Weekly Mail May 29, 2022

 

Hi everyone:

Thank you for reading my special about the horrible tragedy in Uvalde, Texas that I posted last night. I didn't feel right speaking about that and then going into my usual news of the week. I felt that merited a separate post. It's just unbelievable that this can still happen, that it does still happen here in America. 

We try to push on. Several of us have kids who are graduating this year, either from grammar school, middle school, high school or college. If this applies to you, congratulations. We're celebrating an 8th grade graduation in a few weeks. I can't believe we're going to have a kid in high school come September, I feel like we just brought him home from the hospital last week. 

Whether or not you have someone graduating, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you to hug them a bit tighter. I'm sure you all have done so already. 

Hopefully we can help ease some of this pain, but first more bad news....

RIP-Ray Liotta (1954-2022)

Was shocked to hear of the death of one of my favorite actors on Thursday. What an unbelivable verastile talent he was. 

Sure, many times he played the tough guy, bad ass, like he did as Henry Hill in Goodfellas, perhaps his signature role. Or the innocence and genuine enthusiasm he brought as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams. He played good guys and bad guys, sometimes in the same role. He did TV and films. And nobody seemed to ever have a bad thing to say about him.

And upon hearing of his passing, I couldn't help but think of something else he did.... A commercial for Chantix, a smoke cessation aid. You remember the commercial. Chantix had done several other commercials with ordinary people who came on and said, "I'm so and so and I quit smoking with Chantix."

Then one day there was Ray Liotta who came on and said "I'm Ray and I quit smoking with Chantix"  

And the crazy thing is, I believed him. 

The even crazier think is my longtime (and not old) friend Ed Robinson and one of his friends had the same thoughts as I did. How Liotta put himself out there. I'm sure he didn't need the money, nor did he need to admit to the world that he struggled to quit smoking, something millions of people struggle with every day. 

Met star Pete Alonso and Walker Buehler of the Dodgers are both doing Car Shield ads, and while Ed reminded me that the Polar Bear was in a big car accident this past off-season, I'm sure neither him or Buehler, (Buehler? Buehler?-sorry I couldn't resist) are depending on Car Shield to pay for a new alternator. I'm sure they got that money in their seat cushions.

And my man Joe Namath is on TV talking about getting Medicare to deliver home cooked meals to his house in Florida. Broadway Joe hasn't paid for a meal since the Jets won Super Bowl III, which I need not remind anyone was 53 years ago.

But Liotta just seemed to be so genuine, that I really think he used this product to help him quit, then decided to help other people do the same. I could be wrong, but he really did seem like that kind of man. Honest, caring, genuine. 

Real.

Not too many you can say that about in Hollywood. RIP

Two other people of note who passed this week-- Alan White was the drummer for Yes, and the longest remaining member in the band. But prior to joining Yes, he was the drummer in John Lennon's Plastic Ono band, the drummer on Imagine. Imagine is in my all time top 10 songs, and the drumming on that track was done to perfection. 

Also Depeche Mode founder Andy Fletcher died this week at age 60. I can't hear a Depeche Mode song and not think of my Baskin-Robbins days in the early 90's, where changing the store radio off of WDRE was punishable by being locked in the freezer for an hour and a half. 

NHL: Rangers Still Going

This Rangers-Hurricaines series has been something else.

It's not just simply that the home team has won every contest, that's unusual enough, but not impossible, I've seen that happen before.

What's weird is how lousy each team has played in the other team's barn. 

Really except for Game 1, where the Blueshirts controlled the play for 2 and 1/4 periods in Raliegh, the other games were either not close, or not as close as the score indicated. 

The Rangers were totally outclassed in Game 2, they never really once threatened Annti Raanta. And coming off two strong games at the Garden, they fell apart in Game 5 too. First they let the Caines score an inexcusable short handed goal. They tied it up and then seemed to have taken the lead on a Ryan Strome goal, only to have the goal disallowed after a replay showed the Rangers were offsides on the play.  After that, it was like the air came out of their sails.

Carolina's a good team, make no mistake. That defense they play can be suffocating. But they look like the 2003 Devils at home and the 2022 Devils on the road. Again, I can't remember ever seeing that much disparity in the NHL playoffs before.

So now the Rangers, backs to the wall once again, have to try to beat Carolina in a place where they look almost unbeatable.  The Rangers are young, one of the concerns going into these playoffs was that their lack of experience would haunt them. Well, this will now be their 14th playoff game this year, hopefully that's enough experience to know what they are up against playing in a hostile arena. 

Hopefully, they have learned enough to change the narrative. 

I haven't really been following much of the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial in Washington DC. My co-workers at the hospital have been filling me in. I heard the case finally went to the jury on Friday afternoon. I know it's not even close, but I feel like this case is going on as long as the OJ trial did. I'm wondering if this is what George W. Bush had in mind when he campaigned in 2004 about how tort reform would single-handedly kickstart the country's economy. OK, I'm not sure he really ever said that, but that was the theme of almost every speech he gave that year. Anyway, in case you are wondering, I'm not on team Johnny or team Amber, I'm on team. Let's Get This Over With so I don't have to hear any more about it. 

