Weekly Mail May 28, 2018

Hello:

We took last week off to attend Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle's* wedding in London.  Ahh, just kidding, I didn't get up early enough to watch it. I remember watching William and Kate's wedding, because I had an overnight job at the time and it was happening just as I was getting home, but nope, didn't see this one.

We were at a first communion party in Maspeth, followed by 5 o'clock Mass back at the old stomping grounds, St. Mary's. Then just a fun Saturday night with Tara and Timmy.

So what's been happening.


BEACH CLOSING: Rockaway gets screwed again.

City officials announced last week that an 11 block stretch of Rockaway Beach will be closed due to beach erosion. Looking at pictures of the beach on-line, it kind of makes sense. There isn't a ton of room between the boardwalk and the water, so pumping sand in there is probably in everyone's best interests.

Of course it begs the question, Why now? Why couldn't this be worked on sooner than a few days before the start of the season? Or, or or, why not announce the closing a couple months in advance so that the local businesses could adjust accordingly.


It's not like they woke up last week and discovered this was going to be an issue.


Indeed, a report by J. David Goodman in the Times (yes, I'm sourcing the NY Times, will wonders never cease?)  says that officials in the DeBlasio administration have known for over a year that the aforementioned section of beach was in dire need of re-enforcement.

However, as he has done fairly consistently over the 4.5 years of his administration, the Dope from Park Slope has dropped the ball.

Now in his defense, the DFPS wasn't alone in neglecting the issue, and in fact the article goes to some lengths to say that he actually made an effort to get it resolved. It points out that he has visited Rockaway two of the last three years to praise the peninsula's comeback from Superstorm Sandy, that he pushed the Army Corps of Engineers to push up a timetable to begin building new stone groynes and adding even more sand. That project was slated to begin in two years.

So maybe he gave it an effort, but the bottom line is the city waited till the Wednesday before the opening weekend of the season to make this announcement. And I can't help but wonder if he would have waited this long if it was something that was going to affect Manhattan or his beloved Burrough of Brooklyn.

And there is blame to go around too. The Army Corp of Engineers who are dragging their feet, Governor Cuomo, originally a Queens kid himself, who seems to care about Rockaway as much as DeBlasio does. According to Mark C. Healey in the Rockaway Wave, the city hired a firm to study the problem. Santiago Alfageme of engineering firm Moffatt and Nichol reported that "the volume of sand that was added in 2014 and the current shoreline position make the beach areas better off now."

Well there you have it. Open up the beaches and let's party!

But of course, what common everyday Rockaway folks could see clearly, this (I'm sure) highly paid engineering firm couldn't. Or wouldn't.

Calling Martin, Terrence, and Sean Tubridy long time friends, doesn't quite do it justice, as they are more like extended cousins of mine. Well, they had a mock funeral on the beach Friday (bagpiper included) burying the Rockaway economy. While I agree this is going to put a huge damper on things, I know Rockaway will bounce back from this. They came back from Superstorm Sandy, they came back from devastating losses on 9/11, hell, I remember when I worked in Baskin Robbins, watching the protests as 116th Street became flophouse central. They bounced back from all that, and stronger, they'll bounce back from this.

The point is.... they shouldn't have had to.


It's Memorial Day Weekend, the weather's getting hotter. Time to talk hockey!!!


HOCKEY: New local bosses and an amazing Finals Story.


RANGERS- Wasn't quite sure what was taking them so long to find a coach, but this week they tapped David Quinn, late of Boston University to take over the coaching reigns from Alain Vigneault.

Quinn led B.U. to the 2015 NCAA Title game where they fell to Providence, and is being touted as a no nonsense kind of guy, in contrast to the man he's replacing. And isn't that always the way? Tom Renney was a pussycat, John Torterella a hard a$$. AV was laid back and now this guy "Holds players accountable." That happens with the Jets too, right? Al Groh comes in tough, goes out an a-hole. Herm Edwards comes in a players coach, goes out a pushover. Eric Mangini comes in no nonsense, goes out pig headed, Rex Ryan comes in fun loving goes out clueless.
But I digress.

