Thoughts of a Common Man

People all over the world are up in arms over this photo. Again. A rich douche goes on a trophy hunting trip and then kills a majestic beast. We've seen this play out before. Right down to the shitty smile and the ensuing death threats. We have learned the names of the dentist, Walter Palmer, who killed Cecil the Lion with a bow and arrow. Walter Palmer is a straight-up killer. He's not a hunter. He's not a he-man or a great shot. What he is, is the most-hated man around the world right now, because everyone is extremely up in arms with that pose. People hate his smile and people hate the death on the face of a lion. Here we go: I'm not a hunter and I just don't understand it. I get the fact that there are folks who hunt deer and then eat what they kill. I understand that those who love hunting treat it as I treat golf. It's a relaxing thing. It's supposedly a difficult thing to do and those who do it well are really proud of their...

Pedro Martinez wasn't my favorite baseball player of all-time. Actually, I hated him when he was on the Suck Sux and was throwing a 75-year-old man to the ground. Poor Don Zimmer. But Pedro had a great answer when they asked him about this week's D.B. of the Week, Colin Cowherd. "Who is he?" Pedro asked. Cowherd was a sports talk show guy from ESPN. He got fired last week because he made some silly remarks about baseball and the Dominican Republic...basically saying that baseball isn't real complicated if people from the Dominican Republic can understand the complexities of the game. I'm glad to see Cowherd hitting the road. He's always been a bombastic moron. He's always been anti-baseball...telling us how great college and pro football is compared to the M.L.B. Yeah...he glosses over the fact that former players brains are turned to mush. He crows about how difficult it is to manage a football game... ...but how simple baseba...

"Life's a Bitch!" Someone I love dearly sent me that three-word note on Friday as I was trying hard to get back home to get a couple of days rest after a really long week. We had traded texts about our various aches and pains and notes about how difficult things are sometimes. "It's about moments," I answered. "Getting to the moments where we laugh." I've always loved that photo of my Mom and Dad. I try to imagine what they were laughing about. It could have been anything. They made each other laugh for a lot of years. They made everyone around them laugh. When I see that photo I think of a day long ago. A salesperson had shown up at our front door. Dad didn't want to listen to a sales pitch. Mom let the lady in. There was one problem with the entire situation: The woman had badly crossed eyes. Regardless, Mom led the woman to the kitchen table and sat across from her. The woman began to speak. Dad took th...

"If you're seeing a cardiologist, you may want to leave the room," the principal scientist Alan Stern said as he opened up the news conference regarding the discoveries made as the NASA spacecraft returned photos of Pluto. Man, scientists are geeks! Stern went on to explain that there are layers of haze! That the temperatures on Pluto are minus 380 degrees and that ice flows like glaciers!!! Holy crap...I can hardly settle down! And now I know that there are reasons why it is mind-boggling to some people to make these discoveries. (I watch the Big Bang Theory). But what does any of it mean to any of us? There are ponds of frozen nitrogen!!!! An underground ocean might be there!!! Seriously. Does any of this change your life? And here's the thing about that there science stuff. I ain't smart enough to get it. It took 9 and a half years for the spacecraft to travel 3 billion miles to get the first close-up look of Pluto. (When I think o...

The donations are coming in! A Born in the USA Buffalo shirt! A David Phelps autographed ball! David has donated each and every year...what a guy! The 27-Time World Champion Greatest Franchise in the History of Organized American Sports plaque! Another proud to be from the great city of Buffalo shirt! Baltimore is once again representing hard with Dave Neisser leading the way! Wait until you see the goods Dave is bringing along. The signed Rowdy Roddy Piper photo is all me! And most importantly... ...all for Jeff's kids! Now I'm sure that Wif is going to crush me this year with various tasty things to eat. Hope to see you there! The best day of the year. If you'd like to donate a basket...or an item...just let me know! I need to work on getting some leg strength... ...if I can't play... I can guarantee I can eat! Let's go Lions! We're ready to celebrate!