Speaking of George W., on Tuesday the FBI arrested  Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, 52,      an Iraqi man living in Ohio on a visa, for his role in a plot to kill our 43rd President. According to the Washington Post, Shihab3 (my name for him) told an FBI informant that he was surveilling the former President's Texas home. He was also looking to smuggle a team of 4 Iraqis into the US from Mexico and secure vehicle penetrating weapons. 

Some critics will look at this as a reason to enhance border security and I can't say that I blame them. On the other hand, it also shows me that the system in place is working. There was an FBI informant with this creep at all times and he never even got close to completing his mission. Obviously we need to stay vigilant, but again, I think this shows that we are. 

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. 

For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon

We'll always be grateful to those who sacrificed their lives to keep us free. 

Sadly however, this could also apply to those we lost in Texas last Tuesday. 

Stay Safe (please)

and Have a Great Week 

Weekly Mail Special

 

        After President Biden had addressed the nation on Tuesday night in the wake of yet another horrific day in America, I watched as CNN's Anderson Cooper interviewed Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, FL. Of the many things he said to Cooper, one stuck out to me...he challenged anyone watching or even in CNN's studio to name one victim from Parkland, from Sandy Hook, or any of the other mass school shootings that have plagued this nation since Columbine back in 1999. 

I'll be the first to admit, the first to plead, guilty as charged. And I'll tell you why.

Especially after Sandy Hook, when the newspapers, magazines and all social media put the pictures of the victims up. The Daily News, I believe, put pictures up of all 20 of the kids that were slaughtered that day on their front page. I should know their names, I should know them and never forget them. 

But when I looked at that front page, what I saw looking back at me was 20 pictures of my son

My niece, my nephew. All my friends kids. Any kid that was in my life at that point in time.

And it happened again when I looked at these pour souls that were murdered on Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas.  Once again, I saw my kid, my nephews and nieces. All of them. 

And I know for a fact I can't be the only person who this happens to. Shit, I can't believe there is anyone out there who this DOESN"T happen to. 

And yet here we are. 

And we're here because of this stubborn refusal to acknowledge the gun menace in this country. 

I've tried. I've tried to see both sides on this. I've tried to reason with the folks who are so protective of the 2nd Amendment, that they are almost willing to look the other way when these slaughters occur. I've tried to understand the people who think they can only feel safe if they have the arsenal of a small nation in their garages. 

This animal who massacred these babies paid $2000 for his semi-automatic rifle, and bought 375 rounds of ammunition. 375 rounds? Where did the people who sold him this stuff think he was going, off to Ukraine to fight the Russians?  One would think that anyone who sold this kind of firepower to a 17 year old should be locked up with the key tossed away right?

Wrong.

Because they can hide behind the 2nd amendment.

Because they have politicians who are in the back pockets of the NRA. Who won't do a thing to make this issue go away. 

And I saw all the excuses, man. I sure did. The usual crap. Mental health issues. Poor parenting. Everything but the fact that this cretin had an AR-15 and 375 rounds of ammo. 

And if I have to explain to anyone why a car, which yes, has been used to commit murder, is different than an automatic rifle, I mean, you can't possibly be that blind can you? 

What I don't get, what I will NEVER get is, how can we let this happen to our kids? Parenting is hard, believe me I know. I know I've made some mistakes as a parent, we all have. And I've yet to meet anyone who has a child who hasn't made it priority number one to protect them at all costs. 

Except there are some who won't speak out or speak up or do anything to stop the gun epidemic in this country. They'll say it's just more liberal babbling. Fine.

I'm not going to stop, I'm not going to back off.  When I look at those kids from Uvalde, Texas, I see all the kids I know looking back at me.

I don't want someone I don't know one day staring at a picture of kids cut down by a maniac with an AR-15, and see my kid or kids that I love looking back at them for real. 

Weekly Mail May 22, 2022

 

Hi Everyone:

Thursday night we had our 4th Running for Rebecca, our second one at (the park formerly known as) Maurice Park. It was amazing, it rained for a good part of the morning and even into the afternoon it was still overcast. As we were driving into Queens, we were listening to Howie Rose call the Met game, and he was saying "The sun has been trying to break through here at Citi Field today, but so far its still rather dreary and the lights are on." 

But wouldn't you know it...as we pull in to park, the sun broke through. And it turned out to be a beautiful night, another gift from above if you will. 

We had an awesome turnout as you can see. And thanks to all of you who made a contribution, Running for Rebecca raised a cool $8,384.74.  That was over $2,000 more than our goal of $6,300.00.  Team Weekly Mail's contribution to that was $1469.53, almost 50% higher than our goal of $1,000.00.  A million thanks and all the love to everyone who contributed. 

Last week, our niece Rachel made her First Communion. It was a great day and we loved celebrating our girl Rachie. But it's never too far from your mind that someone who is supposed to be there isn't. But she sure was there with us on Thursday, sending us the sun just as we were gathering to remember her. It's always the day it hurts just a bit less, just because on that day she's there. 

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TELEVISION REVIEW-Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. 

(SPOILER ALERTS) 

So full disclosure before we start.... This 10 part HBO Series was based on the book Showtime about the Magic, Kareem, Pat Riley Lakers of the 1980's.  That book is one of my favorites, written by my favorite author, Jeff Pearlman. I read the book again prior to the start of the series, and all I can say is this: It's one thing if you are reading a book for the first time and you can't put it down. When you are reading it for the third time, and you still have a hard time putting it down, that's when you know you have a classic on your hands. 