Look, I don't know a thing about this guy, but if he does live up to his attributes, the Rangers should be more focused, more disciplined and hopefully the rebuild won't take as long. I don't have much of a choice, not being in the playoffs was a real f-cking bummer this year.

ISLANDERS- Even though several reports after he left the Maple Leafs said he had no interest in them, Lou Lamoriello was hired as President of Hockey Operations by the Fishsticks last Tuesday.
Now, just getting Garth Snow the hell out of dodge would make this a win for Brooklyn/Nassau, but as of this writing, it's not clear that Lamoriello intends to send Snow packing. And remember something, the only reason Snow became Isles GM in the first place was because then owner Charles Wang decided Neil Smith, the only GM in the last 78 years to win a Stanley Cup on Broadway, wasn't good enough.

There's no questioning Lamoriello's resume though. A three time Cup winner with the Devils, Lamoriello made moves that sometimes left me head scratching, but almost always turned up aces. And I can't believe I didn't realize this, but Lamoriello was also the AD at Providence who hired a dude named Rick Pitino to coach the basketball team. (This was many years prior to Pitino taking to doing the wild thing on Italian Restaurant tables)

Most recently, Lamoriello helped lead the turnaround of one of the NHL signature franchises, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs are now on year 51 without a Cup, and I'm still hoping they top my Rangers 54 year drought. (after that, I'll root 'em on. As Mike Viccaro points out, a Leafs Stanley Cup win would rival the Cubbies winning the World Series or Cleveland winning a title of any kind in terms of excitement and national interest) But thanks to Lamoriello, they are a lot closer than they have been in a while.

As a Ranger fan, this is a lousy development. As a decent human being, I'm happy for my Islander fan friends and family.**


GOLDEN KNIGHTS- In their first season back in 1962, the Mets, made up of mostly past their prime Dodgers and Giants, lost a still standing record 120 games, finishing a whopping 60.5 games behind the pennant winning Giants (There were no divisions back then) Fast forward 12 years later, in their first season, the Washington Capitals won a measly 8 out of 80 games (67 losses 5 ties), the worst record in the history of the NHL.

And now, those same Washington Capitals are about to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Finals. Like the 62 Mets and the 74-75 Caps, the Golden Knights are an expansion team playing in their first season.

Alas, that's about all they have in common. For the Knights have not only advanced to the Cup Finals in their first year, they did so by compiling one of the league's best records. Unheard of.

A ton of credit has to go to Knights GM George McPhee, who obviously uncovered several diamonds in the rough, including goalie Marc-Andre Fluery, who has finally lived up to the promise he never quite showed with the Penguins. Their coach Gerard Gallant should be the unanimous choice for coach of the year.

I don't know if having a first year expansion team advancing to the sports championship round is necessarily a good thing, it seems to disrupt the order of the universe***, but I do know that I don't want the Caps winning the Cup. I believe the Caps and Penguins are Gary Bettman's two favorite teams.  He'd be thrilled to hand the Cup to Alex Ovechkin. I really don't want to see that happen.



         **BOOK REVIEW**BOOK REVIEW**BOOK REVIEW**BOOK REVIEW**

I'm Keith Hernandez A Memoir
By: Keith Hernandez

Was anxiously awaiting this book, figuring he'd have some good stories to tell.
And he did.

He took the reader through his childhood, his minor league days and his first few years with the Cardinals. Then in alternating chapters he comes back to the present to offer his $0.02 about the state of the game today (replay reviews and sabermetrics for example). Whether or not you agree with him, his takes are interesting.

My only real beef with the book is that he gets as far as the 1980 season, which is three years prior to his being traded to the Mets. But the stories he does tell are captivating. I won't give anything away here, but I will offer this bit of friendly advice.. If you are planning on having sex with Mr. Hernandez, I would strongly recommend you bring protection and that your immunizations are up to date. (jus sayin)

3.5 Auggies. (Could have been 4.5 if he talked about his Mets career more)




********************************************************************************
And finally on this Memorial Day Weekend...