Hulk Hogan makes the rounds on the morning talk shows... ...I always thought he was kind of dim-witted. His entire act is pretty lame, but he made a lot of money running around in his yellow tights. But he was always sorta' dopey to me. He easily wins D.B. of the Week this week with his racist rant about a black guy dating his daughter. And it's not just the brutal sentences he managed to string together that gets him the award. Let's review: Steroids - check. Weird leering at his own daughter - check. Nasty divorce with full name calling and stories of horrendous behavior - check. Sleeping with his best friend's wife - check. Taping it - check. Acting crazy when the tape was leaked - check. Suing everyone - check. Crying for forgiveness - check. Anyone surprised by the racist rant? But that's not to say that the Hulkster won't have his backers. About ten years ago I was at the wrestling matches with my boys. Thank God that p...

There have been times in my life when I'd lower the window and hand the guy standing on the corner at Teall Avenue in Syracuse a handful of change. Late yesterday afternoon I didn't even look at him. And I'm not a miserable enough person who wants to shout out: "Get a job!" I don't know that guy's story and deep down I've always felt some compassion. I just had a very hard week...again...a lot of work...and I didn't feel like being brought down. I knew what his sign said: Homeless! War Vet!! Hungry!!!! Can you spare a dime???? "We passed him the other day," one of the guys who works in the nearby office said, "And he was talking on an I-phone." So. He has a phone. That doesn't mean he ain't broke. Yet you hear all the stories of men making good money...tax-free money...and then going to a home anyway... The 'Homeless' thing is false advertising. They'll just buy drugs or booz...

I was at a job meeting today where the discussion turned to a few months down the line and of course, everyone there began to talk about ice... ...and snow and lost workdays. "Hopefully we'll have a little milder winter," one goofy bastard said. And it got me thinking about how we are almost done with summer. What do we have left? Sixty more good days? "We only have to worry about the crap conditions for ten months," I said and I got a big laugh, but what can you do? It's Buffalo! And it got me thinking... My summer has been okay. A few rounds of golf. Camp Clifford is humming. The 27-Time World Champion Greatest Franchise in the History of Organized American Sports is in first. The Stones were just here. Bruce is talking new record and tour and... ...The Buffalo Bills are gearing up for a Super Bowl winning year!!! (That's what the Camp Clifford campers are saying). The Erie County Fair is in a couple of weeks. The ...

We interrupt the D.B. of the Week ceremony this week because I'm tired of just giving it to Donald Trump and it has occurred to me that he just might win it every week between now and the election. Yet he must stay in the race because he's going to make all the other candidates give real answers. He's going to force them away from their canned talks. It will be great fun. Yet. I had a few other thoughts this week. Check this out: I spotted that written on a door in downtown Buffalo. What a beautiful thought, huh? One of these days someones gonna hug you so hard that. All the broken pieces stick back together. The bad grammar aside (ending a sentence with 'that'?) it's actually a pretty nice thought. I'm not sure who the writer was speaking to... ...I wonder if he or she had a specific person in mind. I'm not quite sure that a hug so hard can make 'all the broken pieces stick back together' but I looked at the door for a l...

My brother and his family returned from what looked like a simply amazing trip to Italy. I commented about how special the place seemed to be and John answered: "You can really get a sense of our heritage." And it made me think of the unbelievable nasty debate that is going on in this country right now: Immigration. My Dad wasn't a fan of having his heritage denounced. He would actually fight a man who had the misfortune of uttering a nasty word like: Dago, or Wop. "Wop comes from when Italians used to come over to America," Dad explained. "When they were gathered at the Statue of Liberty they would have a sign around their necks: W.O.P. - With-Out Papers." I spent a lot of time talking about heritage and tradition with my Dad. We didn't have the conversation on purpose, or even in a single setting. We did it over time. "We should have pasta every Sunday," I remember telling Dad when I was about five-years-old. ...