So I figured going in I would enjoy it immensely, and I did. But, well, .... let's start with what I liked about it before we get into the criticism.

First of all, the casting was terrific. I've never seen late Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss interviewed, so I don't really have a point of reference, but the way John C. Reilly played him was incredible. I feel like I know him now. I have seen Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Pat Riley a million times, so I can safely say that Quincy Isiah, Solomon Hughes and Adrien Brody respectively were inspired choices to play those roles. As a kid, I always thought Roy (We're going to need a bigger boat) Scheider would be the perfect Pat Riley. Others said Michael Douglas (especially after Wall Street), but now I can't picture anybody else besides Brody playing the former Laker coach. Isiah and Hughes were unknowns, but were amazing here. 

It took me a little bit to get used to the idea of breaking the 4th wall (having the characters speak to the tv audience). That doesn't always work.* It worked here. It was mostly used by Buss. And it did enhance the production. 

The story that was told was compelling. It helped if you are a basketball fan, but you didn't have to be an NBA fan to enjoy it. This was evidenced by the high ratings the show received and the buzz it generated. That was also because of some controversy the show brought up, which we'll address next. 

The controversy mostly came from the fact that the NBA in general and the Lakers in particular did not endorse the series, in fact they were openly hostile to it. 

This especially came to light as it pertained to Laker legend Jerry West, who at the time depicted in the show, was in his last days as Lakers head coach. West portrayed by Jason Clarke, either was a raving lunatic or looked like he had taken a bite out of a lemon. The real Jerry West was less than happy with this portrayal for obvious reasons, and threatened to sue everyone involved. 

So here's my $0.02 on all of this...

Movies sometimes take what they call poetic license, in other words, they don't let things like facts and the truth get in the way of a good story. This series did that quite a bit. They had the Lakers playing games on dates they weren't playing, against teams they weren't playing against. (for example according to the show, they played the Celtics on Christmas Day 1979. A quick gander a basketball reference.com says no). But it made for a compelling plot line. 

And that wasn't in the book. 

What else wasn't in the book....

1) Jerry West throwing his MVP Trophy through his office window after the Lakers drafted Magic Johnson.

2) Kareem telling child actor Ross Harris to f-ck off when he asked Kareem for an autograph after shooting their scene together in Airplane**

3) Magic humiliating his future wife's then boyfriend in a pickup game in Michigan. Or Magic getting schooled by Norm Nixon on a basketball court during a party at Jerry Buss house. 

4) Paul Westhead being hospitalized for gallstones, and having recently released from the hospital Jack McKinney visiting him to tell him "I picked you as my assistant because I know you can't be a head coach. 

Those are four that come to mind, there were a whole bunch more. I could see why the former Lakers would be annoyed. I just wouldn't include the book's author in these complaints, he didn't write any of that. Take it up with the producers of the show.***

But I have to admit I really enjoyed it and was sorry when it ended. Good news is, they are already planning a second season. 

3.5 Aces. 

HOCKEY PLAYOFFS- Rangers hanging in

In Game 1 of the Rangers series against the Carolina Hurricaines,  they pretty much controlled the play for the first 42 minutes of the game. Unfortunately Carolina dominated the last 18 minutes, plus the few minutes of overtime and came away with the 2-1 win. It pissed me off because I felt like that was the game they could steal down there, as Carolina is a notoriously tough team to beat at home.

Game 2 was just a complete disaster as far as I was concerned. It wasn’t even that they got shut out, it was that they never even gave themselves any scoring chances.  I’m not taking anything away from the Hurricanes, they’re really good team, but the Rangers are better than what they showed that night. 

But on Sunday they were finally able to put together a solid complete game and they came away with a 3-1 win. It’s obvious all these games are going to be tight. Which stands to reason, since these were two of the best defensive teams in the league. Igor Shesterkin was once again lights out, which allowed the offense to take some more chances. They still made me nervous in the 3rd period Sunday, as they went into what the NFL used to call the “prevent” defense. But it all worked out, and onto Game 4 we go on Tuesday. 

Incidentally, I was in Stop & Shop on Saturday morning. I had A couple of cases of water in my cart that I hadn’t really stacked correctly. A couple of the bottles came out and I was picking them up and putting them back in the cart and people were having trouble getting around me. One of the people who was trying to get around me said to me you know something? And I figured he was gonna call me a jerk for not knowing how to put water in a cart. Instead he said “It would  be nice if Panarin decided to show up.” I forgot I had my Artemi Panarin shirt on. 

. 

Meanwhile, Game 1 of the Oilers-Flames series was a throwback to those old Smythe Division playoff series from the early 80's, when the Oilers had Gretzky, Messier and Coffey, and the Flames were their biggest geographical rivals. Some of those games were defense optional as well. 

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The Cardboard Fin Kid from Jaws....

You guys remember the scene in Jaws where two kids pretended to be a shark, had the water evacuated and when they came up, they had three boats full of guys pointing guns in their faces? Well, the one who blamed his brother for the idea is now himself the police chief of the town in Martha's Vineyard where the film took place. 

Jonathan Earle, now 56, told the Vineyard Gazette "it's something I've been working on my whole career." Both Jonathan and his brother Steven were amongst many young locals who had bit parts in the 1975 blockbuster. 