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
From For the Fallen by Lawrence Binyon



Have a Great Week











* My 3 year old niece Finley's preschool teacher is Miss Megan Moffitt. I can't help referring to the new Duchess of  Sussex as Miss Meghan Markle. No disrespect intended.

** These include my wife, in-laws, Tim's babysitter Lizzie and ace Post reporter Kathianne Boniello. 

***But this is the NHL, and it's not even the first time an expansion team qualified for the Stanley Cup Final. In 1968, the league expanded from 6 to 12 teams and the 6 new teams were placed in their own conference. The Finals were guaranteed to include an expansion team (I'll take really bad ideas for $500 Alex.) ALSO-I was reminded recently that this was the 30 year anniversary of the time Devils Coach Jim Schoenfeld was suspended for confronting ref Don Koharski (have another donut). And when the Devils got an injunction to let Schoenfeld coach, that night's refs went on strike. The league president was on vacation in Europe and couldn't be reached-during his sport's conference finals! 

Weekly Mail May 13, 2018

Hello There:



Friday night I met up with my two best men Karl (the Ace) Ludwig and Razor Ray McGarvey down at the Barrow Street Ale House, (interestingly enough) on Barrow Street in the West Village. The three of us had a bunch of memories there. Ace and I once met Norm MacDonald there in 1995, and if you think he mumbles when he's sober, you should hear him when he's had a few. Another night I was there with Mary and Ray a few days before our first trip to Canada, and I saw a cat creeping around, which skeeved me out. When I thought the filthy feline was rubbing against my leg, I jumped a mile in the air. The cat was nowhere to be found, and the McGarvey siblings had a story to tell for the next 20 years.

Well, there were no celebrity sightings or cat attacks (imagined or otherwise) Friday night, just three buds catching up and having a mellow good time. Again, we left around the time we used to just be getting started, as evidenced by the lines out the doors of the various bars and clubs.  Looking at all the 20 somethings hanging out, I said "I feel really old." To which Ray replied, "Old is just a state of mind, Wild Bill"

He's right.
But so was I.
LOL



BASEBALL: Mets Mess:

When I was a kid and would be playing baseball (or some variation of it) on the beach in Rockaway, every once in a while someone would try to bat out of order. Someone on the other team would yell out "Hey, no CBO's!"

As I was heading out of my office on Wednesday for lunch, I got an ESPN alert that read:
"Mets bat out of order in the first inning vs Reds to end potential rally."

And I really thought someone was playing a joke on me. I thought "How on earth could that even happen in a Major League baseball game?" I don't even remember that happening while playing CYO, where the only place the lineup was kept was the book. There wasn't a billion dollar scoreboard in center field telling you who was up, what their slash line was and if they preferred David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar.

It wasn't until I turned the radio on and got the explanation from Howie Rose and Josh Lewin that manager Mickey Calloway had written out two lineup cards and submitted the wrong one that it started to make sense. But even still wrapping my head around this one was tough.

And look, I saw what George Steinbrenner did to the Yankees throughout the 80's with his carousel of managers, but my first instinct was that was a fire-able offense. Why the f-ck would you fill out two cards, and if so, why not destroy the one you are not going to use?

It didn't help that the Mets ended up dropping the game to the lowly Reds 2-1, wasting another decently pitched game. It's also not helping that at the same time my Mets are imploding and can't even hand the right line-up to the umpire, the Yankees are becoming unbeatable.

I really can't take another baseball season like the one we had last year. I know it's not life and death but really, can't we just have another solid pennant race? Is it too much to ask to still be in contention on Memorial Day? Jeez!


POLITICS: No Shame.

Back when Donald Trump was running for President, he remarked that John McCain wasn't really a hero because Trump "preferred people who weren't captured." I didn't defend Trump for his asinine remark, but I did say that it overshadowed a point I actually agreed with the talking Cheeto on. That McCain's record on voting for veterans benefits was awful, especially so given what he went through in Vietnam.