So, despite my best efforts not to do it I stepped into a little bit of a political discussion this weekend when I read that Donald Trump had denounced John McCain as a war hero. As said here before, Donald entertains me. I've listened to him rant on a lot of subjects and while he can make me laugh...he also makes me think about things from a different angle as well. Reading that Trump would rather celebrate soldiers who aren't captured...made me a little ill. I quickly posted that his comments were embarrassing...and I stepped into the slippery slope of a political debate that was, as they all are, misguided. People who really, really, really want to vote for Trump quickly jumped to the defense of an absolute string of indefensible comments. Donald called McCain "dummy." Really. Dummy. Remember when you were in the 2nd grade and one of your classmates called you a 'dummy'? (Come on...it couldn't have only happened to me!) It was q...

Growing up in Buffalo meant that you were hearing Van Miller's voice as much as you were hearing the voice of your favorite teacher. Van was everywhere. A true celebrity in a small-type city, I suppose. I first remember knowing of Van Miller when he would call the Buffalo Braves games. In fact, I stood within just a couple of feet from him as he walked around in his fur coat and hat on the sidelines, before a game, talking with Dr. Jack Ramsey who was the coach at the time. Two for McAdoo , when great Bob McAdoo scored. and just plain: Randy when Randy Smith hit a jumper. At 8 or 9 years old you start thinking that announcing a game and doing the play-by-play might be your way into the pros. (Lord knows my left-hand and playing D wasn't going to do it for a slow, no-jumping, white lad). But we used to try and announce the games. I recall working with my old buddy, Al DeCarlo, thinking it would be great to be real professional sports announcers. But Van made i...

I stopped in at the kick-ball tournament in memory of Cathy George in the great town of North Collins on Saturday and what amazed me more than anything else was that every single person I talked to... ...was smiling. As I do each year I stopped to look at the wall that honors the past winners. And then I bought a few tickets for the outstanding auction: I even tried to win this: So I could give it it's proper burning. But what is cool about growing up in a small town is that you can't truly walk fifty feet without running into a friend.... ...and they are great friends, by the way. I even had an 'in' with the guy who spins records each year. Rick played Glory Days as soon as he saw me and then he went on a string of Stones hits that nearly made me move like Jagger. I had some laughs with a whole bunch of people and I watched a little of the very competitive games. I wish I could've hung around a little longer, but my dopey kids had things...

I drive around a lot so there's plenty of time to listen to talk radio. My current playlist looks like this: Howard and/or Opie & Jim in the morning. Howard is on so rarely these days that I've learned to like Opie & Jim now that the racist Anthony has been kicked to the curb. By 10 a.m. I switch to either Dan Patrick or um...my beautiful wife laughs at this... Jenny McCarthy . (Hey I gotta' keep up with what the women are thinking). By noon I'm a little lost. I usually go to the MLB Station or switch to E-Street Radio for a bit of Bruce. All in all...I can't live without Sirius radio. Anywhoha... On Friday I was a little busy when Jenny ended and I never switched the station to Bruce. I was trapped listening to Dr. Laura for a moment. My husband is a sex addict, the woman began. Who isn't? I thought. He's NOT an addict! Dr. Laura scolded. But tell me why you think so. He spends a lot of time on the computer. Does ...

The Caitlyn Jenner ESPY is inspiring a whole lot of debate. Well, let me tell you a story of courage. I chronicled the story of Trina Stinson and her sons Anthony and Nick in my book House of Miracles. Here is the introduction of Anthony and his courageous mother and brother. That is courage folks! No disrespect to Caitlyn or her dress... ...Trina (and all those who suffer in anonymity) deserve the ESPY . Chapter 3 - The Story of Anthony Stinson - Part I “When you have no choice, mobilize the spirit of courage.” --- Jewish Proverb There wasn’t a single thing in my life that prepared me to meet Anthony Stinson. My son had been very sick; there was no getting around that. I had suffered as he awaited surgery to remove the tumor in his chest. I wondered what I would do with the rest of my life if each and every one of my prayers weren’t answered. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky ones. My son, Jake, made a full recovery and is free to enjoy his life. Jake spend...