According to IMDB, Jaws was the Searle brothers only acting role. Jonathan became a cop in 1986, following the footsteps of his father, who also served as the town's police chief from 1981 till 1995. 

And in the Art Imitates Life department, in 2008, Seale arrested a man who started a hoax about great white sharks being spotted in the water trying to scare off the beach goers. 

Here's hoping Chief Seale has a happy, productive and most of all, uneventful term as Chief of Police. 

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Saturday was the 47th season finale for Saturday Night Live, and it also marked the departure of Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson. (Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney are also rumored to be leaving). McKinnon is an all-time great, definitely top 10 of all time and could arguably top 5. 

Davidson wasn’t the funniest or most talented cast member SNL has ever had, but for as long as I’ve been watching, few have been more fascinating. From his background as the son of a firefighter lost on 9/11, to his headline grabbing relationships with Ariana Grande and Kim Kardashian, to his will he or won’t he show up for work, I can’t remember too may other people in the shows history that created quite the water-cooler buzz that he did. 

Summer unofficially starts next week. So glad we made it!

Stay Safe

and Have a Great Week

* There’s a show on Fox called Call me Kat, starring Jeopardy host Mayim Bialik which uses this and I at least find it annoying. My favorite use of it was on an SNL skit years ago with Robert Mitchum, Kevin Nealon and Victoria Jackson called Death be not Deadly. Mitchum turned to the camera and said “this gal was so saturated with booze, the Eleanor Roosevelt clinic wouldn’t take her” causing Nealon to yell “hey that’s my wife you’re talking about”

**Kareem’s quote from his sub stack blog… “I never said “F—k off” to the child actor (Ross Harris) in Airplane!, nor have I ever said that to any child. I realize this was a shorthand way of showing my perceived aloofness during that time, even though I have often spoken about my intense, almost debilitating shyness. Sometimes the attention in public became so overwhelming I shut down to protect my sanity. The filmmakers had access to that information, but truth and insight were not on their agenda. Shocking moments were.    There is a victim here, it’s just that it’s not me. My charity the Skyhook  Foundation, provides week-long retreats for inner-city school children to study science while staying in the national forest. …. But when people see this show and come away with an impression that I’m verbally abusive to children, they are less likely to support my foundation. That mean fewer kids will be able to partake in the program.”

***Pearlman for his part has emphatically defended the series, has objected to nothing that the series portrayed, and even got into a Twitter skirmish with legendary Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, who demanded Pearlman apologize to Jerry West.  

Weekly Mail May 16, 2022

 Hello Friends:

Two of my nieces and one of my nephews made their First Communion on Saturday.  It’s just our luck that the two communions were at the same time, so Tim and I headed to my God Daughter’s FHC in Queens while Tara took our niece and nephew’s in Garden City. Everyone looked great and had a wonderful time.

Thursday is the 4th annual Running for Rebecca at (the park formerly known as) Maurice Park. First of all thank you to all who have donated. As of this writing, we are at $812.20. Math’s not my thing, but that’s 187.80 short of my goal. So if you want to help me get there, here is the link.https://www2.heart.org/site/TR/HeartWalk/FDA-FoundersAffiliate?px=17407286&pg=personal&fr_id=6396

 And obviously if you want to participate, it’s 5:15 this coming Thursday. To all who have already committed, I can’t wait to see you. 

Onto the week that was…

NHL PLAYOFFS: Rangers send Penguins back to the Igloo (sorry)

I have to be honest, I really thought I’d be writing a much different blog post about this series. 

It’s not so much that I didn’t think the Rangers could come back from a 3-1 series deficit, shoot I’ve seen them do it before, to the Penguins as a matter of fact. It’s just that they looked so bad in Games 3 and 4 that I wondered if they had it in them. Those games in Pittsburgh were hard to watch. 

But they came home in Game 5 and after going down 2-0, came back to win 5-3. Igor Shesterkin, who had gotten pulled in both Games 3 and 4, seemed to slowly but surely get his mojo back.  Then Friday night, they went back to Pittsburgh. With the fans derisively chanting Igor, Igor, and booing Jacob Trouba for his clean hit on Sidney Crosby that cost number 87 most of Game 5 and all of Game 6, they once again fell behind. But again, I saw Shesterkin back to making some of those crazy saves he made for us in the regular season. This one looked like it was heading for OT, but Chris Kreider scored what might have been the luckiest goal in NHL history. The puck bounced off Pens goalie Louie Domingue went up in the air, and bounced into the net. I thought I was seeing things on that one. But man what a relief to get the series back to the Garden for Game 7. 

And although they once again had fallen behind, I saw a couple of times where Igor basically robbed Crosby. So while I wouldn’t say I was super confident going into OT, I knew we had the edge in goal. Of course I’ve been burned by Crosby so many times, I could just picture him scoring the goal that would send us home for the summer.

Instead, defenseman K’Andre Miller drew an interference penalty, and a minute and a half into the power play, the Breadman himself, Artemi Panarin scored the game winner. The space he had to score was unbelievable, the Pens D and goalie Tristan Jarry gave what looked like a hole the size of a nickel for Panarin to shoot at, and somehow that was enough. 

