Hey:
I ran into a good friend of mine the other night. His daughter goes to the same camp as Timmy does. He was lamenting how we are coming up on halfway through the summer. Some of the kids at camp only go for 1/2 the time, and their last day was Friday.
My friend and I are about the same age and we usually work throughout the summer. Technically, the Tuesday after Labor Day is just the first day back after a 3 day weekend for us. Yet, he was saying he gets that same rotten feeling that day that I get; that "the summer's over, it's back to school" feeling that I just hate so much.
I know we have another month to go, and I'm happy about that. It just seems every year the summer goes by faster and faster.
Anyway, let's enjoy it while we can. Onto the week that was...
GREAT ESCAPES- The Running of the Bull..
A 1,500 pound bull escaped from a farm in Moriches on Tuesday and as of this writing is still at large.
According to Newsday, it is widely believed that the missing bull is in the area of Shirley/Mastic, NY.
It's hard to believe in this day and age, and in this part of the country for crying out loud, that nobody can find this thing, much less reign it in. Searchers are pulling out all the stops, from the hi-tech (helicopters, drones, thermal cameras) to what would probably work for most of us dudes if they were trying to haul us in, good old fashioned sex. Indeed, they sent a cow in heat out to see if she could appeal to the bull's libido.
But so far, no dice.
This has got to be the smartest bull known to man, if he can survive out in Suffolk County by hiding out. While it's more open out there than even in Nassau or Westchester, (much less NY City) it's also not Little House on the Prairie either. 1,500 pound bulls aren't roaming the streets. He would stick out if you saw him. I really can't believe they are having these many issues finding him.
The folks tracking him down have named him Barney. A Newsday poll gave him the name Bully Joel, named after another famous Suffolk County resident. (My late grandmother also pronounced my name closer to Bully than Billy-so this also touched the heart a bit too)
Barney or Bully Joel should really count his blessings that he's up here in NY and not down below the Mason-Dixon line. If this $h-t was happening down South, he'd be long captured by now. Someone down there with an arsenal of weapons would have hunted this big boy down by early Wednesday morning at the latest, and would be preparing the feast of all feast BBQ for Sunday dinner. There would be steak for the whole family, and they'd be thanking the Father, Son, Holy Ghost and Donald Trump for the feast they were about to partake of.
In all seriousness, if/when the bull is captured, he'll be taken to a sanctuary, so it will be a feel good story. Nobody here in NY wants Bully Joel on a bun.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Games of the 32nd Olympiad
The 2020 Summer Olympics, being held now in 2021 and taking place in Tokyo, Japan, kicked off last week. There were a slew of events that took place even before the Opening ceremonies that took place Friday morning, or if you waiting for the tape delay, Friday evening. I did neither, as I had to work Friday morning and chose to watch the Mets Friday night. Separate commentary on the Opening Ceremonies from my friends Ed Robinson and Keri-Ann Hart kept be both in the loop and highly entertained.
I can't really get into these Olympics, though I'm sure if I happen on a track and field event, or a basketball game I'll probably watch. The 13 hour time difference, the lack of fannies in the seats (due to COVID protocols) and really just a general lack of enthusiasm on my part is why I can't get to up for any of these events. The US Women's soccer team lost to Sweden in their opening match, I don't know if they were fed a slice of humble pie or if they simply decided to mail it in. They bounced back to beat New Zealand on Saturday.
To me the most interesting story coming out of Tokyo is this story about the cardboard beds in the athletes dorms in the Olympic Village.
Cardboard beds?
This of course led to speculation that the organizers of the Games were looking to prevent any hanky-panky between the athletes and/or the groupies that love them. Indeed, according to Yahoo News, officials came up with a "playbook" that outlines safety measures and advises athletes to "avoid unnecessary forms of physical contact such as hugs, high-fives and handshakes."
So if they don't even want you shaking hands, it stands to reason they don't want you getting laid either. But apparently that's got nothing to do with the cardboard beds.
They were brought because they are lighter, but considered more durable than regular beds, plus they are made from recycled materials. Rhys McClenaghan, an Irish gymnast, jumped on his bed to show that athletes could do the nasty on them if they were so inclined.
Let's face it, if two people want to tango, they'll find a way, either on the cardboard bed, or the floor or the shower or wherever. That's been going on since the Garden of Eden. Maybe, if they really wanted to play it safe, they could have held off the Games for another year, get more vaccines into people. But in this case, as in most cases, money talks.
BASEBALL: Mets and Yankees Observations
Saturday marked the 17th anniversary of the Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway Park where Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Sawx catcher Jason Varitek started a bench clearing brawl. As a runner for the Post, I got to interview fans from both teams who were getting kicked out of Fenway for various infractions.
Here is a link to our Bar Room B.S. report on July 24, 2004
Interestingly the Bronx Bombers are once again up in Boston, this weekend, though this time they are 9 games out of first as opposed to 2004 when they were 9 games up at this time. Plus it was a two horse race back then, this year, they also have the Rays to contend with, who just traded for big bopper Nelson Cruz.
Speaking of trades, the Mets pulled off a minor but significant deal on Friday, bringing in journeyman 41 year old Rich Hill from Tampa for two minor leaguers. Hill's not going to get anyone's juices flowing like let's say Jose Berrios of the Twins might, but at least we have a 4th or 5th starter till we get Jacob deGrom and Carlos Carrasco back. Carrasco pitched for AAA Syracuse last week and got shelled, but I didn't care about that. His arm didn't fall off, I'll take that as a victory.
BTW: There was a bit of an uproar this week during the Mets games vs the Reds in Cincinnati. They showed the Skyline Chili concession stand at Great American Ballpark and Gary Cohen described it in somewhat unflattering terms. It's essentially chili, grated cheese, sugar, cinnamon and onions over spaghetti. My wife as many of you know went to college in Ohio and spent some time in Cincinnati. She assured me that Skyline Chili tastes just as disgusting as it looks.
CARTOONS: Peppa Pig Syndrome
COVID-19 has had many life altering effects, so here's one more.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, kids during the pandemic watched Peppa Pig so much, that they began speaking in British accents and using decidedly British terms such as Water Closet (for the bathroom) Holiday (for Vacation) and Mummy instead of Mommy.
When Timmy was younger I loved watching Peppa Pig with him. I even more enjoyed watching it with Timmy and Becky at my parents house and watching my sister Katie go crazy over it.
"Do they have to snort every time they speak?" She would ask incredulously.
Peppa is the oldest of Daddy and Mommy Pig's 2 kids, the youngest is Peppa's baby brother George, who throws a sh-tfit whenever he doesn't get his way.
According to the WSJ, Peppa Pig was the second most in demand cartoon after Spongebob Squarepants during the pandemic. Who knows, maybe some of our younger kids will grow up to sound like Patrick Stewart and Dame Judi Dench.
The family a couple doors down from us has a little daughter about 3 years old and the mom is pregnant with a boy. We asked the little girl what she wanted to name her brother, and she said George.
LOL.
Stay Safe
and Have a Great Week
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