All right. You probably don't know who Aaron Kromer is. But you will soon. Not only has Kromer won the coveted D.B. of the Week Award he will or should soon be looking for a job! Kromer is currently the Offensive Line Coach for YOUR Buffalo Bills. Problem is...he may not be the coach of that O-line before the week ends. You see, Kromer had a bit of a problem while on vacation in Florida last week. The details are a little sketchy, but the story goes something like this: Some teenage kids "borrowed" the Kromer family beach chairs down in Florida. Aaron Kromer didn't like that. He allegedly went on a bit of a rampage, tossing the kids fishing poles into the water and then (this is where the details get sketchy) he got into a fight with the kids. Kromer pushed one of the kids. Then Kromer punched one of the kids. Then Kromer told the kids that if they called the police he'd 'kill their family.' That is D.B. of the Week behavior ev...

So...we have another jail break, huh? This one makes the one in New York look like child's play. How can people dig mile long tunnels from their prison cells without being noticed? I know there's a lot of downtime for someone in a jail cell, but being free to dig to China? Turns out, El Chapo is a real tough guy. An allegedly really bad dude. El Chapo, which translates to 'Shorty' is a Sinaloa cartel leader and the stories of the drug kingpin's bad acts reads like a laundry list of how to ensure that you have a quick trip to hell when things are finished here. The Mexican Government is up in arms. There is a huge reward offered. The American Government is also under fire, including Donald Trump, who made a whole bunch of comments about Mexicans before the escape and then jumped on the news of the escape as proof that he was right about every racist word that fell from his mouth. El Chapo isn't laughing. Following the escape Trump and El Cha...

So the 27-Time World Champion Greatest Franchise in the History of Organized American Sports - the New York Yankees - are in first place at the all-star break. Just like I had it figured. And after seeing my brother and his family traipsing around Italy...and after seeing the Stones and being inspired...I was happy to take a day off from the usual routine. It's hard to get a day in the summer but the hours have been long...gotta' do it or burn-out happens. So Pops and I hit the course. And man, it was beautiful. We talked about the Buffalo Bills players being stupid on social media. We hit on their new OL coach punching out a kid on a beach in Florida... ...and we took a few swings. I achieved par on a couple of early holes and was really having a good time...when I hit my drive on 11 and felt my back go. I thought of my beautiful wife warning me: "Why don't you just rest a day?" I did some deep-knee bends (for me that isn't terribly de...

Camille Cosby went on the offensive this weekend in the defense of her husband, Bill, who has certainly fallen from grace. In one of the strangest things I've ever heard the longtime wife explained that the drugs and the sex between 50 or so women and her husband was actually consensual. Come again? These women who took a drink with the Cos, passed out, woke up with him and them in a state of undress, then felt as if they had been raped or violated... ...were actually in on it? As Judge Judy says: If it doesn't make sense, it's not true. Let's say for a moment that the women did agree to take a drug or two with the pudding dude. Then they passed out. Does that mean he could do whatever he wanted? And now why are these women suddenly changing their stories? Are any of them getting paid because they had been raped by Bill? (Allegedly). I get that Camille has been married to him for years and that he afforded her a pretty good living. Although it...

I'm writing this at 12:53 a.m. My ears are ringing. I was simply blown away. The Stones landed in Buffalo...and I was all set for a trip down memory lane... ...and they just simply blew me away. I called Jumpin' Jack Flash as the opener. That might have been the slowest song they played all night. Sympathy for the Devil? Are you freaking kidding me? I kept thinking about how they played it in 69' and the Hell's Angels killed a guy while they were on stage. Midnight Rambler? The woman next to me confessed that she had seen the Stones for the first time in '72. She bought her ticket for the show this morning. Her husband, who was a huge Stones fan had recently died. She decided to come anyway. We talked about a lot of things as the show played out. The one thing that we talked about the most is that: Mick Jagger is an amazing human being. "That's a long ways that he's running," she said. "He's older than me!...