But this piece of $h-t on President Trump's staff who remarked that McCain's planned nay vote on CIA Director Nominee Gina Haspel "Doesn't matter because he's dying anyway" makes what Trump said back in 2015 seem tame in comparison. That this person has been allowed to keep their job is an absolute sin. All of you know I've tried to stay away from writing about this kind of stuff because a) I don't want to give it credence and b) I could write one of these finger wagging articles, taking either Trump or one of his minions to task over some stupid remark, pretty much on a daily basis.  Either I should write about all of them or none of them.

But this one hit home for many reasons. McCain is a Vietnam war hero of who is dying of brain cancer. That sound familiar?

I'm not going to mention this skank by name, but I will say this, if Trump doesn't fire her, I hope she gets hit by a bus.



All right, we need to lighten it up here....

Oh here we go, (you may not want to read this if you are eating)



PUBLIC POOPING: NJ School Boss busted

Holmdel High School had a problem.

Seemed like someone was leaving a little present for the football and track teams every morning. A brown smelly present. According to officials, the putrid pile was being left "on a daily basis."

Surveillance cameras were set up to catch whoever was dropping anchor on the high school track, and lo and behold, it turned out to be the superintendent of the school district!

According to NJ.com, Thomas Tramaglini, who the paper pointed out multiple times makes $147,504 a year, was arrested April 30 on charges of lewdness and public urination/defecation in Holmdel, NJ.

Tramaglini was placed on administrative leave. His lawyer Matthew S. Adams told NJ.com that his client "looks forward to his day in court when he can rebut some of the falsehoods that have been portrayed about him in the media"

That damn fake media again.  

If I didn't have a real job and I was still had my days off during the week, I'd take the trip to Holmdel on the May 30th, to see what this guy has to say. Does he have a note from his doctor? Did he leave his peeing/pooping license at home? (The same one Jerry Seinfeld said he had in the famous Seinfeld episode The Parking Lot?) Did the camera catch the wrong pooper?

If this Adams fellow manages to clean up this mess (seewhatididthere?) he may be in line for a position in the White House. Lord knows the administration could use a lawyer who blames the media and deals with $hit on a daily basis.


And last but not least, I'd like to salute all the mothers out there today, especially mine and my wife. They say money makes the world go round, but that's bull. It's the moms of the world that make this world what it is. I hope all of you had a wonderful mothers day and God Bless you for all you do.

Everyone else, Have a Great Week

Weekly Mail May 6, 2018

Hey There:

Was out in Bethpage Sunday morning watching Timmy play lacrosse, our latest sports adventure.  And not that I'm complaining, because let's face it, from the day he was born, these were the days I was looking forward to, seeing him play in a team sport, but it seemed to be like watching a Yankee-Red Sox game, which is to say it seemed to go on forever. It was actually about an hour and a half, two hours all told with warm ups and stuff, but it seemed longer.

Part of the problem was the weather wasn't that nice, (though the rain held off thank God), but also because much like when he played soccer, I had nary a clue as to what's going on. I mean I have a basic idea; it's kind of like hockey, without ice and a net on your stick instead of a blade, but I'm clueless as to the rules. Also, you can't see the clock, the ref keeps the time on the field.

But Timmy did have a secondary assist on one of the goals so that much I know. And when the passing is done right, that to me is as exciting as the goal scoring, so its a fun game to watch. I really do hope this is his jam. But either way, were going to enjoy the ride while it lasts.




SPORTS: End of the Dark Knight Era

Joe Namath's guarantee. Reggie Jackson's three home runs. Mark Messier's guarantee followed by a natural hat trick. David Tyree's catch.

They are all magical NY sports moments. Moments that turned the participants immortal. Never again would any of the above have to buy a drink in this town if they didn't want to. Namath and Messier backed up promises to win. Tyree made an impossible catch to put the Patriots dream of an undefeated season to bed. Reggie carried the 77 Yankees over the finish line.

Which is what Matt Harvey tried to do during Game 5 of the 2015 World Series. He had pitched his heart out for 8 shutout innings. About to be taken out, he talked Terry Collins into letting him go out there and finish what he started. Mind you, this wasn't to win the World Series, merely to get it to Game 6, to get one more win at home, to at least give the fans at Citi Field that night something they would remember the rest of their lives.