To say I was overjoyed would be an understatement. Not only for the obvious reasons, but also because I really can’t stand the Penguins. And what happened in Game 1 only solidified my resentment of them. 

It appeared that the Rangers had taken the lead late in Game 1, on a goal by Filip Chytil off a highlight reel pass from Kaapo Kaako. But the Penguins challenged the goal, saying Kaako had interfered with Domingue. The replay clearly showed that Kappo was pushed into Domingue, but the boobs in Toronto who are in charge of this stuff called the goal off. The result was a game that went into triple OT., and the Penguins stealing Game 1. 

The worst call I’ve even seen (or non-call as it were) was in the 2014 Cup Finals, when the Kings scored a goal while they had one of their defensemen lying on top of goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Even the NHL eventually apologized for that (sometimes in August if I recall correctly) I’m sure there will be no apologies for this screwup, but man, was I ready to let the league have it if the Rangers would have lost. It’s still ticks me off though. Because I still feel like the league prefers to see Sidney Crosby advance. 

But the Rangers took care of that, despite the leagues best efforts. Now it on to Tobacca Road and the former Hartford Whalers. The Rangers had their hands full with these guys all season, and unlike the Penguins, these guys can roll out scorers on all their lines. This is going to be a tall order, so we’ll just have to wait and see. 

In other hockey news, the Islanders fired their head coach Barry Trotz. 

I have learned over the years to question GM Lou Lamarillo at your own peril. I’ve seen this guy fire coaches in the middle of the season, only to see the new coach get handed the Stanley Cup a couple of months later. 

But the Isles not mailing the playoffs this season hardly seemed to be the fault of the coach, who BTW has just led the Isles to two straight Eastern Conference Finals. Remember, they opened the season with a 13 game road trip and then were ravaged by COVID. Unless it comes out that Trotz was hosting super spreader parties at his house, I really don’t get why they made this change.  Then again, I thought the Rangers were crazy to fire their President and GM last year. So you can’t go by me. 

TWO QUICK FOOTBALL NOTES-

1) Far be it for me to tell rich folks how to spend their money, but $37.5 million for Tom Brady to commentate on NFL games seems a tad excessive no? I thought the $$$ they gave Tony Romo was ridiculous and this is more than double that. My question, if Brady doesn’t retire before FOX’s deal with the NFL expires, are they still on the hook for it? (I’m only half joking about that too)

2) Far be it for me to tell people what to watch on the telly, but seriously, if, with hockey and basketball in playoffs, and MLB in full swing, you tuned in to see the NFL reveal the 2022 schedule, you really need to do a lifestyle priority check. A guy I worked with at OTB used to say “These guys would bet on the cockroaches running across the floor.” The NFL could put up one of those test pattern bars and people would tune in. And then call WFAN to discuss it.   

GLOBAL WARMING-What Happens in Vegas…..

Lake Mead, a Colorado River reservoir, is at 30% capacity having lost much of it’s surface over the last 40 years. In addition to the obvious issues of lack of suitable water, another issue that has come up (literally) are human remains. 

There’s a belief that some of the remains that have re surfaced are those of some unfortunate souls who crossed hairs with the mob. 

One of the hints that are leading experts to conclude this was that one of the recovered skeletons was found in a rusty barrel.  Geoff Schumacher, Vice President of the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, told NBC News…. “I think a lot of these individuals are drowning victims. But a barrel has the signature of a mob hit. Stuffing a body in a barrel”

The bigger concern of course is keeping that part of the country hydrated. Lack of sustainable water should alarm everybody. But everyone who has seen Goodfellas and The Godfather 1000 times loves a good mafia story. And if this can grab people’s attention, maybe someone can do something about the water shortage. 

Wishful thinking? Could be. 

Thanks again for supporting Running For Rebecca

Stay Safe

and Have a Great Week

Weekly Mail May 1, 2022

 Hi Everyone:

So this was a fun week. Wednesday afternoon I went over to Roosevelt Middle School to watch Tim run. 

Last season Tim mostly ran sprints but this year the coach has him doing more distance running. His two races were the 800 meters and the 1500. 

Two races. Two wins!

In both races he had a real nice finishing kick. Enough in the tank to finish strong. And for me, a proud papa moment. 

That was the most exciting sports moment for me this week. 

Here now was the second..... 

                                                   APRIL 29, 2022

OCEANSIDE TRAIN STATION 5:24PM- WE've got this down to a science now, Timmy and I. We get the 5:24 out of Oceanside, change at Jamaica, one stop to what will always be my home subway station, 61 Street Woodside, up the stairs to the 7 at 5:58, arrive at Citi Field approximately 6:15 or so.. But on the train tonight there are two sets of jerseys. A bunch of people like us wearing Mets jerseys, and a bunch of other people in Rangers blue. The Rangers are wrapping up the regular season tonight against the Washington Capitals. It will be nice and warm in Madison Square Garden, could be a bit chilly in Flushing tonight. 

TOM SEAVER STATUE 6:17 PM- Gotta stop and pay homage to the Franchise. The statue is pretty much right there as you come down the steps of the 7 train. We stopped and took a few pictures. I was impressed by it on TV, so needless to say it's amazing in person. The classic drop and drive delivery. 