The date was September 27, 1981. I paid $15 for the ticket and went to the show with my buddies John Cataldo, Tom Ryback and my brother John. I honestly can't believe that my mother let me go. I was just sixteen years old! But she was going to have a rough time keeping me away - I was that much of a Stones fan. In fact, I almost felt like I was a member of the band! (Thanks Chris). George Thorogood opened the show and was great. Lonesome George was a revelation, actually. Who knew that he was such a great rocker. The crowd loved him...well, most of the crowd. There was a guy sleeping in the parking lot in a mud puddle - and that surprised a naive kid from a small town. And I believe that John Cataldo was reading from a novel during George's performance. Anywhoha... Journey was next and Cataldo was the only guy who wanted to see them. Poor Journey got booed as the crowd pushed to the stage...waiting for Mick and Keith. I recall a man trying to cross over th...

By most accounts, I'm a good guy. I'm not usually prone to sudden anger and can be fairly level-headed when it comes to confrontation. I can tell you the three instances when I've been angered by virtual strangers. First. I was walking into a Blockbuster video store, looking for a Scooby-Doo video for the kid I was holding in my arms. A man cut in front of me and swung open the door just as I was reaching for it. The door nearly struck my young son and if not for my cat-like reflexes I would have had a bruised kid. "Excuse me, as&h*le," I mentioned. The guy immediately apologized, but I walked through that store completely pissed off. He could've hurt my boy. Cut to a few years later. We're eating at a restaurant and two of the kids are joking with one another at the table. A nice family meeting. Across the way a very heavy man was having dinner with his grandmother, or mother, or someone. It's not important. What is important ...

Should a grown man be playing with fireworks? I don't know. I never actually wanted to do it, but there has to be people who are willing to set them off so that others can enjoy them. I hardly even look up anymore during a fireworks show. It was interesting when the kids were young, I suppose, but my kids are actually afraid of their own shadows so they were more scared than excited. Anywhoha... The D.B. of the Week this week is New York Giants player Jason Pierre-Paul. He burned his hands while setting off fireworks and put his new $60 or $70 or $80 million dollar contract extension in peril. It seems that every year July 5th is the day when we total up the losses of limbs. One poor guy was killed this year when he set off a firework on top of his own head. I actually felt bad reading that story as he family of the kid was trying to stress that the kid knew enough but that it was an accident. Yet...I'm a safety guy by trade. I don't much care for the ...

This is one of those inspirational things that goes around social media - written by a 95-year-old man named William Snell back in 1993. I've actually seen it on posters. It's pretty good. Life's Little Instructions Sing in the shower Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated. Watch a sunrise at least once a year. Never refuse homemade brownies. Strive for excellence, not perfection. Plant a tree on your birthday. Learn three clean jokes. Return borrowed vehicles with the tank full. Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them. Keep it simple. Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know. Be forgiving on yourself and others. Say "thank-you" a lot. Say "please" a lot. Avoid negative people. Wear polished shoes. Remember other people's birthdays. Commit yourself to constant improvement. Have a firm handshake. Send lots of vale...

I have family members who are big Garth Brooks fans. I have never really cared for country music, but I do have a secret. I love the Garth Brooks album that was done by his alter-ego Chris Gaines. Remember that? Garth was trying his hand at rock music. I gave it a chance about 15 years ago or so. I have it on my i-pod and I love every single song. Especially this one: Right Now Maybe it's the movies, maybe it's the books Maybe it's the government and all the other crooks Maybe it's the drugs, maybe it's the parents Maybe it's the gangs, or the colors that we're wearin' Maybe it's the high schools, maybe it's the teachers Tattoos,pipe bombs underneath the bleachers Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the crack Maybe it's the bible, or could it be the lack Come on people, now Smile on your brother Everybody get together Try to love one another, right now...right now Okay, maybe it's the papers, maybe it...

I don't know why it is...but weeds in the yard drive me crazy. O.K. I know why it is. I'm mentally ill and as a kid, we were all tasked with keeping 5 acres neat and organized. We all became obsessive about it. I talk to my siblings now...I know we are all suffering with just one weed too many. Suffice to say, I need things to be clean and organized. I need control of my surroundings. Evidently I'm the only one in this house who does. "Pick some weeds," I tell the campers at Camp Clifford each and every day. They never seem to get around to it with the eating, and drinking and shooting hoops. "I picked a few yesterday," Sam will say. But it's never enough. I need them all gone. So on Friday...with a day off staring me in the face...I made a decision to get away from the computer and the phone. The sun was riding high, not a cloud in the sky. I started at one end of the house. Weed after weed. The i-pod blasting i...

