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