JACKIE ROBINSON ROTUNDA 6:22 PM- Fresh off his two impressive wins in the 800m and 1500m the other day (see above) Tim decides to take the steps up the rotunda. Lazy a$$ that I am, I opt for the escalator. As I'm approaching the escalator, I see a guy selling programs and yearbooks. Maybe I'll get a program and keep score, I haven't done that in years. Then I'm thinking that money could be better put to use on food. Besides why the hell would I want to keep score for a meaningless game in April? 

SECTION 421 CITI FIELD 6:35 PM- Found our seats, now it's time for our first food run. Tim gets a burger and fries and I go for the Italian Sausage and Pepper. I also get two pretzels for the third inning. There are no lines now and we get our stuff right away. By the third inning there probably will be lines. Want to avoid those as much a possible. With the way my guy puts food away these days, another food run will be unavoidable. 

CITIFIELD- 6:45 PM- Not sure they do this every night, but tonight to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine, the Mets have an 11 year old from P.S. 89 come out and sing the Ukrainian National Anthem. This is impressive on multiple levels, not the least of which are 1) he is singing to a crowd of about 12,000 in a 42,000 seat stadium, 2) his voice is much more mature then any 11 year old I ever met and 3) the Ukrainian National Anthem is only slightly shorter than In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. 

The second grade from another school sings The Star Spangled Banner. Adorable. 

TOP OF THE FIRST INNING- Tylor Megill is starting for us tonight. With Jacob deGrom out with yet another arm injury, and new Met Max Scherzer having injury concerns of his own. Megill was our opening night starter and pitched brilliantly. He enters this game 3-0 with a 2.34 ERA. Last time he faced the Phillies was 10 days ago and he pitched 5 scoreless innings. Might hey have him figured out? Not so far, a 1-2-3 inning. 

BOTTOM OF THE FIRST INNING- Aaron Nola is the starting pitcher tonight for the Phillies...

FLASHBACK-June 25, 2021-Simsbury CT...

I'm visiting some of Tara's family in Northern Connecticut, just outside of Hartford. While at dinner, I pull my phone out and I see someone posted on FB "Thank you Pete Alonso for salvaging Tom Seaver's record.."  Tom Seaver for 51 years was the one and only pitcher to strike out 10 batters in a row, Until this night, when Aaron Nola struck out 10 consecutive Mets, meaning our boys are both the beneficiaries and victims of the same record. Only a Pete Alonso flyout keeps Nola from having the record himself. 

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Nola may once again strike out that many in a row, but no so far. Brandon Nimmo leads off with a single only to have the next hitter Sterling Marte hit into a double play. Francisco Lindor hits a pop up that looks like it might be caught, but with the swirling winds tonight in Flushing, it's hard to pick up and the ball falls in for another hit. Alonso strikes out to end the inning. 

TOP OF THE SECOND- Megill strikes Nick Castellanos out, then gets catcher JT Realmuto to fly out to LF. He walks Kyle Schwarber, (which I will temporarily forget about) then I'm afraid he gives up his first hit as Alec Bohm hits a line drive to left center, but Nimmo is able to race over and make the catch. 

TOP OF THE THIRD- After the Mets go down 1-2-3 in the second, I tell Tim to have his pretzel now. The lines are still fairly short, so I can go on another food run soon. As for the Phillies, they go down again 1-2-3, the last out being another real nice catch by Nimmo. 

BOTTOM OF THE THIRD- I decide to make the food run now, because I'm having more fun watching the Mets pitch and play defense then I am watching them try to hit and run the bases. Standing in line getting Timmy his nachos and Gatorade, the Mets go down again in order, with two strikeouts. I also decide to make a run to the Men's room on the way to the concession stand. I don't think to much of it at the time

TOP OF THE FOURTH-I get back to my seat just in time to see the Phillies 2nd batter Rhys Hoskins leading off. Now I was pretty sure that Megill had faced the minimum of batters, so I take my phone out to see and sure enough, there was the walk to Schwarber I had forgotten about. See? Who needs a scorecard when you have instant access to a live boxscore? Phillies go down in order. 

BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH-Marte, Lindor, Alonso go down in order. What we have here my friends, is what us old timers refer to as a pitchers duel. Theoretically, the game should be going much faster since offense seems to be at a premium. Plus the clock out in right field says Temp 60 and Winds 19 MPH. Feels a bit colder, but I'll hold off on putting my jacket on. 

TOP OF THE FIFTH-With one out,  Schwarber walks again, then steals second. With two outs ex Yankee Didi Gregorious comes up. I have a ton of respect for Didi, he came to NY in an almost impossible situation..as a replacement for retired Yankee Legend Derek Jeter. After a rough first month, in which us patient New Yorkers were totally understanding (har har har), he did himself and the team proud. He was a solid Yankee. he's not doing me any favors here as he walks, giving the Phillies two base runners. But thankfully Obduell Herrera strikes out on three pitches, nullifying the threat. 

BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH-Finally some action! Eduardo Escobar leads off with a single. Robinson Cano strikes out, which leads to a cascade of boos from the crowd. It's like I always say.. "If you're going to make that kind of money AND do steroids, you gotta produce." Hard to feel sorry for him. Mark Canha hits a double giving us runners at 2nd and 3rd. Both Escobar and Canha were free agent signings around Thanksgiving as was Marte. I'm very happy with all three of them, though Marte pisses me off sometimes. (More on him shortly.) Next batter up is Jeff McNeil. And the Squirrel comes through with a two run single. Now the place is rocking. That's all we get, but we're on the board baby! 

