Hey Everyone:
So here in NY, we all got to see something we haven't seen in a couple of years.
Snow
Yes indeed, as the meteorologists all breathlessly reported this week, Monday Evening/Tuesday morning brought snow to the Big Apple for the first time since February 13, 2022. We somehow managed to get through all of 2023 (WB50) without any snow. Did ya miss it? I didn't.
It wasn't much thank goodness, just enough to make getting to work on Tuesday morning a pain in the a$$. And that it was so cold so it didn't disappear right away either.
Then on Thursday night into Friday they were talking about another system that was going to ice up the roads and make both the morning and evening commutes treacherous. The morning commute was a snap and then they were like "OK, well it's going to be a rough go coming home." There were some flurries and a smidge of accumulation but nothing like they were predicting. One of the weather people, as a means of explaining what happened, said "Look at these pictures of Philadelphia." Philadelphia? What does half a foot of snow in Philly have to do with NYC?
I know predicting weather is a tough job, but they really blow this $h-t out of proportion. I referenced the book Hate Inc. on this forum before, Matt Tiabbi's book explaining how the job of the cable news networks is to keep you glued to their product by any means necessary. I believe that local newscasts use these weather forecasts to do the same thing. I'm not saying they are necessarily dishonest, but I do think they predict the worst case scenario. And I believe they do it for two reasons. One is that they figure is better to err on the low side than the high side. And the other is to keep us watching.
I could be wrong. I don't think I am.
Another Dad Brag Moment-Tim's Cross Country Team won the conference championship back in the fall. His team was honored during a meeting of the Oceanside School Board on Wednesday Also, the Oceanside High School Athletic Department was awarded a Good Sportsmanship Award from New York State, one of only four high schools in the state to win it. These are the things that make these cold January nights a lot more fun.
And on that note, onto the week that was...
BASKETBALL: WM at the Garden
Took Tim to the Knicks-Magic game at MSG on Martin Luther King Day for the second year in a row.
And for the second year in a row they lost.
Don't get me wrong, we had a great time, we loaded up on event pretzels and popcorn, and we had a few laughs. There's few things that make life living more than going to sporting events with your kids, especially now that he's so into basketball.
They still should have won this one. Not having Jalen Brunson was an issue, he really is their heart and soul, but they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the 4th quarter. And I'm not just talking about from downtown either. They were missing dunks, layups and worst of all foul shots. Missed free throws really burn my a$$, and some of that I chalk up to childhood flashbacks. I used to have stretches where I couldn't hit free throws and I drove my coaches crazy. (That and boxing out seemed to be my Achillies heel.-But I digress) You play in the NBA you have to hit your free throws. No two ways about it.
But like I said, we had an awesome time. That's what counts.
RJ Barrett and Imanuel Quickley returned to the Garden on Saturday night to a raucous ovation and a video tribute. I was glad to see that.
HOCKEY: Isles Coaching Change
The Islanders fired coach Lane Lambert on Saturday. One of the news outlets referred to this as a shocking move. Not sure what their definition of shocking is, he's been on the heat seat for a while, and Lou Lamoriello has a fairly quick trigger finger. I didn't think getting rid of Barry Trotz was a good idea after a pair of trips to the ECF, and I'm afraid this doesn't make me reconsider that previous position.
Patrick Roy is the new coach. That was a bit of a surprise. Roy gave me one of my early sports heartbreaks, his standing on his head goaltending ended my Rangers run in the 1986 NHL playoffs, after my Blueshirts had pulled off a pair of upsets against the Flyers and Capitals.
Roy has been coaching in the Avalanche system for the past 5 years after having coached the Avs for 3 seasons. I just wonder now, does this put Lamoriello on the hot seat as all? If Roy can't turn them around, how much of the blame falls on the roster build? Does Lou get to make another change or is this it for him? It will be interesting to see.
BOOK REVIEW: The 20 Greatest Moments in NY Sports History
By: Todd Erlich and Gary Meyers.
I got this book as a gift from my sister Katie. And overall it was a great read, very cool reliving the moments that I lived through and learning about the ones that didn't or was too young to remember. The list is pretty hard to argue with, what could perhaps be more debatable is the order of the events. I won't give away too much of the list in case you want to read it yourself, but I think if you are a NY Sports fan, most of the list won't come as much of a surprise.
I have one small criticism of the book... they interview some of the people who participated in the events,. and while I can appreciate getting different people's points of view, sometimes it was a case of different people saying the same thing. I'll give a small SPOILER ALERT to make my point
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one of the moments was Aaron Judge's 62 home runs. At least 3 or 4 of the people who discussed this talked about how calm, cool and collected Judge was during this chase. They also brought up how classy a guy Judge is. I'm not disputing any of that, I agree with all of it. But you didn't need all these folks making the same point. One or two of those perspectives would have done the trick.
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But other than that, I do think you'll get a kick out of the stories. Highly Recommended
4.0 Auggies.
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The New Hampshire Primary is Tuesday. Ron DeSantis, long believed to be the one guy who could give Captain Orange a run for his money, announced he was suspending his campaign on Sunday.
So now it down to two. Orange vs Nikki Haley. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but I believe Haley could compete with him if she truly took him on, rather than tap dancing around.
Back to DeSantis for a minute, I really don’t understand why candidates decide after all the time and effort and money they put into these campaigns, why they drop out so close to the next contest. What changed between Iowa early Tuesday morning, and Sunday afternoon? Even if he was low on cash, wouldn’t it be worth it to see how it goes in New Hampshire?
Every four years I try to figure it out, every four years I get more baffled.
We’ll finish up with football: The Ravens blew out the Texans, the Niners pulled out a tough one from the Packers, and the Lions made it back to the NFC Championship game for the first time in 32 years by beating the Bucs in Detroit. That was pretty cool to see, since I know a thing or two about long suffering fan bases, I enjoyed the fans celebrating at Ford Field. Here’s hoping their good times keep rolling next week in San Francisco.
The Chiefs went up to Buffalo and played in another classic against the Bills. The Bills had a chance to tie it up and force OT, but they missed a 44 yard FG and the Chiefs ran out the clock. Kinda felt bad for the Bills Mafia, another missed field goal costing them dearly, plus I’m getting closer to the point of being tired of seeing KC still playing ball at this time of year. But it was an entertaining game.
That’s all we got this week folks. Stay warm
Stay Safe
and Have a Great Week
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