Thoughts of a Common Man

Sports is such an amusing distraction for the shit show that is normal every day life. I’ve seen a lot of great games through the years, and most of the time my team loses, but that’s why God made me a Yankees fan… …so I knew what winning was like. Anyway, Game 4 of the NBA Finals was one of ‘those’ games. An instant classic, I suppose, but for 3/4ths of the game, it was an absolute snooze fest. Of course, they didn’t start the game until 8:30, so I had no chance of watching beyond halftime, and given how the half went, I wouldn’t have watched it anyway. I was asleep by 10:15 or so. I woke up for some reason and checked the score. Spurs 92 Knicks 75 with 11 minutes to go. “No chance,” I thought. Immediately went back to sleep. Through the din, I heard my son Sam say: “No way!” Checked again. The lead was down to 4.  I thought: “I can stay up for the rest of it.” Immediately went back to sleep. The next time I woke up it was morning. The Knicks won on an insane tip-in, and all of Ne...

It’s truly an every day question that’s aggravating.  It’s worse in the summer months when the thought of turning on the oven after being out in the sun is kinda’ pathetic. “We ordering something?” Kathy asked. “I guess.” “A sub? Hot dogs? Pizza?” “I’d do Chinese,” I finally said, knowing full well she didn’t want Chinese. “Order yours,” she said. “Me and Sam will get something. What time we eating?” “‘Ten Minute’ is what they’ll say when I call,” I said. I ordered all my favorites, and got an extra egg roll for some reason. Ended the question for a day, anyway, but ‘what’s for dinner?’ will rear its ugly head again tomorrow. One of the best things we did was assign a couple of meals to a couple of nights. Wednesday is pasta for me. It was pizza night for everyone else. On Sunday, I make pasta. So, we’re down to five nights. “How about breakfast for dinner?” Is tossed my way once in a while, and suddenly I’m a short order cook. When I lived with my Dad on the road, dinner was never...

We have to further discuss the presidential visit to the NBA Finals as we now know the facts so they can be preserved for all of history. First off, a funky aspect of it all is that New Yorkers are currently walking around New York City burning sage to get rid of the evil. For the uninitiated, they flashed pedo pig on the screen during the national anthem. That was by design.  They didn’t think the boos would rain down during the anthem. They believed that would be unpatriotic, but we are way past that. And they don’t know New Yorkers. The boos were loud. They were louder at the watch parties everywhere people were gathered. How would the cult respond? First, Fox News manipulated the tape - mixed some cheers in and eliminated some of the booing. A reporter was to afraid to frame the question any other way than ‘What did you thing of the reception you got?’ That lined him up perfectly fly to do the thing he loves best: Lie. “Amazing. Mostly cheers.” Now, it may seem trivial to some,...

The New York Knicks being in the NBA Finals is such a feel good story. A moment that is good for the escape of the shit show the country has become. So, how do we turn the feel good story into a divisive, garbage night where everyone was excited to be at a watch party. Mr. Me, Me, Me, Me decided to go to a game that no one wanted him. The watch parties were canceled because of the security required. So much for needing the security of a huge ballroom, right? It did allow us to fantasize about the reaction that he would get. New York absolutely hates him because they’ve known he’s a criminal for decades. The mindset is what fascinates me. If you were well aware that the majority of people hate you, wouldn’t you lay low? But check the gall of the man as he spoke to the young reporter. Sitting a foot from her he called her crooked or stupid because she asked what evidence he had for saying the 2020 election was stolen. (It wasn’t). (He has zero evidence). (He was laughed out of court). Bu...

Images of the Bi-centennial celebration flash through my mind. I distinctly recall the parade through town, and the men marching in uniform. We had balloons and floats and waving flags.  We watched the fireworks at the town park, and as a 11-year old, I distinctly recall being undeniably proud to be an American. A lot has changed in 50 years. First off, I learned about life and how it works. As a kid, you don’t see a lot of the rough edges. As a kid, you don’t have any idea who has money and who doesn’t. You don’t know who is having troubles at home, or who is sick. Back then we had a lot of people looking over us. Our friend’s parents  knew us and they’d discipline us or feed us. Now, as adults, we know all the deep, dark secrets. We understand that there are people in power taking advantage of us. We don’t have healthcare for all. We have way too many poor and homeless. Our education system is in tatters. We aren’t being led out of the mess.  We are being dragged into t...

I visited Mom on Saturday afternoon, and we chatted a little bit, and watched a funny episode of Roseanne (John Goodman is great). I mentioned that the Knicks were going to win the championship, and how we watched them together in 1973. She loved that team - especially with Jerry Lucas who was a genius. She asked: “What sport is that?” So, her memory isn’t great, but I knew how to get it going. I put on Sinatra. “Strangers in the Night” She watched the video. Her leg moving to the music. Her eyes full of tears.  She sang every word. I thought about taping it, but she was watching the video on my phone. Then she looked up. “He’s dead, right?” I nodded. “Why?” She asked. “He was old,” I said. “He had a great life. His songs will last forever.” She sang a little more. “I remember it all,” she said. “Why did he die? He was handsome.” I knew those tears were for my Dad who loved Frank. I knew she heard his voice as Frank sang. That’s why she had tears. It was beautiful to see, but it hu...