Isn't Italy beautiful? My brother and his family are making the rounds in Italy. I asked John for meal-by-meal updates and although he sent me a photo of a barbecue beef sandwich and a beer he had at the Toronto airport, he quickly got on board. "Going to dinner. Be ready," he sent as one text. And Italy just looks beautiful to me. Look at that presentation of my favorite meats. Just beautiful. Of course he sent other photos. There's the coliseum. Amazing, right? This is better. "How's the sauce?" I asked. "It ain't Dad's," John texted back. Looked good anyway...although I would've eaten about 6 servings, it appears. And as the photos came through I kept thinking: "Why aren't I doing that?" "When will I vacation?" Just beautiful.

A few things about Independence Day. I actually didn't know many of these. 1. Independence Day commemorates the formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. However, it was not declared a legal holiday until 1941. 2. Fireworks were made in China as early as the 11th century. The Chinese used their pyrotechnic mixtures for war rockets and explosives. 3. Uncle Sam was first popularized during the War of 1812, when the term appeared on supply containers. Believe it or not, the U. S. Congress didn't adopt him as a national symbol until 1961. 4. There are many precise rules for taking care of the American flag. And speaking of flag traditions, we're sorry to report that contrary to legend, historical research has failed to confirm that Betsy Ross sewed the first flag. 5. Not all members of the Continental Congress supported a formal Declaration of Independence, but those who did were passionate about it. One representative rode 80 miles by hors...

Donald Trump wanted to talk about immigration. As he is running for president he certainly has the right to voice his opinion and vocalize his plan. Donald also made a statement that is shared by a great many people across this land that had as a motto: Give me your poor, your tired.... What Donald can't do... ...is generalize an entire race of people and label them as violent, drug-smuggling, rapists. So. He takes the D.B. of the Week Honors again! Now some who may read this blog regularly may be saying to themselves: "There he goes. Bleeding heart, liberal jerk who hates anyone who runs for the GOP side." Wrong. I listen to The Donald. He's been on Howard Stern and Opie and Jim a lot. He actually makes me laugh because he's so outspoken...on everything...and he doesn't back down. He's also wildly entertaining with his rebuttals. But The Donald was wrong again. "What happened to his freedom of speech?" A whole l...

My work career has taken me to a lot of different places. Some have been very interesting. I knew two things about the State of Maine: Lobster and Stephen King. Not necessarily in that order. I was stricken with the beauty of the place. Everything is green. "Watch for Moose in the Road" Made me a little nervous. Then I passed the sign for Kennebunkport and I got a bit of a tickle in my mind. The place was famous for something, right? I thought of the Kennedy family and figured that wasn't it...they were also New England folks, but that was Massachusetts, right? I passed the place but made a note to stop there on the way back. I was a mile from the exit when I remembered: The Bush Family has a summer place there! I stopped anyway. I chowed down my lobster roll, looking over my shoulder, hoping that W. didn't walk up. Then I headed towards the ocean, following the signs. It's a short trip...it's a small, wealthy town. The...

The prison break got me thinking about having to spend time running through the woods, trying to evade escape. If it were me they would have found me at the end of the driveway out of the joint saying: "I got something in my shoe." I am not a tough guy when it comes to such stuff. In fact, I really don't get the whole camping gig. People work hard their whole lives to be able to buy a home where they have heat when it's cold, air conditioning when it's hot, and a soft place to lie down. And then... ...some people buy a camper and head out into the woods. To sleep on a smaller, harder bed. To use a tiny toilet...or pee near a stream. To smell like a fire. Nope. Never got that. When the kids were young we used to spend a few days at a campsite near an amusement park. I loved it because I spent a lot of time cooking with a couple of buddies. We drank a lot of beer. Told stories and laughed. We hardly slept. My beautiful wife didn't...