanders this year. When the Mets are in tank mode, which they usually are, all I ask of them is that they beat the Yankees. In 2013, even though they were awful, the Mets swept the season series with the Yanks, and it made that season easier to swallow. And the Yankees are almost always good.

The Islanders, after a couple years of playoff appearances, have regressed to the point where they are in danger of losing their best player. According to two of my Islander sources, (Timmy's babysitter Liz and my Post Colleague Kathianne) the Islanders win over the Rangers at Barclays Center felt an awful lot like a farewell for John Tavares. Look that would be great for me, but for the Islanders, that would be a shame. When they drafted him back in 2010, it was at a time where agents for top prospects were warning the Islanders not to draft their players. JT91 made no such demands, actually said he wanted to play on the Island. And he has stuck it out and been a good no a great representative for the organization. As a Ranger fan, I hope he goes out west somewhere. As a human being, I hope they can work it out for him to stay in Brooklyn/Elmont.

As for my Rangers, well they just did last night what I told them they should do last year and sent Alain Vigneault packing. Last year he literally (IMHO) coached the team right out of the playoffs. This year they tossed in the proverbial towel, so as much as I really don't blame him for this mess, I can't totally defend him either. His first two years here were fun, a trip to the Finals in the first year and a trip to the Semis in year two. The last three seasons haven't been good. Elimination in the first round in 2016, the second round last year (a series they really should have won) and this years disaster. Canning someone after missing the playoffs for the first time seems kind of harsh, but hey, this is NY folks. Go big or go home.

Actually, I believe this is more because the brass feels like they don't want to go through this rebuild with him. He'll no doubt end up behind someone's bench next season. His record is solid and by all accounts he's a genuinely nice guy.

So be it. I wish him the best. But I'm not that sorry to see him go.

THE UGLY:

I honestly can't remember the last time all 4 of my pro teams didn't make the playoffs and my college basketball team (St. John's) didn't make the tournament in a given fall/winter. Actually you can see for yourself right here... http://barroombs.blogspot.com/2018/04/playoffs.html

But that's the case here. Since September 2017, only the Yankees made the playoffs. The Mets,  Jets/Giants, Knicks/Nets and Rangers/Islanders are all going to be teeing off while their sports playoffs roll on without them. (yes I know the Devils made the playoffs, bully for them).

But even one of my five losers have usually manged to at least get into the first round of the playoffs. Not this year. Hopefully my Mets keep it up, and the fall/winter of 18-19 is more fun, but there's a lot of baseball left.  We shall see.


MEDIA: WFAN vs. The World

Mike Francesa and Chris Russo had a mini Mike and the Mad Dog reunion on March 29th edition of High Heat on the MLB Network. After Fatso and Fruit Loops gave their annual over/under predictions for the upcoming baseball season, Russo started woofing on their former station, saying "they’ve got nobody on” after Boomer. That was clearly a shot at not only the new afternoon drive show, but Joe and Evan in the midday as well. 

“Oh, we can make fun of FAN all day,” Russo said.

Esiason took exception to the dig, firing back at Russo and Francesa for being "classless."

Francesa didn't say much so I'll spare him, but Russo was classless. But he's been classless before. He once told Al Leiter he'd show up to support his "stupid charity" That stupid charity was for kids of 9/11 victims.

Dick!

WFAN program director Mark Chernoff said that "knowing Dog, I think Dog thought he was being funny. It wasn't funny." That's probably it, but at this point of his career, he should know better. As Esiason's new co-host Greg Gianatti said, "They've (been on the air for 2 1/2 months, and they have been genuflecting to those two, our afternoon show now, nothing but respect they've shown to those two...nothing but respect they've shown those guys. I mean it's totally uncalled for. It really was."

Gio was right.

The problem is so are Jerk and the Fatman.

Because that new afternoon show, really has been awful.

I had to stop listening to it for a while... How much more talk about Odell Beckam Jr. could I listen to? Bart Scott knows nothing about any other sport besides football. Chris Carlin is a good straight man, but you need someone with some personality to be a good straight person. Maggie Gray knows her stuff, but is hopelessly dull.

If I'm Mark Chernoff, I send Bart Scott packing forthwith. I'd then move Joe and Evan to afternoon drive and put Carlin and Maggie on in the midday. Maggie could be excellent with some practice. Joe and Evan have paid their dues and deserve a shot at afternoon drive. (Even Francesa acknowledged this during the vetting process). Bart Scott never going to be anything more than a football guy, and as Russo (correctly) pointed out, Scott tried to lead a media boycott when he was with the Jets.

Bernard McGirk and Sid Rosenberg's Bernie and Sid show replaced Imus in the Morning last Monday, and Sid, who had been hoping to replace Francesa before he was considered to replace Imus, took the Mad Dog's side.

..."Boomer, it’s very nice that he’s loyal and on the air he says one thing, but there’s no way if you shoot Boomer Esiason up with truth serum and take him in a corner somewhere he’s not going to tell you the afternoon show isn’t a disaster.”

I love Sid, but I think he's rationale was off. Yes, the show sucks, but Mike and the Mad Dog should take the high road. Either come back to the FAN and do the show, or shut the f--k up.

Think that's all I got folks.

Have a Great Week