TOP OF THE SIXTH- Notice a couple things as the 6th inning starts. Number one, that doesn't look like Megill out on the mound. It's not, Buck Showalter decides to bring in Drew Smith to replace Megill. I have to do another check of the scoreboard to make sure I'm seeing right. I also realize I could do with a trip to the Men's room, but because of the first thing I noticed on the scoreboard, this second thing is for now, out of the question. 

FLASHBACK: April 26, 2002- Shea Stadium

I went to this game with a buddy of mine. Shawn Estes was pitching for the Mets. In a few weeks he would end up in Mets lore for lollipopping a beanball at Roger Clemens, in retaliation for what happened between the Rocket and Mike Piazza in 2000. The pitch was about 70 MPH and nowhere near Clemens big fat head, but we all appreciated the effort.

On this night though, Estes is breezing. I mean really breezing. And in the top of the 7th my pal shouts in excitement.. "Hey Bill! Estes is pitching a no-

SHHHHHH! 

But it was too late. The Brewers led off with a single. 

In my pal's defense, the very next day, I went to the game with Wild Bill Sr., and wouldn't you know, Met pitcher Pedro Astacio did almost exactly the same thing, the Brew Crew getting a single with one out in the 7th, one third of an inning longer than Estes. My Dad is the one who taught me all this crazy superstitious stuff, so you know we didn't say a word. Just goes to show you maybe this is all a bunch of crap. 

But I'm not taking any chances. 

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Smith has been lights out this year, and that continues here, as he strikes out Jean Segua and Rhys Hoskins. Bryce Harper is next. They do a whole lot of stupid $h-t here to keep you occupied between innings (since most folks aren't updating their scorecards) and one of the things they did earlier was a Draft Kings come-on where they asked you to guess the over-under on how many times Bryce Harper was going to get booed tonight. The set the over-under at 2.5. Well, being that he's booed every time his name is mentioned. And the only way he wasn't going to get booed was if he was carted off the field on a stretcher, even a dunce like me would bet the whole enchilada on the over. Lo and behold, he gets up in the 6th and gets booed again (go figure). Someone actually won a 25 gift card for guessing that right. SMH! Harper walks (more boos) but Castellanos strikes out. 

BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH- Tara calls. She tells me she's heading to bed and tells us to enjoy the rest of the game. She also tells me to make sure Timmy is staying warm. Part of me wants to tell her that "We go to battle in the armour that we have, not the armour that we need. You don't stay married 16.5 years saying things like that. 

I will hun. Have a good night. (Follow me for more marriage tips) 

My jacket is hanging on the back of my seat, where it has been since the Ukrainian National Anthem

Starling Marte was the third guy the Mets signed on their Thanksgiving spending spree. He's been pretty good too, but someone needs to go over baserunning 101 with him. A couple weeks ago, with the Mets down 5-0, Marte singled in a run, but proceeded to get caught stealing for the third out. Lindor, who was red hot at the time, was at the plate. That was a rally killer. Now here he gets nailed again trying to steal after a leadoff hit. It's not necessarily a bad play, and it was close enough that Showalter challenged the call. (a delay my rapidly filling bladder didn't need) But after the ruling was upheld and Pete Alonso smacked a no doubt about it dinger over what Howie Rose calls the Great Wall of Flushing, I thought we could probably have used that 4th run. Oh well. 

TOP OF THE SEVENTH- Smith strikes out Realmuto, and then Buck brings in Joely Rodriguez. (Maybe I'll run to the can while he warms up..no  No  NO!). Rodriguez was picked up in a rare trade with the Yankees, and I could hear some of you Yankee fans snickering as Rodriguez walks Schwarber (Schwarber's third walk in 3 trips to the plate). But when he gets Bohm to ground into an inning ending double play, I'm thinking what a great pickup he was! 

7TH INNING STRETCH- Standing up and singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame and Lou Monte's classic Lazy Mary helps me to forget that I have to pee like a racehorse.  

BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH-Cano leads off with a hit, but gets caught trying to stretch it into a double. Even when he does something good, he screws it up. The Squirrel gets another hit, but is stranded at first.  

Timmy has been a trooper tonight. He's asked if we can go to the Jim Beam Club* and if he can get some Ice Cream. "It's a bit cold for Ice Cream" was my answer to that question, though I offered him my debit card and told him he could go and I'd watch him (he declined). He also asked if we could see if our friend's the DeAngelos were at the game. Last year, we had gone to Catholic Health night at Citi Field. (Mercy is part of Catholic Health) After watching the first few innings with the Bishop and some nuns, I saw that my St. Mary's classmate Keri DeAngelo posted a picture from her seat, I texted her and asked where she was sitting, and she wrote back where and that there were seats available. So Tim and I headed over.  I seem to recall that Tim and Keri's daughter Ella spent most of the time bickering, which stands to reason since 35 years earlier that's what his father and her mother used to do, but he was asking, "Can we see if Ella's here" Keri knows the same thing I know...In this situation, you stay right the f-ck where you are. (Her words, not mine) 

If I had known we'd be in this situation, I would have discussed this with Timmy over his burger. For now, I keep saying to him, "Let's just see what the Phillies do here, buddy." 