When Harvey emerged from the dugout that night, I felt like I could hear that stadium roar all the way from my house in Oceanside. I thought it was the right move. If he had been able to shut them down, Harvey would have been right up there with the above referenced heroes, especially if they came back and won the whole thing.

But alas they didn't. And from there on in, Harvey star plummeted till this past Friday where he was designated for assignment after he refused to go to the minors.

I would have loved to see a healthy, focused starting 5 of Syndergaard, deGrom, Harvey, Matz and Wheeler for an entire season, each pitching at their peak. I've seen each of these guys pitch at their peak and it's scary how good they could be.

Which is why I'm sad to see Harvey go, but I do believe it was the right call. He seemed more interested in partying that trying to win. Look, I say it all the time, one of my favorite quotes was made from one of my least favorite people. Ted Turner said "There's a fine line between being colorful and being an a$$hole." If you are an athlete, especially in this town, that line is winning. Odell Beckham Jr. goes partying on a boat in Miami the week before a Giant playoff game. Max McGee of the Packers gets cockeyed the night before Super Bowl I back in 1967. McGee is called a hero and OBJ a bum. Why? McGee caught two TD passes (admitting he saw two balls coming at him) in a Packers win and Beckham did bupkis in a Giants loss.

You can party like a rockstar in this town if you win. If you lose, you better keep your ear to the ground, your nose to the grindstone and your mouth shut. Harvey did none of the above and now he's gone. Sad.

But necessary.


POVERTY: Congressman slumming it in the office.

So I found this story quite interesting. The Post reported last week that Congreeman Dan Donovan a Republican from Staten Island sleeps on a cot in his office because he can't afford an apartment in Washington DC.

“If we go to the point where you have to rent or have to buy [in DC], then only millionaires would be members of Congress,’’ he said. “I don’t think that was the intent of our Founding Fathers.”

And he's not the only one. Doing a quick Google search of Congressman Living in Office, stories going back to as early as 2011 show many of our elected officials using their offices as apartments.

The problem I have is that these guys are making $174,000 a year. Most of us aren't making nearly that much scratch for a full year of work with a couple weeks off, never mind 9 months or so of work. According to the Senate's 2018 calendar, 13 weeks a year are for "state work" in other words, Congress isn't in session those weeks.

Maybe I could look the other way on these dopes if Congress wasn't such a mess. You may hate Trump, you may have hated Obama, but one thing I think all of us can agree on is how dysfunctional Congress is. And I'm sorry, if you're not smart enough to get your bills paid on 174K, you shouldn't be in charge of the country's money either.


POLITICS: Sticks and stones....

So I still haven't bothered to watch a replay of the White House Correspondents Dinner. I should, because I keep hearing all this stuff about it. Apparently the featured entertainer, Michelle Wolf (who I must confess I have never heard of) said some nasty stuff about White House Press Secretary Sara Sanders. This has the right up in a roar and the left calling them wimps. Basically the same thing that happens when the shoe is on the other foot. (See Don Imus vs. the Clintons 1996).

I really thought the whole point of the dinner was to break the chops of the administration in office at the time. I realize they went easy on Barrack Obama, but George W. Bush and the aforementioned Bill Clinton got roasted pretty good. The difference was that both Bush and Clinton were there to offer retorts. Trump had another one of his Saturday Night rallies somewhere in Michigan.

So here's my $0.02. Again not really having watched any of it...

Sara Sanders is an adult and a public official and therefore shouldn't be exempt from getting teased at this thing. I can also say that Michelle Wolf is going to pick on someone for their looks, she shouldn't mind if someone does it to her. Because she's not exactly a supermodel herself.

And also, if this dinner is going to cause so many hurt feelings, maybe it's time we did away with it once and for all. Also, maybe we call can try being a bit nicer to each other. Since I'm not optimistic that either of those things are going to happen anytime soon, I suggest we all do what Denis Leary suggested and grab a f-cking helmet. And give as good as you get.


That's all folks

Have a Great Week