Sometimes I wonder why he hasn't turned me over to the authorities.  

TOP OF THE EIGHTH- Didi grounds out, but then Rodriguez walks the pinch hitter for Herrera. This leads to another pitching change and more reminding that I really need to hit the head. Maybe we should go to the Jim Beam Club, we could stop at the loo on the way, then warm up while he eats a hot fudge sundae. 

Focus, focus.

Seth Lugo is in the game now. He was a bit shaky in the beginning of the season, but has been better of late. Tonight, he gets Segura to pop out to Lindor and Hoskins to pop out to Alonso right in front of the plate.

Breathe, breathe..

BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH- One of the features of these new ballparks is that they blast the home team's broadcast from all the concession stands. Our seats are not too far away from one food counter, so we could hear Gary Cohen and Ron Darling, though not very clearly from our seats. But the little that I've heard in bits and pieces are Johann Santana, 10 years ago, combined... and I realize that blabbermouth Cohen is talking about what I've been trying not to talk about. Are you kidding me? I'm risking a UTI and this guy is running his mouth? 

My Mom's cousin, the late great Tom Finn, once told my Dad and I that he blamed Bob Murphy for costing Tom Seaver his shot at immortality on July 9th, 1969. He said Murphy said something to the effect that Seaver was familiar with everyone in the Cubs line-up except the 24 year old part time outfielder named Jimmy Qualls. You can figure the rest out for yourself.

Earlier, Tim asked where the TV announcers sit, and I pointed out where the SNY booth was. "Maybe we can go down and say Hi" he said. If Cohen keeps yapping about this, we will go pay him a visit. 

Marte almost got picked off 2nd, but the throw was off, so he ended up at third. Alonso and Escobar strike out, leaving him stranded. 

As the aforementioned Murphy used to say "Fasten Your Seatbelts...."

TOP OF THE NINTH- Tim's favorite Met is Pete Alonso. That doesn't make him unique amongst young Met fans. But his second favorite is probably Edwin Diaz. It's not so much Diaz he likes, as it Diaz entrance music. 

Edwin Diaz enters the Game

It's called Narco by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet. And it really does give you the sensation that you are in Mallorca, Spain about to witness a bullfight. 

Diaz is an enigma. He came to the Mets in a trade with Seattle that gave us the other gift that keeps on giving, Robinson Cano. Diaz is either outstanding or awful. Sometimes he's outstanding and awful in the same appearance. If he's lights out tonight, he may not have to pay for dinner in NY for a long time. If he blows it, they may run him out of Flushing. 

First Batter-Bryce Harper who gets a standing ovation (NOT!). Diaz strikes him out on 5 pitches.

Second Batter- Nick Castellanos- Diaz strikes him out on 5 pitches.

And then, calm.

I don't know what came over me, but I was confident it was going to be all right. I know one pitch could blow everything. I also knew that the batter, JT Realmuto had every reason in the world to want to belt one out of the park. He was a free agent when Steve Cohen bought the team, and he made it clear, even though Cohen could offer him unlimited $$$, that he wanted nothing to do with NY. 

But the first pitch Diaz threw to JT Realmuto really made me calm down. Realmuto swung at that pitch like he too had to take a leak, same thing with the second pitch, like he just wanted to get back to the hotel and get some shut-eye.

The place was rocking. Since nobody besides Gary Cohen was talking about it, I wasn't sure if everybody knew, but now I was certain everyone did. I was also certain it was going to happen. 

And then...........IT DID!!!!

 

I couldn't believe it.  This is my 40th year watching baseball consistently. I've never even seen a no-hitter on TV, and now I was here seeing one live. I had Timmy stand so I could get some pictures of the celebration, in case no one believed me. 

                                      Timmy celebrates the Mets celebrate their 2nd no-hitter ever

then I made my very first FB Live Video.

Live from Citi Field

I could finally explain to Timmy why Dad was acting like more of a weirdo than I already am. I told him the Mets pitched a no-hitter, and that's why everyone in the ballpark was going bananas. "That's awesome!" he yelled. Then asked "Dad, what exactly is a no-hitter?" 

After a much needed trip to the bathroom, we walked down the stairs and cheered with everyone else. I explained everything. Or as much as I could. 

10:47 PM 61 STRREET/WOODSIDE LIRR TRAIN STATION

The platform is packed, we can't even get down the stairs to the platform. A bunch of yahoos are cheering as a dude in a Mets shirt is shot-gunning a beer. My days of doing that are behind me, and Timmy's have yet to come. But as the great Phil Marchese said to me, "the best part is that you got to see it with your mini-you". By this time next year, I may be HIS mini-you, but Phil's right. To have seen this with him is the greatest gift. I hope the day comes where he really appreciates what he got to see. But for now, I'll take the fact that he enjoyed being with me as much as I loved watching this with him. 

And he gets all the ice cream he can eat next time too. 

*The Jim Beam Club sounds like a place where a bunch of old men go to smoke cigars and drink whiskey. It's not. It's a family friendly place where you can get food, drinks (alcholic or otherwise) and watch the game indoors. Drinking is pretty expensive at citi field, you might want to do some pre-gaming before you come to the ballpark.